Chapter 3 POSITIONING

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

ALAN REDPATH:

'Nehemiah's courage and determination in the face of the fiercest opposition, his complete faith in God, his great passion for the service of his Lord, all of these things point him out as a man in a

million, a man whose life is worth

emulating, whose character is worth our close scrutiny and examination'.

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

A.W. TOZER:

"We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God."

We must never loose 3 Characteristics in Church leadership:

FAITHFULNESS

FEAR OF GOD

VEIL OF MOSES

2 _{And the things that you have heard}

from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

We must guard our

covenant commitment to family

by faithfully keeping our

commitments in the fear

of God Almighty.

10 _{For Ezra had devoted himself to the}

study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and

laws in Israel.

WE must be committed to study

and personal application so that

WE can teach the Word

I. The People’s Request – vs. 1

II. The Preacher’s Responsibility – vs. 2-8 III. The People’s Repentance – vs. 9-12

1 _{all the people came together as one in}

the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law 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 teacher of the Law stood on a}

high wooden platform built for the

occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were

Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and

Meshullam.

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.

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 understood what was being read.

9 _{Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the}

priest and teacher of the Law, and the

Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy 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 holy 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 holy 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.

Where there is a mutual fear

of God there will be a mutual

The Water Gate is for nourishing

(constant deep).

When the people gathered

at the Water Gate they were

Four principal reactions to the Word:

1.Worship

2.Weeping

3.Rejoicing

4.Obedience

10 _{Jesus answered her, “If you knew the}

gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living

water.”

1 _{I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,}

beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

2 _{with all lowliness and gentleness, with}

longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 _{There is one body and one Spirit, just}

as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one

baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

7 _{But to each one of us grace was given}

according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

8 _{Therefore He says:}

“When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive,

And gave gifts to men.”

9 _{(Now this, “He ascended”—what does}

it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who

ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some

prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

12 _{for the equipping of the saints for the}

work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the

unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

14 _{that we should no longer be children,}

tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery

of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

16 _{from whom the whole body, joined}

and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

4 _{There are different kinds of gifts,}

but the same Spirit.

1

The PLATFORM IS for hearing

not for seeing!

2

responsibility of the Preacher,

SHARE the responsibility of

3

responsibility of the Preacher –

remember it’s not about us!

4

responsibility of the preacher is

to LEAD WORSHIP!

5

responsibility of the Preacher.

do everything possible to make sure the scripture is understood

.

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD,

the splendor of our God.

3 _{Strengthen the feeble hands,}

steady the knees that give way

4 _{say to those with fearful hearts,}

“Be strong, do not fear; your God will come,

he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution

he will come to save you.”

5 _{Then will the eyes of the blind be opened}

and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

6 _{Then will the lame leap like a deer,}

and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

7 _{The burning sand will become a pool,}

the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay,

grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

8 _{And a highway will be there;}

it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that

Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.

9 _{No lion will be there,}

nor any ravenous beast;

they will not be found there.

But only the redeemed will walk there,

10 _{and those the LORD has rescued will}

return. They will enter Zion with

singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

10 _{And the God of all grace, who called}

you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will

himself restore you and make you

strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.