When God’s People Are Heard
On April 19, 1775 a group of American militia fired the first shots that ignited the American Revolution. These courageous American patriots were determined to be heard by the British government and to remain free as a nation. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a song/poem about this immortal battle. This song contained the words “the shot heard round the world.” The essence of that song and the revolution was that America wanted to be heard.
Is not that God’s desire for His people? He wants them to be heard by the people of our world. There is an inspiring verse in Nehemiah chapter 12 that expresses this thought. Nehemiah had returned to Jerusalem and lead the Israelite people to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. The Israelite people were beginning to get a ray of hope. At that point they participated in a celebration of God’s blessings. The Bible says “the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.” (Nehemiah 12:43 NKJV) The Israelite people were being heard by the nations surrounding them. That is the way it should be. The people surrounding our churches should hear the people of God.
I want to share an overview of Nehemiah chapters 11-13. In doing this overview I want to lead you to see three ingredients that caused the people of God to be heard.
1. The first ingredient was Participation. This is found in Nehemiah 11. All of the people participated in what God was doing. In Nehemiah 11 we find a count being made. They shared the names of the people who populated Jerusalem. The city was being re-established. Therefore, repopulation was essential. In Nehemiah 11:1 we discover that one out of ten Israelites were chosen to repopulate the city of Jerusalem. The rest of the Israelites were allowed to live in other cities. In Nehemiah 11:2 we discover that some people willingly volunteered to live in the city. This is equivalent to some people being drafted and some people volunteering for military service. After listing the draftees and the volunteers we find a list of the people:
- Who lived in Jerusalem (11:3-24)
1. Lay leaders (3-9)
2. Priests (10)
3. Levites (15-18)
4. Gatekeepers (19)
-Who lived in other cities (20-36)
There are two significant truths that pertain to this chapter in Nehemiah.
A. All of God’s people should be involved.
Did you hear about the company that makes blank bumper stickers? They are for people who do not want to get involved.
Illustration: A man called a pastor’s office at a church one day to inquire into membership in the church. He stated that he would not be able to get involved or anything, but he felt it was important to have some religious affiliation. The pastor advised this man that the church he pastored might not be the best fit for him, but he knew of a place where he would fit in quite nicely.
The man asked about a phone number, but the pastor only gave him an address. On Sunday morning, the gentlemen followed the directions and pulled up into the yard of a delapidated building. The roof was falling in, the doors were locked, and vines were growing into the windows.
This gentlemen called the pastor and told him that he had given him the wrong directions. "Oh no," the pastor replied. "Not at all. That is the place. That church has a membership roll filled with people who did not want to get involved or committed. That is what will always happen to a church whose members do not care about its success."
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Toby Powers)
Nehemiah wanted all people to participate. All of God’s people were expected to contribute to the re-establishment of Jerusalem. All of them were expected to be involved.
The same is true in the church. The church will be heard when all of God’s people are participating and involved in God’s work.
B. The second significant truth found in Nehemiah 11 is that all of God’s people are important. They listed the names of the gate-keepers. That seemed to be an insignificant group but Nehemiah thought they should be recognized. He thought they were important.
In the church every person is important. The nursery workers are important! The ushers are important! The greeters are important?
Illustration: Thirty years ago, the Miami Dolphins embarked on an unforgettable & unparalleled season. They had a 14-0 regular season, then a 3-0 run through the playoffs culminating with a Super Bowl victory. No other team has matched that record. Every year 30-some odd teams try, but for 3 decades, it stands alone. Sports enthusiasts have their opinions about who might be the “Greatest Team of All Time”, but one of the 1972 Dolphin team members put it best: “Perfection has a way of shutting peoples mouths.”
The opposing coach going into the ’72 Super Bowl was asked to comment on the stellar Miami defense. "I can’t recall any of their names," he said, "but they are a matter of great concern to us." Who knows the nickname of the ’72 Dolphins Defense? Their name was the "No-Name Defense."
What made that team special was not the handful of superstars – it was the dedication of every team member. The willingness of every player to execute his position with excellence for a common purpose. Something special happens when everybody plays their position. The whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. They had some great players, no doubt. But plenty of other teams over history have had better personnel. More Pro-Bowl players, superstars, Hall of Famers. Yet no team has reached a level of achievement that they did.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Chip Kelly)
Every member of that team was involved and important. They all participated and contributed to the success of the whole.
2. The Israelites were heard because all of the people participated. The second reason God’s people were heard was because there was a Celebration. This is found in chapter 12.
In Nehemiah 12:1-26 we find a list of the priests and Levites who lead the celebration. In Nehemiah 12:27-47 we find the celebration. They organized two choirs (vs. 31). One choir went to the right accompanied by Ezra (31,36). The second choir went to the left accompanied by Nehemiah (38). Celebrations had been non existent during the exile.
In Psalm 137 we find the condition of the people during this time. “By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. We hung our harps Upon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive required of us a song, And those who plundered us required of us mirth, Saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’’ How shall we sing the Lord’s song In a foreign land?" (NKJV)
Under the leadership of Nehemiah the people had something to celebrate. Notice the celebration phrases in chapters 11-13
- You will find the phrase singers and singing mentioned often. (11:22,23; 12:27,28,29, 42,45, 46,47; 13:5,10)
- You will find the phrase thanksgiving mentioned often. (11:17; 12:8, 24, 27,31, 38, 40, 46)
-You will find the phrase joy or rejoicing mentioned often. (12::42, 43, 44)
When God’s people are filled with a spirit of gratitude and celebration the world around us will take notice.
Illustration: In 1621, Edward Winslow, one of the fifty or so members of the Plymouth colony, wrote these words, describing the first harvest festival:
"Our harvest of corn came in well, and God be praised, we had a good increase of Indian Corn, and our Barley crop was also good, but our crop of peas wasn’t worth the gathering – they were sown too late, and although they came up very well and blossomed, the sun parched them in the blossom. Once our harvest was brought in, our Governor sent four men out to hunt fowl, in order that we might have a special celebration, rejoicing together over the fruit of our labors. Those four hunters, in one day, killed enough fowl to feed our Company for almost a week. We were joined, in our celebration, by many Indians: the great Indian King Massasoyt, along with some ninety Indian men, joined us for three days of entertainment and feasting. The Indians themselves went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the Plantation and gave as gifts to our Governor, and to our Captain, and others. And although our harvests are not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish that you could be partakers of our plenty."
(SOURCE: Fr. Jim Cook, St Luke’s Episcopal Church, Shawnee, KS. http://www.stlukes.net/recent_sermons/Thanksgiving_Day_Sermon_C_2001.htm)
Recently our country took notice of fans from the University of Texas. Those fans celebrated because their team had won a national championship.
The church should be a place of celebration. Celebration can make an impact. On the day of Pentecost the unbelievers took notice of the celebratory spirit of the believers.
3. The final ingredient that contributed to the Israelites being heard was Dedication. We find this in Nehemiah chapter 13. In Nehemiah 13 we discover that Nehemiah had returned to Babylon for a period of time. After this period of time Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to face a discouraging sight. The people of God had backslidden.
1. The Israelites were associating with their enemies and marrying foreign women (13:1-3; 23-27).
2. The Israelites were dishonoring God’s house (13:4-14). They allowed an intruder to live inside the storehouse of the temple.
3. The Israelites were dishonoring God’s day (13:15-22). They were buying and selling and trading on the Sabbath.
All of these failures had to do with weak dedication. When God’s people are dedicated they will live a separated life. When God’s people are dedicated they will live an obedient life. When God’s people are dedicated the world around us will sit up and take notice.
Illustration: In Acts 4 we find a story where Peter and John are obediently sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. The secret of their success is found in verse 13. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” (NKJV) The dedication of Peter and John won them a hearing. When the people of the world see our dedication they will rise up and hear our message.
Conclusion
I trust that you and I are earning a hearing in our community. Do people see it by our participation with God’s people? Do people see it by our celebration? Do people see it by our dedication?
