Extended Outline for Nehemiah
I. Rebuilding Walls 1-6
A. Research needs through inquiry 1:1-3
1. The Penman -- Nehemiah
2. The Period -- Period of the Return
3. The Place -- Suza Summer Palace of the Persian Kings
4. The Problem -- Distressed people, destroyed walls
B. Respond to Needs with compassion and prayer 1:4-2:8
1. A Passionate Heart 1:4
a. Posture “sat down”
b. Passion “wept and mourned for days”
c. Fasting
2. A Powerful Prayer 1:5-11
a. An Appeal to Hear 1:5-10
1). Appeal to God's Character
His Greatness
His Goodness
2). Appeal to personal perseverance
3). Appeal to personal relationship
4). Appeal with confession
5). Appeal to Promises of God
6). Appeal to Reverence
b. An Appeal to Heed 1:11
1). Grant Successs
2). Grant Compassion before the King
3. A Phenomenal Answer 2:1-8
a. At the right time 2:1a
b. In the context of faithful service 2:1b-8
1). Nehmiah’s concerned countenance “sad”
2). The King’s insightful conclusion “this is sadness of heart”
3). Nehmiah’s immediate consternation “I was very much afraid”
4). Nehemiahs refreshing candor “why shouldn’t I be sad”
5). The King’s surprising concern “what would you have me do?”
6). Nehemiah’s prepared comeback
a). Appeal quickly to God
b). Appeal to the king for permission to go to Jerusalem
c). Appeal to the king for protection on the journey
d). Appeal to the king for provisions to accomplish the task
7). The King’s generous concession “and the king granted them to me”
8). Nehmiah’s careful credit “becasue the good hand of my God was upon me.”
Principle: Any desire to lead people must begin with a passion to restore people’s relationship with God.
Principle: Any plan to restore relationships must be built upon a solid foundation of compassionate prayer
C. Resolve needs through careful planning 2:9-18
1. Personal Involvement 9
2. Thoughtful Intercession 11
3. Humble Inspection 12-16
4. Stirring Inspiration 17-18
a. Recognize the seriousness of the problem 17a
b. Refocus on the goal 17b
c. Realize God’s special hand 18
5. Clear Intention to act 18
D. Resist Opposition 2:19-6:15
1. Resist devaluation of authority and heritage 2:19-3:32
a. The Problem of devaluation 2:19
b. The Principles of defense 2:20
1). Declare your position in Christ
2). Deny participation from the enemy
c. The Progress 3:1-32
2. Resist ridicule 4:1-6
a. The problem of ridicule 4:1-3
b. The principles for defense 4:4-5
1). Pray in the will of God
2). Press on in the work of God
c. The progress 4:6
3. Resist Intimidation 4:7-20
a. The Problem 4:7-8,10-12
b. The Principles of defense 4:9, 13-20
1). Depend on prayer
2). Designate a continual family guard 4:9b, 13
3). Deal with fear by encouragement 14
a). We have an awesome God
b). We have an awesome responsibility to each other
4). Determine to carry on the great work 15
5). Discover the balance between battling and building 16-18
6). Devise a spiritual “911” system 19-20
c. The progress on the wall 4:21-23
5. Resist Internal strife 5:1-19
a. The problem 5:1-5
b. The Principles 5:6-19
1). Consider emotions 6
2). Consult with self 7a
3). Confront the evil 7b-10a
4). Call for commitment and accountability 10b-13
5). Continue a blameless example 14-19
6. Resist persistent distraction by proper priorities 6:1-4
7. Resist false accusation 6:5-9
a. Declare the truth
b. Pray for strength
8. Resist false direction by a proper perspective 10-14
E. Rebuild the walls and gates 6:15-19
1. The Chronology -- 52 days
2. The Consequence of completing the walls
3. The Continued conflict and opposition 17-19
II. Restoring Worship 7-13
A. Recruit and appoint leaders 7:1-73
1. Gatekeepers
2. Singers
3. Temple Trustees
4. Governors
a. Faithful men
b. God-fearing men
B. Rally Together
C. Read the Word together
D. Rejoice together
E. Reflect on God’s abundant faithfulness and man’s appalling sinfulness
1. Their humble attitude
2. Their humble attire
3. Their specific actions
a. Suspended eating
b. Separated from foreigners
c. Stood and confessed sins
d. Stood and read the Word
e. Stood and confessed their faith
4. Their reflective address
F. Resolve together to change
1. The signers 10:1-27
2. The seriousness 10:28-29
3. The stipulations 10:29-39
a. Commit to a life of discipline by the Word
b. Commit to a life of distinctiveness in the world
c. Commit to a life of whole devotion to God
d. Commit to a life of dedication of resources
G. Retain Accountability 13:1-29
1. For obedience to the Word 1-9
2. For Care of God’s house 10-14
3. For devotion to God 15-22
4. For separation from the world 23-29
