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The Good Fight 1.Persevere! 2.Flee sin, Pursue righteousness, Fight the world system by building! Nehemiah had to fight opposition to fulfil the vision of rebuilding the wall.

Neh. 1 Vision begins with prayer The Building Project Neh. 2 Act in faith! – a step at a time Neh. 3 Work in a team! Neh. 4 Use your armour! Neh. 5 No tolerance of sin; willing to pay the price in sacrificial service

Sealed on 12 June 1215 MAGNA CARTA HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 801 today!

26 November members signed this constitution Jawaharlal Nehru signing Indian Constitution

September 17, 1787 Signed by 39 people Signing of the Constitution of the United States

NEHEMIAH 9:38, 10:1-39 SIGN UP NOW!

Nehemiah 9:38 – 10:27 9:38 “And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it; Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it.” 1 Now those who placed their seal on the document were: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests. 9 ​The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, and Kadmiel. 10 ​Their brethren: Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodijah, Bani, and Beninu. 14 ​The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

The Covenant That Was Sealed 28 Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding— 29 these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes: Nehemiah10 Nehemiah 10

30 We would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons; 31 if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year’s produce and the exacting of every debt. 32 Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. 34 We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at the appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God as it is written in the Law.

35 And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD; 36 to bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; 37 to bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. 38 And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse. 39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God.

The Building Project

THE NEED Building the wall (external work) and restoring Jerusalem required a deeper internal work of rebuilding the covenant in the hearts of the people. The purpose of the covenant was to restore a right relationship with God

SIGNATORIES After Nehemiah, the names of those who sealed the covenant appear in three groups: 24 priests (v 1–8), 17 Levites (v9–13) and 44 leaders (v14–27). chiefs of the people, (leaders or heads of families). TOTAL = 86 people signed a document more important than any national constitution, as it addresses man’s real problem – right standing with God

THE CURRENT ATTACK The enemy’s goal is to stop the work of building and he wants to destroy the basic principles of this covenant.

PRINCIPLES OF THE COVENANT OBEDIENCE OBEDIENCE v28b – 29 ‘To walk in God’s Law’ SEPARATION SEPARATION v30 No intermarriage PRIORITIES PRIORITIES v31 God, not pleasure or business, on the Sabbath GIVING GIVING v32-39 Build the kingdom of God by FIRST-FRUITS, tithing & giving DEDICATION & PERSEVERANCE DEDICATION & PERSEVERANCE v39 We will not neglect the house of OUR God.

THE GOD OF COVENANT Nehemiah 1:5 “I pray, L ORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, Deuteronomy 7:9 “Therefore know that the L ORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

Heb 8: But now He (JESUS) has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Are you in the new covenant with God? …forgiveness of sin, leading to sanctification so that we can build His kingdom

CONCLUSION The requirements of the old covenant were met in Christ and by Christ. The new covenant depends only on His mercy and faithfulness Knowing His loving mercy & faithfulness leads us to love Him & live a life that pleases Him (keep His commands). Is there some area where you need to restore your covenant with God?

THE SOLID ROCK My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness … His oath, his covenant, his blood Supports me in the whelming flood When all around my soul gives way He then is all my hope and stay On Christ the solid rock I stand All other ground is sinking sand

MY COVENANT L ORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, write your law in my heart and mind so that by the strength of Christ I will love you above everything else and I will live for you today by the principles of obedience, separation, right priorities, giving, dedication & perseverance … In Jesus’ name

Will you … Fight the Good Fight … and keep the covenant of our God?