nehemiah study guide - clover...

What’s Inside: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Nehemiah: Authorship & Background . . 2

Sermon Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Bible Study Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Week 1 Discussion Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Week 2 Discussion Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Week 3 Discussion Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Week 4 Discussion Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16


Week 7 Discussion Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25


Week 10 Discussion Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Introduction

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The time has arrived for the construction to begin on what will be our newly expanded sanctuary and an addition to our children’s facilities. For some of you it must have seemed as though the day would never arrive, but the end is in sight.

In Nehemiah’s day there was a building process that also needed to take place. According to the opening verses of the book, Jerusalem was in ru-‐ins. It was reported to Nehemiah, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” (Neh. 1:3) Jerusalem, the place that God had chosen to make his name dwell, was a mere shad-‐ow of its former self.

The dilapidated state of Jerusalem was a shame for the people who lived there, but it also exposed them to danger from the outside. Even more pressing, however, was the way that Jerusalem’s disrepair negatively reflected God’s majesty and glory to the people around the city. In a world where many people worshiped multiple gods and the name of a god was often tied to a place, the de-‐struction of Jerusalem suggested to the outside world that the God of Israel, Yahweh, had been de-‐feated by the gods of the Babylonians. Nehemiah was determined to see Jerusalem rebuilt for God’s glory. Jerusalem would stand as a testimony to the world that Yahweh was the true God who could not be defeated. As we enter into a time of construction here at Malvern Hill, we would be wrong to equate the importance of a church building with the Old Tes-‐tament importance of Jerusalem and the Temple. However, just as Jerusalem served as a sign to the world around it, a church building also serves as a sign to the world in which it inhabits. The church

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of Jesus is not a building, but the construction of a new building in our community will serve as a physical testimony to the presence of God’s people here in East Camden for many years to come. Our facilities are places for worship and discipleship, but also for ministry and missions. Our buildings should be hospitals for the sinful and broken and training centers for missionaries and disciple-‐makers. With Nehemiah, we recognize that this ef-‐fort is only possible through the powerful hand of God. Let us take up our swords and shovels to see these buildings built for God’s glory.

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True to God’s promise of judgment, He brought the Assyrians and Babylonians to deliver His chas-‐tisement upon wayward Judah and Israel. In 722 B.C. the Assyrians deported the 10 northern tribes and scattered them all over the then known world (2 Kin. 17). Several centuries later, ca. 605–586 B.C., God used the Babylonians to sack, destroy, and nearly depopulate Jerusalem (2 Kin. 25) be-‐cause Judah had persisted in her unfaithfulness to the covenant. God chastened His people with 70 years of captivity in Babylon (Jer. 25:11). During the Jews’ captivity, world empire leader-‐ship changed hands from the Babylonians to the Persians (ca. 539 B.C.; Dan. 5), after which Daniel received most of his prophetic revelation (cf. Dan. 6, 9–12). The book of Ezra begins with the decree of Cyrus, a Persian king, to return God’s people to Jerusalem to rebuild God’s house (ca. 539 B.C.), and chronicles the reestablishment of Judah’s na-‐tional calendar of feasts and sacrifices. Zerubbabel and Joshua led the first return (Ezra 1–6) and re-‐built the temple. Esther gives a glimpse of the Jews left in Persia (ca. 483–473 B.C.) when Haman at-‐tempted to eliminate the Jewish race. Ezra 7–10 recounts the second return led by Ezra in 458 B.C. Nehemiah chronicles the third return to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem (ca. 445 B.C.). At that time in Judah’s history, the Persian Empire dominated the entire Near Eastern world. Its ad-‐ministration of Judah, although done with a loose hand, was mindful of disruptions or any signs of rebellion from its vassals. Rebuilding the walls of conquered cities posed the most glaring threat to the Persian central administration. Only a close confidant of the king himself could be trusted for such an operation. At the most critical juncture in Judah’s revitalization, God raised up Nehemiah to exercise one of the most trusted roles in the em-‐pire, the King’s cupbearer and confidant. Life un-‐der the Persian king Artaxerxes (ca. 464–423 B.C.) had its advantages for Nehemiah. Much like Jo-‐seph, Esther, and Daniel, he had attained a signifi-‐cant role in the palace which then ruled the an-‐cient world, a position from which God could use him to lead the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls in spite of its implications for Persian control of that city.

Several other historical notes are of interest. First,

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The following introductory material for Nehemiah comes verbatim from John MacArthur’s ministry, Grace to You, and is available online under the Bible Introductions section as

“Nehemiah” at www.gty.org

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Nehemiah (“Jehovah comforts”) is a famous cup-‐bearer, who never appears in Scripture outside of this book. As with the books of Ezra and Esther, named after his contemporaries (see Introduc-‐tions to Ezra and Esther), the book recounts se-‐lected events of his leadership and was titled after him. Both the Greek Septuagint (LXX) and the Lat-‐in Vulgate named this book “Second Ezra.” Even though the two books of Ezra and Nehemiah are separate in most English Bibles, they may have once been joined together in a single unit as cur-‐rently in the Hebrew texts. New Testament writ-‐ers do not quote Nehemiah.

Author and Date

Though much of this book was clearly drawn from Nehemiah’s personal diaries and written from his first person perspective (1:1–7:5; 12:27–43; 13:4–31), both Jewish and Christian traditions recog-‐nize Ezra as the author. This is based on external evidence that Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one book as reflected in the LXX and Vulgate; it is also based on internal evidence such as the recur-‐rent “hand of the LORD” theme which dominates both Ezra and Nehemiah and the author’s role as a priest-‐scribe. As a scribe, he had access to the roy-‐al archives of Persia, which accounts for the myri-‐ad of administrative documents found recorded in the two books, especially in the book of Ezra. Very few people would have been allowed access to the royal archives of the Persian Empire, but Ezra proved to be the exception (cf. Ezra 1:2–4; 4:9–22; 5:7–17; 6:3–12).

The events in Nehemiah 1 commence late in the year 446 B.C., the 20th year of the Persian king, Artaxerxes (464–423 B.C.). The book follows chronologically from Nehemiah’s first term as governor of Jerusalem ca. 445–433 B.C. (Neh. 1–12) to his second term, possibly beginning ca. 424 B.C. (Neh. 13). Nehemiah was written by Ezra sometime during or after Nehemiah’s second term, but no later than 400 B.C. Background and Setting

Background Information on Nehemiah

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abide by God’s revealed will that they took “a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law … ” (10:29). When the marriage reforms were carried out, they acted in accordance with that which “they read from the Book of Moses” (13:1).

A second major theme, the obedience of Nehemi-‐ah, is explicitly referred to throughout the book due to the fact that the book is based on the mem-‐oirs or first person accounts of Nehemiah. God worked through the obedience of Nehemiah; how-‐ever, He also worked through the wrongly-‐motivated, wicked hearts of His enemies. Nehemi-‐ah’s enemies failed, not so much as a result of the success of Nehemiah’s strategies, but because “God had brought their plot to nothing” (4:15). God used the opposition of Judah’s enemies to drive His people to their knees in the same way that He used the favor of Cyrus to return His peo-‐ple to the Land, to fund their building project, and to even protect the reconstruction of Jerusalem’s walls. Not surprisingly, Nehemiah acknowledged the true motive of his strategy to repopulate

Jerusalem: “my God put it into my heart” (7:5). It was He who accomplished it. Another theme in Nehemiah, as in Ezra, is opposi-‐tion. Judah’s enemies started rumors that God’s people had revolted against Persia. The goal was to intimidate Judah into forestalling reconstruc-‐tion of the walls. In spite of opposition from with-‐out and heartbreaking corruption and dissension from within, Judah completed the walls of Jerusa-‐lem in only 52 days (6:15), experienced revival af-‐ter the reading of the law by Ezra (8:1ff.), and cel-‐ebrated the Feast of Tabernacles (8:14ff.; ca. 445 B.C.). The book’s detailed insight into the personal thoughts, motives, and disappointments of Nehe-‐miah makes it easy for the reader to primarily identify with him, rather than “the sovereign hand of God” theme and the primary message of His control and intervention into the affairs of His people and their enemies. But the exemplary be-‐havior of the famous cupbearer is eclipsed by God who orchestrated the reconstruction of the walls in spite of much opposition and many setbacks; the “good hand of God” theme carries through the book of Nehemiah (1:10; 2:8, 18).”

Background Information on Nehemiah

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Esther was Artaxerxes’ stepmother and could have easily influenced him to look favorably upon the Jews, especially Nehemiah. Second, Daniel’s prophetic 70 weeks began with the decree to re-‐build the city issued by Artaxerxes in 445 B.C. (cf. chaps. 1, 2). Third, the Elephantine papyri (Egyp-‐tian documents), dated to the late 5th century B.C., support the account of Nehemiah by mentioning Sanballat the governor of Samaria (2:19), Jeho-‐hanan (6:18; 12:23), and Nehemiah’s being re-‐placed as governor of Jerusalem by Bigvai (ca. 410 B.C; Neh. 10:16). Finally, Nehemiah and Malachi represent the last of the OT canonical writings, both in terms of the time the events occurred (Mal. 1–4; Neh. 13) and the time when they were recorded by Ezra. Thus the next messages from God for Israel do not come until over 400 years of silence had passed, after which the births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ were announced (Matt. 1; Luke 1, 2). With the full OT revelation of Israel’s history prior to Christ’s incarnation being completed, the Jews had not yet experienced the fullness of God’s vari-‐ous covenants and promises to them. While there was a Jewish remnant, as promised to Abraham (cf. Gen. 15:5), it does not appear to be even as large as at the time of the Exodus (Num. 1:46). The Jews neither possessed the Land (Gen. 15:7) nor did they rule as a sovereign nation (Gen. 12:2). The Davidic throne was unoccupied (cf. 2 Sam. 7:16), although the High-‐Priest was of the line of Eleazar and Phinehas (cf. Num. 25:10–13). God’s promise to consummate the New Covenant of re-‐demption awaited the birth, crucifixion, and res-‐urrection of Messiah (cf. Heb. 7–10).

Historical and Theological Themes Careful attention to the reading of God’s Word in order to perform His will is a constant theme. The spiritual revival came in response to Ezra’s read-‐ing of “the Book of the Law of Moses” (8:1). After the reading, Ezra and some of the priests carefully explained its meaning to the people in attendance (8:8). The next day, Ezra met with some of the fa-‐thers of the households, the priests, and Levites, “in order to understand the words of the Law” (8:13). The sacrificial system was carried on with careful attention to perform it “as it is written in the Law” (10:34, 36). So deep was their concern to

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Sermon Calendar Study Date

Sermon Date Title Scripture Big Question and Synopsis

Jan-‐10 Jan-‐3 The Posture of Prayer

Nehemiah 1:1-‐4

Our attitude in prayer should be one of contrition and humility. We should come to God broken, not proud.

Big Question: How do you approach God in prayer?

Jan-‐17 Jan-‐10 The Prayer God Answers

Nehemiah 1:5-‐11

The prayer that God answers is the prayer that fits in line with his word and his will. Prayers that glorify God are rooted in his word.

Big Question: How do you use the Bible in your prayer life?

Jan-‐24 Jan-‐17

God’s Sovereignty in Answered Prayer

Nehemiah 1:11b-‐2:8

God answered Nehemiah’s prayer, but God antici-‐pated the prayer of Nehemiah and blessed him with a position to enable him to be God’s instru-‐ment before Nehemiah was even aware of the need for prayer.

Big Question: How does God answer prayer?

Jan-‐31 Jan-‐24 Face the Facts Nehemiah 2:9-‐20

Be honest about the reality of your situation. Our marching orders come from God. Does God com-‐mand us to build buildings? No, but buildings do enable us to establish a permanent presence in this community for gospel outreach.

Big Question: Have you taken stock of your life?

Feb-‐7 Jan-‐31 Do Your Part Nehemiah 3

The work of God’s people is not a one-‐man show. We all have a part to play. Do your part and trust in the Lord to ensure that the rest of the work will be accomplished through his people.

Big Question: How does the church work together to accomplish God’s purposes?

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Sermon Calendar Study Date

Sermon Date Title Scripture Big Question and Synopsis

Feb-‐14 Feb-‐7 Expect Opposition

Nehemiah 4:1-‐6

If we read the Bible, we should not be surprised when we experience opposition as we do God’s work.

Big Question: What did you expect?

Feb-‐21 Feb-‐14 Stand and Fight

Nehemiah 4:7-‐14

When our efforts to honor God are met with oppo-‐sition, we can be tempted to stop the work. Rather than give up, we must cling to the Lord and trust that the victory has already been won by him.

Big Question: How can we expand God’s King-‐dom?

Feb-‐28 Feb-‐21 Guest Preacher

Justin Orr, the speaker for our student’s Disciple Now Weekend, will be our guest preacher. A study guide for that Sunday will be available at the Wel-‐come Center and online at www.malvernhill.org. We will also e-‐mail it out in an electronic format.

Mar-‐6 Feb-‐28 Trust the Lord Nehemiah 4:15-‐23

Christians must engage in spiritual warfare, but they must also recognize, just as Nehemiah did, God is the ultimate victor. Do not fear to take up the weapons of spiritual warfare because God goes ahead of you.

Big Question: Why shouldn’t we fear?

Mar-‐13 Mar-‐6 Pursue Peace Nehemiah 5:1-‐13

Great spiritual victories can sometimes lead to great spiritual letdowns. Just as the mountaintops can be glorious, the valleys can be defeating. After spiritual victories, work to secure long term peace.

Big Question: Where do we go from here?

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Bible Study Map

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The Posture of Prayer (Nehemiah 1:1-‐4) Week 1 – January 10, 2016

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Sermon and Other Notes Use this space to write down notes from the sermon or your personal study.

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Discussion Guide BIG THOUGHT

We should pray in a spirit of humility.

INTRODUCTION “Confession is an integral part of prayer for the purpose of acknowledging our sinfulness and to recog-‐nize the majesty of God. Confession puts us in a right place before God as we are humbled under the reali-‐ty of our brokenness and God’s power.

For perspective I recall the view from the mountain ridge looking down at the tiny specks far below, let alone the view of planet earth from the other side of Andromeda. I begin with confession not in order to feel miserable, rather to call to mind a reality I often ignore. When I acknowledge where I stand before a perfect God, it restores the true state of the universe. Confession simply establishes the proper ground rules of creatures relating to their creator. The well-‐known pastor Haddon Robinson begins almost ever sermon with the same brief confess: ‘God, if these people knew about me what you know about me, they wouldn’t listen to a word I said.’”

(Source: Philip Yancey, Prayer, 31.)

EXAMINE 1. Who was Nehemiah and what was his position in the kingdom (according to 1:11)?

2. Why could it have been dangerous for Nehemiah to be concerned for the Jews who still lived in Jerusalem? Why would the broken wall of Jerusalem have been both dangerous and shameful for the remnant that remained in Jerusalem?

3. What is the timeless truth of Nehemiah 1:1-‐4?

ENGAGE 4. Read Psalm 51:17. What is the acceptable sacrifice that David writes about? How is Nehe-‐

miah’s response to the bad news from his brother similar to David’s?

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5. Nehemiah responded by mourning, fasting, and praying. When was the last time you had godly sorrow in your own life? Why is godly sorrow an important part of your maturity in Christ?

6. Fasting and prayer often occur together in Scripture. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount shows us that he expects us to pray and fast (Mt 6:5-‐18). Why are these spiritual disciplines im-‐portant, especially in times of turmoil or difficulty?

7. How do your emotions and your situations affect the way that you come to God in prayer? In what ways can your emotions be positive or negative in your prayer life?

EXECUTE 8. Do you approach God in prayer as David and Nehemiah did? How can God’s word give you

more humility to approach God appropriately?

9. What are ways that can you grow in regular prayer and fasting in your own life?

Prayer Requests

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The Prayer God Answers (Nehemiah 1:5-‐11) Week 2 – January 17, 2016

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God answers prayers that are rooted in his word.

INTRODUCTION “I’m convinced God enjoys it when we consciously employ his word in our prayers. It shows him the im-‐portance we attach to our requests. It demonstrates we have thought through our petitions and praises and lined them up against the plumb line of Scripture. It underscores to him the high regard and appreci-‐ation we attach to his word and demonstrates that we sincerely seek his heart in the matter for which we pray. Using God’s word in prayer — Scripture praying, as it is sometimes called — gives a divine familiar-‐ity to our words, earmarking us as servants who possess a working knowledge of the most powerful prayer book ever written: the Bible.

Saints in Scripture practiced this type of praying. The prophet Habakkuk appealed to God on the basis of his word during a time of deep national distress: The ruthless Babylonian army was poised to sweep across the country like water from a ruptured dam. Yes, the prophet agreed with the Lord that Judah was deserving of his judgment. But how could God use a people even more evil than they as his rod of disci-‐pline? Habakkuk quoted snippets of psalms and proverbs as he spoke with God: ‘Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?’(Habakkuk 1:13).

David pleaded with God in prayer based on what he knew to be true about the Lord from Scripture: ‘Re-‐member, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. … According to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord’ (Psalms 25:6-‐7).

Does it sound cheeky to remind God of his character and his promises? Does it seem presumptuous? Per-‐haps, if you are unfamiliar with the prayer habits of saints such as Habakkuk and David. Nevertheless, the Lord would have us claim his love, plead his holiness, remind him of his goodness, recount his longsuffer-‐ing, present to him his steadfastness, and pray in his power. In Isaiah 1:18, God invites us: ‘Come now, let us reason together.’ He encourages our discourse.”

(Source: Joni Eareckson Tada, “Speaking God’s Language,” www.redeemer.com)

EXAMINE 1. According to verse 8, what did Nehemiah hope to “remind” God of as he prayed? Why could

Nehemiah have confidence that God would answer his prayers?


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ENGAGE 3. How does Nehemiah’s prayer compare with Jesus’ Model Prayer as recorded in Matthew

6:9-‐13?

4. Nehemiah’s confession was both corporate (confessing for all the people) and personal (confessing his own sins). Why are both corporate and individual confession during our prayers important?

5. Have you ever been guilty of praying prayers that were not biblical? How did you recognize your error and how did you correct that? How can you avoid unbiblical prayers in the fu-‐ture?

EXECUTE 6. Nehemiah prayed God’s word back to him. How can you utilize the Bible during your time of

prayer?

7. Often times, we turn to prayer as a last resort. However, Nehemiah’s first response to the words of his brother was prayer. Why do we often see prayer as a last resort? What can you do in your life to make prayer your first response in times of trial and difficulty?

Prayer Requests

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God’s Sovereignty in Answered Prayer (1:11b-‐2:8) Week 3 – January 24, 2016

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God answers prayer.

INTRODUCTION “George Mueller (1805–1898) is widely considered one the greatest men of prayer and faith since the days of the New Testament. He lived nearly the entire nineteenth century, two-‐thirds of it in Bristol, Eng-‐land. He led four far-‐reaching, influential ministries, but we know him best today for his orphanages.

During a time in England when most orphans lived in miserable workhouses or on the streets, like Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist, Mueller took them in, fed them, clothed them, and educated them. Through his orphanage in Bristol, Mueller cared for as many as two thousand orphans at a time—more than ten thousand in his lifetime. Yet he never made the needs of his ministries known to anyone except to God in prayer. Only through his annual reports did people learn after the fact what the needs had been during the previous year and how God had provided.

Mueller had over fifty thousand specific recorded answers to prayers in his journals, thirty thousand of which he said were answered the same day or the same hour that he prayed them. Think of it: that’s five hundred definite answers to prayer each year—more than one per day—every single day for sixty years!”

(Source: Donald S. Whitney, What George Mueller Can Teach Us About Prayer, Crossway.com)

EXAMINE 1. How was God’s providence shown even before Nehemiah began to pray for Jerusalem?

2. How might the people of Jerusalem have praised God for Nehemiah’s political position?

3. What is the timeless truth of Nehemiah 1:11-‐2:8?

ENGAGE 4. Read Esther 4:14 and compare it with Nehemiah 1:11b. Why had God given Esther and Ne-‐

hemiah their positions? How might God use your life circumstances for his glory?

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5. Can the book of Nehemiah teach us anything about how Christians should engage in the po-‐litical process (Pay close attention to 2:4 and Proverbs 21:21)?

6. What are some of the different ways that God worked to answer Nehemiah’s prayer accord-‐ing to 2:1-‐8? When was a time where God surprised you in the way that he answered your prayers?

EXECUTE 7. How can you use the positions where God has placed you to glorify him and bless others

this week?

8. Notice that Nehemiah prayed and acted. When have your prayers needed to be accompa-‐nied by immediate action on your part?

Prayer Requests

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Face the Facts (Nehemiah 2:9-‐20) Week 4 – January 31, 2016

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Be honest about your situation.

INTRODUCTION In his now classic book on leadership, Good to Great, Jim Collins tells the story of Admiral Jim Stockdale, who was the highest-‐ranking United States military officer in the “Hanoi Hilton” prisoner-‐of-‐war camp during the height of the Vietnam War. Stockdale was tortured over 20 times during his imprisonment, and yet managed to survive. This is Stockdale’s response when asked how he survived:

“I never lost faith in the end of the story,” he said, when I asked him. “I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”

I didn’t say anything for many minutes, and we continued the slow walk toward the faculty club, Stockdale limping and arc-‐swinging his stiff leg that had never fully recovered from repeated torture. Finally, after about a hundred meters of silence, I asked, “Who didn’t make it out?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” he said. “The optimists.”

“The optimists? I don’t understand,” I said, now completely confused, given what he’d said a hundred meters earlier.

“The optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.”

Another long pause, and more walking. Then he turned to me and said, “This is a very important les-‐son. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

(Source: Jim Collins, Good to Great, pg. 83 )

EXAMINE 1. What did Nehemiah do upon his arrival in Jerusalem? Why?

2. Why might Nehemiah have kept his mission a secret initially?

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ENGAGE 4. Nehemiah put forth great effort to personally evaluate the situation in Jerusalem. Why was

it important for him to see the situation for himself before acting? Why should we make sure we understand situations before rushing to fix them?

5. How difficult is it for us to face the brutal facts of our own situations? How have you been tempted to soften the edges of a bad situation or even over-‐spiritualize the circumstances of your life?

6. Even as Nehemiah worked to assess the situation and provide an appropriate course of ac-‐tion, he trusted in God to do the work. How do our works and God’s works go hand in hand?

EXECUTE 7. What gave Nehemiah courage to face down those who mocked his plan? How can you face

down your opponents when doing God’s will?

Prayer Requests

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Do Your Part (Nehemiah 3) Week 5 – February 7, 2016

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The church works together to accomplish God’s purpose.

INTRODUCTION “One of the greatest impediments to our growth and godliness as Christians is our individualistic ap-‐proach as Westerners.

All Christians are made differently, but we’re also made to work together. As an individual believer you may be a foot or a finger or a follicle, but you are part of a body, the church, and it is as part of that body that you’re most yourself—and most useful—as you contribute to and depend on the rest of your church.

One of the most forgotten and crucial words of the Christian life is “together.” As Paul says in Philippians 1:27, “Stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.”

As part of Christ’s body, you share his Spirit and you share his gospel—so stand together. And yet the question that so often undoes an enthusiastic young Christian is not “Do you love Jesus?” (they do), or “Do you love telling people about him?” (they do), but “Do you love his church?”

We need our church, and our church needs us: “God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” (1 Cor. 12:18)

We strive together for the faith of the gospel.

Now, part of the way we are to strive together is in evangelism…it’s not only the individual Christian be-‐liever who is to let their light shine, a narrow beam of torchlight in the word; each local church is to be a lighthouse—a great, wide beam of gospel light illuminating the surrounding darkness.

If we are to stand firm in one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel, we must not see our local church as just our campaign headquarters from which we hear the gospel and go. And neither is it just our field hospital, where we return to be patched up. It is those things, yes, but it is so much more. It’s a loving community of Christian brothers and sisters that gives credibility to the gospel. Indeed, it’s God’s intended medium for his message….As Jesus himself put it, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

(Source: Rico Tice, “The ‘Together’ of Evangelism,” www.thegospelcoalition.org)

EXAMINE 1. How would the list of names recorded in this chapter have been helpful in recruiting sup-‐

port for the work?

2. What is the timeless truth of Nehemiah 3?

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ENGAGE 3. Why would Nehemiah have begun his records by citing the contribution of the priests ra-‐

ther than civil authorities?

4. The details recorded in this chapter are important to help establish the historicity of Ne-‐hemiah. Why are these details beneficial in apologetics?

5. Why might it have been tempting for Nehemiah to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem with gov-‐ernment resources under his control rather than with volunteer labor? What are ways that we can serve together as a church family instead of “out sourcing” the work to a select few?

EXECUTE 6. President John F. Kennedy famously challenged Americans to “ask not what your country

can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” What are you doing right now to serve one another within our church family?

7. Have you ever bought the lie that the church was not necessary for you to serve the Lord? How did you overcome that lie? How can you respond to someone who makes that charge?

8. We talk a great deal about personal evangelism, which is important, but how can the church work together for evangelism? How can evangelism be a team effort?

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Expect Opposition (Nehemiah 4:1-‐6) Week 6 – February 14, 2016

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Expect spiritual warfare.

INTRODUCTION “This following story is told by Leroy Eims about the time when he was serving in the Marines in the South Pacific during World War II:

"Shortly after we hit the beach, our armored amphibious tank took two artillery shells broadside. We immediately evacuated our disabled vehicle and darted from hole to hole toward the enemy airstrip, which we were to take.

"The sergeant began to check on us to make sure that we were OK. He crawled over to me and asked, `You all right, Eims?'

"I answered, `Yeah, I'm OK, Sarge.'

"He looked at me and asked, `Eims, where is your helmet?'

"I felt the top of my head and answered, `Must be in the tank, Sarge.'

"`Where's your duty belt?' Our duty belts carried ammunition for our rifles, a canteen of water, and a bayonet.

"`Must be in the tank, Sarge.'

"`As a matter of fact, Eims, where's your rifle?' He looked at me with disgust and pity. Because of our hasty departure from the amphibious tank, I was dressed about the same way that I would be dressed for a game of volleyball. And there I was, hopping from hole to hole, from tree to tree!

This story reveals the truth about the modern church. Most Christians have forgotten that the Christian life is not a playground, but a battlefield. As a result, very few of the Lord's people are armed, equipped and ready to wage spiritual battle. Whether we ever believe it or not, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. If we are to be successful in our work for the Lord Jesus, then we must be prepared for that battle and be ready to go to war.”

(Source: “The Fight of Our Lives,” www.sermonnotebook.org/)

EXAMINE 1. Who was Sanballat and why was his opposition a threat to the Jewish people?

2. What differences do you notice between the words of Israel’s enemies and the prayer rec-‐orded in 4:4-‐6?

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ENGAGE 4. Do you believe that God’s anger was a more prominent theme in the Old Testament than

the New Testament? How might we need to emphasize God’s anger more today?

5. Sanballat and his allies spoke of the inability of the Jews to accomplish the great task of re-‐building the wall. How did their focus on the Jewish people blind them to the true source of success in this project?

6. Nehemiah 4:6 says, “The people had a mind to work.” How is a good work ethic a compo-‐nent in spiritual warfare (2 Thessalonians 3:6 is another good reference)?

EXECUTE 7. According to this passage of scripture, what should be our first response to spiritual war-‐

fare?

8. How does spiritual opposition sometimes tempt you to give up? How can you overcome this temptation? What role does your church family play in helping you to move forward during difficult days?

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Stand and Fight (Nehemiah 4:7-‐14) Week 7 – February 21, 2016

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Trust in God’s victory.

INTRODUCTION In his book, Three Crucial Questions about Spiritual Warfare, Clinton Arnold urges the church to engage offensively against the powers of evil in the world.

In Mark 3:27, Matthew 12:29, and Luke 11:22 Jesus shares a parable that could be summarized this way, “No one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.” The strong man is Satan and Jesus is obviously the one who enters his house and ties him up. The third person of the parable is the church.

“We are the ones who rob Satan’s house. We do this by presenting the gospel of Christ in the power of the Spirit. We extend to our family, friends, people in our community and those to whom we are sent the opportunity to hear and respond to the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. As people turn to Christ and enter the kingdom of God, Satan loses his possessions.

The church thus has a mandate to grow—by conversion. A major portion of our time, resources, and energies should be devoted to serving effectively as Christ’s ambassadors and communicating his message of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-‐20)”

(Source: Clinton Arnold, Three Crucial Questions about Spiritual Warfare, 50.)

The church must stand and fight. Surrender is not an option.

EXAMINE 1. According to these verses, what incited Sanballat and his allies to plan an attack against Je-‐

rusalem?

2. Why did Nehemiah tell the people to not be afraid?


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ENGAGE 4. In what ways do prayer and action intersect in Nehemiah 4:7-‐14? How have you seen pray-‐

er and action intersect in your own life?

5. How do these verses show the value of good leadership for accomplishing God’s purposes?

6. Read 1 Timothy 3:1-‐7. What are the qualifications for elders as explained by Paul? What is the role of elders (pastors) within God’s church? How should church leaders trust in Christ’s victory for the members of our church and not their own power?

7. When have you been tempted to stop God’s work? How did the word of God help you to move forward?

EXECUTE 8. Nehemiah 4:7-‐14 shows that leadership is an important part of God’s work. Why is it some-‐

times difficult to submit to leaders within your church or even on your job? How can you overcome that difficulty in your life?

Prayer Requests

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Guest Preacher – Justin Orr Week 8 – February 28, 2016


Curriculum will be available on Sunday morning at the Welcome Center or online at www.malvernhill.org

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Trust the Lord (Nehemiah 4:15-‐23) Week 9 – March 6, 2016

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Do not fear because God goes ahead of you.

INTRODUCTION An internal document from Liberty University titled, “Giving Credit Where Credit is Due” describes pla-‐giarism in the following way:

“Plagiarism is a form of intellectual dishonesty. The word plagiarism comes from the Latin plagiarius, meaning “kidnapper.” In Plagiarism and Originality, Alexander Lindey defined plagiarism as “the false assumption of authorship: the wrongful act of taking the product of another person’s mind, and pre-‐senting it as one’s own” (quoted in Gibaldi, MLA Handbook, 151). To plagiarize, then, is to pass off someone else’s ideas or words as one’s own. “

(Source: Gregory A. Smith, “Giving Credit Where Credit is Due,” digitalcommons.liberty.edu)

In academics, plagiarism is a terrible offense, but spirtually speaking many people engage in plagiarism regularly by taking credit for God’s work. Nehemiah understood that even though he was working, God was the source of his success. God is always the ultimate victor.

EXAMINE 1. In what ways did Nehemiah lead by example in this passage?


ENGAGE 3. To whom did Nehemiah give credit for their great success?

4. Nehemiah acknowledges that God is in control and will fight for Jerusalem, but he still ad-‐monishes the people to work. How can this passage apply to your spiritual life?

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EXECUTE 5. The people of Jerusalem rebuilt the wall and prepared to fight if necessary. How can we

work for the Lord and prepare for spiritual battle at the same time?

6. The people were spread out to work, but planned to gather together to fight if necessary. How could we draw an analogy to the church from this passage?

7. How has God fought for you? How can you use this truth in evangelism?

8. Read Nehemiah 4:15 and Job 5:12. How do these verses encourage you to trust God? How could these verses be encouraging to someone who has been abused or attacked?

Prayer Requests

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Pursue Peace (Nehemiah 5:1-‐13) Week 10 – March 13, 2016

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Work to secure long-‐term peace.

INTRODUCTION “When Elijah came to Jezreel, he stopped outside the city gate and wouldn't go in. He represents where many of us are right now -‐ outside the gate of evil, separated from sin, beyond the reach of all enemies.

Up to this point, Elijah was very much in control of his life. He was uplifted, fearless, zealous for God and hating idolatry. His prayers prevailed -‐ none of his words fell to the ground. And God had just used him in the greatest manner of all his ministry. Elijah single-‐handedly had shaken the very powers of hell!

We don't know what Elijah was thinking as he sat outside the city gate. But we do know he "...was a man subject to like passions as we are" (James 5:7). He was fully human, in spite of all he had just accom-‐plished.

I believe Elijah greatly expected God to finish the work He had begun -‐ to bring down all idolatry in the land! He probably thought, "Perhaps those righteous ones who saw the fire fall will rise up and cast Jeze-‐bel out of her palace. Surely she's fearful. She's probably packing her bags and ordering a chariot right now.

"There could be riots in the streets. And the people are going to need a prophetic voice when everything erupts I've got to be here!"

As he waited outside the city in anticipation of God's move, Elijah felt very important, very needed -‐ and mighty in God. But, beloved, you can experience something like Elijah did on Mount Carmel -‐ pulling down strongholds prevailing in prayer, rescuing souls from Satan's clutches and yet immediately experi-‐ence a great fall!

The most vulnerable point in your life as a Christian is right after you've experienced a mighty victory. Many pastors, evangelists and lay-‐people who have been greatly led of God have fallen because they be-‐came careless and smug in their hour of power. They thought they'd come to a place in God where they were above being attacked -‐ that they could handle anything without any trouble.

But an angry devil moved in at the first sign of their smugness. He injected into their minds a spiritual pride -‐ and they fell because they were not prepared!

That same pride was in Elijah! The true contents of his heart came out later as he hid in a cave on Mount Horeb:

"And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." (1 Kings 19:10). Elijah was saying, "I'm one of a kind, Lord. I'm the only one left In Israel who is fighting for You!"

(Source: David Wilkerson, www.tscpulpitseries.org)

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EXAMINE 1. What was the main problem for Nehemiah to deal with in 5:1-‐13?


ENGAGE 3. Read Zechariah 7:9-‐10, Proverbs 14:31 and Psalms 9:9. What do these verses teach us

about oppression?

4. According to verse 9, what were some consequences of the oppression of the poor in Jeru-‐salem?

EXECUTE 5. Have you found yourself stumbling after great spiritual victories? How did you overcome?

What can you do to secure long-‐term spiritual peace in your life?

6. What systems can/have you put into place in your own life to help you to experience victory over the enemy?

7. In what ways does our American culture create systemic oppression? How should Chris-‐tians speak against this systemic oppression? How should our commitment to God’s word affect the way we vote?

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8. How should our commitment to God’s word affect the way we handle our finances? Other than tithing, what are some ways you could honor God with your money?

Prayer Requests

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Book Resources

Ezra and Nehemiah – This com-‐mentary by Derek Kidner comes from the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series. It gives an emphasis on exegesis of the text without getting bogged down in the gritty details

Hand Me Another Brick – This book by Charles Swindoll discusses leader-‐ship lessons that we can all learn from the book of Nehemiah and how we can practically put these princi-‐ples into practice in our every day lives.

The Message of Nehemiah – “Brown vividly sketches Nehemi-‐ah's historical and social setting and demonstrates the striking rel-‐evance for today of his dominant themes: Nehemiah's doctrine of God, his passion for Scripture, his experience of prayer and his ex-‐ample of leadership.”

Face to Face – This prayer devotional book by Kenneth Boa will guide you through praying Scripture on a daily basis. He has a daily prayer guide us-‐ing Scripture to help add depth and breadth to our prayers by focusing on God’s revealed Word to us. This an excellent resource for those who want to pray but aren’t sure how to start.

Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther -‐ This commentary from the New American Commentary Series go more in-‐depth than the Tyndale Series but is still an excellent and approachable for study aid.

Praying the Bible – If you are looking for some devotions this advent sea-‐son, John Piper’s book The Dawning of Indestructible Joy is available free from desiringgod.org. This advent devotional is a great way to keep your mind centered on Christ during the busyness of this season.

Online Resources (Links Available at www.malvernhill.org) Bible.org – Bible.org is a great resource with thousands of articles and more than 60,000 Bible study notes.

Grace To You – John MacArthur’s website offers a very good introduction to the book of Nehemiah that includes historical and theological themes, background information, and a section on interpretive chal-‐lenges.

Digging Up The Past – Archeological evidence that supports biblical accounts are important in apologet-‐ics. As a Christian, I always trust the Bible above all else, but for a doubting skeptic, archeological evi-‐dence shows that the biblical record can be trusted. This is a good article about the Cyrus Cylinder which lends credibility to the accounts of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Marks of a Spiritual Leader – Nehemiah is a book often equated with leadership. This short booklet out-‐lines what a spiritual leader should look like and contrasts some of the differences between secular lead-‐ership and spiritual leadership.

Recommended Resources for Nehemiah

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