Nehemiah Leadership Lessons – Weapons of Warfare
Pastor Phil Derstine 5-22-22
Ezra rebuilt the Temple – Nehemiah rebuilt the Walls
· Your Temple represents your FAITH (heart)
· Your Walls represent your LIFESTYLE (character & conduct)
· Godly Lifestyle (character & conduct) is a result of our Choices (reap what we sow)
· Nehemiah rebuilt the Walls – A result of PRAYER – VISION – ACTION
1. Become a Builder (Spiritually speaking)
· Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs...”
· Jude 1:20 “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.”
2. Stay on Guard
· Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
· Nehemiah 4:6 “So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. (9) But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.” (Half-way Hazard)
· James 1:8 “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
· Romans 8:6 “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
3. Reject Negative Reports
· Nehemiah 4:11 “Also our enemies said, Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
· Nehemiah 6:2 “Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono. But they were scheming to harm me; (3) So I sent messengers to them with this reply: I am carrying on a great project and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” (Get out of the Valley of Ono)
· Your Choice: Living in Freedom (Spiritual Realm) or Bondage (Physical Realm)
· Spiritual Realm – The Kingdom (Matt. 6:33), The Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:13), God (I John 5:4)
· Physical Realm – The World (James 4:4), the Flesh (Rom. 8:13), The Devil ( I John 5:19)
4. Use your Offensive Weapons
· Nehemiah 4:17 “Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried materials took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon, (18) And each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked…”
· II Corinthians 10:4-5 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
· Weapons of our Warfare
1. Confess the Word – Luke 4:4 “And Jesus answered him saying, It is written…”
2. Use the Name of Jesus – Mark 16:17 “And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name they shall cast out devils…”
3. Reference the Blood of Jesus – Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony…”
God is Fighting for Us! (Song by Darlene Zschech)
· Nehemiah 6:15 “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.”
· II Chronicles 20:15 “Do not be afraid or discouraged… For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
