Faith In Action Series

Title: Faith In Action

Text: Nehemiah 2:1-10

Nehemiah 2:1-10 Nehemiah 2:1 And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 So the king said to me, "Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart." Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?" 4 Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 I said to the king, "If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it." 6 Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, "How long will your journey be, and when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. 7 And I said to the king, "If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go." And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me. 9 Then I came to the governors of the provinces beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about it, it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel.

I. Faith in action means- taking a risk- 1-3

II. Faith in action means- staying connected- 4

III. Faith in action means- willingness to get to work- 5-6

IV. Faith in action means- wise planning- 7-9

V. Faith in action means- anticipating setbacks- 10

For the past few weeks the kids in Children’s Church have been learning lessons about different aspects of body life. Alan came in and taught about baptism and what that means. Henry came in one week and taught about communion and why we do that.

Not every child in Children’s Church is ready for baptism or even communion. Those are activities that we take part in once we have come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. However, there are some kids who have placed their faith in Jesus and are ready for baptism and communion.

It’s good for them to begin to learn more about these customs and practices that we do in church, and what they mean.

So today we are going to do communion earlier in the service so that those kids who have made a confession of faith in Jesus Christ and understand what communion is all about can participate before they go to Children’s Church.

For those of you who weren’t in CC last week, communion is this small meal that we all corporately partake in every month. It was established by Jesus himself during the last supper.

At that meal Jesus takes some bread and says, this is like my body, which is about to be broken for you. And then he takes a cup of wine and says, this cup is like my blood which is about to be poured out for you. He tells the disciples, whenever you eat or drink, remember the sacrifice that I made for you.

Jesus knew that we are forgetful people. So he took the most basic human function- eating and drinking- and used it as an object lesson for us. When we eat this little wafer and drink this little cup of juice, it is a reminder to us of the fact that w are reconciled back to God through the broken body and spilled blood of Jesus Christ.

As the deacons come forward and the elements are being passed out, take some time to reflect on all that Jesus has done for you.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said,