Chris Wall • Nehemiah 13 ESV

All through history, followers of Christ have experienced the consistent temptation to drift from the Lord. Every time this drift begins, God is faithful to get in our way. Over and over again, we are learning to respond quickly and gratefully to confrontation. It is best to respond with humility and repentance when God uses Hisword or a brother/sister to confront us. We are also learning to boldly confront others, allowing God to use our lives to push one another to live faithfully. Our human story shows us confrontation will always be necessary. For believers in Jesus who have been born again, confrontations should result in humble repentance, sincere apologies, and strengthened relationships. Nehemiah 13 helps us see how to avoid drifting away fromthe Lord.

Chris Wall • Nehemiah 11-12 ESV

God is at work in our church and in our world right now. As God works, He fully intends to accomplish His work through normal people like you and me. It is surprising, but God chose to start the process of working in the world through building churches. Ever church that God starts is made up of seemingly insignificant people who have normal lives and normal problems. Despite all that, God promised the gates of hell would not prevail against His church and it will stand faithfully to the very end. In Nehemiah 11-12, the celebration in the city clearly points to the call we have in our church. Let's live this out.

Chris Wall • Nehemiah 10

All through history, God has established, maintained, and sustained a Covenant with His people. A covenant is a divinely imposed legal agreement betweenGod and man that stipulates the conditions of the relationship. In the Old Testament, people kept the laws of Moses in order to stay in a right relationship with God. After Jesus came, the Old Testament became obsolete because God's people were made right by the blood of Christ. (Hebrews 8:13) Even though we are right with God through Christ, the Holy Spirit calls us to a life that follows the Lord. Nehemiah 10 gives us a great picture of how the Holy Spirit helps us stay close to the Lord after we come to know Christ as Savior.

Chris Wall • Nehemiah 9 ESV

The posture of repentance in Chapter 9 of Nehemiah is a big shift from the celebration that took place in the feast of Booths. It was right to celebrateforgiveness and deliverance, now it is important to continue to stay close to the Lord moving forward. Nehemiah 9 helps us see the real anatomy of repentance. Repentance is both a one-time calling and a continuous call. When the Holy Spirit draws us, He keeps moving us and molding us into God's image towards a lifetime of continual repentance. Nehemiah 9 breaks this down and helps us see how to faithfully come to the Lord in repentance enabling us to remain close to the Lord day by day.

Chris Wall • Nehemiah 8 ESVDuring the time of Nehemiah, God's people CAME TOGETHER to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days. In just over two months, this group accomplished more than many communities of faith accomplish in a lifetime. How did they do it? The answer is found in the historic call of God's people: They CAME TOGETHER. This “next to me” mindset repurposed their relationships and ultimately changed the world. Through these relationships they restored the city from rubble to repaired. These relationships provided security and safety against opposition as families became protectors of their community. These relationships gave tithes and forgave debts. These relationships provided the context for spiritual growth and commitment to the Lord. When you step back and look at Nehemiah 8, this is the type of community you and I need in our lives. We need to be a part of a fully devoted, ever-committed group of people who are sold out to God's word and God’s purposes. God provides key people to play key roles in life to ensure spiritual growth. God is using His Word and the gift of our church family to help us live today as the people of God.

Chris Wall • Nehemiah 6-7

In our personal lives and our church, we need to recognize that we will never "Arrive". On this side of eternity, there will be more to learn about the Lord. There will be more prayers to pray. There will be more people to reach, more work to do, needs to meet, and individuals to love. We see in Nehemiah 6–7 that though they finished the wall, there was more work to do. As we embrace the call to be God's people, recognizing the clear tactics of the enemy while leaning into the life of Nehemiah will help us take our "Next Steps" as the people of God planted here in Owasso, Tulsa, and beyond.

Chris Wall • Nehemiah 5 ESV

Nehemiah Chapter 5 is quite surprising when you put this passage intocontext. God's people had just banded together to rebuild the Walls of Jerusalem in under two months cooperating in masterful ways. Next, a new threat arises coming against the people of God and it comes from within. We see up close and personal there is a bad way to use wealth and resources provided by the Lord. When we disregard others to gain more for ourselves, we miss the entire point of God's blessing in our lives. Nehemiah helps us see there is a good way to steward resources while being generous to others advancing the Kingdom of God. God's people tripped financially in Chapter 5 providing an incredible lesson for us as we live life together during difficult times.

Chris Wall • Nehemiah 1-2 ESVGod is faithful to advance His Kingdom in the world and invites us to join Him in the process. It is important to pay close attention to the pattern we see in both Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra began with the re-building of the temple and Nehemiah describes the rebuilding of the city. This makes sense because getting right with the Lord always comes before greater impact. We need to remember that all through history, God's people have been called to point the world to the Messiah (Exodus 19:6, 1 Peter 2:9-10). Nehemiah begins with God's call on this cupbearer to rebuild the city and advance the Kingdom. There is a lot to learn from as we see him lean into the Lord through spiritual disciplines and step out in faith.

Chris Wall • Ezra 9-10

Repentance must become our loudest praise. Ezra 9-10 is a difficult passage that must not just be casually read with a 2021 mentality. The ending of Ezra paints one of the most beautiful pictures of repentance. The sad truth is that every one of God's people will rebel against the Lord at some point. When rebellion takes place, repentance is the call. Ezra 9-10 shows us what that looks like.

Chris Wall • Ezra 8

Seeking the Lord helps us recognize how God’s hand moves for our good. When God’s people repent, it is remarkable to see how God brings His blessing. In this passage, you see God’s people coming with a heart to seek the Lord. There is fasting. There is focus. This is an example for us regarding how to live. Living our lives focused on seeking the Lord produces a tremendous amount of fruit in our lives. Let’s lean into the example of seeking the Lord. At every point in our lives, it is critical for us to seek the Lord. As the people of Owasso’s First Baptist Church, turning our face to the next seventy-five years will require us to seek the Lord today so we can be ready for all that lies ahead tomorrow.