Everyone Has a Role | Nehemiah 3:1-22
“Everyone Has A Role”
Before we get into today’s message, I want to celebrate a testimony I received from a family that’s been attending our church. Here’s what they wrote.
“When we came to City Awakening, our family walked through the doors carrying a world of hurt. Truthfully, we had every opportunity to accept the identity known as "church hurt." After walking through an incredibly painful and unexpected season, my husband and I weren't sure what to believe about being a part of a “church," or if we could fully trust a body of believers again. But the people of City Awakening changed our perspective. From the moment we walked through these doors, we were seen, loved, and welcomed. They loved us through one of the hardest seasons of our lives. They continually showed up and kept loving us every step of the way. Looking back, we can now see that even in the hardest season of our lives, God was bringing beauty from ashes. He used this church family to remind us that our hardest seasons don't have to define us, and that Jesus is still writing our story. We're so incredibly thankful for a church family that loves us well, gave us space to heal, and keeps pointing us back to Jesus who makes all things new.”
Let’s praise God for this testimony!...This testimony is evidence that Jesus is still transforming lives and writing new stories through our church. It’s a great reminder that when you volunteer, financially give, and invite people to attend our church, it’s having an impact on people’s lives like it did for this family. On your seats are some invite cards to invite a friend to come with you next week. Something we often say in our church is: It’s invitations that leads to transformations. It’s your invitation that can lead to someone’s transformation like it did for this family. So let’s keep inviting, keep reaching people, reaching the world, with the life-transformative message of Jesus.
Now today we’re continuing our teaching series on a book of the bible called Nehemiah, and we’re calling this series Rise and Build. It’s a series about God bringing restoration from the rubble, because God uses Nehemiah to restore the broken walls in Jerusalem from rubble, and in today’s text we’ll learn God gives us an invitation. We’ll learn God gives us an invitation to have a role in restoring what sin has broken. We’ve all sinned; we’ve all played a role in damaging God’s creation. We’ve all created broken walls, broken relationships, a broken humanity, a broken society full of issues. In the words of G.K. Chesterton, “What’s wrong with the world? I am! Yours truly, G.K. Chesterton.” He’s saying we have to admit we’re a part of the problem. We have to stop pointing the finger at everybody else and admit we’re a part of the problem. But the good news is God invites us to be a part of the solution. He invites us to be a part of the restoration. Just like we’ve all sinned and played a role in damaging God’s creation, we can also play a role in restoring God’s creation through Jesus. Jesus came into the world to restore creation, and he invites us to be a part of it. He invites you to be a part of his restoration plans. Let’s turn to Nehemiah 3 and get into it. You’ll find Nehemiah in the front half of the bible, and we’ll be in Nehemiah Ch. 3:1-32. Title of the message is Everybody Has A Role, and the big idea is God invites everybody to have a role in his restoration plans...God invites everybody to have a role in his restoration plans.
Context:
Here’s your context. The book of Nehemiah was written around 445 BC, and it’s a historical record of a time when God brings restoration to his people and the walls in Jerusalem, which were reduced to rubble. The Jews kept living in persistent sin, so God allowed them to live in Babylonian exile for roughly 70 years. But then the Persians defeated the Babylonians, and a year later they allowed the Jews to return home. In Ch.’s 1-2 when Nehemiah hears about the broken walls, he starts praying, and God gives him a plan to restore the broken walls and broken lives of the people. Their sin played a role in this brokenness, but now God is using Nehemiah to play a role in restoring the broken walls and their broken lives. In ch. 3 we’ll see God invites everybody to have a role in his restoration plans, but not everybody will accept that role. Let’s check it out.
The Word:
Nehemiah 3:1, “The high priest Eliashib and his fellow priests began rebuilding the Sheep Gate.” Notice the very first place they started rebuilding is The Sheep’s Gate. It’s the place where the temple was. It’s the place where they worshiped. This tells us they viewed the temple as a top priority in their community, which is why they started building that section first. But in our culture today, the church isn’t even on the building plans. The church used to be viewed as a top priority for communities, but we aren’t even on the building plans anymore. Throughout American history community developers considered churches an essential part of creating healthy communities. So churches were often given designated lots or prominent places to build in many neighborhoods. But things changed to where churches are now treated as an afterthought. What this means is the church has some rebuilding to do, so people can see the church as an asset to the community again, not an afterthought. It can happen when everybody plays a role in restoring what sin has broken.
Again vs. 1, “The high priest Eliashib and his fellow priests began rebuilding the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and installed its doors. After building the wall to the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel, they dedicated it. 2 The men of Jericho built next to Eliashib, and next to them Zaccur son of Imri built. 3 The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They built it with beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars. 4 Next to them Meremoth son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz, made repairs. Beside them Meshullam son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok son of Baana made repairs. 5 Beside them the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles didn’t lift a finger to help their supervisors.” When it comes to sections like this in the bible, where it lists a bunch of names, most of us tend to skim it or skip it. But there are still some important things we can learn from texts like this, and the 1st thing we’re learning here is...
#1 Everybody Has A Place. – We’re learning everybody has a place, a specific section of the wall they’re responsible for building. The phrase next to them or beside them occurs roughly 28 times in 32 verses, and it shows everybody has a place. It shows they’re all working together section by section to restore the broken walls. It all started with Nehemiah praying, planning, and now things are progressing. Just like everybody had a place back then, we have a place today. Where is that place for you?...Where is that place, that section in our city, where God wants you to bring restoration?...Where is that place, that section in our city, where God wants you to build his kingdom?...The place you live isn’t an accident! The place you work isn’t an accident! The place you go to school or the college campus you’re on isn’t an accident. God has you in those places for a reason. It’s to bring restoration and build his kingdom. You might not like some of the places God has you, but you’re to build in those places until he calls you out of those places. This is what Nehemiah did. He served as the king’s cupbearer until God called him out of that place. But serving as the king’s cupbearer wasn’t an accident; it was a part of God’s sovereign plan. God put him in that place to build a relationship with the Persian king, which led to him receiving protection and provision from the king to restore the broken walls. The place God has you isn’t an accident; it’s a part of God’s sovereign plan for you to bring restoration and build his kingdom in that place until he calls you out of that place. Everybody has a place like Nehemiah and the people.
Vs. 6, “Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate. They built it with beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars. 7 Next to them the repairs were done by Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, and the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, who were under the authority, of the governor of the region west of the Euphrates. 8 After him Uzziel son of Harhaiah, the goldsmith, made repairs. Next to him Hananiah son of the perfumermade repairs. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Next to them Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. 10 After them Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs across from his house. Next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah made repairs. 11 Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab made repairs to another section, as well as to the Tower of Ovens. 12 Beside him Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs—he and his daughters.” Okay so the 2nd thing we’re learning here is...
#2 Everybody Has A Role. – We learned everybody has a place, and now we’re learning everybody has a role. In vs. 1 it said the priests were building. In vs. 6-12 it says the goldsmith, the perfumer, the rulers of half the districts, and a father with his daughters were building. In vs. 32 it says even the merchants were building. This was a restoration project for everybody, not just the trained professionals. God was using both ordinary individuals and trained professionals to bring restoration and build his kingdom. Everybody had a role back then, and God invites everybody to have a role today. He invites you to have a role today! In the words of David Platt, “God didn’t save you to sanitize you and then set you on a sanctified shelf. He saved you to send you into service.” See the question isn’t if you’re called to help bring restoration and build God’s kingdom; the question is where and how? The question is what’s your place and what’s your role?
City Awakening, God has given you a unique fingerprint to reach people in ways nobody else can reach them. Nobody has been through the exact same things in the exact same ways you’ve been through them. This means God has been uniquely equipping you your entire life, to give you a unique story, with a unique fingerprint, to reach people in our city in ways nobody else can reach them. God has a place and a role for your life! He invites everybody to have a place and a role in bringing restoration and building his kingdom. Tell the person next to you, “You have a role!...” Now you can read the rest of ch. 3 on your own, because it repeats the same pattern. It’s a list of more people with more places and roles. But let’s circle back around to vs. 5. I want you to see there’s a problem in vs. 5. There’s something different that happens in vs. 5 compared to the rest of ch. 3. Some of you probably noticed it, but let’s take a look at it again in case you missed it.
Again vs. 5 states, “Beside them the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles didn’t lift a finger to help their supervisors.” This is the 3rd and last thing we’re learning. We’re learning...
#3 Everybody Has A Choice. – We’ve learned everybody has a place, everybody has a role, and now we’re learning everybody has a choice. Everybody else in this chapter made the choice to fulfill their role, except the Tekoite nobles. The text says they didn’t lift a finger. The Tekoite people “made repairs,” but the Tekoite nobles didn’t lift a finger. The nobles were the rich and powerful upper class in their society. We don’t know why they didn’t help; we just know they didn’t lift a finger. They wanted to enjoy the benefits of the restoration without participation. The truth is there are people like this in our churches today. They say they want God’s kingdom to grow, but they aren’t lifting a finger to help it grow. They’re like the Tekoite nobles who didn’t lift a finger. Vs. 5 is a reminder that God wants every believer to play a role, instead of not lifting a finger like the Tekoite nobles. If you aren’t serving on a ministry team, then visit our next steps table, sign up for something on our website, become a part of a ministry team in our church. Sign up for something rather than nothing. God has a place, a role, and a choice for you in our church.
But you also have a place, a role, and a choice when it comes to reaching people outside the church. Barna Research did a study a few years ago ranking Orlando as the 9th most unchurched and 6th most de-churched city in America out of 19,000 plus cities. According to another study, over 2 million people in Orlando aren’t connected to a church. This is one of the reasons we end our church gatherings every week saying, “You’re sent!” It’s because we’re sending you out to reach some of the 2 million. It’s also one of the reasons we encourage you to invite people to church. It isn’t to build a megachurch; it’s to build God’s kingdom. It’s to reach the 2 million so we can bring restoration to their broken lives and keep building God’s kingdom. It’s so we can reach more people like the family from the testimony I read earlier. It’s someone’s invitation that led to their family’s transformation and restoration. One of the things they said was, “We can now see that even in the hardest season of our lives, God was bringing beauty from ashes. He used this church family to remind us that our hardest seasons don't have to define us, and that Jesus is still writing our story.” City Awakening Jesus is still writing restoration stories today, and he wants to write more restoration stories through you! He has restoration stories for your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, teammates, and he wants you to reach them with your unique fingerprints. We're not trying to build a megachurch; we’re trying to point people to our mega God who can restore their broken lives. He’s given you a place, a role, and a choice to be a part of that. What’s your place? What’s your role? What’s your choice? Will you bring restoration, build God’s kingdom, spread the good news of Jesus in our city, or not lift a finger like the Tekoite nobles?
The Big Idea:
The big idea of the message is God invites everybody to have a role in his restoration plans...God invites everybody to have a place, a role, and a choice in his restoration plans...You can choose to either play a role in adding to sin’s damage, or play a role in restoring what sin has damaged, but either way you’re playing a role. Like I said we’ve all sinned; we’ve all contributed to the broken humanity and broken society we’re living in. But the good news of the gospel is Jesus came into the world to invite us to be a part of his restoration plans and the building of his eternal kingdom. He came to restore our broken relationship with God by dying for our sins on the cross. Then he sends us to help restore others to God, restore his creation, and build his kingdom.
Ephesians 2:8–10 states, “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this isn’t from yourselves; it’s God’s gift—9 not from works, so no one can boast. 10 For we’re his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works...” We’re saved by grace through faith in Jesus, then we’re given a role in his restoration plans. He’s restoring and building something far greater than we can imagine. It’s an eternal kingdom that can’t ever be broken or damaged by sin. He invites us to be a part of his eternal kingdom through faith in him, but also to help build his eternal kingdom by leading others to faith in him. The good news is the same God who helped Nehemiah, is the same God who’s willing to help you. The same God who helped restore the broken walls and broken lives in Jerusalem, is the same God who’s willing to help restore the broken walls and broken lives in our city. The same God who gave them a place, a role, and a choice back then, is the same God who’s willing to give you a place, a role, and a choice today. The question is will you accept his invitation for eternal salvation?..Will you accept his invitation to help bring restoration and build his kingdom?...Will you put your faith in Jesus and fulfill your role, or not lift a finger?...