Rebuilding Together
Series: Rebuild
Date: 23rd October 2022
Passage: Nehemiah 2:9-3:32
00:00:00 --> 00:00:01 Good morning, everyone.
00:00:02 --> 00:00:02 There you go, the microphone.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:04 Good morning.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:05 Thank you.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 It's great to be with you this morning.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 It's great to be opening this part of Nehemiah with you,
00:00:11 --> 00:00:15 and it's exciting and a great privilege
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 to be opening God's Word with you today
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 on such an important anniversary.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 So thank you, Steve, for those words,
00:00:23 --> 00:00:24 and thank you for the opportunity.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:30 Let me pray for us before we look at the next part
00:00:30 --> 00:00:31 of Nehemiah's journey together.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:34 Our gracious Lord and Father,
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 thank you that you are sovereign over all time,
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 over history and people.
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 Thank you for your faithfulness to your people,
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 despite our repeated sin and disobedience.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 In your love for us, you give us your Word,
00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 in your mercy, your Son, so that we might know you.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 As we open your Word today,
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 please show us more of your glory.
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 In Jesus' name, amen.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:05 So last week, Steve introduced us to Nehemiah,
00:01:05 --> 00:01:09 a man of integrity, of faith and conviction.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:11 He was enslaved in exile,
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 but he was also a trusted and treasured confidant of the King.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 And yet we see a man whose heart yearned for his people,
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 for the restoration of their place,
00:01:23 --> 00:01:23 the city of Jerusalem,
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 as it represented for him the restoration
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 of their relationship with their God.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 And I've always been quite curious
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 about this concept of place in Nehemiah.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:35 Why is it so important?
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 Why is it so tied to a sense of who people are?
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 And I say this because I'm a first-generation Australian.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 The stories of my family are not from here.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 They are quite recent.
00:01:47 --> 00:01:51 Some years ago, I contemplated this
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 because if you know anything about First Nations culture,
00:01:55 --> 00:01:56 about Aboriginal culture,
00:01:56 --> 00:02:00 place and personal narrative and cultural history
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 is deeply connected.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 The song lines of people is about their place.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 And in my work, I was trying to develop for myself
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 an understanding of what this connection meant
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 so that I could better do my job,
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 better serve the community I was working with.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 And at the time,
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 a very wise Aboriginal woman said to me
00:02:19 --> 00:02:25 that the only way for me to understand culture more
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 was to understand my own background,
00:02:27 --> 00:02:28 my own place.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 And so I embarked on that journey myself.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 If you've ever had a conversation with my mother,
00:02:34 --> 00:02:35 which I highly recommend,
00:02:36 --> 00:02:40 you'd realise that our history takes us to Scotland.
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 And so some years ago,
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 I went to Edinburgh,
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 visiting the war memorial
00:02:47 --> 00:02:50 that's kept within the walls of Edinburgh Castle.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:52 Inside Edinburgh Castle,
00:02:52 --> 00:02:53 if you've ever been there,
00:02:53 --> 00:02:54 there is a very large hall,
00:02:55 --> 00:02:55 you know, high ceilings,
00:02:56 --> 00:02:57 very ornate, very quiet.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 There's books that line the walls of this great hall,
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 and it lists all the Scottish people
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 who have fought and died in war over many generations.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 And in one of those books,
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 I found my great-grandfather,
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 killed in France during World War I.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 And it was a very small thing
00:03:14 --> 00:03:15 to read a name in a book,
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 a name that I had known in conversation,
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 whose photographs I'd seen,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:21 and took with me the letter
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 that was sent to his family,
00:03:23 --> 00:03:24 telling them that he'd died in battle.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 And it was at that moment
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 that the narrative of my own family came to life,
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 in a place that was now very foreign to us,
00:03:32 --> 00:03:33 in many ways,
00:03:33 --> 00:03:34 because we had been here.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:35 I was born here,
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 my mum had been here for many years,
00:03:37 --> 00:03:41 but to feel the connection to that place had remained.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:43 And so we find this for Nehemiah.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 He had departed his own country,
00:03:47 --> 00:03:48 his own home in the King's Court,
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 where he had been for so long,
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 and now to journey back to Jerusalem.
00:03:55 --> 00:03:56 In chapter one,
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 we see there had been a lot of time for him in preparation.
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 As Steve highlighted for us last week,
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 the beginning of this book of Nehemiah
00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 really shows us the character of this man,
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 a slave as a result of exile,
00:04:10 --> 00:04:11 and yet holding such high office,
00:04:12 --> 00:04:13 where his integrity,
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 his trustworthiness were critical to his job,
00:04:16 --> 00:04:17 and I'd say to his survival.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 But his heart was for his God,
00:04:20 --> 00:04:21 for his homeland,
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 with a people that were scattered
00:04:23 --> 00:04:24 and a city in ruins.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 What we saw last week was Nehemiah's character,
00:04:28 --> 00:04:29 prayerfully planning,
00:04:30 --> 00:04:31 considering wise actions,
00:04:32 --> 00:04:33 and really these are the backdrop
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 to where we find him today in his journey.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 We see that these characteristics are evident
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 in how he approaches the journey itself,
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 how he thinks and plans for those initial interactions,
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 and how he goes about the building work.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 In the passage that Kel read to us this morning,
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 Nehemiah has made his trip to Jerusalem,
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 probably taking about two months to make that journey.
00:04:57 --> 00:05:01 Nehemiah, as a king's official,
00:05:01 --> 00:05:02 he was on government business,
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 he travels with a military escort,
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 so he doesn't come into town quietly at all,
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 and we see that he quickly ruffles some feathers.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 What we also see is that the first thing he does
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 is take a few days to rest,
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 which I think after travelling for two months
00:05:18 --> 00:05:19 on a horse makes some good sense.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 He takes care of himself,
00:05:23 --> 00:05:24 he gets some perspective,
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 and then he starts thinking about the job at hand.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 We see in verse 12,
00:05:30 --> 00:05:34 Nehemiah's initial inspection of the city was at night.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:35 He didn't want to attract attention.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 He was gathering his own information,
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 making his own assessment of the task.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:44 But the words that we see in verse 12
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 speak more about what is on his heart
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 than what is in his project management plan.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 This is first and foremost God's business.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 Come alive in Nehemiah's heart
00:05:56 --> 00:05:57 to do for God's people.
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 And so that vision remains his very sharp focus.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:07 He is clear in his mind that this is God-inspired work,
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 a calling that has taken him from a comfortable job,
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 sitting in a palace, to the unknown.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 But he also doesn't want that vision
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 to create unrealistic expectations.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 So getting an honest assessment of the situation
00:06:22 --> 00:06:26 is really critical to enable him to plan and deliver.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 Nehemiah sees for himself in verse 13
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 that the walls are broken,
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 the gates have been destroyed by fire.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:37 It's not until Nehemiah has made that assessment
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 that he goes and speaks to the priests,
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 the nobles and the officials of Jerusalem.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:47 And I really think Nehemiah carefully chooses the words
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 that he says in verse 17.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 The city has been ruined and desolate for 18 years.
00:06:53 --> 00:06:56 People have been living amongst this brokenness
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 without any attempt to restore it.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 But Nehemiah doesn't chastise them.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 He acknowledges the state of the city
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 and he calls them to get on with the work of building.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 And he includes himself in that.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 You see the trouble we are in.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 It's as much his problem as is theirs.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 He's not special or different.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:19 He suffers from Israel being as broken as much as they do.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 Now that's a pretty smart move as a leader.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 He makes it very clear that he's alongside them.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 He's moved there to work with them.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:31 He's not there to supervise and he's not there to do the work for them.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 But we also know that this is not just rhetoric.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:39 What we know from Nehemiah's prayer that's recorded in chapter 1
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 where he confesses the sins of we Israelites,
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 including me and my father's house,
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 that we have committed against you.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 Nehemiah identifies with their sin and their brokenness as a nation.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:55 And he can see the hand of God with them to be restored.
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 When we think about the mission we're called to,
00:07:59 --> 00:08:03 Jesus' life and ministry models a similar posture for us.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 We see in Hebrews 2, 17 and 18,
00:08:06 --> 00:08:32 Jesus shows us a ministry anchored around glorifying God,
00:08:32 --> 00:08:36 lived out alongside all sorts of people in deep humanity,
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 sharing in their suffering.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:43 Nehemiah gives us an example of the value of that in any ministry,
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 of walking closely alongside others
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 and understanding with empathy
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 the challenges people and communities face.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 When anchored in a relationship with God,
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 we have an ongoing awareness of our own sin,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:59 but we're called to a desire to serve and help others.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 Not looking down, not talking about those people,
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 a shared humanity with an unfair mercy.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:10 Now, we also don't see Nehemiah coming in
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 and offering to do the work for them.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:13 He says, let us build.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 So this is about, for him, unifying people,
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 not letting them be passive observers.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 When Nehemiah puts the prospect of rebuilding
00:09:21 --> 00:09:25 to the Jewish nobles, they quickly reply,
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 let's start building.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:29 They hadn't assumed their situation couldn't be changed
00:09:29 --> 00:09:34 and they didn't say to him, look, we've tried that before.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:35 It didn't work.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:35 We're not going to bother.
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 What God sent them was a leader from the outside,
00:09:39 --> 00:09:42 but with a fresh perspective and a clear vision for the work.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 He motivates people to get on with it.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:49 Nehemiah was never going to be able to do this work
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 without the Jews, both practically speaking,
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 but also if the purpose of rebuilding God's people
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 was to be fulfilled.
00:09:57 --> 00:10:01 All the Jews needed to hear was that God was with them.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 It strengthened and encouraged them
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 and so their enthusiasm and hope welled.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 Early in chapter two,
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 Nehemiah has a conversation with the king,
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 asking for leave to go and rebuild.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 Now this is a bold enough request in and of itself,
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 a servant asking the king for something.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 But as we know, Nehemiah has been preparing for months,
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 praying and seeking God's timing for his plans.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 And it's certainly the case that Nehemiah would have needed
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 the king's approval to leave his job and go to Jerusalem.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 We know from Ezra 4 that the local officials
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 had already put a stop to rebuilding Jerusalem once before,
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 and so Nehemiah knew he needed authority.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:47 But Nehemiah also anticipated that he would have opposition.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:52 Travelling to Jerusalem with military prepared him for that,
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 but he also knew that the governors and the rulers
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 in the surrounding areas would be threatened,
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 and so he needs the king's authority to combat that.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:05 And he knew his arrival quickly would attract attention,
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 and we see quickly those opposed to change
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 coming out of the woodwork.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 When we get to verse 19,
00:11:12 --> 00:11:17 we see the three opponents that start to come forward
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 to oppose Nehemiah.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 Firstly, we see Sanballat.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 He was from Beth Horan.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 That's about 12 miles from Jerusalem.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:29 He was the main opposition that Nehemiah first encounters,
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 and that continues.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:34 We see later in Nehemiah in chapter 4
00:11:34 --> 00:11:37 that he has an official position in Samaria,
00:11:37 --> 00:11:40 and so he is particularly dangerous for Nehemiah.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 Tobiah is an Ammonite, an enemy of the Jews.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:49 He's related to and had friends among those
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 who were in the rebuilding work for the city.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:57 He's the one who was going to be gathering information from the inside,
00:11:57 --> 00:12:02 finding people within those rebuilding who would seek to undermine.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 And then we see Geshem and Arabian.
00:12:06 --> 00:12:10 These three protagonists are quick into the conversation
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 when the commitment's made to start the rebuilding work.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 We don't see them favourably depicted.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:20 They aren't described as providing particularly coherent arguments
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 against the work.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 They mocked and ridiculed,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:27 sometimes described as the weapon of those who have no other.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 They belittled the Jews for their lack of resources,
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 and in verse 19,
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 they accused the Jews of rebellion,
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 of being deceitful and faithless.
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 Nehemiah's response to this barrage of accusation
00:12:42 --> 00:12:45 isn't to wave the king's letter in front of them,
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 even though he has it at his hand.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 He doesn't actually argue at all.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 Instead, he says in verse 20,
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 the God of heaven will give us success.
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 He doesn't get drawn into petty argument.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 He doesn't give them a lecture on the law,
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 nor does he ignore them.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 He just directs them to God,
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 the king and ruler of all.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 Now, there's a number of reasons why that's important
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 for Nehemiah to take that stand.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:18 Firstly, it speaks very loudly to the Jews about his purpose
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 and affirms to them that this is God's work in them.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:26 Ignoring the critics would have created doubt in their mind
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 about his intent.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:33 Secondly, he avoids engaging in what is a redundant debate
00:13:33 --> 00:13:36 with people whose position is clearly informed,
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 has different agendas,
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 and is just false.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:43 Debate would give their position voice that wasn't warranted.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 But it also tells us something about Nehemiah.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 Anticipating this situation,
00:13:50 --> 00:13:53 drawing on his diplomacy and other skills learned in a king's court
00:13:53 --> 00:13:55 to disarm and defuse.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:59 This aids in pointing the Jews to God and not to him.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 Nehemiah has a clear burden on his heart
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 for the work God has called him to do.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:09 It's deeply held and an immovable mission
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 that gives him the clarity and the courage
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 to stand against this kind of opposition.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:17 I like that Nehemiah seems to have expected it.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 He's calm and he's measured in how he handles this men.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:26 And I wonder for us how we think and plan for opposition.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:31 Is this, when we think about the mission
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 that God has put on our heart,
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 an immovable, deeply held mission
00:14:34 --> 00:14:37 to bring God's glory, God glory?
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 Is it a burden we have?
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 Does it cause us to sacrifice?
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 Does it cause us to speak the truth
00:14:44 --> 00:14:47 and point people to God who would seek to discredit him?
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 God called the Jews to rebuild,
00:14:52 --> 00:14:55 as has been seen in Nehemiah's journey so far.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 And we see the determination of his faith.
00:14:58 --> 00:15:01 He's only at the beginning of his rebuilding work
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 and yet his determination is evident.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 We are similarly called.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15, 58,
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters,
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 be steadfast, immovable,
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 always abounding in the work of the Lord,
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 While there is nothing new under the sun,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 we're certainly living in a time
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 where Christians are openly mocked,
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 criticised and derided.
00:15:28 --> 00:15:31 We're no longer able to rely
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 on the passive indifference,
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 perhaps that might have characterised society's
00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 view of Christians in times gone by.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 Increasingly, being a Christian,
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 being a follower of Jesus,
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 is more likely to attract the kind of commentary
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 we see in Nehemiah,
00:15:47 --> 00:15:50 in our workplaces, at uni, in our families,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 and certainly in the court of public opinion.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:55 And so it would be naive of us
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 to not prepare and be wise about opposition.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 Much like Nehemiah,
00:16:00 --> 00:16:03 being careful about our own personal mission,
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 having time with God in his word to sharpen us,
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 meeting with God's people together,
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 all our steps that we can take
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 to equip us for the hard work ahead.
00:16:15 --> 00:16:18 Nehemiah found a city without any stability,
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 socially, economically, spiritually.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 When we look at Ezra 4,
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 we see that they were oppressed
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 by their foreign neighbours.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 They were clearly unprotected.
00:16:28 --> 00:16:30 They were heavily taxed.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 They were enmeshed with foreign nations
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 who had warded them down spiritually.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 They were defeated.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:39 And so they were content to live with things as they were,
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 rather than risk further defeat.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 The Jews had long been mocked for the state of the city.
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 It was supposed to be the joy of the whole earth,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 from Psalm 48.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:53 It was the place that God loved.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:57 God loved the gates of Zion, from Psalm 87.
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 But if God loved this city so much,
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 why was it in ruins?
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 Why were its gates burned?
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 Why hadn't the Jews done something about it?
00:17:06 --> 00:17:09 Without the ability to galvanise the people for the work,
00:17:09 --> 00:17:11 Nehemiah would not be able to restore anything.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 Finding a way to bring back their sense of being a people,
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 of being God's people,
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 was his real challenge.
00:17:18 --> 00:17:23 As we look at Nehemiah 3 and the work that takes place,
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 we don't see God mentioned at all.
00:17:26 --> 00:17:29 But we know that he is woven into every brick.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:32 It's a great demonstration of God at work through his people.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:36 And we know that Nehemiah had one thing at the forefront of his mind,
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 the glory of God.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 And so let's take a look.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 We already know that Nehemiah had planned this work.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 And the effort in rebuilding is another example of this.
00:17:45 --> 00:17:48 When we look at chapter 3,
00:17:48 --> 00:17:51 there are 38 individual people mentioned
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 and 42 different groups named.
00:17:53 --> 00:17:56 Of course, there would have been many, many others not mentioned.
00:17:57 --> 00:18:00 People who carried things,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 people who healed wounds,
00:18:01 --> 00:18:05 people who made cups of tea, if they did that then.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:10 But the way that he kept so many people on track
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 was through a common goal,
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 working together for God's glory.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:17 Now, I'm not going to go through every gate
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 and every group this morning.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:22 And shout out to Kel for even doing half that chapter.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 Well done, Kel. Thanks.
00:18:25 --> 00:18:27 We did it in Bible study on Tuesday night.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 I thought, oh, I can't do that to someone else.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:33 But I will want to...
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 I do want to just draw out some themes
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 that we see across this chapter.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:40 Firstly, that God uses many different kinds of people.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:44 The chapter tells us that there were rulers,
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 which we see in verses 12 to 17.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 There are men and women.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 There are perfume makers.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 There are goldsmiths, merchants,
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 people from outside the city.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 There was a job for everyone,
00:18:55 --> 00:18:58 and they all willingly worked alongside one another.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 It seems that any of their differences were irrelevant
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 when it came to the task at hand.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:06 They just stood shoulder to shoulder and did the work.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:10 This reminds me a lot of church today.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 God's people are made up of many ages,
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 cultures, jobs, backgrounds,
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 all of us turning our hearts and minds
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 to glorifying God together.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:24 We also see the importance of the example of leaders.
00:19:25 --> 00:19:28 In verse 1, we see that the tone is set from the top
00:19:28 --> 00:19:32 with the high priest going to work to rebuild the sheep gate.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:36 That the high priest used his consecrated hands
00:19:36 --> 00:19:39 on manual labour shows that he considered this
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 to be work that was important.
00:19:42 --> 00:19:45 Elashib enlists the other priests for the work as well.
00:19:45 --> 00:19:48 However, just a bit of a spoiler for later on,
00:19:48 --> 00:19:50 he turns out to be an ally of the enemy
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 and creates a lot of problems for Nehemiah,
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 so don't get too attached to him.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:59 The sheep gate was at the north-east corner of the city.
00:19:59 --> 00:20:02 This was the gate through which the sacrifices came to the city.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:06 So it was right that the priests worked on the sheep gate.
00:20:06 --> 00:20:09 And it symbolically says that they're putting God first,
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 which was important for people who'd been stuck.
00:20:13 --> 00:20:17 We also see that there is unity among the people as they work.
00:20:17 --> 00:20:21 For example, from the example of the priests
00:20:21 --> 00:20:24 to the variety of people we see putting their shoulder
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 to the hard work of building.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 They do it selflessly.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:30 We don't get a sense of there being any individual effort.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 It's a combined effort.
00:20:34 --> 00:20:37 Some do the work on the areas of the wall near their home,
00:20:37 --> 00:20:40 which we see in verse 10, in verse 23,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42 and in verses 28 and 30.
00:20:42 --> 00:20:44 They took responsibility for their own neighbourhood
00:20:44 --> 00:20:48 so that their own homes could be restored and liveable again.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 Others came from many other nations.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 We see people from Jericho, Tekoa, Gibeon,
00:20:54 --> 00:20:56 Mizpah, Bethser, and many others.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:59 Now, it's not clear what benefit they might have
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 from Jerusalem's walls being repaired,
00:21:01 --> 00:21:05 but still they left their homes and jobs and came to help.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:10 It's this kind of selflessness that marks the people of God
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 in many ways through history.
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 Many people who've prayed for missionaries,
00:21:15 --> 00:21:18 going to countries, praying for people in countries
00:21:18 --> 00:21:20 and giving money that they never visit,
00:21:21 --> 00:21:23 working with people and praying for people,
00:21:23 --> 00:21:26 sowing seeds that we might never see the fruit of,
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 not for personal benefit,
00:21:28 --> 00:21:31 but because it's a privilege to glorify God.
00:21:33 --> 00:21:35 We see that the places were built,
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 as outlined in this chapter,
00:21:37 --> 00:21:40 in a bit of a methodical style,
00:21:40 --> 00:21:42 next to him, next to him,
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 and so the language goes.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 And so what the language gives us
00:21:45 --> 00:21:47 is a strong visual of a city,
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 brick by brick, being rebuilt.
00:21:49 --> 00:21:53 Nehemiah records these in the various gates.
00:21:54 --> 00:21:58 The narrative moves counterclockwise around the city.
00:21:59 --> 00:22:01 There are 10 gates, several towers,
00:22:01 --> 00:22:03 as well as the work on the north wall,
00:22:04 --> 00:22:06 the eastern wall, the southern point of the city,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08 and finally the eastern wall.
00:22:09 --> 00:22:11 Each gate had a particular purpose
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 for the functioning of the city,
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 as you will see if you read the rest of the chapter,
00:22:15 --> 00:22:18 especially for the functioning of the temple,
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 for the purposes of defence,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:23 for sanitation, you can guess which one that is,
00:22:23 --> 00:22:25 for food and water,
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 and for the troops to enter and depart.
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 It's also an important chapter
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 for the historical detail that gives us
00:22:32 --> 00:22:34 about the layout of Jerusalem,
00:22:34 --> 00:22:37 and quite purposely records the names of people
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 who went to work rebuilding on it.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:43 Recounting the building of this city in this way
00:22:43 --> 00:22:46 is a reminder again of how broken Jerusalem was.
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 There had been no temple.
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 There was no means of sacrifice.
00:22:51 --> 00:22:54 But as we know, no person could achieve this work,
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 and it took, had been able to achieve this work,
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 it took the leadership of Nehemiah
00:22:59 --> 00:23:01 and the cooperation of all these people.
00:23:01 --> 00:23:03 And both were important.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 And so it is for us today,
00:23:05 --> 00:23:08 working together to finish the work to the glory of God.
00:23:08 --> 00:23:13 The rebuilding of Jerusalem really shows
00:23:13 --> 00:23:17 a practical mission of the heart for God's glory.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 The status of Jerusalem, as we know,
00:23:20 --> 00:23:22 as a city was a symbol of God's people,
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 and Nehemiah knew this deeply.
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 His part was to do the work of restoration
00:23:27 --> 00:23:31 and give the people of Jerusalem hope once more,
00:23:31 --> 00:23:34 reassuring them of God's promises to them fulfilled,
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 lifting them out of rubble,
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38 from broken dependency.
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41 Jerusalem and its people were designed
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 to be a city on a hill,
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45 a light that proclaimed God's glory,
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 not hidden away,
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 cowering in rubble,
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 defeated.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 If its citizens obeyed God,
00:23:53 --> 00:23:55 Jerusalem was to bear witness to him.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:58 Its community life was to be a pointer
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 to the peace and justice in the new Jerusalem,
00:24:01 --> 00:24:03 the city on the hill that would come
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 at the end of time,
00:24:04 --> 00:24:06 which we see in Revelation 21 and 22.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:10 We know this isn't an Old Testament idea only,
00:24:10 --> 00:24:12 about place and its walls.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:15 Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 5, 14,
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 let your light shine before others
00:24:17 --> 00:24:19 so they may see your good works
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 and give glory to your Father in heaven.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:24 It's the same call that was on Nehemiah's heart
00:24:24 --> 00:24:27 and the same call that was made on the people of Jerusalem
00:24:27 --> 00:24:29 that's made on us today.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:33 There is also joy and enthusiasm
00:24:33 --> 00:24:35 that comes through the narrative.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:37 It's clearly hard work.
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 It's messy.
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 It's dirty.
00:24:40 --> 00:24:42 They would be blistered, cut and bruised.
00:24:43 --> 00:24:45 And some people completed more than one section,
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 did much more than they needed to.
00:24:49 --> 00:24:51 But what this chapter gives us
00:24:51 --> 00:24:54 is a sense of energy and hope in the words
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 as the people work together.
00:24:55 --> 00:24:58 There is a sense of enthusiastic unity.
00:24:59 --> 00:25:01 The 38 people who were named
00:25:01 --> 00:25:03 and the many who aren't
00:25:03 --> 00:25:05 who did the jobs of cleaning up
00:25:05 --> 00:25:07 and helping lug stuff around,
00:25:07 --> 00:25:09 repairing the blisters, making the food,
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 all mattered.
00:25:11 --> 00:25:15 And it was a joy that they shared in serving.
00:25:17 --> 00:25:21 Nehemiah uses the recurring phrase in Next to Him
00:25:21 --> 00:25:24 and it's a very clear testimony, I think,
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 about their interdependence,
00:25:26 --> 00:25:28 about lives that were lived doing hard work
00:25:28 --> 00:25:31 alongside one another in building God's city.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 So it isn't a city,
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 it isn't a collection of individuals,
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 but a society that's interacting.
00:25:37 --> 00:25:41 We see something like this
00:25:41 --> 00:25:45 when we look at how Paul invites us
00:25:45 --> 00:25:50 as God's people in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14
00:25:50 --> 00:25:53 to consider ourselves part of the human body.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:56 I've always liked this part of the Bible
00:25:56 --> 00:25:58 in terms of its significance
00:25:58 --> 00:26:00 for how I view mission,
00:26:00 --> 00:26:02 that we all have a unique
00:26:02 --> 00:26:04 but interconnected part to play.
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 Perhaps as a former nurse,
00:26:06 --> 00:26:08 I connect with the detail
00:26:08 --> 00:26:10 of the miracle that the human body is.
00:26:11 --> 00:26:13 Fascinating small structures,
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15 tiny bones in our ears,
00:26:15 --> 00:26:17 tiny vessels that all work day and night
00:26:17 --> 00:26:20 so that I can process the world around me.
00:26:21 --> 00:26:23 But each part is also unique,
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 made for a particular purpose
00:26:25 --> 00:26:27 and that's what we see here in Chapter 3,
00:26:27 --> 00:26:29 that people may have the same name
00:26:29 --> 00:26:31 but they're distinguished from each other
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 by their family background.
00:26:32 --> 00:26:34 unity is important
00:26:34 --> 00:26:37 but individuality is also valued.
00:26:37 --> 00:26:41 It strikes me that they never needed
00:26:41 --> 00:26:43 their brothers and sisters in Christ,
00:26:43 --> 00:26:45 we never needed our brothers and sisters in Christ
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 more than we do today.
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 As was the case for Nehemiah,
00:26:50 --> 00:26:52 anyone looking at God's people today
00:26:52 --> 00:26:54 might see that our city is looking a bit run down,
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 the walls crumbling
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 and the fires lit at our gates.
00:26:57 --> 00:27:01 We don't need to be the same as each other,
00:27:01 --> 00:27:03 we don't have to do the same thing.
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 Throughout the Bible,
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 we see many different people
00:27:05 --> 00:27:07 all used by God
00:27:07 --> 00:27:09 in his time for his purpose.
00:27:10 --> 00:27:12 But our confidence must be in God.
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 In unity,
00:27:13 --> 00:27:15 we amplify the hope we have in Jesus.
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 We help each other carry the load
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 of living faithfully
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 when we are under siege.
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 We spur one another on
00:27:22 --> 00:27:24 when the work of mission is hard.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:26 Our unity is in the spirit,
00:27:27 --> 00:27:29 galvanising, comforting, assuring.
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 Let's hold on to that,
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 defend it,
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 prioritise it
00:27:33 --> 00:27:35 and for one another
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 and serve one another
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 with our time and talent and treasure.
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 Nehemiah's vision,
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 the desire of his heart
00:27:42 --> 00:27:44 infused in the work
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 of the people of Jerusalem
00:27:45 --> 00:27:47 was that God would be glorified
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 once again through his people.
00:27:49 --> 00:27:51 His confidence is in his promises
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 of God fulfilled
00:27:52 --> 00:27:54 in Israel's history.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 His hope was that
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 in restoring the city,
00:27:57 --> 00:28:01 that relationship would be restored.
00:28:02 --> 00:28:04 What Nehemiah didn't know
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 was that the only way
00:28:05 --> 00:28:07 that this reconciliation could happen
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 was through the temple
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 being torn apart
00:28:09 --> 00:28:11 and restored after three days.
00:28:11 --> 00:28:13 The only perfect,
00:28:13 --> 00:28:15 final, life-giving hope
00:28:15 --> 00:28:17 is found in God giving his son
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 over to death,
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 raised from the dead
00:28:20 --> 00:28:22 so that we might live eternally.
00:28:22 --> 00:28:24 Our personal hope
00:28:24 --> 00:28:27 is in a resurrected Jesus.
00:28:27 --> 00:28:29 Ephesians 2 tells us,
00:28:29 --> 00:28:37 God, who is rich in mercy,
00:28:37 --> 00:28:39 has made us alive in Christ
00:28:39 --> 00:28:41 even when we're dead in transgressions.
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 It's by grace you've been saved.
00:28:44 --> 00:28:47 God raised us up with Christ
00:28:47 --> 00:28:49 and seated us with him
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 in the heavenly realms
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 in Christ Jesus
00:28:51 --> 00:28:53 in order that in the coming ages
00:28:53 --> 00:28:55 he might show the incomparable riches
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 of his grace
00:28:56 --> 00:28:58 expressed in his kindness
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 to us in Christ Jesus.
00:28:59 --> 00:29:01 And so for us,
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 it's a personal hope
00:29:02 --> 00:29:04 that we can be restored
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 from our brokenness
00:29:05 --> 00:29:07 in the face of fear and defeat.
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 Fears that,
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 similar to the people of Israel,
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 can cause us to live
00:29:11 --> 00:29:13 amongst the rubble of our own lives,
00:29:13 --> 00:29:16 inert against the measure of sin and failure.
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 And yet God gives us hope.
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 He offers you hope
00:29:20 --> 00:29:22 and a way to get it.
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 We were dead,
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 but the overwhelming,
00:29:25 --> 00:29:27 conquering love of God in Jesus
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 raises us up
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 and restores us.
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 And if that isn't a hope
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 that you have today,
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 don't leave this morning
00:29:33 --> 00:29:35 without talking to someone
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 about the hope they have
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 and how you can know
00:29:37 --> 00:29:39 the richness of God's mercy
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 for yourself.
00:29:41 --> 00:29:43 This is also the vision
00:29:43 --> 00:29:45 God has before the church today.
00:29:45 --> 00:29:47 We experience times
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 of unrest, upheaval.
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 Life doesn't go smoothly.
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 But we can have hope
00:29:52 --> 00:29:54 that God is turning us
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 into the kind of people
00:29:55 --> 00:29:57 who can handle whatever comes.
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 In Nehemiah,
00:29:58 --> 00:30:00 we see the historical reality
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 of God's promises at work.
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 In Jesus,
00:30:03 --> 00:30:05 we are joined in the resurrection
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 to the fulfilment
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 of those promises in eternity.
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 Let me pray for us.
00:30:10 --> 00:30:14 Lord, I pray that our hearts
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 would be open
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 to know the hope
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 that you have called us to,
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 the riches of our inheritance
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 as your people
00:30:20 --> 00:30:22 and the incomparably great power
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 for those who believe.
00:30:24 --> 00:30:26 Thank you that in raising Jesus
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 from the dead,
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 you have restored us to yourself.
00:30:29 --> 00:30:31 Thank you that your continued work
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 in us restores your people,
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 your church,
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 to shine a light
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 in this dark world.
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 May we have hearts
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 that are keenly focused
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 on glorifying you
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 in every way.
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 Amen.
00:30:41 --> 00:30:41 Amen.