RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER’S MANUAL
LESSON THIRTY-SIX SUNDAY, 6TH MAY 2018: NEHEMIAH
*SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN*
*1.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
O how I love Thee well,
I am happy, it makes me glad
To rejoice at Thy birth.
*2.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day, Thy friendship suits me well,
Both young and old will sing Thy song,
We long for Sunday School.
*3.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Christ was Thy first teacher,
The Holy Spirit, great teacher,
Does manifest in thee.
*4.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
This testimony is sure,
That God, the Father Almighty,
Poured His blessing on Thee.
*5.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Though the sun be so bright,
Or if the clouds black with rain,
I’ll be in Sunday School.
*6.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
I rejoice to see Thee,
Will thou pass over me today?
Without my being blest?
OPENING PRAYER
Father, remember my service unto you and bless me.
MEMORY VERSE: ‘’Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deedd that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof” – Nehemiah 13:14
BIBLE PASSAGE: Nehemiah 2:1-8
Nehemiah:2.1
And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, [when] wine [was] before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before.
Nehemiah:2.2
Therefore the king said to me, “Why [is] your face sad, since you [are] not sick? This [is] nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid,
Nehemiah:2.3
and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, [lies] waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”
Nehemiah:2.4
Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
Nehemiah:2.5
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 Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
Nehemiah:2.6
Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
Nehemiah:2.7
Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters 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,
Nehemiah:2.8
“and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber 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.” And the king granted [them] to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.
INTRODUCTION:
Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah, was born in Babylon during the captivity (Nehamiah 1:1). He was, according to some, of the race of the priests; according to others, of the royal family of Judah and apparently a stepson of Queen Esther. He sustained the office of cupbearer to the Persian king Artazerzes Longimanus. Touched with the calamitous state of the colony of Jews, which had formerly returned to Jerusalem, he besought the king of Persia to permit him to go to Jerusalem and aid in rebuilding it. He directed his attention chiefly to rebuilding the walls of the city. He remained in Judea for thirteen years as governor, carrying out many reforms, notwithstanding much opposition that he encountered (Nehemiah 13:11). Probably, he remained at his post as Governor till his death (about B.C.413) in a good old age.
TEXT REVIEW: NEHEMIAH 2:1-8
EVIDENCE OF COMMITMENT
i. Nehemiah was sad in full glare of the king. Neh. 2:1
ii. He was not making merry with the king. Instead, he was in grief of fear and sorrow. Neh. 2:2
iii. He advanced two reasons for his sadness:
a. The city of Jerusalem lay waste( has been devastated). Neh. 2:3
b. The gate had been broken down and burnt with fire. Neh. 2:3
iv. Nehemiah had seek God’s face in prayer to make his request known to the king. Neh. 2:4
v. He requested for favour to rebuilt the city at Judah. Neh. 2:5
iv. He requested for ample time for the work. Neh. 2:6
vii. His mind was on God’s work than serving wine to the king. Neh. 2:1-2
viii. He obtained authority or approval from the government(king) to embark on the building work. Neh. 2:7
ix. He obtained materials from the government to build the city. Neh. 2:8
x. He obtained the mercy of the Lord to execute the project. Neh. 2:8
Nehemiah is a good illustration of commitment to divine assignment.
LESSON OUTLINES
1. Character and achievements
2. Lessons from his life
CHARACTER. AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Ouestion:
What are some characters of Nehemiah?
Answer:
i. He was a man of prayer and action
ii. He prayed before action not after.
iii. He was patriotic, brave and forthright.
iv. He was a man of undoubting faith in God to do whatever God wanted. (Philippians 3:14).
Question: What do the following scriptures say about Nehemiah? Neh. 1:4-11, 2:4-5,9; 4:4-5,9
Question: What are some of the achievement of Nehemiah?
Answer
i. He led the people to rebuild the broken wall of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 6:15).
ii. He fortified the city of Jerusalem and its wall which was destroyed in 586BC.
iii. After the completion of the wall, Nehemiah and Ezra called for public prayer and reading of the law (Nehemiah 8:1-3,8).
iv. He signed first to the covenant to walk with God.
v. He made people to sign to the covenant to walk with God thereafter (Nehemiah 9:38).
vi. He wrote the book of Nehemiah between 430-431 BC
CLASS ACTIVITY 1
Why do we have oppositions whenever we are ready to do the work of God?
LESSONS FROM HIS LIFE
Question/Task:
A. Teacher should ask students to mention those lessons to learn from Nehemiah
B. Teacher should explain the lessons to learn from the life of Nehemiah after students’ response as outlined below
i. Prayer should always precede any endeavour (James 5:17-18).
ii. God is always willing to help (Psalm 46:1).
iii. Persistence combined with faith can accomplish great things. Jesus Himself exhorted persistency with His parable of the persistent widow and the judge (Luke 18:1-8).
iv. Be single-minded in all that you do for God, and in all that you desire from God (Luke 9:62, James 1:5-8).
v. God remembers and rewards good work (Nehemiah 13:14, 1Corinthians 15:58, Revelations 22:11-12).
CLASS ACTIVITY 2
Mention the challenges the body of Christ may face if the Wall of unity (in the body of Christ) is allowed to break down
SUMMARY
Arise and build the cracked wall in the body of your class, parish and church as Nehemiah did.
CONCLUSION:
Nehemiah had an unrelenting zeal to rebuild the broken wall of Jerusalem. In spite of the opposition from Sanballat and others, he achieved his goal. What passion do you have for the things of God?
CLOSING PRAYER
Father, do not let me be an onlooker in your work
ASSIGNMENT
Mention five roles which your class can play to ensure that the unity wall in your parish is fortified.
God help us
May 22,2018