Rise Up

March 31, 2019 | Nehemiah 13 | exposition, generosity

Have you ever been confronted with the fact that you got off course in life? How did you handle it? Did you humble yourself and admit you were wrong, lost, off-course? Or did you pridefully keep going in the wrong direction? As humans, we’re always in danger of getting off-course. Even when we get back on track, we can’t take our eyes off of God, or we’ll slide into a ditch or take a wrong turn. Yet, God mercifully and lovingly confronts us over and over again to help us stay the course as His people.

In the Book of Nehemiah chapter 13, God led Nehemiah to confront the people of Jerusalem that they had strayed as the people of God and to get back on course. God still confronts our tendency to stray and calls us to stay the course.

March 24, 2019 | Nehemiah 11-12 | exposition, generosity

In the book of Nehemiah, revival came to the city of Jerusalem. The city was made safe again by the rebuilding of its walls, but it was the preaching of God’s Word and the repentance of the people of God that led to the revival of Jerusalem that we see in chapters 11 and 12. In the Book of Nehemiah chapters 11 and 12, God inspired Nehemiah to lead His people to do more than just rebuild Jerusalem, but to revive the Holy City. God still calls His people to seek revival in the city in which they live.

March 17, 2019 | Nehemiah 9-10 | exposition, generosity

We live in a day of broken promises and broken covenants. So many of us have felt the hurt of either experiencing the broken promise of a friend or family member. Even worse, we know the shame of having failed to keep a promise that we made to someone we care about. This epidemic of promise breaking has produced a generation who is afraid to make commitment for fear they’ll fail. Where do we turn? Who makes and keeps their promises, their covenants, these days? God does. For God is a covenant making, covenant keeping and covenant sealing God!

In the Book of Nehemiah chapters 9-10, the Israelites remembered the covenant God had made with them and responded by renewing their commitment to Him. We can respond to that same God who offers to covenant with us.

March 10, 2019 | Nehemiah 8 | exposition, generosity

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February 24, 2019 | Nehemiah 6:1-7:4 | exposition, generosity

What are you committed to? You can tell a lot about a person by their commitments. Are you committed to your spouse? To your kids? Are you committed to your job? To your school work or degree? Maybe you’re committed to owning a house or a car? The truth is, our commitments reveal our investments and vice versa. We expend our effort and resources on the things we are committed to.

Nehemiah was committed to the rebuilding of Jerusalem. In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah made the commitment to persevere in God’s calling to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. We can make the commitment to persevere in the calling God has given us.

February 17, 2019 | Nehemiah 5 | exposition, generosity

Nehemiah called the people to rise up and focus their money and effort on God’s mission to rebuild the wall, yet the fact that some were not sacrificing for the work caused strife among the people of God.

In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah led the people to stop the financial strife that had arisen between them against God’s mission. We can stop the internal financial strife that arises against God’s mission for His people.

February 10, 2019 | Nehemiah 4 | exposition, generosity

If you’re trying to live for the Lord, you will face opposition. Sometimes it comes from the world’s culture which is contrary to the life of the Spirit. Yet, often it comes from friends and family who don’t know the Lord, or who aren’t as committed to following and serving Him as you are trying to be. And sometimes, opposition comes from other Christians who either don’t understand or aren’t walking in the Spirit. But as Jesus said, you will have trouble and opposition in this world, but He has overcome the world.

In the book of Nehemiah, the people of God placed their faith in the Lord to overcome the opposition against rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. We can place our faith in the Lord to overcome the opposition against doing the Lord’s work.

February 3, 2019 | Nehemiah 3 | exposition, generosity

It’s one thing to see the brokenness in our city, but it’s another thing altogether to join the work of repairing it. Yet, it’s often the very act of joining the work of the Lord in our city that we see miracles happen to heal our city, we see miracle happen in our own lives as well. Who needs a miracle from God today to heal the brokenness in your life?

In Nehemiah chapter 3, Nehemiah recorded the names and work assignments of the Israelites who answered God’s call to rise up and join the work of repairing the broken walls of Jerusalem. God still calls His people to rise up and join His work.

January 27, 2019 | Nehemiah 2:11-20 | exposition, generosity

How should we respond to the brokenness in our world? The people of Jerusalem responded by sharing the vision that God had given Nehemiah. In the book of Nehemiah, God put it in the heart of the cupbearer to the king of Persia to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. After inspecting the brokenness of the city, Nehemiah shared his God-given vision to rebuild with the people of Israel and they committed to join him to rise up and build. God has given us a vision to rise up and build to make more room for the broken in our city.