#11 “Book of
Nehemiah” Series
"HOW A BODY STAYS HEALTHY!"
TEXT: Nehemiah 11:1-36
INTRO: David said
it best in Psalms 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and
wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full
well.”
The human body is the most amazing
machine on the planet! It has
literally multiple billions of cells ... and a large quantity of them are doing
different things at different times and at the same time ... each dependant on
the other, unique in function; equal in existence! We only seem to take notice of this
marvelous order of life when it goes chaotic ... such as when cancer strikes;
cells that multiply out of control. It is ironic that such a disease like
cancer can kill us ... for it is our own cells doing what they are suppose to
do, but not in their orderly fashion. They just take off and grow and grow
until they take over the nourishment demands of the body and crowd out or eat
away other important parts – the body then itself dies AND IRONICALLY THE CANCER
dies with it! It quite literally
kills itself along with all the other healthy tissue that struggles to keep
order within the body!
We could not exist very well without
order ... God Himself is a God of order ... we only have to examine nature and
the skies at night to understand how true this is.
ILLUS: We ask the
leaf, "Are you complete in yourself?" and the leaf answers, "No, my life is in
the branches." We ask the branch,
and the branch answers, "No, my life is in the trunk." We ask the trunk, and it answers, "No, my
life is in the root." We ask the
root, and it answers, "No, my life is in the trunk and the branches and the
leaves. Keep the branches stripped
of leaves and I shall die." So it
is with the great tree of being. Nothing is completely and merely
individual. -- Edward
Everett (1794-1865) -- Edythe Draper, Draper's Book of Quotations for the
Christian World (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1992). Entry 1450
Imagine life without order! What if the law of gravity couldn't be
counted on ... ONE DAY YOUR UP ... THEN NEXT DAY YOUR DOWN -
literally!
Imagine time without an order to it ...
you couldn't plan out anything for even a day much less a weekly schedule ...
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW WHEN CHURCH STARTED OR STOPPED!
What if there was no order in our
banking institutions ... billions of dollars might disappear and cause the
collapse of thousands of savings and loans
institutions!
PROP.
SENT: No matter what you are talking
about order is necessary for all things to exist in a healthy state, or to be
useful. This even includes the
church! God made our natural bodies
to have order within them and He has also established His supernatural Body, the
church to have order within it! This extends not only to the
administrative structure of the church; but also the spiritual life of the
church ... worship unstructured or without order can bring chaos. God is not against planning or structure,
indeed His Word is full of instances where He blessed plans and structure as
long as there was also proper room and recognition of His authority and freedom
to move within that structure or order!
I. HOLY PLACE
11:1-3
A. Model
11:1
1.
2. This model city would be comprised
of the rulers and also a tithe of the people from the
nation!
a. Lots were cast in each community of
b. For those who had the lot fall to
them it very literally could mean moving to a smaller home and leaving behind
the wealth they were earning on a productive farm!
c. For many of those whose lot fell on
them this move proved to be a financially downward turn, nevertheless they were
obedient to lose something for being a privileged citizen of the “Holy
City!”
3. Some things were considered by
these people as greater than the things of this world. Sounds like a great sermon here
alone!
ILLUS: Much of
the church is caught up in the success mania of American society. Often more concerned with budgets and
building programs than with the body of Christ, the church places more emphasis
on growth than on repentance.
Suffering, sacrifice, and service have been preempted by success and
self-fulfillment. -- Charles Colson (1931- ) -- Edythe Draper, Draper's Book
of Quotations for the Christian World (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,
1992). Entry 1409
4. Nehemiah is directing this petition
for movement into the city of
5. It was a common experience of that
day to do this when a nation came into being, they wanted to impress the other
nations with a capital city that would reflect the nature of the whole nation
... thus other nations too had moved citizens into capitals when they came into
power to create a microcosm of the entire nation in the
capital.
6. Jerusalem as a model would model
not man, but their God and His Glory! This was the point of having within
the Holy City the Holy Temple!
Rather than man be at the center of this capital, God would
be!
a. One day this will again be true ...
when the
b. The New Jerusalem will be the
perfect model that it failed to be in the Old
Testament!
B. Modeling
11:2-3
1. There were some men who didn't need
a lucky chance lot to fall to them ... their hearts were so aflame with jealousy
for the Lord their God that they volunteered to move and leave behind their
fortunes to live within God's city!
a. There are always some people who
don't have to be drafted for ministry, they usually step forward and volunteer
to meet the need!
b. The rest of
ILLUS: When the
Spartans marched into battle they advanced with cheerful songs, willing to
fight. But when the Persians
entered the conflict, you could hear, as the regiments came on, the crack of the
whips by which the officers drove the cowards to the fray. You need not wonder that a few Spartans
were more than a match for thousands of Persians, that in fact they were like
lions in the midst of sheep. So let
it be with the church. Never should
she need to be forced to reluctant action, but full of irrepressible life, she
should long for conflict against everything which is contrary to God. If we were enthusiastic soldiers of the
cross we would be like lions in the midst of herds of enemies, and through God's
help nothing would be able to stand against us. -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Quotable Spurgeon, (Wheaton:
Harold Shaw Publishers, Inc, 1990)
c. They ministered to others so that
it would not require as many to have to move by drawing lots to make the number
goal!
d. Some commentators believe that
Nehemiah was trying to establish 1/10th of the whole population of
2. Their example set the community to
rejoicing and fired up the others that God was on the move within their holy
community!
a. This is still true today within
God's temple (the church), you will find men and women of this caliber who
inspire others to serve the Lord and excite the
church.
b. This should always be the case with
the leaders!
c. It still seems statistically true
that about 10% of God's people do 90% of the work ... but beyond the tithe of
people we could still use more volunteers!
II. HOLY POSITIONS
11:4-24
A. Militia 11:4-6
1. The first group of people recorded
besides the provincial leaders and various servants of Solomon were a company
called the “descendants of Perez,” they are described as “468 ABLE
MEN.” The meaning of
this phrase in Hebrew is "STRONG MEN," OR ... "OUTSTANDING MEN" ...
probably in the sense of military men or fighters!
a. Why did a Holy City need
warriors? Because there will always be enemies ready
to destroy God's work and His people!
b. God give us warriors in the church
today, those who will fight against the enemy that tries to destroy the
c. "To contend for
the faith" was the cry in the heart of Jude, he wrote: JUDE 3 "I ... urge
you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the
saints."
d. Being a Christian citizen of the
New Jerusalem includes the need for warriors of the faith ... those who contend
for the faith! God give us A GODLY
MILITIA ... these are the ones gifted for vanquishing the enemy before the enemy
has a chance to harm anyone within the
ILLUS: Maggie
Kuhn, head of the Grey Panthers, tells of some interesting facts about sandhill
cranes. It seems that these large
birds, who commute great distances and traverse continents, have three
remarkable qualities. First of all,
they rotate leadership. No one bird
stays out in front all the time. Second, they choose a leader that can
handle turbulence. And then, all
during the time one bird is leading, the rest are honking, signaling their
affirmation. That's not a bad model
for the church. Certainly we need
leaders who welcome turbulence and who are aware that leadership ought to be
rotated. But most of all, we need a
church where we are all honking encouragement. -- Bruce Larson -- James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited
(Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 124.
2. In other places in the Bible we are
called to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:3 “Endure hardship
with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” )
B. Ministers
11:7-14
1. In verse
9 a man called Joel was listed as the "CHIEF
OFFICER" over one area and another by the name of
2. The term used here, "CHIEF
OFFICER" meant in Hebrew an "OVERSEER," the role of an ELDER as it would
later be called within the New Testament church.
3. God called out some men to be
Elders in the
a. It is interesting to note that
there were several of these men, the two I just mentioned above, and in verse 11 Seraiah (also: Azuria) as the chief supervisor (or overseer) of
the Temple itself! (Like the
Pastor)
b. Notice he had several associate
pastors serving with him because of the size of the
community!
4. Last the area of old
5. So what have we got here, at least
3 elders over various territories and a chief or senior pastor over the temple
itself! They had a board of
ELDERS!
6. The church needs godly elders, men
who can lay aside their egos and ideas and find the mind of Christ ... mindful
always that the church is God's Temple and they are instructed to oversee it for
Him!
ILLUS: During
7. Nehemiah was setting the church up
in a very orderly way! This was no
half baked organization thrown together.
C. Managers
11:15-21
1. A new group is introduced in this
section; these are men who had charge of the “OUTSIDE WORK OF
THE HOUSE OF GOD.”
a. Their responsibilities were to take
care to see that all the facilities were kept up and all supplies that were
needed were on site. This was a
much less up front and much less glamorous job ... but critical to the worship
experience for all!
b. In fact, the idea in the Hebrew is
similar to the New Testament role of DEACONS! They were to take care of the material
assistance and duties needed for the
c. It was meant to relieve the
pressures from the overseers of the chief officers and ministers so they could
concentrate of the demands of the people’s spiritual
needs.
ILLUS: On my
first pastorate, I had requested $20 per month from the board to pay someone to
mow the lawn and care for the flowers on the church's property. "The former pastor did that himself,"
the oldest board member quickly pointed out. "I know," I replied, "But he doesn't
want to do it any more." -- posted on Christian Reader's humor message board.
Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."
2. While not glamorous work ... done
properly it caused the resulting PRAISE
& THANKSGIVING mentioned in verse
17.
a. They could not have given thanks if
adequate supplies had not been present!
b. The role of these early deacons
allowed smooth function for the entire temple, with the result that focus in the
temple itself could be off of things and be on God!
c. Their function and call was
critical to the needs of the
3. Nehemiah was creating a model of
the New Testament temple, the church; but in His own
day!
a. These "Deacons" managed the affairs of the church that
were on the practical supply side, less glamorous than the role of elders
publicly ... but equal in importance for the whole temple to function
properly!
b. There were some other men who
served as “gatekeepers” ... possibly the gates of the
temple in view, not the city gates.
These were deacons who served in roles something like our USHERS do
today!
c. They lived on the hill of Ophel
near the Temple area ... their duties included guarding the treasures &
sacred items within the temple, thus a function still as deacons, but much like
USHERS TOO! (or Trustees)
d. Notice there was even a Chief USHER! (Ziha &
Gishpa) HEAD USHERS!
4. A very familiar order is developing
around the
D. Musicians
1. They also had an entire choir set
up for which the king provided daily provisions for the members so that they
might spend their entire time in the ministry of music! (Boy, wouldn't this be nice today!)
“Uzzi a
descendant of Asaph” the famous song writer of David's time became
the new choir director!
2. Why would a secular king give
portions of support for a religious choir, it was common in that day for the
subdued people to sing a blessing upon the king and his future children so the
land would be prosperous and at peace ... so he was happy to do this and it
benefited the choir as well. The
3. Music is a major part of a worship
experience ... it prepares our hearts and minds for the Word of God that will be
spoken later!
ILLUS: In
Witnesses of a Third Way: A Fresh Look at Evangelism, Robert Neff's chapter
includes this story about visiting a church service: "It was one of those mornings when the
tenor didn't get out of bed on the right side. ... As I listened to his
faltering voice, I looked around.
People were pulling out hymnals to locate the hymn being sung by the
soloist. "By the second verse, the
congregation had joined the soloist in the hymn. And by the third verse, the tenor was
beginning to find the range. And by
the fourth verse, it was beautiful.
And on the fifth verse the congregation was absolutely silent, and the
tenor sang the most beautiful solo of his life. That is life in the body of Christ,
enabling one another to sing the tune Christ has given us." -- John H. Unger,
4. What made it nice here is that
this choir could and did practice daily for the
5. What a plan … ELDERS, DEACONS,
USHERS, SPIRITUAL WARRIORS, AND NOW MUSICIANS! Sounds pretty modern doesn't
it!?
6. Music plays a critical role with
our worship experience together ... and it should have great planning behind it,
and in the case of choir or specials, practice! There is nothing sacred about just
“winging it.”
E. Mediator
11:24
1. One guy held a unique post, he was
to be the mediator between God's people and King Artaxeres
I.
2. The idea here is obvious ... It is
Jesus Christ alone who is the mediator between the King of Kings and the people
... it is He that alone mediates the church's experience and needs to our
Heavenly King!
ILLUS: Once
Arturo Toscanini was rehearsing the
3. His role is most vital to the New
Jerusalem and its citizens!
4. In those days conquering Kings
always rebuilt the Temples of their subjected peoples in the hopes that the gods
of the subjected people would bless him ... our conquering King Jesus has
provided everything we need for His Holy Temple, the church, and He is still our
mediator between God and man!
III. HOLY PEOPLE
11:25-36
A. Movement!
11:25-30
1. This list describes the fact that
the rest of God's people scattered abroad in the land, not living in the New
Jerusalem full time!
a. What was the purpose in this? To eventually fill the land with their
numbers so without war they might reclaim the land that once belonged to
them!
b. They spread out and even went
beyond the old borders with settlements into enemy
territory!
c. They were not afraid to settle down
within the borders of their enemies around them; they knew that one day their
brethren would come to their cause when and if it became necessary to fight
again to keep their land!
ILLUS: The
article "What Good Is a Tree?" in Reader's Digest explained that when the roots
of trees touch, there is a substance present that reduces competition. In fact, this unknown fungus helps link
roots of different trees -- even of dissimilar species. A whole forest may be linked
together. If one tree has access to
water, another to nutrients, and a third to sunlight, the trees have the means
to share with one another. Like
trees in a forest, Christians in the church need and support one
another. -- Blair F. Rorabaugh,
d. They once again believed God's
promises for this property to be theirs!
2. Ironically, this is still much the
policy of Israel even today, to build settlements within occupied territory,
even though the enemy complains, by the time anything is done legally they hope
to have a majority of their people living there and so claim possession by
outnumbering their enemy and without having to go to war over the
territory!
3. The church could learn from this
... OUR LIFE SHOULD NOT JUST BE IN occupying the TEMPLE (the church) – WE NEED TO SPREAD OUT AROUND THE AREAS
WE LIVE IN AND WIN THOSE PEOPLE TO CHRIST THUS INCREASING THE POPULATION OF
SAINTS IN THOSE PARTICULAR AREAS!
4. We are to be salt penetrating
society to bring healing to it ... salt also prevents the rotting of food; our
presence should have a healthy constraint on the expression of evil as more
and more saints live within a community!
5. This is much like Jesus' call for
us to spread the gospel to “
6. SPREAD OUT saints and attack the
area you live in, or settle in and win so many that an attack will be
unnecessary; the saints will just take over by sheer
numbers!
7. We cannot be content to live in the
Holy Temple the church, we must be the church in the world ... they need to see
the people of God and what we are ... how we are
different!
B. Melting
Pot! 11:31-36
1. This final list names some who were
from one tribe living in the territories of other tribes ... there were some who
were mixed up; Israel was becoming more of a melting pot, people with unique
identities living around those who were different from them, even though some of
these were their own brethren!
2. Let's face it, the Holy Temple the
church today has the same thing ... we are all God's people, some of us come
from the city, some have lived in one spot all their lives, some are highly
educated, others not as much, some from the south, some are outright Yankees ...
but no matter, WE ARE THE CHURCH!
3. It should be a blessing to exist
within this melting pot ... we can all benefit from each other ... we don't all
have the same backgrounds!
a. Some may be from rich and well
established homes.
b. Some may be from poorer or broken
homes.
c. Even so we belong to each other
like it or NOT!
4. A healthy church is not one without
conflicts ... it is one however that where conflicts exist they are healed by
loving, committed saints who are trying to melt together into one Body of
Christ!
5. Nehemiah's leaders weren't flawless
... neither were the people ... but God was creating out of them a unique group
of people, a people called by HIS NAME;
a. A HOLY
PLACE
b. A HOLY POSITION FOR
ALL
c. A HOLY
PEOPLE
6. All this order was to help smooth
the process for God's Spirit to work within a body that was coordinated and
functioning in harmony!
7. This is the point for the church,
we are His body ... and if healthy, the Head will be able to use us to bring
honor and glory to His name ... even though we serve in different places, being
connected to the body and not fighting the other parts will allow a healthy body
to function under the impulses of the Head.
ILLUS: Herman
Ostry's barn floor was under 29 inches of water because of a rising creek. The Bruno,
8. All this requires a great deal of
planning and practicing, HEALTHY LIFE DOESN'T JUST GROW IN ERRATIC WAYS, IT
GROWS IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!
9. Order doesn't destroy the work of
the Spirit in a worship service, it enhances the Spirit's ability to speak in an
orderly way for the best results ... God is a God of order, not
chaos!
CONCLUSION: All healthy living organisms have
order in them – cancer is the result of healthy cells becoming disorderly and
growing chaotically, thus producing disease, and if unchecked – death! A healthy church (called by the New
Testament a living body) is only healthy when it is operating in an orderly
fashion. Worship too should be
carefully planned and thought out! This actually enhances our worship
experience; it does not inhibit or restrict it! Without a well structured body the head
cannot issue useful signals that demonstrate healthy life or movement. The point of structure is to give
coordinated movement toward the head's goals! A God of ORDER finds it difficult to work
through a CHAOTIC unstructured
body!