Find us on:Phone for office team 01323 737974
Built to last
Nehemiah was a butler turned leader, an old testament character who, although in exile, had a deep concern for his own people, the Jews. When the opportunity came to make a difference he took his courage in both hands and embarked on a roller-coaster project to rebuild the walls of the city he loved – Jerusalem. His structured thinking and good management of people meant the wall was built in record time in spite of dire obstacles. In these morning talks we extract the principles that can apply to us in the twenty-first century and see what this ancient event has to say to leaders, managers, Christians disciples, the nation and the world at large.
1 Prayer changes things
Nehemiah's consistent praying paved the way for God to begin the work using the most unlikely people – including a secular King to whim Nehemiah was the butler.
Nehemiah 1
download the powerpoint slides from here
download the listeners' hand-out and small group notes from here
download the text of the sermon (from Ian Whites web site).
2 The depressed man and the sovereign God
Nehemiah 2:1-10
Here we will see Nehemiah’s bravery and boldness as he makes the big ask of a king and sees God working behind the royal decrees. We also discover how Nehemiah was typical of men who suffer a reactive depression and how God dealt with it.
download the powerpoint slides from here
download the listeners' hand-out and small group notes from here
download the text of the sermon (from Ian Whites web site).
3 When you're ridiculed for doing the right thing
05/02/12
Nehemiah 2:11-20
After a good start Nehemiah's workforce are derided. Here we see how to handle ridicule.
4 Managing teams for God
12/02/12
Nehemiah 3
Today we will see the spiritual impact of a structure as the workers are divided into teams. We see how Nehemiah used people's gifts and how everyone took part, even in they weren't particularly suited to the task because there was a bigger vision to be aspired to.
download the powerpoint slides from here
download the listeners' hand-out and small group notes from here
download the text of the sermon (from Ian Whites web site).
5 When the going gets tough
4/11/08
Nehemiah 4
Opposition is sometimes God's way of refining us. This building project was opposed by the locals. Here you will see how a Godly leader needs to be resilient and focused in his own life in order to be able to lead others.
6 Nehemiah and the internal fight
Nehemiah 5
Nehemiah became was keenly aware of the risk of exploitation and opposition from within. He acted decisively to eliminate it and shows how we can do the same?
download the powerpoint slides from here
download the listeners' hand-out and small group notes from here
download the text of the sermon (from Ian Whites web site).
7 Completing the wall
11/03/12 (Reflective)
Nehemiah 6:15 – 7:3
Finishing the job was not just a practical achievement, it was a spiritual triumph.
8 Revival
Nehemiah 8
Rediscovering God's word provided the trigger for a spiritual renewal in the city once the walls were almost complete. Without this spiritual impetus the project would not have been completed. See how important knowing and living God's word is.
download the powerpoint slides from here
download the listeners' hand-out and small group notes from here
download the text of the sermon (from Ian Whites web site).
9 Confession
25/03/12
Nehemiah 9
Confessing our wrong-doing has a powerful cleansing effect as soon as God's word takes root in our lives.
10 Celebration!
Nehemiah 12:27 – 13:31
How to craft the festivities when it's God we're celebrating.
download the listeners' hand-out and small group notes from here