Working Together to Fix Broken Places
Nehemiah 3:1-32
Rodeo Road Baptist Church
September 7, 2014
Disclaimer: Each sermon in this series on Nehemiah was written with both commentary help and referencing from time to time information from sermons and illustration found on Sermon Central. In most cases I tried to be faithful in giving credit to the author but I acknowledge that I was not consistent in that endeavor. So any similarity to other older posted sermons on this web site are due in part to the quality of their work and the timelessness of the truth they shared originally. There was no intentional intent to use without credit any material in these sermons that were first delivered by other pastors.
Introduction
Nehemiah 2: 17 - 19 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king.”
I. Welcome friends who have a common goal to fix broken places
Larry Crabb, in his book, The Safest Place on Earth, writes, “A central task of community is to create a place that is… safe enough for each of us to reveal our brokenness” (p. 11).
3: 6-12 “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. 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. 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. Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired. Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah repaired. Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath- moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters.”
This passage shows how people working together can accomplish more than if just one person tried to do all the work. Watch this phrase: "next to him," "next to them," "after him," and "after them." These expressions are recorded 28 times in this chapter! The Lord didn’t need a thousand masons and carpenters to rebuild the wall he needed ordinary people who were willing to work. People from a wide variety of different backgrounds, trades, and localities gathered to work on the wall. The rulers and priests worked together with regular people, some who even lived 10-15 miles away.
Also, in this chapter is the word "section." It is used 13 times. The wall was divided and people were assigned a certain section to work on. Likewise, just as no one person could construct the whole wall by himself, so too, you and I are called to work in a certain part of the kingdom. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.
Alex Haley, the author of "Roots," had an unusual picture hanging on his office wall. It was a picture of a turtle on top of a fence post. When asked, "Why is that there?" Alex Haley answered, "Every time I write something significant, every time I read my words & think that they are wonderful, & begin to feel proud of myself, I look at the turtle on top of the fence post & remember that he didn’t get there on his own. He had help."
II. Focus on the most important first
Notice Nehemiah highlighted the work on the gates. (Nehemiah 3:1,3,6,13,14,15,28) He highlights the gates first, the walls second, and the finishing touches last. Why the gates? All the people would come and go through the gates. It will be where the most obvious success is appearing. It is also where the greatest security is being accomplished.
If you know anything about Dave Ramsey and his Financial Peace University, he talks about the “debt snowball.” This is where you first decide to strictly stay on a budget, not creating any new debt. You continue to pay all you debt as before, except you focus on your smallest debt and pay it off first. Once that is paid off that debt you role over what you were paying to the next debt, adding it to whatever payment you were making on this next smallest debt. So if you were making $25.00 per month on your smallest debt and $50.00 to your next smallest debt, once the smallest is paid you now pay $75.00 on the next smallest.
In his book, Leading Change, John Kotter talks about celebrating small wins. Watch this…
Nehemiah 3:1 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.
III. Rebuild where your heart has the greatest burden
Implementing the Vision by Todd Randolph
Nehemiah knew that most of the people would have moderate interest in wanting to see the wall around the city rebuild. He also reasoned that each person would be especially interested in seeing certain portions of the wall fixed. SO when he put people to work rebuilding the wall, where did he assign them? He assigned them to the section closest to their house.
Benjamin and Haahub made repairs in front of their house…Azariah made repairs beside his house…the priests made repairs each in front of his own house…Meshukkam made repairs opposite his living quarters. (Nehemiah 3:23-30)
Work where you have a vested interest. Work in areas that match your interests. Work in areas where you have a passion. I would rather have a worker with second-rate ability but first-rate passion than a worker with first-rate ability and no passion any day of the week.
Work in areas you are already at work. I know that that sounds strange but hear me out. We sometimes assume that if someone succeeds in one area, they can be moved to another area where there is more need. This does not always work. Don’t put square pegs into round holes. A forced fit takes away their God-given edge.
1 Corinthians 12: 14- 26 “For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”
IV. Do not let opposition keep you from rebuilding broken places
If anyone in the Old Testament should have encountered no opposition, it was Nehemiah. He was trying to rebuild a wall that will make Jerusalem a safe place for all her inhabitants. His project will also regain a piece of Jerusalem’s lost glory. The rebuilding of the wall would allow the people to once again worship in the temple without fear of their enemies
Nehemiah faced at least two kinds of opposition:
1. External Hostility
2:10, 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel… But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king.
2. Internal Rebellion or Apathy
Nehemiah 3:5 And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord. (ESV)
Moreover, next to him the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not support the work of their masters. (NASB)
Next were the people from Tekoa, though their leaders refused to work with the construction supervisors (NLT)
2 Timothy 4: 9a, 16-17 Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica… At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth
Conclusion
I read about a Pastor who decided to experiment with changing the sad statistics in his church of those who drop out after being baptized. He made a list of 12 people who had recently been baptized in their church, and then he and his wife invited them over. Naturally, these new Christians were thrilled to be invited to their Pastor’s house. They were excited about their new connection with the Lord and with His Church.
After supper the Pastor sat down with this group of enthusiastic new Christians --- and he asked them an unexpected question. He asked if they would like for him to predict their futures for the next 2 or 3 years. They were a little surprised at that offer, but they all said “yes” --- so, the Pastor made this prediction: “As I look at the 12 of you, I must predict, that … statistically speaking --- in the next 2 or 3 years ---
• · 2 of your marriages will break up --- and your feelings of shame will cause you to leave the church
• · 3 of you will have conflict with someone in the church and you, also, will leave the church
• · 1 of you will experience tragedy and lose faith. You, too will leave the church.
• · 2 of you will have some sort of moral failing and will leave the church.
• · 2 of the 4 remaining will simply lose interest and drift away from the church … for no obvious reason.
In two or three years, out of this group of 12 … only 2 of you will still be attending church --- and only 1 of you will still be attending THIS church.
There was dead silence in the room. All these wide-eyed new Christians looked around at each other as if to say, “How could that happen to us?” Finally, one of them spoke up and asked, “What can we do to change those statistics?”
The pastor was waiting to hear that question. He had his answer ready. He said, “You can get together and as a group decide that you are not going to let anyone go.”
That is exactly what they did. These strangers --- who had never been together until that gathering at the Pastor’s home --- formed themselves into a Small Group. Week by week they came to really KNOW each other. They supported each other through the tragedies, divorces, conflicts, and moral failings. In 4 years of meeting together, only 1 person left the church.
That small caring group, changed the Statistics from losing 10 out of 12 to losing only 1 out of 12.
Would you like to see that kind of thing happen here? I would!
That is why one of the priorities of our church is Small Groups. What are your priorities this fall? Do you want to GROW as a Christian? Do you want to show LOVE to others? Taking time to meet with a Small Group is one of the best ways to make progress in your Christian life.
