Just Do It!
Nehemiah 2:11-18; 3:1-32 (#6)

”Just Do It!” is today’s title in the series, “You Can Make A Difference.”

Let’s find Nehemiah chapter 2

Read 2:17-18; 3:1-32 (Select Verses)

A young lady, an only child, had just graduated from a university. She decided to spend the first year out of college with the Peace Corp., using her engineering degree improving the water supply of a tribe in the deepest part of Africa.

Her mother and father took her down to the airport to bid her a fond farewell. They were sad to see her go, but joyful and promised, of course, to stay in touch via email, letters, and an occasional phone call.

The year sped by quicker than any of the three ever imagined. They finally received an email announcing…

…the approaching date of her return,
…the flight number,
…and the time of its arrival.

At the bottom of the email she wrote, “By the way, Mom and Dad, I am bringing home the man of my dreams.”

Of course, they can’t wait to see their daughter and meet their future son-in-law.

The plane taxied up to the gate and the passengers started filing off. Mom and dad peered…

…this way and that,
…over and around this person,

trying to get a glimpse of their daughter. There she was! She looked just like she did a year ago…smiling, vivacious and beautiful.

Their attention then turned to their future son-in-law. Finally, they caught sight of him. He didn’t look anything like they had expected. (Of course, moms, they rarely do, do they?) Except this man was even more extraordinary.

…He was wearing leopard skin garb.
…In his right hand there was a spear;
…in his left—a pole on which there sat a shrunken head draped with
feathers.

As he glided down the tarmac, he was doing the most interesting sort of dance. Mom passed out dead cold. As daughter and her fiancé approached, dad was knelling next to his wife, trying to fan her back into some state of consciousness,

He looked up in puzzled exasperation and says, “NO DEAR! WE SAID A RICH DOCTOR!

When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he communicated very clearly the mission that God had called him and the people to—The rebuilding of the wall of the city.

He meets first with the Jewish leaders: A vision accomplished is always a shared vision.

In verse 17, he turns next to the people. In succinct, passionate, visionary terms, he says, “You see the distress we are in…Come let us rise up and build.”

During the defense of the Philippians in WW II, one of the commanding officers lined up a company of his men and asked for a volunteer to engage in a dangerous mission. Anyone willing to go was asked to step forward two paces.

Glancing down at his clipboard for a moment, the commander looked up and exclaimed in dismay, “What, not a single man?”

His aide spoke up: “You don’t understand, sir. The entire line stepped
forward to paces.”

The entire city—as one—stepped forward and said, “Let us rise up and build.
Then they set their hands to this good work.”

Don’t pass over that lightly.

…They knew it had been tried before without success
…They aren’t a brood of bored people looking for some way to occupy their
time.
…This know well that buying into the leader’s vision will mean more
sweat and sacrifice than anything they could ever have imagined.

Many commentators skip over chapter three altogether. One popular study guide has this note, “If your time is limited, this is a better chapter to skip than others.”

There are…

…38 individuals named, most of which are difficult or impossible to
pronounce.

…There are 42 groups

…and a detailed description of an ancient city that only a few have visited,

…construction techniques unfamiliar to the rank and file. For instance,
“locks” and “bars” are mentioned five times.

But it is an extremely important chapter. It tells how the people who “set their good hands to this good work”— did the work! It’s a leadership/followship masterpiece!, that brims with principles for building a church, a ministry, a business, an organization!

In the classic biography, Daktar/Diplomat in Bangladesh, Dr. Viggo Olsen tells about how he assumed responsibility for building 4,000 houses for the homeless in a flood-ravaged area of the country. He writes:

“Having finished the Book of Ezra in my morning Bible reading, I began
the Book of Nehemiah. I spent every spare moment thinking through
how to organize the brigade’s work in such a way that we could actually
complete the four thousand houses…Early on the morning of April 15,
as I read the tedious third chapter of Nehemiah, two principles
suddenly leaped out of those pages at me…”

He goes on to talk about those principles; and how in implementing them, the 4,000 houses were finished in seven weeks!

The Purpose of the Work—is stated in Verse 17

“Let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.”

The Hebrew word means “disgrace or embarrassment.” The Gentiles
delighted in mocking their Jewish neighbors (and their God) by pointing out
the dilapidated condition of the Holy City.

The residents could be heard quoting Psa 87:2, “[God loves] the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.”

If God exists, if he cares about His people, why are the walls of His city lying waste?

Second, notice The Pattern of the Work

To use an old clique, Nehemiah “planned his work and worked his plan.”

The word “repair” is used 35 times; it means “to make strong and firm.” Nehemiah wasn’t interested in building a chicken coup; this was not a “get by, do-as-cheaply-as-you-can” structure.

They were building to the glory of God.

Oscar Hammerstein was once asked about why he worked so hard to perfect his lyrics. He answered with a story about seeing a photo of the Statue of Liberty taken from a helicopter. He was amazed to see the sculptor’s detail on Lady Liberty’s hairdo because the statue was made in 1886—long before anyone thought of having the capability of flying overhead to check up out his work.

Why would anyone spend time working on the top of the head of a 180-foot statue? Because Frederic Bartholdi, the Frenchmen who made it, knew that liberty was grand and glorious and he wasn’t willing to do a halfhearted job.

Excellence is a mark of a Christian because God is grand and glorious… Paul says it like this:

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the
glory of God.”

The Purpose
The Pattern

III. The People of the Work

One is struck that Nehemiah’s name does not appear in the chapter. The personal pronoun “I” doesn’t appear one time.

A leader’s first concern must be the glory of God. After that, the people who did the work.

The closest he comes to referencing himself is in 4:6, but even there, the emphasis is upon the people:

“So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its
height, for the people had a mind to work.”

“the people” is found 45 times in the book.

Gratitude is so important. Be careful when volunteer ministers to you, to your family, to express appreciation …send cards, notes, emails, personal thanks, little gifts…

Eliaphaz said his friend job, “Your words have kept men on their feet.”

Expressions of appreciation have kept many a weary servant on his feet!

It’s the indispensable principle of Participation. The impossible becomes possible when God’s people reject the status quo and answer God’s challenge. (Say it with me.)

The status quo was the point of a survey released some time ago by George W. Gallup, titled, “Deeply Committed Christians Less Than 10 Percent.” Quote:

“Most Americans who profess Christianity don’t know the basic
teachings of the faith, and they don’t act significantly different from
non-Christians in their daily lives.”

Ten percent, who, like these people, step up to the plate and declare:

“Count on me, Lord. I am committal absolutely and totally to you. I
want to make a difference in my generation for Jesus Christ.”

He wasn’t much for stirring about, it wasn’t his desire.
No matter what others did, he was sitting by the fire.
The same old story day by day, he never seemed to tire.
While others worked to build their church, he was sitting by the fire.
At last he died as all must do; they say he went up higher.
But if he’s doing what he used to do, he’s sitting by the fire.

In verse 5, you meet a group of leaders from the city of Tekoa (The Prophet Amos’ home town), who were quick to snatch up benefits but not the responsibilities: “…but their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord.”

I bet if they had known that God was writing it down, they would have lent a hand (maybe not!) The question I ponder is: Why did they show up at all?

What impresses me most is not what the leaders from Tokoa did not do, but what their people did do: They were not distracted nor discouraged by the apathy around them. It’s one of Satan’s best ploys; I believe that’s why that showed up at all—They were plants.

If you are involved in a ministry, at the first signs of weariness, you are apt to look around and see those who glide and glide out, and get disheartened by their mantra: “Come wee, come woe, my status is quo.”

Be encouraged by the Tekoites: Not only did they finish the ministry they had been given in verse 5, verse 27 reads, “the Tekoites repaired another section…”

God bless you Tekoites of Faith Church! At the end of the day,
the joy and the victor’s crown will be yours!

It’s the indispensable principle of cooperation. Paul said it best:

“We are laborers together with God.”

A little boy attended Vacation Bible School for the first time. When he came home after the first evening, his grandfather said, “Derek, how did you like it?” ”It was great,” the boy said, “We went outside to play, and when we came back in, God had juice and cookies all ready for us.”

Was it God?

An old adage says, “How do you eat an elephant?” Answer: One bite at a time. And everybody should have elephant on their breath.

Nehemiah assigned everyone a specific place to work; it’s a masterful strategy— For example, he put people to work on the wall at the points nearest their homes— There was a deep sense of vested interest!

And 28 times you read phrases like:

”next to him”
”next to them”
”next to that”
”the next section”
”beside him”
”beyond him”

It’s the principle of delegation. Nehemiah was not a micro-manager.

Who are the people? They are a motley crew!

There include…

…rulers and priests (vv 1, 12-19)
…men and women (verse 12)—which was highly unusual
…professional craftsmen (vv 8, 32)

In verse 8, there are goldsmiths and perfumers. Why are they there?
I’m sure everyone- working 6 days a week from dawn to dark, in the
hottest season of the year—would appreciate a little perfume. But really
they stand out like a high chair at a Senior Citizen’s dinner.

Commentators agree that here are people who are noted because they are working outside areas of their gifts and training.

They could easily have said, “My training is not in carrying mortar and
bricks; I’ll get my hands mussed up!”

I get frustrated with people who use their spiritual gifts as an excuse

…You hear an announcement about chairs needing to be set up for an
event… They say, “Well. I don’t have the gift of helps,” or, “if God wants
them set up, He’ll set them up!”

…Someone is needed to work crowd control in children’s church, or listen
to verses in AWANA, and you say, “I’m not gifted in working with kids!”

You need a work of grace in your heart!

In verse 23—There are single people who share in the work!

There are even people from outside the city (vv 2, 5, 7) who show up to
help! There was a deep sense of community that buoyed and blessed
everybody! There was a place for everyone, and a job for everyone to do.

And by the way, in verse 20, some worked harder than others. You are introduced to Baruch, who, the Hebrew text says, glowed with enthusiasm and energy!

IV. The Places of the Work

There are 12 gates beginning and ending with the Sheep Gate on the northeastern part of the wall, and proceeding counterclockwise.

They fuel the preacher’s dictum: “When in doubt, spiritualize.” They are often taken to represent elements and events relating to the spiritual life. For instance,

*The Sheep Gate- Where the sacrificial animals were brought into the city,
bond for the Temple, is said to represent the Lord Jesus, the Good
Shepherd who died for the sheep.

*The Fish Gate— That’s the call to be fishers of men…

*The Old Gate (Verse 6)—Pictures turning from the old life

*The Horse Gate— That’s Ephesians 6, being a good soldier

*The East Gate— Points to the Second Coming

*(followed by) The Miphkad Gate (or gate of inspection)—The Judgment
Seat of Christ.

When I hear a sermon like that, I’m reminded of an occasion when the famed preacher, G. Campbell Morgan and his wife went to hear a young preacher. On the way home Mrs. Morgan inquired, “What did you think of the sermon?”
”Good sermon,” Morgan remarked, “wrong text.”

I want to conclude with Six Principles For Getting The Job Done.

V. The Principles of the Work

1. Big Jobs Call For Careful Planning—God Must Lead

Remember Nehemiah and the midnight inspection of the wall? As he surveys the area those three days and nights he kept saying,

“Lord, who is the best qualified to take care of the stone work, who
ought to lead the building of the gates? Whose in charge of the food
stuff? I’ve got to turn it over to them? I need your guidance.”

Big jobs call for careful planning. The building committee and the church are dependent (and most appreciative) of the planning teams who are now at work! Keep up the good job…we aren’t finished yet!

2. Motivating Others Require Clear Communication—God Must Speak

Remember Neh’s words? “See what a bad situation we are in. The gates are burned with fire…the gates are all down.” We must be careful not to go on auto pilot— The Worship Center is not done; the funds are not in place to complete it!

A word of exhortation and encouragement: Let’s keep the communication level on the front burner, at every level.

3. Visionary Projects Need Great Enthusiasm—God Must Convince

…That’s why the people were willing to work from the dawn till the stars came
out.

…That’s why they were willing to work without even changing their clothes.

…They took them off where they took bathes in the river, put them right back
on, and when right back to work. (4:2). They worked long hours.

Henry David Thoreau said, “Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm.”

As I look back over my life at things that God has done, I realize that enthusiasm was off the chart. In moments like that you are almost invincible.
I don’t mean that in the wrong way. I’m not saying you are untouchable.

The term “enthusiasm” is from two words, “God,” “in us.” Enthusiasm comes when you become thoroughly convinced that God is in this!

And I know this: God must convince. There is a difference in God leading and Him convincing. When he convinces a body of people, “This is where we ought to go,” it’s like setting off a remarkable chain of events. In an atmosphere of enthusiasm, things happen that you couldn’t even have planned.

4. Repeated Opposition Can Hinder Progress—God Must Protect

In the next chapter, the devil’s duo show up again— God must protect us through those times. It’s especially difficult in Christian work because everybody’s a brother and a sister. That doesn’t mean everybody needs to be a part of the team.

5. Sacrificial Involvement Is Essential For Accomplishment—God Must
Provide

It’s a big task; it’s over the head of most people, too big for one person. God must provide. That’s His part in it.

Any project that’s of any size will require sacrifice. I’m reminded something the great pastor of yesteryear, John Henry Jowett, said: “Ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing.”

If our future costs you nothing you have very little in it. You’ll have very little reason to praise. If it costs you something you will have every reason to say, “God is in this.”

Six, this one sort of wraps it all up, it’s my favorite part.

6. Accomplishment Calls For A Grand Celebration—God Must Be Praised

Very soon, Neh and the people will march together around the wall! It’s an incredible praise service! I love celebrations; I love celebrations more than I like the work.

And at that time we all stand—all of us— we stand with our eyes toward heaven and say, “You have done a great thing. You name be exalted!”

And at the heart of it, it more than bricks and acoustics and air conditioning, it’s a recognition that God does His best work down inside a heart. That’s why the cross plays such a major part in faith.

There the Savior paid the ultimate sacrifice…for our sins. That’s why he leveled all the ground at the cross, making sure that everybody who comes, comes as a sinner, acknowledging the price paid for their sins.
This morning, we are acknowledging Him, and the work of redemption He accomplished for us on the Cross.

Communion.