We're All In This Together

We’re All In This Together

Nehemiah 11:1-12:47

Intro: Football season is right around the corner and everybody is getting geared up. For me, my hope is that this is the year for my faltering yellow jackets of Georgia Tech. Many fantasy leagues are starting and we are going to have a fantasy league here at the creek this year. Darlene Butler is our league coordinator. If you are interested see Darlene.

. On any team, whether it is fantasy or a real team, no one person can do everything. In order to be successful, you must have a team effort. One superstar cannot be the whole team.

. One example of total participation is the 1972 Miami Dolphins. To date, I believe that they are the only team in history to win all their regular season and then all their playoff games to win the coveted football championship. They had a perfect 14-0 season and then a perfect 3-0 in the playoffs to win the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots have had a perfect regular season but they then lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. No one has ever been as successful as this Dolphin team, 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 people’s 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 a handful of superstars, but the dedication of every team member. The willingness of every player to do what they were supposed to do.

. 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.

. The same is true for the church. You may have a superstar pastor( which I am not) but he can’t do it by himself. A leadership team or a committee cannot do it by themselves.

. You see, we are all in this together.

. As I was reading through these two chapters of Nehemiah, I said to the Lord, what is there in here Lord that you want us to see.

. Almost all of chapter 11 and half of chapter 12 is nothing but names, how can this be preached.

. I knew that all scripture is good for preaching and teaching but I had a block. As I read through again and again , God impressed upon me that one of the things He was showing us here was and is the unity that his people need to have.

. We are a team, we are all in this together. The only way we will succeed is to work together for God’s glory.

. With that in mind let’s look for a minute at God’s word.

. The walls and gates are finished.

. The people have been reminded of the promises that God had given them and of his faithfulness.

. The people then made the promises to God that we looked at in chapter 10.

. Life was going along fine. There was security in Jerusalem.

. As we look at the children of Israel, they were about to start a celebration.

. They were going to celebrate what God had accomplished through them.

. The first thing we need to see is that in this celebration,

. They All Participated

. In verses 3-9 we see lay leaders. Here is a sampling .

. Vs 3: 3Here is a list of the names of the provincial officials…

. Vs 4: …From the tribe of Judah:Athaiah son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the family of Perez.

. Vs 7: From the tribe of Benjamin:Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah.

. Verse 10 starts a list of the priests:

. 10From the priests: Jedaiah son of Joiarib; Jakin; and Seraiah son of Hilkiah

. Verses 15-18 lists the Levites.

. 15From the Levites:Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni

.Verse 19 lists the gatekeepers of the city.

. 19From the gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and 172 of their associates, who guarded the gates.