What can Nehemiah’s rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem teach you about how to rebuild the brokenness in your life? Nehemiah is an Old Testament story with a powerful New Testament application!
00:00 Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes
3:36 Types and Shadows
– Nehemiah (Holy Spirit)
5:06 - Rebuilding the Temple (Salvation – born again)
5:50 -Broken Walls and Burned Gates (damages of sin)
walls – Biblical principles and truths that protect and create safe boundaries
Gates – decision making (self government)
7:18 Rebuilding is hard
8:58 Satan Resists Us. We must fight back.
12:01 4 Key Take Aways from this Video
14:07 Activation
Susa, the capital city of the Persian empire in 450 BC… Nehemiah had risen to be a trusted official in King Artaxerxes’ government. He was cupbearer to the king.
Nehemiah’s brother arrived and bad news:
Nehemiah 1:3
“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.”
This was devastating news.
The Israelites were at the mercy of bandits and the enemies of the Israelites.
Nehemiah 1:3-4
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.
Nehemiah asked King Artaxerxes to go and rebuild the walls and gates of his ancestral home – Jerusalem.
King Artaxerxes said, “Yes.”
The King gave Nehemiah authority to do this work; he made Nehemiah the “governor” of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 5:14) The king also sent soldiers with him to protect him.
Types and Shadows
Nehemiah’s name means “comforter or consoler.” Nehemiah is a type (a prophetic symbol) of the Holy Spirit, who was given to all men upon Jesus’ death and resurrection. Holy Spirit is the comforter Jesus promised to send to us in John 14:26.
Restoring the Human Spirit and Soul
The rebuilding of Jerusalem is a type (a model) of the restoration of a person.
The Temple Represents the Spirit of a Man
The rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem is a type of the spirit of a man being regenerated - born again.
The Broken Walls and Burned Gates Represent the Damage Done to Our Souls (minds, wills, and emotions) by Sin
The walls – are the boundaries (the principles and truths established by God) to protect us and keep us within God’s will. They keep us in a place of blessing and safety.
Gates in scripture represent government (it’s where the important decisions in a city were made). Gates are our ability to govern ourselves – our decision-making ability. Our gates must be rebuilt – our ability to make good, godly decisions about what to let in and what to keep out must be restored.
Nehemiah Empowered the People to Do in 52 Days what they Could Not Do in 66 Years
Nehemiah 6:15-16
So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.
16 When 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 our God.
“This work had been done with the help of our God.” Holy Spirit frequently called “the helper” in the New Testament.
For 66 years the people had tried to rebuild that wall and failed.
Nehemiah came with authority from the King, materials to build, wisdom and leadership to direct the project, and courage to sustain them to bring the process to completion.
God placed Holy Spirit in us. He is God and he speaks and acts with the authority of God. He Himself rebuilds us as we renew our minds with God’s Word and obey His directions. He comforts, encourages, strengthens and makes us whole. What we can’t do in a lifetime, He can do in a short time as we yield and obey Him.
Key Points:
1. You can’t fix your brokenness. Only Holy Spirit can.
2. Holy Spirit directs the work. He initiates, He provides the materials to build (the Word of God, the power of God, and relationship with God and God’s people). Your role is to take the materials He provides and use them to rebuild the brokenness in your life as He directs..
3. If you don’t co-labor with Holy Spirit, you will not rebuild your personality. You will be saved, but living in the rubble of your past. Your gates will be down. You will be a broken Christian, saved but broken, open to ungodly influence, and unable to fulfill God’s purposes and plans for your life.
4. Nehemiah’s work required the King’s authority to get the job done. Satan will oppose every step you take to become who God created you to become. Jesus warned us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
1 John 5:4 This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Faith isn’t faith unless you act on it. Our actions solidify and strengthen our faith.
James 2:17 NLT
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
ACTIVATION: Please see the video and do the activation!!