The sacred value of our labor is discovered in the work God has assigned to our lives. Nehemiah, chapter three, seems like a portion of the Bible to be skipped over with all the repetition of names and tasks. If we skip this we miss something vitally important in the Kingdom of God. All these wonderful people listed went to work and sacrificially gave to see the work of God established in the earth in such a way that it would impact generations to come.
Nehemiah 3:1-5 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built. 3 The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 4 And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired. 5 And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord ESV
Nehemiah specifically lists the names and contributions of various individuals, families and teams who participated in the work of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls. But these nobles in verse five refused to help.
These were likely affluent people of influence involved in political endeavors, administrative duties, managing estates, or other “more important” things to do with their time rather than helping with the work of the Lord in their day.
The church of our day has grown very distracted from the work of the Lord because of all the important “busyness” we have going on and it truly impacts your children.
The common way of thinking in our day is, “If I can get the right person serving my kids in ministry they’ll be like Jesus.” The problem is Jesus didn’t come to be served but to serve. So, if you want to help your children become more like Jesus then be a family that serves together.
Later in Nehemiah 3:27 we see how the ordinary people did double duty making up for what their nobles wouldn’t do. So often we find ourselves working and wondering does anybody know and does anybody care? God sees everything that you do and he never misses a thing. God sees it all and nothing has been wasted, your work has been invested and God‘s Kingdom is expanding as a result.
These are all unknown, seemingly insignificant people but God purposed to mention their names in the sacred text of the Bible. Unseen things done by unknown people are known and seen by God. The seemingly mundane work of our lives is never wasted but always invested when done to the glory of God
Regular people working regular jobs putting in regular days came together to do a great work all for the glory of God. The city walls had been burned. There could be no worship in the temple. Nobody was reading or teaching the word of God, and a group of people who do not remain unnamed, devoted themselves whole heartedly to the pursuit of the purposes of God. In their generation they gave themselves to restore and replenish the work of God in the earth.
Everything was hinging on God’s people rebuilding the walls, the city, and the Temple of God. This was a good work that had been prepared for them to do since the beginning of time according to God‘s word. The same goes for you and for me!
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. NIV
I find it so interesting that this verse about the importance of works follows the famous verse about how we are saved by grace and not by works.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. NIV
These are back-to-back because both are important! There are two judgments we read about in the Bible. The judgment of sin requires a response of God’s grace through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is another judgment we find in 2 Corinthians 5:10 where “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, good or bad.” NIV
You cannot switch these two responses around. You can’t declare works for grace and you can’t declare grace for works. Every believer should have two testimonies. The first testimony should be how you came to Christ. The second testimony is how you made the world a better place by discovering the work God purposed for you to do from the beginning of time!
Discovering your work in your everyday life is vitally important to fulfilling the call of God on your life. Ministry to the Lord in Nehemiah was digging holes, setting posts, fortifying walls, and hanging gates. It doesn’t look spiritual but it is! Any work you do to perpetuate the work of God in the earth is sacred, spiritual, and special to God.
What makes our work valuable and meaningful is not what we do as much as who we are doing it for and when we get this right, we find God at work in the midst of anything we place our hand to in life.
When you think about the life of Jesus, most people automatically think about how he walked on water, healed, the sick, fed the 5000, cast out demons, ministered in the temple, but 30 of his 33 years of life, 90% of Jesus life on earth was actually swinging a hammer and working in the family business.
For 30 years of his life, Jesus was a carpenter, and then he had three years of public ministry How he went to work, and devoted himself to the deeper purposes of the father in arriving on time, being where he was supposed to be, wholeheartedly, devoting himself to doing the best job he could possibly do all set the tone for what would be interested in to his care. So God comes to the earth and spends 90% of his life on earth, going to work loving serving and giving sacrificially
The world needs great preachers who will be led by the spirit in the way we are expressing God’s kingdom to be awakened within the hearts of everyone under our influence. We also need the same and great mechanics who are filled with the spirit and believe in the 10 Commandments, as their way of living, and doing business, good accountant, good roofers good electricians, good plumbers, good workers in every direction no matter what their work may be. God knows we need some good politicians.
What you do is so important in the way God is glorified in the earth and that’s why all these people are named who are going to work and serving God‘s heart.
These are ordinary days where people were showing up to work, dig holes, hang gates, etc. Don’t skip the ordinary days in the Bible or you’ll grow discouraged in the pursuit of the extraordinary days.
I’ve heard people chasing the spectacular often say, “Let’s be the church of the book of Acts!” Yes! But hold on. The Math is interesting when you see 28 chapters of Acts spanning over thirty years. Over these thirty years we read only 14 miracles. The Math on this says that even in Acts there are 700 ordinary days to get to one extraordinary day where a miracle took place.
Nehemiah 3 reveals ordinary days that are making preparation and provision for extraordinary days ahead which we will get to as we continue our study in Nehemiah.
Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord (Jesus) Christ. ESV
Everywhere we go….
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Read two chapters of Nehemiah each day this week asking God for wisdom to see the sacred work of your life in everyday ordinary activities.
NEHEMIAH: Sacred Work
DISCUSSION GUIDE
UNDERSTANDING THE SEASON: Nehemiah is all about rebuilding the ruins of the work of God in our world. God’s people had grown distracted and disconnected from God’s plan for them to be the expression of His Kingdom in the Earth.
Jerusalem had been in ruins since the Babylonian invasion in 586 B.C. Nehemiah lead the third of three returns to Israel after 70 years of exile in Babylon. Even in a state of ruin God was still at work looking for someone who would have a heart to respond to what God was about to do.
This is the condition of the Western church today. Much can be gained by a close examination of Nehemiah’s response in his day. God woke up a fresh movement that brought life but it was met with great challenges. No matter how challenging it was God was always seeing his work through.
God’s work is a work within us as we learn to respond to Him. It is God’s plan is for us to spend time drawing close to his heart and hearing his voice together as a family. This is why we start each meeting with this question first:
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God?
Ask each person in your group to answer the discussion questions below after reading the verses. Realize, there is great power in just reading the Bible together and allowing the Holy Spirit to awaken His conversational nature in the group.
Nehemiah 3:1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. (and the list goes on and on of names of those who were given to the work of the Lord) ESV
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. NIV
Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord (Jesus) Christ. ESV
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2. DISCOVER: Have each person give a simple 60 second summary of what these verses are saying, Encourage people to try not to add insights or application yet. Just simply summarize.
3. DEVELOP: What do you sense God may be speaking to you personally as we focus on these verses?
4. DEPLOY: We are to be doers and not hearers only. What will you do this week in response to what you sense God is revealing in this time together?
Everywhere we go, we bring...
GP2RL: Read two chapters of Nehemiah each day this week asking God for wisdom to see the sacred work of your life in everyday ordinary activities.