Comfort to God’s People

Friday, January 30, 2026

Transition and change is a part of life but it often can make us uncomfortable and anxious because we do not know what is coming. Our church is going through a time of transition. We can find comfort and peace in knowing that God is in control and we can find strength to walk the path by trusting in and walking with Him during this time. 

Comfort to God’s People - Submitted by Kay Crumley

Isaiah 40 is dedicated to giving reassurance and comfort to His people Israel.  They are reminded of who God is and in verse 18 he asks “With whom then will you compare God?  To what image will you liken Him?”  The people are challenged to find anything greater than our God. He is the creator of all and more powerful than any enemy.  Even though sometimes the future is uncertain and there are no clear answers, we can be assured that God knows and always has a plan, He hears our hearts cry for each and every need. 

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:28

 

He knows our needs and is able to meet each one. And while we as humans may grow weary and stumble God gives us hope. We will soar or mount up or lift up, in other version on wings like eagles. We can overcome with our hope in the Lord and in His strength. 

…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:7

 

This passage tells us to soar upward to Jesus Christ.

He also raised up us with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus Ephesians 2:6

 

Then to run the race…

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us.  Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us. Hebrews 12:1

 

And finally we can walk the walk.

So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him. Colossians 2:6

 

We must HOPE – WAIT - TRUST in the Lord because He is able, He is our strength.

We must SOAR – MOUNT UP on wings like eagles as we draw near to Him.

We must RUN the race set before us as we, the church, the body of Christ encourage and strengthen one another.

We must Walk the Walk as we continue (remain) in Him throughout this time of transition.  

Chosen

Thursday, January 29, 2026

For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. Ephesians 1:4-6

Chosen

The dictionary defines adoption as the action or fact of legally taking another's child and bringing it up as one's own. Adoption was common in Roman culture when Paul wrote Ephesians – a practice the church in Ephesus would have been familiar with and could relate to. According to Roman law, once you were adopted you were not only given the same name as the people who adopted you, but you were also given the same title, social standing, and legal standing as a biological child. When the adoption was complete, the adopted person’s past was completely wiped away – all previous history literally erased. Outstanding debts were cancelled, and they were given new rights as part of a new family.

Paul talks about an adoption greater than any we could imagine. How amazing is it that a servant or indebted person or a child from a poor background could be rescued and given a whole new life? Imagine all your past mistakes and debts, shameful decisions and mistakes all being wiped away in one moment. The adoption Paul talks about for followers of Christ does exactly that for us. We are chosen and redeemed as his adopted sons and daughters. We are immediately given an inheritance of eternal life as we become a part of God’s family. A beautiful exchange – our filth, debt, sin and disgrace for his grace, mercy, forgiveness, and a permanently secure place in his family – complete with status and inheritance as his children. Only the blood of Jesus, the greatest sacrifice, made this possible – which is how he reconciled us to himself and God. We are separated from God because of sin, but Jesus has made a way for us to live in peace, harmony, and wholeness with God.

For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him… From the beginning of time, it was God’s plan for us to be his adopted children. We were chosen, predestined for adoption - in him. Pastor Jim made this very powerful distinction in his sermon Sunday. So many people get so hung up on the word “predestined” that they miss the whole beautiful message of the blessings of our adoption as his children – and that must delight Satan. Without the belief of who we truly are in him there is no power behind what we do, no courage of our convictions in kingdom work in our personal lives or in the church. The truth is we are predestined – chosen – in him. When we become followers of Christ, making the decision to ask him to be Lord and Savior of our lives, confessing, repenting, and believing, we are in him. This is what Paul is talking about when he says predestined and chosen. He sent his son to give his life for all of us – for everyone who would believe. (John 3:16) And for everyone who chooses him – believes – they are his chosen sons and daughters, with a royal identity and inheritance.  Past mistakes and debts, shameful decisions and mistakes all being wiped away in one moment in return for a new identity and life in him. Our promised inheritance and new status as his children is unchanging and eternal, and we can walk in a new life with the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. 

Adoption was always a part of God’s plan. He made a place for you and me from the very beginning. Our part is repentance and acceptance. We can’t have it both ways so we must give up our old ways. As adopted heirs there is a responsibility on our part to be holy and blameless in love before him – living lives that reflect his glory to everyone around us, learning to live and love like him in all we do and say. Represent – and tell the world what he has done for us.

How about you? Are you feeling like you would never qualify as an adoptive heir of the King of Kings? None of us do and that is the point - this adoption is a gift complete with blessings bestowed upon us as his children. There are no qualifiers – just acceptance and repentance. 

Walk In Him

 Wednesday, January 28, 2025

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7 

Walk In Him

 

Colossians chapter 2 opens with a straightforward message from Paul.  He was encouraging the Christians at Colossae to be confident in the faith they had established, the faith they were rooted in. They were deeply rooted and built in their faith, and it was time for them to live what they knew. Time for action. Time to do what they had been taught. 

We cannot accept Christ as our Savior and then go right back to living our lives the same way we did before. When we receive Jesus, we begin walking with Him – in the Spirit – and we do so everyday, remembering the things we have been taught. 

 

These verses could be a motto for the Christian life. When we accept Jesus, He is Lord of every part of our lives. Acknowledging Him as Lord and living with Him as Lord of our lives, is the path to discovering our direction in this life. He guides, and He directs, as we yield to Him. 

 

Jesus has all authority over us as His disciples, therefore we are called to follow, being “rooted and built up in Him.” Paul says this is the attitude Christians are to adopt to have a firm foundation and to be solidly established in Him. By submitting to His leading over our lives and seeking after Him, we learn, grow, and become more like Him - established in faith. Submitting to Christ as Lord of our lives means that we will be a work in progress - constantly discovering how we can surrender to Him in every area of life and grow more in Him. 

 

Abounding in thanksgiving…

 

We have so much to be thankful for in the grace and mercy that we are given from God and the blessing of being rooted, built up, and established in Him. Our salvation and eternal life also.  As with everything in our lives, being rooted and built up in Him, should spill over into praise and thanksgiving to Him. The best way we can show thanksgiving to Him is with our whole lives - surrendered to Him - thankful in every circumstance, in every season. 

 

Give thanks in all circumstances; 
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Some Good News

 Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.  Ephesians 1:3-4

Some Good News

Who does not need some good news today?  As we continue to look at Ephesians chapter 1, Paul gives us some especially reminders of all that we have as a result of being a Christ follower. We have hope that can that nothing else can give - hope. The kind of hope we have in Christ because of our relationship and identity in him is for now and for eternity. 

Seven things in this chapter that can bring us hope:

1. We have been Redeemed - In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, Ephesians 1:7 Jesus Christ has redeemed us, and we are forgiven because of His grace.
2. We have a promise - In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit… Ephesians 1:13  We heard and believed and when we gave our hearts to Him as our Savior, He put His stamp of ownership on us by giving us the Holy Spirit. 
3. We have guaranteed inheritance – Spirit…who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.  Ephesians 1:14  The Holy Spirit has guaranteed that we will receive our inheritance as God’s Children. He has so many good things for us, many blessings in life.  Complete freedom.
4. We are His – Spirit…who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.  Ephesians 1:14  We belong to God.  He purchased our salvation with the shed blood of His son, Jesus. We are free in Him.  Free from the bondage of our sin and shame.
5. We have the power of Jesus – …and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places…Ephesians 1:19-20 The very same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in us and is working in us. 
6. He has revealed His plan to us - …making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ Ephesians 1:9 
7. We have been blessed - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places… Ephesians 1:3  

We know these foundational doctrines of our salvation but quickly forget them in times of trouble. The world seems to have gone crazy most days and this mortal life is uncertain, but God’s words and promises are ALWAYS certain and true.  Pass them on to someone who needs them today.

A New Identity

 Monday, January 26, 2025

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. Ephesians 1:1-6

 

Our Identity In Christ

Church. One word with so many different meanings to so many different people. Everyone has their own personal “definition” of what church means to them. As Christians, we are called to be a part of the church. Yesterday Pastor Jim began a new series called We Are The Church – A Study In Ephesians. In this series we will discover what church is, our part as Christians in the church and as the church in the world. 

Church- “The redeemed and gathered people of God commissioned to multiply the Kingdom of God throughout the world.”

All believers collectively are called the church. We gather in smaller bodies all over the world to share the gospel as far and wide as we can. We meet to worship together in collective worship, encourage each other, learn, pray together, and to ready ourselves for the work of the kingdom that God has called us to do. 

Paul wrote to the church in Ephesians to help them better understand who they were in Christ and how to live as believers in church, community, families, and the world. It was a congregation made up of both Jews and Gentiles. Paul knew that as followers of Christ, we must first understand who we are in him. In the church in Ephesus there was a bit of a gap between Jews and Gentiles. The Jews believed they were God’s chosen people and looked down on Gentiles. But Paul explained to them that Gentiles were also chosen – in Christ. In Christ, all Christ followers are loved, accepted, and redeemed regardless of their past sins, background, or religion. There is unity in Christ for all believers. 

 

What does it mean to be “in Christ”? When we become Christ followers, our old identity is gone, and we have a new identity in Christ. Paul was also reminding them that this new identity was for the Jews and Gentiles alike. We are loved by God and called to be holy. When we understand our identity in him we can learn what it means to be an adopted son or daughter. We can find everything we need to understand our new identity in him in the Bible:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me…Galatians 2:20

 

Yet to all who did receive him… he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

 

Our identity in Christ is filled with hope. We belong to him, bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. The more time we spend with Him, the more will live out the identity He has given us. The only identity that matters is our Christ-given identity. 

 

What was God’s plan to reconcile people to Himself and how can we be a part of that plan?

Our Key Truth for this series is, The local church is not a destination but a base of operation. We come together but our calling is beyond the walls of the church building. It is our base of operation and from there we go out as Christ followers to our families, jobs, schools, and communites. We are living testimonies of our faith in Jesus everywhere we go. Jesus tells us we are his, and He wants us to do His work. The more time we spend with him, the more we believe and live out the identity he has given us. 

We Are The Church: A Study in Ephesians “Blessings in Christ"

We Are The Church: A Study in Ephesians
 “Blessings in Christ"
Ephesians 1:1-14 (CSB)

 

-     Church - The redeemed and gathered people of God commissioned to multiply the   Kingdom of God throughout the world.

-     Key Truth: The local church is not a destination but a base of operation.

Paul’s purpose in writing: 

1.         Christ has reconciled all creation to Himself and God (Ch. 1-3)

2.         Christ has united all people from all nations to Himself and to one another in His church (Ch. 4-6). 

Main Question: What was God’s plan to reconcile people to Himself and how can we be a part of that plan?

1.        God’s plan  (vs. 1-10)

 

2.        God’s blessings  (vs. 11-14)

 

After the Message: 

Read Ephesians 1:1-14. When did you come to know Christ by faith? What were the circumstances? How has He changed your life since then? Who will you share this story with this week so that you might invite them to come to know Christ?   

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

Friday, January 23, 2026

Then he said to them, Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our LORD. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

The wall is built, the city is secured, the families are organized, registered, and settled. The Israelites have gathered to hear the Word of God and a community. Ezra read the Word to them and the Levites explained God’s Word so that they understood what they were hearing.  Hearing these words they began to realize their failure in remembering and following the Word of the Lord, which brought them great sorrow and remorse.   

Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. v9     

C. H. Spurgeon describes the condition of the people as they heard the law: "The vast congregation … were awakened and cut to the heart; they felt the edge of the law of God like a sword opening up their hearts, tearing, cutting, and killing, and well might they lament. But that was the time to let them feel the gospel's balm and hear the gospel's music."

God does want us to be remorseful and repent of our sin, which is revealed through his word and for us – the Holy Spirit. It may cut to our hearts at first, but his grace and forgiveness that follows bring overwhelming peace, followed by joy. He does not want us to live in remorse, shame, or guilt. When we repent, we find security, joy, peace, forgiveness, grace, and so much more in our covenant with him. Our sin is gone, washed clean in the blood. 

The people were sent off to praise and worship God, not weep and mourn. They were reminded that their joy was found in the Lord and that joy from the Lord was their strength, as is true for us as well! 

Are you looking somewhere else for joy? In some worldly pleasure that will someday be destroyed by moths? In a perfect family, marriage?  In a flush bank account, a big house, or the perfect career? None of these things will satisfy us and give us the joy and strength that comes from our Lord. Even the people in our lives – which are the greatest treasures and blessings he gives us on earth – will fill the role of Lord and Savior in our hearts. The joy and the strength he gives never fails. They are never ending. 

Our position (as sons and daughters adopted into a royal priesthood) and joy in the Lord, produces our strength. We have the strength of the Lord when we find our joy in him alone. Remember that the joy of the Lord is your strength!  

Remember The Great and Awe-Inspiring Lord…

Thursday, January 22, 2026

So I stationed people behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows. After I made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes. Nehemiah 4:13-14 CSB

Remember The Great and Awe-Inspiring Lord…

As we have studied Nehemiah we learned that God had given Nehemiah a vision that seemed to crumble before him. There was a threat of attack from enemies, but Nehemiah did not stand around with his face in his hands. Instead he went to God in prayer concerning this matter. God gave Nehemiah the plan of action that was needed – to unify the people around the same goal. 

During this time of rebuilding families were separated. But now with the scare of attack, Nehemiah positioned the families together and gave them a common goal of preservation. He directed their attention to the Lord because they were focusing on the debris, the clutter, and the enemy rather than God. We give our attention to what we feel is important, and what we believe is important is what we will focus on. Nehemiah does what we all are supposed to do when we find our faith beginning to sink amidst difficult circumstances -  remember how God has worked for them in the past. 

Everyone knows that sometimes you just have to take a step back, get up from your desk, take a break. We come back with a refreshed mind, a new set of eyes, and hopefully renewed clarity. The work stopped for a short time while Nehemiah stationed the families and made an inspection. He realized their fear of attack and asked them to all work and watch at the same time. If they were attacked they would instantly rally together. It provided the means of security they were lacking and it unified them in purpose even more. And once again Nehemiah reminded them of God and reassured them that he would fight for them.

Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, The work is enormous and spread out, and we are separated far from one another along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the ram’s horn, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us! vs19-20

Nehemiah knew that the people’s faith, confidence, and morale would grow serving one another. When someone depends upon us, and we feel we are part of a team we work harder and with greater purpose. 

For us we also need to remember what God has done in our past and that he will fight for us! We can face anything when we remember his greatness, and his power and presence in our lives over and over again. We know because of the evidence of his faithfulness, that we have witnessed personally, that we can trust him. In times of discouragement we need to look to God, not for simple answers or simple solutions, but for strength to endure and conquer the moment fully in him.

 

  

Restoration

  Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! O LORD God of hosts, How long will You be angry with the prayer of Your people?  Psalms 80:3-4

You removed a vine from Egypt; You drove out the nations and planted it.  You cleared the ground before it, and it took deep root and filled the land. Psalms 80:8-9

Restoration

Of all the nations of the world, Israel was God's crown jewel. For hundreds of years, she had enjoyed the unmatched favor of God; she had experienced undivided fellowship with God; she had been enriched with the unparalleled fortune of God.  But golden dreams had disintegrated into filthy ashes because Israel forgot God. When Israel forgot God, God forsook Israel. 

Overnight Israel had gone from being a nation of conquerors to a nation of captives. She had gone from blessing to bondage.  No longer was she laughing in the sunlight of glee, she was weeping in the darkness of gloom. She had exchanged the gold bracelets of freedom for the iron shackles of slavery, and buckets of tears. Asaph was an Israelite man who pleaded with God to save his country.  

Remind us – God had already planned this beautiful land, flowing with milk and honey, especially for Israel.  It was no coincidence - they did not accidentally stumble upon it.  God planted them there, and He prepared for them way ahead of time.  They were plucked out of Egypt by the sovereign hand of God and planted in a land flowing with milk and honey.  Now they had distanced themselves from Him and the consequences were tough. But they learned.  They were quickly reminded that all they had was because of Him and without Him, life was awful, and deadly.  They had stepped outside of God’s good graces and the protective barrier between them and their enemies was gone.  God took it away.  He removed Himself from their lives and they were attacked.  They pleaded for Him to return and “shine His face on them again” - Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name! Restore us, O Lord God of hosts!  Let your face shine, that we may be saved!  Psalm 80:18-19  

God's chosen people had become the laughingstock among the nations of the world. The same thing is really happening to America today. When God is minimized, sin is maximized, and we have minimized Him and maximized ourselves. 

Why have You broken down its hedges, so that all who pass that way pick its fruit?  Psalms 80:12 

A word about restoration – 

The word restore literally means "to turn." 

As long as our back is to God, we will never see His face shine. Notice it was not that God's back was turned toward them, their back was turned toward God. They were the ones who needed to turn around, not God.

They turned, they remembered, and they pleaded.  They had to be reminded of how good God had been and how safe they were in His will.  We all have to be reminded sometimes.  We wander out of the bounds of God’s protection and grace and get stung.  If we are smart, we learn quickly and get back to the place that God’s face shines on us as fast as we can go. There is nothing, nothing, nothing outside of God’s bounds for our lives that is worth the price we pay if we go after it. The greatest place to ever be is basking in His shining face. That is the promised land.  

Fertile Soil = Abundant Growth

 Tuesday, January 20, 2026

 Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Mark 4:3-8

 Fertile Soil = Abundant Growth

Jesus told many parables - or stories - to help tell others all about the His Father’s kingdom and the Gospel story. One such parable was the parable of the sower, in the verses above. He described what the parable meant to His disciples - 

 

Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.  But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.  Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;  but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.  Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” 
Mark 4:13-20

 

By using this parable, Jesus wanted to impress the importance of the state of our hearts when we read, hear, and study His Word. We decide what kind of soil we have. It is not a matter of chance. If you are not intentional, Satan will take every opportunity he can get to snatch the seeds that have been planted in our lives before they can take root.

 

If we do things that help us to grow in our relationship with Christ, such as going to Bible study and church, or having a quiet time every day, without planting what we learn in fertile soil and continuing to nurture it, we will lose it. Without roots it will not last and we quickly fall away from what we started. 

 

Sometimes we hear and learn and know, but we let the circumstances of our lives dictate what we believe to be true, or we let the idols of our lives remain in first place without giving God the throne of our hearts that He deserves. As long as we are holding onto idols, there is no room for God to come into our hearts. We may have seeds and a little bit of nutrients, but we won’t have fruit. 

 

Like a beautiful garden, when we plant our seeds in good soil, and intentionally take care of them with nutrients (reading the Bible, church, worship), and keep the weeds (sin) out, God will produce abundant crops from our relationship with Him. Again, we make the choice. It comes down to what we want in our lives. How much of your life do you want to give Him? The only way we experience all He has planned for us and grow, and in turn help others grow, is to choose to give it all to Him. When we hand over our hearts and allow Him to cultivate His word in fertile soil, we will experience the abundant life He has planned for us. 

Abundant Obedience = Abundant Life

Monday, January 19, 2026

 

When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious. He mocked the Jews before his colleagues and the powerful men of Samaria and said, “What are these pathetic Jews doing? Can they restore it by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they ever finish it? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?” Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, “Indeed, even if a fox climbed up what they are building, he would break down their stone wall!” Listen, our God, for we are despised. Make their insults return on their own heads and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity. Do not cover their guilt or let their sin be erased from your sight, because they have angered the builders. So we rebuilt the wall until the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had the will to keep working. Nehemiah 4:1-6 CSB

Abundant Obedience = Abundant Life

Yesterday Pastor Jim concluded our series on Nehemiah called Abundant. Our Key Truth is God is an abundant God and calls His people to live out of His abundance for His glory and the good of others. In the book of Nehemiah, we see the abundant, God-sized vision that God gave Nehemiah in the face of the sorrow as he found out about the destruction and desolation in Jerusalem, his homeland.  In Chapter two we saw the abundant generosity of the Israelites as Nemiah arrives in his homeland and starts rebuilding. Yesterday we learned of the abundant obedience of the Israelites, pressing on in the face of ridicule and threats. 

The Israelites faced opposition from three powerful local men as they build. They had likely been intimidated by these men many times, including the scorn and intimidation used to prevent the rebuilding from starting. Now that the work underway they were angered and annoyed, exhibiting rage and ridicule against the Israelites as they worked. The three men had been bullying through fear and intimidation and now Nehemiah shows up, rallies the Israelites and leads an incredibly productive crew of people successfully. The three bullies’ poor leadership skills are exposed, and their false sense of power is threatened. 

The three men also cast doubt against the Israelites, filling their minds with words of discouragement about their quality of work and ability to finish. They purposefully set out to create doubt in the minds of the Israelites that they could do the job. The Israelites became discouraged, but Nehemiah rallied them again - for the people had the will to keep working. Despite the opposition and the testing of their obedience, their faith was evidenced in their perseverance. Pastor Jim said they worked with one hand and held a weapon in the other because the Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw it into confusion. But the Israelites rebuilt the wall until the entire wall was joined together up to half its height... 

In the face of their obedience, they faced resistance. They were ridiculed and mocked, bullied and intimidated. They persisted in their obedience and finished the wall. Like the enemies of the Israelites Satan will do whatever he can to stop us from doing the work of the Lord. He will ridicule and mock our obedience, cast doubt and try to stop us in our tracks. He will try to tear down what has been built in the name of the Lord. He will try to create confusion in the body of Christ and in our personal lives that cause us to freeze, distracted by his lies so that we are not focusing on our faith, trust and obedience to keep moving forward, especially when we are proving effective to the Kingdom of God.               

What can we do when we feel stuck, ridiculed, mocked and doubt our ability to carry out the work of the vision? from stepping out in faith? Like the Israelites our first line of defense in every scenario is to pray – above all else. After they rebuilt the wall, there was a national confession and sin and dedication to God. There was renewal in their community and revival in their hearts. While they stood in their places, they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day and spent another fourth of the day in confession and worship of the Lord their God. Nehemiah 9:3

.How does obedience lead to an abundant life with God?

The true reward of a life of obedience comes with the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Bill Hull said “Obedience is where the Holy Spirit meets us.” When we step out in faith the Holy Spirit meets us with the resources we need to keep walking the path that leads to abundant life. An abundant life with God only comes with trust and obedience, and it leads to renewal and revival.  Abundant life is ours as children of God but only through abundant obedience – surrender in every area of our lives as we live obediently for him in all we do and say. 

Abundant: A Study in Nehemiah “Abundant Obedience"

Abundant: A Study in Nehemiah
 “Abundant Obedience"
Nehemiah 4:1-17; 5:1-13:31 (CSB)

 

Key Truth: God is an abundant God and calls His people to live out of His abundance for His glory and the good of others. 

Main Question: How does obedience lead to an abundant life with God?

1.        Obedience will always face resistance.  (4:1-3; 7-8)

How did these men oppose Nehemiah and the Jews? 

a.         Through rage and ridicule. (vs. 1-2a)

b.         By casting doubt. (vs. 2b-3)

c.         By plotting against them. (vs. 7-8)

2.        Obedience is seen in dependence.  (4:4-6, 9-17)

3.        Obedience brings renewal and revival. (5:1-13:31)

After the Message: 
Read the entire Book of Nehemiah and prayerfully read through the “God’s Abundance” Capital Campaign Guide. What is God asking you to do regarding participation in the “God’s Abundance” Capital Campaign. How will you respond to Him in obedience?