“LET’S GET TO WORK!” Neh. 3
FBCF – 6/21/20
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Martin Luther: “Pray like it all depends on God, then when you are done, go work like it all depends on you.”
There comes a time when it’s time to go to work.
- Playtime is over.
- Break time is over.
- Bedtime is over.
- It’s time to wake up, get up, get ready, & go to work. And that time is NOW for the Church.
Why is it time to go to work?
- The urgency of the times
- The level of evil in our world
- The fact that we have the Answer
- The expectation from God that we will obey His commands & commission
Nehemiah found out that the walls of the city were down & there was no way he was going to stand idly by & let his city & his people be overrun by any enemy forces.
Question for us: Are we going to stand by while the walls of our lives are down & the enemy is trying to overrun us? Everywhere we look, we see evidence of the walls being destroyed.
- Marriages are in trouble.
- Marriage itself is being redefined
- The homosexual agenda & transgender community is gaining strength & momentum every day, as seen in the most recent Supreme Court this week issued ruling that obliterated the Constitution
- Anarchism is on the rise as governmental officials around our nation are actually seriously considering defunding & dismantling police departments & law enforcement agencies
- Watch this: numberofabortions.com
Try to convince me that the walls are not being dismantled before our very eyes right now! And WE have the Answer! We KNOW the Answer b/c the Answer is a Person & His name is Jesus!
- I’m not issuing a call to political action
- I’m not issuing a call to social action (although both of those have their place)
- I’m issuing a call for us as Christ-followers to GET TO WORK rebuilding the walls in our lives!
And, today, on this Father’s Day 2020, the call for the MEN to stand up & be the GODLY HUSBANDS & FATHERS that your families need is more urgent than ever!
APPLICATION – IT’S TIME TO GET TO WORK! And based on the Godly example of Nehemiah, this is how to do it:
FIRST – WE NEED TO HAVE A VISION THAT IS CLEARLY COMMUNICATED – 2:17-18
When there is a clearly communicated vision, the motivation factor for getting to work is off the charts. Nehemiah knew this, & we see him communicating the vision for rebuilding to those who would be joining him in doing the work.
He showed them:
- The reality – Neh gave them the honest, brutal facts – v. 17a
- The remedy – Neh’s remedy? v. 18, 20 – “God’s hand is on us! Let’s build the wall!”
- The results – Neh. 6:15 – “So the wall was finished…” – Simply put: The work was done – the people were safe – the enemies were silenced - & God was glorified!
NEXT – WE NEED TO HAVE LEADERSHIP THAT IS DISTINCTLY DEFINED
My daddy used to have a saying: “There’s too many chiefs & not enough Indians.” If you want to get a firsthand taste of what this means, take a busload of men on a trip & you be the busdriver. See how many opinions are voiced from the back of the bus about how fast to drive, where to get gas, where to eat, where to park, when to merge, what music to listen to, etc.
The leadership for the wall-building project was distinctly defined. Everyone knew that Neh was the leader. And he was a good leader. He didn’t run roughshod over people. He wasn’t a domineering dictator. He wasn’t a “my way or the highway” kind of leader. He was a solid leader that the people willingly followed.
- Teambuilder
o v. 17 – “I said to THEM, ‘You see the trouble WE are in…Come, let US build…”
o v. 18 – “…And THEY said, ‘Let US rise up & build.”
- Visionary
- Generous – 5:14-19 – Fed the workers at his own expense
- Prayer warrior
- Faith-filled & courageous – 4:14
FINALLY – WE NEED TO HAVE EVERYONE WILLINGLY WORKING
Ch. 3 – Entire chapter is nothing but the names of the people & the groups who did the work.
- Phrase “next to him/them” – 15x
- Phrase “after [behind] him/them” – 15x
- v. 12 – “Shallum…AND his daughters…”
One exception: v. 5 – What a sad testimony of these nobles!
APPLICATION – Let’s make some application to our personal lives & to our church. First, personal lives:
- Take an honest, gut-level look at your personal life. What is the reality that you see there?
o Where are the walls down? Where are the obvious weaknesses?
? Personal spiritual growth (quiet time, Bible study, prayer)
? Marriage? Family?
? Places of vulnerability? Temptations? Besetting sin? Addictions?
- What’s the remedy for your reality?
o If you’re weak in spiritual life, find someone to disciple you/mentor you.
o Struggling in marriage/family – Seek out a strong Christian counselor (Ron Mumbower)
o Vulnerable to temptations & sin? H.A.L.T. temptation (Charles Stanley) – Don’t get too:
? Hungry
? Angry
? Lonely
? Tired
- Then celebrate the results! Rejoice in what God does in your life starting TODAY!
o Better marriage
o Better parent – FATHER’S DAY
o Consistency in spiritual life & growth
o Victory over temptation & sin
Application to our church:
- Honest look at our present reality:
o What are we doing?
o More important question: WHY are we doing what we are doing?
o Strengths/Weaknesses
o Potential – Get ready for company to come
o Future – 3 yrs – 5 yrs – 10 yrs
- Remedy for building a stronger church:
o Deeper prayer life
o Centrality of the Gospel
o Shoot w/ a rifle instead of a shotgun
o Strong leadership
? God-called visionary pastor & staff leadership
? God-called supportive & encouraging lay leadership
? Leadership development pipeline
o Willingness to change & sacrifice for the sake of reaching the lost
o Everyone willing to work!
- Results:
o A church that is making much of Jesus, on fire for the Lord, impacting the world w/ the Gospel!
CONCLUSION – So who’s ready to get to work?
