Building Together (Nehemiah 3:1-12)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.639 --> 00:00:06.759 You would turn with me to Neemiah chapter three. If you don't know where 2 00:00:06.759 --> 00:00:10.550 Niemiah's is, open up the middle of Your Bible. Usually Open the psalms 3 00:00:10.589 --> 00:00:19.109 and flip back a few pages to Neemiah. It's right before job in my 4 00:00:19.190 --> 00:00:25.539 chapter three. It's a delong chapter with a lot of hard names, so 5 00:00:25.620 --> 00:00:31.539 we're only going to read the first twelve versus. This is the word of 6 00:00:31.660 --> 00:00:38.289 God. Then, Alaship the high priest, rose up with his brothers, 7 00:00:38.329 --> 00:00:42.649 the priests, and they built the sheep gate. They consecrated it and set 8 00:00:42.689 --> 00:00:46.689 its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the hundred, 9 00:00:47.130 --> 00:00:51.280 as far as the tower of Hananel, and next to him the men of 10 00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:55.920 Jericho built, and next to them Zakhor, the son of EM rebuilt. 11 00:00:56.560 --> 00:01:00.840 The sons of Hassana built the fish gate. They laid its beams and set 12 00:01:00.840 --> 00:01:04.030 its doors, it's bolts and it's bars, and next to them me remote 13 00:01:04.069 --> 00:01:08.549 the son of Uriah, son of Hakaus repaired, and next to them Mashilam 14 00:01:08.670 --> 00:01:12.670 the son of Berachiah, son of Michezebel, repaired, and next to them 15 00:01:12.750 --> 00:01:17.549 Zadok, the son of Batna, repaired, and next to them that to 16 00:01:17.590 --> 00:01:23.140 Kohites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord. Joy 17 00:01:23.140 --> 00:01:26.219 Ada, the son of Pasca, and Mushi Lum, the son of Bessodaya, 18 00:01:26.340 --> 00:01:30.579 repaired the gate of Yashanah. They laid its beams and set it's doors, 19 00:01:30.659 --> 00:01:36.170 it's bolts and it's bars, and next to them prepared Melatia, the 20 00:01:36.290 --> 00:01:40.170 gibbeon night and jade on the room. The maranathite, the men of Gibeon 21 00:01:40.290 --> 00:01:42.930 and of MISSPA, the seat of the governor of the province beyond the river. 22 00:01:44.890 --> 00:01:48.079 Next to them. Usi All, the son of Harahia, Goldsmiths, 23 00:01:48.280 --> 00:01:51.680 repaired. Next to him. Hanna, and I are one of the perfumers, 24 00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:56.480 repaired and they restore Jerusalem as far as the broad wall. Next to 25 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:59.920 them. Rafaiah, the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of 26 00:01:59.959 --> 00:02:02.790 Jerusalem, repaired. Next to them. Judiah, the son of Haruma, 27 00:02:04.069 --> 00:02:08.150 repaired opposite his house. Next to him, Hatush, the son of Hashabania, 28 00:02:08.270 --> 00:02:12.870 repaired. Malquijia, the son of Hareem, and Hashu, the son 29 00:02:12.909 --> 00:02:16.340 of Pahat Moab, repaired another section, and the Tower of the ovens next 30 00:02:16.379 --> 00:02:20.939 to him. Shalam, the son of Hollowhsh ruler of half the district of 31 00:02:20.979 --> 00:02:36.610 Jerusalem, repaired he and his daughter's you may be seated. So when my 32 00:02:36.689 --> 00:02:40.250 wife and I first got married, we lived in Saint Luis, Missouri, 33 00:02:40.449 --> 00:02:50.599 in a very tiny apartment, the sides of a postage stamp almost. We 34 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:55.159 had a tiny bedroom, tiny living room, tiny bathroom, tiny kitchen with 35 00:02:55.319 --> 00:03:05.430 a tiny ink and a almost no counterspace and, most importantly, no dishwasher. 36 00:03:07.389 --> 00:03:10.430 And that was a big deal because I don't like to wash dishes. 37 00:03:12.750 --> 00:03:15.020 I don't mind drying dishes, I'll dry dishes all day long. I don't 38 00:03:15.020 --> 00:03:21.780 want to wash dishes because it's kind of a dirty job, right, it's 39 00:03:21.780 --> 00:03:24.939 kind of gross, you know. You're having to clean off all the goop 40 00:03:25.020 --> 00:03:30.090 and the gunk from plates and cups and Silverware and somewhere along the line you 41 00:03:30.169 --> 00:03:34.889 play that little game of find the sponge in the murky water, right, 42 00:03:35.409 --> 00:03:39.370 and at the end you're cleaning out all the the gunk from the bottom of 43 00:03:39.409 --> 00:03:43.520 the drain. Right, it's gets gross and I don't want to get my 44 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:47.439 hands dirty like that. I know what you may be thinking, that sounds 45 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:53.439 really selfish and petty, and you would be correct. It is selfish. 46 00:03:53.479 --> 00:03:57.750 It is petty, but you know, there are many aspects, other aspects 47 00:03:57.789 --> 00:04:02.110 of my life where I selfishly don't want to do the kind of work that 48 00:04:02.189 --> 00:04:11.259 gets my hands dirty. And the same mystery for you. What about those 49 00:04:11.300 --> 00:04:15.939 times when we know that that change is coming and we're not looking forward to 50 00:04:16.060 --> 00:04:18.860 that change because we know it's going to task us, we're going to have 51 00:04:18.899 --> 00:04:21.740 to do some heavy lifting, we're going to have to get her hands dirty. 52 00:04:23.620 --> 00:04:30.410 Maybe it's change in or even a season of change at work. That's 53 00:04:30.490 --> 00:04:38.410 cool in our families, in the church. Maybe you are looking forward to 54 00:04:38.449 --> 00:04:43.399 the benefits of the change but not the process because it's going to put you 55 00:04:43.439 --> 00:04:48.519 to work. Or what about those times when you walk up to somebody and 56 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:54.509 greet them, just say hey, how you doing, how are you, 57 00:04:55.110 --> 00:05:00.829 and you expect a superficial response. You want a superficial response, and then, 58 00:05:00.870 --> 00:05:05.550 instead of saying dude, well doing good, thanks for asking, they 59 00:05:05.589 --> 00:05:12.300 actually tell you the truth and they start to unload all their emotional baggage on 60 00:05:12.500 --> 00:05:16.139 to you in that moment and you think, oh no, I didn't expect 61 00:05:16.180 --> 00:05:18.379 this, I didn't want this. How'll get out of the situation? You 62 00:05:18.500 --> 00:05:23.569 start looking around for other people that you might know that to say, Hey, 63 00:05:23.610 --> 00:05:25.569 I've been meaning to talk to this person. I'm sorry, you got 64 00:05:25.649 --> 00:05:30.649 to go. I don't have time for this right now. I not now. 65 00:05:30.689 --> 00:05:34.649 I've got to stop and and carry their burdens. I don't want to 66 00:05:34.689 --> 00:05:43.759 get my hands dirty with this. You've been there. This is where neamiah 67 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:50.509 three is so helpful for us, because Niama three is not just a chapter 68 00:05:50.670 --> 00:05:55.389 in the Bible with a bunch of names that are very hard to pronounce, 69 00:05:55.829 --> 00:06:00.110 and I'm thankful that we chose to stop at verse twelve, because there's another 70 00:06:00.310 --> 00:06:04.180 twenty something versus of more hardly pronounceable names, and I'm not that smart. 71 00:06:06.660 --> 00:06:12.540 But it's more than just that. It gives us a picture of God's people 72 00:06:12.819 --> 00:06:19.850 getting their hands dirty, doing the heavy lifting, building together and doing hard 73 00:06:19.930 --> 00:06:27.449 work. But it's good work. It's good work because the Lord has restored 74 00:06:27.649 --> 00:06:33.879 them to himself and in the process he's restored them out of their exile to 75 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:40.399 their city of Jerusalem, and that is good work. When the Lord does 76 00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:46.399 the Good Work of restoring his people, he also calls his people to good 77 00:06:46.480 --> 00:06:51.110 work. So let's look at the work this morning. What is the work 78 00:06:51.189 --> 00:06:56.509 before us in theemiah chapter three. Well, at the work you see immediately 79 00:06:56.550 --> 00:06:59.709 before the people. Is What it's the building of the wall, the rebuilding 80 00:06:59.709 --> 00:07:03.220 of the wall of Jerusalem. But that's not actually the first project that they 81 00:07:03.259 --> 00:07:09.899 undertook coming out of exile to get back and read the book of Ezra. 82 00:07:11.300 --> 00:07:15.250 See, the people of God had been carried off the southern Kingdom of Israel. 83 00:07:15.930 --> 00:07:21.610 Judah had been carried off a couple generations before to Babylond into Persia, 84 00:07:21.689 --> 00:07:27.649 Ja and their city had been ransacked. And now Cyrus, the King of 85 00:07:27.730 --> 00:07:30.639 Persia, has shown them some grace and he he shown them kindness and tells 86 00:07:30.680 --> 00:07:34.879 the might look, Nemai, you can go back and you can rebuild the 87 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:41.160 city, you can rebuild Jerusalem. Now, if you are going back to 88 00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:46.629 a city, your home city, that had been completely destroyed, the walls 89 00:07:46.709 --> 00:07:55.029 destroyed, homes destroyed, businesses destroyed, culture destroyed, these people are having 90 00:07:55.029 --> 00:08:03.620 to relearn their language, families destroyed, lives destroyed by this enemy nation. 91 00:08:03.899 --> 00:08:09.939 What do you think might be the first logical step to take in rebuilding the 92 00:08:09.060 --> 00:08:16.170 city? If it's me, and if it's probably you, you're probably going 93 00:08:16.209 --> 00:08:20.769 to build a wall. You're going to build it fifty feet higher, fifty 94 00:08:20.850 --> 00:08:26.449 feet think thicker. So hopefully this does it happen again, that you don't 95 00:08:26.449 --> 00:08:31.120 get ransacked again. But is that what they did? Know? If you 96 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:33.919 look back at eggs Ezra, you see that the first project they undertook was 97 00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:43.070 rebuilding what the temple? They built the temple. Question. Why were the 98 00:08:43.429 --> 00:08:52.509 Israelites taken off into exile by this Animu nation in the first place? It's 99 00:08:52.549 --> 00:09:01.779 because, generation after generation, they failed to put the Lord First. But 100 00:09:01.980 --> 00:09:05.820 now, instead of self preservation, their priority is to put the Lord First. 101 00:09:07.379 --> 00:09:09.090 So, God, we want to engage with what you, we want 102 00:09:09.129 --> 00:09:13.690 to love you. We now rediscovered the law. We want to follow you. 103 00:09:16.129 --> 00:09:20.889 I just wonder, what are the areas of of all of your lives? 104 00:09:22.850 --> 00:09:26.000 We're in the same question, is true for me, obviously, to 105 00:09:26.840 --> 00:09:30.799 the areas of my life where we have put the Lord further down the priority 106 00:09:30.879 --> 00:09:35.440 list, that we haven't made connecting with him and engaging with him the number 107 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:41.389 one priority of our lives. But now the temple is rebuilt and our movie 108 00:09:41.470 --> 00:09:43.909 on the phase to the wall and we look at the wall itself, what 109 00:09:45.029 --> 00:09:48.909 do we see? Well, obviously we see that it is that defense mechanism 110 00:09:48.990 --> 00:09:52.779 right that's what the wall served as. That's its purpose. But it's more 111 00:09:52.980 --> 00:09:56.820 than that. Here in the my three, the wall is part of a 112 00:09:58.100 --> 00:10:01.980 larger work of restoration. Now, there are many things that would need to 113 00:10:03.019 --> 00:10:05.980 be restored. Right. We just mentioned them. That the temple need to 114 00:10:07.059 --> 00:10:11.970 be restored. Right, it was torn down. The wall need to be 115 00:10:11.090 --> 00:10:16.649 restored. Right. Their lives needed to be restored. Right. Why? 116 00:10:16.690 --> 00:10:22.600 Why do they need to be restored? Because the people had sinned against God, 117 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:31.320 and sin leaves everything in wrongs, everything. That's what sin does. 118 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:35.990 And sure, they will rebuild everything, but it's not going to be the 119 00:10:37.110 --> 00:10:41.389 same. They rebuilt the temple, but it's not the same as when Solomon 120 00:10:41.509 --> 00:10:45.590 built it, is it? They're going to rebuild the wall, they're going 121 00:10:45.669 --> 00:10:48.789 to finish the work, but it is it the same? No, because 122 00:10:50.539 --> 00:10:54.179 part of what they're using for materials is the rubble from the previous wall. 123 00:10:56.500 --> 00:10:58.779 It's not going to be the same. Yeah, they're going to rebuild their 124 00:10:58.860 --> 00:11:03.330 lives, but they're not the same people. They've lost their culture, they've 125 00:11:03.409 --> 00:11:07.570 lost their language, they've intermarried with other people's, as Ezra tells us. 126 00:11:11.610 --> 00:11:16.970 But something does remain the same. Well remains the same is that this God 127 00:11:18.330 --> 00:11:24.720 is a God who is still intent on restoring his people to himself and causing 128 00:11:24.759 --> 00:11:33.350 them to flourish despite their sin. And that is cause for devotion. That 129 00:11:33.590 --> 00:11:39.990 is their cause for devotion. They're devoted to the Lord, but because he's 130 00:11:39.029 --> 00:11:43.389 restored them, they're devoted to the work. Look back at verse one says. 131 00:11:43.429 --> 00:11:46.029 Then a Liship, the high priest, rose up with his brother as 132 00:11:46.070 --> 00:11:50.940 the priest, and they built the sheep gate, they consecrated it and set 133 00:11:50.059 --> 00:11:56.500 its doors. Here's a lie ship gathering with his other priestly friends that to 134 00:11:56.659 --> 00:12:01.179 rebuild the wall, right, to rebuyl the wall. And what do they 135 00:12:01.220 --> 00:12:05.129 do? They consecrate the hard work, the hard labor that's before them. 136 00:12:05.690 --> 00:12:09.330 Now here's why that's very important for us. It's important because we tend to 137 00:12:09.409 --> 00:12:13.889 think that hard work, they'll kind of work that gets your hands during, 138 00:12:13.970 --> 00:12:18.399 the kind of work that makes sweat a little bit. We tend to think 139 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:26.679 that hard work is the result of sin. But is it? Now? 140 00:12:26.759 --> 00:12:31.830 The pain is right. The Pain is God. When Adam Sin, God 141 00:12:33.149 --> 00:12:35.909 cursed the ground. Right, he said that you will, you will, 142 00:12:37.110 --> 00:12:43.149 you will labor in this. As you work, it will hurt. But 143 00:12:43.299 --> 00:12:46.980 when God made man, he put them in the garden, Adam and Eve 144 00:12:48.100 --> 00:12:50.820 in the garden, and we what do you do? He put them to 145 00:12:50.940 --> 00:12:56.419 work. Work is good, even if it's hard work, it's good. 146 00:12:56.460 --> 00:13:01.330 It's a way for us to enjoy God, it's a way for us to 147 00:13:01.490 --> 00:13:07.769 express our identity as image bears, and even hard work is good work and 148 00:13:07.889 --> 00:13:13.919 it can be joyful work if the Lord has called you to it. You 149 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:20.600 know, I I hate running. I hate running. I ran yesterday at 150 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:24.519 the gym. I hate it so much, but it's good for me, 151 00:13:26.279 --> 00:13:28.149 it's good for you. Maybe some of you really like to run and run 152 00:13:28.269 --> 00:13:33.950 for fun and I do not get that. There was a guy named Eric 153 00:13:35.029 --> 00:13:39.590 Little who died in a Chinese internment camp in the s. He was a 154 00:13:39.830 --> 00:13:41.779 Christian missionary to China. But in the twenties and one thousand nine hundred and 155 00:13:41.779 --> 00:13:46.980 twenty four he ran in the Olympics for Great Britain. He ran as a 156 00:13:46.220 --> 00:13:50.299 four hundred meter runner. He actually broke the world record at the time. 157 00:13:50.340 --> 00:13:54.379 I think it was like forty seven seconds, which the new world records only 158 00:13:54.460 --> 00:14:00.490 like three seconds off. That's pretty fast. But he told he told his 159 00:14:00.570 --> 00:14:07.289 wife, he said God made me fast and when I run I feel his 160 00:14:07.490 --> 00:14:15.440 pleasure. Do you feel his pleasure when you work, even if it's hard 161 00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:18.799 work? You see the when the Lord restores his people, he puts them 162 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:22.519 to work, and if you joy, enjoy relationship with God, restored relationship 163 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:26.509 with God, then you can enjoy the work that he's called you to. 164 00:14:28.230 --> 00:14:31.549 The work of the Lord calls his people to is supposed to cause flourishing and 165 00:14:31.629 --> 00:14:37.230 yet it often seems so mundane. You kind of get a sense of that 166 00:14:37.429 --> 00:14:41.580 in the passage, don't we? There's a lot of repetition here that the 167 00:14:41.899 --> 00:14:46.460 priest gate got together and then that they they built this gate and set its 168 00:14:46.659 --> 00:14:50.460 doors. It's bolts and it's bars and then you move on. You can 169 00:14:50.539 --> 00:14:56.250 just imagine this next group of people laying some bricks and then putting up some 170 00:14:56.450 --> 00:15:01.809 mortar and then setting the the gates doors, and it's bolts and it's bars 171 00:15:01.889 --> 00:15:03.490 and you move on in next group of people. They're doing the same work 172 00:15:03.769 --> 00:15:07.399 all the way around the wall of Jerusalem. Think, man, how tedious, 173 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:16.279 how boring, how mundane? Then, yeah, it is. It's 174 00:15:16.360 --> 00:15:22.029 just that before I was in full time ministry, I worked for a public 175 00:15:22.070 --> 00:15:26.909 accounting firm for about five and a half years and I hate I hated it. 176 00:15:26.149 --> 00:15:30.110 I hated every minute of it. I was good at about hating it 177 00:15:30.389 --> 00:15:33.549 and I remember sitting it at my little cubicle. I think the last person 178 00:15:33.590 --> 00:15:39.620 in the office is about thirty at night, binders of information in front of 179 00:15:39.700 --> 00:15:43.179 me, working and just so tired. It been such a long day and 180 00:15:43.259 --> 00:15:48.379 I just remember praying to God. God, I know that somehow this is 181 00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:54.289 supposed to cause flourishing because you've called me to this, but I don't think 182 00:15:54.289 --> 00:16:03.009 it can. Surely this can't do it. Surely this can't help spread your 183 00:16:03.049 --> 00:16:11.080 kingdom. But I didn't get it. I did not get it. I 184 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:18.110 didn't consider that God had called me to flourishing even what seems ordinary and mundane. 185 00:16:21.190 --> 00:16:26.309 How you considered that? We considered asking the Lord that he would show 186 00:16:26.309 --> 00:16:30.309 us his desire for us in the work that he has called us to have. 187 00:16:30.470 --> 00:16:36.179 We asked him, Lord, I am not looking forward to Monday morning. 188 00:16:37.940 --> 00:16:42.419 I'm not looking forward to this project. It's hard work and it's boring 189 00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:48.970 and it's tedious. But Lord, would would you? Would you help me 190 00:16:49.009 --> 00:16:55.570 find pleasure in it? Would you help me enjoy you in it and do 191 00:16:55.649 --> 00:17:00.330 it with a glad heart? That's the work. What about the workers? 192 00:17:00.600 --> 00:17:03.319 What do we see when we look at WHO's doing the work? That a 193 00:17:03.359 --> 00:17:07.880 couple things that stand out. First is the diversity of workers. Look at 194 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:12.599 Verse Eight. Next to them USIAL, the son of Harahiah, Goldsmiths repaired. 195 00:17:14.039 --> 00:17:15.789 Next to him, Han and I are one of the perfumers repaired and 196 00:17:15.829 --> 00:17:22.670 they restored the Jerusalem as far as the broad wall. Did you hear it? 197 00:17:22.670 --> 00:17:29.309 Goldsmiths, perfumers. If you read on in in the chapter you get 198 00:17:29.309 --> 00:17:34.460 to verse like Verse Thirty One, you see merchants repairing the wall. All 199 00:17:34.500 --> 00:17:38.180 across this chapter you see all these people, even people from other towns, 200 00:17:38.220 --> 00:17:42.460 other cultures, like Takoa and Jericho. You see the priests, you see 201 00:17:42.779 --> 00:17:48.289 Levites, temple servants, city officials, even entire families. Look at verse 202 00:17:48.369 --> 00:17:51.769 twelve, next to him, Shalom, the son of Hallohesh, ruler of 203 00:17:51.849 --> 00:17:57.250 half the district of Jerusalem, repaired. He and his daughter's see. Regardless 204 00:17:57.289 --> 00:18:03.119 of status, regardless of background, regardless of culture, they're all getting their 205 00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:07.599 hands dirty because everyone has a part to play. But some refuse to do 206 00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:15.710 the work. Look at verse five and next to them to cohites repaired, 207 00:18:15.789 --> 00:18:22.950 but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord. They were above this 208 00:18:23.069 --> 00:18:30.099 kind of work. But did it sound like any of these people had backgrounds 209 00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:37.339 and construction work? No, now, surely some didnemia is overseeing this project, 210 00:18:37.460 --> 00:18:41.609 and surely some were architects and construction laborers, but most people didn't have 211 00:18:41.769 --> 00:18:48.329 those kind of skills. But they weren't above this work. You can even 212 00:18:48.369 --> 00:18:51.930 see, as you read on an Emi that they were actually enthusiastic about the 213 00:18:52.009 --> 00:18:56.519 work because they were called to this work by the very same God that had 214 00:18:56.599 --> 00:19:02.359 restored them to himself and restored them out of their exile, so they could 215 00:19:02.359 --> 00:19:04.319 do it with joy, even if they meant getting their hands or even meant 216 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:11.589 sweating a little bit. Sometimes, as pastors we see various Harper tunities to 217 00:19:11.750 --> 00:19:15.190 serve in the church, to serve the Lord and serve the body, to 218 00:19:15.269 --> 00:19:21.390 serve one another, and we hear things like ass. That's just not my 219 00:19:21.589 --> 00:19:26.859 thing. Here's some things that I've heard in my years of ministry. I 220 00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:30.420 don't really like to work with children because I've spent years raising my own kids 221 00:19:30.460 --> 00:19:36.220 and I don't have to do that anymore. I don't like to talk to 222 00:19:36.339 --> 00:19:40.250 New People, so why would I want to be a greeterer. Why would 223 00:19:40.250 --> 00:19:45.609 I want to get together with just a bunch of other men or women? 224 00:19:47.529 --> 00:19:49.170 I'm a pretty private person. I don't like to share with others. So 225 00:19:49.450 --> 00:19:53.559 community group small groups are not something I'm really interested in. How about this 226 00:19:53.680 --> 00:19:57.759 one, then? This is something that I have said at various times. 227 00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:04.039 Why do you need my help? Things always seem to get done. When 228 00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:07.789 we say these things, and maybe many of us have at some point, 229 00:20:07.829 --> 00:20:11.789 I know I have. We say these things, how are we any better 230 00:20:11.829 --> 00:20:18.309 than those who thought that they were above this work? We're not. But 231 00:20:18.430 --> 00:20:22.980 something else stands out when you look at this people. It's not just diversity, 232 00:20:22.380 --> 00:20:27.380 but you see unity. Right, we're all equipped to construction. Now 233 00:20:27.460 --> 00:20:32.700 we've established that right, but we're all equipped with what they needed to complete 234 00:20:32.740 --> 00:20:34.849 the work. Yes, what were they equipped with? They were equipped with 235 00:20:34.890 --> 00:20:40.650 the knowledge of a God who had restored them to himself, who saved them, 236 00:20:41.170 --> 00:20:45.690 who loved them, who was present with them in the midst of this, 237 00:20:45.250 --> 00:20:51.200 who would never leave them, who calls his people together to participate in 238 00:20:51.359 --> 00:20:57.240 the mission of repairing what was once torn down. You know, if you 239 00:20:57.279 --> 00:21:03.799 if you look around at this body, and I know so few of you. 240 00:21:03.869 --> 00:21:08.029 But if you're anything like my church or any of the other churches I've 241 00:21:08.029 --> 00:21:14.990 ever been a part of, if you look around at other people, you 242 00:21:15.349 --> 00:21:22.140 see you see priests, you see Levites, you see temple servants, you 243 00:21:22.299 --> 00:21:30.940 see a whole lot of goldsmiths and merchants and perfumers, ordinary folks, but 244 00:21:30.180 --> 00:21:36.329 all are equipped with what you need to build the Kingdom of God. He 245 00:21:36.450 --> 00:21:40.410 has equipped us. The Lord equips us with a knowledge of his salvation, 246 00:21:40.730 --> 00:21:42.690 then, all of Jible, knowledge of his restoration, as it the writer 247 00:21:42.769 --> 00:21:47.480 of Hebrews says that he is equips us with everything good in order that we 248 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:53.880 might do as will now. Something we can't overlook as we go through this 249 00:21:55.079 --> 00:21:57.839 passage is that there's a word that keeps popping up time after time, verse 250 00:21:57.920 --> 00:22:03.190 after verse, the most often repeated word here in chapter three, and that's 251 00:22:03.230 --> 00:22:08.150 the word repair. That word doesn't mean to bring back to the way it 252 00:22:08.509 --> 00:22:15.099 was, but that word means to make strong or to make stand firm, 253 00:22:15.259 --> 00:22:21.660 to build up even in the face of opposition. You see, the work 254 00:22:21.740 --> 00:22:25.819 that each individual is doing here is not just to build up the walls, 255 00:22:25.900 --> 00:22:29.380 not just to make the wall stand firm, to make it strong, but 256 00:22:29.539 --> 00:22:33.930 it's to build up each other. It's to make each other stand firm, 257 00:22:34.009 --> 00:22:37.609 to make each other strong. I love how this chapter is lay it out. 258 00:22:38.369 --> 00:22:42.970 You have this person saying next to this person and they built a wall, 259 00:22:44.130 --> 00:22:45.720 and then he get moves on too this other person, and then his 260 00:22:45.960 --> 00:22:48.200 family, and then they built the wall and so on and so on and 261 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:52.079 so on, all the way around the wall of Jerusale. You can imagine 262 00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:57.559 that each person is acting as a kind of little personal trainer, because you 263 00:22:57.670 --> 00:23:03.029 know, people got tired. Right you see someone sweating and dehydrated and he 264 00:23:03.069 --> 00:23:07.789 said, Hey, here's some water, but keep going. Five more bricks, 265 00:23:07.829 --> 00:23:08.950 a little more mortar. You can do it. It's good work. 266 00:23:10.029 --> 00:23:14.859 I know it's hard work, but it's good work. You can do it. 267 00:23:17.980 --> 00:23:19.339 You know, when we work together, when we take up the work 268 00:23:19.420 --> 00:23:23.099 that the Lord has called us to, specifically that work of the Great Commission, 269 00:23:23.140 --> 00:23:29.730 is, Jesus says, go into all the world baptizing, baptizing people 270 00:23:29.849 --> 00:23:33.250 the name of the father's son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them everything that 271 00:23:33.329 --> 00:23:38.369 I have commanded you. Well, we do that kind of work. We're 272 00:23:38.450 --> 00:23:45.079 not just repairing cracks in the wall with mortar. We're appearing cracks in each 273 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:53.720 other's lives with a Gospel and Christ like love, that love that Jesus called 274 00:23:53.799 --> 00:24:00.829 us to earlier this morning, that new commandment to love one another. It's 275 00:24:00.950 --> 00:24:07.470 the gospel of Jesus. When we encourage those who've had a rough week of 276 00:24:07.589 --> 00:24:11.500 parenting or rough week at school, or maybe we have given our time to 277 00:24:11.619 --> 00:24:18.220 that awkward new guy, or we show value and dignity do the single person 278 00:24:18.339 --> 00:24:22.779 who seems like a misfit often, or maybe we do something simple like taking 279 00:24:22.859 --> 00:24:32.490 a meal to a grieving family. When we do those things, we are 280 00:24:32.609 --> 00:24:40.319 declaring to those people that that we serve a Lord who loves to restore his 281 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:45.680 people, who loves his people. Well, you know, just a few 282 00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:52.000 months ago we celebrated Easter, we celebrated this person of Jesus Christ, the 283 00:24:52.200 --> 00:24:55.470 God man, that, even though he was fully God, he humbled himself, 284 00:24:55.509 --> 00:25:00.829 taking on the form of a servant and he became man and did the 285 00:25:00.990 --> 00:25:07.220 work that no one else could do. Jesus never said this is above my 286 00:25:07.460 --> 00:25:11.140 pay grade or below my Pagret, I am above this work. He never 287 00:25:11.299 --> 00:25:19.579 said that he came to restore his people, that was his mission. He 288 00:25:19.700 --> 00:25:25.769 never said that's just not my thing. What did he do? This prince 289 00:25:25.849 --> 00:25:30.970 of peace, carried a cross on his back through this city, this city 290 00:25:30.210 --> 00:25:36.839 Jerusalem, the city of peace, so that he could bring these people, 291 00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:48.799 and you and me peace that Jesus was driven outside these same city walls built 292 00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:56.630 with these same hands, as an exile. He was driven out with that 293 00:25:56.789 --> 00:26:00.470 cross on his back, so that he can make these people who had been 294 00:26:00.710 --> 00:26:11.380 exiled, he can make those people citizens of a greater city of God. 295 00:26:12.900 --> 00:26:18.019 And he's done the same for us. Through his death and his resurrection. 296 00:26:18.259 --> 00:26:22.130 He has repaired us, he has made as strong, he has made us 297 00:26:22.210 --> 00:26:29.250 to stand firm against all opposition, their greatest enemy, our greatest supponent of 298 00:26:29.490 --> 00:26:37.480 sin and death. Jesus has taken all that away for good. He is 299 00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:48.150 restored what was torn down in Adams Sin, the promise that was made in 300 00:26:48.230 --> 00:26:53.069 the garden by God himself that he would alone restore relationship between God and man. 301 00:26:53.549 --> 00:26:57.829 That is what this restoration in em three points to. That is the 302 00:26:57.910 --> 00:27:03.900 greater restoration. That's what united them together to build and fulfillment of that promise 303 00:27:03.980 --> 00:27:08.900 is the finish work of Jesus. That unites us together to build his kingdom, 304 00:27:10.019 --> 00:27:15.180 together to encourage one another to continue that good work, to make disciples, 305 00:27:15.660 --> 00:27:18.609 to build community, to love people, even those people that we don't 306 00:27:18.650 --> 00:27:23.089 really like, for the people we love, to ignore, to love the 307 00:27:23.170 --> 00:27:29.210 city in our neighborhoods and as we stand together, as we build together, 308 00:27:29.970 --> 00:27:33.000 that work that the Lord has called us to, that work is worship. 309 00:27:33.759 --> 00:27:38.039 It's worship. What is worship? It's describing worth to the Lord, ultimate 310 00:27:38.119 --> 00:27:41.240 worth to the Lord will. When do we worship? Well, we obviously 311 00:27:41.359 --> 00:27:45.950 worship in times like this, right when we gather together and we lift up 312 00:27:45.950 --> 00:27:49.670 our voices and sing praises to the Lord, when we pray together, when 313 00:27:49.670 --> 00:27:56.670 we fellowship together, when we eat together, when we party together, we 314 00:27:56.869 --> 00:28:00.819 cure each other's burdens, like having those conversations with people and we just want 315 00:28:00.859 --> 00:28:07.059 to know all they're doing and then we end up being stuck. We worship 316 00:28:07.099 --> 00:28:11.890 him when we say, Lord do you have restored me to yourself through Jesus. 317 00:28:15.569 --> 00:28:21.009 You have shown me value and dignity and you have given me worth. 318 00:28:21.130 --> 00:28:22.690 And so, because of that, Lord, I want to stop and I 319 00:28:22.769 --> 00:28:29.079 want to talk to this person. He's had a really tough week. I 320 00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:37.160 want to carry their burdens, I want to serve our kids. We also 321 00:28:37.160 --> 00:28:40.640 worship when we encourage one another, even in the things that seem very mundane 322 00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:47.990 and ordinary, like most of life. Most of life seems very ordinary, 323 00:28:48.029 --> 00:28:52.230 it seems very Monday, and at least it can be. We can encourage 324 00:28:52.269 --> 00:28:59.500 one another is we wash dishes, as we change dirty diapers, you can. 325 00:28:59.539 --> 00:29:03.180 You worship God when you change diapers. Yeah, you can, doing 326 00:29:03.220 --> 00:29:11.930 it all for his glory, when we grade papers, we stay at work 327 00:29:11.009 --> 00:29:15.490 late, all our ordinary activities, but something the Lord has called us to 328 00:29:15.650 --> 00:29:18.450 in that moment, in that season of life, to enjoy him and to 329 00:29:18.569 --> 00:29:26.000 glorify him and to build up his people. But we don't do it to 330 00:29:26.119 --> 00:29:30.160 loane. We aren't living in isolation right. We each have each other to 331 00:29:30.240 --> 00:29:32.400 build together, other to encourage one another, to say, I know it 332 00:29:32.440 --> 00:29:34.680 seems mundane, I know it seems ordinary, but the Lord has called you 333 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:41.190 to this and you can enjoy him, you can flourish in this, you 334 00:29:41.269 --> 00:29:45.069 can take pleasure in him. Even though it may be hard work, even 335 00:29:45.109 --> 00:29:48.710 though we may get our hands dirty, we can do it together with a 336 00:29:48.750 --> 00:29:52.180 joy of Christ because he has called us to it. He's restored us to 337 00:29:52.220 --> 00:30:00.740 himself. He's called us a good work. I wonder what the next coming 338 00:30:00.819 --> 00:30:07.809 days, very hot days, next coming weeks and even months, might look 339 00:30:07.849 --> 00:30:11.529 like for you and for me as we labor in the work that God has 340 00:30:11.609 --> 00:30:18.529 called us to in our families, in our neighborhoods and our workplaces. Is 341 00:30:18.569 --> 00:30:23.680 it going to be hard work? We know it is. We're going to 342 00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:30.319 have to get our hands dirty. Yeah, but we can look forward to 343 00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:33.599 it and do it with joy. We can worship God in it, because 344 00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:41.190 he's restored us to himself with a blood of Jesus. He says, I've 345 00:30:41.230 --> 00:30:48.630 given you a new purpose, I've given you new commandment. Love one another, 346 00:30:48.789 --> 00:30:52.779 build together, go into the world, proclaim my name. Be About 347 00:30:52.019 --> 00:30:57.380 Grace, all for Jesus. Let's pray