Build Your Faith - Damage Assessment

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Sunday - 9:30AM Bible study, 10:45AM Worship Service | Wednesday Refuel- 6PM

Aug. 18, 2024

 Chad Greer
 Nehemiah 1:1-4
 Faith; Power in Prayer; Need for change
It is important we:
Understanding the current state of the world, our church, and our personal spiritual condition.

Acknowledge the need for change to be Biblically and Spiritually healthy and faithful.
Brief introduction to the Book of Nehemiah.

Context: Nehemiah is the last part of the return after Babylonian captivity. The book of Ezra and Nehemiah go together.
· Zerubbabel – returned to restore the Temple. 538 BC
· Ezra followed to restore Torah and God’s Word. 458 BC (80 years later)
· Nehemiah came to restore the walls. 445 BC (13 years later)
The Context and News (Nehemiah 1:1-2)
A. The Setting
Location - Modern day Iran
Nehemiah’s position in the Persian court – cup bearer for Artaxerxes.
The arrival of Hanani and his report (v. 2).

B. The Report on Jerusalem
Nehemiah’s Response (Nehemiah 1:3-4)
A. Emotional Reaction
Nehemiah’s mourning, fasting, and prayer (v. 4).
B. The Power of Prayer
Nehemiah’s immediate reaction: He turns to God.

Lessons from Nehemiah’s Response
A. The Importance of Compassion
Compassion drives us to action.
B. The Role of Prayer in Leadership
Prayer prepares us for action and decision-making.
How Should I Respond?
We are called to respond to the needs around us.
How do we respond to troubling news about our communities or loved ones?
Reflect on our own awareness and concern for the state of the world, the church, and our personal spiritual condition.

Reflection Questions
What issues in our community break your heart like Jerusalem’s condition broke Nehemiah’s?
How can you incorporate Nehemiah’s example of prayer and action into your own life?
In what ways can our church respond to the needs and challenges we see around us?
Power Text: (Nehemiah 1:5-11)

Final Thoughts
Ask God for a heart like Nehemiah’s: one that is moved to prayer and action.
Seek God’s guidance and strength for the tasks ahead.
And I said, “O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned.We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.
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