We end our study of Nehemiah today and things couldn't end worse. And yet, in this message we learn how the bad ending of Nehemiah is actually good news for us.

A lot has happened over the previous 11 and a half chapters - the Word of God has been read, the wall has been rebuilt, the homes have been rebuilt, the gates have been hung and the city has been repopulated. Today’s text records the dedication of the wall and it’s a day that celebrates what God has done in and for His people.

In this message we highlight four elements that mark this dedication/celebration ceremony and consider what needs to be applied in us, the church, today.

The call to repopulate the Holy city in Nehemiah 11-12:26 will require a willingness to uproot, to leave behind what’s familiar for the unknown, what’s desirable for the undesirable, what’s secure for insecurity. What makes one do such a thing? Only a revied heart.

In Nehemiah 9 the people spend the chapter confessing and repenting. As we move into chapter 10 they now focus on the fruit of their repentance. Christians today are called to bear fruit in keeping with our repentance. What kind of fruit are we to bear? That's what this message seeks to answer.

In chapter 8 the revival of God’s people begins when God’s Word is read, revered, retold and responded to - one of those responses is repentance. However, chapter 8 wasn’t the time to grieve and mourn but a time to celebrate. Chapter 9 is now the time to confess and repent. What do we learn about repentance in Nehemiah 9? That’s the question this week’s message seeks to answer.

The book of Nehemiah is a revival story and in chapter 8 the revival of God's people continues as they hear the Word of God read and respond to it with reverence and obedience.

In Nehemiah 6 the walls of Jerusalem are rebuilt but the city remains essentially empty. Nehemiah 7 shows what needed to be set up for the people to fill the city and again paints a picture of the makeup and call of the church.

In Nehemiah 6, we will see Nehemiah calling the work of rebuilding the walls, 'important work' in spite of some serious opposition. We look at what's motivating him.

In our text this Sunday there is a shift from the focus being on the broken-down walls to God’s people inside the walls with broken-down ways. What's the remedy?

In chapter 3 the work of rebuilding the walls and homes of Jerusalem began. But in chapter 4 opposition against the work rises up against Nehemiah and the people. This message focuses on how they respond to the battle and what the church today is to learn from it.