guest speaker: Rev. Yuijun Lee (Lead Pastor of Chara Community Church in Virginia) #
verse: Nehemiah 3:1-2 #
Context #
The book of Nehemiah is an incredible book bc it connects the old testament to the new testament. This story is written in the context of Isreal being destroyed by Asyria and Babylon. Every single house, living area, market, street, and even the very iconic building of Israel (the temple of Jerusalem) were all annihilated. Nehemiah is about restoring people out of nothing through God’s goodness and faithfulness. Note that in this entire memoir, Nehemiah’s name is never mentioned, not even once. The purpose was to put a focus on the next writer – Luke.
Main Idea: #
Rebuiliding, renewing, and restoring not physical structures, but God’s followers. “Ordinary builders building extraordinary things”.
Lesson 1: Rebuilding begins at the Sheep Gate #
Note that the Sheep gate is important and unique. This gate is consecrated by the high priest. It’s also the first gate that was built, and it was placed at the North East corner that gives direct access to the temple. This is to emphasize that the priority of the Jews is not to just “come back to their home”, but to “come back to God”. The Sheep gate’s only functionality was to bring sheep into the temple for sacrifice.
So what does this mean for us? Ask yourself this…
- Are we placing God at the very center of our lives?
- Do we start each and every morning with God?
- Is God at the center of our relationships? You must do this in order to combat our inherent selfishness and brokenness. It’s not about education, it’s not about how much money we make. God is the source of our joy, contentness and purpose. If you’re not putting God above all else, you are doing it wrong.
Lesson 2: Rebuliding involves both fresh starts and faithful repairs #
There are two major motiffs throughout this passage: built and repair. This is a representation that some things in our lives aren’t meant to be repaired, rather completely stripped and built anew. How do I know when this is the case? Areas in which you are so ashamed that you hide it from not only other people, but also to God. These are the gates that are most vulnerable to invasion. Satan waits for an opportunity to strike and you don’t want gates that were repaired from a rocky foundation. You need to completely rebuild your defense from the ground up. Reevaluate these gates, these areas of our life that we have so much trouble with. Ask yourself this… How do we manage our time? What is my priority in life? Whenever God calls you to start something anew, something so foreign that you’re afraid… don’t fear, rather, be excited. Dive in head first with confidence that the God that is backing you up will provide you comfort, strength, and peace.
When you feel despair and unworthiness. When it feels like there’s no way out. Come to God.
don’t judge or make assumptions about God from what you observe. Our vision is limited. Trust God and in his faithfulness to us.
Lesson 3: Everyone builds. No one is benched #
There are 38 names mentioned, and each of them serve a different purpose. High Priests, goldsmiths, perfumers, etc. No matter what calling these people had, they still assisted in rebuilding. So what does this mean to me? It doesn’t matter what situation you find yourself in. It doesn’t matter what job you have, how much money you make, how much biblical knowledge you have. You will NEVER satisfy the utmost expectations of God. That’s a pipe-dream. You can’t qualify yourself to serve the Lord. You will never be “ready”. You just have to start and do it.
Prayer #
what a privlege and honor it is to be reminded of your kindness and goodness while our lives are so set on our own desires. help us to shift our attention to seek you and do your good work beyond human possibilites. god you are an impossible god and as we continue to develop the church here, please bless our children. there are those of us that are so desparate for your touch, your love, your affirmation. remind us that not matter how far you can go, you still chase after us because you’re our father. lord bless us and set this day as a new start for all of us, with our lives, our faith, our minisitry involvement. please use us and continue to show your favor merits, and grace, in an unconditional way. and lead us so that your promise may be fulfilled.