Restoring Community

Introduction

True restoration comes not just from individual efforts but from a committed community united in purpose and faith in God.

Good morning!

Please keep your Bibles open to Nehemiah 7. I don’t suppose anyone hear is familiar with the fact that there is a pretty big game happening later today. My family and I are not big sports people - we follow enough to know that there is a big game in February and there will more than likely be a party somewhere that we will go to and enjoy spending time with people watching a game that we honestly couldn’t care less about. This year is a bit more special than normal because the closest thing we have to a home team is playing, but nonetheless, we are not going for the game, but for the people. The SuperBowl is more than just a championship football game, it has become a cultural and community-wide event that works marvelously well at bridging gaps within the community and provides opportunity for real community to take place.

This is a really large passage that we are moving through today, and from the outset, it looked as if it would be similar to preaching out of the book of Numbers - where there is a lot of genealogical information involved. However, what we see is the essential re-birth of the community in Jerusalem under Nehemiah’s leadership. The first project he was commissioned to do is complete, now he is focusing on the big question… “Now what?” What is next for the people of Jerusalem and how will they get there? We will see more projects as we continue through the book, but for now, Nehemiah starts by looking at the basic needs for the longevity of a community under God in Jerusalem.

We can’t forget that there was a civilization in Judah that was carried off to Babylon after teh city was completely decimated. They were in exile for 70 years and were on the brink of losing their culture, their heritage and their connection to God as children of Abraham. The big risk for this community spread through the world at that time was to follow the same folly as the northern 10 tribes of Israel, and intermarry with their captors, being integrated into a foreign society and losing their identity as Israelites. God was not going to allow that to happen. He promised that as He scattered the people for their infidelity, He would gather them and bring them back to the Promised Land because of His great love.

We also know that the promised Messiah would still be coming from one of the remaining tribes of Israel, and God was in the process of preparing a way for Him. The nation of Israel used to consist of 12 Tribes from the 12 sons of Jacob. However, 10 of these were assimilated into the Neo-Assyrian Empire, who would become the Samaritans of Jesus’ day, Babylonians with Israelite heritage and Cuthah’s with Israelite heritage. They were no longer Israelites, but members of the gentile nations surrounding God’s chosen people.

In the Old Testament, we see the blessing of God pass through the patriarchs, with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, when God then uses the 13 sons of Jacob to secure a future for their lineage by settling in Egypt, where they would eventually be taken as labor slaves, cry out to God for deliverance and be lead by Moses out of Egypt to the Promised Land. All the while, there was a blessing being passed down, eventually landing on Judah, through whom many of the Kings would come, specifically King David - whose line would pave the way for Jesus Christ.

In Nehemiah’s day, much of their history and cultural sense of community has been lost. Many of the people there grew up in captivity and needed to be reminded about the mission they were on from God. But in order to do this, God uses Nehemiah to help rebuild Israel’s sense of community. They didn’t have Superbowl parties, but they did share a common ancestry with the patriarchs, with the heroes of Scripture whose faith in God became a model for his people to follow. God is using Nehemiah for a specific purpose, and today we are looking at one big foundational idea that:

True restoration comes not just from individual efforts but from a committed community united in purpose and faith in God.

If you are a big note taker, here is a brief overview of our outline today:

Recognizing Real Priorities (7:4-5)

Recollecting Our Heritage (7:6-43)

Roles In Restoration (7:44-73)

Recognizing Real Priorities (7:4-5)

Nehemiah 7:4–5 CSB

4 The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been built yet. 5 Then my God put it into my mind to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by genealogy. I found the genealogical record of those who came back first, and I found the following written in it:

One of the first things I caught as I was reading this is that it says that no houses had been built yet. I thought it strange because earlier, it was very clear to say that whether at their homes or at work, they were vigilant against enemy attacks. So it begs the question - if no houses had been built yet, what were their homes like up to this point? This does require a bit of conjecture because Scripture doesn’t tell us one way or the other, but we know that Jerusalem had been destroyed in the days of Jeremiah when the Babylonians came to take the Jews into exile. More than likely, those who had returned were using the ruins of previous generations as temporary, make-shift shelters, waiting for the time to come when they would be safe and secure enough to build actual, permanent homes for themselves.

In order to have a community, what is the most important thing you need? People! And what do people need most? One of the most basic needs people have is shelter - Nehemiah is prioritizing his people’s needs in his efforts moving forward - the Lord had put this on his heart and gave him the wisdom and direction to focus on it. The wall is built and the city is relatively safe from potential threats. Now the work on the city - inside the walls - can really begin. Nehemiah apparently fixes his sights on housing and making the people there and who would also be returning later have access to housing.

The second priority that was important for Nehemiah to address here is that there wasn’t a whole lot of organization done in terms of knowing who was there. Historically, the Israelites were “categorized” by which tribes they belonged to - from the original 12 sons of Jacob. So Nehemiah says that God put it on his mind to assemble all the people and get them registered by their genealogical families. So he assembled them together to register - almost like a census. Nehemiah makes it clear in how he words this that the act of counting the people was approved by God and not in the same vein as when Satan enticed David to count the people of Israel in…

1 Chronicles 21:1 CSB

1 Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to count the people of Israel.

You see, Satan wanted David, in that instance, to substitute his faith in God for confidence in the numbers of the kingdom. It was a matter of getting David to take his trust away from God and put it on to himself. Same enemy, different day, same tricks, right? The enemy will do what he can to take our focus and gaze off the Lord and encourage us to put our trust in ourselves, right? And why does he do that? Because when our trust is in ourselves, when we are operating in our own power, we are vulnerable because we are nothing special in-and-of ourselves - we are only special and valuable because of the relationship with have with God through Christ! His blood makes us worthy and valuable - nothing we’ve done ourselves! So if the enemy can separate us from our reliance on God and get us to look to ourselves, he’s got us cornered in his trap.

But there’s a little trick that boxers like to play when this kind of thing happens in the ring - it’s called a rope a dope - otherwise known as “Genius Disguised As Losing,” and Muhammad Ali was the master of this! Your opponent gets you in the corner and is wailing away at you, and you are focusing 100% of your effort on resting on the ropes and defending yourself against incoming jabs and punches. Once you’ve had a chance to rest and recharge your battery, your opponent is now pretty tired from beating on you without making any headway - so now you’re free to go beat the snot out of him!

Satan will try to get you into a corner and separate you from the source of your strength - don’t let him! When you are going through things in life that are hard and uncomfortable, lean more and more into Jesus and let the Devil tire himself on trying to get you to slip up! Recharge your battery by being in the Word and with your community of faith, then go back out on the offense when you’re ready! Don’t ever let anyone take your attention, gaze and focus off the Lord!

The census that Nehemiah is performing here is, rather, from God and for the purpose of administering and fostering the informed and responsible leadership the community needs. To know who he is responsible to care for, Nehemiah first needs to get a baseline of who is there. It is a cooperative effort between the leadership of the community and the community itself. Nobody really wants to go through the hassle of registering for a census or participate in the seemingly endless surveys that go along with them, but the information they provide can be invaluable to a leader and governing authorities, so the community willingly participates for their own good too.

There were to be certain responsibilities from those living inside Jerusalem’s walls that might not be the same as those who lived outside the city walls - including gatekeepers, guards, etc. The census has been thought by many to have been to divide those responsibilities among the people fairly by giving the added benefit of living inside Jerusalem’s walls (like safety and security) in fair and equal measure to those who had returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel in the book of Ezra. Nehemiah is planning housing alongside the census in order to be a fair and equitable leader, and their cooperation with him was essential for it to succeed.

True restoration comes not just from individual efforts but from a committed community united in purpose and faith in God.

Recollecting Our Heritage (7:6-43)

Nehemiah 7:6-43

There is a history of faith passed down through the generations. All the way from the days of the Early Church to now, someone shared the gospel with someone else, who then shared the gospel with someone else, all the way through the centuries that have so far culminated in the fact that at some point, hopefully, someone has shared the gospel with you, and God has used that to bring you to faith in Jesus Christ.

What we see in this portion of our passage is a list of names and numbers that represent more than mere facts, but history. It shows how God was faithful to these families by bringing them back from exile to rebuild and start over new with their covenant with God.

I’m not going to ask you to sit through me struggling with the names or bore you with the numbers, but let me point out one thing to consider with this list. Pick out any given name, say Parosh, who God faithfully brought back 2172 of his descendants back to Judah at this point Nehemiah’s narrative. Parosh doesn’t just have to be a name, but if we think a little more about what a name is, it is a small print that represents a life with a story!

Have you ever walked through a cemetery and read the headstones? I encourage you to do it sometime. Allow yourself to wonder who those people were - what they were like, how well they lived or even if they knew Jesus or not. Maybe even allow yourself to wonder if there are still people here who remember them. One of the most interesting things you will see on these headstones, though, is that they normally give the date of birth, and their date of death. The interesting part comes in between them - there’s a dash. That simple little mark is used to represent the entirety of that person’s life. Most of the time, the only information we have on people after they’re gone are their names and dates - we don’t get to see much about their lives.

Parosh was a man who descendants returned with Zerubbabel. We don’t get much other than that - however, we learn that his descendants are a huge part of helping with the efforts to rebuild the wall

Nehemiah 3:25 CSB

25 Palal son of Uzai made repairs opposite the Angle and tower that juts out from the king’s upper palace, by the courtyard of the guard. Beside him Pedaiah son of Parosh

We also see that this family was there when the covenant was sealed in

Nehemiah 10:14 CSB

14 The heads of the people were Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

(we’ll get there later).

But each of these names in Nehemiah 7:6-43 aren’t just names, but they are part of the heritage and community of God’s people. Nehemiah is taking stock of who has come back so he knows who is there and what families they come from in hopes to be able to lead them better. But there are so many names here, and next to the names are listed how many of their descendants came back - a number totalling 42,360 people from the families alone - not including any servants they may have had, or even the 245 singers that were among them.

These people were coalescing from different places after having spent 70 years in exile to then merge back into Judah. They had a similar family background, but more than likely lived out the exile with very different circumstances among them. But now their task - under Nehemiah’s leadership - was to take their different backgrounds and build a community from a group of very different people.

It is reminiscent of the church - isn’t it? We have people from all sorts of backgrounds who come to hear the word of the Lord, to lift their voices in praise and worship to God and to fellowship with other believers. Now, I have a book I’d like to recommend to you - it’s called “The Compelling Community: Where God’s Power Makes A Church Attractive” by Mark Dever. The book contrasts a “Gospel-Plus” community (relationships based on shared interests or demographics) with a “Gospel-Revealing” community, where the bond exists only because of the gospel.

It’s not to say that ministries based on demographics are bad, but it tries to emphasize that until the Gospel of Jesus Christ becomes our truest bond as a community of faith, there will be limits to the extent of unity the church can have. If we are focused on ministering to people like us, we leave others out. If we are focused on getting to know only those people with similar backgrounds as us, our relationships with them are based more on those various commonalities than the common connection we share as brothers and sisters in the Gospel. Jesus should be our primary bond within the church - everything else is ancillary.

In the New Testament, Paul teaches that the church is one body - one community of faith that consists of many different parts who all serve the body in different ways.

He says:

1 Corinthians 12:12–27 CSB

12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink. 14 Indeed, the body is not one part but many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. 19 And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable. 23 And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect, 24 which our respectable parts do not need. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, 25 so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. 26 So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.

Remember that Nehemiah is trying to bring about restoration in the Jewish community in Jerusalem and that it would require all these different parts working together - he mentions specifically the more prominent families, the converts, the priests, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants, among others. All these different people came together with the different skills God gave them to help build the community.

Isn’t that almost an exact picture of what the church is? We should - each of us - be committed to using our gifts, talents and passions to contribute to what the Lord may want to accomplish in the community.

True restoration comes not just from individual efforts but from a committed community united in purpose and faith in God.

Roles in Restoration (7:44-73)

Nehemiah 7:44-73

In the last part of this passage, Nehemiah specifically points out those who had historically had roles within the community - like the Levites as priests, the gatekeeps and the singers. It shows that the heritage of honor among these groups was to be respected and potentially even continue into the future. These people - by God’s grace and the bloodlines they were born into - were given special privileges and honors in Israel because it was how God had established things. There was a remnant of Levites who hadn’t been assimilated along with the other 10 Tribes of Israel by the Assyrians - and God established the Levites as the priestly tribe - they got no inheritance other than their service and the support of the nation for their service. It was built into their society early in the time of Moses and Aaron.

In order to restore the community, Nehemiah recognizes the need to restore these roles to what God had intended, so noting them specifically on the census was important because he was then able to make informed decisions about the reality of their situation. He didn’t have to ponder what the ideal situation would be and how to get there - he could say, “These are the resources we have and this is what we are going to do with them…” It wasn’t about keeping the status quo because that had been demolished and decimated by 70 years in exile - this was about restoring a sense of community within the community and aligning that community with what the Lord had previously established.

I mentioned just a little bit ago how much this resembles the church. God gave specific roles to people with different gifts and expects us to cooperate with Him, His leadership as the Head of the church and with the leaders He appoints over the church as well. We are all supposed to use our gifts, whether they be in teaching and preaching, music, technology, hospitality, evangelism, leadership, administration, whatever! We are supposed to use those to benefit the community God has placed us in.

1 Peter 4:10 CSB

10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.

What we have been given has been given so that we can contribute to the larger community and live out our God-given role in the community. Not all gifts are extremely obvious - some need to be honed and developed - and that can take a long time. My first several sermons were probably not all that good! But I believe that God has blessed my time in the pulpit and has helped me to develop certain skills and gifts to allow me to serve in the capacity He placed me in.

If we remember that our passage today is focusing on the restoration and rebuilding of the community and think of the roles God has called us to specifically within our community, I believe this passage steps out of the realm of the theoretical and historical and becomes massively applicable to us today.

How are we using our gifts to benefit the people in our community? What are we doing to advance the cause of Christ with the gifts He gave us to do so? It looks different for everyone! It could be making breakfast early on a Saturday, it could be running the sound board for service, it could be making coffee for folks as they come to church - it could be preaching and teaching from the pulpit! But what are we doing to use our gifts? I have specifically challenged some within the church to consider what God has equipped them to do and to consider how their refusal to do it - regardless of their reason - is not only refusal to contribute to their community, but also a failure to comply with commands from the Lord.

The same way we cooperate with our leaders for our own benefit within the community, we need to cooperate first and foremost with Christ. If we don’t have the drive and ambition to submit to the Headship and Lordship of Christ in our lives, being part of a community devoted to Him is really pointless. I believe that the church is a good place for people to be - whether they are believers or not! They can come and hear about Jesus and get a better understanding of His word, be introduced to people who can help them understand the gospel better, etc. However, I believe firmly that the church is first and foremost a place for believers in Jesus and a community of followers of Jesus - a community needs to have shared goals and directives, and ours come from our relationship with Jesus Christ. We commit to His teachings, we commit to His commands and we commit to operating in the world as ambassadors of Christ together as a community.

When people say, “I love God but I don’t need to go to church…” the first thought in my head is, “uh, oh! here we go again!” If you are a believer - you need to go to church if you are physically capable of doing so. If you make it a habit not to go to church, you are sinning.

Hebrews 10:24–25 CSB

24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

We are supposed to be in community with one another - Scripture commands it and our souls need it. We are supposed to be cooperating together and doing life together - not buying into the hyper-individualistic lifestyle the world would have us emulate - we need to be in community together! This passage is about the restoration of that community - God has placed us - as broken people - into a community of broken people - to do life with broken people. We won’t get it perfect, but we can at least strive to get along as part of our act of worship and obedience to Christ!

Romans 12:1–2 CSB

1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

True restoration comes not just from individual efforts but from a committed community united in purpose and faith in God.

Conclusion

True restoration comes not just from individual efforts but from a committed community united in purpose and faith in God.

Let’s Pray.

Before we dismiss for the day, I do have one last thing I would like to take a moment to speak with you about - especially since we have been talking about community. My goal as your pastor for the last year has been to preach the word and to shepherd people the way I felt the Lord was leading and guiding me to. Unfortunately, as you all are well-aware, I was diagnosed last year with a terminal and incurable form of brain cancer. In September, I underwent brain surgery where a portion of my brain was removed to attempt to remove the tumor as much as possible. We found out during my last MRI that there was indeed a piece of the tumor left behind that is too deep to get to, and if I am honest, I am unwilling to go through another brain surgery or ask my family to endure it again. Through this entire ordeal, I have strived to be open and transparent about my experience and how I am doing, so that if nothing else, I could hopefully be an example in the midst of this kind of suffering.

In our January board meeting, I announced to them that my condition has not only not been improving, but it has unfortunately seemed to be headed in the opposite direction. My cancer and the surgery I underwent as treatment for it has left me in a position where it has become increasingly more difficult to function at the level I need to in order to lead well. When the doctors told us about what kind of cancer I have, the fact that it is incurable and will eventually run its full course, we knew that there would eventually come a time when I would need to medically retire from work and from ministry to focus on my health. I did put the cabinet shop out of business last year as I wasn’t able to keep up with the expenses it was incurring and I wasn’t able to safely operate the machinery anymore. What we weren’t aware of until very recently though, was how difficult it would be to function with a decent-sized portion of my brain missing. Between the emotional regulation aspect and the executive functioning aspects of it, there are days I am unable to function at all. My headaches have returned and have crossed over to my right eye, which is a sign that the cancer may have spread across the hemisphere line into the left side of my brain. I am reminded of the words of Brad Arnold, the lead singer of the band 3 Doors Down who was sharing his diagnosis of stage for clear-cell renal carcinoma - which is kidney cancer that had metastasized to his lungs. When he was making the announcement, he said this: "I have no fear" and "We serve a mighty God, and he can overcome anything.” I was extatic to hear that he had been saved and was using his cancer to minister to people - encouraging them of God’s love and their value as people because of the love of Christ. Brad lost his battle to cancer yesterday and went home to be with Jesus, clinging to the fact that he had no fear and was excited to be with the Lord. That is the same mindset I am trying to adopt for myself. There are times I am afraid, but for the most part, I feel I have peace with what is happening. We do serve a mighty God who can overcome anything, but I think the biggest thing He is aiming to overcome is the anxiety and lack of peace I would have otherwise had I not known Christ as my savior. I have peace with this because I am firmly in Christ’s hands.

Through prayer and time in the word, my conviction that a pastor needs to be a shepherd for the community has only become stronger and stronger. Unfortunately, I realize more and more that my ability to be that shepherd is diminishing because of my health and cognitive limitations I am facing. With all this in mind, after speaking with the board, seeking wisdom and counsel from others in the Christian community and in an attempt to walk in the direction we are sensing from the Lord, I have tendered my resignation to the board as the pastor of Sprague Community Church, effective at the end of April, 2026.

We will be speaking more about this and what it means at our annual meeting coming up on (I believe) March 1st or March 8th? What I want to communicate first and foremost is my appreciation to you and to the board for allowing me to serve in this capacity for the last year. When I originally came to Sprague in 2021 as a pulpit supply minister with Eagle Summit Ministries, I wanted to meet new people and get reps from the pulpit so I could get better at preaching. I never thought that experience would lead us to where we are today.

What I wanted to say, secondly, is that the decision to step down was my own and is solely because of my health. If it weren’t for cancer, I would not be leaving - I love this church, I love you and would not be making this decision if I thought there was any other way - but a church needs a shepherd, and I cannot be as available to you as you need a shepherd to be.

Lastly, what I would ask for my family and I’s sake is that not become a reason for division in the church. I have been in enough churches to know that news like this often sparks rumor mills and becomes the topic of endless gossip and speculation. What I am communicating with you is the extent of the information I have to present to you - I will still be here every Sunday as the Lord allows to finish up the book of Nehemiah, to celebrate Easter and work with the board on preparing for a new pastor to take my place when the Lord allows it.

I will be happy to answer any questions you may have during our Sunday School hour, but I would respectfully ask for my family to be given their privacy for the time being and that any questions you have would be directed to me or to the board.