Dream Team Series

DREAM TEAM

Nehemiah 3:1-32

S: Courage

Th: Brave Hearts

Pr: WE MUST HAVE THE COURAGE TO BE A TEAM.

?: Inductive

KW: approaches

TS: We will find in our study of Nehemiah 3:1-32, seven approaches to building the wall that make it a success.

The _____ approach is…

I. PRIORITY

II. UNITY

III. INDIVIDUALITY

IV. GENEROSITY

V. AUDACITY (NOT)

VI. RESPONSIBILITY

VII. INTENSITY

Version: ESV

Note: The outline found its start in The Bible Speaks Today commentary on Nehemiah by Raymond Brown.

RMBC 02 Feb 03 AM

INTRODUCTION:

ILL Notebook: Remember (scrambled)

An Australian travel writer at the beginning of a six month tour of Canada was checking out the Vancouver Hilton, and as he paid his bill said to the manager, asked, “By the way, what’s with the Indian chief sitting in the lobby? He’s been there ever since I arrived.”

“Oh that’s Big Chief Forget-me Not,” said the manager. “The hotel is built on an Indian reservation, and part of the agreement is to allow the chief free use of the premises for the rest of his life. He is known as ‘Big Chief Forget-me Not’ because of his phenomenal memory. He is 92 and can remember the slightest detail of his life.”

The travel writer took this in, and as he was waiting for his cab decided to put the chief’s memory to the test. “ello, mate!” said the Aussie, receiving only slight nod in return. "hat did you have for breakfast on your 21st birthday?”

“Eggs,” was the chief’s instant reply, without even looking up, and indeed the Aussie was impressed. He went off on his travel writing itinerary, right across to the east coast and back, telling others of Big Chief Forget-me Not’s great memory. One local noted to him that “How” was a more appropriate greeting for an Indian chief than “ello mate.”

On his return to the Vancouver Hilton six months later was surprised to see ’Big Chief Forget-me Not’ still sitting in the lobby, fully occupied with whittling away on a stick. “How?” said the Aussie to the Chief, who again did not stop to look up.

“Scrambled,” said the Chief.

Now, that’s a great memory!

1. Do you like to be remembered?

We all like to be remembered.

If someone who has only met us once or twice, hasn’t seen us in a while, and they remember our name, we are rather impressed.

(We also might wonder what we did to cause them to remember us!)

When the Lord brought our role to a conclusion at each church we have served in, we left with a memento to remember them by: a memory book, a video…

At our first church, they gave us a shirt, with all the names of the youth group members.

They are names that I know, but you do not.

But they are important to me.

They are people that have made an impact on my life.

More than that…

2. Names represent people whom God loves.

As we come to chapter three of Nehemiah, you are going to find that there are a lot of names.

Let me set the context of why we find these names.

In the first two chapters, we observed that Nehemiah left the Persian palace of king Artaxerxes, where he was the trusted cupbearer, and with the king’s blessing, returned to his nation’s capital, Jerusalem, to repair and rebuild its walls.

When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, after a thorough evaluation, he successfully inspired a vision to complete the walls.

He was able to do so because he established a link between what God was doing through him and what God was up to in history.

He demonstrated that God had been working behind the scenes for their benefit.

This proof of God’s thumbprint awakened the dormant faith of the people.

Now they are ready to be a part of something God has His hand on.

So, as we come to chapter 3, we observe that the building has begun.

And we have a list of the names of those that have worked on the wall.

They are here because they are winners!

You know…

3. It is great to be on a winning team.

They are Jerusalem’s dream team.

They came together and pulled it off.

And Nehemiah makes sure they get the credit because they are heroic people – people with a holy ambition!

So, today…

4. We will find in our study of Nehemiah 3:1-32, seven approaches to building the wall that make it a success.

Let’s hear the text as a whole…

[1] Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. [2] And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built. [3] The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. [4] And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired. [5] And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord. [6] Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Gate of Yeshanah. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. [7] And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, the seat of the governor of the province Beyond the River. [8] Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. [9] Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired. [10] Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah repaired. [11] Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. [12] Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters. [13] Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall, as far as the Dung Gate. [14] Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. [15] And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the City of David. [16] After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool, and as far as the house of the mighty men. [17] After him the Levites repaired: Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district. [18] After him their brothers repaired: Bavvai the son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah. [19] Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the buttress. [20] After him Baruch the son of Zabbai repaired another section from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. [21] After him Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. [22] After him the priests, the men of the surrounding area, repaired. [23] After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah repaired beside his own house. [24] After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress [25] and to the corner. Palal the son of Uzai repaired opposite the buttress and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh [26] and the temple servants living on Ophel repaired to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower. [27] After him the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel. [28] Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house. [29] After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired. [30] After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber. [31] After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate, and to the upper chamber of the corner. [32] And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired.