Nehemiah: Building God's Kingdom Together
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Nehemiah 3 is one of those hard to read chapters in the the Bible.
Whenever we see lists of names, like genealogies, or procedures, think the book of Leviticus.
These are difficult portions to read.
But God has included them for a purpose.
What is that purpose we might ask?
Is it to bore us to death as we read?
No.
They often provide information and background.
More than that, genealogies show how God is faithful and kept his promises.
Leviticus shows us the impossible nature of living up to God’s standards.
We can never do it on our own.
It also shows the grace of God in that he sent his son, Jesus, so that even though we can’t keep those standards.
We can still have a relationship with Him through Christ.
Here in Nehemiah 3, we have not only a list of names, but also a list of procedures.
1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel.
2 And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.
The chapter is easy to analyze.
It is constructed around seven gates of the city, moving in a counterclockwise direction,
beginning with the Sheep Gate on the north side of the city next to the temple enclosure and eventually returning to it (cf. vv. 1, 32).
A paragraph or a group of several paragraphs is devoted to the repair of each of these sections.
Who did the work -
Everyone from the low to high.
Chapter 3 begins with Eliashib the high priest.
He along with the other priests banded together rebuild the sheep gate.
These men already had significant responsibilities already within the temple.
They were definitely busy men.
And yet, Nehemiah mentions them first in the list working to rebuild the wall.
In verse 12 we see Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem
He and his daughters.
Men and women both worked on the walls.
People from every class worked.
From the average person to the skilled workers, as we already saw, leaders and priests.
Verse 8
English Standard Version Chapter 3
Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired.
32 And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired.
Where each group of people worked was also significant.
People worked and invested in areas of the wall that truly mattered to them.
Such as those across from their homes.
The sheep gate for instance where the priests worked, was where the sacrifices would be brought in to the temple.
23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah repaired beside his own house.
This was likely by Nehemiah’s planning.
People worked across from where they lived, etc.
They had a vested personal interest specifically in that portion of the wall.
We have been talking about burdens the Lord lays upon our hearts those things that matter to us are the things that are close to our hearts.
Jesus reminds us in
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Jesus is telling his disciples this statement in the context
22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.
31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
God provides what we need.
That passage continues on in chapter 12 where Jesus is telling his disciples to be ready.
35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning,
36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.
40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
In Nehemiah’s time, to seek God’s kingdom, was to seek the success, abundance, prosperity, the affluence of the nation of Israel.
Today this is very much different.
God’s kingdom is no longer limited to one specific country in the middle east.
The kingdom of God resides anywhere and everywhere that a Christian person is present.
RC Sproul tells a story
In 1990, I was invited into Eastern Europe to do a series of lectures in three countries, first in Czechoslovakia, then in Hungary, and finally in Romania. As we were leaving Hungary, we were warned that the border guards in Romania were quite hostile to Americans and that we should be prepared to be hassled and possibly even arrested at the border.
Sure enough, when our rickety train reached the border of Romania, two guards got on. They couldn’t speak English, but they pointed for our passports, then pointed to our luggage. They wanted us to bring our bags down from the luggage rack and open them up, and they were very brusque and rude. Then, suddenly, their boss appeared, a burly officer who spoke some broken English. He noticed that one of the women in our group had a paper bag in her lap, and there was something peeking out of it. The officer said: “What this? What in bag?” Then he opened the bag and pulled out a Bible. I thought, “Uh-oh, now we’re in trouble.” The officer began leafing through the Bible, looking over the pages very rapidly. Then he stopped and looked at me. I was holding my American passport, and he said, “You no American.” And he looked at Vesta and said, “You no American.” He said the same thing to the others in our group. But then he smiled and said, “I am not Romanian.”
By now we were quite confused, but he pointed at the text, gave it to me, and said, “Read what it says.” I looked at it and it said, “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20a). The guard was a Christian. He turned to his subordinates and said: “Let these people alone. They’re OK. They’re Christians.” As you can imagine, I said, “Thank you, Lord.” This man understood something about the kingdom of God—that our first place of citizenship is in the kingdom of God.
This is an issue we must address in our own minds as we seek to prosper the kingdom of God with our own work.
The kingdom of God trumps every earthly kingdom.
I’m a Christian first, an American second.
I owe allegiance to the American flag, but I have a higher allegiance to Christ, because He is my King.
John Calvin said it is the task of the church to make the invisible kingdom visible.
We do that by living in such a way that we bear witness to the reality of the kingship of Christ
in our jobs, our families, our schools, and even our checkbooks,
because God in Christ is King over every one of these spheres of life.
The only way the kingdom of God is going to be manifest in this world before Christ comes
is if we manifest it by the way we live as citizens of heaven and subjects of the King.
Nehemiah makes the point in this chapter, that he was not working alone.
This was a task that was shared by everyone.
It was a task that took place together as well.
Bringing this into the context of the church, you have a role to play in the church.
You have a role to play in building God’s kingdom!
Everyone has a role to play.
To accomplish God’s purpose, we need willing workers who do their part.
The people heard Nehemiah’s vision and they responded, “Let’s arise and build” (2:18).
Working together they accomplished what no one could have accomplished individually.
I want to circle back around with this information now to ask the question again.
Why did God include Nehemiah 3 in Scripture?
What does He want us to learn from it?
I believe that it’s here to show us the importance of working together to accomplish God’s purpose.
What is God’s purpose?
Build his kingdom here.
God laid upon Nehemiah the goal of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, in order that the people would no longer be in disgrace.
To accomplish God’s purpose, we need a common vision,
we need dedicated leaders,
and we need willing workers who do their part.
If you remember back to our annual meeting I have including a short section at the end about church mission and vision.
If you remember also Anne mentioned at our annual meeting something along the lines of exploring that.
I held back a little at that point, but I believe we, as a church, are at that point.
We need to ask some those questions as a church, what is God calling us to do?
What is the vision that God has for Drummond Community Church?
What goals might we need to set?
How are we to look as a church family?
What ought we be doing to meat those goals?
What is the role that God desires for us, as a church, to play in this community?
The mission that we have is clear.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The vision is what that mission looks like lived out in our church and our community.
Studying this chapter reminded me of several things at our church.
Looking at the projects we have accomplished over the past summer.
It is a joy seeing people working together for a common goal.
There is a lot that has gotten done!
Seeing the ladies getting together for the monthly brunches.
Looking at our Kid’s Club, it is wonderful to see an awesome group of people getting together to love these kids and teach them about Jesus!
Steven Cole shares a story of some Western missionaries in a remote area of the Philippine Islands that set up a croquet game in their front yard.
Several of the local neighbors became interested, and so the missionary explained the rules, gave each one a mallet and ball, and got them going.
As the game progressed, opportunity came for one of the players to take advantage of another by knocking that person’s ball out of the court.
The missionary explained the procedure, but his advice puzzled this Philippine native.
“Why would I want to knock his ball out of the court?” he asked.
“So you will win!” the missionary explained.
The short native, clad only in a loincloth, shook his head in bewilderment.
In that hunting and gathering society, people survive not by competing, but by sharing equally in every activity.
The game continued, but no one followed the missionary’s advice.
When a player successfully got through all the wickets, the game was not over for him. He went back and gave aid and advice to his fellow players.
As the final player moved toward the last wicket, the game was still very much a team effort.
Finally, when the last wicket was played, the whole group shouted happily, “We won! We won!”
When we look at the things happening in our church, we all should see these things and shout, “We won!”
Chapter 3 of Nehemiah is a call for each and every person to get involved in the Lord’s work.
If you are hearing this, and saying to yourself, I want to get involved, but don’t know how,
Come!
Let’s talk, let’s find out how you can be involved in the mission of the church.
Maybe you’re just taking a much-needed rest, and that’s okay.
But we also must not get so comfortable in our resting that we don’t get back moving again.
If you know Christ, you’re a vital part of the body.
At some point, the Lord wants you to get involved in the cause.
Peter puts it this way
10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Nehemiah 3 teaches us the importance of unity and shared purpose in accomplishing God's work.
Just as the people of Jerusalem, from priests to ordinary citizens, came together to rebuild the walls,
we too, as the body of Christ, have a role to play in building His kingdom.
Our church mission is clear, as Jesus instructed in Matthew 28:19-20, we are to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe His commandments.
As we reflect on this chapter from Nehemiah, let us remember that your involvement, no matter how big or small, is a vital part of God's plan.
The kingdom of God is not just a distant concept; it's a reality that we can bring to life through our actions, in our homes, our workplaces, and our community.
So, I encourage you today, if you're not already involved, seek out ways to serve, to share your gifts, and to support the mission of our church.
And for those of you who have been faithfully serving, let this be a reminder that your efforts are not in vain.
You are part of a team, and together, we can say, 'We won!' when we see God's kingdom flourishing in our midst.
Remember, we are not just building walls; we are building lives, impacting souls, and glorifying God.
As we close today, may we go forth with renewed dedication to building God's kingdom together, for His glory and the transformation of our community and beyond. Amen."