Nehemiah: Committed to do Gods Work

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• Nehemiah Committed to do Gods Work

Nehemiah 211 - 332
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538/7 First group of Israelites return
520 Haggai tells them to get on with it!
458 Ezra returns
540 BC
520 BC
500 BC
480 BC
440 BC
460 BC
536 Start to rebuild the temple
516 Temple completed
445 Nehemiah returns
93 Years
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Reasons not to serve God

• God hasnt called me
• God called Nehemiah...
• ...Not directly, but through his brother
• God calls us in different ways

Are we listening?
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Reasons not to serve God

• I dont have the right skills
• This wall was not built by master builders, but
  by people bringing what they had. Neh 38
• one of the goldsmiths repaired the next
  section and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers,
  made repairs next to that

• I dont have a mission field
• What about the people next to you? Neh 310, 23,
  28, 29
• Jedaiahmade repairs opposite his house

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Why hadnt they rebuilt the wall?

• After 93 years maybe they didnt notice any more
• Maybe they noticed and felt ashamed

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Making a Good Start

• How did Nehemiah get the people to respond so
  positively?
• Ch. 217-18

Then I said to them, You see the trouble we are
in Jerusalem and its gates have been burned with
fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of
Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.
I also told them about the gracious hand of my
God upon me and what the king had said to
me. They replied, Let us start rebuilding. So
they began this good work.
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Making a Good Start

• We will no longer be in disgrace
• Nehemiah was offering them a chance to put the
  past behind them and get rid of the symbol of
  their disgrace
• I also told them about the gracious hand of my
  God upon me
• Its encouraging when we remember how God has
  been faithful

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Committed to do Gods Work?

• When we listen to God, bring what we have and
  serve him where we are...
• When were not daunted by (fear of) failure, but
  trust God

We can do everything through him who gives us
strength Phil 413