Nehemiah 3&5 - United or Untied

UNITED OR UNTIED

THE REBUILDING PROCESS IS NOT AN EASY ONE - GENERALLY THERE IS ALWAYS SOME DIFFICULTY INVOLVED IN GETTING TO THE DOING OF IT.

BUT IF YOU STAY FOCUSED ON THE TASK AT HAND YOU WILL GET IT DONE.

THIS IS WHERE WE PICK UP THIS WEEKS MESSAGE.

WE HAVE SEEN NEHEMIAHS HEART BROKEN FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE CITY OF HIS HERITAGE AND THEN HE FORMULATES A PLAN TO GET IT BACK ON TRACK. THIS I MIGHT ADD IS NOT HIS PLAN, BUT THE PLAN THAT GOD LAID ON HIS HEART.

REPAIRS HAPPEN WHEN HEARTS ARE BROKEN

THINK ABOUT IT - IF SOMETHING IS NOT BROKEN YOU NOT GOING TO FIX IT.

SO IT IS THROUGH BROKENESS THAT WE START TO REPAIR OR REBUILD

IN CHAPTER 2 IT ENDED WITH THE PEOPLE EXCITED BY WHAT NEHEMIAH SAID TO THEM AND THEY DECLARED LETS REBUILD THE WALL

SCRIPTURE VERSE - SLIDE # 1

Nehemiah 2:18 NLT

Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work.

SCRIPTURE NEH 2:18 - HIGHLIGHT

STRAIGHT AWAY THE MOCKING BEGAN BY THE NAYSAYERS

ARE YOU KIDDING ME - YOU GOING TO DEFY THE KING??

I LOVED NEHEMIAHS ANSWER

SLIDE - THE GD OF HEAVEN

THE GOD OF HEAVEN WILL HELP US SUCCEED!!

PASTOR KALEB TOOK US THROUGH THE PACES OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE FACE OPPOSITION AND FOR US TO BE PREPARED FOR IT AND ALSO WARNED US NOT TO WALK AROUND NAKED - PUT ON THE FULL ARMOUR OF GOD.

HOW MANY OF YOU TOOK ONE LOOK AT CHAPTER 3 OF NEHEMIAH AND DECIDED THAT IT WAS NOT THAT EXCITING OR EVEN FUN TO READ - ITS JUST A BUNCH OF NAMES - WHO CARES - WE DONT EVEN KNOW THESE PEOPLE.

BUT THERE IS A VERY IMPORTANT SENTENCE IN THE VERY FIRST LINE - I HOPE YOU CAUGHT IT.

SLIDE

Nehemiah 3:1–2 NLT

Then Eliashib the high priest and the other priests started to rebuild at the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set up its doors, building the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and the Tower of Hananel. People from the town of Jericho worked next to them, and beyond them was Zaccur son of Imri.

THEY WENT TO WORK

NO MORE BLUE PRINTS AND MEETINGS ON HOW TO DO IT - START TO DO IT.

NOT ONLY DO WE SEE THEY GET TO WORK BUT ALSO THAT THEY ARE WORKING TOGETHER - THEY WERE UNITED

NEHEMIAH 3

HONOURS A BAND OF ORDINARY HEROES

PUT ASIDE THEIR OWN PLANS AND HELPED TO BE PART OF THIS EXTRAODINARY WORK

ITS THE TURNING POINT

GET TO WORK

NOTHING IS ACCOMPLISHED UNTIL PASSION AND DETERMINATION ARE CHANELLED INTO REAL WORK

EFFECTIVE VISION GETS THE JOB DONE

SLIDE

Proverbs 14:23 NLT

Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty!

GET THE JOB DONE - NOT ONLY VISION

A LOT OF NAMES

NOW NONE WILL MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU UNLESS YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE GATES IN ANCIENT JERUSALEM

WHAT IF THIS LIST WAS DIFFERENT

WHAT IF THIS WAS THE SHOPS AND SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES WHERE YOU GREW UP

THIS WILL BE MEANINGFUL TO YOU.

ALL THESE GATES MEANT SOMETHING TO THE PEOPLE THERE

REBUILDING REPRESENTED HOPE AND A RETURN TO NORMAL

AS YOU READ THE NAMES AND SEE HOW IT GOES AROUND THE WHOLE WALL

YOU WILL SEE SOMETHING ELSE INTERESTING WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THESE VERSES

THE LIST OF PROFESSIONS

GOLDMITHS AND PERFUMERS

LEADERS

LEVITES

PRIESTS

GATEKEEPERS

SHOPKEEPERS

THEY WERE FROM EVERY CLASS IN THE JEWISH SOCIETY

THEY BUCKLED DOWN IN UNITY AND GOT THE WORK DONE

THEY WERE NOT BRICKLAYERS BY TRADE

TRUE COMMUNUITY

UNITY IN THE FIGHT FOR A COMMON PURPOSE

THESE NAMES ARE A REMINDER OF SACRIFICE

SOME OF YOU REMEMBER WHEN THIS CHURCH WAS PLANTED -

I WONDER WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE IF THIS WAS THE LIST OF NAMES THAT YOU WERE READING OF THE PEOPLE WHO GOT TOGETHER TO BUILD THESE WALLS.

PEOPLE WORKED SIDE BY SIDE

TAKE NOTE THEY WERE UNITED -

WHEN THERE WAS A BREACH IN THE WALL THAT IS WHERE THE ENEMY GETS IN AND CAUSES HAVOC.

AND MUCH LIKE ANY PROJECT THERE IS ALWAYS THE OPPOSITION

V 5 THE PEOPLE OF TEKOA THEIR LEADERS REFUSED TO WORK WITH THE CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISORS.

THESE WERE THE UNTIED PEOPLE - THE ONES THAT DID NOT SEE THEMSELVES AS PART OF THE SOLUTION.

IT REMINDED ME OF WHEN THE TORNADO CAME THROUGH OTTAWA AND HOW WE SAW PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE GETTING TOGETHER AND VOLUNTEERING TO HELP.

ITS A PITY IT TAKES A DISASTER FOR US TO COME TOGETHER LIKE THAT

SADLY IT SOMETIMES IS ALL TO QUICKLY FORGOTTEN THAT MOMENTUM DID NOT CONTINUE.

FOR US WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT GOD IS WORKING IN OUR LIVES TO FULLY RESTORE US - BODY MIND AND SOUL.

THERE IS WORK TO BE DONE.

BUT WE LEARN FROM THIS LIST OF NAMES THAT THE PEOPLE UNITED AND WORKED TOGETHER DESPITE THE OPPOSITION AND GOT THE JOB DONE.

YOU CAN START RIGHT FROM WHERE YOU ARE - IN THE JOB YOU ARE IN - THAT IS OUR SECTION OF THE WALL.

WHY DONT YOU START WITH YOUR STREET.

IF YOU CANNOT WALK THE STREET WALK IT IN YOUR MINDS EYE.

WE CAN SERVE GOD AND THE COMMUNITY/ JOB WE ARE IN WHERE WE ARE.

AS WE JUMP NOW TO CHAPTER 5

PICKS UP WHERE THE WORK IS PROGRESSING

WORK CONTINUES DAY AND NIGHT

RESTORING THE SECURITY

WORK HALF WAY DONE

PROGRESS BUT THE WORK WAS NOT GETTING EASIER

DONT YOU FIND THAT WHEN YOU START DOING WHAT IS RIGHT BUT THINGS KEEP GOING WRONG,

PERHAPS YOU CAN RELATE TO A TIME WHEN YOU STARTED TO DO SOME WORK FOR THE CHURCH IN YOUR COMMUNITY, AND THEN THINGS START TO FALL APART AT HOME.

THE FAMILIES COME TO NEHEMIAH LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION FOR THEIR PROBLEM.

FAMINE HITS AND THE DEBT STARTS TO SNOWBALL

HERE WE SEE THE PEOPLE ARE OPPRESSED - THE PEOPLE ARE INDEBTED TO THE LEADERS AND THEY WERE BEING ENSLAVED TO THEIR DEBTORS.

THIS COULD NOT BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR TODAYS DIFFUCULTIES AND ALSO

MINISTRY IS DIFFICULT - PEOPLE HAVE ISSUES

THIS IS NO DIFFERENT

PERSONALITY

MONEY

DISAGREEMENT

LOTS OF ISSUES

NEHEMIAH IN V7 “ AFTER THINKING IT OVER” - IN OTHER WORDS HE TOOK IT TO GOD.

HE REMINDED THE PEOPLE

Nehemiah 5:9 NLT

Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations?

THIS WAS ONE OF THE RULES FOR LIVING THAT GOD HAD GIVEN THE JEWISH PEOPLE DON’T PLACE UNNECESSARY BURDENS ON EACH OTHER BY MAKING THE DEBT SO LARGE YOU CANT REPAY IT.

FEAR OF GOD

Proverbs 16:6 NLT

Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.

WHAT NEHEMIAH WAS SAYING TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE - WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO PROFIT OFF OF THE PEOPLES MISFORTUNE. WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT THIS - JUST BECAUSE WE CAN DOES NOT MEAN WE SHOULD. - GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF US WHEN WE TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER.

Nehemiah 5:15 NLT

The former governors, in contrast, had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides forty pieces of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because I feared God, I did not act that way.

because I feared God I did not act that way.

WE ARE IN THE REBUILD PHASE BUT THERE IS A START OF THE RENEW HAPPENING HERE.

WHEN WE WORK ON THE LORDS PLAN THE PLAN WILL SUCCEED -

chapter 3& 5 remind us of the fact that we are to be united and not untied - when we work toward a common goal, a goal that God has laid on your heart and is forming in you we have to trust that he will do what he says.

WE ARE LIVING THIS RIGHT NOW - PEOPLE ARE STRUGGELING AND ARE BURDENED AND THERE IS ONLY ONE HOPE AND THAT IS IN CHRIST.

I AM EXCITED THAT THE CHURCHES LIKE NEVER BEFORE ARE SEEING THE BENEFIT OF WORKING TOGETHER. THERE IS NO COMPETITION JUST COMMON GOAL. JESUS

GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US HE SENDS US A NEHEMIAH IN FACT HE HAS SENT US A NEHEMIAH AND THAT IS JESUS CHRIST

WHEN WE PLACE OUR HOPE IN - IN HIM - JESUS - WE START TO SEE THE LIGHT.

HE LIGHTENS OUR BURDENS HE CARRIES OUR CROSS - HE INVITES US TO HIS TABLE AND CARRIES THE COST.

3 CHOICES - CHRIS LANGHAM

FRUSTRATION

FAILURE

FAITH

WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE - I KNOW I CHOOSE FAITH

UNITED NOT UNTIED