What we as God’s People should do when God puts a plan together
Nehemiah 3:1-32
Sermon #3 – Under Construction
Over the past two chapters, we have seen God divinely put a plan/vision in Nehemiah’s heart to rebuild the wall to protect the city of Jerusalem. This plan only came through Nehemiah’s willingness to give his everything to God and truly follow God’s leadership in his life. Tonight, we are going to take the next step in allowing God to build us into what He wants us to be as an individual and as a church. Remember, Nehemiah was an active prayer warrior to God – seeking His will for everything that he did. That’s the key to becoming all that God wants us to be.
TEXT
I. Nehemiah had a vision, shared it with the people, got his team together, and went to work.
a. Notice in the latter part of chapter 2, Nehemiah called the troops together, shared God’s vision, and the troops began the process of rebuilding.
b. Notice, people did complain, those who were not of God, but that didn’t stop the vision.
c. When something is of God – it will work, no matter the opposition. On the contrary, when something is of man, it may fool you for a little while, but in the long run, it will fall flat.
II. Nehemiah paid specific attention to detail
a. Nehemiah knew each person specifically that he placed over a particular area of the rebuilding project.
b. When God places a plan on your heart – you do not want to do it half way or half-heartedly. You do it wide open.
c. You make sure that your t’s are crossed and your i’s are dotted.
d. When God places a vision on the heart of a church, we must be specific in following exactly what He wants, not what we desire. We must follow it to the final period of the final detail. If we do not, we fail and allow the devil to have a stronghold on our church.
III. Nehemiah knew how to get things done – He built people up.
a. Instead of finding little faults in people, Nehemiah made sure to give the credit for the work to his workers.
b. He encouraged his workers to do their best – notice v. 20 and Baruch – he gave him credit for working earnestly.
c. In life, we must build others up – There’s enough tearing down without us running our mouths.
d. In church, we must first exalt the Savior – then through His Love and Spirit, we can build each other up the correct way, through Him.
IV. Nehemiah showed humility
a. It has been said that if you say that you are humble, you’re really not.
b. True humility is shown through your actions.
c. Nehemiah was not mentioned one time throughout the 32 verses of this chapter.
d. Nehemiah was a team player – God is the coach, Nehemiah is the captain, the workers are the team.
e. As individuals, you and I must exhibit humility each day, even in the midst of troubling circumstances. How do we do that, we trust God for everything, not just the convenient stuff.
f. As a church, when God blesses us – don’t get complacent – get to work and disciple what God has blessed us with!
ILL. A Sports analogy:
Christ is the General Manager of Bakers Chapel
The Pastor is the Head Coach/Quarterback of Bakers Chapel
The Members are the Team.
If the Head Coach is not communicating with the General Manager, there will be chaos. If the team is not communicating with both the GM and the Coach, there will be chaos.
However, if the coach is on the same page as the GM and the players are as well, success will be around the corner.
God is in control of each person in this room, whether you’ve surrendered to Him or not. Humility comes when we realize that this is not our church, it is His to do as He pleases – not as we want.
CONCL:
What about our church – are we passing the test?
What about you – are you passing the test?
Are you and encourager? Do you remain focused on what God wants? Do you display humility?
Let’s prepare to take the next step into becoming God’s Divine Church in Claysville. We are His Church, striving to fulfill His Great Commission, in a world that has turned away from Him.
Let’s give Him the reigns, for He reigns anyway!
