jesusfriends

Biblical study of Nehemiah’s restoration of Jerusalem and how it parallels Christ rebuilding His church. Scripture insights and application

Scripture: The Word Ezekiel 34:4 paints a powerful picture of neglected people. It speaks of shepherds — the leaders of that time — who failed in their duty. They did not strengthen the weak, heal the sick, or bind up the injured. If we bring this into today’s context, the “injured” could be those struggling with depression, while “strengthening the weak” could mean preaching the Gospel and truth to all people. Sadly, many have not been cared for by those who were meant to guide and protect them. In verse 5, it says the sheep became food for wild animals. These “wild animals” can represent the things of the world that pull us away from God — sin, anger, depression, confusion. It’s a vivid illustration of life without a shepherd: vulnerable, aimless, and consumed by worldly influences. But in verse 11, the tone shifts. God declares that He Himself will become our Shepherd. He will search for us, find us, and care for us personally. This is a deeply comforting truth — that even when human leaders fail, God never abandons us. Verses 14–16 further develop this imagery. God says He will feed us in good pastures, care for us individually, and bring healing. This speaks of personal attention and intimate care. God is not distant or indifferent; He tends to each of us as a loving Shepherd. The Lost Sheep – Luke 15:1–7 In Luke 15, Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep. It reminds us that there is great joy in heaven over one sinner who repents — even more than over the ninety-nine who are already righteous. At first, this might seem confusing. Shouldn’t God be more joyful over the righteous? But the heart of the message is this: God is actively searching for the one who is lost. He is full of compassion, not judgment. For those who feel far from Him, this is a call to return. God is not standing at a distance with condemnation — He is pursuing us in love. The Prodigal Son – Luke 15:11–31 This story deepens the picture. The younger son chooses to leave the father, taking his inheritance and wasting it in reckless living. Verse 14 reveals the consequence — a famine strikes, and the son finds himself in need. He ends up in a place that feeds pigs but not him. It’s a striking metaphor: the world often feeds the flesh but starves the spirit. In Jewish culture, pigs were considered unclean, and in another passage, Jesus sends demons into pigs. So this scene shows us what happens when we look to the world for restoration — it ends in emptiness. Yet, when the son decides to return, something remarkable happens. He expects to be condemned, but instead, the father runs to him, embraces him, and throws a feast. This is a vivid picture of God’s grace. No matter how far we’ve wandered, He receives us with open arms. The older brother’s reaction adds another layer. He complains about the celebration, believing his faithfulness should earn him more recognition. But the father rebukes him gently in verse 31. Everything the father has already belongs to him — the point is not to focus on works but to celebrate grace. We are not in a competition for the Father’s approval — we are invited to share in His joy. Matthew 6:33 – Seek First the Kingdom All of this leads us to the central lesson for today: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. The younger son, even in his brokenness, finds restoration when he returns to the father. The older son, though physically close, misses the heart of the father because he is focused on performance. The solution for both is the same — seek the Father, dwell in His presence, and trust that everything we need is already there. Psalm 23:1–6 – The Fruit of Seeking First Psalm 23 shows us the results of living under the care of the Good Shepherd: This is the fruit of seeking first the Kingdom — a life of peace, restoration, guidance, and protection under the care of Jesus, our Shepherd.

Scripture: NIV:“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” NKJV:“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Scripture Breakdown: Explanation – The Word: The secret place can be a place of hiding that no one, other than the secret keeper, will know. From this aspect, we can look at it in the context of the scripture as “protection.” The Lord is inciting us to live in His secret place of hiding for protection — a place where no one will know, but Him only. We can refer to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were at a place where only God and Adam knew. This place must have been the common place of meeting for the two of them. In this posture, Adam was free to be himself. He could think what he wanted to think, talk to God, and he was a free man. We can lean on God the same way in this scripture. Using God as our shelter and secret place, we can be free in Him. For us, this means if we go hide in God, we can be free from fear, stress, etc. The devil’s aim would be to remove us from the secret place. Once out of the secret place, then all negating feelings begin to creep in. Bible versions, specifically the NIV and NKJV, interchange the words “secret place” and “shelter.” We will speak on that shortly. A Second Interpretation: A second interpretation of the secret place can be as follows: the place where one keeps our secrets, which is our hearts. So, in other words, whoever dwells in the heart of the Lord… the rest of the verse follows. What else do we know that lies in the heart of the Lord? The answer is love. Now we know that our God loves His Son Jesus with all His heart. For reference, we can look at Matthew 17:5. We are going to get back to that in a minute. Therefore, with this interpretation, God is telling us that whoever dwells in His heart or love — and ultimately His Son, Jesus — will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. The goal is to focus on Jesus and remain in Him (see John 15:1–5). “Will Rest”: What Does That Mean? A second definition of rest is to lie or lean on something for support. It also means a posture of relaxation. To lie in or rest on something, we need to be very close to it, leading to the next point. “In the Shadow of the Almighty” The last portion of this verse: A shadow of something is created when it is above you and receiving a direct source of light. In extension to the above, to be in the shadow — you need to be very close to the object or the structure. So our great takeaway of today is, we need to be very close to the Lord our God. We ought to take refuge in the Lord. When in His shelter, we are free to be ourselves. Just to add a crazy analogy — when Adam was in the Garden of Eden and needed to relieve himself, he would do it in the presence of the Lord. What this is trying to say is that when we dwell in the secret place, we can be ourselves and not be defined by our mistakes, errors or flaws. It is only then that God has the opportunity to truly transform our hearts. Returning to Matthew 17:5 The Bible says:“While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” Notice that before a voice came out, a cloud had to cover them, providing shelter and a secret place. Only then was the voice of God audible. He reveals to us His beloved Son, Jesus, and tells us what to do in order to remain in this dwelling place. God says, “Listen to Him.” We need to listen to Jesus, which is one very good way to grow as a Christian and increase prosperity in your faith life. How Do We Listen to Jesus? It is very simple — read the Bible. Go through the Gospels and see what Jesus did. If none of the above was enough, the very first thing that Jesus tells the disciples after the glorious encounter is: “Get up. Do not be afraid.” In Summary: Jesus Christ is the shelter God speaks about in Psalms 91. And since we are on the topic of protection, remember that Jesus Christ, in His transfigured form, told the disciples not to be afraid.

Scripture references:Jeremiah 41:16–18Jeremiah 42:1–20 (Emphasis on 1–10)Jeremiah 43:1–13 (Emphasis on 4, 7, 13)Genesis 3:1–11 (Emphasis on 6, 9, 11)Exodus 12:31–36Psalm 46:1–11 (Emphasis on 10)John 4:1–42 (Emphasis on 7, 8, 13, 15, 25, 39)Galatians 5:13–22 Jeremiah 41, 42 & 43 – Life by the Word This story speaks about a time when the Israelites are attacked and there are a few survivors being led by Johanan. Johanan then stops at a place near Bethlehem to consult with Jeremiah and hear the word or direction for them from God. This is an act of living life by the Spirit and relying on the word of God – faith. “Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led away all the survivors from Mizpah…”(Jeremiah 41:16, NIV) The prophet consults with God and gives feedback to Johanan. He tells them not to fear the Babylonians, for the Lord will rescue them and be with them. He also tells them not to flee to Egypt, because if they do go there, the Babylonians will capture them and kill them. “If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.”(Jeremiah 42:10, NIV) Egypt is also the place where Israel was once taken away from and led out by Moses. In Egypt, there are other gods that go against the will of God. Johanan goes against this word and goes to Egypt because he assumes that he will not go hungry, thirsty, and will be safe. This is a direct act of disobedience, as God had promised to be with them and provide for them. Johanan reacted in the flesh by thinking about his well-being, which led him to disobeying God. Genesis 3:1–11 – The First Disobedience Here we see the same thing happening to mankind when God first creates them. The serpent deceives them and lures them into temptation by giving them food, which they believe will taste good and provide them with wisdom that will equate them with God. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.”(Genesis 3:6, NIV) This again is a direct disobedience of the word of God and leads them to pull away from God and hide in the flesh. “But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’”(Genesis 3:9, NIV)“And he said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?’”(Genesis 3:11, NIV) Fear can remove us from the presence of God, but most importantly, it is moving away from the word of the Lord and reacting in the flesh that brings upon death. In both instances above, the result for mankind is separation from God and eventually death. Exodus 12:31–36 – Liberation through Obedience We see God liberating the children of Israel and allowing them to worship Him away from Egypt. As they are leaving, God caused the Egyptians to gift the Israelites with goods to take away. “The Lord had made the Egyptians favourably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.”(Exodus 12:36, NIV) Had they chosen to stay in Egypt, they would have continued in poverty and oppression by the hand of the Egyptian gods. The blessing of listening to the word of God is liberation from sin and oppression, and gain—as the Israelites gained goods from leaving Egypt. Most importantly, they gained a relationship with God. Psalm 46 – Be Still and Know This is a word to us to react or respond to God by knowing that He is indeed God. This passage promises us that God is our refuge and is with us. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”(Psalm 46:1, NIV) Verse 10 emphasises this and tells us: “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God…’”(Psalm 46:10, NIV) This is an act of faith and obedience. John 4:1–42 – Living Water and True Food In this book, Jesus addresses a Samaritan woman. In this encounter, the Bible tells us that Jesus was tired (in the flesh) and asked for water from the woman (to feed His flesh), while the disciples also went to get food (all to satisfy the flesh). “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’”(John 4:7, NIV)(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)(John 4:8, NIV) Then the Bible shows us a conversation between Jesus and this woman. Jesus in verse 13 tells the woman about living water (which can be seen as the Holy Spirit). “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.’”(John 4:13–14, NIV) In verse 15, she believes the word of God and asks to receive the Spirit of God. “The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty…’”(John 4:15, NIV) Jesus adds another layer—a prophecy over the woman’s life—which leads to Him revealing Himself to her. “The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’ Then Jesus declared, ‘I, the one speaking to you—I am he.’”(John 4:25–26, NIV) Later, the disciples return and, still thinking in the flesh, question His need for food. “But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you know nothing about.’”(John 4:32, NIV) Due to their concern with feeding the flesh, they missed what Jesus was doing—ministering to a soul. After the revelation, the woman begins to evangelise: “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony…”(John 4:39, NIV) Proof that if we focus on

Welcome again, friends! Today, let’s explore the profound topic: Jesus as Our Covenant Friend. Scripture References: Understanding Covenant Through Friendship In 1 Samuel 18, David and Jonathan form a powerful covenant of friendship. This wasn’t merely an agreement—it symbolized deep commitment and loyalty. David’s faithfulness to this covenant continued long after Jonathan’s death, reminding us of the enduring nature of true friendship and faithfulness. In 2 Samuel 9, David seeks to honor his covenant with Jonathan by showing kindness to Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, a lame man who lived in Lo-Debar—a place whose name literally means “no pasture” or “no word,” symbolizing isolation, insignificance, and exile. This scenario beautifully mirrors God’s covenant relationship with us through Jesus. Like Mephibosheth, humanity was spiritually crippled and exiled due to sin—living in a place distant from God’s presence. Breaking the Barrier: From Exile to Presence Leviticus 21 highlights that those with physical deformities (such as lameness) were prohibited from entering God’s presence in the temple. This law symbolically shows how sin separates us from God—exiling us from His holy presence. Yet, Matthew 21 presents an extraordinary shift: Jesus boldly heals the lame and blind inside the temple itself—the very place from which they were historically excluded. Jesus’ actions reflect a deeper spiritual truth: His coming fulfills the Law and brings restoration, redemption, and inclusion for all outcasts—physically and spiritually. Grace Amid Our Brokenness Notice a significant point: Mephibosheth’s lameness wasn’t due to his own fault—his nurse accidentally dropped him. Similarly, humanity’s spiritual brokenness wasn’t initially due to our personal actions but began when Eve (“our nurse” or guardian) followed the serpent’s deception. Humanity was “dropped,” crippling our relationship with God. However, just as David restored Mephibosheth from exile and brought him daily to dine at his table, Jesus invites us to continually sit with Him in intimacy, grace, and restored dignity. Despite our brokenness, imperfections, or exile, Jesus calls us directly into the presence of God—just as we are. The Invitation Jesus, our Covenant Friend, seeks us in our places of exile and insignificance. His compassion bypasses legalistic barriers, healing us physically and spiritually. We don’t need to wait until we’re perfect to approach Him. Our Covenant Friend lovingly welcomes us exactly as we are, inviting us from “no pasture” into abundant life at His table. Closing Thought This beautiful image of Jesus as our Covenant Friend reminds us to accept His grace, compassion, and healing openly. Jesus has forever bridged the gap, restored our relationship with God, and made a place for us in His presence. Let’s keep embracing Jesus, allowing Him to transform our lives daily. Stay blessed!

Scripture References: When we reflect on Christ’s sacrifice, two pairs of words stand out: transgressions and wounds, iniquity and bruises. These words hold deep meaning in understanding what Jesus has done for us. Transgressions and Iniquity: The External and Internal Struggle Transgressions refer to acts of trespassing—stepping over a boundary. These are external, visible sins, actions that people can see. Iniquity, on the other hand, is the internal root—immoral or unjust behaviour hidden within us. It is the desire to cross the line before the act even happens. If we think of transgressions as actually breaking a law, iniquity is the temptation that leads us there. The internal battle always precedes the outward sin. Wounds and Bruises: The Price Paid for Our Redemption Wounds are external—they appear on the skin and are visible to others. Bruises, however, are internal—they happen beneath the surface, affecting us inwardly. Isaiah 53:5 says:“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities…” The Bible is precise in its wording. Jesus was wounded (externally hurt) for our transgressions (external sins) and bruised (internally hurt) for our iniquities (internal sins). This means Christ didn’t just suffer for our visible sins—He bore the cost of our hidden struggles, the deep desires we battle with. If lust is an iniquity, the transgression is acting on that lust. Jesus’ suffering covered both. A New Creation in Christ Through Jesus, we are not only forgiven but transformed. 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares:“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” This is the beauty of salvation—Christ didn’t just deal with what people see; He cleanses what only we and God know about. Even in our deepest sins, He still loves us completely. The only sin left uncovered is rejecting Him. But as long as we accept His sacrifice, we are washed clean. As He Is, So Are We Jesus died for our imperfections so that in Him, we could be made perfect. 1 John 4:17 reminds us:“As He is, so are we in this world.” Because of Christ, we are not just saved—we are new, whole, and loved beyond measure.

Welcome, family! Today, we dive into a powerful revelation: Jesus, He is everywhere! Scripture References: Understanding God Through Water Jeremiah 14 vividly describes a drought—a severe lack of water—leading to famine, suffering, and even death. Picture your spiritual life without God’s presence: it’s like a drought—dry, weak, and painful. Water represents God’s presence, the Holy Spirit. Just as baptism in water symbolizes our public declaration of faith, baptism in the Holy Spirit symbolizes His presence within us. (But more on that exciting topic soon!) From Creation to Our Lives Genesis 1:1-2 shows us something incredible: when the earth was empty, God’s Spirit hovered over the waters. Everything God created came forth from this water, which represents His presence. Think about science: water can exist as liquid, gas, or solid—a perfect image of God’s presence: We Are Made in His Image Genesis 1:26-27 states clearly: “Let us (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) make man in our own image.”If we are created in God’s image, His presence (like water) is inherently within us. That’s why whenever we hear about God, there’s a spark of recognition inside us—God is already present within. Abiding in God John 14:20 emphasizes our deep connection with God through the Holy Spirit. When we receive Him, we realize fully that we dwell in God and He in us. Isaiah 43:1-2 reminds us God created us, redeemed us, and calls us His own. He assures us that through life’s deepest waters or fiercest fires, He remains with us. Why mention water and fire? Because water—God’s presence—cannot be consumed by fire. Instead, water extinguishes fire. Just like in Daniel 3, where God is present with men in the fiery furnace. He doesn’t promise no trials, but He promises His constant presence. Staying Connected In John 15:5-6, Jesus instructs us to abide continually in Him. Staying close to Jesus means bearing fruit. Disconnecting from Him, however, leads to spiritual dryness—just like branches thrown into the fire. This reinforces Isaiah 43’s promise: we stay strong, alive, and fruitful only when connected to Jesus. Our Purpose and Identity The purpose behind this revelation is clear: God’s presence isn’t abstract—it’s tangible, real, and scientifically echoed in our existence. Recognizing God’s constant presence shapes our identity and fortifies our faith. Brothers and sisters, let’s cling tightly to the Word, lean fully on Jesus, and allow His truth to transform us deeply. The upcoming session will dive deeper into the baptism of the Holy Spirit—how to receive Him and the abundant benefits He brings. Thanks for joining today’s exploration. Stay blessed, and keep Jesus at the center!