The Restoratin from Reproach

The Restoration from Reproach Pastor Tyson Bloor Nehemiah / Faith; Trust; Prayer; Perseverance / Nehemiah 2:17-20 The challenge of the rebuild and the opposition from the outside The Challenge Nehemiah 2:17-18 NASB95 Then I said to them, "You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach." I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king's words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, "Let us arise and build." So they put their hands to the good work. Nehemiah's approach was four fold, 1. He identified with the people 2. He stressed the seriousness of the situation 3. He committed to taking definite action 4. He used his personal testimony of God's grace to assure them of God's favor in this project. We can see that God was at work in this situation, the leaders and people respond to Nehemiah's compassion, realism, conviction, and faith. In doing so the people join in with Nehemiah's faith and conviction and state, "let us rise up and build." The Opposition Nehemiah 2:19-20 NASB95 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, "What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?" So I answered them and said to them, "The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem." Luke 22:63-64 NASB95 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, "Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?" Luke 23:11 NASB95 And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. Nehemiah's response is threefold, 1. His trust in God - not the king or his provisions 2. To ignore the the ridicule and threats and focus on the work 3. He refused to compromise a. No share in the work b. No share in the land c. No share in the worship Ezra 4:3 NASB95 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers' households of Israel said to them, "You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us." Exodus 20:3 NASB95 "You shall have no other gods before Me. Application and Take Aways; • Time in prayer seeking God's will and direction will allow you to be keen to His prompting of when to take action. • Keep your faith in God and His provisions not the provisions of the world. • Opposition will happen, focus on the work God has given you. • Do not compromise your worship to God in any way or form, for any reason. Page . Exported from Logos Bible Software, 11:12 AM March 30, 2021.