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Introduction
<<TURN TO NEH; CHILDREN’S WORSHIP>> LIGHTEN UP
This is week three of our series, “How God Builds Churches: Standing Shoulder to Shoulder with Nehemiah.”
Today’s the first day we’ll be in the book of Nehemiah, though.
We’ve spent the last two weeks in , exploring what it means to “build our church on Jesus.”
Paul had identified a dangerous trend in the church at Corinth - they had started factions.
Some said they followed Paul, some said Apollos, some of them said they followed Peter, and if you really thought you were clever, you’d say, “I follow Christ.”
The implication was “I follow Paul… and YOU DON’T!
I follow Christ… and YOU DON’T.”
So Paul reminds the Corinthians - Paul and Apollos had different roles, but they were nothing but servants, and they were serving the same Christ.
He says,
1 Cor 3:7-
There’s only one Mission for Paul and Apollos, and for you and me: Work the field.
Build the building.
Make disciples.
Last week, in , we focused on the call to build on the right foundation - Jesus Christ.
Any church that’s not built on the person and work of Jesus Christ isn’t God’s Church.
In God’s Kingdom, all human activity is interdependent - he who plants and he who waters are one - and all human activity is dependent - it’s dependent on God.
It’s His field, His building.
Last week, in , we focused on the call to build on the right foundation - Jesus Christ.
Any church that’s not built on the person and work of Jesus Christ isn’t God’s Church.
says that each one should take care how he builds upon the foundation.
In other words, this isn’t just a word for church leaders.
Each of us is called to build.
And the quality of our work will be shown in the Day of Judgment.
What’s going to last?
Only what is built on Christ, for the building up of His building - and you are that building.
In other words, instead of breaking up into factions, we should pursue Christ together, with Him at the center of all our work, motivated by gratitude for what Christ has done for us.
That’s how we can build on the foundation of Jesus Christ for eternity.
So that’s the theological starting point.
But where do we go from there?
Nehemiah’s going to help us with that.
But where do we go from there?
Have you ever thought about what Jesus has called His Church to do, or felt convicted that you haven’t been much of a witness for Christ, and just felt paralyzed?
Maybe last week had you wondering, “How am I supposed to build on the foundation?”
This is what Jesus has called you and me to:
Have you ever thought about a tremendous need in the city of Chicago and wondered how anyone could hope to help?
It’s a pretty common thing - you’re confronted by the need, and you want to do something, but the magnitude of the problem is paralyzing.
That’s what it means to build the Church on Jesus Christ.
Make disciples of all nations.
That’s a daunting task.
Q.
How can we possibly build something for God?
How should we start a Kingdom work?
That’s the kind of challenge Nehemiah finds himself facing in today’s text, too.
>>Have you ever thought about a tremendous need in the city of Chicago and wondered how anyone could hope to help?
It’s a pretty common thing - you’re confronted by the need, and you want to do something, but the magnitude of the problem is paralyzing.<<
That’s the kind of challenge Nehemiah finds himself facing in today’s text, too.
The book of Nehemiah opens in 445 BC
Now, this is week 3 of our Nehemiah series, but we’re just getting to Nehemiah.
Pastor Keith spent the last two weeks with us in .
Last 2 weeks
Intro to Nehemiah - include 1-2 Chron, Zechariah, Ezra, Esther
Neh a man of prayer, a leader, unsung hero of OT, a man of action whose knees were as sore as his feet, who knew how to run a Persian province and knew the OT
2 Divisions - - Rebuilding the Walls // - Restoring the People
N & Ezra - Politician & priest, both knew the Word
In , the answer takes shape for him, but this Word is for us, too.
We’ll move through three portions of the chapter, and then we’ll find the conclusion and the answer.
In , the answer takes shape for him, but this Word is for us, too.
We’ll move through three portions of the chapter, and then we’ll find the conclusion and the answer.
I.
The mission seems impossible (vv.
1-4)
Nehemiah is confronted in verses 1-4 with a devastating report from his brother and the Judahites.
To understand this, we need a little historical background.
This is the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, King of Persia.
That puts us at 445BC.
The Kingdom of Israel had reached its zenith with King David and King Solomon, over 500 years earlier.
But because of Solomon’s idolatry and his son’s foolishness, only a few years into his son’s reign, 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel rebelled, and there was never a single united kingdom of Israel again.
The ten tribes to the north called themselves Israel, and Judah and Benjamin, to the south, were the Kingdom of Judah.
So by Nehemiah’s time, Israel has been fractured for almost 500 years.
So first, in vv1-4, we see what Nehemiah is up against.
These events took place in 445BC.
But after rejecting all the prophets’ warnings and nonstop idolatry, the northern kingdom was completely destroyed by Assyria in 722 - almost 300 years before Nehemiah chapter 1.
Starting a hundred sixty years before , Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon spent 20 years running the bases in Judah, sending waves and waves of Jews into captivity in Babylon, stealing all the wealth of Judah and all the golden furnishings from God’s Temple, culminating with him sending the armies of Chaldeans to demolish the walls of Jerusalem, to tear down the city gates, and finally burn down the Temple of God in Jerusalem.
That was 140 years before .
Now, in fulfillment of God’s promises, 70 years after the first exiles were taken to Babylon, Cyrus the King of Persia allowed the people to begin returning to Jerusalem.
He even allowed them to rebuild the Temple.
But they faced opposition at every step.
Egypt, Moab, Edom, Assyria, Babylon, Persia - every neighbor and every major power had reason to oppose and hate the Jews.
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