Sermons About Artaxerxes
The Opposition is Always Organized - Ezra 4
Of course they want to stop the folks from having Bible Studies in their homes! Do you know what happens in those gatherings? They are little "training camps" where people are taught how to become disciples of Jesus -- and Jesus wants to rule over the entire world! That always scares the neighbors! It scared the neighbors when the sons of captivity came back to rebuild their temple again! What did the neighbors do historically (and what should we expect today) in their attempts to stop the building of God's kingdom?
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Moving Mountains
Nehemiah 2:1-8 teaches that fasting and praying should be our initial response when we face a trial or a mountain of an obstacle. Nehemiah shows us that when we pray in faith, we are able to "move mountains". As a great spiritual leader, Nehemiah firmly believed that nothing is too difficult or impossible for God. This is in spite of the fact that Nehemiah had a formidable mountain to contend with - the man whom he was charged to serve - King Artaxerxes. The verses in chapter 2 of Nehemiah is highly aplicable to the lives of Christians because just as Nehemiah had his mountain to face, we have mountains of our own. In light of this, Nehemiah shows us 4 ways to go about moving a mountain (e.g., a person or challenging situation). We must 1) patiently pray to God; 2) appropriately appeal to the appropriate people; 3) practically plan for the future; and 4) humbly honor God. Ultimately, we must learn to wait on God to work in His own timing and for Him to work out His divine purpose through our lives and the lives of others - even when it seems that life on the surface does not change. This is exactly the way God worked in Nehemiah's life. God not only worked in Nehemiah's heart, but also in King Artaxerxes heart too. He works through His servants in order to accomplish His will, which includes His workings through all of the universe. For this, we should give God all the glory! The apostle Paul said it well in 1 Corinthians 13:2 - "If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing."
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