A Godly Man’s Look at Politics
Neh 1:1-2:8
Intro: How
should a Christian handle politics today? “Politics, Fixin Stuff & Facing
Bullies”
1.
A Godly Man
Prays Intensely (1:1-4)
Distressed Remnant
(God’s People)
Destroyed Ramparts
(God’s Property)
Prayer & fasting for days
PRAYING IS
A POLITICAL MOVE
GOD’S PRESENCE:
(“before the God of heaven” – vs. 4)
Right Plight
2.
A Godly Man
Repents Personally (1:5-11)
They have
sinned (“sins of sons of Israel”)
We have
sinned (“which we have sinned against You”
I have
sinned (“I and my father’s house”)
Specific sins
(vs. 7)
Reminder to return (vs. 8-11) & repent – 2 Chr
7:14
Repenting
is a political move.
God’s Perspective
“eyes” & “ears” (vs. 6) – Right Persona
ILL. Persona- 4 Worlds (OS Hawkins - VIP)
1. Private – no one but you and God
2. Personal – immediate family + 1 or 2 more
3. Professional – dozens to few hundred
4. Public – people don’t really know you,
but they hear your name and have formed an opinion about you
HBR- How to separate public and private persona
3.
A Godly Man
Lives Counter-Culturally (2:1-3)
Sad face
(laugh, cry, dream – J Maxwell 3 qs)
Burdened heart
– Is our message believable? Do we
really believe it?
Why shouldn’t our emotions
react to the reality of lostness?
Living
against the flow is a political move.
God’s Heart
(vs. 3) – Right Passion
“Listen, I'm against sin. I'll kick it as long as I've
got a foot, I'll fight it as long as I've got a fist, I‘ll butt it as long as
I've got a head, and I'll bite it as long as I've got a tooth. And when I'm
old, fistless, footless, and toothless, I'll gum it till I go home to glory and
it goes home to perdition.” ―
Billy Sunday
4.
A Godly Man
Acts Strategically (2:3-8)
What would you request? A definite action
plan
How long would it take? A definitive timeline
Cf. Acts 13:36: For David, after he had served the purpose of God
in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and
underwent decay…
Planning is a political move.
God’s Hand (vs. 8) – Right Politics
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