Teamwork 101

Teamwork 101

Nehemiah 3:1-32

Intro: Calhoun was a favorite ball carrier of the local fans but on this particular day the quarterback was not giving him the ball.

As the game wore on and the home team was getting behind the fans began to chant, “Give the ball to Calhoun. Give the ball to Calhoun.” They were ignored.

It was the third down and the fans began to get louder and louder, “Give the ball to Calhoun.” The frustrated quarterback walked out of the huddle and motioned for silence from the crowd. He cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, “CALHOUN DON’T WANT THE BALL!”

. Without teamwork, it’s hard to accomplish much .

. Everyone must be willing to participate.

. That’s how successful organizations get things accomplished, through teamwork.

. There’s an old saying that say’s “there is no I in team.

. This means that everybody is important and no one is more important than anyone else.

. According to dictionary .com, teamwork is:

. Cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team or in the interests of a common cause.

. Other definitions include:

. " Teamwork means that we share a common ideal, Embrace a common goal. Regardless of our differences, we strive shoulder to shoulder, Confident in one another’s faith, trust, and commitment. In the end, teamwork can be summed up in five short words....

“We believe in each other."

" Teamwork is the FUEL that allows Common People To Produce Uncommon Results!"

"True teamwork is a two way street: Reaching out to help colleagues And also being open and receptive to help when it’s offered"

. As I was preparing for this sermon I ran across an amazing tidbit about teamwork that I want to share with you. It’s an amazing fact about honey bees.

.During the spring and summer on a warm day about half the bees in a hive stay inside beating their wings while the other half go out to gather pollen and nectar. They do this to cool the hive. They keep the inside of the hive about 10 to 20 degrees cooler than the temperature outside. They rotate between staying in the hive one day and the next day they are the gatherers and the others are the ones that air condition the hive. An amazing illustration of teamwork.

. We are back in Nehemiah this morning and guess what the sermon is about?

. Teamwork, that is right.

. Let’s review for a minute

. If you remember, Nehemiah was the cup bearer to the king Artaxerxes. He was the ruler of Persia.

. One of his brothers came to visit him and told him of the condition of the walls in Jerusalem that left the inhabitants vulnerable to attack.

. God placed on his heart to go back and rebuild the walls around Jerusalem.

. He asked the king for permission and materials. The king granted these requests and Nehemiah went back to Jerusalem.

. When he got back, he quietly surveyed the situation and started the project.

. Our scripture this morning shows us the teamwork that is involved when God gives you a monumental task. We talked about this monumental task two weeks ago.

. As you first read this chapter, it seems real boring. Kind of like reading all the begats found over in Genesis or all the numbers found over in the book of Numbers. You who have read and studied the Bible know what I’m talking about.

. As I was studying for this sermon I saw where one writer called it “a colorless memorandum of assignments”

. It can get difficult to muddle through and keep your attention.

. I am going to be merciful to you this morning and we’re not going to read all 32 verses but we are going to read enough to understand what was going on and what God has to say to us this morning.

. Nehemiah 3:1

. 1Then Eliashib the high priest and the other priests started to rebuild at the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set up its doors, building the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and the Tower of Hananel.

. verses 3&4

. 3The Fish Gate was built by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid the beams, set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars.

4Meremoth son of Uriah and grandson of Hakkoz repaired the next section of wall. Beside him were Meshullam son of Berekiah and grandson of Meshezabel, and then Zadok son of Baana.

. verses 8&9

. 8Next was Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a goldsmith by trade, who also worked on the wall. Beyond him was Hananiah, a manufacturer of perfumes. They left out a section of Jerusalem as they built the Broad Wall.