Nehemiah 9:1-6

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Confession

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. Confession of sin must precede worship.

  2. Worship is the acknowledgment to God Himself of who God is and what God does.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Remember to include worship in your prayers.

  2. Don’t forget to thank God for the basics.

QUESTIONS

  1. What is the focus of Nehemiah 8?

  2. What is the focus of Nehemiah 9?

  3. What are the two Hebrew calendars? What were the three feasts during Tishri, the seventh month?

  4. What did the people do following these feasts?

  5. How long did they read? How long did they confess their sins?

  6. How did they present themselves before God? Why?

  7. Define worship. What must precede worship?

ANSWERS

  1. Revival and renewal, centered around the word of God

  2. Prayer, as an integral part of revival, renewal, and blessing

  3. The religious and the civil calendars The Feast of the Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

  4. They came together to confess their sins, not to the priests, but as a group of the Lord’s people, speaking directly to their God.

  5. They read for three hours, then confessed their sins for three hours.

  6. With fasting, wearing sackcloth, and with ashes on their heads. In their culture, this was a sign of repentance.

  7. Worship is the acknowledgement of who God is and what He does, addressed to God Himself. Confession of sin must precede worship.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Read and meditate on 1 Corinthians 11:28.

  2. Review Nehemiah 9:5-6, a prayer beginning with worship. Read the Lord’s prayer to find a proper pattern for worship (Matthew 6:9-13). How often do you begin your prayers with worship?

CHALLENGE

  1. Do you have a time and place to meet with God daily? If you ever find worship difficult or forced, start by reading hymns. Read Psalm 19, or other “praise” Psalms. Read them as a prayer, and you’ll soon be using your own words to worship.

KEY VERSES

  • “Praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting!” Nehemiah 9:5

Nehemiah, Old Testament, TalksDeb HarmsNehemiah 9:1-6