Nehemiah – We Are Encouragers!
Pastor Phil Derstine 6-26-22
Leadership Lessons from Nehemiah – Encouragement (Words of Faith)
· Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem – in 52 days
· Nehemiah 4:14 “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
· Encourage – 1. To put courage in 2. To stimulate by assistance, approval
· Discourage – 2. The draining of courage 2. To deprive of courage, hope, confidence
· Joshua 1:6,7,9,18 “Be strong and of a good courage…”
We are Encouragers!
· Hebrews 10:24 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, (25) Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
· Acts 4:36 “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas, which means “Son of Encouragement.”
1. Be a sacrificial Giver – Monetary Encouragement
· Acts 4:37 “Barnabas sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.”
· Acts 2:44 “All the believers were together and had everything in common. (45) Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.”
2. Be an attentive Listener – Caring Encouragement
· James 1:19 “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”
· John 8:3 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery...”
· John 8:6 “But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though He heard them not. (7) When they kept on questioning him, he lifted up and said to them, If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
· Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
· I John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
· Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
3. Be the Voice of Faith – Faith-talk Encouragement
· Luke 19:5 “When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
· 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, that it may benefit those who listen.”
4. Be committed to Christian Community – Relational Encouragement
· Acts 11:22-23 “News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.”
· John 4 – Jesus with the woman at the well (The Ripple Effect – Many in the town believed)
· Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
