Let’s begin this lesson by talking to God in prayer! “. . . My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the Pray For: nations . . .” Mark 11:17 Calvary Chapel Downey Wisdom, Blessing and Protection for Pastors, Staff and Congregation

RAIN (Don’t for get to thank Him for the rain!) All who are in authority (President, Leaders, Teachers, Police, PARENTS, etc.) “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth.” I Timothy 2:1-4 END THE CORONA VIRUS Pray for people who are sick! Pray that the unsaved will seek after God!

Strong in faith

Grounded in God’s Word and prayer

Provide for them and their family

Healing

Love their persecutors “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15

Pray for our missionaries that God would bless, protect, provide, encourage, give strength and bold- nes, and lead many lost people to Christ. Kids, every Sunday morning in ”Big Church,” Pastor Jeff has all the people in the service read a Psalm together with him before preaching. So let’s do that as well before we get into the lesson. If you have your , you and your parents can read Psalm 85 and see how it applies to today’s lesson. If you don’t have a Bible, you can read the following: Psalm 85 1Lord, You have been favorable to Your 8I will hear what God the Lord land; will speak, for He will speak You have brought back the captivity of peace to His people and to His Jacob. saints; But let them not turn back 2 You have forgiven the iniquity of Your to folly. people; 9 Surely His salvation is near to You have covered all their sin. Selah those who fear Him, that glory 3 You have taken away all Your wrath; may dwell in our land. You have turned from the fierceness of 10 Mercy and truth have met Your anger. together; Righteousness and 4 Restore us, O God of our salvation, peace have kissed. And cause Your anger toward us to cease. 11 Truth shall spring out of the 5 Will You be angry with us forever? earth, and righteousness shall Will You prolong Your anger to all look down from heaven. generations? 12 Yes, the Lord will give what is 6 Will You not revive us again, good; And our land will yield its That Your people may rejoice in You? increase. 7 Show us Your mercy, Lord, 13 Righteousness will go before And grant us Your salvation. Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway. Review From the Previous Lesson on Nehemiah Before Easter! In case you missed it! Nehemiah

!Walls ! See the wall? It's "knee-high" to help you remember this book called Nehemiah ("Knee-High-Miah"). Nehemiah wasn't really a giant in size. But he did a giant job! He led the Jews in rebuilding the Walls around . ! They had already built a new temple. But the city where the temple was, Jerusalem, wasn't safe. Back then a city was only safe if it had a high wall around it, like a fort. (Have you ever built a fort out of sticks or sand?) Walls around cities kept enemies from coming in. So without a wall, Jerusalem was in trouble! ! God knew that. So He had Nehemiah come from the faraway land called Persia (the Persians captured it from the Babylonians) where most of the Jews had been living in exile. The Persian king let Nehemiah lead another group back home to Jerusalem. ! When they got back home, they started right away to build the wall. Nehemiah was in charge. Even though some enemies were against rebuilding the high wall, it was finished in only 52 days! The city was safe! And the Jews were happy that God brought Nehemiah to build the wall. Key Word: WALLS

AS YOU GO THROUGH THE LESSON, YOU WILL SEE A SERIES OF PICTURES WITH A SCRIPTURE VERSE AND A QUESTION.

FIRST, READ THE VERSE, STUDY THE PICTURE THEN ANSWER THE QUESTION. What did the king notice about Nehemiah that Nehemiah 2:2 he’d never seen before? IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOUR PARENTS WOULD GO THROUGH BEFORE YOU START, PRAY THIS WITH YOU IN AND ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT CASE YOU HAVE TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND! QUESTIONS. What made Nehemiah weep and mourn for days? Nehemiah wanted to show God how serious he was about getting God’s strength and direction for this situation that was breaking his heart!

Maybe YOU, like Nehemiah can even fast for one meal or from watching your favorite television program for one day and spend that time reading your Bible and praying to God, asking Him to stop the disease that is spreading throughout our country and the world, and to pray for the lost to make Jesus their Lord and Saviour! What was Nehemiah’s job? :11 As a cupbearer to the king, Nehemiah was also a trusted advisor What did the king notice about Nehemiah Nehemiah 2:2 that he’d never seen before? Why was Nehemiah VERY MUCH AFRAID in the presence of the king? The law forbid anyone from coming into the presence of the king with a sad face or he could be killed, so the king must have really liked Nehemiah to let him approach with a sad face. Remember what Nehemiah did before he answered the king? Nehemiah 2:4

He PRAYEDPrayed to the God of heaven! With his new strength from the Lord, what did Nehemiah Nehemiah 2:5 boldly ask the king? What else did Nehemiah Nehemiah 2:7 boldly ask the King ? God answered Nehemiah’s prayers at the perfect time! He will do the SAME for YOU! This Weeks Memory Verse:

Proverbs 14:34 “Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people.” Memory Verse:

What is “Righteousness”? Memory Verse:

It is an attribute that implies that a person's actions are justified, and can have the connotation that the person has been "judged" or "reckoned" as leading a life that is pleasing to God.

Memory Verse:

Proverbs 14:34 “. . . but sin is a reproach to any people.” When people REJECT righteousness and CHOOSE sin, it will bring reproach and insult upon them. Memory Verse:

But what does “REPROACH “ mean? Someone who is being reproached is someone who has received criticism, disproval, or disappointed others that is justified by their actions. In other words, they have done things or something that deserved condemnation and rebuke or blame. Proverbs 14:34 “Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people.” This Week’s Lesson: Nehemiah – Pt 2 “Patriot With a Loyal Heart” Lesson Scriptures: Nehemiah 2:9-20

According to Nehemiah 2:7, what were the letters for? Besides the ”letters”, what else did God put on the heart of the king to provide for Nehemiah’s journey? GOD IS THE GOD OF Nehemiah 2:9 MORE THAN ENOUGH! Why were Sanballat and so upset? As believers in Jesus, we can Nehemiah 2:10 expect opposition when doing the work of the Lord! But . . .

Sanballat and Tobiah had NO IDEA who they were up against! How long was Nehemiah Nehemiah 2:11 in Jerusalem before he did anything? Nehemiah did not want anyone to try to talk him out of what God had called him to do, so he went out at night to inspect the walls and let God confirm the vision in his heart. God must have really given him the strength and courage to continue with his mission as the walls were a disaster! Nehemiah started and ended here

Nehemiah 2:13,14 Nehemiah was determined to inspect the wall and would not Nehemiah 2:15 let anything deter him! Again, don’t you think it was wise that Nehemiah did not tell anyone what he was doing? What a great rallying call: “Let US rebuild, that WE may no longer be a reproach!” God instilled in Nehemiah the importance of teamwork: GOD + NEHEMIAH! Nehemiah was now instilling that message to the people: GOD + NEHEMIAH + THE PEOPLE = TEAM EFFORT!

WHAT A GREAT LESSON FOR YOU, BOYS AND GIRLS! How could they possibly have said otherwise, knowing that not only had the king blessed the work, but GOD was behind it all! Who do you think was really behind the scenes making Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem oppose the work? John 10:10a How did they try to put fear into Nehemiah and the people! They didn’t realize the inner strength Nehemiah had from all his praying and fasting! Memorize this verse and say it the next time someone or something tries to make you afraid! Who did Nehemiah say would Nehemiah 2:20 give him and his people success?

Nehemiah was careful to do what God said. Don’t you think he had memorized Joshua 1:8? Kids, your assignment for next week is to read Nehemiah, Chapters 3 and 4. We will see what happens when Nehemiah starts building the walls! *Just a reminder: These basic practices will help you grow closer to Christ, love Him more, and help you share His love with others:

1. Read God’s Word (the Bible) daily – this is how He speaks to you. As you learn more about Him and obey His Word, you will become more like Him. 2. Pray daily – “Teach us to pray,” the disciples asked Jesus, and He taught them the simple prayer in Luke 11:1-4. Prayer is simply talking with God. 3. Share your faith – once you have experienced new life in Christ, you will want to share His love and forgiveness with others. 4. Attend a Bible-believing church – this will help you grow in your new life in Christ, as you learn from the teaching of God’s Word, and be encouraged together with other believers. PLEASE LET US KNOW If you have questions or concerns, please call 1-562-803-5631 or email us at [email protected]

We’re here to help you understand the love that Jesus is offering you for free, no matter who or where you are.

124.NEHEMIAH'S PRAYER & VIEWING THE WALL (NEHEMIAH 1:1-2:) MEMORY VERSE: " ."

Written by: ______

Key Word: ______

TRUE OR FALSE: 1. Nehemiah asked about "the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem." NEHEMIAH 1:2 TRUE OR FALSE 2. And they said to him, "All is well with the survivors. The walls of Jerusalem are tall, and the gates are strong." NEHEMIAH 1:3 TRUE OR FALSE FILL IN THE BLANKS: 3. Nehemiah said, "So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was ______and ______before the God of heaven." NEHEMIAH 1:4

TRUE OR FALSE: 4. Nehemiah was the king's cupbearer. NEHEMIAH 1:11 TRUE OR FALSE FILL IN THE BLANKS: 5. "The king said to me, 'Why is your face ______, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.' Then I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, 'May the king live forever! Why should my face not be ______, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?' " NEHEMIAH 2:2-3 6. "Then the king said to me, 'What do you request?' So I ______to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, 'If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to , to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I might ______it.' " NEHEMIAH 2:4-5 7. "Furthermore I said to the king, 'If it pleases the king, let ______be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he must give me ______to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.' " NEHEMIAH 2:7-8 124. NEHEMIAH'S PRAYER & VIEWING THE WALL (NEHEMIAH 1:1-2:20) S L L A W V G O D U O O N D D L G A N H Q S L G R R J B O I M N K P G D H L I J I N U F P S I I M H M P N C Z Y V L M M O K Y N A D E N N F S G Y Q W A L T Q I D P L D E N R U B L L S F Q M V R Z A N Y W L R G K V Z H E F S S E S D H H K S N S A D H R A K P J U D V S Z M P B V E V O S E R L R E D R G Z C T N R B V T I A T E F O G S T Z B D N M U I A Y K J J T E S U U W G B B G N H I H L L M L D Q R E O P F Y G K N L E B S F J R B N U E B B M L G BROKEN JERUSALEM PRAYING BURNED KING REBUILD FASTING LETTERS SAD GATES NEHEMIAH WALLS GOD

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