Builders of the Kingdom: Restoring God's City Nehemiah 11-12 Part 1
Notes
Transcript
Text - Nehemiah 11-12
Subject - The city
Theme - Restoring the city
Thesis - Repopulating the city was necessary for the spiritual and social revitalization of the Jewish people.
Principle - Christian, your participation is part of God’s plan in building His kingdom.
Intro
Intro
For many days an old farmer had been plowing with an ox and a mule together and working them pretty hard. The ox said to the mule, let's play sick today and rest a little while. But the old mule said , no we need to get the work done, for the season is short. But the ox played sick, and the farmer brought him fresh hay and corn and made him comfortable. When the mule came in from plowing, the ox asked how he made out. We didn't get as much done, but we made it all right, answered the mule. The ox asked, what did the old man say about me? nothing said the mule. The next day the ox, thinking he had a good thing going, played sick again. When the mule came in again very tired, the ox asked, how did it go? The mule said, all right, I guess, but we didn't get much done. Then the ox asked, what did the old man say about me? Nothing to me, was the reply, but he did stop to have a long talk with the butcher.
Last Sunday we saw Israel renew their covenant.
Their actions proved that their repentance and recommitment were sincere.
They Submitted To God's Word, Separated As God's People and they Supported God's House.
After the people had dedicated themselves to God they dedicated their city to him as well.
Jerusalem could not be strong unless the people were willing to live there.
People at this point of the cities current state could not live there unless they were willing to sacrifice.
Nehemiah called on the people to make sacrifices for the sake of their city,
sacrifices that God still calls His people to make for the sake of the church He is building today.
Repopulating the city was necessary for the spiritual and social revitalization of the Jewish people.
I want to help us to see this morning that if you claim to be a Christian, your participation is part of God’s plan in building His kingdom!
Prayer - Lord help each of us this morning to see the role you would have us play in building your kingdom here in Drummond Mt. Spur us on, encourage us to do your work here in this place, that we might see others come to salvation in your name!
Our text for this morning is quite lengthy and contains again a list of many names.
I am not going to read the entire section this morning, I will leave you to read through it on you own, but will focus on a few verses between this week and next.
Something that I do want us to remember again though, as with the other lists is that individual people matter to God.
He is not so big, distant, and disconnected that he does not care.
Our God is a personal God who cares about us as individuals.
He listed the names of these people in scripture to help us see that fact.
For ancient Israelites, reading these lists would be like visiting a war memorial.
Each person on the list was a hero.
Throughout the passage, these new inhabitants of Jerusalem were referred to as valiant and mighty men of valor (6, 14).
God thought highly of these citizens because they did what was needed—
someone had to live in Jerusalem, and God appreciated these men for their sacrifice!
This is a long record of the people who moved into Jerusalem and its nearby villages in Nehemiah's day.
Nehemiah records that 1,192 of them were priests, 284 were Levites, and many others were temple servants—they moved there care for the city and to restart the temple worship (3-9).
Nehemiah records 3,044 men in all in this chapter.
468 of them were from the tribe of Judah (4-6). 968 of them were from Benjamin (7-9).
We see at the beginning of chapter 11 just how these people came to the city.
Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns.
And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.
The first thing that we need to remember is the condition of the city.
The walls had been rebuilt, but the bulk of the city still was in ruins.
The city is full of broken down houses.
Based upon the current condition of the city, this was not a place that anyone would necessarily want to live.
The living conditions are much more appealing outside of the city at this point.
First we see in these opening verses that the leaders lead by example.
The leaders of the people made their homes in Jerusalem.
This is of course significant.
If the leaders were not willing to live there, why would anyone else even begin to consider it.
The bible in general, but this book in particular has a lot to say about leadership and what it looks like to be a godly leader.
We all have a leadership role in some form or fashion.
Be it in our jobs, our families, in sports, or at school.
We need to lead by example.
The leaders alone were not enough for the city to function though.
That is why we see in the next sentence that the people cast lots, for one out ten people to come live in Jerusalem.
The other 9 would continue to live in other towns.
According to biblical usage lots seem to have been used only when the decision was important and where wisdom or biblical warnings did not give sufficient guidance.
One of the advantages of the casting of lots was the impartiality of the choice.
It was held that the Lord directed the lots (Prv 16:33).
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
The method of casting lots is not specified or described and seems to have varied according to the need of the situation
Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Lots, Casting Of,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1356.
In the end, all that would go to live in the city would understand that it was God’s will for them to be there.
It appears as well that some willingly chose to go as well.
And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.
What joy these men must have brought to Nehemiah.
Just imagine how much more joy we bring to God when we willingly serve Him rather than doing it because of obligation or duty.
The people blessed these men for their dedication to the Lord.
Their heart was in the right place.
We can follow their example.
These people had joyfully dedicated themselves to God's mission and we ought to be doing that today as well.
God wanted to be known in Jerusalem's temple—that's why they thought of Jerusalem as the holy city (1, 18).
It was the place God's temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations.
As long as the city was desolate, there'd be no real revival, no real spiritual life on earth.
No people, no worship.
No worship, no witness.
No witness, no salvation.
No salvation, no eternal life.
So inhabiting Jerusalem was truly a life and death decision.
And God's mission was to bring life!
As The Light Of The World
As The Light Of The World
So the people of Nehemiah's day got to it.
They joyfully dedicated themselves to God's mission to reach people.
And we must do the same.
The church must stay focused on the simple mission Christ left us.
We don't have a temple or holy city to occupy.
But we are to be the temple of God to the cities and places we live in.
In Nehemiah's day, the nations were meant to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
But in our day, we are meant to make pilgrimage to the nations.
The great commission makes it clear what we are to do.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Our mission is to make disciples.
Teaching them to observe all that Jesus commanded.
We are to go to the world with the hope of the gospel, baptizing and teaching any who believe.
We are to be disciples who make more disciples—a slow process that engages people on a personal level.
Through the peoples reading of scripture they had been reminded that by establishing his covenant with Israel and setting them apart as his treasured possession,
a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Exod 19: 4–6), God intended that they actively represent him to the nations.
‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;
and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
Knowing they could not fulfill that on their own, the Lord promised to send Jesus.
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,
Jesus in turn taught his disciples and us
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
What Jesus means is that true Christianity is not meant to be hidden, but to be on display in the darkness.
Jesus kingdom is contrary to that of this world, it is upside down, inside out.
Vastly different.
Something we will continue to see when we pick back up in the book of Luke.
That can be and often is uncomfortable.
It is hard to be different, to live different, to look different.
But that is what they had just promised to do in the previous chapter.
Discomfort is also something the people moving into the city will experience.
It was certainly uncomfortable to Nehemiah's generation.
Only Jerusalem's walls had been repaired, but everything else was broken—it had been a ghost town for at least seventy years!
Jerusalem was not an ideal place to live or raise a family.
But these people tithed not just their money, but themselves, and one out of every ten moved to the city (1).
And others willingly volunteered to live in Jerusalem (2).
When we think about it for ourselves, God's mission will be uncomfortable.
If we are going to dedicate ourselves to God's mission, we must be ready for hardship.
It will certainly not all be difficult, but we must be prepared for it and willing to accept trials for the cause of Christ.
If we are going to dedicate ourselves to God's mission, we must be ready for smallness.
Nehemiah's generation sent less than 5,000 people into Jerusalem, a far cry from the glorious days of Solomon's reign.
There is less than that number of people in Granite county.
But we must adjust our sights to be glad even when God is working in only a few.
Just because the place is small, does not mean that God can’t do big things though.
If we are going to dedicate ourselves to God's mission, we must be ready for hostility.
Don't expect to be the favored voice or position.
We can see more and more of this happening it seems today.
True Christianity is becoming the minority in every state.
It is going to continue this way until Christ returns.
That also though doesn’t mean we are to give up or give in.
To roll over and die.
We are to go and live dutifully, serving our Lord and Savior.
That we might see others come to salvation.
The people listed here in Nehemiah 11 were willing to center their lives around God's house and fulfill their responsibility to God's mission.
My prayer for each of us here is that we also could fulfill our mission in God's kingdom.
And that mission is to go and make disciples, teaching them to obey all that Jesus commanded.
Let's stay focused on our mission.
Don’t get distracted!
There are many things happening today that can cause us fear or worry, which can distract us from our task.
Conflicts overseas, look at Russia and Ukraine, look at what is happening in the middle east with Iran.
Sometimes we wonder, Is this the end?
Is there a conspiracy at play to reset the world stage?
We don’t know what is at hand but we can rest in Jesus words
And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet.
And even if it was the end, what would that change for us?
Does Jesus' commission to make disciples of all nations suddenly shift in times of calamity?
No! If anything, these times make the world more ripe for our mission.
What has changed in these months? Ourselves. There has never been such unity among our people. Everyone is helping and supporting anyone who’s in bigger need than themselves. We have begun to pray a lot, because we believe that God’s protection can stop the missiles that hit our homes.
We have been learning to be more thankful: for electricity a couple of hours a day, for warm radiators in the house, for a hot meal. We are thankful for the people from abroad who donate generously and try their best to support us. I am amazed at the fact that worldwide, people have united to keep Ukraine alive through this cruel war.
The Bible says: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). I’ve never seen so much evil and so many good deeds as I have over this past year. Our belief is that good will overcome evil.
Misha Vavelius - a writer and photographer from Ukraine
I will always remember the first weeks of this war, when thousands of people needed to be evacuated because Russian troops were destroying our towns and villages, and we were doing our best to help as many people as possible get out of that horror.
One time, we were evacuating children from an orphanage. The route was dangerous due to constant shelling. There wasn’t enough space in the bus for everyone, so each person had a terrified child on their lap, who they were trying to calm and comfort. I will never forget that evacuation operation.
We are witnessing huge needs – and a huge need for God’s light to be poured out on people who have lost loved ones, who no longer have a place to live, who have become injured and who are suffering from the traumatic experiences they’ve endured. It is a big challenge. Prayer is vital and will keep our hands strong and able to work. I am extremely grateful to all our friends from abroad who support us. Your help has had an incredible impact.
Volodymyr Brychka - a pastor from Rivne
One final thing I want to note from on in this first message on this text is in verse 2 of chapter 11.
And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.
These volunteers were held in high regard because they willingly entered into difficult work.
Every career that's compatible with Christianity can be a calling.
No matter what it is that you are doing today, even being retired, can be a calling.
God can and will use you in whatever you are doing when you willingly offer yourself to him.
There is dignity and holiness in all of our jobs.
There is dignity and holiness as well for those of you that are students.
You can be a student to the glory of God.
The people that were called to the city though were called to s specific work.
They were there to support the temple.
I want to encourage those of you that are younger today to consider gospel work.
Young men, that may perhaps be becoming a pastor if the Lord should call you to do so.
Young ladies, there are many ways for you to serve in the church as well.
The task is difficult.
You won't get wealthy.
The job won't be finished until Jesus returns.
Pains and sorrows are guaranteed.
It is emotionally and mentally draining.
But it is intensely rewarding work for those called to it.
Pray about it.
God still calls people today.
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
You might be one of those laborers called to specific gospel work.
No matter what you do though, it can have an impact for God’s kingdom.
If we are thinking in the terms of our passage, the other 9/10 are necessary as well though, and they are not off for serving the Lord simply because they are not living in Jerusalem.
If you remember back to the beginning of my sermon, the story of the donkey and the ox, which role are you playing in your Christian walk currently?
Which role are you playing in this church?
If you are ready to get back to plowing, there is much to do.
Christian, your participation is part of God’s plan in building His kingdom.