* When Nehemiah showed up to the officials in Jerusalem he had the authority of the king on his side.
* The king commissioned him to rebuild the wall of defense around Jerusalem.
* It’s interesting the leaders never said, “Let’s arise and build” until after he told them about God’s favor AND the king’s favor.
* They knew the wall needed to be fixed and God wanted it, but not until the king wanted it could it be done.
* They could have written to the king and requested permission, but they probably would not have gotten it.
* It took a man who proved valuable to the king and gained his favor in order to get the job done.
* Here’s the order of how Nehemiah got this authority: Responsibility - Value - Favor - Authority.
* He stayed in his place under the king, was valuable there, earned favor with the king, and was granted his authority.
* Too many people just run out and try to start building walls and it fails.
* Favor is earned, and it takes time.
* How do we get it? By being valuable! By doing something that serves others. By bringing real, tangible value to another human being. By WORKING excellently!
* We should re-think modern day missions like this. Lead with value, build with favor.
* Caveat - don’t let the fear of man lead you in your effort to earn the favor of man.
* As you focus on pleasing God and serving others God will handle the favor part.
Nehemiah 2:17-18 (7/13/17)
Four-Step Process
July 13, 2017 • Benham Brothers
Nehemiah 1-2 (8/12/21)
August 12, 2021 • Benham Brothers • Nehemiah 1, Nehemiah 2
Nehemiah 1-2 - Nehemiah, Entrepreneur * Two things I want to accomplish: * Redefine the word “entrepreneur.” * Give you five traits of a kingdom entrepreneur. * Defining the Entrepreneur * Normal definition - An entrepreneur is a “risk-taking go-getter who generates income by meeting the needs of others.” * Marks of an entrepreneur: * They’re fiercely independent (don’t want to work for others). * They are self-starters (highly motivated). * They don’t need to be managed. * They think creatively (w/a bent toward adventure). * They embrace risk, they don’t avoid it. * They see opportunities when others see obstacles. * Defining the Kingdom Entrepreneur * “Entre” means “go between” / “Prende” means “to undertake.” * An entrepreneur goes between people with problems to bring solutions. * An entrepreneur’s identity is that of an intercessor (Ezekiel 22). * Kingdom Entrepreneur - “a risk-taking go-getter who generates income by meeting needs so that he can be a bridge that connects people to God.” * A kingdom entrepreneur: * Knows he’s a minister right where he is. * Is fueled by a sense of mission for God. * Understands that his work is worship. * Sees himself as an intercessor for others. * Example - Jesus from 18-22 years old. * Example - Nehemiah! * He saw a niche of people with a problem and he slides in between with a solution. * He was not a “vocational minister.” He was a government leader who knew how to run a business. * Notice these five traits of Nehemiah: * 1) He was a PRAYER (vs 1:1-4). * 2) He was a PURSUER (vs 2:1-5). * 3) He was a PLANNER (vs 2:11-13). * 4) He was a PRODUCER (vs 2:17-18). * Vs 19 - Enemies showed up once he started producing. * The next several chaps has them building and battling (sword and trowel)! * 5) He was a PURIFIER (chap 13 - the final chap - is all about purification). * He used his platform to purify the nation. * It wasn’t enough for them to have a wall - they needed the presence of God, and this couldn’t happen apart from purity. * He kicked Tobiah, the Ammonite, out of the Temple (he was given a room by a corrupt priest) - Nehemiah 13:1-9. * He re-allocated finances so the Levites could come back and serve in the Temple (they hadn’t been paid so they had to leave and work) - Nehemiah 13:10-13. * He reinstituted the Sabbath and setup protocols so people wouldn’t break it - Nehemiah 13:15-22. * He dealt with their impure marriages to foreign women (he physically assaulted these guys) - Nehemiah 13:23-31. *
Nehemiah 1:3-4 (7/16/17)
July 16, 2017 • Benham Brothers
•Review 5 core human needs - Security, Identity, Belonging, Purpose, Competence. •Testimony of Competence - God told us to do something we didn’t know we were good at. •We trusted God (Security) and then discovered: We're Ministers (Identity), We're on Mission (Purpose), Our work is worship (Competence). •DEFINITIONS: •Worship - our attempt to make God smile (Trae doing lawn). •Our primary way to worship God is through our WORK. •Work - “anything you gotta do” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 - competence). •3 truths about making your work worship to God (3 R's): •1) The Requirement of work is faithfulness. •* Our MOTIVE is to make God smile. •Nehemiah 1:3-4 - his work was born out of his worship. •What, Where, When no longer matter. Why, How, and Who is what fuels you. •Action precedes motivation - just start acting like your work is worship and it will become. •* Our ATTITUDE is surrender. •John Quincy Adams - "Duty is mine. Results are God's." •Acts 20:22 - Replace yourself in this verse: •“And now I am on my way to mow that lawn, even though I’m broke and have mouths to feed.” •“And now I’m going to tell the truth, not knowing if it’s going to cost my job.” •“And now I’m going to teach my kids homeschool, not knowing if they’ll ever learn to read!” •STORY - Tori teaching homeschool. •** When your work is worship you’re blessed with ENERGY to continue doing it. If it's not then you are cursed with LETHARGY! •2) The Result of work is rest. •In the OT work and rest were separate (Sabbath). •In the NT work and rest go hand-in-hand (Jesus is our Sabbath, now honor the Sabbath). •Matthew 11:28-30 - When you enter God’s work you enter God’s rest. •STORY - Apologizing to kids / Flight back from Dallas. •3) The Result of work is that God gets glory. •John 17:4 - I have brought you glory by finishing the work….. •What does it mean to bring God glory? •Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good “works”……. •** KEY ** - Our work isn't complete until we've given God credit for the job we did. •The moon shines only because it properly reflects the light of the sun. •CLOSE - when your work is worship: •Nehemiah 2:7-9 - AUTHORITY & ASSETS of the king. •When we make our work worship God gives us His authority & assets to do the job. •Nehemiah wasn't a builder or governor - he was a cupbearer. •If the walls are broken down, we have the authority to rebuild them. •What is broken down in your own realm? •1) Personal life - spirit, soul, body. •2) Family - spouse, kids, extended family. •3) Community - church body, workplace, neighborhood, gym. •4) City & Nation.
Nehemiah 1:3-4 (7/16/15)
July 16, 2015 • Benham Brothers
When Nehemiah heard there was a problem how did he respond first? 1) Fasted - he denied himself something in the physical to gain something in the spiritual. 2) Prayed - he recognized God's sovereignty and gave the problem to the Lord. America has spiritual problems that are manifesting themselves physically. We need to start by doing the same thing Nehemiah did - Fast & Pray. This will lead you to do what Nehemiah did in Neh 13.