Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRO

The 7/10 of Neh 11-12.

MESSAGE

7 Spiritual Principals

The Necessity of Partnership

Neh 11.1 “1 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem.

And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns.”

What is a city without a people?

made to be used

1/10 a tithe of the people

Many may desire, only few will enter in

Lots = sovereign choice of God

HS for the Christian

there is no entering in without surrender!!!

cost to the people - potential inheritance…

The Primacy of Holiness

Neh 11.1 “1 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem.

And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns.”

Nehemiah - loves the holy!

we should too.

what is a holy city with an unholy people?

think of the kingdom to come

Richard Baxter = “A holy calling will not save an unholy man”

The Privilege of Service

Neh 11.1-2 “1 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem.

And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns. 2 And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.”

Count your cost and weigh your reward

Some VOLUNTEER some are CONSCRIPTED

ALL are HONORED !!

Neh 11.4-24 = Names and duties of those in privileged service

in the late sixth century, Gregory the Great made use of two great Old Testament accounts of a prophetic call as he sensitively contrasted Jeremiah the conscript with Isaiah the volunteer.

There is room for both in the Lord’s work.

Gregory makes the point that both men were motivated by love.

Jeremiah’s response is ‘based on the love of God’ and Isaiah’s ‘on love for the neighbour’.

Isaiah ‘desired the active life in the office of preaching, moved thereto by the wish to benefit his neighbours’, but Jeremiah preferred to express his love for God in a life of quiet devotion, so naturally he ‘remonstrated against being sent’.

Jeremiah feared that by preaching ‘he should forfeit the benefit of quiet contemplation’, while Isaiah feared ‘that by not preaching he might suffer harm for the lack of arduous work’.

Those who serve God, whether with the eagerness of Isaiah or the caution of Jeremiah, must do exactly what those two prophets did.

Gladly or reluctantly there has to be a total surrender to God’s sovereign purposes so that we are ready to do whatever he has in mind for us.

do you view your service to God as a privilege or a duty or perhaps even drudgery?

King David did not…

The Variety of Ministry

Examine these lists and see the variety

Priests, Levites, Leaders, Singers, “Men of Valor”, Gate Watchmen, Administrators…even maintenance foremen

Neh 11.16 “16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over the outside work of the house of God;”

Todays church is no different… Yes this church has a preacher, and yet there are a multitude of important behind the scenes ministry opportunities and volunteers

The Grace of Humility

This service may not be recorded but it is not forgotten !!

Neh 11.1 “1 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem.

And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns.”

Neh 11.20 “20 And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, every one in his inheritance.”

Neh 11.25 “25 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages,”

The story of Christian work and witness over the years is something far more enriching than a record of great names and remarkable events.

It is about millions of unremembered but committed believers, ordinary church members, forgotten ministers, evangelists, tract-distributors, Bible Class leaders, Sunday School teachers, sick visitors, caterers, cleaners, door stewards and, most important of all, undaunted intercessors.

Churches and Christian organizations all over the world are grateful for the dedicated practical skills of men and women who care for their buildings, many of them in an entirely voluntary capacity.

Their unobtrusive work is done for their Lord rather than their church.

The service of such devoted people is hardly likely to reach the pages of church history books, but their loving service is not forgotten in the place where the best records are kept.

“when everybody is somebody, then no one is anybody”

There is grace and honor in humble service to God… The apostles knew this for it was modeled to them first hand by Christ

The Importance of the Family

Neh 11-12 Not just names… Families

Neh 11.1-24 = 62 Times = Son

Family is where faith is encouraged and nourished

emotional security - material necessity - physical care - intellectual stimulation - moral value - spiritual teaching = takes place !! or does not

Reminder to the CHURCH to… encourage, protect, nurture… families

Reminder to INDIVIDUALS… you are a member of this family !!

Praise be to God for our SPIRITUAL grandparents

Praise God for our adoption and our brothers and sisters in the faith

The Priority of Worship

Let us remember where we are in the context of Nehemiah

The City and The Wall - Lead to this !! = WORSHIP

Who God IS / What He HAS done / What He IS doing / What He WILL do

Neh 11.17 “17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise, who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun.”

Neh 11.22 “22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God.”

Praise & Prayer

In thanksgiving we acknowledge God’s generosity.

The praise element ought always to come first.

All too easily we crave for more without recalling what we have already received.

To neglect thanksgiving is to ignore one of the Christian’s distinctive characteristics; the godless do not do it.

In prayer we seek God’s help.

Whenever we pray we are making the confession that we cannot live without God.

We are openly testifying to our reliance on him.

Worship is the CHIEF END OF MAN

Worship IS and CAN be all we do!!

Thousands were in this throng

“The builders hammer was no less expressive of sincere devotion than was the choristers voice”.

10 Aspects of Rich Worship

William Temple described adoration as ‘the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable, and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.’

although Christians formally recognize the priority of worship, they do not have a common mind regarding its character and form.

One of the most pressing issues which needs to be at the heart of contemporary discussion is not what pleases us in worship but what most honours God.

It’s Purpose

Celebration, Thanksgiving and Dedication are the three main themes...

Neh 12.27 “27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.”

Celebration

God not us

Who/what/how He is, has done, will do, is doing

How often do you say to yourself on Sundays “I really didn't get anything out of that today”

Thanksgiving

thanksgiving should be specific !

Let us count the blessings we have recieved by the gracious hand of your God.

Dedication