Intro:

We’ve been journeying through the incredible story of Nehemiah, and before diving into the next chapter this morning, I want to take us back to when Israel first entered the Promised Land.

After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, they stood on the banks of the Jordan River, ready to step into the Promised Land. But first a leadership transition was required.

God, in His sovereignty, had Moses publicly appoint Joshua to lead them forward. And as Joshua led the people across the Jordan, they were immediately faced with their first major challenge: the fortified city of Jericho.

Some may know the story and others may not… Let me summarize it for you… …

God gave Israel a seemingly impossible task: march around the city for six days, then march seven times on the seventh day, blow trumpets, and shout. It sounded absurd, but they obeyed. And through their faith and obedience, God accomplished the impossible—Jericho’s walls came tumbling down.

It was a moment of triumph, a significant milestone. But was the mission over? Could they now relax, having completed their great task for the Lord? No, far from it. That was just the first assignment. The mission of taking the Promised Land had only begun.

But Israel faltered. While they achieved partial victories, by the end of Joshua’s life, the mission was left incomplete. They settled into the areas they had conquered, leaving significant portions of the Promised Land untouched. This partial obedience became outright disobedience, and God confronted them in Judges 2:2, saying, “… But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?”

That’s a great question!… Why did they stop short?… May I suggest that it is the same reason we often stop short… Success, as wonderful as it is, can be dangerous. It can tempt us to believe we’ve arrived, that we’ve done enough.

“I’ve read through the Bible—my work is done.”

“I taught Sunday School for a year—that’s my part.”

“I shared the gospel, and someone accepted Christ—I’ve accomplished what I needed to.”

But these moments of success are not the end; they are stepping stones. Jericho wasn’t the culmination of Israel’s mission; it was the starting point.

Similarly, the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall—a miraculous accomplishment in just 52 days—wasn’t the ultimate goal. It was only one assignment in God’s larger mission for His people: to be a light to the nations and a witness to His glory.

Nehemiah understood this truth. He knew the wall was just the beginning. The real work—restoring the community to live as God’s people—was still ahead. That’s where Nehemiah 7 leads us:

Sharing Responsibility

Sharing the responsibilities of God’s mission among His people.

As we turn to Nehemiah chapter 7, I want to look at how Nehemiah, as a godly leader, shared responsibilities to ensure the mission continued beyond the initial success of rebuilding the wall.

We will only read the first few verses, but technically we are going to cover the entire chapter...

(Read vv. 1-3)

Meat:

This 7th chapter of Nehemiah serves as a point of transition—a bridge between the physical restoration of Jerusalem’s walls and the spiritual and communal restoration of the people.

Up to this point, the focus has been on rebuilding and securing the city, ensuring it could stand strong against external threats. But now, the attention shifts inward, to the people themselves—their identity, their purpose, and their relationship with God.

This transitional chapter prepares us for the next phase of the mission, where Nehemiah begins to organize and empower the Nation of Israel to live out their calling as God’s chosen people… And Nehemiah is set the example, for us as godly leaders, to see the importance of sharing responsibility…

First of all…

Sharing leadership responsibilities is important because:

1. The Burden is Heavy

Leadership can be tough. It comes with a lot of pressure, like making decisions, solving problems, and keeping everything on track. Trying to do it all alone can lead to stress, burnout, and mistakes. Sharing the load makes the work easier and more effective.

The reality is…

1.1 Everyone has Limitations

When the task is big and the stakes are high, no one person can handle everything. Nehemiah's mission to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls was massive. It required planning, coordination, leadership, and oversight, all while facing opposition from enemies and managing the morale of the people… He knew that he couldn’t do it on his own…

And now that the wall is complete and he’s ready to move on to phase 2 - the restoration of the people - in his wisdom, he knows that he cannot do that on his own either… and so he starts to delegate.

To summarize v.1, it states that - after the wall was built and the gates were hung, Nehemiah appointed gatekeepers, singers and Levites…

Delegating these tasks allowed Nehemiah to stay focused on the specific task that God had laid on his heart.

As godly leaders, we must humbly acknowledge that we cannot do it all on our own. When we try to shoulder everything ourselves, we not only hinder the progress of the mission God has entrusted to us, but we also rob others of the opportunity to get involved, grow spiritually, and experience the blessings that come from serving the Lord.

I also think it is worth noting that… Sharing leadership responsibilities because the burden is heavy… is…

1.2 A Biblical Principle

Turn with me back to the book of Exodus… chapter 18…

In Exodus 18, Moses has lead Israel out of Egypt, they have crossed the Red Sea, they have gotten water out of a rock for the first time… and now they are stopping for a family visit at the In-laws…

In vv. 1-16 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, visits Moses in the wilderness after hearing of God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Jethro brings Moses’ wife, Zipporah, and their sons, who had been sent back to him earlier. Moses recounts the Lord’s mighty works of rescue and provision, prompting Jethro to rejoice, praise God, and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

The next day, Jethro observes Moses spending all his time resolving disputes among the people. When he asks Moses why he is handling everything alone, Moses explains that the people come to him to seek God’s will and settle conflicts.

And this is where we will pick up the passage… (Read vv.17-27)

God Didn’t Design Leadership to Be a Solo Job…

Look at sports… I’m a baseball fan, so we will use that as an example…

The General Manager - the main guy that is accountable for how the team performs… but he doesn’t do it on his own… he’s got…

The pitching coach staff

The hitting coach staff

The conditioning coach staff

First base coach

Third base coach

A plethora of office staff

Ball boys or girls

Media Representatives

This list could go on…

Look at marriage, yes the husband is the head of the household, but he cannot lead effectively without the help and support of his wife.

In ministry, Scripture teaches that we’re all part of the body of Christ, with different gifts and roles that we are supposed to use as we work together to share the Gospel.

As much as we like to think we can at times… the reality is, no one can do everything alone… … As godly leaders we need to know when to ask for help and involve others in the work by sharing the responsibility.

Next… Sharing responsibility is important because…

2. It Builds Structure

For the most part, our members and regular attenders know what to expect when they walk through our doors…

A smiling face will probably greet you at the door

Kids will be running around a bit

Once service starts, we’ll sing a song

Have a time of meet and greet

We’ll have announcements, Dave’s Scripture reading and then offering

Sing a few more songs

And then Pastor preaches for an undisclosed amount of time…

If a visitor comes in and wonders what the service will be like, all they have to do is look at the bulletin and get a pretty good idea of how things will flow.

Imagine what a Sunday would be like if we threw that structure out the window...

Walk in and no one greets you - who’s responsibility was it to be at the door this morning??

No bulletin to look at - who’s responsibility was it to be print those this week??

No songs to sing- who’s responsibility was it to pick those out? … and who’s gonna play them?? … who’s gonna lead them???

Who’s reading the announcements? - Nobody, because there’s no bulletin with them listed…

Who’s taking up offering?

(Walk down and sit on the front pew)… I wonder who’s going to preach today?… whoever it is, I really hope they’re done by noon…

When we share responsibility, it builds structure…

Nehemiah did this…

2.1 By Assigning Specific Roles

v.1 talks about the Gatekeepers, the singers and the Levites…

The gatekeepers are important because they were tasked with guarding the gates of Jerusalem, ensuring the city's security and also protecting its purity.

Nehemiah 7:3 “ And I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut and bar the doors; and appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, one at his watch station and another in front of his own house.”

Pastor, I understand the security to keep the bad guys out.. but what do you mean they had to protect the purity??

Well… For example, if an Idol maker or Idol seller showed up at the gate, those gate keepers were to say, sorry, that’s not allowed in here. We serve the One True God and He has instructed us not to make or worship any sort of Idol.

Now can things get smuggled in… of course they can… but the gate keepers were the first line of defence as people entered the city.

Now, this leads to a question… do we have gate keepers in our lives to help keep us pure?… As godly leaders we need spiritual "gatekeepers" in our lives to help keep us pure, because Satan’s biggest area that he loves to attack, is the area of purity.

We need to have a few trusted individuals who will support us in making wise decisions, hold us accountable, and encourage us to stay focused on our relationship with Christ… … …

Nehemiah also appointed singers…

Their main responsibility was to lead the people in song and praise to God, particularly in the context of temple worship, as singing was often part of the daily and special offerings to God.

So, the singers not only led in musical performance but also contributed to the spiritual health of the people, helping them focus their hearts on God.

Then Nehemiah appointed the Levites…

They were responsible for assisting the priests in performing sacrifices and other temple duties.

And as we will see in Chapter 8, During the reading of the Law by Ezra, the Levites helped explain the scriptures to the people, ensuring they understood the commandments and the importance of repentance and obedience.

Nehemiah was appointing specific people to specific positions in order to start building the structure of both the physical city and the spiritual life of the Nation of Israel.

These appointed individuals weren’t only fulfilling practical duties; they played a crucial role in strengthening the spiritual foundation necessary for Israel to grow.

That being said, it is evident that Nehemiah was selective in the people he chose… he required more than just a warm, breathing individual…

He built structure…

2.2 By Assigning Specific Characteristics

I skipped over v. 2 before, lets look at it now… starting with v.1 because it all goes together…

Nehemiah 7:1–2 “Then it was, when the wall was built and I had hung the doors, when the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2 that I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.”

Artexerxes had made Nehemiah Governor of Judea before he travelled to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall and now Nehemiah is assigning the role of Mayor to Hanani and Captain of the guard to Hananiah. Basically, these two became his second in command.

And he chose them, not for their looks, not for their people skills, not for their public speaking abilities, not for their bank accounts… not just because they were breathing and willing to fill the positions…

He chose them because of their faithful, God fearing character…

this was exactly the type of person that Jethro told Moses to put in charge…

Exodus 18:21 (NASB95)

21 “Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain...

Character matters! Our character is what shapes our decisions, relationships, and actions. As godly leaders, our character should reflect integrity, trustworthiness and faithfulness to God… Skills can be developed, but faithfulness is a continual choice that reflects a heart aligned with God’s purposes.

Skills will fade, but a faithful leader, grounded in godly character, will leave an enduring impact for God’s kingdom.

As we share responsibility with others in order to build structure, we need to make sure that we are assigning roles that fit the individual and that the individuals we are assigning exhibit a godly character.

Lastly today… Sharing responsibility is important because…

3. It Sets an Example for Future Generations

Nehemiah 7:4–6 “Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and the houses were not rebuilt.

5 Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be registered by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who had come up in the first return, and found written in it:

6 These are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his city.”

I hope that you will forgive me, but I am not going to read all of these names today… however, vv. 66&67 say…

Nehemiah 7:66–67 “Altogether the whole assembly was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, 67 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred and forty-five men and women singers.”

These are the individuals who returned to Jerusalem after exile, showing their dedication to restoring God’s city and worship despite the many challenges it would entail.

Their willingness to leave the comfort and prosperity of Babylon to rebuild the walls and reestablish their spiritual heritage highlights their priority of fulfilling God’s mission over living in a place of convenience.

Their legacy inspires future generations to remain faithful to God, prioritize His work, and cherish their spiritual heritage.

This list of names may not really mean that much to us today, but I can mention a few names of individuals, that I had the privilege to know, who left an example for the future generations of Pierson Bible Church to follow…

Ray Borema

Steve Ziny

Jim McMeeken

Rich Guyott

Jake Sheber

Denise Veltkamp

These are just a few, who have made it to their heavenly home, that shared in the responsibilities of making sure that Pierson Bible Church continues to be a light in this community.

Closing:

When our time on earth is done… are we living and serving in such a way that our names could be added to the list?

Are we doing our part to help carry the heavy burden of ministry?

Are we a positive part of the structure that makes up Pierson Bible Church?

Are we setting the right… … a godly example for the future generations who will come after us?

I pray that we are…

Prayer: