Week #3 in the “When the Walls Fall Down” Series - …Get to Work 

July 29, 2018

Review series

Some 440 years before the birth of Jesus, Nehemiah – a Jew living in exile – made a 1,000-mile trip to Jerusalem to repair its broken walls and help restore hope to the Hebrew people. 

Over the past couple of weeks, we have looked at how Nehemiah was able to do what he did and how we can apply those principles in our own lives when we find our lives taking directions we did not anticipate, and the walls having fallen down.

The first step in Nehemiah’s journey was to pray.  We noted that prayer was his first option, not his last resort.  Nehemiah not only prayed; he prepared.  Roughly four months after he received the word about the state of Jerusalem, Nehemiah was engaged in a conversation – seemingly out of the blue – by the Persian King Artaxerxes.  When Artaxerxes asked Nehemiah what he desired to do, Nehemiah was ready with an answer, “I need safe passage.  I need building materials from the lumber yard, and I’ll be back on the appointed date.”  He had a plan. 

In our lives – both as individuals and as a church family – we are going to have times when the walls are going to fall down.  Jobs are lost.  We find ourselves in trying financial times, and relationships experience challenges.  As has been said, “Life is what happens while we’re making plans for living.”  This six-week series is about what we do when the walls fall down.   We pray.  We make a plan… and then we get to work.

Nehemiah 3: 1-8 (NIV)

¹Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel.  ²The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zakkur son of Imri built next to them. 

³The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place.  ⁴Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs. ⁵The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors. 

⁶The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place.  ⁷Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah--Melatiah of Gibeon and Jadon of Meronoth--places under the authority of the governor of Trans-Euphrates.  ⁸Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.

Introduction

In 1995, the nation of South Africa was a turning point.  Apartheid – the evil system in which the white minority oppressed by the black majority – had finally come to an end.  Nelson Mandela, who came to embody that oppression through his many years in prison had been released, and – in 1994 when the nation held its first free elections – he was elected president.  Yet, everyone was nervous…and with good cause.

Radical whites threatened to engage in a terroristic resistance to the new realities.  Some black South Africans were anxious for retribution for the sufferings of the past.  The nation seemed almost as divided as ever… if not more so.    

In this moment, Mandela had a vision of bringing his country together.  Using his personal influence, he helped bring the 1995 Rugby World Cup to South Africa.  He hoped that by uniting the nation behind the national team, it might serve as a first step in bringing all his people together.  This vision led to the team’s motto, “One team, one country.” 

There was, however, a problem.  Rugby had historically been the preferred sport for white South Africans while black South African blacks preferred soccer.  All but one member of the national team was white.  Many black South Africans were resistant to Mandela’s vision.  When Mandela made an appearance at a political rally wearing the cap of the national rugby team he was booed – by blacks.      

As the host nation, South Africa was guaranteed a spot in the cup, but no one knew how the team would perform.  Because of boycotts related to apartheid, it had been years since they had faced international competition.  Their first opponent, Australia, hadn’t lost a match in over a year, but South Africa pulled off the upset. 

Over the course of a month, with Mandela leading the cheers, the South African team won five straight games to advance to the finals.  With each victory, the team picked up more and more black fans.  In the championship game, they faced New Zealand, the number one team in the world. 

All over the country, people tuned in to watch the match on television.  Mandela was present; wearing the team’s jersey.  When he greeted the team before the game, the crowd of 65,000 – mostly white South Africans – chanted his name.

Rugby is a very physical sport, but even by its standards, the game was brutal.  South Africa led late in game, but New Zealand managed to tie the score and force the first ever overtime in rugby world cup history.  Everyone – players, coaches and fans – was exhausted, and, at the midway point in the overtime, the game was still tied.  Men were bleeding, hurting, some barely able to stand, but with only minutes left, the South African team took the lead and somehow held on to win.  It was a moment that stunned the entire sports world.

At the final whistle, the South African team captain, who had been asked by Mandela to help bring their country together, dropped to his knees to pray.  His teammates gathered around him to do the same.  Interviewed after the game he was asked how it felt to have 65,000 South Africans cheering for them.  He said, “We didn’t have 65,000 South Africans.  We had 43 million South Africans.”

Moments later, Mandela – wearing a replica of the captain’s jersey – handed the trophy to the captain and promptly began cheering… and people all over the nation did the same.    

“One team, one country” had been a slogan, but for a moment, it became a reality.  It didn’t solve all of South Africa’s problems, but it was a beginning.

Transition

Mandela had a huge task, but so did Nehemiah.  When we last left Nehemiah, he had arrived in Jerusalem and, after three days, he spent a night touring the city and surveying the damage.  In some places it was so bad that he couldn’t get through on his horse.  After his tour was over, he gathered the leaders and the people together, told them what God had already done for him and challenged them to rebuild… and the people said “yes.”

Nehemiah can pray and prepare all he wants but sooner or later, he and the people of Jerusalem have got to get to work.  God does amazing things, but He expects His people to be part of the answers to the prayers they pray.  God miraculously parted the waters of the Red Sea to allow the Hebrews to escape from the Egyptian Army, but the Hebrews had to have the faith to cross over through the Red Sea with a massive wall of water beside of them.  Jesus invited Peter to walk on the water, but Peter still had to get out of the boat. 

God has done great things in providing passage and materials for Nehemiah but now the people themselves have to take the next step, roll up their sleeves and get to work… and so do we.

Application

This morning, I am probably violating every homiletical law known to a pastor, an obscure federal regulation and maybe even a Pikeville city ordinance, but I would encourage us to consider that the story of Nehemiah has teaching points both for us  as individuals who are following Jesus and as a church family seeking to do the same. 

So, in something that’s a little different, I’m going to offer three concepts for us to consider in our individual journeys and three concepts for us to consider as a church family.  In these ideas, we will find things that will both comfort and challenge us.

Three things for individuals

Names matter to God…

The entire third chapter of Nehemiah, which we read only in part, consists of nothing but a listing of names of those who repaired the walls and the portion of the wall they helped to repair.  In some ways it’s as exciting as one of those seemingly endless genealogies that we run across in the scriptures.  If we just skip over the names though, we’ll miss some important lessons.  As one commentator put it, “God is a great believer in putting names down.” 

Another way to look at it is, “Names matter to God.”  In fact, your name matters to God.  I know there are times when we look at the broken walls in our lives and feel as if God has abandoned us, but I assure you God has not. 

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus makes it clear on multiple occasions that none of us slip below the Father’s radar.  He knows even the numbers of hair on our heads.  Your name… you… matter to God.     

Start where we are

When we look at the passage, one thing we can’t help but notice is that the people went to the parts of the wall near their home and began building that portion of the wall.  They didn’t go to the other side of the city, they started where they were.

Having a plan is a good thing, but the first step in implementing a plan is to begin where we are in taking our first step. 

I was once with my home pastor, the Rev. Warren Vanover, who was talking with a man about coming to church.  The man, whose live was something of a train wreck, expressed a sentiment that I have heard from so many over the years and said something like, “Well preacher, one of these days when I get my act together I’ll get to church.”

Warren’s answer was a classic.  “Do you clean up before you take a bath?”

We start where we are.

Work until we’re done

It’s been said that when we get off to a good beginning, we’re halfway done.  The problem with that line of thinking is, we’re still only halfway done.  To complete the rebuilding of the broken walls in our lives, we actually have to finish the task. 

In San Jose, California there’s a well-known mansion known as The Winchester Mystery House.  It was once the home of Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester.  While the origins of the house are disputed, everyone agrees that Mrs. Winchester, under the guidance of some sort of psychic advisor, believed that she was in danger of being pursued by the ghosts of those who died from her husband’s guns.  To hide from the spirits, she had a house built that was continuously under construction from 1884 until her death in 1922… 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year for 38 years.  She spent what is estimated in today’s money roughly $75 million dollars.  The house makes no sense.  There are stairs and doorways that lead nowhere.  It was never finished.

Well, we want to finish rebuilding the walls, but we can only do that if we see the challenges through to completion.   

Our names matter to God, we start where we are, and we work until we are done.  Three great lessons from Nehemiah for us as individuals, but there are also three great lessons for us as a church.

Three things for the church

The first is this… Leaders have to lead by example

The first step in our church’s journey is that our leaders – the pastor, the staff and our laity have to lead by example.  In rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, it is no mistake that the first portion of the wall mentioned was that rebuilt by the high priest and his fellow priests. 

John Wesley, in reflecting on this passage wrote, “Ministers should be foremost in every good work, animating others by their example as well as doctrine.”  You have every right to expect that of us and when we fail to live up to a holy standard, you have every right to remind us of our responsibility.     

If leaders want people to follow, then they have to lead by example.  I have heard this referred to as “The West Point Rule,” which says, “The one who gives the order leads the charge.”

We should ask no one to do something we are not willing to do ourselves.

Having said that, there is a hard reality…

Not everyone will buy into the vision

As Mandela discovered, not everyone was anxious to embrace his vision of a united South Africa. 

Nehemiah discovered that the nobles of Tekoa would not help in the rebuilding of the wall.  The wording suggests the nobles thought that such work was beneath them.  They refused to submit to their leaders.

Note, if you will, that neither leader – Nehemiah nor Mandela – stopped their efforts because everyone was not onboard with their vision.  Over the years, I have watched as churches have struggled to live out their vision because there was not complete agreement with the vision. 

Granted, when a vision is introduced, time should be taken to carefully explain the vision, seek input and consider making adjustments to the vision but the time comes when – for the vision to become a reality – the proverbial train must eventually leave the station.  The vision of Nehemiah and Mandela could not be hijacked because some individuals refused to buy-in to the vision.

They worked together with everyone having something to offer

Beyond the eight verses we read this morning, we find – in the entirety of the third chapter – an interesting mix of those who worked at rebuilding the walls.  Beyond the priests, a number of rulers are mentioned. Two men, each of whom ruled half the city of Jerusalem, are getting their hands dirty working on these walls.  There were gate keepers, guards, farmers, even perfume makers involved in the work.  There were jewelers, pharmacists, merchants and temple servants.  It was a very diverse group of people… and each one contributed something – effort wise – to help rebuild the wall. 

No one was expected to repair the entire wall, but everyone – working together – began to make the vision of repairing the walls a reality.


The same should be true in the life of the church.  The challenges a church faces in the 21^st century require all of us – not just the pastor, not just the staff, not just a handful of key laity – to help rebuild the walls. 


I have watched our youth blaze a trail and challenge the rest of us to follow them in their pursuit of the things of Jesus. 


Christ does not expect any one person to carry the load, but I firmly believe each one of us has something to offer and is expected to help carry the load.  That is why each of us has been equipped by the Holy Spirit; to help build up the body and contribute to the Kingdom of God as best we can.


Conclusion


So, at the risk of trying to say too much in a single sermon, I would remind each one of us that:

·      Names matter to God

·      We start where we are

·      We work until we’re done   

And I would remind all of us that:

·      Leaders have to lead by example

·      Not everyone will buy-in

·      They worked together with everyone having something to offer

Nehemiah prayed.  God answered those prayers.  Nehemiah made a plan and the plan seemed good, but sooner or later, he had to get to work…and so do we.  In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, let us pray….