Sermon Tone Analysis

Time for a Decision

Nehemiah 11:1-12:47

People do all kinds of things to make decisions.

Some people will investigate, gather as much information as they can, and then make an informed choice.

Where will I go to college?

What will I major in?

Other people flip coins to make major life decisions.

Some people will even use a magic 8 ball.

(Ask for questions…)

I have one.

Will I preach for a really long time this morning?

In Nehemiah 11, we come across a situation where the people are faced with a big decision.

But instead of taking a vote or tossing a coin, they get out the magic 8 ball to decide what they need to do.

Actually, the biblical phrase is that they “cast lots.”

In the Old Testament, the casting of lots was like throwing dice and was a way of discovering God’s will.

We even see this used in the Book of Acts when the disciples are trying to figure out who should replace Judas in:

They didn’t believe in “luck” or “chance.”

They actually were so committed to the sovereignty of God that they knew God would direct the outcome of the lots according to His divine will.

Now, don’t think that this is good way to make decisions in life today.

Don’t go out and buy a magic 8 ball and use it to determine your career, your relationships, what you do and don’t do.

The magic 8 ball really isn’t magic.

Of the 20 answers, 10 are positive, five of them are neutral, and only five are negative (and not really that negative).

The odds are stacked in your favor.

We are not meant to cast lots today.

You will never read about it being used in Scripture after Acts chapter 1 because on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the people and dwelled inside of them.

Today, we need to search Scripture and pray in order to determine God’s will, not cast lots.

We find in Nehemiah 11, since the walls and gates of Jerusalem were now restored, it was important that the people start living in their capital city and make the population grow.

Some of the people volunteered willingly while others had to be “drafted.”

And it was a big deal.

Think about the city of Jerusalem at this point.

The Temple was there.

They had a wall around the city and that was about it.

The city was still in ruins.

The people had spent all of their time and effort on rebuilding the wall.

The homes that had been destroyed weren’t the priority because if there was no wall, there was no way to defend them.

How many jobs do you think there were in Jerusalem?

The priests and the Levites would have something to do but what about everyone else?

How would you pay your bills and feed your family if you lived in a city instead of a farm?

It was a big step for them.

It was a scary too.

So, we’ll read the first 3 verses in Nehemiah 11 and see how this worked out for them.

Let’s pray first.

Pray!

The people had promised to give a tenth of their produce in chapter 10; now Nehemiah decides to do the same with the people by arranging for 10% of them to move out of the suburbs and into the city.

These people show us four counter-cultural characteristics that we desperately need today.

Move out of your comfort zone

Most of the families living outside Jerusalem depended entirely on the land for their daily existence.

Over the years they had developed a pattern of life as they plowed, planted and harvested their crops.

For many of them, the thought of leaving their comfort zone was more than they could handle.

But some left their homes, relatives, neighbors, work, friends, and familiar routines to set up a new life in a radically different environment.

Are you willing to leave your comfort zone for the sake of the kingdom?

I don’t know what God might be asking you to do, but I do know that He wants you to be available.

When we say that we won’t move, we won’t go, we won’t do, we won’t change because of our own selfish reasons, what we are really doing is saying to God:

I won’t move outside of my comfort zone.

I don’t want you to use me unless I’m comfortable with it.

I don’t want to be obedient because I’m too old, I’m not capable enough, I’m not good enough, smart enough – whatever reason you have – God you can’t use me because I’m too comfortable with the way I am and the way the church is right now.

Use someone else.

Do it somewhere else.

What is God asking you to do to move you outside of your comfort zone?

Maybe you need to get more involved here at Ashland Avenue.

Maybe God is calling you to serve.

As you pray for your neighbors, and look for ways to care for them, God wants to use you to share with them.

For many of us, that’s outside our comfort zone.

Maybe it’s as simple as inviting your friends and neighbors to church.

Or it might be a commitment to start giving.

Whatever it is, tell God you’re willing to live outside your normal boundaries.

Let him stretch you.

When He says move, we need to be willing to move.

After moving out of their comfort zone, the believers commit to holy living.

Commit to holy living

They didn’t just agree to live in a remodeled city; they were coming to “the holy city.”

Nehemiah was fascinated by the holy and has reminded us that the Sabbath is a special day (10:31) and that the temple sacrifices are sanctified (10:33).

His ministry partner, Ezra, emphasized that God’s people need to be holy (Ezra 9:2).

Jerusalem itself was set apart for the Lord’s special use.

To live in Jerusalem and be given the opportunity to serve God in such a holy place was an immense privilege.

To live in the holy city might be a great privilege, but it was also a challenging responsibility.

It’s one thing to have a home in a holy city; it’s another thing to make a home holy.

Living in the holy city did not automatically make the people living there holy.

They were made holy by giving everything over to God.

Have you committed yourself to holiness?

Are you living your life separated from the “world” because you’re set apart for His use?

Are you ready to live in the world for Him instead of yourself?

Now that the people were committed to live outside their comfort zone and wholeheartedly devoted to holy living, they are now ready to serve in ministry.

Serve in ministry

We’ve already seen that some people were drafted to live in Jerusalem.

But there were others who offered themselves freely to this new work in verse 2:

2 And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.

In the remainder of chapter 11, we see that God has always used a wide variety of people.

There are at least three different groups in this passage:

Those with leadership gifts

In addition to the leaders mentioned in verse 1, there were “the chiefs of the province” mentioned in verse 3.

These people were noble examples to those who were relocating to Jerusalem.

If the leaders are out front, then others will follow.

Someone has said, ‘The speed of the leader determines the speed of the team.”

This is true.

And as the leaders in this church – the pastor, associate pastor, the deacons, Sunday School teachers – commit their time, talents and treasures to kingdom living and kingdom expansion, the stage is set for others to follow that example.

Those with administrative gifts

As you read this long list of names in chapter 11, (and there are a lot!) there were other people who served as administrators.

These men made sure the city functioned well and that the infrastructure was able to handle the growing population.

Later in verse 16: