Going to the Next Level

Going to the Next Level

Nehemiah 7:1-73

In our Sunday night worship services we have been studying the book of Philippians. In my study of Paul’s prayer for the church in the first chapter, I realized that most of Paul’s prayers for the church are for God’s people to reach a “higher level” in their Christian experience. Paul’s prayers reveal God’s desire for his people. God wants his people to reach a higher level in there walk with him.

In our study of the book of Nehemiah, we come to a chapter that reveals how Nehemiah is going to take the people of God to the next level.

We often think of the book of Nehemiah in terms of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, but there is much more to the book than just rebuilding the wall. As a whole, the book is about God taking his people to the next level in their relationship with him.

If the book of Nehemiah was only about rebuilding the wall, then the story would end at chapter six. Notice the victory of rebuilding the wall in 6:15-16, “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” Wow! What a statement of victory. Yet, within that statement is a great temptation.

The temptations is for God’s people to believe that they can arrive at a place in their relationship with the Lord where there is no need for growth. Nehemiah understood this temptation, and also understood the need for God’s people to constantly strive for a “higher level” with the Lord.

It was more than just rebuilding the wall for Nehemiah and the people of God. In chapters eight through ten they needed to go to the next level with their worship. In chapters eleven through twelve they needed to go to the next level in reaching people to populate the city. In chapter thirteen, the people of God had to renew the renewal of the first twelve chapters because they were going in the wrong direction again. You never get to a place where you don’t need to go to the next level with the Lord; not this side of heaven. This need to go to “higher ground” is true for the individual believer as well as the corporate body of Christ.

Nehemiah’s leadership in chapter seven reveals some wonderful truths about going to the next level. I pray that we can apply these truths to our congregation because I believe God is taking First Southern Baptist Church to a new level, and I don’t want us to miss out!

Chapter seven consist of seventy-three verses. It is on of those chapters in the Bible that when you start reading it your eyes begin to glaze over and you wonder if you will make it through the chapter. Even so, we need to remember that this chapter is the inspired word of God and is profitable for our spiritual lives.

In this chapter we will learn several principles that—if applied individually and corporately—will take us to “higher ground.” First, we must know the essentials to follow.

1. Know the essentials to follow

In verse one we read, “Now when the wall was rebuilt and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed.”

Notice the first action Nehemiah took after the wall was completed. He first, appointed gatekeepers, singers, and Levites. The fact that he did these appointments first tells me that this was a priority. It reveals the essentials that must be followed if God’s people are going to go to the next level with the Lord. If you don’t follow these essentials, then lose ground instead of gain grain.

These appointment reveal that Nehemiah was committed to spiritual priorities. The first priority or essential that must be followed deals with our walk with the Lord.

a. Walk

The first group he appointed was the gatekeepers. It is believed that the gatekeepers had the specific duties of being temple doorkeepers or stewards. One of the psalmist said, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10).

Nehemiah would use the gatekeepers out on the wall to help protect the people of God from the enemy. I found it interesting that in chapter thirteen of Nehemiah they were used to help God’s people keep the Sabbath holy. They were used to help God’s people maintain their walk with the Lord.

To go to the next level with the Lord, you have to maintain the level that you are at with him, and that is done through holy living. Maintaining our walk with the Lord individually and corporately is essential for going to the next level. Next, we notice the essential of worship.

b. Worship

The next group appointed by Nehemiah was the singers. Nehemiah understood that there was more to live than work and money. Nehemiah wanted to ensure that God had first place. Therefore, he made it a priority to restore and renew worship.

We were made to worship. This essential dimension to live cannot be ignored with harmful consequences. When we cut ourselves off from worship we cut ourselves off from God. That is why it is essential that God’s people worship God on a regular basis and in an acceptable manner.

In our strategic planning process, we determined that worship is a core value for First Southern Baptist Church. That means our corporate worship must be a time where we reflect up who God is and what he requires of us. It must be a time where we meditate on the meaning of life, the blessings and assurance of faith, the greatness of our salvation, and the infinite and overwhelming nature of God’s love.

Worship is a time for us to give God the highest priority in our lives. That is whey we strive to live a life of worship constantly. Worship is essential going to “higher ground.” A third essential to follow is the word.

c. Word

The third group appointed was the Levites. The Levites were responsible for communicating and teaching the word of God. The reason is that the word is essential for our walk and worship. It is the word of God that directs our walk. It is the word of God that inspires our worship. We need the word of God in our daily lives so that we can know who we worship, and to know how we should walk.

The Levites had the responsible for teaching the unchanging truths of God’s word. No Christian, or church will ever go to the next level without the understanding and application of the word of God. The word is essential for our walk with the Lord and our worship of the Lord. These three essentials maintain our spiritual lives and take to “higher ground” with the Lord. As a church, we must keep these essentials before us if we want to go to the next level. Next, we see that equipping the people for ministry is needed for a church to go to the next level.

2. Equip the people for ministry

The only way that Nehemiah could take the people of God to the next level was to equip and empower the people to do the work of the ministry. This principle is carried over into the church as well.

The apostle Paul declared in Ephesians chapter four that it was the responsibility of church leadership to “equip the saints for the work of the ministry.” This means that every child of God has been called to ministry. Nehemiah teaches us that when we empower and equip people for ministry we want to make sure that they are growing in godliness.

a. Godliness

People who are equipped to serve the Lord, must be following the essentials. They must be consistently walking with the Lord. Notice the next appointment that Nehemiah makes in the area of leadership in verse two, “Then I put Hanani my brother, and Hananiah the commander of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.” These men were faithful and fearful. They were reliable and reverent.

Nehemiah didn’t know who to trust. He didn’t know who was his foe or friend. The best way to find someone that is trustworthy is to look for some one who fears and loves the Lord. You see, reverence and reliability are inseparable. People who love God and obey God are faithful people, who know and follow the essentials. Next, when equipping people for the ministry it is important to discover giftedness.

b. Giftedness

In the list of people that Nehemiah gives throughout this chapter you will see people with different gifts. In verses eight through thirty-eight you have a list of Jewish laymen. In verses thirty-nine through forty-two you have the priest. In verse forty-three you have the Levites. In verses forty-four through forty-five you have the singers. In verses forty-six through fifty-six you have the temple servants, and in verses fifty-seven through sixty you have the servants of Solomon.

This list of people reveals a variety of different gifts employed in the service and ministry of the Lord. It is important that we, the people of God today, realize that we have all been gifted by the Spirit of God for the service of the Lord.

All of us who have called upon the name of the Lord, have been sealed with the Spirit of God, and empowered and gifted for the service of the Lord. We have all received a ministry from the Lord, and we have the Holy Spirit to fulfill our ministry.

I believe it is important that a church have a discipleship process that develops godliness and discovers giftedness. If you want to go to the level as an individual believer, then you need to know that God has called you to the ministry, and you need to fulfill your ministry. As a church, we must have a process that equips the people for ministry if we are going to go to the next level. Next, we must seek the Lord for guidance if we are going to the next level.

3. Seek the Lord for guidance

Nehemiah knew that the enemy would not stop attacking. Therefore he made immediate plans for protection and carried them out in verse three. He then recognizes the need to plan for the future in verse four, “Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few and the houses were not built.” Nehemiah saw the need to populate the city. Therefore, the first thing he did was to seek the Lord for guidance so that he could discern the Lord’s will.

a. Discern the Lord’s will

Notice what Nehemiah says in verse five, “Then my God put it into my heart…” Before Nehemiah developed a plan, he first discern the will of the Lord. He waited until the Lord put the plan into his heart.

In our fast paced, need results today, culture, we often times fail to discern the Lord’s direction. It is much easier and convenient to do what another church is doing than to wait upon the Lord for guidance.

Many Christians and churches waste time and resources doing things that God never directed them to do. We must discern what God wants us to do and where he wants us to do it before we pour our time and resources into something.

This discernment can only come as we regularly spend time in the Lord’s presence, waiting for his guidance.

Before the early church went into the world they were commanded by Jesus to wait in Jerusalem. As they waited, God gave them the vision of winning the world to Christ, and strategy that would start in Jerusalem, and then move them out to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. He then provided them the power they needed to fulfill the plan. Once we discern the will of God, the next step is to develop the Lord’s plan.

b. Develop the Lord’s plan

The need for Jerusalem was to repopulate the city with people. The vision was the answer to the need. The plan was the action need to fulfill the vision. God put the plan into Nehemiah’s heart, and then Nehemiah developed the plan. Notice verse five again, “Then my God put into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogies. Then I found the book of genealogy of those who came up first in which I found the following record.” This is the Lord’s plan developed and put into action.

God has a specific plan for your life. And God has a specific plan for First Southern Baptist Church. Me must seek the Lord until he puts the plan in my heart and yours, then we must develop that plan and put it into action if we are going to the next level. The last principle that will take us to a new level with God deals with giving. We must encourage the people in giving.

4. Encourage the people in giving

In the last half of the book of Nehemiah there are two important spiritual issues addressed: marriage and giving. Both of these issues are paramount to our walk with the Lord. They are so important that Nehemiah ends chapter thirteen and the book reminding God’s people of the need to be obedient in these areas. Marriage and giving are two expressions of obedience to the word of God.

If you love God and his word, then you will want to obey his word. The returning exiles reveal is this seventh chapter that giving our money to the work of the kingdom is both an act of obedience and worship.

Notice verse seventy, “Some from among the heads of fathers’ households gave to the work.” Why did they give? Out of obedience to God and as an act of worship. You will notice in the subsequent verses that the giving was being done by all, and it was both generous and sacrificial.

Some of you won’t go to a “higher level” with the Lord until you learn to trust and obey God with your finances. When you give to God and his work, you are giving God the rightful place in your finances, which is first place. People who are faithful givers want to honor God with their finances, and do so believing that God honors those who honor him.

Those who give faithfully give, not only as an act of obedience and worship, but also as expressions of love, thankfulness, and trust in the Lord’s provision.

Does anyone have some money I can borrow? I gave that money to him before this service. That money he is giving is mine. I gave it to him, he is just giving back to me what is already mine. That is what you do when you give to God. God gives you your money, and you are only giving back what is already his. And when you do you will notice that “My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

The one area where the Lord challenges his people to test him is in the area of giving. You can never out give the Lord. Furthermore, you will never go to a higher level in you spiritual walk if you are not being obedient in giving. Our church will not go to a higher level unless God’s people become generous more and more generous in their giving.