Title: “Work for the Lord” Script: Neh. 3
Type: Series Where: GNBC 1-18-15
Intro: William Carey, the pioneer missionary to India, had a son named Felix, who resigned from the mission to accept a position as Burma’s ambassador to the British government in India. William deeply lamented this and wrote to Andrew Fuller (Pearce Carey, William Carey [The Wakeman Trust], p. 317, italics in original), “Felix is shriveled from a missionary into an ambassador.” William Carey knew what a privilege it is to serve the King of kings. I sometimes wonder if we have that appreciation today? Oftentimes, the church is the last institution or organization we are willing to give time to from our very busy schedules. Maybe we need to rethink the Lord’s work and our individual roles.
Prop: In Neh. 3 we’ll notice ___ principles related to fulfilling the Lord’s work.
BG: 1. I have to tell you that when first read chapter wondered what would preach on. Seemed difficult. Looked and in the past conveniently skipped over the chapter. Yet, I believe every verse is inspired by God and if such then needed to ask Him to show.
2. This chapter is the record of a massive “work day” and who came out and helped.
Prop: In Neh. 3 we’ll notice 6 principles related to fulfilling the Lord’s work.
I. 1st Principle: Dedicate Your Work to the Lord. Vv.1-3
A. Nehemiah records that the Priest who had come to rebuild the walls consecrated the work of the their hands.
1. Here Nehemiah begins his recording of the work by noting that the priests helped to lead the work of rebuilding and as such they dedicated their work unto the Lord.
-“consecrated” – Heb. – qadash – means to make or pronounce clean, to hallow or to dedicate unto God. The priests knew that the city and the walls and the construction itself needed the blessing of God if it was going to succeed and so they asked God’s help. I find it interesting that Nehemiah actually records the exact locations of where the priests, and the rest of the individuals worked. Here we see that the priests repaired two locations, the Sheep Gate and the wall from the Tower of Hundred to the Tower of Hananel.
2. Some of you may remember that is exactly what we did before construction and remodeling started on this building. This building had been a retail venue. Before construction began we came into this building and laid hands on it and prayed. You may remember we circled the building with our people, holding hands, and prayed. If you were able to pull up the carpet you would see Scripture verses written on the floor and up here on the platform. The very studs in the walls on both this and in the basement floor have verses written on them. Why? We were consecrating this building to God! (That’s why a church building or a sanctuary of a church building is to be treated with respect&honor. Parents, teach your children the sacredness of this.)
B. When Beginning a Project, Consecrate Your Work Unto the Lord.
1. Prov. 16:3 says: “Commit your works to the LORD And your plans will be established.” My friends, America is at a real crossroads in our history. Our President and other leaders do not want to focus on the real issues we are facing. Our nation is under threat from radical Islam and no one wants to address this menace. In fact, the more threatened we are and the more we experience its violence the more certain segments of our population want to capitulate to it. Illust: Read with great consternation earlier this week where Duke University, in an attempt to be more open and diverse, was PROMOTING a Muslim call to afternoon prayers from the Chapel bell tower! Oh, that our intellectual elite in this nation would learn the things of God and what makes for true peace and prosperity! I Cor. 1:20 says: “Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”
2. The Best Way to Consecrate our Work to the Lord is to Consecrate Our Lives to the Lord!
Illus: Sometimes an easy conversation between friends can have ramifications far beyond what either person expects. Such was the case in the summer of 1872 near Dublin, Ireland, when two prominent evangelists were discussing ministry. The two men were the British evangelist Henry Varley and the renowned American evangelist Dwight L. Moody. As they were talking Varley made a throw away remark, but the Holy Spirit took that remark and burned it into the heart & mind of D.L. Moody. It was a remark that affected him for the rest of his life. This is how Moody recorded it in one of his diaries:"'The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.' ... A man! Varley meant any man. Varley didn't say he had to be educated, or brilliant, or anything else. Just a man. Well, by the Holy Spirit in me I'll be that man!" [John Pollock, Moody: The Biography (Chicago : Moody, 1963, 1983), 115].
C. Applic: Begin your work by dedicating yourself and your work to the Lord!
II. 2nd Principle: Work to Shore up the Basics. V. 4
A. Address the necessary items.
1. Next, Nehemiah records that certain men “made repairs”. When I look at these sections of the passage that simply state: “made repairs”, I notice that the exact locations are not given, nor really, is the work highlighted, as to what was done. Almost get the feeling that it wasn’t as noteworthy as some of the other construction that was being completed on other areas of the walls.
2. As such, we are tempted to think that what is being discussed here is not of importance or maybe better stated, less important. I wonder, however, if we were to translate the word “repairs”, to a possibly better rendition of the Hebrew. Instead of “made repairs” what if we read into the passage: “strengthened”? Truthfully, that is what is really implied herein. The men were “strengthening” the walls of Jerusalem as it had been when originally built.
B. When the Lord calls you and me to a work He is calling us to “strengthen that work”.
1. Illust: You may say to self, “Well, I can’t play piano like Maureen or Krystal or Rachel, or sing like… All I can do is…” No, No, No, dear one! You are STRENGTHENING the body of Christ! When you are volunteering in the nursery or CC or SS, you are STRENGTHENING the next generation of children! When you serve as a greeter, you are STRENGTHENING those coming into the body! When you are serving in worship in any capacity you are “STRENGTHENING” the worship experience. When Kevin l has his MOZ group meeting, is he “having men’s group”? Not, he is seeing that the men of the church are STRENGTHENED in the Lord!
2. Yes, sometimes things simply are about numbers. You need volunteers to serve and in a church cannot compel. Part of why we have been taking the ministry surveys. What is needed is for a lot to do a little, otherwise a little do a LOT! And that is not Biblical and it robs you of the blessing that could be yours to SERVE the body of Christ.
C. Every Church Needs to be able to “Cover the Basics”. Part of the reason for ministry survey the past few weeks. Want to see everyone serving in an area where feel needed and called.
III. 3rd Principle: Expect Disharmony when Working for the Lord, but keep it in Perspective v.5
A. Beware of Ungodly Attitudes while performing the Lord’s Work!
1. Nehemiah records a disturbing scenario surrounding the construction of the wall.
a. v. 5. Last week and again later we will see the response of Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, the enemies of Israel who had a vested interest in seeing Israel stay weak. However, now we see something strange and different. Opposition to the Lord’s work, not from outside of the body, but within! (Read v.5) Worst of all, from the very people who should have known better.
b. Nehemiah faithfully records that not everyone joyfully participated in the task at hand! Tekoa, which was a city about 10 miles SW of Jerusalem had nobles that were against this work. The nobility weren’t very noble acting were they? Why this response? Do not know for certain. It is possible that one of two attitudes was affecting the Tekoite nobility: Possibly, being 10 miles from the city, they were asking the age old question of selfishness: “How is this going to affect me?” The defense of Jerusalem was good and all that, however, too far away for them to find security there. Time better spent serving self. The other possible response was a response of haughty superiority. “I am too important to serve. I must be served!” Don’t forget, they were NOBLES. Noble have always wanted to be served and rarely have been concerned with serving.
2. Beware of adopting a similar set of responses when it comes to work in the church.
a. Throughout the history of the word, by comparison, only a relatively few number of people have had their names recorded in the God’s Holy, eternal, Word, the Bible. At least in this instance, the Tekoite nobility have their names recorded or all of history by being on the wrong side of an issue due to indulgence, immaturity, or ingratitude. Not the lasting memorial I would want!
b. Everything in life is a process in motion. Without movement, advancement and progression, there is no life. Once a thing has ceased to progress, it is dead. In other words, as long as we live, you and I are always going to be heading somewhere, and we should be enjoying ourselves on the way. God created us to be goal-oriented visionaries. Without a vision, we become bored and hopeless. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, according to Proverbs 13:12, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life. There's something about hope that makes people lighthearted and happy. You're not going to be happy if you don't have hope. The more hope you have in God, the happier you become. Biblical hope is a close relative to faith. I don't see how you can have faith without hope because hope is the foundation on which faith stands. Hope believes everything is going to turn out all right—hope is positive! To enjoy life you must maintain a good, positive attitude. God is positive, and He wants positive things to happen to each of us, but that isn't likely to happen if we're not filled with hope and faith.
B. Don’t Allow Yourself to be overcome by Disharmony.
1. While working in the midst of disharmony, learn to keep the disharmony in perspective. In Neh. 3, we see a very large number of people who worked to rebuild the fortress and defenses of Israel. By comparison, the number who determined not to help were but a fraction. This is important to be reminded of. I am sure it took a lot of Nehemiah’s attention and emotion and physical energy to address their behavior. However, in light of the overall picture, they were but a small minority. In the church it is also important to remember that when there are folks grumbling or griping or even leaving, they are usually but a small number and cannot allow that to take focus of service to the vast majority who stayed or continuing to address the project and work at hand.
2. Illust: A tailor was at work. He took a piece of cloth and with a pair of shining, costly, scissors, he cut the cloth into various bits. Then he put the pair of scissors at his feet. Then he took a small needle and thread and started to sew the bits of cloth, into a fine shirt. When the spell of sewing was over, he stuck the needle on to his turban. The tailor’s son who was watching it asked him: "Father, the scissors are costly and look so beautiful. But you throw them down at your feet. This needle is worth almost nothing; you can get a dozen for an anna. Yet, you place it carefully on your head itself. Is there any reason for this illogical behavior?""Yes, my son. The scissors have their function, no doubt; but they only cut the cloth into bits. The needle, on the contrary, unites the bits and enhances the value of the cloth. Therefore, the needle to me is more precious and valuable. The value of a thing depends on its utility, son, not on its cost-price or appearance." Similarly, there are two classes of people in the world-those who create dissensions & disharmony, who separate man from man; & those who bring about peace & harmony, who unite people.
C. Applic: Expect disharmony when doing the Lord’s work, yet remain positive, promoting unity, while not allowing self of project to be overcome.
IV. 4th Principle: Be Willing to Work outside of your Comfort Zone v.8
A. Next, Nehemiah records some honorable individuals who, unlike the Tekoite Nobility, worked, even outside their area of expertise.
1. Nehemiah records the names of two highly skilled artisans who willingly worked “outside” of their ability and training. Uzziel and Hananiah – one a goldsmith and the other a perfumer. Most of us know the work of a goldsmith. However, a perfumer was a task we are not as aware of today. Some translate “apothecaries” or a chemist. Certainly used for worship but also at some levels medicines, possibly even like a pharmacist. Certainly would make and maybe even oversee the use of perfumes and incense in worship. Needless to say, these men were skilled craftsmen.
2. Yet, what do we notice about these men according to the Scripture? Both are revealed as being willing to serve in mundane tasks and in less creative ways then they had experience in. Illust: In our own church, every week you can see Mike and Amit working with pre-kindergarten age kids. Both men are talented engineers, yet this is an area they are serving in, and serving with joy.
B. Serving the Lord Requires Being Willing to Be Used Outside of your Comfort Zone.
1. Nehemiah records two unlikely individuals willing to work outside area of expertise.
a. Uzziel and Hananiah were willing to be moved and used outside of their comfort zone. Part of being willing to be used outside of our comfort zone requires humility. “Humility?”, some may ask. “I can’t do this or that!” “The Lord cannot use me….” Friend, that is not humility, that is pride! It’s just as proud as saying: “I am too good to do that!” The Bible says: “I can do all things thru Christ who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:19). Illust: One of my favorite individuals in HS was one of the school janitors. “I’ll always have a job because I can wash off what others are afraid to get on their hands!”
b. Look at Phil. 2, “Have this same attitude that was also in Christ…” (Read) We must demonstrate an attitude of faithful humility and obedience to the Lord so as to move out of our comfort level and perform the work Christ wants to perform in and through us.
2. Henry Blackaby said, "You never find God asking persons to dream up what they want to do for Him...Without doubt, the most important factor in each (Biblical) situation was not what the individual wanted to do for God. The most important factor was what God was about to do." Being only willing to work within our comfort zone limits what God can do with us and how can use us. (Experiencing God, page 66) He adds, "God reveals His purposes (His tasks) so you will know what He plans to do... When God came to Noah He did not ask, 'What do you want to do for me?' He came to reveal what He was about to do. It was far more important to know what God was about to do. It really did not matter what Noah had planned to do for God. God was about to destroy the world. He wanted to work through Noah to accomplish His purposes of saving a remnant of people and animals to repopulate the earth." (page 99)
C. Applic: Are you and I willing to be used by God outside of what we are comfortable doing?
V. 5th Principle: Involve Your Family in the Lord’s Work v.12
A. Next we see a family at work, together, in serving the Lord.
1. Nehemiah records a unique listing in the work on Jerusalem’s defenses.
- “Shallum…and his daughters”. Read that again. Think about it. Think about the time period. This was not a “woman’s” work, but a “man’s work”. These were dangerous times and was dangerous work to perform. Shallum was an exceptional man and he had exceptional daughters. Under Nehemiah the men were pressed into service, however, the women were allowed to volunteer! These women were more courageous than a lot of the men and their courage is rewarded by being recorded in the Bible. Christianity is a religion that sees men and women as equals. Yes, some functional differences, but spiritually equal. Illust: Years ago had a team from GNBC in Haiti. Some Haitian teens gathered around and in good natured bantering one was asking Mark Hostetler who was the “toughest person” in our group? Playing like wanted to fight. Kid was about ½ Mark’s size and wouldn’t have stood a chance. Are you the toughest? Mark said “No, she is!” and pointed to Nichole Carroll! Couple of us that were around went: “Ughuh!” Kid got real concerned look and backed away!
2. Volunteers bless the heart of any organizer. It is a very difficult task for Pastor Richard to quarterly recruit volunteers. Ultimately, the focus of our service is Christ and the strength to serve is from His Spirit. “…if anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:11 NIV).
B. Realize there is a special place for a family ministry.
1. Shallum saw that his whole family was in the same boat together. His daughter’s survival was based on their ability to get the walls up around Jerusalem. They had a vested interest to help. We need to see our families to be working units. Illust: John Piper has said: “Worshiping together counters the contemporary fragmentation of families. Hectic American life leaves little time for significant togetherness. It is hard to overestimate the good influence of families doing valuable things together week in and week out, year in and year out. One of the greatest benefits of family worship is the actual passing on of our faith to the next generation. We are teaching our children how to read the Scriptures, pray, confess their sins, sing unto God, and more. Our children will leave the home with memories of this corporate worship.
2. We need our families to be ministry units. Do you realize God ordained the family before He ordained the Church? Paul wrote this to the entire church at Rome, not just to the pastors or church leaders. All Christians, not just so-called “full time Christian workers,” are to be serving the Lord in some capacity. In Rom. 12:4-8, Paul develops the analogy of the church as the body of Christ. Every part of the body is valuable and useful to the overall functioning of the body. Even so, every believer has been given spiritual gifts to use for the building up of the body of Christ. There is no such thing as a non-serving member of the body. If you’re not serving, you need to ask the Lord how He wants you to serve and begin doing it.
C. Applic: Don’t miss out on the blessing of serving the Lord together as a family!
VI. 6th Principle: Work Zealously, whether it directly Benefits You or Not v. 20-23, 28.
A. Work zealously for the Lord because it is the Lord’s work!
1. Of all the individuals Mentioned by Nehemiah one earns the distinction of having worked “zealously”. “Baruch” is credited with working “zealously”! We don’t know what he did to stand out, but probably, quick, competent, and not complaining! A zealous worker stands out above the crowd. Illust: One of my sons recently hired for a specific job. Was very proud to hear that he accomplished in 4 hrs. what two workers before had taken over a day to do. Worked zealously.
2.How are we to work zealously for the Lord?
a. Romans 12:11. As with meekness, many people labor under an inaccurate or insufficient concept of zeal. A lot of Christians tend to equate zeal with enthusiasm. Though these two are related, they are different in many respects. Enthusiasm involves an eagerness or excitement that generally contains a large emotional component. As a result, it usually comes and goes in spurts. It is difficult to sustain a continual high level of enthusiasm without a lot of undue strain and weariness. Unfortunately, those who make the mistake of equating enthusiasm with zeal can feel bound to live at an unreasonable level of emotional intensity. In essence, true zeal consists of a determined, aggressive dedication to something or someone. It should not come and go in a Christian's life, because it is not subject to the vagaries of the more emotion-based enthusiasm. Christian zeal is a constant feature of a strong Christian life, because it is a dedication to God founded on a fundamental decision. It's not affected by how we're feeling
b. Illust: A church that has passion is a church where "Discouraged folks cheer up, dishonest folks fees up, sour folks sweeten up, closed folk, open up, gossipers shut up, conflicted folks make up, sleeping folks wake up, lukewarm folk, fire up, dry bones shake up, and pew potatoes stand up! But most of all, Christ the Savior of the entire world is lifted up."
B. We are to work zealously whether or not it directly affects us.
1. It is easier to work zealously when the task directly affects us. (v.23&28) Various men are listed in this section who were willing to work on the wall right by their house. Makes sense. Motivation is there! Last June when received 8” of rain in one day, power went down in our neighborhood. Sump pumps quit working. Travis Robertson’s mother, Carole, repeatedly carried five gallon buckets out of basement to keep sump pit from overflowing! Motivated!
2. Some will still work zealously even if it does not directly affect self. (v.22)
a. v.22 a Group of priests from outside of the town came to help with the needs of the city.
b. Illust: One of the greatest and lasting memories of the floods of 2008 were the groups of people working selves to the bone filling sand bags to save other people’s business and neighborhoods. They were safe. Their property secure. Yet, gave up own time and invested own effort to save another.
C. Applic: Illust: A recent Zogby International poll found that 69.2 percent of Americans "strongly agree" that corruption is "a significant problem in Washington, DC." Another 22.7 percent said they "somewhat agree" with that statement, meaning that more than 90 percent consider corruption a significant problem in their government! The sad history of politics—and by no means just in the United States—is that government leaders often serve their own interests more than the interests of those they govern. And it is often at the expense of those they had supposedly dedicated themselves to serve. As the President and newly elected Congress take their seats in government, will these public servants fulfill Americans' hopes, or confirm their fears? In the months and years ahead, will elections in other countries around the world bring new policies, better government, more service and less selfishness?
