Here for We

Introduction

Yesterday, we were faced with a question. Do you think God is worthy of it all? Do you think God deserves the praise we give him?

And so we were left with a sense of trying to figure our if we are actually here for him or if we are saying the things we need to say in order to give off the illusion that we are here for him.

Are you here for him?

Nehemiah certainly was.

Once I heard the voice of God speak clearly in my life that it was time to get to work, I was afraid. For the very first time I felt like there was pressure for me to do better and be better in my faith. I started trying to find ways to perform the way any athlete would. I started finding rhythms and disciplines so that I could say that I am putting my faith first. I started serving even more than I had been before, it areas I hadn’t before. I taught myself how to play the guitar so I could sing hymns on a Sunday morning and finally it felt like I was doing what God wanted me to do.

But there was still something in me that felt empty and purposeless. It was as if the things that I was doing to “practice my faith” wasn’t translating to actual gameplay and so I felt discouraged and angry with God because once again I was in a place where I felt alone.

It was the first time I realized what would be the most important aspect of my faith. It was never meant to be alone.

What does it mean to be here for “we”

Today’s question I will ask you is, “Do you feel lonely or alone?”

Nehemiah Chapter 2 ends with Nehemiah’s powerful statement.

Nehemiah 2:20 NIV

20 I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”

Nehemiah understood the collective nature of how this wall was going to be built. It wasn’t a one a man show and he knew that he couldn’t do it alone. As he recounts, we open to chapter 3.

Nehemiah 3 NIV

1 Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zakkur son of Imri built next to them. 3 The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. 4 Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs. 5 The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors. 6 The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. 7 Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah—Melatiah of Gibeon and Jadon of Meronoth—places under the authority of the governor of Trans-Euphrates. 8 Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section. 10 Adjoining this, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs next to him. 11 Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. 12 Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters. 13 The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. They also repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Dung Gate. 14 The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Rekab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. 15 The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Kol-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofing it over and putting its doors and bolts and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam, by the King’s Garden, as far as the steps going down from the City of David. 16 Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes. 17 Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him, Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district. 18 Next to him, the repairs were made by their fellow Levites under Binnui son of Henadad, ruler of the other half-district of Keilah. 19 Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section, from a point facing the ascent to the armory as far as the angle of the wall. 20 Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the entrance of Eliashib’s house to the end of it. 22 The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region. 23 Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house. 24 Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from Azariah’s house to the angle and the corner, 25 and Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the angle and the tower projecting from the upper palace near the court of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh 26 and the temple servants living on the hill of Ophel made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower. 27 Next to them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section, from the great projecting tower to the wall of Ophel. 28 Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29 Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shekaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs. 30 Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters. 31 Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the corner; 32 and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.

The collective is greater its individual power and talent.

The names Nehemiah lists here are the men who rebuilt Jerusalem from ruin.

They were Israel. They were the collective “we.” Nehemiah was never going to do this on his own and he knew that. One [pair of brothers gets this section of the wall and the other guy gets this section of the wall and everyone played their part in reconstruction that which had been torn apart.

When we understand the vision for what God has for our lives, we begin to understand that, even in the moments when it seems like it is more about our own personal faith, it is not meant to be an individual faith.

The difference between personal and individual is that personal implies ownership. This is my faith. This is my challenge. This is my struggle. This is my victory. This is my salvation. There is accountability when we claim something as ours and take ownership of it. But there is a line.

Individual takes it across that line. It says this faith is ONLY mine. This is ONLY my struggle. This is NO ONE else’s victory. This is MY SOLITARY salvation. Instead of accountability and ownership, you cross a line to get into self-centeredness. This is mine and only mine.

When we do that, we fail to understand the most important aspect of our faith and that is that it’s meant to be shared.

One might bring upon loneliness while the other makes you feel alone.

So are you lonely or alone?

For me, I felt lonely. I looked around a church full of people that just wanted me to succeed and felt like I wasn’t taking part in the same faith they were. They seemed happy and joyful in their faith, in their church. Although I understood at that point in my life that God had called me to something far greater than I could understand, I still craved the feeling of joy that I saw on everyone else’s face. I was lonely. But I was not alone. I came to find out when I got to college that the discovery process of my faith is a collective feeling. Like me, there were so many people that thought they were alone in their struggle because they felt lonely.

Can you relate to that?

What are the things that you struggle with tat bring upon this feeling of loneliness in your life? you would be so surprised to find out how many people have struggled or struggle with the same things you do if you asked. so ask. Even in your loneliness you are not alone.

Being part of a collective group of people means you have a family to lift you and carry you into what God has set apart for your life, but it also means trusting that they are going to do so.

The story continues in chapter 4.

Nehemiah 4 NIV

1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” 3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!” 4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders. 6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. 7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. 10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.” 11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.” 12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.” 13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” 15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work. 16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. 19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” 21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.

Being here for us. Being here for the collective we requires us to understand the space that we occupy.

imagine signing up to be part of the rebuilding crew. You think that you are going to be laying brick and building this massive wall and restoring the remnants of a city that once laid claim to the presence of God.

Then, because of the opposition happening, you get assigned to protect the wall instead. Suddenly, your job description changes. The space you occupy changed. Suddenly, you are serving God just not in the way you thought you were going to or even in the way that you want to be doing it…

Your role will change with the need and the gifts that you have and the circumstances you are in. Still as a collective whole, we can build back the wall. We can piece by piece begin to scale the magnitude of our faith it cannot help but bring upon more opposition.

Some of us are called to build the wall. To take sections and physically do the work of restoring the name of Jesus and preaching to anyone who is willing to hear it. Others are called to defend the all. To make sure that in the midst of rebuilding, the opposition cannot and will not get in the way of work of the Lord.

But once cannot exist without the other. One cannot cannot do the work of rebuilding without those protecting and if no one is building there is nothing to protect.

How are you occupying the space that is yours for the collective “we.” How are you HERE for (the collective) WE?

In college I started to fill the gaps in my faith and for the first time I understood what a community of people looked like. I had some friends that were like brothers. They took care of me and helped me get to a healthy version of myself. I had accountability partners that wouldn't let me fall back into patterns of sin that distorted my view of the world. I had people that knew when I needed to get away and go to the beach or a Dodgers game or Disneyland. I had people that challenged what I believed so that my faith could become personal and not individual. Together we started to build the wall that enclose the temple that my body was so that it could do what it was created to do and I could be who I was created to be to live the purpose that God had for my life.

And so I ask you, who is your collective “we.” What are the areas of your life where people need to step to help you build the portions of your faith, the wall that is your faith, that seem to keep failing apart?