October 5, 2025 • 33 mins
Jason Sterling October 5, 2025 Faith Presbyterian Church Birmingham, AL Bulletin
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SPEAKER_00 (00:23):
If you have a copy of God's word, turn with me to
Nehemiah chapter three.
So if you're looking forNehemiah, go to the center of
your Bible.
I want you to keep your Biblesopen this morning, but go to
Psalms and then start lookingbackwards.
You'll run in to the book ofNehemiah.
We've been in a series in Ezra,Nehemiah this fall as we build
(00:44):
uh this new sanctuary ministryspace and this generational
building program.
We're building physicalfoundations, but more
importantly, we are buildingspiritual foundations.
And so we've been talking aboutthat.
What does that look like for usto move forward as a church,
building healthy spiritualfoundations together, which is
(01:05):
the most important thing as wemove into the next 50 years in
the life of our church?
And so this morning we arelooking at this idea of building
a foundation of unity.
And you'll notice here this is along chapter, 32 verses in
chapter 3.
Lots of names, lots of gates,lots of walls.
I'm only going to be reading thefirst five verses to give you a
(01:28):
sense of the pattern.
And then I'll be referring tosome other verses during the
sermon this morning.
So follow along with me.
Nehemiah chapter 3, verses 1through 5.
This is the word of God.
Then Eliashib, the high priest,rose up with his brothers, the
priests, and they built thesheep gate.
They consecrated it and set itsdoors.
(01:49):
They consecrated it as far asthe tower of the hundred, as far
as the tower of Hanel.
And next to them the men ofJericho built, and next to them
Zachar, the son of Imri built,and the sons of Hasanai built
the fish gate.
They laid its beams and set itsdoors, its bolts and its bars.
(02:10):
And next to them Merrima, theson of Uriah, the son of Hakaz,
repaired.
And next to them Meshulam, theson of Barakiah, the son of
Meshebel, repaired.
And next to them Zadek, the sonof Bana, repaired, and next to
them the Tokoites repaired, buttheir nobles would not stoop to
(02:32):
serve their Lord.
How'd that do?
Now you know why we're notreading 32 verses.
No, I'm kidding.
Let me pray and let's ask God tohelp to be with us as we receive
the word, but also for me as Ipreach the word.
Let's pray together.
Father, you've put this passagewith all of these names and
(02:57):
gates and families and differentpeople into your word in
Nehemiah 3 to teach us.
And so I'm asking that you woulduse this passage to change us,
to bring us to repentance andfaith, to encourage us and to
point us to Jesus.
(03:17):
We come from lots of placesevery week.
Some of us are struggling withbelief.
Others of us, anxiety andstress, and so many pressures in
our lives.
Would you clear all of that outfor the next few minutes and
speak to us?
This word is living and active,and you've brought us here for a
(03:40):
reason.
And I'm praying that you wouldgive us an encounter with Jesus
through his spirit and word.
Only you can do that.
And that's what I'm asking inJesus' name.
Amen.
This past summer, my daughterKate served as she loves camp.
And so she served after herfirst summer of college as a
(04:02):
camp counselor for several,really the entire summer summer,
several weeks.
And I was in campus ministry for12 years, and I had lots of
students that would serve ascamp counselors over the summer.
And if you've ever done thatkind of thing, uh, it's
exhausting work.
It's very difficult.
(04:22):
You have long days, you havelittle sleep, uh, difficult
counselor or campers and minimalpay.
But here's the common themeafter everyone hasn't
encountered that situation thatI've come in contact with over
the years.
It was the same for my daughterKate.
(04:44):
I wouldn't trade it for theworld.
That was the best summer of mylife.
That has shaped me into who I amtoday.
And the same thing goes withmissions trips.
If you've been on missionstrips, uh you sleep on church
floors, you eat questionablefood, you work in sweltering
(05:06):
heat.
And what does everybody say?
It was the greatest experience,one of the most meaningful
experiences of my life.
It changed my life forever.
Why do people say that?
Why do people look back on thosevery hard where you're just
(05:27):
pouring yourself out?
And they look back at it asbeing a highlight of their life.
Why?
Because it taps into who you areas a human being.
That's the way God's made you.
(06:26):
They caught a vision forsomething worth giving their
life for.
Something bigger thanthemselves.
They were protecting God'shouse.
They were protecting God's nameand the place where he would
dwell.
They were building the wallsaround Jerusalem.
And this morning, Nehemiahinvites us to the same vision.
(06:52):
He wants to show us what happenswhen God's people actually pick
up their tools.
They unify and they build thekingdom of God together through
the church.
This passage is going to show ushow to build and what it looks
like to build a foundation ofunity.
(07:12):
And a foundation of unityinvolves, we see in this
passage, three things.
If you're a note taker, itinvolves everyone.
Secondly, it involves honesty,lastly, ownership.
Everyone, honesty, andownership.
So let's dive in or look at ourfirst heading.
If we're going to build afoundation of unity as we move
(07:34):
forward as a church, it involveseveryone.
Look at verses one throughthree.
I mentioned this 30 verses ofnames and people and gates and
people coming from all over.
And here's what's interesting iswhen you read Nehemiah chapter
three, it's easy for us, Ithink, to focus on Nehemiah, the
(07:56):
great leader, the greatorganizer, the visionary, and
turn this into just anothersermon of principles on
effective leadership.
But here's what's interestingabout Nehemiah chapter three.
It isn't really about Nehemiahat all.
The passage barely mentionsNehemiah.
(08:19):
This passage is about everyoneelse.
It's about the priests and thegoldsmiths and the perfume
makers and the merchants.
And what strikes me is that God,think about this, God could have
just summarized the entireproject with one sentence and
said something to the effect,and the people of God gathered
(08:42):
and rebuilt the wall.
Done.
Let's move on.
Let's forget the names and moveon to chapter four.
But that's not what happens.
We have an entire chapterdevoted to a list of people who
worked over who worked on thewall.
(09:02):
Over 40 different individualsand groups are named.
Why?
Well, these names were notNehemiah sitting with a
clipboard keeping track of whowas reporting to work.
This was not a constructionreport.
This is showing us that in God'seconomy, everyone matters.
(09:27):
Bill Beck was an owner ofseveral Major League Baseball
teams in the 1940s and 50s.
And the teams, much like they dotoday, they would hold these
special nights where they wouldhonor a player and they would
give the player gifts andaccolades.
And there was a night watchmanby the name of Joe Early who
(09:49):
wrote a letter to the Clevelandpress, and he just simply asked
a question why do all of thebaseball clubs, why do they
honor the players who arealready rich and famous?
What about the regular people,the fans who support the team
and buy tickets?
And so Bill Beck decided tothrow a good old Joe Early night
(10:14):
at the baseball field.
And so Joe Early did not justget a couple of gag gifts, but
he actually got a new Fordconvertible and got a fine
watch, appliances, and manyother things because you see,
Bill Vec understood somethingvery important that it's not
(10:36):
just the players who makeeverything work.
It's the ordinary, faithfulpeople who show up.
He got the fact that everyonematters.
That's Nehemiah chapter three.
It's God's good old Joe earlynight for his people.
(11:00):
It is a chapter in the Biblethat says, I see you.
(11:43):
And the Bible, it says, onlyfunctions properly when every
part of the body is doing theirwork and being involved.
Friends, God doesn't justtolerate your contribution, He
has designed the church to needyour contribution.
(12:03):
You are not an optional add-on.
You are part, people are a partof how God has sovereignly
chosen to build his kingdomthrough the church.
Unity happens when the churchfunctions the way God designed
it.
And that is every membercontributing.
(12:25):
One of the lies of the enemy isto whisper to you, you're not
important enough.
Let the leaders, that's theirjob, let them do the work.
Or to say, I'm just ordinary,they've got a ton of people,
they really don't need me.
(12:46):
But this chapter refutes thatand says, that is a lie.
God listed every single personbecause every single person
mattered.
Your section of the wallmatters.
Your contribution counts becausethere are no small people in the
(13:08):
kingdom of God.
And that's what Nehemiah isproving to us and showing us.
It's one thing to know that, toknow that we matter, but it's a
different thing to actually pickup our tools and start getting
involved in God's work in thisworld.
(13:29):
Those are two different things.
And so what keeps us fromactually picking up our tools?
That leads to the second point.
Honesty.
Look at verse 5.
The men of Tokoah, they wererepairing, but notice, but their
nobles would not stoop to servethe Lord.
(13:51):
I mean, think about this.
Verse after verse after verse ofall of these people getting
involved, and then you hit thisjarring note in verse five.
It says, the men showed up, butthe nobles refused to get
involved and to start serving.
And we don't know exactly why,but here's what their refusal
(14:14):
did.
And you see it in the passage,you feel it in the passage.
It broke the unity.
Everyone was serving andbuilding, but the nobles were
standing on the sidelinesrefusing to get involved.
(14:35):
Now, listen, it's easy to dothis with the Bible.
But it's easy to look at thenobles and to shake our heads at
their stubborn hearts and theirrefusal.
But we need to acknowledge theuncomfortable truth.
(14:57):
They had their reasons, and weoften have our reasons, don't
we?
And what are some of thosereasons?
Well, before we look at thosereasons, again, know what we
said about prayer.
The answer of when we look atour hearts, it's not to just
(15:17):
say, I've got to get morecommitted, my family's got to
plan our calendar better, okay,but we must go deeper than that.
We must get underneath thereasons for not getting involved
in the work of the kingdom, andwe must be honest about that.
For example, we say, and listen,I've said all of these things.
(15:39):
But we say things like, I'm toobusy.
Yes, we're all too busy.
A hundred percent.
Life is overwhelming, familypressure is overwhelming, there
is so much pressure pressing inon your life.
But here I think is thequestion.
The real question is are we toobusy or have we just prioritized
(16:07):
other things?
Because I I do this, you knowthis is true.
We make time for the things welove.
We make time for the things thatwe treasure.
And Jesus says, where yourtreasure is, there your heart
(16:28):
will be also.
We say, I just don't feel giftedenough.
There are so many other peoplemore gifted than me.
And at first glance, that soundsreally humble.
But did you know that even inthat statement, I don't feel
gifted enough, that is actuallyor can be a form of pride.
(16:54):
Because true humility says, I'mnot gifted enough, but I know
God can use me anyway.
Where do you need me?
And you serve anyway.
False humility says, I'm notgifted enough, and so I
shouldn't even try.
You see the difference?
One focuses on God and His work,the other one focuses on us in a
(17:20):
negative way rather than apositive way.
Or we say, I just don't knowwhere to start.
And yes, listen, there are lotsof the needs are overwhelming
and it feels overwhelming, butsometimes even that morphs into
I need to find the perfect placeto use my gifts before I start.
(17:44):
And so it becomes a little bitabout wanting to guarantee our
success before even trying,which underneath that is a fear
of failure dressed up asdiscernment.
And so, which one describes youthis morning?
What is keeping you on thesidelines?
(18:07):
God is always exposing ourhearts so that he can make us
more like himself and to changeus and grow us.
And one of the ways he exposesour hearts is through the
kingdom work going on all aroundus.
And so God wants to expose ourhearts through a passage like
this, where they're picking uptheir tools and they're working
(18:28):
for the kingdom of God.
But here's what is crucial thatI want you to understand the
gospel, and because of whatJesus has done, allows you to be
honest about all of those thingsI just mentioned and more.
It allows you to get to theroot.
I heard a quote this week (18:45):
you can name, because of Jesus, you
can name your sin without hatingyourself.
And the difference betweenconviction, listen to this,
between conviction andcondemnation is one calls you
home and one locks you out.
Condemnation locks you out,conviction calls you home.
(19:10):
Jesus calls you home and hecalls us home because he allows
us to look at our excuses andnot beat ourselves up, but run
to Jesus in repentance and faithand change.
Honesty opens the door to changeand transformation.
And so when it comes to serving,if you genuinely don't know
(19:35):
where to start, would you talkto someone this week?
We've got plenty of places foryou to start.
And if you genuinely are afraidof failure, or maybe you've been
hurt by ministry, or you've beenhurt by the church, would you
let someone walk through thatwith you?
(19:58):
But if you are too busy andthat's really just code for the
church is not a priority, or ifyou really don't know where to
start, but that is coming from aplace that you just don't want
to be uncomfortable, would yoube willing to be honest about
that?
To take that to Jesus andexperience repentance unto life.
(20:23):
And so unity requires everyone,it requires honesty, and lastly,
it requires ownership.
Look at verses 10 with me.
If you have your Bible open, 23and then 28 through 30.
What do you see repeated there?
(20:43):
Opposite his house, in front oftheir house, opposite his house,
again and again and again.
And now think about this with meand what this means.
These families, these peoplecould have said, Hey, would you
assign me a portion on the otherside of town that's small and
(21:07):
that is safer and one thatdoesn't require much work for
me?
But no one does that.
They chose the work that wasnext to their homes.
And the question is, why?
Why does that matter?
(21:29):
Well, think about it.
When you're working next to yourhouse, you've got skin in the
game.
This is the passage, yourchildren, get in it, are
sleeping 50 feet from this wallthat you're building.
(21:52):
And so if the enemies breakthrough, breaking through your
section into your neighborhood,it is threatening your loved
ones.
The point is this this isn'tabstract.
This is deeply personal to thesepeople.
Unity requires more thanparticipation, it requires
(22:14):
ownership.
These weren't just hiredcontractors working on a distant
project.
This was family.
This was fathers and mothers andchildren working on a section of
the wall in order to protecttheir family, in order to
(22:34):
protect God's house.
And here's what we need to seein this image that working
opposite of your house, friends,is a shadow of something much
greater.
They were building, and whatthey were building pales in
comparison to what we arebuilding for right now in the
(22:59):
church, as the church in theworld.
Now, don't get me wrong.
What they were doing is verysignificant.
They were building walls aroundJerusalem to protect God's
presence, the temple where hedwelled, but they were building
and it was made of stone.
It was in location and it wasfor the Israelites.
(23:24):
What about us?
We are building the church ofJesus Christ, not made with
stones, living stones, made withliving people.
The church, the eternal dwellingplace of God's Spirit for all
the world, for every nation,tribe, and tongue, in all places
(23:50):
and for all time.
They were protecting a physicalcity that would one day crumble.
We are advancing a kingdom thatwill never end.
That's what you're a part of.
In the church, the gates of hellwill not stand against the
(24:14):
church.
You see it?
Jesus changes everything,doesn't he?
Because Jesus didn't just workopposite his house.
Jesus left his house.
He left his home in heaven andhe came to earth.
(24:35):
And he didn't just invest alittle bit personally.
He invested his entire life.
He gave his life.
He didn't just pick up a tool,he picked up a cross.
He lived for you.
He died for you.
He rose again for you.
(24:55):
He came into the world to rescueyou and to forgive you and to
bring you into his family and tomake you his own.
And if you believe that andyou're a believer in Jesus
Christ this morning, somethingradical happens in your life.
Because the Bible says that ifyou are in Christ, if you're a
(25:16):
believer, you are in Christ, andChrist is in you.
And that's not just a religiouslanguage and a religious
statement.
That means that you, think aboutthis, you have a new identity,
you have a new home, you have anew reality.
(25:42):
So what?
Well, you see what that means isthat if you're in Christ, this
place called the church is notjust some place you attend on
Sunday morning.
It's your family.
(26:02):
This is your family.
It's not just a religiousorganization that you support.
We are a body.
And it's a body that you're apart of.
It's not just a building thatyou visit, it is your home.
And Jesus said this in Matthewchapter 12.
He says, Whoever does the willof my Father in heaven, they are
(26:28):
my brother and sister, fatherand mother.
And you see what that means?
You know your primary family?
It's this right here in thisroom.
Your number one family and yourpeople is the church.
(26:51):
And when you grasp that, itchanges how you show up on
Sunday.
It changes what you make apriority in your life.
Because ownership doesn't juststart with commitment, it starts
with your identity.
(27:13):
And please don't miss the gospelorder.
Okay.
You don't serve the church toearn your place in God's family.
You serve the church becauseyou're already in God's family.
You don't work on your sectionto prove that you're a good
Christian.
(27:33):
You work on your section becauseof what Jesus has done for you
and uniting you to himself andthis and his and his church,
uniting you to himself anduniting you to the church.
That's the gospel order.
But let's be honest aboutsomething.
(27:55):
And maybe you're not aware ofthis, perhaps you are, but did
you know that as churches grow,that what ends up happening is
that 20% of the people end updoing 80% of the work.
Why 80%, the 80% assume thateveryone else has got it
(28:17):
covered.
Now, to be fair, I don't thinkanyone sets out with that
intention.
But what ends up happening isthe faithful 20%, they start to
wear down and they start to burnout, and then ministries
throughout the church start tostruggle, not because there's
not enough people, but becausepeople have drifted into
(28:39):
spectator mode without realizingit.
And so as we move into this newseason of ministry, and when we
move into this new ministryspace, I am begging God that
that does not become the storyof our church.
(29:03):
That really is my prayer.
And I and you might say, boy,that's crazy.
We pray that in our sessionmeeting.
We pray that there'd be awaiting list on every ministry
of our church for people toserve.
That you would want to servesomewhere and we'd say, We're
full, we've got a waiting list,we've got to find somewhere else
(29:24):
for you to serve.
We want to be a place whereserving isn't the exception,
it's the norm.
Where the question isn't, whoare we going to get to do this?
But the question is, look at allthese resources.
Lord help us to steward thesewilling hands.
(29:50):
You see, our prayer and vision,as we see in Nehemiah 3, is that
we as a church would catch avision of being owners, not
renters.
Think about the difference.
Renters show up when it'sconvenient.
Owners, they show up becauseit's their home.
(30:14):
Renters show up to consumewhat's being offered.
Owners show up to contributewhere is needed.
How do you get there?
The gospel.
The gospel takes renters andmakes them sons and daughters.
The gospel takes consumers andmakes them family.
(30:35):
The gospel takes spectators andmakes them living stones.
You start to be an owner becauseGod owns you.
And I think this is what thisworld is longing for.
People want purpose.
People want something biggerthan themselves.
They don't want anothertransaction.
(30:56):
They don't want another serviceto consume.
Want to be able to give themsomethingselves to something
that's worth building for andbigger than themselves?
And that is the Church of JesusChrist.
That is what you were made for.
(31:17):
And so here's the call.
Will you make this place yourhome?
Will you look around and makethese people in this church your
family?
If you do that, you willdiscover that your joy doesn't
(31:42):
come from comfort andconvenience.
It comes from losing your lifeto find it.
Isn't that what Jesus said?
Whoever wants to save his lifewill lose it.
But if you lose your life forme, you will find it, friends.
This is your home.
(32:03):
And Jesus is building the churchwith his own hands.
And it's worth giving our lifefor.
Thank you for calling us intoyour family.
Thank you for making us livingstones, for uniting us to
(32:23):
yourself.
Forgive us for the excuses thatwe make for the times that we've
treated your people and yourchurch like renters instead of
family.
Holy Spirit, come.
Give us courage to be honestabout what's holding us back.
And I pray that you would giveus hearts to serve, and may we
(32:51):
overflow with great joy in thefact that we're giving to you
because you have so graciouslygiven to us.
Help us to grasp that in Jesus'name.
Amen.
If you have a copy of God's word, turn with me to
Nehemiah chapter three.
So if you're looking forNehemiah, go to the center of
your Bible.
I want you to keep your Biblesopen this morning, but go to
Psalms and then start lookingbackwards.
You'll run in to the book ofNehemiah.
We've been in a series in Ezra,Nehemiah this fall as we build
(00:44):
uh this new sanctuary ministryspace and this generational
building program.
We're building physicalfoundations, but more
importantly, we are buildingspiritual foundations.
And so we've been talking aboutthat.
What does that look like for usto move forward as a church,
building healthy spiritualfoundations together, which is
(01:05):
the most important thing as wemove into the next 50 years in
the life of our church?
And so this morning we arelooking at this idea of building
a foundation of unity.
And you'll notice here this is along chapter, 32 verses in
chapter 3.
Lots of names, lots of gates,lots of walls.
I'm only going to be reading thefirst five verses to give you a
(01:28):
sense of the pattern.
And then I'll be referring tosome other verses during the
sermon this morning.
So follow along with me.
Nehemiah chapter 3, verses 1through 5.
This is the word of God.
Then Eliashib, the high priest,rose up with his brothers, the
priests, and they built thesheep gate.
They consecrated it and set itsdoors.
(01:49):
They consecrated it as far asthe tower of the hundred, as far
as the tower of Hanel.
And next to them the men ofJericho built, and next to them
Zachar, the son of Imri built,and the sons of Hasanai built
the fish gate.
They laid its beams and set itsdoors, its bolts and its bars.
(02:10):
And next to them Merrima, theson of Uriah, the son of Hakaz,
repaired.
And next to them Meshulam, theson of Barakiah, the son of
Meshebel, repaired.
And next to them Zadek, the sonof Bana, repaired, and next to
them the Tokoites repaired, buttheir nobles would not stoop to
(02:32):
serve their Lord.
How'd that do?
Now you know why we're notreading 32 verses.
No, I'm kidding.
Let me pray and let's ask God tohelp to be with us as we receive
the word, but also for me as Ipreach the word.
Let's pray together.
Father, you've put this passagewith all of these names and
(02:57):
gates and families and differentpeople into your word in
Nehemiah 3 to teach us.
And so I'm asking that you woulduse this passage to change us,
to bring us to repentance andfaith, to encourage us and to
point us to Jesus.
(03:17):
We come from lots of placesevery week.
Some of us are struggling withbelief.
Others of us, anxiety andstress, and so many pressures in
our lives.
Would you clear all of that outfor the next few minutes and
speak to us?
This word is living and active,and you've brought us here for a
(03:40):
reason.
And I'm praying that you wouldgive us an encounter with Jesus
through his spirit and word.
Only you can do that.
And that's what I'm asking inJesus' name.
Amen.
This past summer, my daughterKate served as she loves camp.
And so she served after herfirst summer of college as a
(04:02):
camp counselor for several,really the entire summer summer,
several weeks.
And I was in campus ministry for12 years, and I had lots of
students that would serve ascamp counselors over the summer.
And if you've ever done thatkind of thing, uh, it's
exhausting work.
It's very difficult.
(04:22):
You have long days, you havelittle sleep, uh, difficult
counselor or campers and minimalpay.
But here's the common themeafter everyone hasn't
encountered that situation thatI've come in contact with over
the years.
It was the same for my daughterKate.
(04:44):
I wouldn't trade it for theworld.
That was the best summer of mylife.
That has shaped me into who I amtoday.
And the same thing goes withmissions trips.
If you've been on missionstrips, uh you sleep on church
floors, you eat questionablefood, you work in sweltering
(05:06):
heat.
And what does everybody say?
It was the greatest experience,one of the most meaningful
experiences of my life.
It changed my life forever.
Why do people say that?
Why do people look back on thosevery hard where you're just
(05:27):
pouring yourself out?
And they look back at it asbeing a highlight of their life.
Why?
Because it taps into who you areas a human being.
That's the way God's made you.
(06:26):
They caught a vision forsomething worth giving their
life for.
Something bigger thanthemselves.
They were protecting God'shouse.
They were protecting God's nameand the place where he would
dwell.
They were building the wallsaround Jerusalem.
And this morning, Nehemiahinvites us to the same vision.
(06:52):
He wants to show us what happenswhen God's people actually pick
up their tools.
They unify and they build thekingdom of God together through
the church.
This passage is going to show ushow to build and what it looks
like to build a foundation ofunity.
(07:12):
And a foundation of unityinvolves, we see in this
passage, three things.
If you're a note taker, itinvolves everyone.
Secondly, it involves honesty,lastly, ownership.
Everyone, honesty, andownership.
So let's dive in or look at ourfirst heading.
If we're going to build afoundation of unity as we move
(07:34):
forward as a church, it involveseveryone.
Look at verses one throughthree.
I mentioned this 30 verses ofnames and people and gates and
people coming from all over.
And here's what's interesting iswhen you read Nehemiah chapter
three, it's easy for us, Ithink, to focus on Nehemiah, the
(07:56):
great leader, the greatorganizer, the visionary, and
turn this into just anothersermon of principles on
effective leadership.
But here's what's interestingabout Nehemiah chapter three.
It isn't really about Nehemiahat all.
The passage barely mentionsNehemiah.
(08:19):
This passage is about everyoneelse.
It's about the priests and thegoldsmiths and the perfume
makers and the merchants.
And what strikes me is that God,think about this, God could have
just summarized the entireproject with one sentence and
said something to the effect,and the people of God gathered
(08:42):
and rebuilt the wall.
Done.
Let's move on.
Let's forget the names and moveon to chapter four.
But that's not what happens.
We have an entire chapterdevoted to a list of people who
worked over who worked on thewall.
(09:02):
Over 40 different individualsand groups are named.
Why?
Well, these names were notNehemiah sitting with a
clipboard keeping track of whowas reporting to work.
This was not a constructionreport.
This is showing us that in God'seconomy, everyone matters.
(09:27):
Bill Beck was an owner ofseveral Major League Baseball
teams in the 1940s and 50s.
And the teams, much like they dotoday, they would hold these
special nights where they wouldhonor a player and they would
give the player gifts andaccolades.
And there was a night watchmanby the name of Joe Early who
(09:49):
wrote a letter to the Clevelandpress, and he just simply asked
a question why do all of thebaseball clubs, why do they
honor the players who arealready rich and famous?
What about the regular people,the fans who support the team
and buy tickets?
And so Bill Beck decided tothrow a good old Joe Early night
(10:14):
at the baseball field.
And so Joe Early did not justget a couple of gag gifts, but
he actually got a new Fordconvertible and got a fine
watch, appliances, and manyother things because you see,
Bill Vec understood somethingvery important that it's not
(10:36):
just the players who makeeverything work.
It's the ordinary, faithfulpeople who show up.
He got the fact that everyonematters.
That's Nehemiah chapter three.
It's God's good old Joe earlynight for his people.
(11:00):
It is a chapter in the Biblethat says, I see you.
(11:43):
And the Bible, it says, onlyfunctions properly when every
part of the body is doing theirwork and being involved.
Friends, God doesn't justtolerate your contribution, He
has designed the church to needyour contribution.
(12:03):
You are not an optional add-on.
You are part, people are a partof how God has sovereignly
chosen to build his kingdomthrough the church.
Unity happens when the churchfunctions the way God designed
it.
And that is every membercontributing.
(12:25):
One of the lies of the enemy isto whisper to you, you're not
important enough.
Let the leaders, that's theirjob, let them do the work.
Or to say, I'm just ordinary,they've got a ton of people,
they really don't need me.
(12:46):
But this chapter refutes thatand says, that is a lie.
God listed every single personbecause every single person
mattered.
Your section of the wallmatters.
Your contribution counts becausethere are no small people in the
(13:08):
kingdom of God.
And that's what Nehemiah isproving to us and showing us.
It's one thing to know that, toknow that we matter, but it's a
different thing to actually pickup our tools and start getting
involved in God's work in thisworld.
(13:29):
Those are two different things.
And so what keeps us fromactually picking up our tools?
That leads to the second point.
Honesty.
Look at verse 5.
The men of Tokoah, they wererepairing, but notice, but their
nobles would not stoop to servethe Lord.
(13:51):
I mean, think about this.
Verse after verse after verse ofall of these people getting
involved, and then you hit thisjarring note in verse five.
It says, the men showed up, butthe nobles refused to get
involved and to start serving.
And we don't know exactly why,but here's what their refusal
(14:14):
did.
And you see it in the passage,you feel it in the passage.
It broke the unity.
Everyone was serving andbuilding, but the nobles were
standing on the sidelinesrefusing to get involved.
(14:35):
Now, listen, it's easy to dothis with the Bible.
But it's easy to look at thenobles and to shake our heads at
their stubborn hearts and theirrefusal.
But we need to acknowledge theuncomfortable truth.
(14:57):
They had their reasons, and weoften have our reasons, don't
we?
And what are some of thosereasons?
Well, before we look at thosereasons, again, know what we
said about prayer.
The answer of when we look atour hearts, it's not to just
(15:17):
say, I've got to get morecommitted, my family's got to
plan our calendar better, okay,but we must go deeper than that.
We must get underneath thereasons for not getting involved
in the work of the kingdom, andwe must be honest about that.
For example, we say, and listen,I've said all of these things.
(15:39):
But we say things like, I'm toobusy.
Yes, we're all too busy.
A hundred percent.
Life is overwhelming, familypressure is overwhelming, there
is so much pressure pressing inon your life.
But here I think is thequestion.
The real question is are we toobusy or have we just prioritized
(16:07):
other things?
Because I I do this, you knowthis is true.
We make time for the things welove.
We make time for the things thatwe treasure.
And Jesus says, where yourtreasure is, there your heart
(16:28):
will be also.
We say, I just don't feel giftedenough.
There are so many other peoplemore gifted than me.
And at first glance, that soundsreally humble.
But did you know that even inthat statement, I don't feel
gifted enough, that is actuallyor can be a form of pride.
(16:54):
Because true humility says, I'mnot gifted enough, but I know
God can use me anyway.
Where do you need me?
And you serve anyway.
False humility says, I'm notgifted enough, and so I
shouldn't even try.
You see the difference?
One focuses on God and His work,the other one focuses on us in a
(17:20):
negative way rather than apositive way.
Or we say, I just don't knowwhere to start.
And yes, listen, there are lotsof the needs are overwhelming
and it feels overwhelming, butsometimes even that morphs into
I need to find the perfect placeto use my gifts before I start.
(17:44):
And so it becomes a little bitabout wanting to guarantee our
success before even trying,which underneath that is a fear
of failure dressed up asdiscernment.
And so, which one describes youthis morning?
What is keeping you on thesidelines?
(18:07):
God is always exposing ourhearts so that he can make us
more like himself and to changeus and grow us.
And one of the ways he exposesour hearts is through the
kingdom work going on all aroundus.
And so God wants to expose ourhearts through a passage like
this, where they're picking uptheir tools and they're working
(18:28):
for the kingdom of God.
But here's what is crucial thatI want you to understand the
gospel, and because of whatJesus has done, allows you to be
honest about all of those thingsI just mentioned and more.
It allows you to get to theroot.
I heard a quote this week (18:45):
you can name, because of Jesus, you
can name your sin without hatingyourself.
And the difference betweenconviction, listen to this,
between conviction andcondemnation is one calls you
home and one locks you out.
Condemnation locks you out,conviction calls you home.
(19:10):
Jesus calls you home and hecalls us home because he allows
us to look at our excuses andnot beat ourselves up, but run
to Jesus in repentance and faithand change.
Honesty opens the door to changeand transformation.
And so when it comes to serving,if you genuinely don't know
(19:35):
where to start, would you talkto someone this week?
We've got plenty of places foryou to start.
And if you genuinely are afraidof failure, or maybe you've been
hurt by ministry, or you've beenhurt by the church, would you
let someone walk through thatwith you?
(19:58):
But if you are too busy andthat's really just code for the
church is not a priority, or ifyou really don't know where to
start, but that is coming from aplace that you just don't want
to be uncomfortable, would yoube willing to be honest about
that?
To take that to Jesus andexperience repentance unto life.
(20:23):
And so unity requires everyone,it requires honesty, and lastly,
it requires ownership.
Look at verses 10 with me.
If you have your Bible open, 23and then 28 through 30.
What do you see repeated there?
(20:43):
Opposite his house, in front oftheir house, opposite his house,
again and again and again.
And now think about this with meand what this means.
These families, these peoplecould have said, Hey, would you
assign me a portion on the otherside of town that's small and
(21:07):
that is safer and one thatdoesn't require much work for
me?
But no one does that.
They chose the work that wasnext to their homes.
And the question is, why?
Why does that matter?
(21:29):
Well, think about it.
When you're working next to yourhouse, you've got skin in the
game.
This is the passage, yourchildren, get in it, are
sleeping 50 feet from this wallthat you're building.
(21:52):
And so if the enemies breakthrough, breaking through your
section into your neighborhood,it is threatening your loved
ones.
The point is this this isn'tabstract.
This is deeply personal to thesepeople.
Unity requires more thanparticipation, it requires
(22:14):
ownership.
These weren't just hiredcontractors working on a distant
project.
This was family.
This was fathers and mothers andchildren working on a section of
the wall in order to protecttheir family, in order to
(22:34):
protect God's house.
And here's what we need to seein this image that working
opposite of your house, friends,is a shadow of something much
greater.
They were building, and whatthey were building pales in
comparison to what we arebuilding for right now in the
(22:59):
church, as the church in theworld.
Now, don't get me wrong.
What they were doing is verysignificant.
They were building walls aroundJerusalem to protect God's
presence, the temple where hedwelled, but they were building
and it was made of stone.
It was in location and it wasfor the Israelites.
(23:24):
What about us?
We are building the church ofJesus Christ, not made with
stones, living stones, made withliving people.
The church, the eternal dwellingplace of God's Spirit for all
the world, for every nation,tribe, and tongue, in all places
(23:50):
and for all time.
They were protecting a physicalcity that would one day crumble.
We are advancing a kingdom thatwill never end.
That's what you're a part of.
In the church, the gates of hellwill not stand against the
(24:14):
church.
You see it?
Jesus changes everything,doesn't he?
Because Jesus didn't just workopposite his house.
Jesus left his house.
He left his home in heaven andhe came to earth.
(24:35):
And he didn't just invest alittle bit personally.
He invested his entire life.
He gave his life.
He didn't just pick up a tool,he picked up a cross.
He lived for you.
He died for you.
He rose again for you.
(24:55):
He came into the world to rescueyou and to forgive you and to
bring you into his family and tomake you his own.
And if you believe that andyou're a believer in Jesus
Christ this morning, somethingradical happens in your life.
Because the Bible says that ifyou are in Christ, if you're a
(25:16):
believer, you are in Christ, andChrist is in you.
And that's not just a religiouslanguage and a religious
statement.
That means that you, think aboutthis, you have a new identity,
you have a new home, you have anew reality.
(25:42):
So what?
Well, you see what that means isthat if you're in Christ, this
place called the church is notjust some place you attend on
Sunday morning.
It's your family.
(26:02):
This is your family.
It's not just a religiousorganization that you support.
We are a body.
And it's a body that you're apart of.
It's not just a building thatyou visit, it is your home.
And Jesus said this in Matthewchapter 12.
He says, Whoever does the willof my Father in heaven, they are
(26:28):
my brother and sister, fatherand mother.
And you see what that means?
You know your primary family?
It's this right here in thisroom.
Your number one family and yourpeople is the church.
(26:51):
And when you grasp that, itchanges how you show up on
Sunday.
It changes what you make apriority in your life.
Because ownership doesn't juststart with commitment, it starts
with your identity.
(27:13):
And please don't miss the gospelorder.
Okay.
You don't serve the church toearn your place in God's family.
You serve the church becauseyou're already in God's family.
You don't work on your sectionto prove that you're a good
Christian.
(27:33):
You work on your section becauseof what Jesus has done for you
and uniting you to himself andthis and his and his church,
uniting you to himself anduniting you to the church.
That's the gospel order.
But let's be honest aboutsomething.
(27:55):
And maybe you're not aware ofthis, perhaps you are, but did
you know that as churches grow,that what ends up happening is
that 20% of the people end updoing 80% of the work.
Why 80%, the 80% assume thateveryone else has got it
(28:17):
covered.
Now, to be fair, I don't thinkanyone sets out with that
intention.
But what ends up happening isthe faithful 20%, they start to
wear down and they start to burnout, and then ministries
throughout the church start tostruggle, not because there's
not enough people, but becausepeople have drifted into
(28:39):
spectator mode without realizingit.
And so as we move into this newseason of ministry, and when we
move into this new ministryspace, I am begging God that
that does not become the storyof our church.
(29:03):
That really is my prayer.
And I and you might say, boy,that's crazy.
We pray that in our sessionmeeting.
We pray that there'd be awaiting list on every ministry
of our church for people toserve.
That you would want to servesomewhere and we'd say, We're
full, we've got a waiting list,we've got to find somewhere else
(29:24):
for you to serve.
We want to be a place whereserving isn't the exception,
it's the norm.
Where the question isn't, whoare we going to get to do this?
But the question is, look at allthese resources.
Lord help us to steward thesewilling hands.
(29:50):
You see, our prayer and vision,as we see in Nehemiah 3, is that
we as a church would catch avision of being owners, not
renters.
Think about the difference.
Renters show up when it'sconvenient.
Owners, they show up becauseit's their home.
(30:14):
Renters show up to consumewhat's being offered.
Owners show up to contributewhere is needed.
How do you get there?
The gospel.
The gospel takes renters andmakes them sons and daughters.
The gospel takes consumers andmakes them family.
(30:35):
The gospel takes spectators andmakes them living stones.
You start to be an owner becauseGod owns you.
And I think this is what thisworld is longing for.
People want purpose.
People want something biggerthan themselves.
They don't want anothertransaction.
(30:56):
They don't want another serviceto consume.
Want to be able to give themsomethingselves to something
that's worth building for andbigger than themselves?
And that is the Church of JesusChrist.
That is what you were made for.
(31:17):
And so here's the call.
Will you make this place yourhome?
Will you look around and makethese people in this church your
family?
If you do that, you willdiscover that your joy doesn't
(31:42):
come from comfort andconvenience.
It comes from losing your lifeto find it.
Isn't that what Jesus said?
Whoever wants to save his lifewill lose it.
But if you lose your life forme, you will find it, friends.
This is your home.
(32:03):
And Jesus is building the churchwith his own hands.
And it's worth giving our lifefor.
Thank you for calling us intoyour family.
Thank you for making us livingstones, for uniting us to
(32:23):
yourself.
Forgive us for the excuses thatwe make for the times that we've
treated your people and yourchurch like renters instead of
family.
Holy Spirit, come.
Give us courage to be honestabout what's holding us back.
And I pray that you would giveus hearts to serve, and may we
(32:51):
overflow with great joy in thefact that we're giving to you
because you have so graciouslygiven to us.
Help us to grasp that in Jesus'name.
Amen.
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