JUBILATION
Nehemiah 11:1-12:47
S: Courage
Th: Brave Hearts
Pr: WE MUST HAVE COURAGE TO DEDICATE THE WORK OF OUR HANDS AND THE DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS TO GOD.
?: What? What is the process?
KW: Expressions
TS: We will find in our study of Nehemiah 11:1-12:47 four expressions of the dedication of our hearts and hands.
The _____ expression is we are…
I. MARKED (11:1-2)
II. PLACED (11:3 – 12:26)
III. FORMED (12:27-42)
IV. THRILLED (12:43-47)
Version: ESV
RMBC 30 Mar 03 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: History (I hate war)
A social studies teacher had just finished a unit on war and peace. "Generally speaking, how many of you," he asked, "would say you’re opposed to war?"
Not surprisingly, all hands went up. The teacher asked, "Who’ll give us a reason for being opposed to war?"
A large, bored-looking boy in the back of the room raised his hand.
"Johnny?" The teacher said.
"I hate war," Johnny said, "because wars make history, and I hate history."
Well, Johnny may not have appreciated history, but as believers, we should.
Because the story of history is His Story.
History reveals God’s story.
Since January, we have been giving consideration to a portion of Israel’s history.
Led by their appointed governor, Nehemiah,…
1. The people of Israel have demonstrated “Brave Hearts”.
“Brave Hearts”, as you may remember, is our theme phrase this year.
And as we have studied the book of Nehemiah, we have seen the demonstration of courage over and over.
During the first part of the book, we have seen the people take on the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem.
Though there was opposition, they continued to work at and finish the task.
The latter part of the book, where we are now, we observe a rebuilding of the faith.
They have demonstrated the courage to hear God’s Word as it is and confess their sin.
In our study last week…
2. In chapter 10 of Nehemiah, the people demonstrated a commitment to…
2.1 Right Living
They committed to being characterized by righteousness.
They committed themselves to letting the Lord be their guide when it come to their relationships, especially when it came to marriage.
The people of Israel had a history of doing it wrong in this area, and their faith had been consistently corrupted.
Last week, we saw them demonstrate the courage to commit to purity.
They also demonstrated a commitment to the…
2.2 Rhythm of Life
The people of Israel committed themselves to the Lord of time.
They recognized that God had given a pace and a pulse to life that made time for rest, worship and witness.
They became resolved to following that design.
They also demonstrated a commitment to the…
2.3 Relinquishment of Resources
The people of Israel also committed themselves to the God that was the Lord of their possessions.
Their wealth found its source in God’s goodness.
So to truly honor Him, they needed to have the courage to let go and continue to trust the Lord who was blessing them.
As we come to today’s study, we are giving consideration to both chapters 11 and 12 of Nehemiah.
Nehemiah is about to return to his king, Artaxerxes, in the capital of Persia.
But before he leaves, there is one more matter that he must give leadership to.
The people of Israel must dedicate the wall.
And in so doing, they teach us that…
3. WE MUST HAVE COURAGE TO DEDICATE THE WORK OF OUR HANDS AND THE DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS TO GOD.
As we give consideration to this, we want to ask the question of “what”?
What is the process?
What is the process we go through to get to this place of dedication?
Well…
4. We will find in our study of Nehemiah 11:1-12:47 four expressions of the dedication of our hearts and hands.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first expression is we are MARKED (11:1-2).
[1] Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns. [2] And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.
The wall is built, but Jerusalem still had a problem.
The rulers lived in the city, but that was about it.
The common everyday folks did not.
They lived in the surrounding rural areas, towns and villages.
ILL Chuck Swindoll, in his book, Hand Me Another Brick describes the dilemma this way…
We are reminded of the little poem we used to do as children.
Here’s the church, and here’s the steeple;
Open the door, and see all the people.
But the poem would go differently in Jerusalem...
Here’s the wall, and here’s the city;
Open the gates; my what a pity!
The city had not been an attractive place to live.
As the exiles had returned from Babylon and Persia, they had felt safer and happier to settle in the smaller towns and villages.
Jerusalem had not seemed like a secure place to live.
But now Nehemiah is taking the lead again.
For Jerusalem to prosper, and thus really all of Judah, the city needed to be economically viable.
And for that to happen, they needed people to live in it.
Simply, this meant that some were going to have to leave their place of comfort and go through the sometimes traumatic experience of moving.
But who was going to be the ones that had to move?
Well, as we look at this text, we learn that…
1. When we are chosen, we must be willing to go.
During the Old Testament times, the casting of lots was used to discover the Divine will.
I imagine there were some that had been happy in their present place of residence and were not anxious to move.
Nevertheless, when the lot came up for them, their own plans changed.
You know, it has been said, “You want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans.”
Well, their thinking had to change.
It was not what they desired, but what God desired.
What they preferred was to become secondary.
God’s will was a priority over every other consideration.
What made this acceptable, though, was that it was a holy task.
They were going to live in the “holy city.”
When it came down to it, being chosen was an immense privilege.
But there is another group of people here as well.
They are not the ones that are chosen, but the ones that volunteer.
And they teach us that…
2. When we are burdened, we must go.
Apparently, there were those that did not wait on the lots.
They were already prepared to uproot themselves.
They were already persuaded.
Their hearts were convinced and they were ready for the challenge.
Now that these were marked to go to Jerusalem, we move to the next expression…
II. The second expression is we are PLACED (11:3 – 12:26).
ILL Notebook: Different (Dare to be Different)
After spending four years at the all-girls Beaumont School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, dressed alike in uniforms and saddle shoes, Dorothy Simonelli and her 99 classmates assembled for high-school graduation. They sat together, wearing white caps and gowns and clutching identical bouquets of red roses, to hear a commencement address. The topic of the speaker? “Dare to be Different.”
When it came to Jerusalem, it was going to be filled with different people.
They would have different personalities and varying pedigrees.
In fact, the people of Israel were now reduced down to three remaining tribes, Judah, Benjamin, and Levi.
But from these tribes were some sordid stories, and what might not be considered as a recipe for success.
In verse 6, the family of Perez is mentioned.
Perez was the result of an illegitimate union.
His father was Judah who had a relationship with his daughter-in-law.
In the book of Judges, the tribe of Benjamin is known for being involved with homosexuality.
So their histories were not always ones they liked to be reminded of.
But, as always, God does not want us frozen by our past.
He wants us to get it right in our now.
So, whether they had been placed by lot or volunteered, they were committed to the holy task of living in Jerusalem.
And as we look through this next section of the text, we learn this…
1. In our community, we find a variety of ministry and responsibility.
In verse 9, we see those that are mentioned as “second over the city”.
These were local government officers, who would be responsible to keep the city clean, the economy in good running order, and proper building regulations.
In verse 14, there is mention of “mighty men of valor.”
These were the brave warriors that perhaps served as a police force or the beginning of a militia.
In verse 16, there are those who “were over the outside work of the house of God”.
They were ones that were taking care of the building, keeping it in good repair.
In verse 19, we find gatekeepers.
These were strategic jobs as they had the responsibility of making judgments about who should get into the city and who should not.
The same is true in our own community.
We are not all alike.
We have differing strengths and weaknesses.
And along with that, we have differing responsibilities in our service to the Lord.
Now, we must also remember…
2. We must not neglect the priority of worship.
In verse 12, we find those that “did the work of the house”.
These are ones that were giving oversight to the temple and its function of worship.
In verse 17, we find Mattaniah, who was the leader of praise.
In other words, Mattaniah was a worship leader.
In verse 21, we find temple servants.
These were the people that took care of the small, but very necessary details.
In verses 23 and 24, we find instructions regarding the singers.
Evidently, music was so important that there people assigned to it.
Our church community is so much the same way.
We have need of many that are willing to serve the rest of the body in the small details.
Others need to use their administrative gifts to give oversight to the ministry.
We need those with the gift of music to use it for the Lord.
Please mark this…we all have a place.
By God’s design, there is a place for each one of us in His community.
III. The third expression is we are FORMED (12:27-42).
[27] And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. [28] And the sons of the singers gathered together from the district surrounding Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites; [29] also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem. [30] And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.
As move to the next chapter, we understand the city is slowly beginning to show signs of urban renewal.
As people move in, new homes are built and new businesses are started.
And it happens because the wall is finished.
It is broad, stable, and strong.
It is well constructed and well engineered.
So now is the time to celebrate the wall’s dedication.
But before this could happen, the people teach us that…
1. We must be prepared for worship.
You see, the dedication was appropriately going to be a time of worship.
So, a time was set aside and the service was put on the calendar.
Next, the worship teams are formed.
The Levites are given all their responsibilities.
There is going to be celebration and thanksgiving.
There is going to be singing and lots of instruments.
You do notice what instrument is mentioned first, right?
The cymbals!
Percussion is in first place.
(Where are our percussionists today?)
There is going to be a beat, and there is going to be rhythm!
Then the harps and lyres…those stringed instruments are mentioned.
(Where are our string players?)
Later on in verse 35, we find trumpets as well.
(Where are our brass players?)
I guess they would have mentioned the piano and organ, but they were probably too big to get on the wall.
Instruments were to be a part of the worship.
They were to be used to bring glory to God.
The choirs are also formed.
In fact, there is going to be antiphonal choirs.
One sings, and another responds.
(We do that sometimes, don’t we?)
What we can see in this text is that services are to be well planned and well carried out.
We are to honor God with our best effort, and nothing less.
But before the worship starts, we must remember this…
2. We cannot go to worship in a hurry.
ILL Notebook: Confession (C & H)
In the comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson, the cartoon character Calvin says to his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, "I feel bad that I called Susie names and hurt her feelings. I’m sorry I did it."
"Maybe you should apologize to her," Hobbes suggests.
Calvin ponders this for a moment and then replies, "I keep hoping there’s a less obvious solution."
You know, when we want our relationship with God to be right, we need to remem-ber that He has a liking for the obvious solution.
So if we are going to worship, we need to set aside the time to get pure.
It’s time to get clean and get right.
You see, we cannot come before the throne of God and truly celebrate Him until we get rid of the sin, until we get rid of the filth, and cleanse the stench that is within us.
We need God’s forgiveness.
And He is willing to give it when we recognize the obvious solution of being sorry.
It is this simple…
Holiness precedes happiness.
So, there is no room for moral carelessness or borderline sin.
We cannot laugh off the things God hates.
There is not to be any tolerance of evil in our lives.
Our hearts must be right for worship to take place.
IV. The fourth expression is we are THRILLED (12:43-47).
[43] And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.
When it comes to dedicating the wall, let us say that outright that they are right to celebrate the accomplishment.
But what they must get right is the reason for the accomplishment.
They built the wall.
But they built the wall because God called them to do so.
They finished the wall because God protected them through conflict and discouragement.
So there was great reason to worship.
For…
1. Worship is a time for joy.
I think this is one of those scenes that I would have loved to have seen.
Everybody gets up on the wall.
I can just see people climbing up steps and ladders.
People yelling encouragement to “Come on up!”
And there, as God’s people, they would receive a sense of satisfaction as they saw what God had done for a completely different angle.
So it was a time to set aside inhibitions.
It was not a time to be solemn and tight-lipped.
It was not a time to march in cadence.
The instrumentalists played.
The choirs sang responsively.
These were a happy people.
They were celebrating the person of God.
ILL Notebook: Christianity (Nietzsche)
The atheistic German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche once said:
“If the Christians expect me to believe in their Redeemer, they have got to look a lot more redeemed.”
What a truth!
Too often, we as Christians appear drab, dreary, and monotonous.
Who wants to be like that?
And the people on the wall weren’t like that.
Have you ever been a distance away from a stadium, and here the crowd roar.
I think that is what this must have been like.
People could hear the worship from far away.
And it is here that we are taught that…
2. Our worship must always be directed to and witness to the person of God.
In the distance, they hear the joy in the heart.
And in this case, it is more important than the words.
For from that far distance, it was not just the music that was heard, but it was the joy, the gratitude, and the delight in God.
God was worth singing about.
God was worth shouting about.
APPLICATION:
ILL Notebook: Intervention (Tolkien)
Probably, many of you have seen “The Lord of the Rings.” Hopefully, many of you have read it. (I recommend it highly – I have read the series at least 20 times.) J.R.R. Tolkien was a Christian scholar, who wrote the tale of good versus evil from a Christian worldview. What “The Lord of the Rings” is not, though, is an allegory. It is a grand story of people – in many ways, ordinary people – confronted with great and impossible tasks – and courageously accepting the challenges because it is the right thing to do. They truly become heroic.
At the end of the film, “The Two Towers,” the last battle for the country of Rohan is taking place. Rohan is getting beat badly. The evil forces of Saruman are about to defeat them. So the leaders that are left decide that they will make one last charge. And as they make the last charge out of the defeated stronghold, it is then a bright shining light appears from the top of the ridge.
It is Gandalf. It is their moral leader, who they thought was dead. And he leads a large army of horsemen into the battle (the calvary if you will), and the forces of evil are defeated.
In the same way…
1. We must recognize God’s timely interventions.
The people of Israel had to recognize their own history.
It was God’s story.
And what they had to see was that God had intervened.
He had rescued her.
He was always working for their good.
Here they were, back in their homeland, the wall built, the worship in the temple restored.
And here they learn that…
2. We must always recognize our ultimate source is God.
They came to this wall.
It was the work of their hands.
It was the desire of their hearts.
And now it was time to give it completely to God.
We, too, must have the same kind of courage.
We must surrender ourselves to His use.
And we must surrender the work of our hands for His use.
All that we are, all that we have done, and all that we do, is to be surrendered to the God who intervenes on our behalf and for our good.
Therefore, let us sing praise unto Him!
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Dedicate the work of your hands to God…have the courage to do so…for God has marked you – chosen you – to bear fruit in His name.
Dedicate the work of your hands to God…have the courage to do so…for God has placed you – you have ministry responsibility that is for the benefit of the people of God.
Dedicate the work of your hands to God…have the courage to do so…for God want you to be thrilled, full of joy, for He has intervened on your behalf and for your good – praise Him always!
Now may the God of peace equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
