"…that God may open a door (Col. 4:3)"
Nehemiah
This is the final lesson in Mike’s series from the book of Nehemiah. Three times in the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah asks God to remember him for his work in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and returning the people to the law of God (13:14, 13:22, and 13:31). Does God remember; does He remember His…
What is it about people that they can make promises – with all due sincerity, acknowledging the consequences should they not be kept – and still fail to keep those promises? Just a few years after leading the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls in only 52 days, Nehemiah has to contend with the people forgetting the very promises they had made to God.
The walls of Jerusalem are completely rebuilt. Now it’s time to rebuild the people, because the walls alone are not enough to secure the city!
In this lesson, Mike explores the idea of “integrity” and it’s role in the Christian life.
As he leads the efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah simply refuses to “see” the obstacles, to acknowledge the very real obstacles that exist. He refuses to give fear a foothold. From Nehemiah 6:9: “They were all trying to frighten us, thinking ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.'” What has that got to do with chasing rabbits?
Our faith should not be silent. It should not sit on the sidelines and avoid difficulty. When confronted with injustice, our faith should be prompted to act.
At every point in your life, Satan will try everything imaginable to discourage your faith.
One of the first things that happens to Nehemiah and the people of Israel is that their enemies do everything possible to discourage their work of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.