November 6, 2022
Discussion questions (feel free to pick and choose what to focus on):
Jesse shared seven responses to God’s word found in Nehemiah; which of the below responses have you seen in response to Scripture? Are there other responses to Scripture that you can think of?
Standing (Nehemiah 8:5)
Raising hands and saying “amen” (Nehemiah 8:6)
Bowing and worshipping (Nehemiah 8:6)
Singing (throughout Nehemiah; see especially Nehemiah 12:27-47)
Feasting (Nehemiah 8:10-12)
Confessing sin (Nehemiah 9, whole chapter)
Repenting (Nehemiah 9:38—10:39)
The confession of sin in Nehemiah 9 is for the sin of the people, but also of their ancestors. Why did they feel it was important to confess the sin of their ancestors? What does this mean for us today? Is it appropriate for Christians today to confess the sins of those who came before us? What about in the church; do we confess the sins of the church, or only our own church tradition? What would change if we confessed not only our sins, but also the sins of those who came before us?
The people in Nehemiah repented of sin, meaning, they turned in a new direction by living in a new way. They were committed not to continue in the sinful ways of the generations before. We often talk about repentance as it applies to individuals, but here we see a whole nation choosing to repent. Can you think of another time when a large group of people chose together to repent and to live in a new way? Do you think that our church would be able to repent if God so called us? What kinds of repentance do you think our world needs today?