Resilient Rebuilders 5: God's Family Work's Together

Intro

Big Idea: A true rebuilding work is a team effort, and everyone playing his or her role matters. In fact, in order for God’s purposes to be worked out in our world, God’s family must work together.

Jesus said it clearly when talking about the kingdom of darkness.

Mark 3:25 NASB 2020

If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.

Abraham Lincoln quoted these words of Christ in his famous “A House Divided” speech when he was running for the U.S. Senate. He followed the scripture quote with the following words...

“I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved – I do not expect the house to fall – but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the states, old as well as new – North as well as South. Have we no tendency to the latter condition? Let any one who doubts, carefully contemplate that now almost complete legal combination – piece of machinery so to speak – compounded of the Nebraska doctrine, and the Dred Scott decision.” -Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln understood that any nation won’t get very far when there are disagreements over basic issues, particularly disagreement over the sanctity of human life. Tragically, our country has not yet learned our lesson. We still undermine the humanity of others. While it used to be about slavery and race, now it is about abortion and the propagation of destructive and false sexual ethics. There is a clear attack on Children in America today. Many in the culture have no problem both sexualizing them and pressuring them to conform to twisted cultural narratives. The neo-marxists want everyone to feel oppressed so they can be easily swayed and controlled. The LGBTQ+ movement seeks to pressure people into denying their true identity as God made them and to destroy their bodies in an attempt to gain something which is impossible to gain. These are nothing more than attempts to undermine God’s natural order, and to divide people so that chaos can reign.

But we, church, are the light of the world and the hope for turning the tide of the cultural rot and restoring what has been broken. Yet even among our ranks, there is much disunity. This is exactly what the enemy wants. As long as he can keep true Christians divided over minor doctrinal issues and petty differences, we will not be effective.

The keys to our success in restoring this culture are clear. They are...

Repentance of our sinful behavior and a clear return to Christ.

A dedication to prayer and seeking the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

Rising up together in our common unity to rebuild and restore what is broken.

We must have a unified front if we are to truly repair the broken world around us. Part of the reason why the wall went unbuilt for 150 years was that the people could not get together. God remedied much of that through the ministry of Nehemiah. The big question for us today, is can we unify for the cause of Christ in our times and can we join Christ in His work around us in our day just as they did?

Truth

Some observations...

I. The priests were the first to begin the work.

The leaders in God’s family are called to lead with their example and not merely with their words.

Eliashib was the grandson of Joshua the high priest who returned to the land previously with Zerubabbel with the task of rebuilding and restoring the land.

The failure of previous generations to complete the work need not stop the currently living from picking it up and finishing it.

Many Christians today get bogged down in the failures of those who came before us, but their failures have not released us from the mandate we have in Christ nor have they diminished the authority Christ has and has sent us under.

Rather than complaining about the problems we see in the church, let us speak to them prophetically, pick up our tools, and lead by example by getting to the gospel work.

In God’s family, the calling on the leaders is actually a call to everyone.

The standard God has set for leaders is meant by God to be a call sign for us all.

Think of God’s set of standards for elders in 1 Tim and Titus.

These qualifications sound a lot like basic Christian living by design.

Rather than merely looking up to our leaders, we are to live up to their standard.

The church is called a nation of priests by the Lord.

Remember that Christ is the true High Priest who has offered Himself as the final sacrifice for our sins. Thus there are no more sacrifices to be made, but there is still much priestly work to be done. To be a priest under Christ means that we are tasked with at least four distinct works.

We live and work as a familial tribe under the headship of Christ.

We represent God to the world, making a constant appeal that they be reconciled to Him.

We represent the world before God, interceding and pleading for the Lord to work in their lives.

We carry the living sacrifice of Christ with us at all times, dispensing out the truth and power of the gospel which is Christ's and ours because we are in Him.

Any effort to rebuild what is broken in the world must be lead by God's people. We cannot wait for someone else to take the lead. We are the leaders everyone else is waiting for.

Who else could possibly begin the work other than God’s people?

Restoring the world means a return to Christ, and in Adam the world is hell bent against such a return.

Only God’s people could possess by His grace the wisdom, the power, the authority of the Son, and the redeemed desire to fill this Earth with God’s glory.

Just as it was true for Nehemiah’s people and the wall, if we do not take up this task, no one will and the world will continue to spiral out of control.

Remember Daniel and his friends? What set them apart was their commitment to follow God in the midst of a pagan world and the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

People recognize the wisdom and the power of God in God's people when we are walking in His wisdom and truth.

When the priests of the Lord arise to rebuild, others tend to follow.

When Christians who are radically committed to living lives rooted in Christ rise up, many who are not Christians will often come with us.

Take a look at nations which have a strong Christian presence. Often the entire culture will take on Christian ethics and worldview elements even if most are not truly Christian themselves.

II. Everyone worked together.

While the priests were the first to begin, all sorts of people joined in the work.

Effective rebuilding will require getting many different people involved.

Many of the community leaders, nobles, and common people of Jerusalem worked side by side.

Even people from several communities surrounding Jerusalem joined in the work.

Seeing the walls around Jerusalem rebuilt was a matter of national pride for many and would help the entire region feel more safe and secure.

Jerusalem was considered by many to be the epicenter of Jewish culture even as it is today. It was the place from which the kings from the Davidic line had ruled and it’s thriving was a symbol of the Lord’s ongoing presence and work in the world.

We must also consider that Jerusalem can be seen to metaphorically represent God’s kingdom on Earth.

This is why Jerusalem has so often been opposed but it is also the reason why it is so loved and cherished by many.

If the standing walls in Jerusalem served to give a sense of peace and confidence to the people living in that part of the world, consider also how a strong and well protected church can help bring peace and prosperity all over the world.

Wherever the Church is, God’s kingdom is present and hope is alive.

We must work all the more at preserving the Church in our culture, even if all we can preserve is this little church we have right here. We must rebuild what is broken in us, aligning ourselves with Christ more fully not only for our good, but for the good of all around us and for God’s glory.

III. There were dissenters (5).

Not all of God’s people were on board with the restoration project.

Sometimes even leaders and nobles make unholy alliances with the rulers of this world.

“The fashionable part of Jerusalem was in virtual league with the enemies of God.” -Lange’s Commentary

There are always those who claim to be a part of God’s family who are actually sons of the Devil. There often seek to subvert the work of Christ in the world from within His Church.

Beware false teachers, false prophets, and so called “super apostles” who deny the scriptures and seek to set themselves as the authority over us rather than Christ.

Also beware sloths who act as if the work is not urgent and who are always trying to tone down those who are zealous for the Lord’s work and His gospel message.

IV. Each group worked where they were assigned.

It seems that Nehemiah assigned people to generally work around their neighborhood, or their place of work, or at a unique craft which they were skilled in.

This is a good reminder for us that we can only be responsible for our part of the Lord’s work.

It isn’t helpful for us to obsess over what others are doing in other places, that only distracts us from our part of the work.

We must be focused and committed to working right where we are, within the broken section which the Lord has assigned our church to.

V. The Lord’s presence was apparent.

When was the last time you saw an entire group of people get after a task together with such unity? Rich, poor, noble, common all worked side by side. There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit was behind this.

One of the ways the world can sense God’s presence is by the uncommon unity of His people regardless of our minor differences.

In the world you can get cancelled in you sneeze wrong, but in God’s house there is abounding grace towards one another because of the grace we have experienced in Christ.

Gospel Application

Christ, our true and better High Priest has taken up the work of rebuilding and restoring this broken world.

Revelation 21:5 NASB 2020

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

Hebrews 4:14–16 NASB 2020

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.

Hebrews 8:6 NASB 2020

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

If Christ is our High Priest, and we are a nation of priests under Him, then His work is our work.

God is the great High Priest who has offered up Himself as the sacrifice to pay for the sins of the world. We are those who have been redeemed through Him and we join Him in His work to reconcile as many as possible to Him and to transform the world through bringing His kingdom to bear in every place throughout the world.

2 Corinthians 5:16–21 NASB 2020

Therefore from now on we recognize no one by the flesh; even though we have known Christ by the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Matthew 28:18–20 NASB 2020

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

It is helpful for each of us to consider which aspects of our lives are in sync with the call of Christ, and which aspects are out of sync.

Challenge

What does rebuilding around us look like? What do we see Christ doing?

John 5:19 NASB 2020

Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way.

What are the tools Christ has given us as a community? Are we stewarding what God has given us in the best possible way?

The problem in most churches is not that we lack knowledge or gifting. Of course there is always room for growth, but the American church is very blessed. What we often lack is the motivation to do God’s work in God’s way and to dedicate ourselves to working with the church God has planted us in to accomplish His purposes rather than going at it like a bunch of Lone Ranger Christians.

Christ has ordained the local church as His plan for carrying out His work. We are only maximally effective when we take on this work together.

So what is God saying to you about this? How can you position your life so that you are doing God’s work in God’s way with God’s people most effectively?

Big Idea: A true rebuilding work is a team effort, and everyone playing his or her role matters. In fact, in order for God’s purposes to be worked out in our world, God’s family must work together.

Our challenge is to unify around Christ like the people in Nehemiah’s day unified around him. We myst rise to the work right where we are, focusing on where we have opportunity and influence first.

What does God want to rebuild in you and your household?

What does God want to rebuild in our church?

What does God want to rebuild in our neighborhoods through us?