Nehemiah, Gods Leader: VII Beloved

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Nehemiah, Gods Leader VIIBeloved

• Nehemiah 61-19
• Pastor David

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Desperate Enemies

• They heard of the wall completed, so they tried
  to lure Nehemiah out to kill him (v.2).

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Mindful of the Enemys ways

• Nehemiah probably had spies on the enemies as
  well, and so he knew of their intent.
• We must be aware of how the Enemy works against
  us.

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Using Lies to scare Nehemiah

• Sanballat uses false prophets to accuse Nehemiah
  of wanting to be crowned this Messianic king as
  foretold by the Prophets.
• Do we have false prophets today?
• Since some of kings confidants did rebel, this
  accusation must have gotten under the skin.
• What are some lies Satan uses to scare/lure us?

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Stupid Enemy

• If the rumor was true, why would Sanballat need
  to meet Nehemiah?
• Nehemiah saw right through Sanballat.
• And the letter was opened.
• Why would he want to meet in private?

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Nehemiahs Resilience

• He knew that they wanted to scare them with
  rumors.
• But now, O God, strengthen my hands (v.9, ESV).
• There is strength when your life is lived in
  righteousness.
• Dont let peer pressure get to you.

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Not everyone was for Nehemiah

• They used a fellow Jew, Shemaiah, the son of
  Delaiah, against Nehemiah.
• They tried to lure Nehemiah into the temple, but
  he was not allowed to enter the temple as a
  layman (and especially as a eunuch, it would have
  been a ritual transgression in order to discredit
  him).
• Clear thinking is very important when pressured.

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Wall Completed

• Despite all the obstacles, the wall was completed
  in just fifty-two days.
• Now the enemies were frightened.

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How did Nehemiah stand firm?

• By focusing on the great task God has called us
  I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.
  Why should the work shop while I leave it and
  come down to you? (v.3b, ESV).

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What is that task for us?

• To live a life that is contrary to the ways of
  this world.
• To be the light in this dark world.
• let your light shine before others, so that
  they may see your good works and give glory to
  your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 516,
  ESV).

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How do we keep the light from going out?

• By reclaiming yourself as His beloved This is
  my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased
  (Matthew 317b, ESV).

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Why is this important?

• Because the greatest trap in life is doubting who
  we truly are.
• When we come to believe in the voices that call
  us worthless and unlovable, then success,
  popularity, and power are easily perceived as
  attractive solutions (Spiritual Direction, Henri
  Nouwen).

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Self-doubt leads to Compulsiveness

• as long as you are waiting for that mysterious
  moment, you will go on running helter-skelter,
  always anxious and restless, always lustful and
  angry, never fully satisfiedThis is the way to
  spiritual exhaustion and burnout. This is the
  way to spiritual death.

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How do we become His beloved?

• Becoming the Beloved means letting the truth of
  our Belovedness become enfleshed in everything we
  think, say, or doAnd this process requires the
  regular process of prayer.

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The Discipline of Prayer

• Prayer is listening with obedience-listening
  with careful attentionPrayer doesnt mean that
  you have long, tender feelings as you listen to
  Gods voice. Sometimes you do, and sometimes you
  dont

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(Continued)

• Prayer is a discipline. Discipline means to
  create boundaries around our meeting with God.
  Our times and places cant be so filled up that
  there is no way of meeting

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(Continued)

• So you have to work very hard to say, this is
  the time in which I am with God, whether I like
  it or not, whether I feel like it, whether it
  satisfies me. You go back to the place of
  solitude with God and claim who you are.

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Questions

• What is the great task God has given you?
• How can you keep the light from going out?
• What areas of your life do you need to change, in
  order to no longer compromise your values as a
  Christian, and to spend regular time with God
  through prayer?