With all the resources available to us, why are people having such a hard time becoming mature disciples of Jesus? I’m convinced another recent survey (2014 Barna survey) provides the answer to that question. When people were asked what, if anything, helps them to grow in their faith, they offered a variety of answers that we might expect – things like Bible reading, prayer, and even having children. But conspicuous by its absence was the church, which didn’t even make the top 10. So it’s not surprising that in the last two decades the percentage of Americans who are unchurched has risen to 30% to 43%.
So my prayer for us this morning is that Nehemiah chapter 3 will convince all of us that being an active participant in the community of believers that we call the church is absolutely indispensable to our development as mature disciples of Jesus and that as a result we’ll renew our to the body of Christ.
Let’s begin with the overall theme of the chapter that will guide us as we develop various aspects of that principle:
No one can do everything,
but everyone can do something
HOW GOD BUILDS HIS PEOPLE AS WE WORK TOGETHER IN COMMUNITY
1. By making God’s glory the primary focus of the work
In your sermon outline I’ve given you a map that shows the layout of the wall, the gates and some of the other places referred to in this chapter. In the “Connections” time today we’re going to focus in more detail on the important symbolism of these gates. It is really a fascinating study and I hope you’ll stay and join us.
But for now, it is sufficient to note that in the Scriptures, gates are always a means of access and egress. So when we talk about building lives, they represent the ways that we enter in to the lives of others and allow them to enter into our lives.
It is no coincidence, therefore, that the rebuilding of the walls and gates begins in verse 1 with the Sheep Gate and ends in verse 32 with the Sheep Gate. The Sheep Gate was the gate closest to the Temple and it was through that gate that the sheep and lambs that were used in the sacrifices in the Temple were brought into the city. The symbolism here is unmistakable as it points ahead to the Lamb of God, Jesus, who would come to take away the sins of the world. It is an important reminder that the only way we can enter into a relationship with God and a life of discipleship is through faith in Him.
It is also significant that the work there is done by the high priest, Eliashib, and his brothers. As they built the Sheep Gate and the wall all the way to the Tower of Hananel, they consecrated their work to God before the work proceeded any further. By their actions they were demonstrating that this was not just their work – it was God’s work.
The apostle Paul captured the essence of their mindset when he wrote these words about 500 years later:
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
(1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)
2. By using ordinary people right where they are
While the work began with the priests, for the most part the work was done by ordinary people. In many cases the work was done by families right in the neighborhoods where they lived. To me this shows that in many cases God can use us to build people right where we are.
Perhaps there are some of you here this morning that are waiting for God to change your circumstances before you’re willing to jump in with both feet and serve Him wholeheartedly within the church. Let me encourage you to move beyond that mindset and just serve God the very best you can right where you are. Trust that God has put your right where you are and placed you in the circumstances that you face for a purpose. Trust that He wants to use you right where you are.
When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he addressed those who were waiting for their circumstances to change before they would commit to serving God fully:
Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him…So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.
(1 Corinthians 7:17, 24 ESV)
3. By uniting diverse people in a common work
Notice the tremendous diversity of people that were involved in this building project:
• Religious leaders like priests (vv. 1, 22, 28) and Levites (v. 17) and skilled craftsmen like goldsmiths (v. 8)and perfumers (v. 8)
• Rulers (vv. 7, 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19) and servants (v. 26)
• Residents of Jerusalem and people from outlying areas like Jericho (v. 2), Tekoa (v. 5, 27), Gibeon (v. 7), Mizpah (v. 7), Zanoah (v. 13). Those areas were anywhere from 10-15 miles outside Jerusalem.
• Men and women (the daughters of Shallum in v. 12)
But God brought them all together to engage in a common work – the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Although these people were separated by geography, by occupation, by social class and by gender, they were able to work together because they had a common goal. Notice how many times in this chapter that you see the phrases “next to him”, “next to them”, “after him” and “after them”?
In the church, we have an even greater purpose that should unite all of us despite our diversity. Jesus has given all of us the common mission of making disciples.
In both Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, Paul compares the church to a body and points out the need for every member of that body to do his or her part in order for the body to function as God intended. And then in Ephesians 4, he reaffirms that idea with these words:
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
(Ephesians 4:15-16 ESV)
Do you want to grow in your relationship with God? The most effective way to do that is not by trying to do that on your own, but rather by carrying out your part in a body of people that is united by its common task of making disciples.
4. By calling His people to work for the common good
The people who worked on the walls close to their homes obviously stood to gain personally from their work since those rebuilt walls would protect their families and their homes. But there were also a great number of people who actually lived well outside the walls of Jerusalem who didn’t stand to gain personally from their work, but who did that work so that their people as a whole would benefit.
That is how Jesus desires for His church to operate. In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul wrote these words about the purpose of spiritual gifts in the church:
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
(1 Corinthians 12:7 ESV)
You’ll notice a couple of things here. First, each believer is given some manifestation of the Spirit. So if you are a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit has given you at least one gift. And the reason He has done that is so you can use it for the common good. And once again the irony here is that even though the spiritual gifts you have been given are primarily for the good of the body as a whole, when you exercise those gifts in a way that they benefit the body as a whole, you end up growing in a way that you could have never done by being focused on your own personal needs.
I can’t find out exactly where this idea originated, but someone once said that there are three kinds of people in the church:
• Constructionists. They are represented by the people who were participating in building the walls there in Jerusalem. In the church, these are the people doing what they can to work for the common good.
• Destructionists. In Nehemiah, these are the people who caused the need for the walls to be rebuilt in the first place. In the church, they are the ones who are always busy tearing things down in some way.
• Obstructionists. In Nehemiah, these were represented by the nobles in Tekoa. They weren’t actively tearing things down, but they were making it difficult for those who were trying to build. In the church, these are perhaps the most damaging people of all. Because they are so self-focused, they get in the way of those who are doing their best to serve the entire body. And in the process, they are actually harming themselves.
5. By recording the names of those who participate
The long lists of unpronounceable names that make this chapter difficult to read is actually one of the most exciting things about the chapter if you think about it. The fact that Nehemiah made a record of the names of those who worked and that God caused it to be preserved for nearly 2,500 years now as a testimony of that work is pretty amazing.
Even if no one else ever notices our service for God within the community of believers, God does. I’m reminded of this verse from Malachi:
Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.
(Malachi 3:16 ESV)
Becoming a mature disciple of Jesus is hard. But it’s even harder if you try to do it on your own because God never created us to be “Lone Ranger” Christians. The church, with all its flaws is still indispensable in becoming the mature disciples that God desires for us to be. So even though none of us can do everything we can all do something to build up the church and build God’s people. Will you join me in committing to find out what that something is and then being part of the solution rather than part of the problem?
