Legacy
Part I; February 18, 2024
“Nehemiah”
Holiness Begins with Brokenness and Ends with Passion
Nehemiah 1:4-9, When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands,
listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses. (NLT)
2 Kings 22:11-13, When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, “Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah. Inquire about the words written in this scroll. For the Lord’s great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do.” (NLT)
Read – Confess – Surrender – Repeat
To Follow God, You Need a Sword and a Shovel
Nehemiah 2:18-19, They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work. But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” (NLT)
Nehemiah 4:17, Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. (ESV)
Ephesians 6:17, Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore… having taken the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (ESV)
God’s Calling Builds the Kingdom through Unity
Nehemiah 6:16, And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. (ESV)
1 Corinthians 12:12-14, There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts. (NIRV)
