Title: Nehemiah the Great Leader
Contents
< The great leader Nehemiah (Nehemiah 5:14-19)
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< Dear saints! The people of Israel were united with Nehemiah as the center and rebuilt the destroyed city of Jerusalem. Despite severe interference from the enemies, the people of Israel were united. I did my best while looking only at God. So he overcame all trials and did the great work of rebuilding the city of Jerusalem in just 52 days. It's amazing indeed. Now, however, the people of Israel faced internal difficulties. As the city of Jerusalem was rebuilt, the population concentrated on Jerusalem.
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The problems that occurred were food shortages, always in a state of war, and, to make matters worse, a famine. They also had to pay heavy taxes. In this way, in order to obtain food and to pay taxes, the people of Israel took the land they inherited from their ancestors as pawns and eventually passed it on to the landlords. Worse still, if there was no land to take the hall, they sold their children into slavery. In such a difficult situation, those in power who have betrayed the conscience of the nation are making wealthy wealth. They earn high interest on usury. So the people's resentment increased. Today's text is talking about how Nehemiah was able to solve these social problems. Here we see Nehemiah as a great leader. This morning I would like to share a sermon with the title of "Nehemiah the Great Leader."
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I. Leaders who do not abuse their privileges
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< Nehemiah did not abuse his privileges as a leader. Nehemiah did not eat rust from the governor of Judea for 12 years. Eating the Governor's Rust It's perfectly normal to get a paycheck. But Nehemiah did not receive this salary. Nehemiah had more than 150 guests daily at the governor's residence. One cow, six sheep, many chickens, wine, and grain were needed every day to serve this foodie. Still, Nehemiah did not receive rust. Why? It's a mess now. It is an emergency state. The people had no time to take care of their livelihood because they were all mobilized to build a fortress, and they had a very difficult life as they entered a famine. When the national economy was very difficult, Nehemiah did not receive rust from the governor. He gave up even his rightful rights for the sake of the people. When the average person sits on a throne, it is easy to abuse privileges.
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As the famous Scottish philosopher of history Thomas Kyleil said, "If 100 people can control adversity, only one can control success." It is difficult to live according to God's will without abusing that power when you succeed, succeed, and gain power. How many so-called power-type corruption in our society? All are abuses of privilege. Ex-presidents did. I hope that the people of the Roh Moo-hyun government do not go to jail for fraudulent wealth. These ugly things are happening because they have no heart for the people and no heart for the nation. Nehemiah did not abuse his power. Rather, he gave up his natural privileges for the sake of the people. Nehemiah is truly a great leader.
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II. Leaders who break traditional bad habits
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Ⅲ. Leaders who have served sacrificially
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IV. God-fearing leader
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< Nehemiah was a leader who feared God. Nehemiah confesses that because I fear God, I did not oppress and extort the people like the governor before, but rather devotedly serve the people. Nehemiah had a temple ritual. All humans are fragile beings. When you sit on a throne, it is easy to rule. But Nehemiah feared God. So I became a good leader. Most of the great leaders in human history are those who fear God. He was a man who feared God, including David in the Bible, Queen Mary of England, Washington, Roosevelt, and Lincoln in the United States. There is a saying called “Gyeongcheon lover”, which means that you can love people when you fear God. A truly ideal leader is one who fears God. You cannot be an ideal leader without fearing God.
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