Building More Than a Wall - ANB W4, D2 - 3.26.13

Tuesday, March 26                                                    Building More Than a Wall

Nehemiah 3

Today we will focus a little less on the actual events of this text, but will spend a good bit of time talking about the building going on beneath the surface. It is easy for us to look at a chapter like Nehemiah 3 and think of it only as a section by section retelling of the rebuilding of the wall. We can read that the priests worked on the Sheep Gate, the Fish Gate by the sons of Hassenaah, and so on and so forth. We can even make parallels to our church on Sunday morning: Michael leads the choir, Sheila plays the piano, Pastor Evan delivers the message, Jan keeps the nursery, and on and on we can go saying that these are mere descriptions of the actions taking place. On the surface, that is fine because just like each member of our church has his or her thing that they do on Sunday morning, the different groups of Israel had their sections of the wall that they were constructing.

But for us to stop there would be to miss the greater importance of what was going on. Sure the fact is that each individual mentioned in Nehemiah had their specific portion of the wall to build, but what lies beneath the surface of their work is unity. Knute Larson, author of the Nehemiah volume of the Holman Old Testament Commentary, says it this way: “In the work of God, the greatest accomplishments come from a unity of purpose when people of diverse backgrounds, interests, and abilities join together under a compelling vision. Success is achieved not because we are all the same but because our differences are put aside for a greater goal.” His choice of wording is so accurate and appropriate for our situation at Hopewell. He specifically uses the term “compelling vision.” Our new beginning is about capturing that compelling vision from God about what He wants to do in our church and through our church in this community. It is compelling because once we see clearly what it is that God would have us to do, we cannot be satisfied until we see that vision manifested in the lives of our people.

The people of Israel were not merely building a wall around the city of Jerusalem. Yes, this was the work of their physical labor. The wall was symbolic of the city being the city of God, its boundaries defined by the promise of who God was and what He desired to do in and through Israel. For the people of Israel, the completion of the wall meant that their relationship with God was restored. So, whether or not they liked the people they were working with, the unified themselves under the banner of God’s vision of redemption and built a wall. They built for themselves a new life in God and in His promise. They built unity in the process of their work. It was not about personal preference, but about completing the work of God. Their success was measured not by their effort, but by their unity.

At Hopewell, we are building more than just a wall. Our goal here is the vision that God has for us. If that means that we sit tight and grow, we do it in unity. If that means we must add services and Sunday School hours, we do it in unity. If it means we rebuild from the ground up, we seek to fulfill the vision of God in unity. For us, it is not about building walls of separation around Jerusalem or even around our church, but it is about building up the Kingdom of God. It is about investing in the lives of people in our church and in our community so that we all become a temple of the Living God (1 Cor 6.19). We are building so much more than a wall or a building here, we are building God’s Kingdom and it starts with our unified stand against evil and our fight for the souls of the lost.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I thank You that You want to use me in Your kingdom building. I do not serve You as I ought, with selfless intent, but rather I place my wants and desires over Your process. Please, dear Lord, unify my church that we can build Your kingdom here.