Nehemiah 3:2-12

² People from the town of Jericho worked next to them, and beyond them was Zaccur son of Imri. ³ The Fish Gate was built by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid the beams, set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars. ⁴ Meremoth son of Uriah and grandson of Hakkoz repaired the next section of wall. Beside him were Meshullam son of Berekiah and grandson of Meshezabel, and then Zadok son of Baana. ⁵ Next were the people from Tekoa, though their leaders refused to work with the construction supervisors. ⁶ The Old City Gate^[a] was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid the beams, set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars.⁷ Next to them were Melatiah from Gibeon, Jadon from Meronoth, people from Gibeon, and people from Mizpah, the headquarters of the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River.^[b] 8 Next was Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a goldsmith by trade, who also worked on the wall. Beyond him was Hananiah, a manufacturer of perfumes. They left out a section of Jerusalem as they built the Broad Wall.^{[c] 9} Rephaiah son of Hur, the leader of half the district of Jerusalem, was next to them on the wall. ¹⁰ Next Jedaiah son of Harumaph repaired the wall across from his own house, and next to him was Hattush son of Hashabneiah. ¹¹ Then came Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab, who repaired another section of the wall and the Tower of the Ovens. ¹² Shallum son of Hallohesh and his daughters repaired the next section. He was the leader of the other half of the district of Jerusalem.

After seeing how Pastors should set the pace the second thing, we see is that:

2. Some worked as families – Vs 3, 12

In verse 3 and 12 we see sons and daughters working on the wall. The problem today is that we are not serving as families. We are letting our kids watch us do the work. When my kids were little my wife Angel would go up to the nursing home and sing to the residence and it would have been easy to get a babysitter and leave the kids at home, but she took them with, she included them in ministry. You know most of those grandmas didn’t get to hold their great grandbabies, but they got to hold our babies, and for them that ministered to their hearts. Later as they got a little older, I would take them when I had a hospital call. Many times, they were the ones who would pray over the people that were sick. There is no better way to grow closer as a family than to serve together. Some of you are frustrated with your kids, because they are self-centered brats, they are rude and disrespectful but often we as parents are the ones creating the problem. While we complain about our kids being selfish we need to realize that that’s the message we have been modeling. They are just imitating what they have seen. We let our kids sit and watch instead of serve and work, we cater to their every want and whim, creating a selfish heart. So, let me ask you are you cultivating selfishness or service. Don’t just show your kids how to serve invite them to join you. Families that serve together stay together. Dads don’t dismiss your daughters. In verse 12 we meet a man who understood the value of working women. Throughout the centuries God has valued and invited women to build his church. Jesus was born because Mary was willing to surrender and say yes to God. She understood the ministry of motherhood. Men we need to see women as valuable vessel in God’s kingdom. Many times women do more of the work in the church than men but if you read your bible you will discover that this is nothing new, look at all the women who served and ministered to Jesus during his earthly ministry and the many women who were at the cross while there was only one man. Do you value the work of women? Does your family find ways to serve the Lord together?

3. There will always be those that serve and those that sit – Vs 5

Tekoa was a town about eleven miles from Jerusalem, and while the regular people of Tekoa were willing to commute and work the wealthy rulers refused. What kept them from participating in God’s work, pride, they wouldn’t be placed under a supervisor. As rich rulers when there was work being done in their town, they were the supervisors and others did the work. They weren’t just lazy leaders they were lording leaders who looked down on others. They were too proud to submit themselves to the supervisors of the job. They were too important to get their hands dirty. In order to serve some of you are going to have to get over self. Pride prevents a lot of people from participating in God’s work. We are not called to be spectators but participators. Are you going to sit or serve? Instead of letting pride sideline you start letting the privilege of participating in God’s kingdom motivate you to serve.

4. It’s not about your ability but your availability – Vs 8

God uses all kinds of people, Verse 8 tells us that God used a goldsmith and a perfume maker to rebuild the wall. God didn’t need a thousand masons and carpenters, he needed ordinary people who were willing to work. Remember the Ark was built by amateurs, the titanic was built by professionals. When it comes to the Almighty how available are you? These people are the opposite from those who say, “I’m too good to do this kind of work.” These are the people who say, “I might not be good at this but if it’s for God I’m game.” The goldsmith could have said I don’t do that kind of work, that’s for common people I’m a real craftsman. I can’t afford to risk get these hands skinned up working on a wall, the kind of work I do is skilled labor not servant labor. While prideful hearts kept the rulers from participating, hearts of humility caused gifted artisans to lend a help hand. It’s not about you position it’s about participating in God’s plan.  What about you are you sitting or serving? Are you making it about your ability or your availability?