Title Next/Nehemiah 3:1-32
Content Ne 3:1-32 Next
When we think of the Lord's work, we usually think of the temple, that is, the church. However, the teaching of the Bible is that all the lives of the saints are the work of the Lord. Therefore, believers stand before the words, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him!” (Colossians 3:17). Also, whatever the saints do, they must do it with all their heart, as to the Lord and not to men (Colossians 3:23).
Then, in doing the Lord's work, what should the attitude of the saints to do in the name of the Lord Jesus, as if to the Lord with all their heart?
1. If we unite, we live; if we disperse, we die.
In Nehemiah 3, there are more than 15 occupations among 75 names appearing in God's work. This shows that God's work requires that each and every member of the church cling to it as if it were mine. Like the musicians of an orchestra, like the members of a choir, God wants the cooperation and harmony of all the saints. Therefore, God never tolerates idolizing a person who is exceptionally outstanding. It exposes the mistakes and faults of the character without any room.
The Bible always emphasizes ‘together’. Even when Jesus taught to pray, it was not 'My Father in heaven...Give me my daily bread today, and forgive me my sins as I have forgiven those who have sinned against me...' Our Father who is present, give us our daily bread, and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us...' That is why the church is always being described as the head, Christ, and the members of the church.
Nehemiah realizes that the destruction of his homeland Israel, the captivity of his people, the ruins of Jerusalem, and the sufferings of his people are the result of national sin. But listen to the prayer of Nehemiah who cries out in front of this communal sin!
“... Now, your servant prays day and night for your servant the children of Israel, and the children of Israel confess their transgression before you. Me and my father's house have sinned...” (Nehemiah 1:6-7).
The sin of the community is my sin, and everything is because of me. As a member of the community, I have to stand before God as a member of the church. A saint stands where he or she should stand. It's just doing what you have to do. You must not break the whole harmony and harmony in order to reveal yourself. The church is a large orchestra and choir with God the Father as the leader, Jesus as the conductor, and the Holy Spirit as the accompanist.
“When two people lie down together, it is warm, but how can it be warm with one? One will be defeated, but two will be able to overcome it. A threefold cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:11-12).
But there are always exceptions. “Then the men of Kegoa made repairs, but their nobles did not account for the work of the Lord” (Nehemiah 3:5). It is said that in God's work there will always be bystanders, critics, critics, and obstructionists. Even among the disciples Jesus chose, there was Judas Iscariot.
Saints! We have been given permission in our generation to build the temple of God. Let's all participate, from the Kindergarten of the Children's Church School to the elderly, without leaving a single person behind or backing away from each other. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . If you can bring a cow, give a cow a cow, if you can bring a calf, a calf, if you can bring a sheep, give it a dove, or even a dove, according to circumstances and circumstances, let us offer it to the Lord. . If we encounter forces of opposition and obstruction both internally and externally in the history of the temple, let us all blame ourselves and receive the Lord's grace through prayer. Let us be awake and armed with prayer so that we do not fall into the temptations of evil spirits and remain as shameful names before God like the nobles of Jerusalem.
Remember! Satan and the devil are the only things that will improve if our church is weakened for any reason. to live together. If you scatter, you die.
2. I am because you posted.
Nehemiah 3 records the names of the people who paid the price of tears and sweat to build the city. But I see that the person who should really go in is missing. If anyone does, it's Nehemiah, who worked the most to build this city. Why is he omitting his name from this record? Approaching this from the level of Nehemiah's confession of faith, "I did not do it, you did it!" Or “I didn’t do it, God did it!” It is a message to say.
It cannot flower and bear fruit without the sacrifice of the seed. It is impossible for a house to be built without a foundation on the ground. Because we are living in the age of our own blood, saints like Nehemiah and Barnabas who accomplished God's work through such hidden sacrifices are only seen as more precious. These people are precious gems that are found by the hand of God.
Witnesses of history will agree. “Because you are, I am! "Called.
3. I have been called to this work.
More important than the question of talent, ‘Can I do this?’, the question is, ‘Am I called by God to do this? ’ is a missionary question.
God's work, that is, church work, is often criticized and pointed at even after working tirelessly. Whenever that happens, many church members even leave the church and faith. But the missionary is not shaken. Rather, that criticism and the winds of tribulation deepen the roots of faith. The missionary does not dwell on the praise of people's thin lips or the recognition of blindfolds. A missionary does not work in front of people. We work before the living God. God sees with eyes like flames! God who neither sleeps nor sleeps! We work before God, whose hairs have been counted.
Just as Nehemiah wrote down the names and deeds of 75 people who participated in God's work in a boring way, God knows all of our tears and sweat. “Then Baruch the son of Sapphi worked hard to repair one part” (Nehemiah 3:20). Like Nehemiah, who remembered and commemorated Baruch's hard work by attaching a special adverb to Baruch among the 75 workers, God knows everything.
* conclusion
The word that appears repeatedly in the text is 'next to'. It comes out 29 times. It's not about the order of things. It is a word used at the level of cooperation. Just like a conveyor system in a factory that makes electronic products, that person puts in only the parts assigned to them and sends them to the next one, and the next person does their own work and sends them to the next.
That's right. A believer only needs to do what he is called to before God. Whether someone knows or doesn't recognize me, slanders and criticizes me, I am going with the stubborn belief that God knows the way I am going. However, I am building myself up in a community, not alone. This is possible only through faith that enjoys hidden sacrifices that will be discovered only by the hand of God.