Studying the word of God and doing the work of God (Travelling Through God’s Word: Ezra and Nehemiah).

Ezra and Nehemiah Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach his statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10). So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height. For the people had a mind to work (Nehemiah 4:6). In these two verses, …

Responding to God’s Word (13): Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us! (Nehemiah 4:20). Where the gospel of Jesus Christ is being faithfully preached and the Word of God is being faithfully taught, that's where we are to be. That's where the blessing is to be found, where Christ is being lifted …

A real conversion is the work of God.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). From these words of Paul about "the new creation", we learn that a real conversion is the work of God. Drawn by the love of God and empowered by the power of God, we become …

Search The Scriptures: Nehemiah

The book of Nehemiah begins with distressing news - “The wall of Jerusalem has been broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire” (Nehemiah 1:3). Nehemiah takes this situation to the Lord in prayer (Nehemiah 1:4-11). With the help of God, the work of rebuilding begins. This work was pleasing to the Lord …

Nehemiah

NEHEMIAH 1:1-2:18  –  ‘You see the trouble we are in’ – How do you react when the going gets tough? Do you collapse in despair and succeed only in making your troubles seem even bigger than they really are? There is a better way of dealing with our problems. Believing that ‘the hand of  his …

The joy of the Lord

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). In the first few days of each year, we wish one another a Happy New Year. What do we mean when we say this? Are we expecting to be happy all the time? When Jesus says to us, "in this …

Separated from the world – to be separated for God

The “separation of God’s people from the inhabitants of the land” was “for the sake of God’s teachings” (Nehemiah 10:28). There is an important principle here. We are separated from the world so that we might be separate to God. Everything revolves around this - giving glory to God by giving Him His rightful place …

Weak in ourselves, strong in the Lord – this is meekness, and it is blessed by the Lord.

"The meek shall increase their joy in the Lord" (Isaiah 29:19).  "Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3). "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). The work "meek" rhymes with the word, "weak" - but the two words are …

Learning From The Book Of Nehemiah

The book of Nehemiah begins with distressing news - “The wall of Jerusalem has been broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire” (Nehemiah 1:3). Nehemiah takes this situation to the Lord in prayer (Nehemiah 1:4-11). With the help of God, the work of rebuilding begins. This work was pleasing to the Lord …

The Lord rejoices in us. Let us rejoice in him.

Rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10). The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). It is a good thing for us to rejoice in the Lord. Here's a much more wonderful thing: the Lord …

With the help of God, Nehemiah works for the poor of the people.

With the help of God, Nehemiah works for the poor of the people (Nehemiah 5:19). The enemies of Nehemiah continued to oppose the work of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. When they came with their criticisms, Nehemiah refused to be distracted. He kept on working (Nehemiah 6:3). Work on the city walls was completed. The …

Dedicated to God

The walls had been rebuilt. Now, they were “dedicated” to God (Nehemiah 12:27). Was a time of great joy (Nehemiah 12:27,43). The people of God sand “songs of praise and thanksgiving to God” (Nehemiah 12:46). As well as singing praise to God, the Lord’s people listened to His Word (Nehemiah 13:1). Sometimes, after happy times …

In Our Grief, The Lord Draws Near – And We Are Strengthened With His Joy.

"Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). When we're going through a hard time, we become deeply aware of our own weakness. This is not all that's happening in our testing times. The Lord Himself draws near. He shows us that He is our strength - and this …

The Word of the Lord speaks to us for the strengthening of our faith and the empowering of our witness.

What is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs (Matthew 10:27). The Word of the Lord speaks to our hearts. It gives us the strength that we need to speak to others of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to receive God's Word with joy. We are to speak God's Word with …

When Your Problems Threaten To Overwhelm You, Remember This: God Has ‘Redeemed Us By His Great Power And His Mighty Hand.’

Nehemiah 1:1-2:18 ‘You see the trouble we are in’- How do you react when the going gets tough? Do you collapse in despair and succeed only in making your troubles seem even bigger than they really are? There is a better way of dealing with our problems. Believing that ‘the hand of his God was …

Stand up and thank the Lord your God.

“Stand up and thank the Lord your God” (Nehemiah 9:5). This is a call to worship. We worship God, our Creator: “You alone are the Lord. You made heaven ... You made the earth” (Nehemiah 9:6). The God of Abraham is our God - the faithful God: “You made a promise ... You kept Your …

Pray to the Lord, and work for Him.

Nehemiah 5:1-7:3; Revelation 18:1-17a; Proverbs 31:10-20 Again, the combination of prayer and work is seen in Nehemiah - "I devoted myself to the work on this wall" (Nehemiah 5:16), "I prayed, 'Now, strengthen my hands.'" (Nehemiah 6:9). "So the wall was completed ... this work had been done with the help of our God" (Nehemiah …

What kind of people are we?

Nehemiah 7:1-73  -  What kind of people are we? Are we ‘faithful and God-fearing’ people’ (2)? It is so easy to lose our way and become ‘unclean’ (64)? What are we to do when we lose our way, when we forget the Lord, when we wander away from Him? We must return to the Lord. …

Where does the song of praise come from?

Nehemiah 12:31-13:31  -  God’s  people sang ‘songs of praise and thanksgiving to God’. Where does the song of praise come from? - It comes from the Lord: ‘God had given them great joy’ (46,43). Often, we seek our joy in other people and other things. We forget the Source of true joy - the Lord …

Our Sins Are Great. The Love Of God Is Even Greater.

Nehemiah 8:1-9:5 What happens when God’s people ‘gather together’(8:1)? - (a) We hear the Word of the Lord (8:2-3,8). We come to the Lord’s House, seeking a fresh understanding of His Word. We look to the Lord, speaking through His Word, to fill us ‘with great joy’(8:12). (b) We thank God for His Son, our …

You are a God, ready to forgive.

Nehemiah 9:6-38  -  At the heart of Ezra’s prayer, there is a tremendous description of God: ‘You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love’ (17). This is ‘our God’. ‘Our sins’ are great. The love of God is even greater. We look at ‘our sins’, …

Our lives lie in ruins until Christ puts us together again.

Nehemiah 11:1-12:30  -  Like the walls of Jerusalem, our lives lie in ruins until Christ puts us together again. In Christ, our lives have been rebuilt. Now, we can ‘celebrate’. We can worship the Lord ‘with gladness’ (12:27). We are to build our lives upon Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11). This will not be easy. Our …

When God’s people faced opposition, they kept on working, and they kept on praying.

Nehemiah 3:1-4:23; Revelation 17:1-18; Psalm 147:12-20 God's people faced opposition. What did they do? They kept on working - "The people worked with all their heart" (Nehemiah 4:6). They kept on praying - "We prayed to our God" (Nehemiah 4:9). They were watchful -  "Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held …

Let us give thanks – with joy.

“At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem”, the keynote of the service was joyful thanksgiving. They gathered together “to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving” (Nehemiah 12:27). “On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). They sang “songs of praise and thanksgiving to …

Each day, we stand between the past and the future.

Each day, we stand between the past and the future. In our prayers, we call upon God to “remember” (Nehemiah 13:14,22,29,31). There are two different kinds of ‘remembering’ here. God remembers His faithful servants. He also remembers those who have been unfaithful. As we face the future, we must be guided by both the Gospel …

Our sins are great. The love of God is greater. Bring your sins to Jesus. Let His blood cleanse you from all sin.

Nehemiah 9:6-38   At the heart of Ezra’s prayer, there is a tremendous description of God: ‘You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love’ (Nehemiah 9:17). This is ‘our God’. ‘Our sins’ are great. The love of God is even greater. We look at ‘our sins’, …

How do we react to difficult circumstances?

Nehemiah 1:1-2:20; Revelation 16:1-21; Psalm 147:1-11 How do we respond to adverse circumstances? We can respond in a godly way or we can respond in a worldly fashion. "The walls of Jerusalem ... had been broken down, and its gates ... had been destroyed by fire" (Nehemiah 2:13). Nehemiah responded with faith in God: "Come, …

Nehemiah and his fellow-builders face determined opposition from their enemies.

Nehemiah and his fellow-builders face determined opposition from their enemies: “What they are building - if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!” (Nehemiah 4:3). When the enemies “heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were …

Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem

The book of Nehemiah begins with distressing news - “The wall of Jerusalem has been broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire” (Nehemiah 1:3). Nehemiah takes this situation to the Lord in prayer (Nehemiah 1:4-11). With the help of God, the work of rebuilding begins. This work was pleasing to the Lord …

How do you react when the going gets tough?

NEHEMIAH 1:1-2:18  -  ‘You see the trouble we are in’ - How do you react when the going gets tough? Do you collapse in despair and succeed only in making your troubles seem even bigger than they really are? There is a better way of dealing with our problems. Believing that ‘the hand of  his …

With the help of our God

"They realized that this work had been done with the help of our God" (Nehemiah 6:16). With the help of our God - this is something we should never forget. When we're tempted to think too highly of ourselves - to think too much about what we have achieved, let us remember this: "with the …

The joy of the Lord – and the strength of the Lord

"The joy of the Lord is your strength. Your strength comes from rejoicing in the Lord" (Nehemiah 8:10). Nehemiah was working for the Lord - and he was, also, rejoicing in the Lord. The joy of the Lord - this was where Nehemiah's strength came from. the joy of the Lord - this is where …

God Remembers Us ‘According To The Greatness Of His Steadfast Love.’

Nehemiah 10:1-39 God is calling us to commit our lives to Him. At the heart of our commitment to the Lord, there must be worship: ‘We will not neglect the House of our God’(39). ‘Worship God’(Revelation 19:10). This is our reason for coming to the Lord’s House. We come to worship Him. Our worship is …

The joy of the Lord becomes our joy.

He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy (Zephaniah 1:17). We speak about the joy of our salvation. What about the joy that the Lord feels when he sees people, confessing their faith in Jesus, God's Son? What about the joy that the Lord feels when he sees us, continuing to follow Jesus, our …

"Take Me As I Am, Lord, And Make Me All Thine Own."

Nehemiah 5:1-6:19 What are we to do when we face those who are ‘scheming to harm’ the Lord’s servants and the Lord’s work? - We are to devote ourselves to the ‘work’ of the Lord. We are to ‘pray’ for His strength (6:2; 5:16; 6:9). Critics of the Lord’s work want to argue with us. …

Happy Times And Hard Times

"The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Sometimes, we have  happy times - and sometimes we have hard times. What are we to do when the going gets tough? We've heard the saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." It sounds good, doesn't it - but what if we …

Words from far away and long ago … or more than that?

"The Lord is my light and my salvation ... The Lord is the strength of my life" (Psalm 27:1). We read these words from a faraway place and a long time ago, and we wonder, "Are these words for us? Are they for today's world? or Should they be left in the past?" Does God's Word give …

Each day, we stand between the past and the future.

Nehemiah 13:1-31; Revelation 22:1-21; Psalm 150:1-6 Each day, we stand between the past and the future. In our prayers, we call upon God to "remember" (Nehemiah 13:14,22,29,31). There are two different kinds of 'remembering' here. God remembers his faithful servants. He also remembers those who have been unfaithful. As we face the future, we must …

“We will not neglect the House of our God.”

Nehemiah 9:38-11:21; Revelation 20:1-15; Psalm 149:1-9 The Lord’s people, in Nehemiah’s time, made this commitment: “We will not neglect the House of our God” (Nehemiah 10:39). Such a commitment to God and His work is not easy to maintain. There is an enemy who opposes God and His work – “the dragon, that ancient serpent, …

The joy of the Lord and the strength of the Lord

"Sing for joy to God our strength" (Psalm 81:4); "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Where does our joy come from? Where does our strength come from? Our joy comes from the Lord. Our strength comes from the Lord.  It's not really our joy and our strength. It's the joy of …

We are called to worship God with reverence and joy.

Nehemiah 7:4-8:18; Revelation 18:17b-19:10; Psalm 148:1-6 We are called to “worship God” (Revelation 19:10). Our worship is to be with reverence and joy. “Be still: “This is the call for reverence (Nehemiah 8:11). Alongside this reverence, there is to be joy: “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). We are to “rejoice” …

Reading, Preaching and Hearing God’s Word

Following the list of those who returned to the city of Jerusalem from exile (Nehemiah 7), we see the people of God, hearing the Word of God, read and explained to them (Nehemiah 8:7-8). The preaching of God’s Word took the place within the context of thanksgiving and worship (Nehemiah 8:6). The ministry of the …

I will rejoice, for He has made me glad.

With joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3). The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). In these two very encouraging verses, one from Isaiah and the other from Nehemiah, we read about joy, and we read about salvation and strength. What do we mean when we speak about joy? It is …

When we have big problems, help us, Lord, to remember that You are bigger than all of them (Praying Through God’s Word: Nehemiah).

Nehemiah 1:1-2:18 When we have big problems, help us to remember that You are bigger than all of our problems. Where do our problems come from? They come from our sin. That’s our biggest problem. That’s no problem to You, Lord – “Christ has put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26). Thank …

The joy of the Lord

"The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). "Rejoice in the Lord always, and, again, I say, rejoice" (Philippians 4:4). Our joy comes and goes. Sometimes, we're up, Sometimes, we're down. The joy of the Lord is very different. It's not joy which comes to us from our changeable circumstances. It's joy which …

The God of grace and mercy

Nehemiah 9:1-37; Revelation 19:1-21; Psalm 148:7-14 In the history of Israel, we read a great deal about the history of human sin. First and foremost, however, it is the story of God's grace and mercy. Israel's sin is there in the forefront: "We are slaves today ... Because of our sins ... We are in great …