WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.960 Courage and construction crews. So we find ourselves beginning in the rubble. But not first, 00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:14.679 ! For our purposes in Jerusalem, let me take you to some different rubble, the rubble of 00:00:14.679 --> 00:00:23.839 ! War-torn Bangladesh. So the year is 1972, and there is a medical missionary there by the name of Dr. 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:31.859 Viggo Olson. And he is seeing war bring destruction to a community. And he takes responsibility 00:00:31.859 --> 00:00:41.719 personally for a team to rebuild 4,000 homes. He's a medical doctor. And his inspiration, 00:00:42.899 --> 00:00:50.820 the Bible reading that inspired him to do that, was the chapter we just read, Nehemiah chapter 3. 00:00:50.820 --> 00:00:56.579 Because he recognized there were no expert builders or architects in Nehemiah's day. 00:00:57.060 --> 00:01:02.439 They were concerned for God's glory, committed to his task. Let's go on and let's build. A man of 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:10.500 faith, encouraged. And his team rebuilt 4,000 homes in just seven weeks. So here we are, Nehemiah's 00:01:10.500 --> 00:01:15.579 story, part two. And again, we're seeing aspects that we've seen before. We're going to see the 00:01:15.579 --> 00:01:22.159 courageous faith of this servant leader, Nehemiah. But I want us to recognize that the emphasis very 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:32.799 much falls on the people of God, on this construction crew, on these people who are working shoulder to 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:42.539 shoulder for God's kingdom and God's glory. And I think that's good news for us today. So we are here 00:01:42.540 --> 00:01:49.020 in Scotland. Most of us call Scotland home. Scotland, many of us will know, is being described 00:01:49.020 --> 00:01:56.480 as something of a spiritual wasteland. There are parts of our nation that are becoming de-churched. 00:01:57.040 --> 00:02:01.480 We drove through the borders in Dumfries and Galloway, those remote farming communities, 00:02:01.580 --> 00:02:08.719 and many of them now no longer have active gospel churches. And what I want us to see is that what 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:15.680 God is showing us today here in Scotland, here in Becclew, is that you and I, we share some of the 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:25.599 same needs as we see in Nehemiah's day. We need spiritual, courageous, inspiring leaders to look to 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:36.479 in our spiritual rebuilding project. And can I tell you that we have one, and his name is Jesus. 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:46.579 He is the Lord we follow as we seek for his glory to see spiritual restoration. But we also need this 00:02:46.579 --> 00:02:55.299 sense. We really need the sense that God is pleased to use ordinary Christians, ordinary church members, 00:02:55.819 --> 00:03:03.500 ordinary churches like ours for his kingdom and his glory. As we're going to see in Jerusalem, there were 00:03:03.500 --> 00:03:08.419 lots of people within the city who had real gifts, but none of those gifts were actually relevant to 00:03:08.419 --> 00:03:17.819 the building project. But that was no barrier to God using and working through them, nor is it a barrier 00:03:17.819 --> 00:03:27.800 to God working through us. The prime need for God's construction crew is that we have a concern for 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:36.360 God's glory, is that we have the courage to act with faith, is that we have a commitment to God's 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:42.460 kingdom. That's what he's looking for. So let's dig in and see what lessons we can learn from Nehemiah 00:03:42.460 --> 00:03:47.960 and from the people. First of all, to think about courage. So this is back in chapter 2. Remember last 00:03:47.960 --> 00:03:54.000 time, if you were here last time, Nehemiah hears about the dreadful state of the city physically and 00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:59.979 spiritually in Jerusalem, and we find him praying and then making plans to come and lead a rebuilding 00:03:59.979 --> 00:04:08.360 project. And we see some of those same themes emerge, but we also see his courage. The first thing we see him 00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:15.379 doing in verses 11 to 16, if you see it there in your text, is he inspects the walls. When does he do it? 00:04:15.659 --> 00:04:20.920 Did you notice in verse 12, he set out during the night. Now, why is he doing it at night? Why is he not telling 00:04:20.920 --> 00:04:27.879 anybody what's going on? Well, it's probably in part because he knows that there is enemy opposition. 00:04:28.100 --> 00:04:34.780 There are Sam Ballett and others. There is always the potential of spies in the camp. There is always 00:04:34.780 --> 00:04:40.340 the potential for discouragement. So he wants to personally get a sense of the size and the scope 00:04:40.339 --> 00:04:52.679 of the project before a public launch. He inspects the wall. Notice in verse 12, because God has put it 00:04:52.679 --> 00:05:00.959 on his heart. God has given him this great passion to rebuild fallen Jerusalem. And so we see the 00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:08.079 connection. He's been praying with a sense of grief, and there's a sense of passion that he is driven by a 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:13.899 sense of God's glory. We have seen him planning, and here he's still planning, and now he's going to put 00:05:13.899 --> 00:05:24.579 into practice those plans. What do we find him doing? In verses 11 to 16, he's largely examining the rubble. 00:05:25.299 --> 00:05:30.439 So in verse 13, he went out, and he's examining the walls of Jerusalem, which have been broken down, 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:35.459 and its gates, which have been destroyed by fire. So he wants to learn, where is their weakness? 00:05:35.459 --> 00:05:43.299 Where is the potential for security breaches? Where is their danger for the city of God that represents 00:05:43.299 --> 00:05:52.959 the people of God? So he examines the rubble. I was in January at an in-service training event here in 00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:59.639 Edinburgh, and one of those sessions was led by a pastor of another church in Edinburgh who'd been 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:06.699 doing ministry there for over 20 years. And he spoke very deliberately about when he arrived. 00:06:07.379 --> 00:06:12.959 He spent the first few months, and he used this phrase, and it stuck with me, he spent the first 00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:20.779 few months examining the rubble. He was taking a good look at his church and thinking, where is there 00:06:20.779 --> 00:06:27.719 evidence of weakness? Or where is there growth and rebuilding that can be done? And he created a to-do list. 00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:34.140 And he said to us very honestly, that that list is still a work in progress, 20 years later. 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:43.460 But he was committed to careful building, courageous, faithful building. It's like Nehemiah. 00:06:43.880 --> 00:06:48.860 So we see Nehemiah, first of all, inspecting the walls, but then we hear him, don't we? We hear him 00:06:48.860 --> 00:06:57.879 inspiring the people in verses 17 to 20. Now I think we know this, that motivational leaders 00:06:57.879 --> 00:07:09.340 are a gift to any organization, to any society. A parent who inspires a child to do their very best, 00:07:09.340 --> 00:07:16.840 or the coach who creates a winning mentality, the kind of boss that you would gladly do overtime for, 00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:25.179 you want to be on their project team, because they motivate and they inspire. I think one such leader 00:07:25.179 --> 00:07:32.719 was Winston Churchill. Winston Churchill, during World War II, during the Blitz, when so many bombs 00:07:32.719 --> 00:07:37.759 were falling, especially on the East End of London, Winston Churchill, during the day, would often be 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:45.860 found walking the streets of the East End. And as he walked through those piles of rubble, those smoking 00:07:45.860 --> 00:07:53.399 ruins, crowds would cheer, and they would gather, and they would shout, good old Winnie. And he became 00:07:53.399 --> 00:08:02.459 so important to morale, not just for the city of London, but for the whole nation. Nehemiah is a different 00:08:02.459 --> 00:08:11.219 leader, and Jerusalem is a different form of rubble. But what we hear in verses 17 to 20 is that Nehemiah 00:08:11.219 --> 00:08:18.819 is one of those leaders who will raise morale, who will inspire a spiritual rebuilding work. And remember, 00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:25.479 he does all this while he too is facing enemy opposition. We meet them in verse 19, 00:08:25.480 --> 00:08:33.680 some ballot to buy it in Geshe, mocking and ridiculing. So how is it that Nehemiah inspires 00:08:33.680 --> 00:08:36.899 the people of God towards the rebuilding project? 00:08:38.860 --> 00:08:48.480 First of all, verse 17, he points to the ruins. You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:55.639 and its gates have been burned with fire. So it has now been, for Jerusalem, 140 years since Nebuchadnezzar 00:08:55.639 --> 00:09:04.560 came with his armies, destroyed the city, and took people captives. And it's also been 15 years or so 00:09:04.560 --> 00:09:13.399 since Ezra came back to begin a rebuilding project, but then that work was stopped by the edict of a 00:09:13.399 --> 00:09:19.620 Persian king. And so you can well imagine how easy it might be for someone living in Jerusalem to say, 00:09:20.620 --> 00:09:26.199 well, the city's not looking great, but I guess this is just the way it is. 00:09:28.220 --> 00:09:33.919 But that's not the attitude of Nehemiah, and it's not the attitude he wants the people to have. 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:41.360 And so he calls them for the sake of God's kingdom and God's glory to consider the ruins so they wouldn't 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:48.379 settle, but rather they would strive in rebuilding. Because he moves from the ruins to secondly talk 00:09:48.379 --> 00:09:55.560 to them about rebuilding. Look at verse 17 again, come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we 00:09:55.560 --> 00:10:03.720 will no longer be in disgrace. Verse 20, the God of heaven will give us success. We, his servants, will 00:10:03.720 --> 00:10:11.560 start rebuilding. Nehemiah is concerned for the people. He doesn't want them to live in disgrace 00:10:11.560 --> 00:10:18.920 and dishonor. But beyond that, he's also concerned for God's honor. He knows what it means if the city 00:10:18.920 --> 00:10:27.740 of God lies in ruins. And so he calls the people to obey, to trust, to get involved in rebuilding. 00:10:27.740 --> 00:10:37.539 To help them to recognize that in God's strength, they can work together to do God's work for God's 00:10:37.539 --> 00:10:46.860 glory. And another way that he helps them towards that is by retelling his story. Look at verse 18. 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:54.100 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. Now, 00:10:54.100 --> 00:10:59.620 Nehemiah is not saying, check me out, I'm awesome. God has spoken to me. God's worked in my life. 00:11:00.180 --> 00:11:06.779 No, what he's doing is he's saying, look at my story as an example of God's power and God's providence 00:11:06.779 --> 00:11:11.659 to take us to this point. And if he's taken us this far, and if he's committed to us, 00:11:11.820 --> 00:11:18.660 he will certainly enable us to complete this project. God has given the green light to this 00:11:18.659 --> 00:11:27.539 project. So ignore the opposition, ignore the previous command. He invites them to understand 00:11:27.539 --> 00:11:37.519 God's covenant commitment. His steadfast love is for his people. That promise stands firm and is real. 00:11:37.799 --> 00:11:44.899 His commitment to his own glory stands firm and is real. Therefore, the people of God can get to work. 00:11:44.899 --> 00:11:51.100 And so we see his courage and he looks to instill courage in the people of God. 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:58.559 Billy Graham, the great evangelist of the 20th century, once said, courage is contagious. 00:11:59.419 --> 00:12:09.279 When one man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened. And we see it in what Nehemiah means 00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:19.579 for the city and the rebuilding project. We could rephrase that and say courage is contagious. 00:12:20.120 --> 00:12:27.379 When one mouse takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened. And I say that because I've 00:12:27.379 --> 00:12:34.139 just finished reading, we've read as a family, C.S. Lewis, a great book of Prince Caspian. If you read 00:12:34.139 --> 00:12:40.840 the Chronicles of Narnia, you'll be familiar perhaps with Reepicheep, one of the greatest mice in all of 00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:49.240 literature. This tiny little mouse serves Aslan as true king. He fights with courage for his friends. 00:12:49.379 --> 00:12:57.199 He defends Lucy to the point where he loses his own tail. He's always ready for battle. He's always 00:12:57.199 --> 00:13:03.340 ready to stand up for what's true and good. He will go to kingdoms unknown, this tiny little mouse, 00:13:03.340 --> 00:13:10.160 for the sake of Aslan, his king. And in the story of Prince Caspian, he inspires his fellow mice to 00:13:10.160 --> 00:13:16.560 such a degree that they will get to the point where they are about to cut their own tails off 00:13:16.560 --> 00:13:23.560 so that Reepicheep will not face any dishonor. And Reepicheep, this tiny little mouse, he inspires 00:13:23.560 --> 00:13:32.379 others in Narnia to act for Aslan, the true king, giving us a picture of what courageous faith can do 00:13:32.379 --> 00:13:39.120 in the hearts and lives of others. Now let's think about how Nehemiah might inspire courage in us 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:47.100 and in our story. Let me apply it first of all personally. Let me invite each one of us today and 00:13:47.100 --> 00:13:54.500 in the coming days to ask this question. As you examine the rubble of your own life, as it were, 00:13:54.500 --> 00:14:04.320 what walls and gates need mended and need attention? When you think about your relationships in your 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:12.919 family or with your friendship group, are there patterns of behavior or ways of speaking that need 00:14:12.919 --> 00:14:17.320 our careful attention so that God is glorified in all we do? 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:27.060 When you think about your own life with God, are there things that need to change so that you would 00:14:27.060 --> 00:14:34.800 have a closer walk with Him, committing to time to read and to pray and to worship with others? 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:47.599 Examine the rubble. Ask yourself, with God's help, what do I need to change for the sake of God's glory 00:14:47.599 --> 00:14:54.299 in His kingdom? But we can apply it differently. Think about where you have positions of influence. 00:14:54.419 --> 00:15:01.259 Think about your roles and responsibilities. Where do you exercise leadership? Where do you have an 00:15:01.259 --> 00:15:05.200 influence over other people? That might be in your home, that might be in a workplace, that might be 00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:13.139 in a particular team, that might be in a local community. What will it look like for each one of 00:15:13.139 --> 00:15:21.919 us to practice courageous faith, to do the right thing, to live with integrity, to lead others to a life 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:32.199 of faithfulness in ways that would bring God glory? As we think about Nehemiah as a servant leader, let's 00:15:32.199 --> 00:15:38.740 think for a moment about our church and about our church elders. So church elders, we believe, are 00:15:38.740 --> 00:15:45.860 appointed by God to be under shepherds, under Jesus the great shepherd. Now we are aware of that task and 00:15:45.860 --> 00:15:54.240 the weight of it, we are also aware of our own weaknesses. And one of the tasks of a local church is to pray for 00:15:54.240 --> 00:16:02.560 its leaders, that they would be men of prayer and faith and courage and integrity, committed to God's kingdom 00:16:02.560 --> 00:16:15.480 and will and glory. And as we think about the idea of people of faith and courage, before we leave that, let's 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:24.180 remind ourselves to look up, to look up to Jesus. Nehemiah was a great servant leader. Jesus is the 00:16:24.180 --> 00:16:31.420 great, the ultimate servant leader. He is the greatest example of courageous faith that we will ever see. 00:16:31.539 --> 00:16:39.740 How do we see it primarily? We see it in Jesus coming into this world, living by faith at all points, 00:16:39.740 --> 00:16:49.700 being willing to take upon himself your sin and mine, your guilt and mine, to carry that to the cross, 00:16:49.700 --> 00:16:58.759 to go under the sentence that that sin and guilt deserves, to take upon himself the just judgment of 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:05.559 God, so that God's plan of salvation might be completed, that we might be saved. That's courageous 00:17:05.559 --> 00:17:12.179 faith that's for our good. We see it in Jesus, always committed to the Father's will, to the Father's 00:17:12.179 --> 00:17:19.599 glory, and to a great building project, to build the kingdom of God in hearts and in lives. And so we 00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:29.039 look to him with faith. He is the one who can rebuild what sin, what failure has ruined. Jesus is the 00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:38.200 evidence that God is still committed to his covenant love. Jesus is the one who calls his church under his 00:17:38.200 --> 00:17:47.240 rule to that great spiritual rebuilding project. I was reminding myself this week of the early decades 00:17:47.240 --> 00:17:53.440 of the Free Church of Scotland. You know, the first leaders of our church, they got this. And because 00:17:53.440 --> 00:18:00.820 they understood this, they planted churches everywhere. And there were Sunday schools set up in the tenements 00:18:00.820 --> 00:18:13.140 of Glasgow and Edinburgh. There was extensive global mission. Today, in our day, the need for people to hear 00:18:13.140 --> 00:18:21.320 the good news about Jesus is the same. And the God of the Bible, he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 00:18:21.319 --> 00:18:30.759 And he calls us to courageous faith and to be involved in his rebuilding work. And that takes us to think 00:18:30.759 --> 00:18:40.799 about the construction crew that we meet in Nehemiah chapter 3. Again, I was thinking about our refurbishment 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:45.819 project. Nehemiah will always do that, I think. So three and a bit years ago, this church was refurbished 00:18:45.819 --> 00:18:51.439 on the inside. And what I remember with a great sense of thankfulness was the last couple of weeks 00:18:51.439 --> 00:18:59.399 as so many people were mucking in together to get things ready for our first service on Easter Sunday, 00:18:59.899 --> 00:19:04.759 three and a bit years ago. That sense of excitement and joy of being able to work side by side in a 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:09.700 shared project. Not necessarily, I didn't certainly, didn't bring any gifts to the table. But to be able 00:19:09.700 --> 00:19:15.620 to do something together was a wonderful thing. And we're so thankful for what it's meant for the 00:19:15.620 --> 00:19:22.940 church. Come to Nehemiah chapter 3, and we don't instinctively, I suppose, come to what we think of 00:19:22.940 --> 00:19:28.660 this as one of the most exciting chapters in our Bibles. Probably not. But actually what we see is a 00:19:28.660 --> 00:19:37.800 beautiful picture of the church as it serves together. Very different people united in a common 00:19:37.800 --> 00:19:46.680 cause. Yes, for some walls, but ultimately for God's kingdom and for God's glory. It's a great chapter. 00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:53.420 Now, we're not going to wade into the details, but we are going to notice a few trends. And just before 00:19:53.420 --> 00:19:58.400 we see the trends, this comment I was reading this week, and there's a guy called John Goldingay. 00:19:58.840 --> 00:20:02.320 And this little comment really stood out in preparation. He said, 00:20:02.460 --> 00:20:08.660 in the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, no one has a special gift. Or rather, people had special 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:14.660 gifts, but their gifts were irrelevant to the project. People's regular work did not become a 00:20:14.660 --> 00:20:22.019 reason for not being involved in the building project. And what was true then is true now, 00:20:22.019 --> 00:20:29.720 and will always be true. Now, some trends that we see. First of all, we see the servant leaders, 00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:35.379 they set an example. So, the first person we're introduced to in chapter 3 is Eliashib, 00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:42.420 and he's the high priest. And with his fellow priests, they went to work and rebuilt the sheep gate. Now, 00:20:43.160 --> 00:20:49.059 why begin with the sheep gate? There's significance here because sacrifices came through here. 00:20:49.059 --> 00:20:55.659 The high priest and the priest, they're concerned for the worship of God. They're concerned that 00:20:55.659 --> 00:21:01.179 sacrifices can be made so that they might seek forgiveness and restored relationship with God. 00:21:02.259 --> 00:21:07.639 So, the list of builders begins in verse 1 with a high priest and fellow priest. It ends, 00:21:08.399 --> 00:21:15.960 verse 17, you've got a list of some Levites. They helped the priests. And then, from verse 29, 00:21:15.960 --> 00:21:22.980 we get Zadok the priest and other priests involved as well. So, the servant leaders, the religious leaders, 00:21:23.140 --> 00:21:29.559 they're not above rolling up their sleeves. They understand that all God's work is spiritual work, 00:21:29.940 --> 00:21:37.180 so they get involved. Here's another thing we see as you go through the list. You see surprising 00:21:37.180 --> 00:21:45.360 builders get involved in the project. Two that stand out, you find in verse 8, you've got this chap called 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:53.439 Uziel. He's a goldsmith. And Hanani, he's a perfume maker. So, their normal nine-to-five work, 00:21:53.699 --> 00:22:02.979 usually very refined, kind of artisan craftsmanship. Their work was usually the preserve of the elites. 00:22:03.639 --> 00:22:10.919 But now here we find them chopping, stacking, rebuilding, just like everybody else. And it was 00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:17.300 these guys who inspired Dr. Vigo in Bangladesh. If God can use a perfume maker, well, why can't He use 00:22:17.300 --> 00:22:24.840 a medical doctor? Another surprise that we see in verse 12, we meet Shalom, son of Halasheth. 00:22:26.259 --> 00:22:31.259 So, he's ruler over a half district, and he repaired the next section with the help of his daughters. 00:22:31.360 --> 00:22:36.519 These are the only women in the list. So, we presume that he has no sons, but his daughters, 00:22:36.519 --> 00:22:43.160 they are eager to get involved in the work. And there are no barriers of gender that apply here, 00:22:43.980 --> 00:22:51.079 which is wonderful. And we see the diversity of workers in so many different ways. Look at verse 7 00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:59.720 with me. We read of repairs being made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah. These are foreigners. They're not 00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:06.620 even part of ethnic Israel, but they want to identify with God's people and to be part of God's work. 00:23:07.220 --> 00:23:16.200 In verse 13, we find the valley gate repaired by Hanan and the residents of Zenoa. So, here is the 00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:23.720 local official, and here are the regular citizens, but they're pitching in together. The usual dividing 00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:33.140 lines in society, they don't apply in God's kingdom project. Look at the evidence of commitment that you 00:23:33.140 --> 00:23:39.079 see all through these verses. One example is the chap that we meet in verse 4. He's called Merrimoth. 00:23:40.039 --> 00:23:45.640 So, he repairs the section next to the fish gate. And then, flick over with me to verse 21, 00:23:45.640 --> 00:23:54.120 and we discover Merrimoth again. Merrimoth, he repaired another section from the entrance of 00:23:54.120 --> 00:23:59.200 Eliashib's house to the end of it. So, he finishes building one section over here. He's like, dusts 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:03.420 himself off. He's like, oh, hold on, there's more work to be done. So, he commits to another section. 00:24:04.080 --> 00:24:08.480 And we, so we see in this building project, there's sacrifice, there's energy, there's zeal, 00:24:08.480 --> 00:24:15.140 and there's commitment to the task. From all of these really diverse, different people, 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:21.279 no particular skills, but a real desire to get involved. Each of these builders, 00:24:22.400 --> 00:24:29.519 largely unknown beyond this chapter of the Bible. These are not big characters in the Bible storyline. 00:24:29.720 --> 00:24:36.019 You're not going to hear many sermons on each of these. But isn't it wonderful that God honors them 00:24:36.019 --> 00:24:43.920 each by name, that their efforts and their shared efforts, they matter profoundly to God. 00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:53.799 These willing servants are honored. Now, I don't know about you, but I find that really encouraging. 00:24:54.480 --> 00:24:59.259 Because in a sense, it moves the question that we typically ask from, am I gifted, 00:24:59.960 --> 00:25:05.279 when we think about getting involved in God's kingdom work, to, will I be committed? 00:25:06.019 --> 00:25:12.200 So, I think we come to a character in the Bible like Nehemiah, and it's super easy to say, 00:25:12.539 --> 00:25:17.079 I'm no Nehemiah. I could never be Nehemiah. I could never do what he does. 00:25:18.680 --> 00:25:26.980 We're not asked to. But each and every Christian, we can be a Hashabiah. We can be a Shalom. 00:25:27.900 --> 00:25:35.019 We can be one of his daughters, committed to God's glory, to God's kingdom-building work. 00:25:35.019 --> 00:25:43.539 And, you know, this is very much the story of the early church. So, the first kind of 400 years, 00:25:43.680 --> 00:25:50.740 especially after the generation of the apostles, how did Christianity spread? How did it grow in 00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:56.379 influence around the empire such that the Roman Empire himself would become a convert to the 00:25:56.379 --> 00:26:03.720 Christian faith? Well, scholars tell us the main influence in that, they were ordinary Christians. 00:26:03.720 --> 00:26:11.299 ordinary Christians who met in ordinary homes, worshiping Jesus with real faith and with real 00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:20.059 love. Ordinary Christians who practiced a positive Christianity. They cared for the poor. They showed 00:26:20.059 --> 00:26:26.700 dignity to women. They offered help for the hurting. Ordinary Christians who, wherever they went, 00:26:26.700 --> 00:26:31.819 they were gossiping the gospel. So, they're washing their clothes and they're talking to their neighbor 00:26:31.819 --> 00:26:37.420 about Jesus. They're sharing food with others and they're bringing people in to teach the Bible, 00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:42.059 to teach them about Jesus. They're on a journey. They're talking with the person beside them all 00:26:42.059 --> 00:26:49.279 about Jesus and His good news. And most of those figures that were so influential in the spread of 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:58.859 the gospel. We don't know their names. But God knows and God honors them. But it sets up a principle, 00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:08.039 Nehemiah sets up a principle, that God is pleased to use very ordinary construction crew members in the 00:27:08.039 --> 00:27:16.399 kingdom of God. What He's looking for are men, women, young people utterly committed to the cause of Christ 00:27:16.400 --> 00:27:24.980 and to the glory of God. We'll be willing to be led by Him for His glory. So, as we leave this 00:27:24.980 --> 00:27:33.960 construction crew chapter, let's let it do a few things for us. First of all, let's let it challenge us. 00:27:35.480 --> 00:27:44.560 You know, have we said to Jesus, sign me up? Have we heard Jesus say, come to me, believe in me, 00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:47.799 have your sins forgiven, come into my kingdom? 00:27:53.339 --> 00:27:59.059 And how, if we've responded in faith to Jesus, how are we expressing our commitment 00:27:59.059 --> 00:28:07.299 to His kingdom and to Christ? And that will work itself out in lots of different ways, 00:28:07.299 --> 00:28:16.399 but it will certainly work itself out in the local church. We need to pray for the work of the church 00:28:16.399 --> 00:28:22.039 and to pray together for the work of the church. It involves us worshiping together as the church, 00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:26.220 because then it puts the glory of God and the power of the gospel on display in bringing people 00:28:26.220 --> 00:28:32.180 together. It involves us being ready to sacrifice and to serve in the cause of the gospel. 00:28:32.180 --> 00:28:40.360 So, as we read Nehemiah 3, ask God by His Spirit to challenge your heart, to think about your own 00:28:40.360 --> 00:28:48.320 commitment. But also use Nehemiah chapter 3 to encourage us as we recognize that church history 00:28:48.320 --> 00:28:53.920 is full of the Lord's people doing the Lord's work in the Lord's way, and the Lord's way is so often 00:28:53.920 --> 00:29:02.160 through the ordinary. God honors that. And let's remind ourselves that we don't need to settle for 00:29:02.180 --> 00:29:08.259 a low spiritual state in our nation, in our city, or in our church, that God can renew and revive in an 00:29:08.259 --> 00:29:16.600 instant. And so, there is that call to expectant faith. As we recognize that we matter to Jesus, 00:29:16.740 --> 00:29:24.000 this church matters to Jesus, we're part of His body. He's given us His Spirit. And so, God can use me, 00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:33.079 God can use you to put His glory on display. And finally, let's use this chapter again to remind 00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:40.019 ourselves of the Lord Jesus. Not only is He our great servant leader, He is also the one 00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:46.940 who is committed to building His church. There's the Lord Jesus, the risen Lord Jesus, who spoke the 00:29:46.940 --> 00:29:53.740 Great Commission to His followers. All authority has been given to me, Jesus said, so go and make disciples. 00:29:54.000 --> 00:30:01.720 And know that I am with you. And so, we continue the work of Jesus with the power and the authority 00:30:01.720 --> 00:30:10.039 that He has. We look to Jesus, the one who entered the world to bring beauty, where there was brokenness. 00:30:11.220 --> 00:30:16.920 The one who came to restore what sin had ruined. The one who came to live and to die for God's glory, 00:30:16.920 --> 00:30:21.440 to secure our salvation. The one who is committed to the unstoppable, 00:30:21.440 --> 00:30:29.759 ongoing church-building project in His world. And He calls His people, He calls His church 00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:38.220 to continue His mission, to work shoulder to shoulder and side by side in a wonderful picture 00:30:38.220 --> 00:30:46.680 of unity and diversity, where every member matters to seek His kingdom, to seek His glory, 00:30:46.680 --> 00:30:59.860 to seek His will. Well, let's pray together. Lord, our God, we thank You for these chapters of Your Word. Thank You.