Last week, we talked about setting New Year’s resolutions; we talked about it in the context of where we make promises (with ourselves/ others / & God). Today, we will commit to make resolutions that reflect and honor our faith in Christ. Dedication not only reflects the measure of our desire but it also reveals the direction of our desires. We must commit to live this year where Christ reigns supreme in all aspects of our lives.
Resolutions are important because they motivate us and they keep us accountable to achieve something that really matters to us. They are like the promises that we make with ourselves. We make them because it pushes us toward something that we know we should do and be. In Nehemiah 10, we see the Israelites in a similar state as us—attempting to make bold resolutions before God. Today, we will discover the importance of making promises to God as we are in a covenantal relationship with Him.
We’ll journey through the significance of the virgin birth—fulfillment of prophecies as well as its impact on Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. We’ll also highlight what it was like for Joseph to obey God in the midst of their struggles to embrace his newfound reality. How did he demonstrate faith and courage in the face of uncertainties and even possibly being shamed and shunned? What would we have done in those situations? Experiencing the supernatural begins as God interrupts our lives; and how we respond determines the depth of our encounter.
As the Israelites repent, they reflect on their own history and begin to see how God led them step by step. Through this, they are reminded of His faithfulness, righteousness, and never ending mercies. As followers of Christ today, this practice is still necessary as our lives get overwhelmingly complicated. We need to constantly remind ourselves of who God is, especially as it relates to our own lives.
In continuing last week’s talk of focusing our attention on the inside, what we really want and need is our hearts to change. We want to encounter God so that our lives are re-aligned to His will for us. In chapter 8, the Jews have gathered inside the newly built city walls, and they are being read the Law of Moses—they are moved with deep conviction of their state of being which leads them to repent and weep over their rebellion (sins). Here we see that the true peace and joy come from having our identity restored in Him. Through today’s talk, we want to go back to being God’s chosen beloved, finding joy and pleasure in living in His presence.
Our shallow (and rather foolish) culture often makes the mistake of assuming that if a thing looks good, it must actually be good. If we aren’t careful we can become self-satisfied and complacent when our lives merely look good on the surface. But without internal health and strength, without addressing the deeper issues and hard-to-see problems, no work is finished. We must take care not to confuse the outer beauty with the inner (actual) strength. In chapter 7, we seek to understand that the real strength of the city is not in its walls but its people.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we learn that thankful people are always happy. Thankfulness (gratitude) is not simply a response to a fortunate circumstance but it is an act of faith. It is being confident that God is in control, learning to be content in every situation, and undoubtedly knowing that Christ is in us enabling us to be completely satisfied. Today, we discover that the real secret of being happy is giving thanks.
In chapter 6, Nehemiah is up to his neck with the full-on attack by his enemies--there are lies, , intimidation, and even corruption among the priests in his own camp. As we unpack this chapter today, we will dig deeper into how we can combat the attacks of the (our) enemy. We can tap out the enemy through the way of not compromising, fearing God, and spiritual discernment.
We are not naive to think we can live in a world void of conflict, but we are to strive to resolve conflict in a Godly way whenever we encounter it. As if fighting off the enemies’ attacks weren’t challenging enough, Nehemiah now is dealing with his countrymen fighting each other. We will learn the proper way of resolving conflicts—proper channel of airing complaints, display of Biblical leadership, and a whole lot of humility and trust from everyone involved.
Following the remarkable series of successes recorded in Nehemiah 1-3 (Nehemiah having his prayers answered, getting royal permission to return to Jerusalem, being granted government resources, authority, and protection, receiving an enthusiastic response from his countrymen, etc.), Nehemiah 4 details a severe crisis in the attempt to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. We have plenty of haters in our lives—there are many who come our way to discourage and attempt to completely nullify our efforts of accomplish something. We will learn how we’re to respond to all the haters in our lives.