For years the book of Nehemiah has provided a wealth of biblical insights for many occasions in my life. This ancient autobiography provides a blueprint for a study on leadership. Few sections in my library are as extensive as this one.
I love Nehemiah’s work because he gives us a candid introduction to the trials and challenges that came knocking at his door - his and ours. But one thing has always disturbed me. While studying several years ago, I came across the comment, “If you have limited time in your study of Nehemiah, this [chapter 3] would be a good chapter to slip past.” I have never forgotten those words because I feel compelled to honor, not neglect, the memory and efforts of the choice servants found in this chapter. How will I do that? By introducing you to several biblical insights tucked into this chapter that are begging to be noticed.
Leaders always lead
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.
Lack of commitment by some never invalidates the worth of a God given project
5The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.
Everyone’s gift is needed
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.
Equal in value, different in function
12Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.
Some God-given assignments are not very glamorous
14The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Recab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors and bolts and bars in place.
Nothing motivates more than all-out effort
20Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
As we wade into the waters of Nehemiah we immediately see God’s plan for rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. A Jew never forgets Jerusalem. As you thumb through the opening chapters of this incredible book, you notice that Nehemiah is a man of deep conviction. Dictionaries define conviction as “a fixed or strong belief.” This definition is too narrow for this author; let’s add some elasticity to it by including values, commitments, and motivations. A belief is something you argue about, but a conviction is something you are willing to die for. Rick Warren reminds us, “Knowing what to do (knowledge), why to do it (perspective), and how to do it (skill) is all worthless if you don’t have the conviction to motivate you to do it.” (1)
Long ago in eternity, before the creation of the world, God purposed the perfect plan for using your giftings. Unbelievable. Wow! For millions of years God has been looking forward to my arrival on the scene and the valuable contribution that I would make. Okay, I feel better about myself already. And to think that I give up on myself long before God does. God’s plans are stored up in your life. Release them, friend. You were created for service.
Created for Service
1. God wants a commitment from you to His ministry plans.
Oh, this is going to be painful. You’re going to have to give me a little grace. I’m still a work in progress in this area. Our family is building a house. If I weren’t involved in it I think I might be a little smug. Instead, I stand here guilty. The house consumes every spare moment. I never realized how much time goes into construction. My wife is right, there are two things we are never going to do again: build a house and have four kids.
Construction can become intoxicating. I am caught up in a vicious cycle that I can’t get out of. There is something more you could be doing - a trip Home Depot, move a few yards of dirt, clean the job site, get lunch for the workers, make sure the job site is closed properly.
Then there are the visitors and their questions: Is that deck made of Trex? How do you like that composition roof? Hey, I’m doing some planting, do you mind if I have a bucket of your dirt? And the clincher, when are you going to be in? I am so tired of that question! I finally landed on the right answer (since we should have been in 5 months ago); …No man knows the day or hour, except the father in heaven.
And the stories that each passer-by tells are incredible. The other day one came by in the morning and several more in the afternoon; it consumed almost an hour-and-a-half of my day. You say, “be a good neighbor.” I don’t want to be a good neighbor. I’m not their neighbor; I don’t live there yet. I’m just a common laborer trying to get the job done on time. I am called to build God’s house, not my house.
Have you discovered that God placed you on earth to be committed to His mission, not yours? Building a house, working at a job, or making a name for yourself is temporal. God’s work will last beyond this life and into eternity. Everything we do in life either adds value to others or advances our plans. If you are going to a place called Heaven you have to go it God’s way.
This fourth purpose for living is, you were created for ministry, and that ministry is to serve others. Matthew reminds us of the words of the Savior when he says, For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever looses his life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
I am giving my life right now to all types of agendas: helping my son improve his pony league skills and my daughter her soccer skills; paint and landscape a house; wash cars, clean garages, collect, repair, etc. The painful question I have to ask myself is, what impact will these efforts have in eternity? If my significance is attached to them I’m really out of step with God.
Ministry and service give our lives meaning. True significance comes from what we do for Christ, not what we do for ourselves. Rick Warren says, “It’s not the duration of your life that counts it is the donation that your life makes.” (2)
You don’t have to go far in the opening chapter of Nehemiah to see that he was deeply concerned with God’s mission in Jerusalem rather than His comfortable job in Iraq. Run your eyes to the end of chapter one. Here we discover his occupation. I was cupbearer to the king. (Nehemiah 1:11) Nehemiah was the cupbearer. His position brought Nehemiah in daily contact with the most powerful person in the land. As the king’s chief servant he made sure meals were served on time, fine wines were poured, correspondence was grammatically correct. Each visitor went past Nehemiah’s careful scrutiny. Few were closer in relationship to the king than Nehemiah.
There you have it. Nehemiah’s assignment, and ours, is to serve others. In this case Nehemiah was willing to give up his job in Persia for God’s ministry in the Promised Land. When was the last time you laid aside your own agenda and made yourself available for God’s ministry?
When a person fails to serve others on a regular basis they soon become full of themselves. What an ugly sight. If you are not serving others on a regular basis perhaps your walk with God should be questioned. Jesus reminded us why he came to earth, Jesus Christ came to earth not to be served by to serve, and give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)
The Word of God is filled with the stories of men and women used by God to pull off His purposes. Joseph gave up his family to serve God’s plan in Egypt. David gave up his friendship with Jonathon to serve God’s people who were in debt and distress. Moses gave up the recognition of the greatest nation on the planet to serve his people. Joshua gave up the democratic opinion of the majority for a God-given task that could have cost him his life.
2. We can commit to God’s plans because they have a great purpose behind them.
People are not motivated by small-minded commitments. They want a challenge bigger than life itself. Jesus knew this when he said, “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33)
We will commit to something. Somebody is asking you for something right now. Will you water my lawn while I’m on vacation? Can you pick up my kids after school? Will you come over Saturday and help me install these new cabinets? People are looking for great purposes to be committed to. We saw this a few weeks ago when the city of Arlington, Washington rallied behind a local pastor who had been the object of a cross burning in his yard.
During his 15-year career of playing in the NBA, Michael Jordan averaged thirty-two points per game. It didn’t matter who was guarding him or what injuries he had, Michael managed to get thirty-two points per game. When a reporter asked how he was able to maintain this average for such a long time Jordan said, “It only takes eight points per quarter to score thirty points a game. I find a way to get those eight points each quarter.”(3) Jordan is committed to his purpose before the game ever starts. And nothing deters him.
Nehemiah wasn’t going to be stopped from his great, God-given assignment. A distance of 800 miles wouldn’t stop him. The fact that he worked for a pagan king wasn’t going to deter him. Nehemiah had no resources to pull the job off, and he was really out of touch with what was going on back home. But God wasn’t concerned about any of the limitations. He is the God who overcomes limitations (the impossible). He specializes in making the impossible possible. Need to get 3 million Israelites across the Red Sea? Simple, one blast from His nostrils and thousands of Egyptians were dead in their tracks. Where were the Twelve to get bread “that all of these might eat?” There was no bakery in sight. The sun was going down. The place was filled with irritable moms and hungry children. After a whole day in the Palestinian sun, many were on the verge of fainting. Call on the faithless disciples.
Somebody is going to get your commitment. Gold’s Gym or God’s gym, your child’s baseball coach or your child’s Sunday school teacher. The issue is not if people are going to be committed but rather who will get that commitment. Some people live their lives like the musical concept we call rhythm, they go through life with the same familiar beat. Others go through life like the musical concept of harmony; they do their part and blend in with everyone in the orchestra. Then there are those who are the melody. They are the pace setters and establish themselves with distinctiveness. God wants you to be such a person. When you realize you were formed and fashioned for His purpose, you will be free to choose a great purpose and mission to commit to.
When my life is over I want it said of me, “You will be missed because your seat will be empty.” (1 Samuel 20:18) These are the words of Jonathon describing the absence of his friend David from the table that day forward. What will be said of you when it’s all over? God hasn’t given you those abilities just to make a living; He has given them to you to make a life. Whatever you’re good at, you should be doing it first at your church.
We need to have a vision for fulfilling God-created purposes: donating cars to single mothers, repairing appliances and moving lawns for seniors, providing Sunday school support for kids with special needs. Your motivational gift, talents, and personality will be exercised in some way. Why not exercise them for the glory of God through your church?
Nehemiah called the people to a great cause. They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” (Nehemiah 1:3)
Nehemiah wanted their commitments, and look what he got in chapter 3. The greatest volunteer effort ever recorded in God’s Word.
3. People need to know what leaders are asking them to commit to.
17Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king said to me.” (Nehemiah 2:17-18)
To ask people to commit to Jesus Christ is not enough. It is enough for salvation, but it is not enough for sanctification. If we don’t let people know what we want from them they make up their own rules. Here is what we want at Marysville First. For those getting saved, we want you to believe, to belong, to get a Bible and read it, and to be baptized. That’s clearly stated and Biblical in its appeal. Then we want you to commit to Creating Spiritual Significance - to join (membership), to grow (maturity), to serve (ministry), and to invest/invite (to reach out).
So what are we asking for? We are asking you to serve others. In the Old Testament greatness was determined by how many people served you. In the New Testament greatness is determined by how many people you serve. Everybody wants to lead. Few want to serve. You can go to any college library and find 1000’s of books on leadership. I dare you to try and find a handful on servanthood
Over the years we have even dignified the term servant in church by up-grading it to “servant-leader.” Now you’re talking. It is your motivational gift that determines your ministry but it is your servant’s heart that determines your maturity.
John Wesley provides the most convicting analysis on what it means to be a true servant: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can.”(4) I don’t think that can be improved upon.
Now, what is the greatest enemy of servanthood? It is self-promotion. A real servant never is motivated to serve in order to be seen by men. They live to serve for an Audience of ONE.
End Notes
(1) Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, pg. 233.
(2) Ibid, pg. 335
(3) Os Hawkins. Rebuilding, Annuity Board Southern Baptist Convention, 1999, pg. 34.
(4) Rick Warren. The Purpose Driven Life, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, pg. 231
