Introduction
In this morning’s text, we will look at how Nehemiah begins to re-build the walls of Jerusalem.
I think that the state of walls of Jerusalem / is not a bad picture / of the state of some of our parishes in England today.
Perhaps the state of repair of the walls will not epitomise the whole of a local church. But there may be activities in the church which make us utterly despair.
So before looking at the actual re-building, I would like to look at the five principles that brought Nehemiah success. That brought him to the place where he could actually start re-building.
These principles are also vital if we are going to understand how Nehemiah was able to complete the work in the face of adversity. These principles I believe can also be useful in our ministry as well.
1. The first principle for success was that Nehemiah had a VISION (Neh. 1). He was passionate about it.
When Nehemiah heard that "the walls of Jerusalem were broken down.", he wept and then he
i. brought the problem to God, with prayer and fasting and
ii. asked God to let him get on with the job.
When opposition came, he was able to look back to God as the source of the vision and take heart.
In verse 14, we see Nehemiah reminding the people of their powerful God and implicitly that they were doing his will.
2. The second principle for success was COMMITMENT
Nehemiah identified with the vision and he looked for an opportunity to put the plan into effect. He was a MAN of ACTION. He was prepared to commit to the vision, even if it meant give up his cushy number at court to go to the backwoods of Jerusalem.
Vision alone is not enough, it must be accompanied by commitment.
3. The third principle for success is that Nehemiah got a
A TEAM together (Neh. 2: 17-3: 32)
He didn’t try to do the job by himself but he drew a team together, of like-minded people to help him. He brought his brother Hanani and he got the elders, nobles and common people involved in the task. (Neh. 2:17).
Chapter 3 tells us the names of the people who were involved in the rebuilding project.
4. The fourth principle for success is that Nehemiah made
CAREFUL SECRET PLANS (Neh. 2:11-16)
We don’t have to broadcast what we are doing to our enemies. When Nehemiah got to Jerusalem, he made careful plans. He knew that he had enemies and so he wisely "cased the joint" at night. He made a careful evaluation of what needed to be done.
He did not try to rebuild Jerusalem to the size it had been under Solomon. He only tried to build what he thought he could finish.
Jesus told us that we are to be "as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves" (Matt 10:16). Well this was being as shrewd as a snake.
By holding his cards close to his chest, Nehemiah’s enemies were given less time to plot against him.
5. The fifth principle for success was that made sure he had the RESOURCES to do the job (Neh. 2:1-10)
When Nehemiah was in Susa, he did not have the material or the money to rebuild the walls. So before he leaves Susa, he asks the King for the building material. (Neh. 2:7-9). This is important because without it, he would not have been able to start.
We need to be practical. Call it "worldly minded" if you want.
Story: Christchurch Community Centre
The vicar Jonathan Couper of my sending Parish, Christchurch in Bridlington had a vision for a new community centre to reach out into the community.
Before he could start, he needed to have pledges for the £250,000. Half of the funding came from EU and Government, the rest we had to find ourselves. A couple of weeks before the final deadline, they were still £30,000 short.
Jonathan brought the matter before the whole church and within two weeks the whole cost was underwritten in pledges.
We must not forget the mundane things in our euphoria with the vision.
Having laid these five foundations for success of
VISION
COMMITMENT to the Vision
Getting a TEAM
PLANNING and
SECURING THE RESOURCES to do the job
we can see how Nehemiah had a firm foundation to start to build the walls.
5. NEHEMIAH 4
5.1 The OPPOSITION (Neh. 4:1-5)
In verse 1 we read that Nehemiah started to rebuild the walls and thee first thing that happened was that he ran into Opposition.
Sanballat, the Governor of Syria and Tobias the Ammonite were the key players.
They were incensed when they heard of Nehemiah’s plans. They blustered and threatened but instead of arguing with them, Nehemiah brought the matter to God.
If we start with God, it is essential that we don’t try to finish in our own strength.
In parish ministry we have to accept that if we do God’s work we will get opposition. If we don’t get opposition, then we need to ask if we are really doing God’s work.
5.2 THE ACTUAL REBUILDING STARTS (Neh. 4:6)
So despite the jeers of Sanballat and his cronies, Nehemiah just got on with the business of rebuilding the walls.
There is nothing like getting started. God gave him the vision, the team and the materials.
You will notice in v. 6 how his team "worked with all their heart". His team had bought into the vision.
Getting your team to buy in is essential in church life
5.3 THE OPPOSITION INTENSIFIES (Neh. 4:7-13)
As the work progressed, Sanballat and Tobias were not happy puppies. They were surprised that the Jews would get as far as they did.
When they saw the walls going up, they realised that this was a serious project and in verse 8, we read how Nehemiah’s enemies: "all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it."
They was a real danger to the builders that they would be killed.
We read in verse 11 how Nehemiah records that: "Our enemies said " Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put and end to the work"
5.4 NEHEMIAH’S RESPONSE (Neh. 4:14-23)
Note Nehemiah’s response in Neh 4:9:
"But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet the threat."
First Nehemiah prayed and then he posted a guard to meet the threat
Nehemiah prayed but also took sensible practical measures.
And when the people become afraid he encouraged them to look to God. In verse 14, Nehemiah said:
"Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes". (Neh. 4:14)
5.5 NEHEMIAH’S USE OF HIS RESOURCES
Nehemiah did not have a big enough force to put an army out against Sanballat. He might have wished he had but he didn’t. So he carefully used the resources he had:
5.5.1 He split his force to meet the threat
He didn’t just keep building and hope that he could finish the work before Sanballat came over the walls. We read in verse 15:
From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and arrows."
5.5.2 He had a contingency plan
He took the threats seriously and realised that one of the weaknesses was getting a strong force together quickly. We read in verse 19
"Then I (Nehemiah) said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people : The work is extensive and spread out and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us."
In times of adversity, it will be better for the team to meet the threat to the vision, than for us to carrying the load of opposition alone. Opposition can strengthen our faith but it can also strengthen the faith of our congregation when they share in the work. And it can bring us closer together
5.5.3 He mucked in with the team
Nehemiah did not retreat to the comparative luxury of a Governor’s palace as he would have been entitled to do. We read in verse 23 how he roughed it with the men.
"Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water."
One of the reasons the Greek General Alexander was so successful, besides the fact that he was a brilliant tactician/ was that he was respected by his men. He ate, drank and slept with his men. He endured the hardships just like they did. He was one of them.
Story:
I was very struck by a story I heard many years ago. A young evangelist came to see the senior pastor of a large and very successful church to ask if he could preach at church that Sunday. When he came into the church office and asked for the pastor, he was told that the pastor was cleaning out the toilets for the Sunday service.
We will be far more effective leaders if we are as prepared to clean toilets as we are to lead the Sunday service.
Conclusions
In whatever church we go, the principles that Nehemiah applied to re- building the walls of Jerusalem can be applied to our ministry:
1. We must seek the VISION for the church
2. We need a COMMITMENT to the Vision
3. We must get a TEAM to help us and who BUY INTO the vision
4. We must have careful PLANNING
5. We must make sure we can get THE MATERIAL necessary to do the job and
6. We have to get on with the job despite opposition!!.
In many towns and villages, the church has lost its cutting edge and has lost its voice.
Many in the local community see the local church as no more relevant than the football club or rugby team.
Some of us might go on to such parishes and if we do, there will be the times when we are tempted to give up.
Well, take heart from Nehemiah.
He was a man who was not scared (if I may borrow a phrase from Star Trek) "to boldly go where no man has gone before!"
Conventional wisdom said: "Re-building the walls of Jerusalem was a lost cause". God told Nehemiah to "Go for it"
Who are you going to listen to?
