Nehemiah 3 - ORDINARY PEOPLE, EXTRAORDINARY WORK

Grace Community Church
Matt Slack
September 15th, 2013
ORDINARY PEOPLE, EXTRORDINARY WORK

Nehemiah 3

Good morning. We’re in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, chapter 3. Open to Nehemiah chapter 3. Quick Church Plant update: We have a name: Bridgeway Sarasota. A few ways you can be praying for us are: sell house, for Siobhan and I heading to CA for Acts 29 Bootcamp and next month we’ll be heading to FL to meet with local A29 leaders for my final assessment with A29.

Let’s pray. I want to start by asking you a couple questions. Do you know who Shallum is? Anybody? How about Hanan? Hanan, ring a bell? OK, maybe you know his dad, Zalaph? What about Zadok? Well that’s who we’re going to be talking about today-people that we have no idea who they are. Nehemiah chapter 3 is one of those seemingly “boring” passages of scripture. But because we’re committed to teaching all of scripture we don’t skip the “boring” or hard passages.

That’s where we are today and that’s my task-to preach a list of names; the public building records from Project: Rebuild the Wall in 450 BC. Here’s why these “boring” passages are important-because 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” This means that this seemingly boring passage was put here by God for us with a purpose. Let’s read chapter 3. Disclaimer: I don’t know how to pronounce most of these names, so just hang with me.

Here’s why Nehemiah wrote this; Here’s what we’re going to learn from this text today: Ordinary people worshiping an extraordinary God accomplish extraordinary things for the glory of God. Nehemiah 3 is a list of normal, ordinary, boring people that we have never heard of. They were people like you and me…who worshiped God and allowed Him to do something in and through them that would cause the name of God to again dwell in their city. But there’s nothing special about any of them.

Ordinary People
Look at Nehemiah. If anyone stands out it’s him. He was a cup bearer. Yes, this was a high position in the kings court but that wasn’t because of Nehemiah, it was because of the King; the trust needed and close proximity to the King. You didn’t need a PhD to be a cup bearer. Nehemiah’s job was to protect the king by tasting the wine before the king drank it. If he didn’t fall over dead, it was a job well done. If he did fall over dead, it was also a job well done. Not a complicated job. Yet God used him to do an amazing and humanly impossible task; to rebuild the city and do it in an extraordinary timeframe. But Nehemiah was just an ordinary guy.

Nehemiah knew that the task before him, the restoration of his city, was not dependant on him. What was dependant on him was to depend on God for the city to be restored. The book of Nehemiah destroys our tendency to believe that God can’t use us because we think we don’t have what it takes. The point here is that nobody has ever had what it takes. But when we depend on God and in faith step out He accomplishes the impossible through us.

Last month we studied the book of Jonah. We learned that God was the hero of that book; that God used a rebel to save a city. Now in the book of Nehemiah we see that God used ordinary people to rebuild and restore a city. Do you get the idea that He wants us to know that it’s not about us?

Have you ever used this excuse? “I’m the least likely person that God could use to redeem our city.” If that’s you I’m here to tell you that you are the most likely candidate for God to use because He loves to use the unlikely for His glory; He uses the weak and the foolish to confound the strong and the wise. You can’t use this excuse with God.

What is he calling you to do? It’s probably impossible…or at least challenging. But are you obeying? It doesn’t matter who you are, what your background is, how much schooling you have or what you do for a living-butcher, baker or candlestick maker, it doesn’t matter. God wants to use you. It’s not about us, it’s about Him. And if you trust Him and step out in dependence on Him, He will use you and show His power through you.

So we see here that God did extraordinary things through these ordinary people. We also see from them the importance of unity.

The Importance of Unity
Our culture celebrates rugged individualism and tells us that we don’t need anyone. But the bible doesn’t celebrate the power of one, the bible celebrates oneness. The bible celebrates unity. It’s when a group of ordinary people humble themselves and work together side by side that God loves to pour out His power; then they become an exponentially powerful force for change in their city.

Paul talks about the unity of the church being the lynch pin of the power and testimony of the gospel in Ephesians 4. Keep your finger in Nehemiah 3 and turn to Eph. 4. Read. Eph. 4:1-3, How do we walk in a manner worthy of the gospel? Unity. How? Humility, Patience, Gentleness. Paul is saying (here and greater context) that the church must be unified and when it is it’s an unstoppable force for the gospel.

This is what’s happening in Nehemiah 3, but it starts in chapter 2:17-18. Nehemiah called everyone together: “Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned.” Nehemiah has a burden for the city. It’s been destroyed for 140 year but now God has put his own heart for the city in Nehemiah. And he’s casting a vision to the people. His heart is broken for Jerusalem. And he calls them to join him in the work; to do something about it. “Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” Let’s do something about the brokenness of our city because our enemies are having their way with us; taking advantage of us. Let’s build!

And then He inspires them: 18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me.” He gave them a vision of who God was; sovereign, powerful and faithful; that they were doing His will and had His favor; God had even turned the heart of the King. The task is huge but God is bigger and He can use us (ordinary people) to do this great work.

And look at how the people respond: “And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.” When Nehemiah came to the people with his burden and cast a vision for his city the people responded and they were unified around the mission of God. In order for us to be an unstoppable force for the gospel in our city we have to have Theological Unity. We have to be on the same page about God; captivated by His greatness, glory and majesty; amazed by His grace and love displayed in the gospel through Jesus Christ.

And we need Missiological Unity. We need to understand and know the heart and mission of God for our city. We need to know the needs and brokenness of our city and be willing to lay down our lives, sacrificially to do something about it.

But we also need Relational Unity. If we’re united on theology and mission but not in relationship, we’re not unified. This is what Paul’s is getting at in Eph. 4:2-humility, patience, gentleness, bearing with each other. These are things we work out in relationship. Now, we are a relational church. We love being together. So what would keep us from the kind of unity that we see in Nehemiah 3; the kind of unity that rallies around a God sized vision of restoration and requires sacrifice and faith? I think it’s safe to say that it would be the same thing that kept the guys in verse 5 from joining Nehemiah.

Read verse 5-The Tekoites were willing to serve but the nobles would not “stoop”. They thought they were above this work or they disagreed with how it was being done or they wanted to be in charge. They would not stoop. Folks this is called pride! Proverbs 3, James 4 and 1 Peter 5 all tell us that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. In this case grace is in the form of favor and power to do amazing things for God. Those who see themselves as the servant of their Lord and are willing to stoop for His mission will be blessed and empowered to succeed in the mission of restoration.

In Nehemiah 3 we see the importance of unity. But we also see the importance of community.

The Importance of Community
Nehemiah shows us a picture of people coming together to work for a common cause. The reality is that you can’t have the kind of unity we talked about apart from community. God brought together the whole community serving with gifts, serving as families and serving in their own backyards.

They were all serving with different gifts. Throughout the chapter we see that there are Priests, Goldsmiths, Perfumers, Servants, Gatekeepers, Leaders and Merchants. God brings all these different people with all different gifts together to do a great work. Let’s jump back to Eph. 4 again. I want us to see how Paul describes what happens when we all come together and use our gifts for a unified cause. Read verse 7-we all have gifts to contribute as a result of the grace of God. Read verse 15-16. When each part is working properly the church is strengthened in love.

Isn’t that the greatest need of our city? It needs a strong church that is not only displaying the love of God from within but also loving the city outwardly, actively. We build this kind of church by coming together with the gifts that God has given us; humbling ourselves and working side by side with unity, in community.

They served as a community with their gifts but they also served in their own backyard as families. In verse 1 we see brothers working together. And I love verse 12-there’s Shallum swinging a hammer with his daughters right next to him. Each family worked together and had the responsibility to work on the wall closest to them; opposite their own house.

This is where we’re called as a church. The work doesn’t start in Madagascar. If we, as a church, are going to see the gospel redeem our city it’s going to start on our street, with our neighbors, in individual lives that need hope and love. It’ll take time and sacrifice to practically minister the gospel to the broken. It might seem like slow progress at first but when we’re all unified around a common vision and committed to working together in community it will be a powerful force for change in our city.

Ok, they were building walls and gates; walls to fortify the city against the attack of the enemy. We need to protect the city from the deception and destruction of Satan-there is a war going on, sides are being taken. Marriages-broken, parents-lost, the marginalized-forgotten, the oppressed-hopeless. The gospel is what our city needs and the gospel compels us to go after the weak, blind, hurting. That’s what the gospel is, that God entered the mess and sinfulness of humanity to rescue us.

We also need gates. At the beginning of chapter 3, the very first gate they build is the Sheep Gate. This was the gate that would be opened so that people could bring in their sheep to sacrifice to atone for their sins. Today, because of Jesus, the church is the Sheep Gate. It’s a place where we can swing open the doors and lost people can come and experience the mercy and grace and salvation of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who sacrificed Himself on a cross to atone for sin once for all. And through Jesus they can know His love and acceptance for the first time.

This is why I’m excited about planting a church. Because the more gates there are, the more accessibility to the gospel there is. That’s why a part of our vision from day one is to be praying and preparing for the day that we plant a church. And I pray that more men will be trained and equipped and sent out from this body to plant more churches. We need the walls and we need the gates; protection from the enemy and access to grace.

Lord willing, this year we will have our own Sheep Gate. And we want to be prepared for what the Lord has for us. When the thirsty hear of water, when the lame hear of healing and the broken get a taste of the love of God, they will come looking, they will come running. Now is the time to prepare our hearts, now is the time to act.

Close with this question, why? What’s our motivation to spend our lives on this mission? Read Eph. 2:8-9. Jesus did a work for us on the cross. The grace that was freely given to us is not only at work for us, it’s also working on us. And when we taste the goodness of His grace toward us our response is to say, “By your grace work through me!” That’s what verse 10 says-Read. God has placed you here, now for a specific purpose; to do a work that he has already prepared for you…so that you may walk in it.

The only right motivation is the gospel of grace and the glory of God. Do you see how broken our city is? But do you see how great and powerful our God is? Let’s learn from Nehemiah 3.

This is who we are: Ordinary people changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, living in community centered on the gospel with a burden to see our city restored by the gospel.

Our God is Mighty to save and He will do great and wonderful things through us for His glory if we would but trust him-and His Name will be lifted high in this city. Let’s build together, let’s strengthen our hands for the work and let’s rise and build to see the name of Jesus exalted!