Calvary Chapel Wiesbaden: Nehemiah

Nehemiah

2015.12.08 Nehemiah Ch 2 part 4

Nehemiah 2: 17-20 and 3: 1,2

Nehemiah's deep desire to help… his months of prayer, were all answered with a heavenly YES!!

As a capable leader… Nehemiah clearly had a plan… The four months in prayer were not only spent in talking to the LORD… but also in preparing to help… He was praying… But he was also busy working out a plan for what to do when God did open the door… We know that Nehemiah was a great leader because the leaders and the people followed him... Nehemiah took time to carefully examine the extent and needs of the city… before starting the work…. He has a heart…. he has faith… he has a deep desire to see restoration and safety for the people… Now he is ready to speak to the people… He is ready to move them to action... He is ready to call everyone to rally to the deep need… It is time to go to work… Back to Nehemiah ch 2.. v17,18…

Nehemiah 2: 17,18 NKJV slt 2000

17 Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.

17 Da sprach ich zu ihnen: Ihr seht das Unglück, in dem wir uns befinden; wie Jerusalem in Trümmern liegt und seine Tore mit Feuer verbrannt sind. Kommt, laßt uns die Mauern Jerusalems wieder aufbauen, damit wir nicht länger ein Gespött sind!

18 Und ich teilte ihnen mit, wie gütig die Hand meines Gottes über mir gewaltet hatte; dazu die Worte des Königs, die er zu mir geredet hatte. Da sprachen sie: Wir wollen uns aufmachen und bauen! Und sie stärkten ihre Hände zu dem guten Werk.

v17… You see the distress that we are in…

Notice that Nehemiah is saying we… What we…. He was rich and had nothing to worry about…. He was safe and secure in the palace in Shushan… But the Lord moved his heart when he heard of the disaster that was Jerusalem…. God moved him to tears and to prayer for the needs of others….

They were not even thinking about rebuilding the walls it seemed to be an impossible task…. They were weak and discouraged….Years ago… when some tried… enemies simply stopped them… So they now lived with their situation…

Nehemiah wisely encouraged them in the LORD…

v18…I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me… Nehemiah assured the leaders this wasn't his project… it was God's project…

Nehemiah wisely gave them confidence by telling of what God had already done… I told them … of the king's words that he had spoken to me…

Nehemiah told them how the Lord God had moved the heart of the King of Persia to authorize the work… He demonstrated the truth that the Lord´s hand was on him and them to bless the plan to rebuild the walls…. Now Nehemiah came and explained his vision for the rebuilding of the walls to the leaders of the city…

Nehemiah could not do the job by himself... He needed the leaders to be encouraged and to get behind his plan to restore the city….

Nehemiah's wise approach gives us an example to follow...

Nehemiah reminded them of the obvious…We are in big trouble here… Nehemiah didn't play the blame game... He didn't criticize the leaders of Jerusalem…

He identified with them regarding the problem…. We are in trouble… The walls are broken down and destroyed… And said we can fix them with the Lord´s help…

Nehemiah wisely asked for their partnership…

Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem… Nehemiah figured if God could move upon the heart of a pagan king to partner in this work… He certainly could move upon the hearts of His own people to join in!.. Nehemiah was ready to partner with them… in the job of restoring Jerusalem and its people…

Nehemiah wisely pointed them to the future…. We can do this with the Lord´s help… So that we may no longer be a reproach….

Nehemiah simply said, We know there's a job to be done… Now is the time… He relied on the LORD and the leaders to create a true inward motivation… External motivation and manipulation do not really work… Yes guilt and pressure can work for a while… but are never a part of God's vision for getting things done…

v18b… Let us rise up and build… The response of the leaders of Jerusalem was of God…. They said, "Yes, Nehemiah, we're with you!"

18c… Then they strengthened their hands to do this good work… This clearly shows God's hand at work here… Nehemiah's heart… his prayer… his boldness… and his wisdom, were all rewarded… This was a God-inspired mission… God moved the hearts of the leaders to do this… We will stop here for tonight…. Beginning in the very next verse we see the enemies of the people of God show themselves…. v 19…

Nehemiah 2: 19 NKJV slt 2000

19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”

19 Als aber Sanballat, der Horoniter, und Tobija, der ammonitische Knecht, und Geschem, der Araber, dies hörten, spotteten sie über uns und verachteten uns und sprachen: Was hat das zu bedeuten, was ihr euch da vornehmt? Wollt ihr euch gegen den König auflehnen?

v19… But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it… So far things had been going very well… so we should not surprised that opposition came up again… Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official both came to oppose the work… They were trouble makers…. They had their own plans for the people of Jerusalem…. They had a small army and they were controlling the people…

Spiritual warfare is real…. Opposition to the work of God… Is a reality many Christians fail to take into account…

Sanballat … Tobiah… These two first surfaced in Nehemiah 2:10… they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel… They had already made their opinion known… Now they will try to do something about the progress Nehemiah is making.

Tobiah is a Jewish name… He was a man of influence… "Tobiah" was a prominent name in priestly families for generations to come. The name "Tobiah" means "Yahweh is good" - a strange name for a man who was an opponent of the work of God…. He was associated with the high priest's family… and we will see later in our text… he was even getting help from the priests (Nehemiah 13:4).

Sanballat was connected by marriage to priestly families Nehemiah 13:28… An ancient document from this period refers to Sanballat as "governor of Samaria…

Both of these men were Jews… They were fellow brothers of Nehemiah and the citizens of Jerusalem… They should have supported Nehemiah´s work… but they did not...

The Bible makes it clear we have enemies… But they are mainly spiritual enemies…

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against … spiritual armies of wickedness in heavenly places… Ephesians 6:12.

Sometimes attacks from spiritual enemies can come through flesh-and-blood people… Matthew 16:23…

v19… They laughed us to scorn… Sanballat and Tobiah used scorn in their attack… They wanted Nehemiah and the people to feel stupid and foolish…

Many are turned away from God's will because they experience ridicule and fear… Many shrink back from standing up for the Lord Jesus… It appears that sooner or later… God will allow every Christian to be tested… We must never be concerned about what people may say about us… We need to focus on the Lord and His call for us to even lay down our lives if necessary…

The way that Sanballat and Tobiah used laughter and scorn as weapons against the work of God should also make us reflect on our own use of humor… Some Christians who are otherwise well-meaning are sometimes tools of the enemy… Mocking and making fun of others all for the sake of a few laughs… It is not kind or Spiritual to make fun of others...

v19… Will you rebel against the king?... This shows that Sanballat and Tobiah had a very low view of God's authority… Their question showed that they figured the king of Persia was the highest authority in the land... It seems that they had forgotten that they owed their loyalty first to the LORD GOD… Therefore their opinions were clouded…

First, they were completely ignorant... They didn't know what they were speaking about… The king had already given his permission and blessing… even though they didn't know it… In Fact… The king was Nehemiah´s partner in the work...

Many times… People who are being used by our spiritual enemies against us… simply don't know what they are doing… They have no genuine understanding of spiritual matters…. They are functioning from either selfishness or worldliness…

Second, these two men were not concerned with God's authority… You know… Even if the King of Persia was against this work… As long as the God of heaven and earth was for it… Nehemiah would succeed… Even one person makes a majority when the Lord with God… Nehemiah could have asked them the same question… Will you rebel against the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? v20…

Nehemiah 2:20 NKJV slt 2000

20 So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”

20 Da antwortete ich ihnen und sprach: Der Gott des Himmels wird es uns gelingen lassen; darum wollen wir, seine Knechte, uns aufmachen und bauen. Ihr aber habt weder Anteil noch Recht noch Andenken in Jerusalem!

v20a… So I answered them And said to them… Nehemiah ignored their scorn… His bold, straightforward words showed he had not been put on the defensive by their mocking…

When faced with the choice of pleasing man or pleasing God… Nehemiah knew exactly what he would do… Let them mock - he would serve the LORD… Jericho…

Nehemiah did not give a point-by-point reply… He did not show the document proving the king's support of the project… If he did, Sanballat and Tobiah would have just claimed it was a forgery… or would have come up with another objection… Nehemiah knew that hearts that refuse to be convinced… will never be convinced… They will instead harden their hearts… This is also what we see in Romans 1…

v20b…. The God of heaven Himself will prosper us… Nehemiah instead proclaimed his confidence in God… "It doesn't matter if you are against us… God's work will succeed…

Nehemiah didn't put the work on hold while a crisis response team figured out the best way to answer Sanballat and Tobiah… He wasn't going to let them sidetrack him… He had a work to do and he was going to do it… If you allow your enemies to get you to stop what you should be doing… and give all your attention to them, then your enemies have won…

There is holy boldness in Nehemiah's response... It is as if he said…. Go ahead and take your best shot… God is with us… We will prosper under the hand of the God of heaven!"

v20c… We His servants … will arise and build… Nehemiah proclaimed who he was and what he would do.

Nehemiah and his followers were servants of Almighty God… Sanballat and Tobiah felt confident because of their power and influence…

Nehemiah and his followers had a job to do… He did not hesitate… They agreed to rise up and build (Nehemiah 2:18), and they will do it…

v20d… You have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem… Nehemiah proclaimed the truth about his enemies... They may have been Jews by birth…they may have been legal citizens of Jerusalem… they may have owned property in the city… But their hearts showed they had no heritage or right or memorial in God's city… They were pretending to Love God…. But if fact they stood against the Lord and His purposes…

Nehemiah sized these two men up quickly… They were claiming to be loyal subjects of the King of Perisa… But in fact the truth is that were only interested in serving their own sin and pride and greed…

He knew they weren't for him or for Jerusalem… or for God at all…

Nehemiah said, "You don't belong here… God's doing a great work here…

This opposition did not immediately melt away... We may often think that if we did everything right… as Nehemiah did here… then the trouble and opposition would just go away... But sometimes the trouble keeps on coming… In this case also the hard times didn't end… These two opposed the work all they way until it was finished… But they didn't stop it… God's work got done… and they were proved completely wrong… The next chapter tells us about the work itself…. The workers come from many different job descriptions…. There are many individuals and groups…. They all had the same purpose…. To rebuild the broken down and weak places…. For the good and protection of everyone… We will speed up in this chapter…. But there are still great things to learn even in these lists of workers and descriptions of what they did… For example…. Most of them worked on the walls and gates near their own homes…. They built up their own defensive areas…. And that is where our work must be…. We start at home and in our own families…. We build up and encourage our Children and loved ones…. We need to keep our own wives and children and extended family safe ad in the Lord´s protective hands… It is also a great picture of our own Christian walk…. For example even the order of the gates seem to fit a Divine order in what was done first…

Let´s read the first 2 verses of Chapter 3… v1,2…

Nehemiah 3: 1,2 NKJV slt 2000

1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built as far as the Tower of the Hundred, and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 Next to Eliashib the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

1 Und Eljaschib, der Hohepriester, machte sich auf samt seinen Brüdern, den Priestern, und sie bauten das Schaftor; das heiligten sie und setzten seine Türflügel ein; und [sie bauten] weiter bis zum Turm Mea, den heiligten sie, [und] bis zum Turm Hananeel.

2 Neben ihnen bauten die Männer von Jericho; und Sakkur, der Sohn Imris, baute neben ihnen.

And so under the leadership of Nehemiah…. They all as one… got to work…

They built and repaired the walls and gates…. Nehemiah 3 is all about work… how individuals pitched in and did the work together… It was all blessed by the Lord and organized by Nehemiah…

v1a… Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they built the sheep gate… The gates were the critical entry and exit points to the city… They were the places most likely to see an enemy attack… Therefore the work started at each gate and worked out from there…

it was called the Sheep Gate because it was the gate where shepherds brought their flocks to sell... Up until a few years ago… this same gate was being used for this same purpose in Jerusalem...

Eliashib the high priest was the first worker mentioned… He rose up to do the work with the other priests… and they worked at rebuilding the Sheep Gate and the section of wall near there…

Eliashib the high priest acted as a godly leader should… he was out in front… leading by example… He did not act as if he was too "spiritual" for the hard work of rebuilding the walls…

If you are a leader… others are watching you and they will follow your example… If you are slow to work… they will be to…

There is a good reason why Eliashib was mentioned first… As the High Priest… He was responsible to teach and pray for the people…. He was to be the Lord´s representative to the children of Israel… He is the one who confessed the sins of the people over the scapegoat… He is the one who entered to Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement….

The rest of the chapter is filled with the names of more than 50 others that followed his example in the work...

We will look closely at ch 3 next week. Let´s pray…

2015.12.01 Nehemiah 2: 11-

Nehemiah's deep desire to help… his months of prayer, were all answered with a heavenly YES!!

As a capable leader… Nehemiah clearly had a plan… The four months in prayer were not only spent in talking to the LORD… but also in preparing to help… He was praying… But he was also busy working out a plan for what to do when God did open the door… let´s look at the details of his arrival and survey of the city walls.… He came to Jerusalem… v11…

Nehemiah 2: 11-16    NKJV   slt 2000

11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. 13 And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. 15 So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.

11 Ich aber kam nach Jerusalem. Und als ich drei Tage dort gewesen war,

12 da machte ich mich bei Nacht auf mit wenigen Männern; denn ich sagte keinem Menschen, was mir mein Gott ins Herz gegeben hatte, für Jerusalem zu tun; und es war kein Tier bei mir außer dem Tier, auf dem ich ritt.

13 Und ich ritt bei Nacht durch das Taltor hinaus in Richtung der Drachenquelle und zum Misttor, und ich untersuchte die Mauern Jerusalems, die niedergerissen waren, und ihre Tore, die mit Feuer verbrannt waren.

14 Und ich ging hinüber zum Quelltor und zum Königsteich, aber da war für das Tier unter mir kein Platz zum Durchkommen.

15 So stieg ich in der Nacht das Tal2 hinauf und untersuchte die Mauern und kehrte dann um und kam durch das Taltor wieder heim.

16 Die Vorsteher aber wußten nicht, wo ich hingegangen war und was ich gemacht hatte; denn ich hatte bis dahin den Juden und den Priestern, auch den Vornehmsten und den Vorstehern und den anderen, die an dem Werk arbeiteten, nichts gesagt.

We looked at these verses last week…. So I won´t say a lot more tonight…. But I want to set the context as we go forward…

v11,12… So I came to Jerusalem… I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem... Even after being in Jerusalem three days… Nehemiah still did not tell anyone why he is there…. He doesn´t share what God has put on his heart…

Now when Nehemiah entered Jerusalem… He had a large group of soldiers… He was certainly noticed… but he didn't say anything about his mission until the time was right… Good leaders need to learn a sense of God's timing… I am talking to myself!

v13… I went out by night through the Valley Gate…

v14… And viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire… Nehemiah wasn't just sightseeing… The word used in Nehemiah v13 and 15 is a medical term for "probing a wound to see the extent of its damage… Instead, he carefully studied the broken down walls and the burned gates…

For the first time… Nehemiah saw with his own eyes what had been reported to him… he understood exactly and what God had called him to do… He was surely deeply moved all over again… The he understood that the drastic extent of the damage… the broken walls meant hard times in the lives of the people… Caused fear, poverty, and insecurity for these struggling people…

Nehemiah knew the job of rebuilding the walls could not begin efficiently… unless he saw exactly how bad the situation was… It allowed him to adjust his plans…

Nehemiah also saw what was right with Jerusalem… They were back in Judah… the forced exile was over... The temple was built... Sacrifice and worship were conducted… Progress was being made… slow as it was… There was much to be thankful for in Jerusalem… but There was much more to be done… And that is what Nehemiah did…

We deceive ourselves if we only look to what is good… Some have no trouble with this… they always find it easy to see what is wrong… They are full of criticism… They believe they have the unique spiritual gift of pointing out what is wrong…

Nehemiah teaches us by example… we need to look at the broken down towers… and carefully study what is wrong… but only if we have the heart, the prayer, the vision, the passion to be used of God to set it right… There is little use in the Kingdom of God for sideline critics… back seat drivers… and Monday morning quarterbacks…

But it is good to take an honest look…. Prayerfully and be ready to act to restore and heal…

When we look at other Christians around us… we see that many are strong, joyful, growing, in their relationship with Jesus Christ… Many have victory over sin and we are thankful for that… But we can also see the broken parts of their life…   Some of us are desperately hurting or are trapped in a cycle of sin and want to get out… but don't know how to ask for help… Some feel like they are on the outside looking in...   God can… and will… build up all the broken down parts of our lives…

When we take a look at our children… we know that we love   and   care for them… But when we look at them honestly… we see their weaknesses of character and the areas where they fall short… We soberly consider what will become of them if those weaknesses dominate their entire personality… We consider what will happen if they grow up rejecting Jesus… and of their future ruin unless God uses us to train and nurture their character…

In the same way… when we look at our relationships, our friendships, and the church itself… we should take an honest look… Asking the Lord to give us wisdom and strength… To prayerfully prepare and plan…. To love and serve by example… So that we can make a difference…

When we look at the church… we love the church and are thankful for what God does here… But when we look honestly… we should probably not be satisfied with the impact we have made on this community… We cannot say that we have done enough…

Think about this…. If someone took a tour of your life… the same way Nehemiah took a tour of Jerusalem… they might notice many broken down places in the walls of your life… Parts of our lives that are not truly surrendered to the Lord… Turn with me to Proverbs 25…v28…

Proverbs 25:28       NKJV   slt 2000

28 Whoever has no rule over his own spirit

Is like a city broken down, without walls.

28 Wie eine Stadt mit niedergerissenen Mauern, so ist ein Mann, der seinen Geist nicht beherrschen kann.

v28… no rule over his own spirit… The NLT says this… … A person without self-control

is like a city with broken-down walls…

When we do not submit ourselves to the Word of God… When we do not let the Holy Spirit lead and guide us… We are headed in the wrong direction…

Many lives are like a city with broken walls… No self control…. Filled with pride and rebellion…. Hiding our sin… It´s just like living with a constant sense of fear… Spiritual poverty is a serious problem…. We should not hide our eyes from our own pride and sin… We need to ask the Lord to search our hearts… We need to open our Bibles and let the Holy Spirit use the Word of God to show us what is wrong in our hearts… Turn to 2 Timothy 3… v14…

2 Timothy 3: 14-17                NLT   Neues Leben

14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

14 Du aber sollst dich treu an das halten, was ich dich gelehrt habe und was du gelernt und im Glauben angenommen hast, denn du weißt, wer dich unterrichtet hat.

15 Von Kindheit an bist du in der heiligen Schrift unterwiesen worden, und sie kann dich weise machen, die Rettung anzunehmen, die der Glaube an Christus Jesus schenkt!

16 Die ganze Schrift ist von Gottes Geist eingegeben und kann uns lehren, was wahr ist, und uns erkennen lassen, wo Schuld in unserem Leben ist. Sie weist uns zurecht und erzieht uns dazu, Gottes Willen zu tun.

17 Durch die Schrift bereitet Gott uns umfassend vor und rüstet uns aus für alles, was wir nach seinem Willen tun sollen.

Here is a simple plan for rebuilding the broken down walls of our own lives…

v14… remain faithful to what you have been taught…

v16… the Word of God teaches us what is true…. It shows us what is wrong in our lives… It corrects us…. This is wrong…. stop that… This is right…. Do this… It teaches us and v17… It prepares and equips us for every good work… It makes us fit to do the very things that the Lord has planned for us…. That´s why we were forgiven and redeemed… Eph 2: 8-10…

Nehemiah took time to carefully examine the extent and needs of the city… before starting the work…. He has a heart…. he has faith… he has a deep desire to see restoration and safety for the people… Now he is ready to speak to the people… He is ready to move them to action... He is ready to call everyone to rally to the deep need… It is time to go to work… Back to Nehemiah ch 2.. v17,18…

Nehemiah 2: 17,18                   NKJV   slt 2000

17 Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.

17 Da sprach ich zu ihnen: Ihr seht das Unglück, in dem wir uns befinden; wie Jerusalem in Trümmern liegt und seine Tore mit Feuer verbrannt sind. Kommt, laßt uns die Mauern Jerusalems wieder aufbauen, damit wir nicht länger ein Gespött sind!

18 Und ich teilte ihnen mit, wie gütig die Hand meines Gottes über mir gewaltet hatte; dazu die Worte des Königs, die er zu mir geredet hatte. Da sprachen sie: Wir wollen uns aufmachen und bauen! Und sie stärkten ihre Hände zu dem guten Werk.

v17… You see the distress that we are in…

Notice that Nehemiah is saying we… What we…. He was rich and had nothing to worry about…. He was safe and secure in the palace in Shushan… But the Lord moved his heart when he heard of the disaster that was Jerusalem…. God moved him to tears and to prayer for the needs of others….

They were not even thinking about rebuilding the walls it seemed to be an impossible task…. They were weak and discouraged….Years ago… when some tried… enemies simply stopped them… So they now lived with their situation…

Nehemiah wisely encouraged them in the LORD…

v18…I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me… Nehemiah assured the leaders this wasn't his project… it was God's project…

Nehemiah wisely gave them confidence by telling of what God had already done… I told them … of the king's words that he had spoken to me…Nehemiah told them how the Lord God had moved the heart of the King of Persia to authorize the work… He demonstrated the truth that the Lord´s hand was on him and them to bless the plan to rebuild the walls…. Now Nehemiah came and explained his vision for the rebuilding of the walls to the leaders of the city… Nehemiah could not do the job by himself... He needed the leaders to be encouraged and to get behind his plan to restore the city….

Nehemiah's wise approach gives us an example to follow...

Nehemiah reminded them of the obvious…We are in big trouble here… Nehemiah didn't play the blame game... He didn't criticize the leaders of Jerusalem… He identified   with them regarding the problem…. We are in trouble… The walls are broken down and destroyed… And said we can fix them with the Lord´s help…

Nehemiah wisely asked for their partnership…

Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem… Nehemiah figured if God could move upon the heart of a pagan king to partner in this work… He certainly could move upon the hearts of His own people to join in!.. Nehemiah was ready to partner with them… in the job of restoring Jerusalem and its people…

Nehemiah wisely pointed them to the future…. We can do this with the Lord´s help… So that we may no longer be a reproach….

Nehemiah simply said,   We know there's a job to be done… Now is the time… He relied on the LORD and the leaders to create a true inward motivation… External motivation and manipulation do not really work… Yes guilt and pressure can work for a while… but are never a part of God's vision for getting things done…

v18b… Let us rise up and build… The response of the leaders of Jerusalem was of God…. They said, "Yes, Nehemiah, we're with you!"

18c… Then they strengthened their hands to do this good work… This clearly shows God's hand at work here… Nehemiah's heart… his prayer… his boldness… and his wisdom, were all rewarded… This was a God-inspired mission… God moved the hearts of the leaders to do this… We will stop here for tonight…. Beginning in the very next verse we see the enemies of the people of God show themselves…. Next week… Let´s pray.

2015.11.25                                  Nehemiah 2: 7-

Nehemiah's deep desire to help… his months of prayer, were all answered with a heavenly YES!!

Nehemiah 2: 7,8 NKJV slt 2000

7 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, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me 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.

7 Und ich sprach zu dem König: Wenn es dem König gefällt, so gebe man mir Briefe an die Statthalter jenseits des Stromes, damit sie mich durchziehen lassen, bis ich nach Juda komme;

8 auch einen Brief an Asaph, den Forstmeister des Königs, daß er mir Holz gibt, damit ich die Tore des Tempelbezirkes1, der zum Haus [Gottes] gehört, aus Balken zimmern kann, und für die Stadtmauer und für das Haus, in das ich ziehen soll! Und der König gab sie mir, weil die gute Hand meines Gottes über mir war.

Nehemiah´s requests

1 sent

2 safe

3 Supplied

Nehemiah knew how long he would need to be gone (I set him a time). He knew he would need letters of safe passage from the king (let letters be given to me). He knew what kind of materials would be needed (timber). He knew what work needed to be done (the gates of the citadel … the city wall… the house I will occupy)… Nehemiah knew the needs… He carefully patiently sought the Lord our God....

What a plan… It was the Lord´s plan… From eternity past… God has a plan and is working it out… He uses even Pagan kings to do His will and accomplish His Sovereign plans… He will use us if we will only make ourselves willing… If we will only say Here am I… Send me…

v9… And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me… we need to underline this phrase… the good hand of my God upon me…

Though this was a pagan king… The Lord had indeed heard His prayers… The Lord had prepared the heart of this king… Nehemiah understood that God could work through him in a mighty way… God can provide for our needs in totally unexpected ways…

We are not all the same… We do not all have the same personalities… There is not a more Godly personality… For instance… Perfectionists are not automatically more Holy… Neither are laid back… Everything will be alright people automatically more holy… And believe it or not… The Lord uses all kinds of people to do the work of the Kingdom…. Even Godless Kings… Even desperate sinners like me… As we study Nehemiah we are going to see Ezra and Nehemiah working together in Jerusalem… They will both be present when as the Word of God is read and explained to the people… there will be a great revival…

There is a very interesting difference in these two men… They did great things for the Lord but they went about them in very different ways… I want to show you…

Nehemiah…. Was deeply moved…. He fasted and prayed… Then he asked the King to help… He asked to be sent and to be kept safe and to be supplied with all he needed for the work… Turn to Ezra 8… v21…

Ezra 8: 21-23 NKJV slt 2000

21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.

21 Und ich ließ dort an dem Fluß Ahawa ein Fasten ausrufen, daß wir uns demütigten vor unserem Gott, um von ihm einen geebneten Weg für uns und unsere Kinder und alle unsere Habe zu erflehen.

22 Denn ich schämte mich, vom König ein Heer und Reiter anzufordern, die uns gegen den Feind auf dem Weg helfen könnten; denn wir hatten mit dem König geredet und gesagt: »Die Hand unseres Gottes ist über allen, die ihn suchen, zu ihrem Guten; seine Stärke aber und sein Zorn sind gegen alle, die ihn verlassen!«

23 So fasteten wir und erflehten dies von unserem Gott; und er erhörte uns.

v21… Just like Nehemiah… Ezra was also deeply moved … Like Nehemiah… He also called for fasting and prayer…

v22… But he was unwilling to ask for anything… He said the Lord will take care of us and bless us…

v23… He answered our prayers…

Later when Ezra discovered that the people were falling into the same sins that had gotten them exiled in the first place…. He reacted dramatically… look at the next ch…9…v3…

Ezra 9: 3 NKJV slt 2000

3 So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished.

3 Als ich nun dies hörte, zerriß ich mein Hemd und mein Obergewand und raufte mir das Haupthaar und den Bart und saß bestürzt da.

He plucked out his own hair and beard… and sat down astonished…

Nehemiah on the other hand… when he learned of these things reacted very differently… turn to Neh 13…v…

Nehemiah 13: 23-25 NKJV slt 2000

23 In those days I also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people.

25 So I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves.

23 Auch sah ich zu jener Zeit Juden, die Frauen von Asdod, Ammon und Moab heimgeführt hatten.

24 Darum redeten auch ihre Kinder halb asdoditisch und konnten nicht jüdisch3 reden, sondern die Sprache dieses oder jenes Volkes.

25 Und ich stritt mit ihnen und fluchte ihnen und schlug etliche Männer von ihnen und raufte ihnen das Haar und beschwor sie bei Gott und sprach: Ihr sollt eure Töchter nicht ihren Söhnen zur Frau geben, noch welche von ihren Töchtern für eure Söhne oder für euch selbst zur Frau nehmen!

Here´s the point…. The Lord moved both of these men… The Lord blessed both of these men… The lord answered both of their prayers…. Even though they were very different… Don´t think that the Lord cannot possibly use brother smith or sister so and so… Not them… They are too afraid… or they are too loud…. Or too perfectionistic or too laid back…. God is happy to use all of us… The only question is will we say… Here am I send me…

Remember many times He moved Pagan kings to do His will in His sovereign perfect timing…

Back to Nehemiah…ch…v9…

Nehemiah 2: 9,10 NKJV slt 2000

9 Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah 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.

9 Als ich nun zu den Statthaltern jenseits des Stromes kam, gab ich ihnen die Briefe des Königs. Und der König hatte Oberste des Heeres und Reiter mit mir gesandt.

10 Als aber Sanballat, der Horoniter, und Tobija, der ammonitische Knecht, dies hörten, mißfiel es ihnen sehr, daß ein Mensch gekommen war, um das Wohl der Kinder Israels zu suchen.

v9… Then I went… Here is another example of Nehemiah's godly leadership… He actually did what he said… He made a sacrifice and left the safety and luxury of the Palace… He went… he traveled the 800 miles from Persia to Jerusalem to do the work of rebuilding the walls…

Many of us have a heart touched like Nehemiah's… WE may also have the heart for prayer… But unfortunately we stop short of actually going… Really going out and doing what needs to be done…

Often… we substitute talking about something for actually doing something about this lost and dying world… It is one thing to stand around with other believers and talk about doing some evangelism… it is another thing to actually go out and do it… Now we are studying Ephesians on Sunday´s…. Ephesians ch 2…v8-10 tells us that we have been saved to serve….

v9b… Beyond the River… This means "beyond the Euphrates River… an important landmark that separated one region from another… Once a traveler crossed the river… He was in the territory of Israel and Judea… and the next major cities were Damaskus and Jerusalem... When Nehemiah reached these terratories… He spoke to the governors of these regions… They ruled under the authority of Persia… Remember he had a plan…

Nehemiah came prepared... He Gave them the king's letters… They were proof he was truly sent by the king… He had captains of the army and horsemen with him…

v10a… Sanballat the Horonite… Tobiah the Ammonite… Nehemiah met these two enemies of Jerusalem… They stood against anyone who cared for the welfare of the city… They were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel… These men were representatives of the enemies of the People of God…

These two cared nothing as long as Jerusalem was weak and vulnerable… even though the temple was there…. and worship was being conducted again…. that was fine - as long as the people of God were not strong…

Some people are afraid of stepping out for the LORD… because they know opposition will come... But the truth is that we have nothing to fear… turn with me to Proverbs 28… v1…

Proverbs 28: 1 NKJV slt 2000

1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.

1 Der Gottlose flieht, auch wenn niemand ihn jagt, aber die Gerechten sind furchtlos wie ein junger Löwe.

Because we belong to the LORD… We have nothing to fear… We can and should be bold as lions…

We don´t think like that… We seem to think our lives will be better or easier if lay low… Try to serve the Lord quietly… Under the radar… What deception! A better life from holding back for Jesus Christ? Tough times are going to come…. The scriptures say… All who live Godly in Christ Jesus… Shall suffer persecution… When will we really decide to trust the Lord for everything…

Nehemiah 2: 11-16 NKJV slt 2000

11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. 13 And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. 15 So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.

11 Ich aber kam nach Jerusalem. Und als ich drei Tage dort gewesen war,

12 da machte ich mich bei Nacht auf mit wenigen Männern; denn ich sagte keinem Menschen, was mir mein Gott ins Herz gegeben hatte, für Jerusalem zu tun; und es war kein Tier bei mir außer dem Tier, auf dem ich ritt.

13 Und ich ritt bei Nacht durch das Taltor hinaus in Richtung der Drachenquelle und zum Misttor, und ich untersuchte die Mauern Jerusalems, die niedergerissen waren, und ihre Tore, die mit Feuer verbrannt waren.

14 Und ich ging hinüber zum Quelltor und zum Königsteich, aber da war für das Tier unter mir kein Platz zum Durchkommen.

15 So stieg ich in der Nacht das Tal2 hinauf und untersuchte die Mauern und kehrte dann um und kam durch das Taltor wieder heim.

16 Die Vorsteher aber wußten nicht, wo ich hingegangen war und was ich gemacht hatte; denn ich hatte bis dahin den Juden und den Priestern, auch den Vornehmsten und den Vorstehern und den anderen, die an dem Werk arbeiteten, nichts gesagt.

v11,12… So I came to Jerusalem… I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem... Even after being in Jerusalem three days… Nehemiah still did not tell anyone why he is there…. He doesn´t share what God has put on his heart…

When Nehemiah entered Jerusalem… He had a large group of soldiers… He was certainly noticed… but he didn't say anything about his mission until the time was right… Good leaders need to learn a sense of God's timing… I am talking to myself!

v13… I went out by night through the Valley Gate… Nehemiah set out from the west side of the city… and turned left towards the south… continuing counter-clockwise around the rubble of the city walls… until coming back to his starting point…

v14… And viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire… Nehemiah wasn't just sightseeing… The word used in Nehemiah v13 and 15 is a medical term for "probing a wound to see the extent of its damage… Instead, he carefully studied the broken down walls and the burned gates…

For the first time… Nehemiah saw with his own eyes what had been reported to him… he understood exactly and what God had called him to do… He was surely deeply moved all over again… The he understood that the drastic extent of the damage… the broken walls meant hard times in the lives of the people… Caused fear, poverty, and insecurity for these struggling people…

Nehemiah knew the job of rebuilding the walls could not begin efficiently… unless he saw exactly how bad the situation was… It allowed him to adjust his plans…

Nehemiah also saw what was right with Jerusalem… They were back in Judah… the forced exile was over... The temple was built... Sacrifice and worship were conducted… Progress was being made… slow as it was… There was much to be thankful for in Jerusalem… but There was much more to be done… And that is what Nehemiah did…

We deceive ourselves if we only look to what is good. Some have no trouble with this; they always find it easy to see what is wrong. They are full of criticism. They believe they have the unique spiritual gift of pointing out what is wrong.

2015.10.27 Nehemiah intro and Ch 1: 1-4

I want to give us some of the background of the time of Nehemiah… 1,000 years after the time of Moses and some 400 years before the birth of Jesus… the nation of Israel and the Jewish people were in a desperate situation… Finally after The Lord sent many prophets… After the Lord warned and pleaded for the Children of Israel to repent….. First the Northern and later after the reign of the Good King Hezekiah… Judah was also taken into captivity… Jeremiah the Prophet said that the captivity would last for 70 years…

Their kingdoms were destroyed…. First the northern Jewish kingdom of Israel and then the southern Jewish kingdom of Judah were taken into captivity… The city of Jerusalem was completely conquered by the Babylonians and the once-glorious temple of Solomon was destroyed…

When the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, they deported almost everyone from the area… For about 70 years Jerusalem was a ghost town…

When the Jews were deported to Babylon… they began to make homes for themselves there... They settled down and married and raised children… Many still followed the God of their Fathers… but they had no desire to return to the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...

Some of these faithful Jews were raised up to places of prominence in their new homeland… Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego became leaders in Babylon… Esther was made queen in the courts of a Persian king…

But after 70 years of captivity in Babylon… they were given the opportunity to return to their homeland… the Promised Land…

The Book of Nehemiah begins about 15 years after the Book of Ezra ends… almost 100 years after the first captives came back to the Promised Land… and some 150 years after the city of Jerusalem was destroyed… The walls of the city of Jerusalem were still in ruins…

Persia has come to great power…. The world is being ruled from Shushan in Persia… This time of captivity saw three great kings… At one time they in their turn ruled the known world… Darius… Cyrus and Artazerkes… Turn with me to Ezra 1…v1…

Ezra 1: 1- 8 NKJV slt 2000

1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3 Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.

5 Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 6 And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods; 8 and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 1 Und im ersten Jahr des Kyrus, des Königs von Persien

1 — damit das Wort des Herrn erfüllt würde, das durch den Mund Jeremias ergangen war —, da erweckte der Herr den Geist des Kyrus, des Königs von Persien, so daß er durch sein ganzes Königreich, auch schriftlich, bekanntmachen und sagen ließ:

2 »So spricht Kyrus, der König von Persien: Der Herr, der Gott des Himmels, hat mir alle Königreiche der Erde gegeben, und er selbst hat mir befohlen, ihm ein Haus zu bauen in Jerusalem, das in Juda ist.

3 Wer irgend unter euch zu seinem Volk gehört, mit dem sei sein Gott, und er ziehe hinauf nach Jerusalem, das in Juda ist, und baue das Haus des Herrn, des Gottes Israels — Er ist Gott — in Jerusalem!

4 Und jeder, der noch übriggeblieben ist an irgend einem Ort, wo er sich als Fremdling aufhält, dem sollen die Leute seines Ortes helfen mit Silber und Gold, mit Gütern und Vieh sowie freiwilligen Gaben für das Haus Gottes in Jerusalem!«

5 Da machten sich die Familienhäupter von Juda und Benjamin auf, und die Priester und Leviten — jeder, dessen Geist Gott erweckte, um hinaufzuziehen und um das Haus des Herrn zu bauen, das in Jerusalem ist.

6 Und alle ihre Nachbarn stärkten ihnen die Hände mit silbernen und goldenen Geräten, mit Gütern und Vieh und Kleinodien, außer dem, was sie alles freiwillig gaben.

7 Und der König Kyrus gab die Geräte des Hauses des Herrn heraus, die Nebukadnezar aus Jerusalem weggenommen und in das Haus seines Gottes gebracht hatte.

8 Und Kyrus, der König von Persien, gab sie heraus durch Mitredat, den Schatzmeister, und übergab sie abgezählt Sesbazzar, dem Fürsten von Juda.

And so exactly on time… Exactly as Jeremiah had prophesied Cyrus was moved by God to begin the restoration of the Children of Israel… As we begin our study of Nehemiah…

It is important that we speak not only about Nehemiah… But Ezra and Zerubbabel as well… It is these three men that the Lord used to bring about the reconciliation and restoration of Israel… Zerubbabel (Sheshbazzar in the German bible Sesbazzar) was from the Davidic line…. Cyrus gave him back the articles from the temple… The Lord used Him to rebuild the temple… Ezra was a priest… He was used by the lord to restore the law… The phrase includes the entire Torah… The LORD used Ezra and Nehemiah to restore the scriptures to the people… As they heard the Word of God and as it was explained to them…. There was a great revival… turn to Nehemiah 8: v9…

Nehemiah 8: 9 NKJV slt 2000

9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.

9 Und Nehemia — das ist der Statthalter — und Esra, der Priester, der Schriftgelehrte, und die Leviten, die das Volk lehrten, sprachen zu dem ganzen Volk: Dieser Tag ist dem Herrn, eurem Gott, heilig! Darum seid nicht traurig und weint nicht! Denn das ganze Volk weinte, als es die Worte des Gesetzes hörte.

Chapter 8 is an awesome chapter …. We will explore it in detail later as we go through the Book Verse by verse…

In Ezra 4:6-23, we see that some 75 years before they tried to rebuild the walls, but were stopped by their enemies… No one thought this obstacle could be overcome… so the walls lay in ruin and the people stayed in trouble… The Lord raised up Nehemiah to help in the restoration of Jerusalem as well…. His contributions to these historic events are the main focus of our study…

Nehemiah 1: 1-3 NKJV slt 2000

1 It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan[a] the citadel, 2 that Hanani 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. 3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

1 Dies ist die Geschichte Nehemias, des Sohnes Hachaljas. Es geschah im Monat Kislew des zwanzigsten Jahres1, als ich in der Festung Susa war,

2 da kam Hanani, einer meiner Brüder, mit einigen Männern aus Juda. Und ich fragte sie, wie es den Juden ginge, den Entronnenen, die aus der Gefangenschaft zurückgekehrt waren, und wie es Jerusalem ginge.

3 Und sie sprachen zu mir: Die Entronnenen, die zurückgekehrt sind aus der Gefangenschaft, sind dort im Lande in großem Unglück und in Schmach; die Mauern Jerusalems liegen zerbrochen und seine Tore sind mit Feuer verbrannt.

v1… In Shushan the citadel… Nehemiah lived in Shushan, the capital city of the Persians, and he lived in the citadel - that is, the fortified palace of the Persians. Right away, we know Nehemiah is someone important, living in the palace of the king of Persia.

v2… I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem…

Nehemiah's body was in Persia but his heart and his interest were in Jerusalem - 800 miles away…. He wanted to know from those returning how the people and the city were doing…

We might think that an important man like Nehemiah had more important things to think about than a distant city he had never been to…. and a people he had mostly never met… Yet, because his heart was for the things of God… his heart was on the sufferings of the people of God…

Nehemiah had the heart of Psalm 137… It was written from captivity in Babylon… It begins with tears… let´s look at a few verses… v5…

Psalm 137: 5-6 NKJV slt 2000

5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!

6 If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth; if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.

5 Vergesse ich dich, Jerusalem, so erlahme meine Rechte!

6 Meine Zunge soll an meinem Gaumen kleben, wenn ich nicht an dich gedenke, wenn ich Jerusalem nicht über meine höchste Freude setze!

Back to Nehemiah ch 1..v3…

v3… The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire… The news he received was not encouraging…. The people were called survivors… this doesn´t sound very encouraging… They were barely holding on… They were in great distress and reproach… and the walls of the city itself were broken down and the city gates are burned with fire.

The bad state of the people and the bad state of the city walls were intimately connected…. In the ancient world, a city without walls was a city completely open and vulnerable to its enemies…. They had no defense, no protection at all...

An unwalled city was easy to steal from…

Those living in an unwalled city lived in constant stress and tension… they never knew when they might be attacked and brutalized… Every man lived in constant fear for his wife and children… The temple could be rebuilt… but never made beautiful… because anything valuable would be taken easily...

No wonder the people lived in constant distress…. in constant disgrace… God has more for us than to be mere survivors…. God wants us to be more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37).This was very sad news for Nehemiah.,…. His heart was broken for the people…

Nehemiah 1: 4 NKJV slt 2000

4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

4 Als ich aber diese Worte hörte, setzte ich mich nieder und weinte und trug Leid tagelang und fastete und betete vor dem Gott des Himmels

v4a… I sat down and wept… Nehemiah's immediate reaction was extreme…. He didn't just feel bad for Jerusalem and its people… right away, there was no strength in his legs (I sat down)… and he began to weep and to mourn…

v4b… Mourned for many days… God was going to use Nehemiah to do something about this situation…. But first, God did something in Nehemiah... Any great work of God begins with God doing a great work in somebody...

God laid the foundation for this long ago… with Nehemiah's important position in Persia… with a heart curious about the welfare of Jerusalem and its people… Now we see that he had a heart that broke over their terrible position…

God would do something great to meet that need through Nehemiah.

But there is no way Nehemiah could do this alone… He had to be a leader - one who influences other people - to get this job done… Nehemiah is a book all about leadership - something we obviously need today... Since leadership is influence, leadership applies to everyone... Everyone has an area of leadership... In some way, each one of us is a leader… the question is if we are good or bad leaders….

Leaders must prepare themselves for difficult work because it won't be easy…

Leaders must have a big vision… and Nehemiah had one… "Through me, God is going to correct a problem that's been around a hundred and fifty years… Through me, God is going to do something that completely failed down before." We must have a vision, a goal, that is big enough.

v4c… I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven… Nehemiah's reaction went beyond an immediate emotion... But if it is from the Lord it will grow and the burden will remain on our hearts until the problem moves us to action…

We should notice well what Nehemiah did not do… he did not complain or whine… He immediately did what he knew he could do – pray… and cry out to the Lord for help…

v4d… The God of heaven… Nehemiah also had a clear understanding of The Lord he fasted and prayed to…. He knew that God heard his prayers and that He always stands ready to heal and restore….

2015.11.10 Nehemiah Ch 1 Part 2

When the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, they deported almost everyone from the area… For about 70 years Jerusalem was a ghost town…

But after 70 years of captivity in Babylon… they were given the opportunity to return to their homeland… the Promised Land…

Out of the some two or three million Jews deported from the land…. only about 50,000 decided to return to the Promised Land… But slowly over many years… some did return… There were several groups that returned from time to time… Later in the days of Ezra… They rebuilt the temple and laid a spiritual foundation for Israel once again… But sadly… The walls of the city of Jerusalem were still in ruins… The Lord raised up Nehemiah to power in Persia…. He will lead the 3^rd wave of Jewish people as they go back to Jerusalem…

Nehemiah´s name means Comforter… This is an excellent book to study… We see a great leader… He is at the same time a man of action… And a man of prayer…

He cared deeply about the things of God…. He cared deeply about the needs of he own Jewish people…

Nehemiah 1: 4 NKJV slt 2000

4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

4 Als ich aber diese Worte hörte, setzte ich mich nieder und weinte und trug Leid tagelang und fastete und betete vor dem Gott des Himmels

God would do something great to meet that need through Nehemiah…

Leaders must prepare themselves for difficult work because it won't be easy…

We should notice well what Nehemiah did not do… he did not complain or whine… He immediately did what he knew he could do – pray… and cry out to the Lord for help…

Nehemiah's prayer...

As I said earlier… Nehemiah was a man of action and a man of prayer… Prayer is essential to leadership… If your vision is so big that only God can accomplish it… then you obviously must pray… If prayer isn't absolutely necessary to accomplish your vision… your goal isn't big enough…

It appears that Nehemiah prayed for about 5 months before he did anything…

Later, when the work of rebuilding the walls actually begins… it only takes 52 days to finish the job… But that 52-day project had a four-month foundation of prayer…

Nehemiah took his pain and stress to God in prayer - and He left it there… Let´s continue on and look at Nehemiah´s prayer… …v5…

Nehemiah 1: 5-7 NKJV slt 2000

5 And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You[b] and observe Your[c] commandments, 6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.

5 und sprach: Ach, HERR, Gott des Himmels, du großer und furchtbarer Gott, der da hält den Bund und die Treue denen, die ihn lieben und seine Gebote halten!

6 Lass doch deine Ohren aufmerken und deine Augen offen sein, dass du das Gebet deines Knechtes hörst, das ich jetzt vor dir bete Tag und Nacht für die Israeliten, deine Knechte, und bekenne die Sünden der Israeliten, die wir an dir getan haben; und ich und meines Vaters Haus haben auch gesündigt.

7 Wir haben übel an dir getan, dass wir nicht gehalten haben die Gebote, Befehle und Rechte, die du geboten hast deinem Knecht Mose.

This is the sincere prayer of a true man of God… He is humble and he confesses his own sin and short comings…

v5a… I pray, LORD God of heaven… Humility begins by simply understanding there is a Sovereign God in the heavens…. and I am not Him! Nehemiah recognizes exactly who God is… LORD God of heaven… great and awesome God … who keep Your covenant… and mercy… with those You love… With these statements we see that Nehemiah knows, believes and understands the LORD…

v5b… Please let Your ear be attentive… Humility also accepts our complete dependence on God… Nehemiah desperately asked God to hear the prayer of Your servant… He puts himself in the proper role…. As the servant of the Lord… This reflected his complete dependence on the LORD…. He knew that the Lord would hear and that He would keep his promises… The situation was so desperate that… Only God could help… Nehemiah knew He would help….

God will allow us to fail in our own efforts… He will allow the events of our lives to expose our need for total dependence upon the Lord to help and rescue us…

Lord hear as I Confess the sins which we have sinned against You… Both my father's house and I have sinned… Genuine Humility will also confess sin openly… Nehemiah plainly and simply confessed the sins of the nation and his own as well… He made no attempt to blame someone else or to excuse the sins... We can find great mercy in honest confession…

v7… We have acted very corruptly against You… We have not obeyed your commandments… Nehemiah was a godly man… but he openly identified himself with his people and father's house… He prayed by using "we" instead of "they… Let´s read v8-10…

Nehemiah 1: 8-10 NKJV slt 2000

8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; 9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’[e] 10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand.

8 Gedenke aber doch des Wortes, das du deinem Knecht Mose gebotest und sprachst: Wenn ihr mir die Treue brecht, so will ich euch unter die Völker zerstreuen.

9 Wenn ihr euch aber zu mir bekehrt und meine Gebote haltet und sie tut, so will ich, auch wenn ihr versprengt wäret bis an des Himmels Ende, euch doch von da sammeln und will euch bringen an den Ort, den ich erwählt habe, damit mein Name dort wohne.

10 Sie sind ja doch deine Knechte und dein Volk, das du erlöst hast durch deine große Kraft und deine mächtige Hand.

8… Remember… This is a powerful way to come to God… asking Him to remember His promises.... Nehemiah said, "LORD, You made a promise to Moses and this nation… I ask you now to make good on it… Nehemiah quoted from both Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 30...

This is a secret to great power in prayer… We can and should pray for and plead the promises of God… We may get upset or even angry when one of our children comes to us saying "Daddy, you promised… but our Father in heaven delights to show mercy… He rejoices when we confess our sin and need of forgiveness and help…

v9… If you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them… Nehemiah was interceding for the nation…. Just like all Godly men and women in the Word of God…. Just like Moses in Exodus 32-34…… because he had identified himself with the nation in their sin… the nation could also be identified with Nehemiah… verse 11…

Nehemiah 1:11 NKJV slt 2000

11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”For I was the king’s cupbearer.

11 Ach, Herr, lass deine Ohren aufmerken auf das Gebet deines Knechtes und auf das Gebet deiner Knechte, die von Herzen deinen Namen fürchten. Und lass es deinem Knecht heute gelingen und gib ihm Gnade vor diesem Mann! - Denn ich war des Königs Mundschenk.

v11a… Grant him mercy in the sight of this man… Nehemiah ended his prayer by asking God to bless him when he spoke to the king… He desired mercy…

It was a very dangerous thing for Him as a servant… A very highly placed servant…. But a servant nevertheless… It was not normal to ask the king for anything… He had prayed by now for many months…. He had poured out his heart on behalf of the people and the needs of the nation…. He knew that what needed to happen was humanly speaking impossible… He knew that his only chance was that the Lord Himself would intervene…. That he Lord Must touch the heart of the king…. Otherwise his request could very well be his own death sentence… This is very much like the time that Queen Ester went before the king unannounced… Nehemiah knew that the Lord would help him… He knew that this king was sympathetic to him and to the Children of Israel… This king was related to Queen Ester… He certainly knew that Persia had been very kind to the Children of Israel is the recent past…. They had already been given permission to return if they wanted to… They had already been given back to treasure from the Temple in Jerusalem… Ezra and Zerubbabel had rebuilt the Temple… but the work was far from finished and there were many enemies…

But it still required boldness and faith to even be sad in front of the king…

Nehemiah wanted to do something about the sorry state of Jerusalem's walls and help the people… and he knows without God's intervention, he can do nothing…

v11b… Let Your servant prosper this day… This is the prayer and purpose of a man of action… Nehemiah does not pray "God, fix it… His prayer is… Like Isaiah´s prayer… Here am I send me...

Today we are surrounded by desperate needs… The walls of Christiantum are broken down…. Everywhere we look sin and rebellion abounds… Not only out there… But here in the church… The People of God are weak and afraid… Where are the men and women of prayer…. Who will stand in the gap and intercede for the church…. For the nation…. These are very difficult times…. We need to pray hard and then we need to get up and act…

Let´s pray…

2015.11.17 Nehemiah 2

Part 1

Nehemiah´s name means Comforter… This is an excellent book to study… We see a great leader… He is at the same time a man of action… And a man of prayer…

He cared deeply about the things of God…. He cared deeply about the needs of his own Jewish people…

Even though he had never been there… He cared deeply about Jerusalem… It is the City of God… As Nehemiah sits in the Fortress in Shushan… He asks about The people and the city of God…. He was deeply moved and saddened by the reports from his countrymen… He wept and prayed and interceded for the people…. He confessed the sins of the children of Israel…. He repented for himself, and his family… and of course the people… after he had prayed and fasted for many days… Perhaps 4 months… He was finally ready to talk to the king… We will pickup with his short prayer as he goes before the King… ch 1…v11..

Nehemiah 1:11 NKJV slt 2000

v11a… Grant him mercy in the sight of this man… Nehemiah ended his prayer by asking God to bless him when he spoke to the king… He desired mercy…

It was a very dangerous thing for Him as a servant… A very highly placed servant…. But a servant nevertheless… It was not normal to ask the king for anything… He had prayed by now for many months…. He had poured out his heart on behalf of the people and the needs of the nation…. He knew that what needed to happen was humanly speaking impossible… He knew that his only chance was that the Lord Himself would intervene…. That he Lord Must touch the heart of the king…. Otherwise his request could very well be his own death sentence… This is very much like the time that Queen Ester went before the king unannounced… Nehemiah knew that the Lord would help him… He knew that this king was sympathetic to him and to the Children of Israel… This king was related to Queen Esther… He certainly knew that Persia had been very kind to the Children of Israel is the recent past…. They had already been given permission to return if they wanted to… They had already been given back to treasure from the Temple in Jerusalem… Ezra and Zerubbabel had rebuilt the Temple… but the work was far from finished and there were many enemies…

But it still required boldness and faith to even be sad in front of the king…

Nehemiah wanted to do something about the sorry state of Jerusalem's walls and help the people… and he knows without God's intervention, he can do nothing…

Nehemiah 2 NKJV slt 2000

1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, 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. 2 Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.”So I became dreadfully afraid,

1 Es geschah aber im Monat Nisan, im zwanzigsten Jahr des Königs Artasasta, als Wein vor ihm stand, da nahm ich den Wein und gab ihn dem König. Ich war aber zuvor nie traurig vor ihm gewesen.

2 Da sprach der König zu mir: Warum siehst du so traurig aus? Du bist doch nicht krank? Es ist nichts anderes als ein betrübtes Herz! Da fürchtete ich mich sehr;

1a… In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes… As Nehemiah gave wine to the king… It is important to note the exact day that this took place…. In hindsight… It was a very historic event….

Why?...

First, to show that Nehemiah prayed and waited for four months… He had prayed and fasted and longed to do something…. He was a man of action…. I´m sure that it was not easy to wait and pray…. But He did… He knew how very important the situation was….

Nehemiah's constant prayer could have been… "LORD, either take this burden from my heart… or show me what to do… As I said last week… It was as if he was saying…. Here am I send me… Just like Isaiah did in Isaiah ch6…

Second… The date is also important because it had been prophesied about… establishes the date given to restore Jerusalem and its walls… Daniel 9:25 says that exactly 173,880 days from the day that the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem… This date was March 14, 445 B.C…. That the Lord Jesus… The Messiah… The Prince would be revealed and be presented to Israel… Sir Robert Anderson… the eminent British astronomer and mathematician… makes a strong case that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy exactly… to the day… Jesus entered Jerusalem on a Donkey on Palm Sunday…. He allowed Himself to be openly proclaimed as the King Messiah… Jerusalem on April 6, 32 A.D….. It was precisely 173,880 days from Nehemiah 2:1…

1b… I took the wine and gave it to the king… The last verse of Nehemiah 1 told us that Nehemiah was the king's cupbearer - a significant position in any ancient royal court. The cupbearer was a personal bodyguard to the king… being the one who tasted wine and food before the king did - making certain no one could poison the king…

The king had a tremendous amount of trust in his cupbearer… who had to be a man of faithful and loyal character... Because If the cupbearer could be turned against the king… It would be easy to assonate him…

The cupbearer was also a trusted advisor to the king… since he was greatly trusted and a man of character… it was natural the cupbearer would often be asked his opinion on different matters coming before the king….

1c… I had never been sad in his presence before… On that particular day… Nehemiah noted that he had never been sad or depressed in the presence of the king… and on this day when the king took notice… Nehemiah became v2… dreadfully afraid… As was true in the courts of many ancient kings… it was forbidden to be sad in the presence of the king… Kings can be very sensitive…. They only wanted good news and to see happy people… When Nehemiah looked sad, it could have been taken as a terrible insult to the king…

When the king said "This is nothing but sorrow of heart," Nehemiah knew the king had noticed his sadness… and that the king took it seriously... Nehemiah must have wondered if he was going to die…

Nehemiah was also afraid because he knew that he was going to the king for something very important... There was a lot riding on what was going to happen in response to this question…

Nehemiah understood it was not his place to change the king's heart… He prayed and left it up to the LORD… He knew that either the lord had prepared the Kings heart about these things or he very asking might be the last thing that he did… That was a very real possibility…. That is the way it was for Esther too… He trusted deeply in the Lord to go before him…

He was not on a program of dropping hints and trying to manipulate the situation… Hoping that the king would be persuaded by his words… No he prayed and fasted… He waited on the LORD…

Are we making the mistake of trying to change someone else's heart… Instead of leaving it up to the LORD to do it? This plan of hint dropping and nagging is a common tactic of husbands and wives… But it is dangerous… You could get killed that way… Better to fast and pray…

Nehemiah 2: 3 NKJV slt 2000

3 and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”

3 und ich sprach zu dem König: Der König lebe ewig! Warum sollte ich nicht traurig aussehen, da doch die Stadt, wo die Grabstätte meiner Väter ist, in Trümmern liegt und ihre Tore vom Feuer verzehrt sind?

v3a… May the king live forever!.. since they tasted the wine and food before the king did… they naturally wished the king a good long life… It was he job…

v3b… Why should my face not be sad…

Nehemiah's answer was honest and wise… Here´s why…

No one wants to be a whiner… But there is tremendous value in sharing needs and difficulties… We are here in the church so that we have someone else who can pray with us… and encourage us with the scriptures… We are commanded to bear one another’s burdens…

When we are the person whom others ask for prayer… it is helpful to guard against the temptation to want to know every detail of the problem… Our prayer is still valuable if we don't know all the details… We are expected to lead them to Jesus for His loving care…. He knows everything…

v3c... The city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire… With this, Nehemiah explained why he was sad… Jerusalem was a destroyed, disgraced city...

Nehemiah 2: 4-6 NKJV slt 2000

4 Then the king said to me, “What do you request? ”So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

6 Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

4 Da sprach der König zu mir: Was erbittest du denn? Da flehte ich zu dem Gott des Himmels;

5 und dann sagte ich zu dem König: Wenn es dem König gefällt und wenn dein Knecht wohlgefällig vor dir ist, so sende mich nach Juda, zu der Stadt, wo meine Väter begraben liegen, damit ich sie wieder aufbaue!

6 Da sprach der König zu mir, während die Königin neben ihm saß: Wie lange wird die Reise dauern, und wann wirst du zurückkommen? Und es gefiel dem König, mich hinzusenden, nachdem ich ihm eine bestimmte Zeit genannt hatte.

v4a… What do you request?... Right away, Nehemiah knew God had gone before him… He had given him favor with the king…. His response wasn't "Off with his head!" but "What can I do to help?" In this little phrase… Nehemiah knew that four months of prayer were answered…..

v4b… So I prayed to the God of heaven… Thankful that his prayer had been answered… Nehemiah prayed again... This was quick and silent, "Help me LORD!" Nehemiah knew this was an incredible opportunity… and he did not want to miss the chance…

v5… I ask that you send me to Judah… Nehemiah again showed great wisdom as he respectfully asked to be sent to rebuild it… What a great desire… That was a huge job and a big goal… Nehemiah isn't going just to see for himself… Because the Lord put this on his heart… His goal is to get the work done… He is trusting in the Lord God to help him all the way to the finish!

v6… Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time….

Nehemiah's deep desire to help… his months of prayer, were all answered with a heavenly YES!!

Start here next week on the 25th of November

Nehemiah 2: 7,8 NKJV slt 2000

7 Und ich sprach zu dem König: Wenn es dem König gefällt, so gebe man mir Briefe an die Statthalter jenseits des Stromes, damit sie mich durchziehen lassen, bis ich nach Juda komme;

Nehemiah´s requests

1 sent

2 safe

3 Supplied

v9… And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me… we need to underline this phrase… the good hand of my God upon me…

Let´s pray…

2015.11.25 Nehemiah 2: 7-

Nehemiah's deep desire to help… his months of prayer, were all answered with a heavenly YES!!

Nehemiah 2: 7,8 NKJV slt 2000

7 Und ich sprach zu dem König: Wenn es dem König gefällt, so gebe man mir Briefe an die Statthalter jenseits des Stromes, damit sie mich durchziehen lassen, bis ich nach Juda komme;

Nehemiah´s requests

1 sent

2 safe

3 Supplied

v9… And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me… we need to underline this phrase… the good hand of my God upon me…

There is a very interesting difference in these two men… They did great things for the Lord but they went about them in very different ways… I want to show you…

Ezra 8: 21-23 NKJV slt 2000

23 So fasteten wir und erflehten dies von unserem Gott; und er erhörte uns.

v21… Just like Nehemiah… Ezra was also deeply moved … Like Nehemiah… He also called for fasting and prayer…

v22… But he was unwilling to ask for anything… He said the Lord will take care of us and bless us…

v23… He answered our prayers…

Later when Ezra discovered that the people were falling into the same sins that had gotten them exiled in the first place…. He reacted dramatically… look at the next ch…9…v3…

Ezra 9: 3 NKJV slt 2000

3 So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished.

3 Als ich nun dies hörte, zerriß ich mein Hemd und mein Obergewand und raufte mir das Haupthaar und den Bart und saß bestürzt da.

He plucked out his own hair and beard… and sat down astonished…

Nehemiah on the other hand… when he learned of these things reacted very differently… turn to Neh 13…v…

Nehemiah 13: 23-25 NKJV slt 2000

23 Auch sah ich zu jener Zeit Juden, die Frauen von Asdod, Ammon und Moab heimgeführt hatten.

24 Darum redeten auch ihre Kinder halb asdoditisch und konnten nicht jüdisch3 reden, sondern die Sprache dieses oder jenes Volkes.

Remember many times He moved Pagan kings to do His will in His sovereign perfect timing…

Back to Nehemiah…ch…v9…

Nehemiah 2: 9,10 NKJV slt 2000

9 Als ich nun zu den Statthaltern jenseits des Stromes kam, gab ich ihnen die Briefe des Königs. Und der König hatte Oberste des Heeres und Reiter mit mir gesandt.

10 Als aber Sanballat, der Horoniter, und Tobija, der ammonitische Knecht, dies hörten, mißfiel es ihnen sehr, daß ein Mensch gekommen war, um das Wohl der Kinder Israels zu suchen.

Many of us have a heart touched like Nehemiah's… WE may also have the heart for prayer… But unfortunately we stop short of actually going… Really going out and doing what needs to be done…

Nehemiah came prepared... He Gave them the king's letters… They were proof he was truly sent by the king… He had captains of the army and horsemen with him…

Some people are afraid of stepping out for the LORD… because they know opposition will come... But the truth is that we have nothing to fear… turn with me to Proverbs 28… v1…

Proverbs 28: 1 NKJV slt 2000

1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.

1 Der Gottlose flieht, auch wenn niemand ihn jagt, aber die Gerechten sind furchtlos wie ein junger Löwe.

Because we belong to the LORD… We have nothing to fear… We can and should be bold as lions…

Nehemiah 2: 11-16 NKJV slt 2000

11 Ich aber kam nach Jerusalem. Und als ich drei Tage dort gewesen war,

14 Und ich ging hinüber zum Quelltor und zum Königsteich, aber da war für das Tier unter mir kein Platz zum Durchkommen.

15 So stieg ich in der Nacht das Tal2 hinauf und untersuchte die Mauern und kehrte dann um und kam durch das Taltor wieder heim.

Nehemiah knew the job of rebuilding the walls could not begin efficiently… unless he saw exactly how bad the situation was… It allowed him to adjust his plans…

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Wer Wir Sind

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"Calvary Chapel" ist englisch und heißt übersetzt soviel wie "Golgatha-Gemeinde", benannt nach dem Hügel, auf dem Jesus vor etwa 2000 Jahren gekreuzigt wurde.

Die Calvary Chapel Bewegung ist ein loser Verbund von evangelisch-freikirchlichen Gemeinden.

Evangelisch, weil die Bibel die einzige Grundlage unseres Glaubens ist. Über die Bibel hinausgehende Sonderoffenbarungen und Traditionen lehnen wir ab. Die Bibel ist Gottes Wort, sein Liebesbrief an uns. Gott offenbart sich uns in der Bibel, so dass wir ihn kennen lernen können. Gott gibt uns darin auch die AntWORTen auf die wichtigen Fragen unseres Lebens und zeigt uns ganz praktisch, wie wir ein glückliches und heiles Leben leben können. Jesus sagte zu seinen Nachfolgern: "Wenn ihr in meinem Wort bleibt, so seid ihr wahrhaft meine Jünger; und ihr werdet die Wahrheit erkennen, und die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen." (Johannes 8:31-32)

Wir stimmen mit den Glaubensgrundsätzen der Evangelischen Allianz überein.

Freikirchlich, weil jede Gemeinde finanziell und in ihren Entscheidungen unabhängig ist. Es gibt keine Bürokratie, keine Kirchensteuer, keine Mitgliedsbeiträge, keine Kollekte während des Gottesdienstes. Wir finanzieren uns ausschließlich aus freiwilligen, anonymen Spenden.

Der Ablauf unserer Gottesdienste ist einfach - ohne viele Traditionen oder Liturgie. Wir möchten jenen Menschen eine geistliche Heimat bieten, die mit Kirche im traditionellen Sinn nichts mehr anfangen können, die aber trotzdem Interesse an Gott haben und gemeinsam mit anderen Christen Beziehung mit dem lebendigen Gott pflegen möchten. Gemeinsames Singen, freies Beten und Abendmahlfeier zeichnen neben einer verständlichen und lebensnahen Predigt aus der Bibel unsere Gottesdienste aus. Wir studieren Vers für Vers durch die ganze Bibel, weil das ganze Wort Gottes wichtig für uns ist. Unser Musikstil ist modern. Die Atmosphäre ist locker und entspannt.

Jeder ist herzlich willkommen, so wie er ist. Unser Wunsch ist es, dass die Liebe Gottes in unserer Mitte sichtbar und erfahrbar wird.

Die Calvary Chapel Bewegung ist aus der Jesus-People Bewegung (eine geistliche Erweckung unter den Hippies und der Gegenkultur der späten 60er und frühen 70er Jahre) in den USA hervorgegangen. Sie war eine Antwort auf die starren Traditionen und die Festgefahrenheit großer Teile der christlichen Gemeinden und Kirchen, die nicht flexibel genug waren, um diese jungen Christen aufzunehmen. Die jungen Menschen, die damals zu Jesus gefunden haben, brachten ihre Musik mit in die Gemeinde. Die modernen, rhythmischen Kirchenlieder, die heute in Kirchengemeinden aller Konfessionen auf der ganzen Welt gesungen werden, hatten dort ihren Ursprung.

Weltweit gibt es heute über 1000 Calvary Chapel Gemeinden, in Europa über 100 und in Deutschland 15. Calvary Chapel Grünstadt wurde im Frühjahr 1997 gegründet.

Wir fühlen uns mit allen Menschen, die Jesus persönlich angenommen haben und auf ihn vertrauen, geschwisterlich verbunden. Wir arbeiten mit Christen aus vielen verschiedenen Konfessionen zusammen. Wir freuen uns an der Vielfalt in der Kirche Jesu. Wir sehen sie als Ausdruck von Gottes Liebe. Er liebt alle Menschen und möchte ihnen dienen und begegnen in einer Form, die ihrer Persönlichkeit entspricht. Manche Menschen können Gott am besten in einem liturgischen, traditionellen Gottesdienst begegnen. Und das ist gut. Andere haben es lieber freier und einfacher. Und das ist auch gut. Diesen Menschen wollen wir eine geistliche Heimat anbieten.

Christsein bedeutet vor allem, eine persönliche Beziehung mit Gott in Jesus Christus. Gott hat uns Menschen für eine persönliche Beziehung mit ihm erschaffen. Er ist die wunderbarste Person im ganzen Universum. Dieses Leben in Gemeinschaft mit Gott und für Gott ist der Sinn und die Bestimmung unseres Lebens. Nur in dieser persönlichen Beziehung mit unserem Schöpfer werden wir den Frieden und die Erfüllung finden, nach der sich unser Herz sehnt.

Die wunderbare Nachricht ist, dass Sie Gott unendlich wertvoll sind und er Sie leidenschaftlich liebt. Deshalb bietet er Ihnen Erlösung und ewige Beziehung mit ihm in seiner Herrlichkeit als Geschenk an. Und dieses Geschenk gab er uns in Jesus Christus. Gott ist in Jesus Mensch geworden und hat das perfekte, sündenlose Leben gelebt, das wir nicht leben konnten. Er hat am Kreuz all unsere Schuld getragen und die Konsequenz unserer Sünde an unserer Stelle erlebt. Unsere Schuld hat ihn vom Vater getrennt und getötet. Er hat sein vollkommenes Leben als Preis für unsere Schuld eingesetzt. Aber nach drei Tagen ist Jesus auferstanden, und er will heute in Ihrem Herzen leben.

Er will Ihnen Vergebung und sein perfektes Leben im Tausch gegen Ihre Sünden schenken. Wie jedes Geschenk muss es jedoch angenommen werden, um für Sie persönlich wirksam zu werden. Dies geschieht nicht automatisch durch das Aufwachsen in einer "christlichen" Kultur oder einem christlichen Elternhaus. Es bedarf einer persönlichen Entscheidung, einer bewussten Annahme seines Erlösungswerkes. "So viele ihn aber aufnahmen, denen gab er das Recht, Kinder Gottes zu werden, denen, die an seinen Namen glauben." (Johannes 1:12)

Wenn ein Mensch seine Schuld vor Gott eingesteht und im Glauben Jesu Werk am Kreuz als Bezahlung für seine persönlichen Sünden annimmt und darauf allein vertraut, passiert etwas Wunderbares: Er wird zum ersten Mal in seinem Leben geistlich lebendig. Alle seine Schuld ist vergeben. Sie wird, um ein Bild zu gebrauchen, auf Jesu "Konto" überwiesen. Im Gegenzug wird Jesu gerechtes Leben ihm zugerechnet und er kann Beziehung mit Gott und den Himmel erfahren. Die Trennung von dem uns liebenden Gott ist dann überwunden.

"Dies ist das Zeugnis: dass Gott uns ewiges Leben gegeben hat, und dieses Leben ist in seinem Sohn [Jesus]. Wer den Sohn hat, hat das Leben; wer den Sohn Gottes nicht hat, hat das Leben nicht." (1. Johannesbrief 5:11-12)

Kennen Sie Gott schon persönlich? Mit einem einfachen, von Herzen gemeinten Gebet wie diesem, können Sie Gottes Geschenk der Erlösung annehmen:

"Gott, mir ist klar geworden, dass ich mein Leben selbst bestimmt habe und ich durch meine Sünden von Dir getrennt bin. Vergib mir meine Schuld. Danke, dass Du meine Schuld vergibst, weil Jesus für mich gestorben ist und mein Erlöser geworden ist. Ich nehme das jetzt im Glauben für mich persönlich an. Jesus, bitte übernimm Du jetzt die Herrschaft über mein Leben und verändere mich so, wie Du mich haben willst. Ich lade Dich ein in mein Leben zu kommen und vertraue mich Dir an. Ab heute will ich mein Leben für Dich und mit Dir leben."

... und zum Schluss:

Danke für Ihr Interesse an unserer Gemeinde. Wenn Sie noch weitere Fragen über uns oder über Jesus haben, nehmen wir uns gerne Zeit für ein persönliches Gespräch mit Ihnen. Wir möchten Sie herzlich einladen, mit uns Gottes Wort zu studieren und ihn so besser kennen zu lernen.

Wenn Sie noch keine Bibel haben, schenken wir Ihnen gerne eine.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen,

Ihr
Pastor Ron

Nehemiah

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