Nehemiah
What will you be remembered for?
September 2, 2018 • Pastor Allen Bonnell
What will you be remembered for? Nehemiah 13:23-31 1. You are remembered for the convictions you hold. 2. You are remembered for the decisions you make/risks you take. “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” Theodore Roosevelt 3. You are remembered for the people you influence. Be loving “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiples kisses.” Proverbs 27:6 Be an encourager Be generous "No man can become rich without himself enriching others. The man who dies rich dies disgraced" -- Andrew Carnegie
Rhythm of Work and Rest
August 26, 2018 • Pastor Brett Martin
Rhythm of Work and Rest Nehemiah 13:15-22 You’re responsible when people follow your example. The world says keep busy and stay nervous. God says work hard, then go to bed. Set rhythms and have others help you keep them. Resting provides fine tuning for hearing God’s voice in the midst of the static of life. Opportunities for rest: Time: Listen: Sleep: Life Together: The sabbath is not about resting perfectly but resting in the One who is perfect. Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Reform
August 19, 2018 • Pastor Allen Bonnell
REFORM Nehemiah 13:1-14 Knowledge is knowing what to do; wisdom is doing it. I need to _________________________________. Nehemiah 13:1 On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, 2 because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.) 3 When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent. 1. Do what you know to do. Transformation doesn’t happen without reformation. 2. Stop doing what you know not to do. Nehemiah 13:4 Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, 5 and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests. 6 But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission 7 and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God. 8 I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah's household goods out of the room. 9 I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense. “It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it 'a den of robbers.'" Matthew 21:13 3. Surround yourself with the right people. Nehemiah 13:10I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and singers responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. 11So I rebuked the officials and asked them, "Why is the house of God neglected?" Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts. 12All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and oil into the storerooms. 13I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because these men were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their brothers. 14Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services. “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7
Winning With Money
August 12, 2018 • Pastor Allen Bonnell
Winning With Money 1. Be a generous person. Psalm 20:7, “Some trust in chariots and horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7 2. Be content with what you have. “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13 3. Develop an investment plan. a. The way you plan is to have a budget. “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” Proverbs 23:5 b. Don’t spend everything you make. “The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.” Proverbs 21:20 c. Have an emergency fund. 4. Make war with debt. “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7 “The wicked borrow and do not repay.” Psalm 37:21 a. Instead of going to sales, sale stuff. b. Sit down and set up a debt retirement plan. “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5 c Refuse to go into debt.
Assume Responsibility
August 5, 2018 • Pastor Allen Bonnell
Assume Responsibility Nehemiah 10 A tithe is a 10 th part. I. What generosity demonstrates: 1. Generosity is an act of worship. 2. Generosity is the response of a thankful heart. 3. Generosity reflects a heart surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. 4. Generosity is a sign of faith in God’s provision. II. Why be generous: 1. God commanded generosity. “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.” 1 Corinthians 16:2 2. God will bless you because of your generosity. “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9- 10 3. Others will come to know Jesus. “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” Luke 16:9 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Corinthians 9:6-7 “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.” Proverbs 11:24 (The Message)
Inexhaustible Grace
July 29, 2018 • Pastor Allen Bonnell
Inexhaustible Grace Nehemiah 9 verse 1-5 verse 16 1. God’s inexhaustible grace displayed in His character. v. 17b, but you are…… 2. God’s inexhaustible grace displayed in action. v. 17c therefore you did not desert them. Matthew 11:28-30, “ 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” v. 26a “But they” ….backs. 3. God’s inexhaustible grace displayed to the humble. v. 27 all of it 4. God’s inexhaustible grace doesn’t give us a license for immorality. Jude 1:4 “For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” v. 38
What's Missing?
July 22, 2018 • Pastor Allen Bonnell
What’s Missing? Nehemiah 8 all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. 2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. 4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. 1. The Word of God is for everyone, v. 1-4 2. The Word of God fosters worship, v. 5-6 5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord , the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. “Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.” 1 Timothy 2:8 3. The Word of God brings joy, v. 7-12 7 The Levites-Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah -instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. 9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. 10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." 11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve." 12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Romans 10:14 2 4. The Word of God compels action, v. 13-18 13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to give attention to the words of the Law. 14 They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month 15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: "Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make booths"-as it is written. 16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great. 18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.
Finish the Job
Pastor Allen Bonnell
Finish the Job Nehemiah 7 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” John 15:13 To finish strong, surround yourself with the right people. Choosing the right people, means finding the right character. a.) Do the right thing, even when no one is looking. “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” Proverbs 11:3 b.) The fear of theLORD is the beginning of wisdom. Luke 1:50, “His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.” 1 Peter 5:5b, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” What has God put on your heart?
Changing Your World in 52 Days
July 8, 2018 • Pastor Allen Bonnell
Changing Your World in 52 Days Nehemiah 6:1-16 1. Your enemy will try to distract you. “Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: "Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono..." Neh 6:2 “But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?" Neh. 6:2b-3 2. Your enemy will try to discredit you. By spreading rumors. “Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written: "It is reported among the nations — and Geshem says it is true — that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king… Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us confer together." Neh 6:5-6, 7b By tempting you to compromise. “(Shemaiah) said, "Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you."… I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me. Neh. 6:10, 12-13 I’m not giving up. “But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!" Neh 6:11 “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were 2 afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” Neh 6:15-16 Those who are most successful are always those who are most focused.
Standing Against Injustice
July 1, 2018 • Pastor Allen Bonnell
Standing Against Injustice Nehemiah 5:1-13 There have always been inequalities. There will always be injustices. These inequalities and injustices are opportunities. 1. Communicate with those concerned. 2. Compassion toward injustice. “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Acts 5:24 3. Critically think through a plan. 4. Courageously carry out the plan. Called a large meeting, v. 7 Concentrated on the main issue, v. 8 Conceded it wasn’t easy, v. 10, Challenged them, v. 11 Mark 10:45 Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Clear covenant was created, v. 12-13
Facing Opposition
June 24, 2018 • Pastor Allen Bonnell
1. When facing opposition, stay focused on God’s mission (v.1-6) 2. When facing opposition, place your hope in God’s deliverance. Psalm 71:13-14 3. When facing opposition, respond with strategy, strength, and sacrifice (v. 13-23) Underline mission, hope, strategy strength sacrifice
Faith in the Faithful God
June 17, 2018 • Pastor Brent Foley
1. The faithful trust in God’s appointments (v.1-2) 2. The faithful trust in God’s protection (v.3-5) 3. The faithful trust in God’s provision (v. 6-8) 4. The faithful trust in God’s timing (v. 9-16) 5. The faithful trust in God’s providence (v. 17-20)