Date:   02/17/2008

Text:   Nehemiah 3:1-32

Title:   Let Us Build

Theme: Since God builds His church through human responsibilities, therefore we are to acquire proper leadership skills to participate in this process.

Introduction:

  After almost 6 years, the construction of 90A is finally close to completion. The entire length is about 20 miles. Average about 4 miles of construction a year. It involved tearing down the existing road, building overpasses and hauling countless tons of concrete. It required a tremendous amount of coordination and organization. Then there are detours and congested traffic. Now, it is about over and drivers can finally begin to look forward to the morning and evening traffic.

  In the passage we read today, we learn of another project in about 400 B.C. It was the rebuilding of Jerusalem 's city wall and gates. The total project was approximately 1 ½ to 2 ½ miles in length taking 52 days to complete. According to the standards of those days, the rebuilding of the Jerusalem walls and gates was a huge project, yet completed in record time. In our previous studies, we've learned that Jerusalem was the city of the great King and the joy of all people. It was the symbol of God's dwelling place on earth. By Nehemiah's time, this city was lying in ruins. Nehemiah's mission to rebuild the city wall and gates foreshadowed the building and strengthening of God's church. In light of this, we want to identify some of Nehemiah's leadership traits, and apply this to the building and strengthening of God's church and our personal lives as well.

  Let's first take a look at the scope of the rebuilding project.

I •  Building of God 's dwelling requires skillful leaders.

In our previous studies, we saw Nehemiah as a skilful leader with impeccable character. He was a man of integrity. We learned that we are to see beyond Nehemiah in his skill as a leader. Instead, he also foreshadowed the Christ that is to come. Yes, Nehemiah was a great leader, but Christ will be so much more greater than he. He is that perfect leader and shepherd. With this understanding, let us identify some of Nehemiah's secrets of success.

1 •  Skill of Organization.

We can appreciate the organization work Nehemiah had to do. There had to be that perfect coordination of bricks and timber. They would have to arrive at different places at the same time so the work could start simultaneously. Nehemiah had to assign different individuals or groups of people to work in different locations. His project was carried out in a very orderly manner. This certainly reminded us how the heavens and the earth were created in an organized, orderly way. Moses father-in-law gave him the advice of how to organize his leaders. A good leader knows how to organize his people and tasks.

From time to time we ask individuals what they like about this church. Many commented that they like how the various ministries and Sunday services are well organized and carried out in an orderly manner.

Not only are ministries to be well organized, personal lives also need to be organized. When our lives are disorganized, we will be easily affected by the seemingly urgent but unimportant situations. We'll let others determine our schedule and how we spend our time. This only leads to frustration and disappointment with self. An organized ministry and life reflects the truth that our God is an orderly God., but there is more.

2 •  Skill of delegation.

Nehemiah certainly knew how to organize the people into a strong and efficient work force. He also knew that there was no way he and a handful of leaders could complete this task. He delegated the entire project to the Jewish people. Work was given to people according to their professions, family clans and location of their houses

Many of us may find it easier to do things ourselves. Delegation is hard work. You have to organize the project or ministry, find the right persons and show them the what and how's. This is all time and energy consuming. One might as well just go ahead and do it ourselves.

Failure to delegate is often the number one reason for burn out and disappointment in ministry. Sometimes when I find myself under pressure, my back up behavior will begin to surface. That is, I'll say to myself; “It's so much simpler to just go ahead and do it myself.” A good leader knows how to delegate the job to others.

Isn't this how the triune God operates? God the father is often known as the one who designed the great Redemption Plan. God the son, Jesus would carry it out by dying on the cross. God the spirit would touch our hearts and apply the redemption to us. Nehemiah and the people were able to finish their project in 52 days, because of proper delegation.

3 •  The skill of dividing work into manageable size.

In this passage we see how different people or groups of people carried out different portions of the rebuilding process. We noticed some were given the task of building 1 particular gate; another given the task of building one section of the wall. Howard Vos was quoted as saying that Nehemiah divided the project into sizes that could easily be handled by different people.

I remember when I was a seminary student. I was given the responsibility of preaching once a month in our church. With a young family and heavy study load, this monthly preaching was a challenge. Sometimes just the thought of it would make me feel overwhelmed. So this was what I did. Since most of the sermons were 3 points, I tried to prepare one point a week. This may not work with everyone, but it worked out great with me. Teaching Sunday school or leading Bible study can be overwhelming at times, but if we divide the task into a manageable size, it will make our preparation easier to handle.

Or take my sermon preparation. I feel every year after deciding on which book of the bible to preach, the greatest challenge is to divide it into preachable sections. When we delegate ministry to others, a common mistake we make is that we delegate too much work to one person. When I see one page full of job descriptions, no matter how I want to take part and help, it will scare me away.

Our challenge, especially to the leaders in this church, is to learn to divide the task into manageable size and delegate them to different people.

4 •  The skill of bringing unity in the midst of diversity.

Who was helping out with the rebuilding project? They were the priests and Levites, different family units, rulers of different districts (some smaller and some others bigger districts). There were also the professionals: goldsmiths, perfume makers and merchants. They came from all walks of life. They came together to rebuild the city wall and gates. They were united in rebuilding God's dwelling place. Nehemiah brought about unity out of a diverse group of people; unity in the midst of diversity.

For those of us at HCC can certainly identify with this. We may seem to be a mono-ethnic group, but in reality we are a very diverse group. We have come from different provinces in china, different countries in Asia and S. America . Our reasons or motives for coming here are all different. Some came to study, others immigrated here with parents. I often say that we don't have to go overseas to do cross-cultural ministry. We are in a multi-cultural environment. Our ministry in this church can prepare us for overseas work. Yes, we are very diverse, yet there is one thing we have in common, and that is God in His own grace and timing brings us into this community of the redeemed. We are here to know him and to make him known.

Therefore as leaders of this church, pastors, elders, deacons or fellowship/small group leaders, our challenge is to do our best to maintain this unity in the midst of diversity. With God's help we are not to accentuate our differences but to highlight our commonality. Yes, sometimes, ministries may not move as fast as we would like to because of our diversity, but this is the right thing to do.

We've seen that Nehemiah was a skilful leader in the way of his organization skill, his skill of delegation, ability to divide the work into manageable size and maintaining unity in a diverse community. Now let's move on.

II. Building God's dwelling place requires submission to their leaders.

  Nehemiah was a skilful leader. But did anyone follow him? John Maxwell once said, “If you are a leader and no one is following you, then you are just taking a walk by yourself.” Yes, the majority of the people were willing to submit and follow Nehemiah's lead. However, in vs.5 we learn of a group of nobles that refused to listen to Nehemiah to participate in the rebuilding project. But others listened and submitted to Nehemiah's leadership and they finished the project in 52 days.

  Hebrews 13:17 teaches us that, “ 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” the author of Hebrews urged the believers to submit to their leaders, thus making their job easier. In any church and organization, there are individuals who lead and people who follow. A question we pastors, elders, deacons, fellowship advisors, coworkers and steering committees should ask: are we leading so others can follow? Can others see clearly what they are following? You see, without followers, we, the leaders, are just taking a walk by ourselves.

Having said this, it is also important to know that this is not blind obedience. When the leader, be a pastor, an elder or deacon, suggests you to do something that is not biblical, there is no reason you should continue to submit to him or her. When the pastor's teaching is not compatible to the biblical teaching, that is when submission has to stop. We submit to teachings and directives that are not in contradiction to God's word.

1 •  Serve the Lord.

We noticed in vs. 5 there is this group of people who refused to take part in the project. Listen to how Nehemiah described them: they would not stoop to serve the Lord. They were nobles, and they thought that their position was too high for them to stoop down and do the manual work. They were too good for this assignment. Not only this, Nehemiah also took their refusal to participate as a refusal to serve the Lord.

When we take part in the building of God's church in this and other places, when we take part in the rebuilding and strengthening of this church, we are not doing it for the church. We are not doing it for the pastors, nor the elders and deacons. Dear brothers and sisters, do we see the truth that is in this simple narrative? When we see the broken walls and burnt gates in this church and take part in the rebuilding and strengthening process; we are not doing it for anyone, but it is for the Lord. We serve the Lord through serving one another.

2 •  Each finding meaning in his own task.

As the people submit to Nehemiah, they were each given a task they could handle. Take a look at some of the assigned tasks. Some built the Sheep gate. This is close to the temple, suggesting that animals brought to the temple for sacrifice would have to come through this gate. The Fish gate may refer to the gate through which they approached the coastal region. Then there was the Dung gate. I certainly don't want to work on this part of the project. How gross can it be? Give me the Water Gate, or the Fountain Gate, or the Tower of Ovens (where bread may be baked). No, none of this. Each received what was assigned to them and faithfully carried out their tasks. You see, in God's church, there is not only No Little people, everyone is important; there is also no little ministry. For every ministry is important. Every ministry is the Lord's work. By finding meaning in our service to the Lord, it will bring great joy and fulfillment to us.

III.   Building God's dwell place requires our recognition of God's handiwork.

  By now, you have noticed the list of names mentioned in this chapter. There are the representatives of all the people involved in this project. Have we ever wondered why names are such an important part of the scripture narrative? We read of the names in the book of Numbers, the genealogy in Matthew and Luke. In his letter to the Roman church, Paul sent his greetings to individuals by names.

  One can think of several reasons for this. Foremost is that Nehemiah wanted to impress upon his readers, those who would read this record long after he was gone, that this was an actual historical event. This rebuilding project was real which occurred in space and time. Years later, someone could say: my ancestors took part in this rebuilding project.

  Secondly, Nehemiah also wanted us to remember that this project was the Lord's work. But God worked through real people to bring about his redemptive plan on earth. Again, there is the balance of Divine sovereignty and human responsibility.

  Last but not least, do we notice someone's name was not mentioned? Nehemiah's name was not in it. Nehemiah in 6:15-16, “ 15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” Nehemiah knew from the beginning to the end, it was God's work and God at work.

  Nehemiah also remembered King Nebuchadnezzar's words in a not so distant past: Dan 4:30, “ 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon , which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” Nehemiah also knew what happened to this king, 4;33, “He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws.” Pride and arrogance brought about God's displeasure.

  Yes, we need to recognize those who had taken part in the rebuilding process. Yet, we also need to remember that there is nothing we are to take credit or to be proud of. From the very beginning, it is God's work.

Conclusion:

  As we study Nehemiah's leadership in the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall and gates, we recognized his skill. He organized and delegated well. He divided the work into bite size portions that no one would feel intimidated. He brought a group of very diverse people and united them in serving the Lord. We also learned how the people submitted themselves to Nehemiah's leadership, resulting in a speedy completion of the project. Above all, we also see Nehemiah's humility. He realized from the beginning that it was God's work, working through his people. There is nothing anyone can and should brag about.

  Even as we listen to this, I trust that many of the NT passages may come to our minds. We recall how Paul in Romans 12, Eph 4 and 1Cor 12 teaches us that the church is like a body with many members. Each member of this body is important and vital. Each member is dependent on the other. Christ is the head of this body. The members are to help each other to function and grow so this body of Christ, the church can grow into maturity.

  Two Sundays ago, after the Chinese service, after reading some of the ministry needs listed at the back of the outline, two elderly ladies in their 80's came to the church office to see how they can help. They wanted to do the laundry for the Nursery department and help out with wrapping the care packages for the missionaries. To do the laundry would mean that they have to carry the hamper or a big bag home, use the senior apartment's coin operated washing machine. They knew that by doing this, they are really serving the Lord. Last Sunday, after the second hour service, a brother went to the office and volunteered to take care of the nursery laundry for 1 year.

  Yes, we have responsibilities as a country's citizen. We have responsibilities as members of our individual families. We also have responsibilities in this family of God. And you know what? When we step up and participate in the building and strengthening of God's church, we are actually serving the Lord.