Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. Do you have any Father, thank you
for the opportunity my classmates have today to share what
they've learned in the book of Namayah. I asked that
you give them confidence and help them find the words
they need as they speak today. And I pray that
their words are found both meaningful and encouraging for all
of you. And we pray in your name. Amen. Our
(00:24):
first speaker will be Daniel. Goodluck.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I'm going to need it.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
All right.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, today we're looking at Niamayah, which you might not
think is the best book of the Bible to look
at on Easter weekend, but I'm here to tell you
that it's actually a really good book. And we can
focus on Jesus through this book. And I don't have
much time, so let's get right to it. Nehemiah is
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a book about building and rebuilding, and every building, if
it's going to last, it needs a foundation.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
For us.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
That foundation should be Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate foundation.
But before Jesus even came onto the scene, we needed Nehemiah.
He needed to rebuild. I know this because Daniel nine,
verse twenty five, it says, no one understand this from
the time, the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.
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Until the anointed one, the ruler, comes, there will be
seven sevens and sixty two sevens. It will be rebuilt
with streets and a trench. But in times of trouble
this prophecy needed to be fulfilled before Jesus could come
onto the scene. Neemiah one the words of Nehemiah, the
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son of Hakalaiah. It came to pass in the month
of kiss Lev in the twentieth year, as I was
in Shushan, the citadel that Hanna and I one of
my brethren, came with men from Judah, and I asked
them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived
the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me,
the survivors who are left from the captivity in the
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province are in great distress and reproach. The wall of
Jerusalem is also broken down and its gates are burned
with fire. So Neamiyah is presented with a problem. That
problem is Jerusalem is a mess, the people living there
are in distress, and basically the whole thing is an embarrassment.
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Niamiah found out about this in the month of Kisslev
that would be in our calendar November or December. Nimaiyah
Io we read, and it came to pass in the
month of Nissan, that would be March or April. So
between Yamiah one and two there are four months that
have passed. What happened during those four months we read
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on in Niaemiah too, in the twentieth year of King Artixerxes,
when wine was before him, that I took the wine
and gave it to the king. Now, I had never
been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said
to me, why is your face sad? Since you are
not sick. This is nothing but sorrow of heart. So
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I became dreadfully afraid. It's okay to be afraid, but
have faith. The king was a powerful and busy man,
but Niemiah acted with courage and resolve for the sake
of God's people and his city. Niemiah was a praying man.
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He knew he needed God's help if he was going
to be able to do anything, and now four months
after his prayer, an opportunity was for him. Sometimes God's
answers to our prayers take time, but when the answer comes,
be ready Namah's in front of the king, and the
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king asks why is he sad? Verse three? But I
said to the king, may the king live forever. Why
should my face not look sad? When the city where
my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates
have been destroyed by fire. The King said to me,
what is it you want? Not only is Niemiah speaking
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to the king, the most powerful man in the world,
but the king is now allowing N'emiah to petition him.
What an opportunity? How does Namiah respond? He prays also
in verse four, then I pray to the God of heaven.
Niemiah understands that he needs God's help in order to
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get this done. It will not be possible without God.
Verse five. And I answered the king, if it pleases
the King, and if your servant has found favor in
his sight, let him send me to the city in
Judah where my ancestors are buried, so that I can
rebuild it. Nhemiah presses forward, laying it all out on
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the table. He wants to rebuild an entire city. Verse six.
Then the King, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me,
how long will your journey take and when will you
get back? It pleased the king to send me, so
I said a time. Here we see what Naemiah has
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been up to during these last four months. Here's what
he says verse seven. Furthermore, I said to the King,
if it pleases the King, let letters be given to
me for the governors of the region beyond the river,
that they must permit me to pass through till I
come to Judah, and let a letter to Asaph, the
keeper of the King's forest, that he must give me
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timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel
which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and
for the house that I will occupy. And the King
granted them to me according to the good hand of
my God upon me. It was only possible through God.
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Reading these verses makes it very clear Niemiyah did his
homework right. The challenge was great, the chances of success minimal.
By his power alone, this would be impossible. But I
can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. With
Philippians four, verse thirteen, Niemiyah was strengthened by God. He prayed,
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planned and succeeded. His work was just beginning for Israel,
God's comfort was coming. Oh I forgot that, so Niemiah,
it means God comforts good name, right, Okay, for Israel,
God's comfort was coming. This weekend as we reflect on
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Jesus's life, death and resurrection, remember this, Jesus died for you,
and he made the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven available
to all who would receive him. The Holy Spirit is
the ultimate comfort of God. Praise be to God. Our
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next speaker is Samuel.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Good morning, judge, Happy to be given this opportunity again
to be able to bring this to you the message
of today. So, as we already know, Nehemiah has asked
the kings if he can go back to Jerusalem and
rebuild the temple. And so we'll pick up from verse nine.
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We'll pick up from verse nine of chapter two of
Nehemiah says, then I went to the governors in the
region beyond the river and gave them the king's letters.
The king had sent the captains of the army and
horsemen with me. And now verse ten says when Sambala
the Horrnite and Tobya, the Ammonite official, heard of it,
they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to
seek the well being of the children of Israel. So
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I want to go ahead and point out here that
the story of near Amyah is rebuilding Jerusalem's walls, actually
mirrors Jesus's mission to restore humanity through the Cross and resurrection.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Both of these stories shows.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
That the opposition does not but that facing opposition does
not mean we're off course. It actually often means that
we are right where God wants us. And in this case,
Neamiyah is right where God wants him. Mea Mayah was
set to rebuild, but opposition came immediately. The enemy did
not wait to all. Likewise, Jesus was said to be
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rebuild what sin had destroyed, and from the very start
the enemy tried to stop him. We know that from
him being tempted into the wilderness for forty days. And
the main point I want to take from here is
that following God's will does not exempt us from resistance.
It often invites it. So no matter what we do,
there is always going to be someone or a group
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of people the devil is always working against us to
try and stop us from doing what God wants us
to do. And now I want us to focus our
attention to me Amaya Chapter four, which where the.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
Opposition continues to grow verse one.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
But so it happened when Sambala heard that we were
rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant
and mocked the Jews. So now we have gone from
blatant opposition, from seeing this and being disturbed, to now
openly mocking him out and continuing. And he spoke before
his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, what
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are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves, will
they offer sacrifices?
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Will they complete it in a day?
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish
stones that are burned? Now, Tobia the Ammonite was beside him,
and he said, whatever they build, even if a fox
goes up on it, he will be he will break down.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
Their stone wall.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
So now they're trying to demoralize Jeremiah and his group
for trying to build this wall, rebuild this wall. Verse
ten and eleven says that Judah said the strength of
the labor is is failing. There is much rubbists that
we are not able to build the wall. And our
adversary said, they will neither know nor see anything till
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we come into their midst and kill them and cause
the word to cease. Thirteen to fifteen says, therefore I
position men behind the lower parts of the wall at
the openings, and I set the people according to their families,
with their swords, with their spears, and with their bows,
and arose to this and said to the nobles, to
the leaders, and to the rest of the people.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Do not be afraid of them.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Remember the Lord great and awesome, and fight for your brethren,
your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
So Niemiah is trying.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
To motivate these people despite all the mockery and demoralizing
that they're facing, to keep building this wall. So here
I want to say that Neamiyah faced ridicule, fear, and threats,
but so did Jesus. He was mocked, betrayed, and later crucified,
but both of them stood firm. And so the point
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I want to bring here is the enemy uses fear
and discouragement to halt God's work, but God will always
give us the strength to keep going.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
Amen. Now, for Nehemiah.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Chapter six, I want to focus our attention to verse
ten to fifteen. Afterward, I came to the house of Shemaiah,
the son of Delilah, the son of Mehetabel, was a
secret informer. And he said, let us meet together in
the house of God within the temple, and let us
us close the doors of the temple, for they are
coming to kill you. Indeed, at night they will come
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to kill you. And I said, should such a man
as I flee, and who is there such as I.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Who would go in to the temple to save his life?
I will not go in.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
And I perceived that God had not sent him at all,
because he pronounced this prophecy against me, because Tobia and
Sambalat had hired him for this reason. He was hired
that I should be afraid and act that way and sin,
so that they might have cause for an evil report,
that they might reproach me.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
So now they have.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
Gone from demoralizing and open mockery to try to tempt
Neamiah into doing something he knows he's not supposed to do.
Continuing on from verse fourteen, My God, remember Tobia and
Sambalad according to these and their works. To these their works,
and the prophetest Naadiah and the rest of the prophets
who would have made me afraid and verse fifteen. So
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the wall was finished on the twenty fifth day of
Elu in fifty two days. So despite all of that,
the mockery, the demoralization, the temptations, Namiyah trusted God and
with God's help he finishes the wall. Neamiyah was tempted
to hide and stop, but he discerned the trap and
kept building. Jesus too faced temptation to avoid the cross,
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but he chose obedience.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
And so the point I want to.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Take from here is the enemy may try to distract, deceive,
or delay us, but God gives us the power to
finish the work.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Amen. So my conclusion here, what I want to say,
what I.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Want you to leave with, is that Neamiah rebuilt the walls,
but Jesus rebuilt our lives.
Speaker 4 (13:38):
The devil tried to stop them both but failed.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
The resurrection is proof that even when the enemy tries
to throw anything at us, everything, even God's plan, cannot
be stopped and will not be stopped. So when you
face resistance while doing God's will, remember this, you are
not failing. You are not in the wrong here, You're
right where God wants you. You're right in the very
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place where His power shows up the strongest, and before
you know it, it is finished and God is once
again victorious. Amen, God bless you. I'd like to invite
Evelyn now to come up.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
Good afternoon, now is okay? So, as we've said, we've
been going through the Book of Nehemiah, and throughout the
book there's three main sources of earthly power that Niamayah
had to deal with. The first, yeah, the first would
be King Artisserxes himself, as Daniel read for us. He
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had to go to the king and ask for safe
conduct and also for the building materials he would need. Second,
Niamaiah had to face the gentile opposition for example Indian four.
But it so happened when Sonvelett heard that we were
rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant
and mocked the Jews. And he spoke before his brethren
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and the army of Samaria and said, what are these
feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves, will they offer sacrifices?
Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive
the stones from the heaps of rubbish stones that are burned?
And then later in the chapter and I Nehemiah looked
and rose and said to the nobles, to the leaders,
and to the rest of the people, do not be
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afraid of them. Remember the Lord great and awesome, and
fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives,
and your houses. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet,
rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.
Now he had those letters from the king saying that
he had authority here, but he didn't appeal to those letters.
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When he was facing Sonbala, Tobiah and the rest of
them said, our God will fight for us. Third Niami
I had to deal with nobles of his own people,
the Jews. For example, in Niemiah thirteen, it says, in
those days, I saw people in Judah treading wine presses
on the Sabbath and bringing in sheaves and loading donkeys
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with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which
they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I
warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions.
Men of tire dwelt there also, who brought in fish
and all kinds of goods and sold them on the
Sabbath to the children of Judah. And in Jerusalem. Then
I contended with the nobles of Judah and said to them,
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what evil thing is this that you do? By which
you profane the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers do thus?
And did not our God bring all this disaster on
us and on the city. Yet you bring added wrath
on Israel by profaning the Sabbath. And at this point
Niamia is not even governor anymore, because he was governor
for twelve years, and he went back to Persia and
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then came and then was on a visit to Jerusalem.
And he's still telling these nobles, you are breaking God's law?
What are you doing? So how could he do that
standing up to the nobles of his own people, to
the gentiles. And he wasn't even appealing to any authority
he might have had from the king, because Niamiyah knew
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slide please, because Niamiyah knew that his authority didn't come
from the Jewish nobles or the Gentile governors, or even
from King artie Xerxes himself. God had sent him on
this mission, So Niamyah's authority came from him. This theme
of God's children answering to him above all authorities can
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be found throughout the Bible. For example, in First Corinthians
slide Please. In First Corinthians six, it says, or do
you not know that your body is a temple the
Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God.
And you are not your own, for you were bought
at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and
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in your spirit, which are God's. The idea that we
belong to God because we believe in Jesus is echoed
in Galatians two twenty, where Paul says, I have been
crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me and the life which I
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now live in the flesh. I live by faith in
the son of God, who loved me and gave himself
for me. That's what we're celebrating this weekend. So when
I believe in Jesus, not only does he save me,
but I make him the ruler, the lord of my life.
And Missus White in Christ's object Lessons takes it a
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step further. As the will of man cooperates with the
will of God, it becomes omnipotent. Whatever is to be
done at his command may be accomplished in his strength.
All his biddings are enablings. So it's not even that
God is just gonna say, here's my commands, do them
and then leave us flailing. He's going to be with
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us and give us a strength to do it. He's
proved this throughout the Bible. Sigh, please, He's proved this
throughout the Bible, including with Moses, which in Exodus four.
Then Moses said to the Lord, Oh, my Lord, I
am not eloquent, neither before nor since you have spoken
to your servant. But I am slow of speech and
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slow of tongue. So the Lord said to him, who
has made man's mouth, or who makes the mute, the death,
the seeing, or the blind, have not I the Lord.
Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth
and teach you what you shall say. God wanted Moses
to go and leave the children of Israel out of Egypt,
and whatever skills Moses may or may not have had,
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that wasn't the point. The point is God gave him
a job to do, and God was going with him
the next time. The next person we don't talk about much,
but Namon's wife's maid in Second King's five and the young,
and the Syrians had gone out on raids and had
brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel.
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She waited on Namon's wife, and she said to her mistress,
if only my master were with the prophet who is
in Samaria, for he would heal him of his leprosy.
So this girl is in the house of the commander
of Syria's army. She is first of all an Israelite captive.
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She is a servant. She is a girl, not even
a woman, a girl. She has all these things going
working against her. But she sees someone who needs healing,
and she knows that, and she knows that she is
an Israelite. She knows the God who heals. So she
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has a duty from God to witness to him whoever
she has to talk to, even if it's the wife
of serious army commander. And next Peter and the Apostles
in Acts five. And when they had brought them, they
set them before the council, and the high priests asked them, saying,
did we not strictly command you not to teach in
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this name? And look, you will filled Jerusalem with your
doctrine and intend to bring this man's blood on us.
But Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we
ought to obey God rather than men. They were in
front of the leaders, the religious leaders of their own people.
But even then they knew God himself. Jesus himself had
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told them to spread the gospel to Jerusalem, to Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth. So they had
a job to do, and God had given them the
authority to do it. It's like what Jesus said in
John fifteen. Abide in me and I in you. As
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides
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in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
I am the vine.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
You are the branches. He who abides in me and
I in him bears much fruit. For without me you
can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me,
he is cast out as a branch and is withered.
And they gather them and throw them into the fire,
and they are burned. If you abide in me and
my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire,
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and it shall be done for you. By this, My
Father is glorified that you bear much fruit, so you
will be my disciples. Nehemiah knew that he was sent
by God, so he trusted that God would give him
the ability to help rebuild Jerusalem. And because he knew
God was with him, he was able to be bold
and courageous with the Jewish nobles, with the gentile opposition,
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and with King art Exerxes himself. When I belong to God,
when I believe that Jesus died and rose again to
forgive my sin, I belong to him, and he becomes
the lord of my life. But he's not going to
just give me his laws and give me his commands
and then hang me out to dry. He is going
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to be right there with me every step of the way,
giving me the strength and the will to do what
he commands. And now we will hear from Miss Nikita lighting.
Speaker 6 (23:38):
Good afternoon church. Also, so as we celebrate the joy
of Easter, we remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ, how
he rose and victory over sin, death and injustice. The
resurrection wasn't just a moment of glory, was revolution of restoration.
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In Nihamayah five we see a reflection of that same power,
not in a tomb, but a city under construction, where
injustice among God's people threatens to tear everything apart. I'm
going to read the Hamaiah chapter five, verse six, and seven.
And I became very angry when I heard their outcry
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and these words. After Syah's thought, I rebuked the nobles
and rulers and said to them, each of you exacting
usury from his brother.
Speaker 4 (24:35):
So what happened?
Speaker 6 (24:36):
The people cried in pain. They're starving, Their children are
being sold. The wealthy are charging interests against their own brothers.
Injustice wasn't coming from the enemies. It was coming from within.
And isn't that the world. Jesus entered a world full
of greed, broken systems, and forgotten people. But in Eastern
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we celebrate the truth. Jesus hears the cry of the
hurting and he answers with compassion and power. Nehimiah says,
I was very angry, but I took counsel with myself.
He didn't lash out, He reflected and then took action.
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That's leadership shaped by God. Likewise, Jesus got angry too.
He flipped tables in the temple, not outrage, but of
righteous indignation and injustice. The resurrection is God's answer to
the world's brokenness. Jesus didn't ignore his sin. He confronted
it and overcame it. We can do that the same
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two Church rich I resurrection power calls us to action,
to speak truth, to live justly, to act in love.
Neehimiah calls for repentance and restoration returned to them this
very day, their fields, their vineyards, their children. And that
is resurrection language. Give back what was stolen, restore what
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was broken, release what was bond. And isn't that exactly
what Jesus did through the cross and resurrection. He restore
hope to the hopeless, life to the dead, freedom to
the captive. He came to set us free, so we
can set others free too. Nehimiah shakes out his robe
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and declares, so may God shake out every man who
does not keep his promise. The people respond, Amen, it's
more than an agreement. It's surrender, its commitment. It's worship.
This Eastern let our amen echo theirs, because the price
is paid, the tomb is empty, and the risen savior
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calls us to live like people who have been made new.
So what can we take from Nehemiah Chapter five and
the resurrection of Christ? When you hear the crime, the hurting,
respond with passion. When you see injustice, act and righteousness.
When you've caused harm, repent and restore. And when you
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remember the empty tomb, live like you've been raised because
Jesus didn't rise just to make us better. He rose
to make us new. And when we walk in justice, mercy,
and humility, we proclaim to the world he has risen. Indeed, Amen,
our next person, our next speaker will be Esther. She's
gonna share her thoughts with.
Speaker 7 (27:30):
Us, happiesabout church. I heard that you're not supposed to
say you're nervous. I won't say that I'm nervous. I'm
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very humbled and blessed and grateful to be here to
be able to share the Word with you today. I
would like to focus on my and what we can
learn from the.
Speaker 8 (28:02):
People of Jerusalem. As we've heard through the sharing so far,
we can see that Nahmaiah was someone who overcame all
kinds of oppositions, attacks and resistance, not by his own strength,
but through faith and prayer and the help of the Spirit.
Just like all my friends had dissected for us. Nahimaiah
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held a high position under the king. Artis er six
of Praysia. He was trusted as the king couper, someone
who can give the king advice directly, and he has
a great influence of power. Yet despite living in a
pagan kingdom surrounded by idolatry and unbelievers, he never lost
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his side of faith. When he heard from his brother
Haney in chapter one that the Jerusalem's wall was broken
and gets burnt, his first response was not to rush
into action, but to pray, to seek God, and he
fasts before anything. Spiritually, Himaiah shows us that faithfulness is
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not where you are, but who you belonged to, and
he belonged to God. Throughout the story, Himayah faced constant
attack from the enemies like Sanvala, Tobaia, and Gesham, but
his response was always the same. He always prayed first
and acted with courage and wisdom from God. Because of
his faithfulness and with the help of the other people,
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the leaders, price Levites and the common people, the wall
was built within fifty two days. But the story didn't
end there. Himayah noticed that the city was still empty
and it was underpopulated, and the war was strong. The
walls were strong, but the heart of the people still
needed restoring, and the people that were in exile from
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centuries ago had returned to Jerusalem after the walls were built,
and now they gathered together to hear Ezra read the
Book of Law, the Law Moses to them. As they listened,
the herd were touched and they begin to whip when
Nehemiah and the leaders couraged them not to sorrow, for
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the joy of the Lord is your strength and Hamiah
eight ten. So naturally the people repented deeply. They confess
their own sins and their ancestors, and they remember that
God's faithfulness. They remember God's faithfulness throughout their life and
made a new covenant to live according to his will,
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to keep the Sabbath, too honored, to support the temple,
and to live as God's chosen people once again. Now,
Nehemiah organized the repopulation of Jerusalem by casting lots. It's
kind of like he picked out ten of every family
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or person from outside of the town to move into Jerusalem,
and people that were living outside they kind of preferred
because they like farming. And there are also people who
volunteer to relocate to Jerusalem, and they honored the volunteers
who moved into the city to restore its life and purpose.
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After all that, they held a great celebration by doing
two choirs marched on top of the wall, singing praise
and rejoicing, so loud that they could be heard from
other cities around. Because when God restores, he restores with joys.
But Nehimaiah's work wasn't done here. After returning to Persia
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for a while, he had to return because the king
gave him a time off from his work. In chapter two,
Nehimaiah found that during his absence, people once again fell
into sin, neglecting their offering, breaking and dishonor the Sabbath,
and even litting their enemies like Tobia into the temple. Now,
Nahimaiah immediately took bold action by cleaning the temple, restoring
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the offering, and also calling back people to obedience. He
ended his story not by praising himself, but with a
simple humble prayer, Remember me, Oh my God, for good
in Himaiah thirteen fourteen. Today, as we negavigate through life,
we will face all kinds of discouragement and temptation, both
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from external influence and within ourselves. There will be times
when we backslide when we're rebuilding our life for God
and restoring our identity in Him hearing, healing our broken hearts.
We will encounter position oppositions, just like Himayah did, but
like Nehemiah, we must also seek God first. In Matthew
(32:44):
chapter six, verse thirty three, Jesus tells us to seek
God first, the kingdom of God first, and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you. When
we put God's kingdom first, everything else will fall into
place according to his will. This is exactly what Himaya did,
seeking God through prayer, fasting and faith before every decisions,
(33:07):
every battles and victory. And in our lives today we
must also remember the covenant we have with the Lord
to live for him, to trust him, to honor Him
with everything we are. And today this is what we
can learn. Faithfulness matters more than perfection. Prayer must always
(33:28):
come first always, and God's restorations start not just on
the outside, but in our heart. And when God restore,
he will restore us completely with strength, and He will
cover us like he got us. Thank you so much,
Let us pray. Do you have any Father, thank you
for the opportunity my classmates have today to share what
they've learned in the book of Namayah. I asked that
you give them confidence and help them find the words
they need as they speak today. And I pray that
their words are found both meaningful and encouraging for all
of you. And we pray in your name. Amen. Our
(00:24):
first speaker will be Daniel. Goodluck.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I'm going to need it.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
All right.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, today we're looking at Niamayah, which you might not
think is the best book of the Bible to look
at on Easter weekend, but I'm here to tell you
that it's actually a really good book. And we can
focus on Jesus through this book. And I don't have
much time, so let's get right to it. Nehemiah is
(00:58):
a book about building and rebuilding, and every building, if
it's going to last, it needs a foundation.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
For us.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
That foundation should be Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate foundation.
But before Jesus even came onto the scene, we needed Nehemiah.
He needed to rebuild. I know this because Daniel nine,
verse twenty five, it says, no one understand this from
the time, the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.
(01:32):
Until the anointed one, the ruler, comes, there will be
seven sevens and sixty two sevens. It will be rebuilt
with streets and a trench. But in times of trouble
this prophecy needed to be fulfilled before Jesus could come
onto the scene. Neemiah one the words of Nehemiah, the
(01:52):
son of Hakalaiah. It came to pass in the month
of kiss Lev in the twentieth year, as I was
in Shushan, the citadel that Hanna and I one of
my brethren, came with men from Judah, and I asked
them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived
the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me,
the survivors who are left from the captivity in the
(02:15):
province are in great distress and reproach. The wall of
Jerusalem is also broken down and its gates are burned
with fire. So Neamiyah is presented with a problem. That
problem is Jerusalem is a mess, the people living there
are in distress, and basically the whole thing is an embarrassment.
(02:41):
Niamiah found out about this in the month of Kisslev
that would be in our calendar November or December. Nimaiyah
Io we read, and it came to pass in the
month of Nissan, that would be March or April. So
between Yamiah one and two there are four months that
have passed. What happened during those four months we read
(03:07):
on in Niaemiah too, in the twentieth year of King Artixerxes,
when wine was before him, that I took the wine
and gave it to the king. Now, I had never
been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said
to me, why is your face sad? Since you are
not sick. This is nothing but sorrow of heart. So
(03:27):
I became dreadfully afraid. It's okay to be afraid, but
have faith. The king was a powerful and busy man,
but Niemiah acted with courage and resolve for the sake
of God's people and his city. Niemiah was a praying man.
(03:50):
He knew he needed God's help if he was going
to be able to do anything, and now four months
after his prayer, an opportunity was for him. Sometimes God's
answers to our prayers take time, but when the answer comes,
be ready Namah's in front of the king, and the
(04:12):
king asks why is he sad? Verse three? But I
said to the king, may the king live forever. Why
should my face not look sad? When the city where
my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates
have been destroyed by fire. The King said to me,
what is it you want? Not only is Niemiah speaking
(04:34):
to the king, the most powerful man in the world,
but the king is now allowing N'emiah to petition him.
What an opportunity? How does Namiah respond? He prays also
in verse four, then I pray to the God of heaven.
Niemiah understands that he needs God's help in order to
(04:56):
get this done. It will not be possible without God.
Verse five. And I answered the king, if it pleases
the King, and if your servant has found favor in
his sight, let him send me to the city in
Judah where my ancestors are buried, so that I can
rebuild it. Nhemiah presses forward, laying it all out on
(05:18):
the table. He wants to rebuild an entire city. Verse six.
Then the King, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me,
how long will your journey take and when will you
get back? It pleased the king to send me, so
I said a time. Here we see what Naemiah has
(05:39):
been up to during these last four months. Here's what
he says verse seven. Furthermore, I said to the King,
if it pleases the King, let letters be given to
me for the governors of the region beyond the river,
that they must permit me to pass through till I
come to Judah, and let a letter to Asaph, the
keeper of the King's forest, that he must give me
(06:01):
timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel
which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and
for the house that I will occupy. And the King
granted them to me according to the good hand of
my God upon me. It was only possible through God.
(06:22):
Reading these verses makes it very clear Niemiyah did his
homework right. The challenge was great, the chances of success minimal.
By his power alone, this would be impossible. But I
can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. With
Philippians four, verse thirteen, Niemiyah was strengthened by God. He prayed,
(06:47):
planned and succeeded. His work was just beginning for Israel,
God's comfort was coming. Oh I forgot that, so Niemiah,
it means God comforts good name, right, Okay, for Israel,
God's comfort was coming. This weekend as we reflect on
(07:08):
Jesus's life, death and resurrection, remember this, Jesus died for you,
and he made the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven available
to all who would receive him. The Holy Spirit is
the ultimate comfort of God. Praise be to God. Our
(07:29):
next speaker is Samuel.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Good morning, judge, Happy to be given this opportunity again
to be able to bring this to you the message
of today. So, as we already know, Nehemiah has asked
the kings if he can go back to Jerusalem and
rebuild the temple. And so we'll pick up from verse nine.
(08:07):
We'll pick up from verse nine of chapter two of
Nehemiah says, then I went to the governors in the
region beyond the river and gave them the king's letters.
The king had sent the captains of the army and
horsemen with me. And now verse ten says when Sambala
the Horrnite and Tobya, the Ammonite official, heard of it,
they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to
seek the well being of the children of Israel. So
(08:29):
I want to go ahead and point out here that
the story of near Amyah is rebuilding Jerusalem's walls, actually
mirrors Jesus's mission to restore humanity through the Cross and resurrection.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Both of these stories shows.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
That the opposition does not but that facing opposition does
not mean we're off course. It actually often means that
we are right where God wants us. And in this case,
Neamiyah is right where God wants him. Mea Mayah was
set to rebuild, but opposition came immediately. The enemy did
not wait to all. Likewise, Jesus was said to be
(09:02):
rebuild what sin had destroyed, and from the very start
the enemy tried to stop him. We know that from
him being tempted into the wilderness for forty days. And
the main point I want to take from here is
that following God's will does not exempt us from resistance.
It often invites it. So no matter what we do,
there is always going to be someone or a group
(09:23):
of people the devil is always working against us to
try and stop us from doing what God wants us
to do. And now I want us to focus our
attention to me Amaya Chapter four, which where the.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
Opposition continues to grow verse one.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
But so it happened when Sambala heard that we were
rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant
and mocked the Jews. So now we have gone from
blatant opposition, from seeing this and being disturbed, to now
openly mocking him out and continuing. And he spoke before
his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, what
(10:03):
are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves, will
they offer sacrifices?
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Will they complete it in a day?
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish
stones that are burned? Now, Tobia the Ammonite was beside him,
and he said, whatever they build, even if a fox
goes up on it, he will be he will break down.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
Their stone wall.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
So now they're trying to demoralize Jeremiah and his group
for trying to build this wall, rebuild this wall. Verse
ten and eleven says that Judah said the strength of
the labor is is failing. There is much rubbists that
we are not able to build the wall. And our
adversary said, they will neither know nor see anything till
(10:43):
we come into their midst and kill them and cause
the word to cease. Thirteen to fifteen says, therefore I
position men behind the lower parts of the wall at
the openings, and I set the people according to their families,
with their swords, with their spears, and with their bows,
and arose to this and said to the nobles, to
the leaders, and to the rest of the people.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Do not be afraid of them.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Remember the Lord great and awesome, and fight for your brethren,
your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
So Niemiah is trying.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
To motivate these people despite all the mockery and demoralizing
that they're facing, to keep building this wall. So here
I want to say that Neamiyah faced ridicule, fear, and threats,
but so did Jesus. He was mocked, betrayed, and later crucified,
but both of them stood firm. And so the point
(11:33):
I want to bring here is the enemy uses fear
and discouragement to halt God's work, but God will always
give us the strength to keep going.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
Amen. Now, for Nehemiah.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Chapter six, I want to focus our attention to verse
ten to fifteen. Afterward, I came to the house of Shemaiah,
the son of Delilah, the son of Mehetabel, was a
secret informer. And he said, let us meet together in
the house of God within the temple, and let us
us close the doors of the temple, for they are
coming to kill you. Indeed, at night they will come
(12:05):
to kill you. And I said, should such a man
as I flee, and who is there such as I.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Who would go in to the temple to save his life?
I will not go in.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
And I perceived that God had not sent him at all,
because he pronounced this prophecy against me, because Tobia and
Sambalat had hired him for this reason. He was hired
that I should be afraid and act that way and sin,
so that they might have cause for an evil report,
that they might reproach me.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
So now they have.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
Gone from demoralizing and open mockery to try to tempt
Neamiah into doing something he knows he's not supposed to do.
Continuing on from verse fourteen, My God, remember Tobia and
Sambalad according to these and their works. To these their works,
and the prophetest Naadiah and the rest of the prophets
who would have made me afraid and verse fifteen. So
(12:56):
the wall was finished on the twenty fifth day of
Elu in fifty two days. So despite all of that,
the mockery, the demoralization, the temptations, Namiyah trusted God and
with God's help he finishes the wall. Neamiyah was tempted
to hide and stop, but he discerned the trap and
kept building. Jesus too faced temptation to avoid the cross,
(13:19):
but he chose obedience.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
And so the point I want to.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Take from here is the enemy may try to distract, deceive,
or delay us, but God gives us the power to
finish the work.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Amen. So my conclusion here, what I want to say,
what I.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Want you to leave with, is that Neamiah rebuilt the walls,
but Jesus rebuilt our lives.
Speaker 4 (13:38):
The devil tried to stop them both but failed.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
The resurrection is proof that even when the enemy tries
to throw anything at us, everything, even God's plan, cannot
be stopped and will not be stopped. So when you
face resistance while doing God's will, remember this, you are
not failing. You are not in the wrong here, You're
right where God wants you. You're right in the very
(14:02):
place where His power shows up the strongest, and before
you know it, it is finished and God is once
again victorious. Amen, God bless you. I'd like to invite
Evelyn now to come up.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
Good afternoon, now is okay? So, as we've said, we've
been going through the Book of Nehemiah, and throughout the
book there's three main sources of earthly power that Niamayah
had to deal with. The first, yeah, the first would
be King Artisserxes himself, as Daniel read for us. He
(14:48):
had to go to the king and ask for safe
conduct and also for the building materials he would need. Second,
Niamaiah had to face the gentile opposition for example Indian four.
But it so happened when Sonvelett heard that we were
rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant
and mocked the Jews. And he spoke before his brethren
(15:10):
and the army of Samaria and said, what are these
feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves, will they offer sacrifices?
Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive
the stones from the heaps of rubbish stones that are burned?
And then later in the chapter and I Nehemiah looked
and rose and said to the nobles, to the leaders,
and to the rest of the people, do not be
(15:31):
afraid of them. Remember the Lord great and awesome, and
fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives,
and your houses. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet,
rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.
Now he had those letters from the king saying that
he had authority here, but he didn't appeal to those letters.
(15:55):
When he was facing Sonbala, Tobiah and the rest of
them said, our God will fight for us. Third Niami
I had to deal with nobles of his own people,
the Jews. For example, in Niemiah thirteen, it says, in
those days, I saw people in Judah treading wine presses
on the Sabbath and bringing in sheaves and loading donkeys
(16:17):
with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which
they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I
warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions.
Men of tire dwelt there also, who brought in fish
and all kinds of goods and sold them on the
Sabbath to the children of Judah. And in Jerusalem. Then
I contended with the nobles of Judah and said to them,
(16:39):
what evil thing is this that you do? By which
you profane the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers do thus?
And did not our God bring all this disaster on
us and on the city. Yet you bring added wrath
on Israel by profaning the Sabbath. And at this point
Niamia is not even governor anymore, because he was governor
for twelve years, and he went back to Persia and
(17:02):
then came and then was on a visit to Jerusalem.
And he's still telling these nobles, you are breaking God's law?
What are you doing? So how could he do that
standing up to the nobles of his own people, to
the gentiles. And he wasn't even appealing to any authority
he might have had from the king, because Niamiyah knew
(17:25):
slide please, because Niamiyah knew that his authority didn't come
from the Jewish nobles or the Gentile governors, or even
from King artie Xerxes himself. God had sent him on
this mission, So Niamyah's authority came from him. This theme
of God's children answering to him above all authorities can
(17:48):
be found throughout the Bible. For example, in First Corinthians
slide Please. In First Corinthians six, it says, or do
you not know that your body is a temple the
Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God.
And you are not your own, for you were bought
at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and
(18:09):
in your spirit, which are God's. The idea that we
belong to God because we believe in Jesus is echoed
in Galatians two twenty, where Paul says, I have been
crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me and the life which I
(18:29):
now live in the flesh. I live by faith in
the son of God, who loved me and gave himself
for me. That's what we're celebrating this weekend. So when
I believe in Jesus, not only does he save me,
but I make him the ruler, the lord of my life.
And Missus White in Christ's object Lessons takes it a
(18:51):
step further. As the will of man cooperates with the
will of God, it becomes omnipotent. Whatever is to be
done at his command may be accomplished in his strength.
All his biddings are enablings. So it's not even that
God is just gonna say, here's my commands, do them
and then leave us flailing. He's going to be with
(19:14):
us and give us a strength to do it. He's
proved this throughout the Bible. Sigh, please, He's proved this
throughout the Bible, including with Moses, which in Exodus four.
Then Moses said to the Lord, Oh, my Lord, I
am not eloquent, neither before nor since you have spoken
to your servant. But I am slow of speech and
(19:36):
slow of tongue. So the Lord said to him, who
has made man's mouth, or who makes the mute, the death,
the seeing, or the blind, have not I the Lord.
Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth
and teach you what you shall say. God wanted Moses
to go and leave the children of Israel out of Egypt,
and whatever skills Moses may or may not have had,
(19:58):
that wasn't the point. The point is God gave him
a job to do, and God was going with him
the next time. The next person we don't talk about much,
but Namon's wife's maid in Second King's five and the young,
and the Syrians had gone out on raids and had
brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel.
(20:19):
She waited on Namon's wife, and she said to her mistress,
if only my master were with the prophet who is
in Samaria, for he would heal him of his leprosy.
So this girl is in the house of the commander
of Syria's army. She is first of all an Israelite captive.
(20:40):
She is a servant. She is a girl, not even
a woman, a girl. She has all these things going
working against her. But she sees someone who needs healing,
and she knows that, and she knows that she is
an Israelite. She knows the God who heals. So she
(21:01):
has a duty from God to witness to him whoever
she has to talk to, even if it's the wife
of serious army commander. And next Peter and the Apostles
in Acts five. And when they had brought them, they
set them before the council, and the high priests asked them, saying,
did we not strictly command you not to teach in
(21:21):
this name? And look, you will filled Jerusalem with your
doctrine and intend to bring this man's blood on us.
But Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we
ought to obey God rather than men. They were in
front of the leaders, the religious leaders of their own people.
But even then they knew God himself. Jesus himself had
(21:43):
told them to spread the gospel to Jerusalem, to Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth. So they had
a job to do, and God had given them the
authority to do it. It's like what Jesus said in
John fifteen. Abide in me and I in you. As
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides
(22:05):
in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
I am the vine.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
You are the branches. He who abides in me and
I in him bears much fruit. For without me you
can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me,
he is cast out as a branch and is withered.
And they gather them and throw them into the fire,
and they are burned. If you abide in me and
my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire,
(22:30):
and it shall be done for you. By this, My
Father is glorified that you bear much fruit, so you
will be my disciples. Nehemiah knew that he was sent
by God, so he trusted that God would give him
the ability to help rebuild Jerusalem. And because he knew
God was with him, he was able to be bold
and courageous with the Jewish nobles, with the gentile opposition,
(22:55):
and with King art Exerxes himself. When I belong to God,
when I believe that Jesus died and rose again to
forgive my sin, I belong to him, and he becomes
the lord of my life. But he's not going to
just give me his laws and give me his commands
and then hang me out to dry. He is going
(23:16):
to be right there with me every step of the way,
giving me the strength and the will to do what
he commands. And now we will hear from Miss Nikita lighting.
Speaker 6 (23:38):
Good afternoon church. Also, so as we celebrate the joy
of Easter, we remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ, how
he rose and victory over sin, death and injustice. The
resurrection wasn't just a moment of glory, was revolution of restoration.
(24:03):
In Nihamayah five we see a reflection of that same power,
not in a tomb, but a city under construction, where
injustice among God's people threatens to tear everything apart. I'm
going to read the Hamaiah chapter five, verse six, and seven.
And I became very angry when I heard their outcry
(24:23):
and these words. After Syah's thought, I rebuked the nobles
and rulers and said to them, each of you exacting
usury from his brother.
Speaker 4 (24:35):
So what happened?
Speaker 6 (24:36):
The people cried in pain. They're starving, Their children are
being sold. The wealthy are charging interests against their own brothers.
Injustice wasn't coming from the enemies. It was coming from within.
And isn't that the world. Jesus entered a world full
of greed, broken systems, and forgotten people. But in Eastern
(24:59):
we celebrate the truth. Jesus hears the cry of the
hurting and he answers with compassion and power. Nehimiah says,
I was very angry, but I took counsel with myself.
He didn't lash out, He reflected and then took action.
(25:19):
That's leadership shaped by God. Likewise, Jesus got angry too.
He flipped tables in the temple, not outrage, but of
righteous indignation and injustice. The resurrection is God's answer to
the world's brokenness. Jesus didn't ignore his sin. He confronted
it and overcame it. We can do that the same
(25:41):
two Church rich I resurrection power calls us to action,
to speak truth, to live justly, to act in love.
Neehimiah calls for repentance and restoration returned to them this
very day, their fields, their vineyards, their children. And that
is resurrection language. Give back what was stolen, restore what
(26:05):
was broken, release what was bond. And isn't that exactly
what Jesus did through the cross and resurrection. He restore
hope to the hopeless, life to the dead, freedom to
the captive. He came to set us free, so we
can set others free too. Nehimiah shakes out his robe
(26:28):
and declares, so may God shake out every man who
does not keep his promise. The people respond, Amen, it's
more than an agreement. It's surrender, its commitment. It's worship.
This Eastern let our amen echo theirs, because the price
is paid, the tomb is empty, and the risen savior
(26:49):
calls us to live like people who have been made new.
So what can we take from Nehemiah Chapter five and
the resurrection of Christ? When you hear the crime, the hurting,
respond with passion. When you see injustice, act and righteousness.
When you've caused harm, repent and restore. And when you
(27:09):
remember the empty tomb, live like you've been raised because
Jesus didn't rise just to make us better. He rose
to make us new. And when we walk in justice, mercy,
and humility, we proclaim to the world he has risen. Indeed, Amen,
our next person, our next speaker will be Esther. She's
gonna share her thoughts with.
Speaker 7 (27:30):
Us, happiesabout church. I heard that you're not supposed to
say you're nervous. I won't say that I'm nervous. I'm
(27:51):
very humbled and blessed and grateful to be here to
be able to share the Word with you today. I
would like to focus on my and what we can
learn from the.
Speaker 8 (28:02):
People of Jerusalem. As we've heard through the sharing so far,
we can see that Nahmaiah was someone who overcame all
kinds of oppositions, attacks and resistance, not by his own strength,
but through faith and prayer and the help of the Spirit.
Just like all my friends had dissected for us. Nahimaiah
(28:22):
held a high position under the king. Artis er six
of Praysia. He was trusted as the king couper, someone
who can give the king advice directly, and he has
a great influence of power. Yet despite living in a
pagan kingdom surrounded by idolatry and unbelievers, he never lost
(28:42):
his side of faith. When he heard from his brother
Haney in chapter one that the Jerusalem's wall was broken
and gets burnt, his first response was not to rush
into action, but to pray, to seek God, and he
fasts before anything. Spiritually, Himaiah shows us that faithfulness is
(29:04):
not where you are, but who you belonged to, and
he belonged to God. Throughout the story, Himayah faced constant
attack from the enemies like Sanvala, Tobaia, and Gesham, but
his response was always the same. He always prayed first
and acted with courage and wisdom from God. Because of
his faithfulness and with the help of the other people,
(29:27):
the leaders, price Levites and the common people, the wall
was built within fifty two days. But the story didn't
end there. Himayah noticed that the city was still empty
and it was underpopulated, and the war was strong. The
walls were strong, but the heart of the people still
needed restoring, and the people that were in exile from
(29:48):
centuries ago had returned to Jerusalem after the walls were built,
and now they gathered together to hear Ezra read the
Book of Law, the Law Moses to them. As they listened,
the herd were touched and they begin to whip when
Nehemiah and the leaders couraged them not to sorrow, for
(30:09):
the joy of the Lord is your strength and Hamiah
eight ten. So naturally the people repented deeply. They confess
their own sins and their ancestors, and they remember that
God's faithfulness. They remember God's faithfulness throughout their life and
made a new covenant to live according to his will,
(30:29):
to keep the Sabbath, too honored, to support the temple,
and to live as God's chosen people once again. Now,
Nehemiah organized the repopulation of Jerusalem by casting lots. It's
kind of like he picked out ten of every family
(30:49):
or person from outside of the town to move into Jerusalem,
and people that were living outside they kind of preferred
because they like farming. And there are also people who
volunteer to relocate to Jerusalem, and they honored the volunteers
who moved into the city to restore its life and purpose.
(31:11):
After all that, they held a great celebration by doing
two choirs marched on top of the wall, singing praise
and rejoicing, so loud that they could be heard from
other cities around. Because when God restores, he restores with joys.
But Nehimaiah's work wasn't done here. After returning to Persia
(31:34):
for a while, he had to return because the king
gave him a time off from his work. In chapter two,
Nehimaiah found that during his absence, people once again fell
into sin, neglecting their offering, breaking and dishonor the Sabbath,
and even litting their enemies like Tobia into the temple. Now,
Nahimaiah immediately took bold action by cleaning the temple, restoring
(31:58):
the offering, and also calling back people to obedience. He
ended his story not by praising himself, but with a
simple humble prayer, Remember me, Oh my God, for good
in Himaiah thirteen fourteen. Today, as we negavigate through life,
we will face all kinds of discouragement and temptation, both
(32:22):
from external influence and within ourselves. There will be times
when we backslide when we're rebuilding our life for God
and restoring our identity in Him hearing, healing our broken hearts.
We will encounter position oppositions, just like Himayah did, but
like Nehemiah, we must also seek God first. In Matthew
(32:44):
chapter six, verse thirty three, Jesus tells us to seek
God first, the kingdom of God first, and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you. When
we put God's kingdom first, everything else will fall into
place according to his will. This is exactly what Himaya did,
seeking God through prayer, fasting and faith before every decisions,
(33:07):
every battles and victory. And in our lives today we
must also remember the covenant we have with the Lord
to live for him, to trust him, to honor Him
with everything we are. And today this is what we
can learn. Faithfulness matters more than perfection. Prayer must always
(33:28):
come first always, and God's restorations start not just on
the outside, but in our heart. And when God restore,
he will restore us completely with strength, and He will
cover us like he got us. Thank you so much,
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