52 Days
Part 1, Mister Roger’s Hood
Speaker: Dave Gibbons

Nehemiah 1:1-4
¹ The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, ² Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. ³ They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." ⁴ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
¹¹. . . I was a cupbearer to the king.

2:11-17
¹¹ I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days ¹² I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.
¹³ By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal [1] Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. ¹⁴ Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; ¹⁵ so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. ¹⁶ The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
¹⁷ Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace."

How Do We Transform the World? How Do We Make A Difference?
How Do We Come to Know Our Own Personal Vision? What’s the secret?

Experience the Destruction (1.1-4; 2.11-19)

Seek God's Face (2.4-11 an 4:7-9)

Nehemiah 4.7-9
⁷But when Sanballet, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. ⁸They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. ⁹But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.”

Solidify Your Position (1.11c)

I'm a cupbearer to the King"

The American Religion of our Day is “Sheilaism”—“Just my own little voice.”

Suffer through the Opposition while Being a Voice for the Oppressed (2.10, 10; ch. 4)

Nehemiah 2:10
“When Sanballet the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official had heart about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.”

Nehemiah 2:19
“But when Sanballet the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heart about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king.”

See God's Hand (6.15-16c)

¹⁵So the wall was completed on the 25th of Elul, in fifty-two days. ¹⁶When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of God.”

"Unless the Lord builds the house we labor in vain who build it." Psalm 127.1

2003 Message Archives