Nehemiah the Cup Bearer: Rebuilding Our Lives in Christ

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Nehemiah the Cup BearerRebuilding Our Lives in
Christ
In the name of the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.

• Saint Joseph High School Class
• Saint George Coptic Orthodox Church
• February 16, 2003

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Setting the SceneCaptivity and Destruction

• The Babylonian Captivity (587 B.C.)
• The Persian Empire (538 B.C.)
• Cyrus the Great allows Jews to Return

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Setting the SceneReturn from Captivity

• Not All Chose to Return
• Rebuilding the Temple
• Zerubbabel and Jeshua
• Rebuilding the Walls
• Nehemiah and Ezra

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Who was Nehemiah?

• Cup Bearer
• Led the Construction of the Walls
• Restored the Heart of His Nation to God

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Nehemiah Asks the King

• Sorrow in His Heart
• He prayed to God
• His Request Granted
• Letters from the King

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Nehemiah Faces His Enemies

• Sanballat the Horonite
• Tobiah the Ammonite

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Nehemiah Views the Walls

• Stays in Jerusalem 3 days
• Journeyed at Night
• Found Utter Destruction

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Nehemiah Rebuilds

• Let us rise up and build
• Another Enemy Resists (Geshem the Arab)
• The God of heaven Himself will prosper us

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Lessons from Nehemiah1. Repentance

• Jerusalem is our Heart
• Sin destroys the Walls that Protect It
• Examine and Repent

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Lessons from Nehemiah2. Prayer

• Pray before Undertaking a Difficult Task
• God, You take the Night Shift
• Work as if everything depends on you Pray as if
  everything depends on God.

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Lessons from Nehemiah3. Use the Letters from
the King

• The Sacraments
• Spiritual Exercises
• Virtues

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Lessons from Nehemiah4. Resist Temptation

• Sources of Temptation
• Depend on God (The God of heaven will prosper
  us)
• Evil has no part in our hearts (but you have no
  heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem)

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Lessons from Nehemiah5. The Importance of
Community

• Nehemiah did not build alone
• Encourage Others to Build
• Show Others that Hand of God Is Upon You

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Summary of Lessons Learned
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Glory is due to God Forever. Amen.
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Announcements

• The Fast of Nineveh
• (Jonah the Prophet) begins on Monday
• Liturgies Mon. Wed.
• (11 am 1 pm)
• Liturgy on Thurs.
• (7 am 9 am)

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Recommended Reading this Week

• Read Jonah Chapters 1-4
• (a chapter for each day of the fast/feast)
• Contemplations on the Book of Jonah the Prophet
  by H.H. Pope Shenouda III