New Freedom Worship Center Gloucester, Va

The 8th miracle that Jesus performed in John's Gospel took place in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was arrested. Judas led a mob carrying torches and weapons. All 4 Gospels recount the incident, but only Luke records the healing miracle that took place. When Jesus spoke the words, "I Am He," the crowd drew back and fell to the ground at the power of His words. Three of the Gospel writers recount that Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Two of them used the word describing a lover's kiss when Judas kissed Jesus. It was the kiss of death from a deceitful hypocrite. When the mob seized Jesus, Simon Peter cut off the right ear of the high priest's servant, named Malchus. Jesus touched the man's ear and healed him according to Luke. Jesus cared about all people, including his enemies. He cares about you.

Jesus Heals a Man Who Came to Arrest Him (John 18:2-12) 1-3-21

Nehemiah instituted reforms to correct the breaking of Sabbath laws and intermarriage with foreign women who never embraced Judaism. In order to preserve their faith and their culture, Nehemiah made the men take a oath to not give their daughters in marriage to foreigners, nor to allow their sons or themselves to take foreign women as wives. It was not a racial issue. It was a religious and cultural issue. In a final reform, Nehemiah drove away the son of the High Priest who had married the daughter of an enemy, thus compromising the priesthood. He closes the book with a simple prayer, "Remember me with favor, o my God."

The Nehemiah Renewal Pt.18 (Neh.13:22-30) 10-11-20

Nehemiah learned that the Levites had not been given their fair portions of the offerings, so they had to go back to their own fields to  meet their needs. The Law of Moses required the people of Judah to support them, in order that they could devote their lives and time to serving the Lord and the people. The people pledged earlier to provide for the priests and Levites and not neglect the House of God. Nehemiah rebuked the officials for their neglect, and the offerings started flowing in again. The Apostle Paul in the New Testament provides guidelines for the support of ministers of the Gospel and other workers who devote their lives and time to the spiritual needs of God's people. Nehemiah confronted evil whenever he was confronted with it - from within and from without. Some of the people were violating the Sabbath Laws, so he rebuked the nobles and took strong steps to keep the Sabbath holy.

The Nehemiah Renewal Pt.17 (Neh. 13:10-22) 10-4-20

At the dedication of the wall, the Book of Moses was read to the people. When Deut. 23:3-6 was read aloud, the people were reminded of how badly their people were treated by the Moabites and Ammonites while traveling to the Promised Land. They were forbidden to cross Moab, and their King hired Balaam the prophet to curse Israel, but the Lord caused the prophet to speak  only blessings. He said, "May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed (Num. 24:9)!" That Biblical principle is still true today. It's the same promise the Lord gave to Abraham when He called him. When the people heard what the Moabites and Ammonites did, they excluded them from the assembly of God. When Nehemiah heard that Tobiah, the Ammonite, was allowed to have a room in the Temple, he threw him out and ordered the rooms purified. Compromising holy things with enemies of God cannot be tolerated.

Testimonies/The Nehemiah Renewal Pt.16 (Neh. 13:1-9) 9-27-20

The first part of this chapter lists two groups of priests and  Levites - the first group came years earlier with Ezra and Zerubbabel, and the second came with Nehemiah.  The first group came to rebuild the temple and temple worship. the second group came to rebuild the wall around the city. The remainder of the chapter recounts the dedication of the wall with thanksgiving ad praise, and with music and singing. It was a great celebration that started on the wall and concluded in the temple. Before that, the priests and Levites purified themselves, the people, and the gates and wall.

The Nehemiah Renewal Pt.15 (Neh. 12:1-47) 9-13-20

Pastor Walt explored the various meanings of the Hebrew word for "rest" in v.28 and in other parts of the Bible. When the Israelites rested, they got complacent and drifted away from God. They rested from God, rather than rested in God. In the longest prayer in the Bible, Ezra continued to recount the sins of their forefathers and the resulting occupation by their enemies. But God did not destroy them, because of His great love and mercy. The Lord always keeps His "covenant of love" with His people. It was fully expressed in Christ Jesus, as "Agape" love - unconditional love - which Rev. Henry Drummond described in his sermon, as "The Greatest Thing in The Word." In his prayer, Ezra appealed to God's great mercy once again to help them in their distress. The people made a written covenant renewal to prove their willingness to keep the Law of Moses going forward. Genuine Christians are under the new and better covenant established by Christ Jesus.

The Nehemiah Renewal Pt.12 (Neh. 9:28-38) 8-23-20

After over 2 weeks of celebration and of reading the Torah, the people came under conviction and repented for their sins and the sins of their fathers. At the end of their solemn assembly, Ezra prayed the longest prayer in the Bible. The priest and scribe began with adoration of the Lord and Creator of the Heavens and Earth. He summarized the history of Israel from Abraham to their present day. He reminded the people of how He rescued their ancestors out of Egypt with miracles-how He gave them the Law of Moses and sustained them in their wilderness wanderings and gave them the Promised Land. But over and over again, they sinned against Him and were severely punished as a result. When they repented, God was quick to forgive and to restore them, because of His great love.

The Nehemiah Renewal Pt.11 (Neh.9:5b-28) 8-16-20

With the wall completed in 52 days, it was time to celebrate and give thanks to God for His help. All the people assembled as "one man" in Jerusalem and called for the reading of the Torah. Their unity and hunger for God's Word is an example to the people of God and a magnet for the presence of God. In great reverence for the Law of Moses, the people stood for six hours as it was being read by Ezra, the priest. They also wept at the same time, but were told not to mourn or weep. "This day is sacred to the Lord your God," they wee told by Nehemiah. He urged them to go home and celebrate with choice food and sweet drinks and share with those in need. "Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." With great joy, the people went to their homes, because they understood the words that had been read to them.

The Nehemiah Renewal Pt.9 (Nehemiah 8:1-12) 8-2-20

After the wall was completed and the doors set in the gates, Nehemiah appointed gate keepers, singers, Levites, and two trustworthy men to be in charge of Jerusalem. One was his brother; the other was the commander of the Citadel. He chose the commander, because he was "...a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do." That was a high complement and should be the qualifications for any person elected to office. Nehemiah turned his attention to rebuilding houses in Jerusalem, so that residents could return with their families. He called for a census to be taken. As a result, he found the genealogical record of the first return of the exiles to Judah. It is included in chapter 7 and is identical to Ezra chapter 2.

The Nehemiah Renewal Pt.8 (Nehemiah 7:1-7; 64-73) 7-26-20

The wall around Jerusalem was rebuilt, but the doors had not been set in the gates. Nehemiah's arch enemies tried to lure him out of the city for a meeting, which was really an ambush. Nehemiah knew it was a trap and made up an excuse that he was too busy to go. Eliminating key leaders is a favorite tactic of the enemy. They were determined to stop the completion of the wall, even resorting to false accusations and hiring prophets to intimidate Nehemiah. It didn't work. Nehemiah prayed for strength, and the Lord answered his prayer. The wall was finished.

The Nehemiah Renewal Pt.7 (Nehemiah 6:1-19) 7-19-20

A new threat of internal strife arose along the exiles in Jerusalem. There was a famine and food was scarce and expensive. The poor exiles had to borrow money from the wealthy exiles to buy grain to survive. Homes and land were mortgaged and lost. Even children were being sold into slavery to rich Jews to settle debts. When Nehemiah heard the outcry of the poor, he was very angry. He assembled all the people together and accused the rich Jews of charging interest on loans to fellow Jews-violation of Mosaic law. He also charged them with selling their brothers to Gentiles. They repented and promised to return what was taken from the poor Jews and not demand anymore from them. It was sealed with a covenant.

The Nehemiah Renewal Pt.6 (Nehemiah 5:1-19) 7-12-20

After posting guards, the Jews prepared for battle. Nehemiah exhorted the Jews to remember the Lord who was great and awesome and fight for their families and homes. Their preparation frustrated the plans of their enemies. Nehemiah gave glory to God for it. Half of the workers rebuilt the wall, while the other half stood guard fully armed for battle. Nehemiah told them that "our God will fight for us".

The Nehemiah Renewal Pt.5 (Nehemiah 4:13-23) 7-5-20

Nehemiah prayed a prayer of confession and repentance for Israel's sins against God. Their sins caused the destruction of their nation and the scattering of the people. America's sins have put our nation in jeopardy. Confession and repentance are the first steps to spiritual renewal.

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