Thanks for reading the sermon this week. I wasn't able to post again midweek as I am still not in very good health. Please keep praying for me. I want to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post this message.
Last week, we concluded our series of messages on I Thessalonians. I want to switch gears and go over to the Old Testament now. For the next few weeks until it is time for the Christmas messages, I want to focus on Nehemiah. This isn't going to be a chapter by chapter study. I want us to explore who Nehemiah was, and what we can learn from his life and from what the people of Israel were doing at this time.
To begin, we need to get a little background on the situation. Because the people would not repent of their sins, the Lord brought the people of Judah into captivity by the Babylonians. Many of the people were taken to Babylon, but there were some left in Jerusalem and elsewhere. The city of Jerusalem was devastated, and the Temple was destroyed.
After a period of several years, the Babylonians were conquered by the Persians. They allowed the Israelites to return to their land. The Persians are ruling over the area of Babylon as well as Israel when the events in the book of Nehemiah begin.
The Bible tells us that Nehemiah was the cupbearer for the Persian emperor. This was a very important position. He had to make sure that the emperor's chalice was not poisoned, and he had to present a good appearance at the court.
One day, some Jewish people who had been to Jerusalem met with Nehemiah. He wanted to know what was happening back in the holy city. They told him of the city's poor state and the terrible conditions there. This news caused Nehemiah to have a great deal of distress. He mourned, fasted and prayed.
The first thing that I believe that we can learn from Nehemiah is that even though he was in a foreign land of exile, he continued to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was a man who had remained faithful to God, and he cared about the things of God.
Many of us who are believers in Jesus Christ find ourselves in situations where we are surrounded by a culture that rejects the Lord and the values the Lord has given to us. Often, it would be easier to just go along with the crowd and with the values of the culture in which we find ourselves. However, that is not what we are to do. Like Nehemiah, we are called to be faithful to the Lord in whatever situation we find ourselves in . We must realize that even if we have to stand alone, we must stand up and live for Jesus. He is always with us. He will never leave us. He will give us the power to live for Him even in the most difficult circumstances. You may be the only Christian in your family, school, community or place of work. I urge you to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus even though others are going a different way, and they may even oppose or persecute you. The Lord Jesus will reward those who are faithful to Him and to His teachings.
The second thing that I would like to point out is that Nehemiah was distressed when he discovered that what was important to the Lord was in a bad state. He was distressed at the state of Jerusalem.
As those who follow Jesus, it should grieve our hearts when the things of the Lord are not honored. Right now, it should cause us who live in the the Western world to feel sad and distressed about the fact that so many people are falling away from the faith. Many people don't want to know about Jesus anymore. Even those who are going to some churches have turned from the true path and the true teachings of Jesus Christ.
Next week, we will look at Nehemiah's important prayer. And we will see that his prayer led him to action. Amen.
Prayer Requests
Please pray that I will have an improvement in my health. Also, please pray that the bad weather that is predicted for my area will not materialize.
There is something that we need to give thanks to the Lord for. I heard on the radio news today that the warring parties in Ethiopia have agreed to a ceasefire. That is a definite answer to prayer. Let us keep praying for peace in Ukraine, Syria, Yemen and Libya.
Pray that the various diseases that are plaquing this world will cease. Pray that the sick will recover, and pray that people who need help and treatment will be able to access the care that they need.
Keep praying for those affected by the storms. Those in west Africa, Pakistan, Florida, Central America and Puerto Rico need our prayers.
Pray that the high inflation in many nations will be brought under control. These high prices are really hurting a lot of poorer people and the elderly.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Madagascar and Singapore. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue with our Nehemiah study. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will try to post midweek. May God bless you all.
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