Nehemiah 11:1-2

Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem. The rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten of them to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns. 2 The people commended all who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

After the completion of the Walls there is a call to populate and dedicate the city which starts with a:

1. Call to move out of our comfort zones – 11:1-2

Most of the families living outside Jerusalem depended entirely on the land for their daily existence. Over the years they had developed a pattern of life as they plowed, planted and harvested their crops. For many of them, the thought of leaving their comfort zone was highly traumatic. But some left their homes, relatives, neighbors, work, friends, and familiar routines to set up a new life in a radically different environment. It’s here that we discover 2 groups of people, those who were drafted and those who volunteered. During Old Testament times, the casting of lots was used to discover God’s Divine will. The lots were cast, and people were called to step out of their comfort zones. There were probably many who were happy in their present place of residence and didn’t want change. Nevertheless, when their lot came up their plans changed. If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. The problem with most of our prayer lives is that we spend them telling God our plans instead of pursuing His. We petition Him to bless our wants instead of bowing to His Will. In order for them to submit to Gods goals their thinking had to change. It was not about what they desired, but what God desired. Their preference had to become secondary to God’s plan. God’s Will had to take priority over every other consideration. But what made this a joy and not a job was that it was a holy task, they were being called to live in the “holy city.” When it came down to it, being chosen was an immense privilege. Look participating in God’s plan is not a pain it’s a privilege. But there is another group of people here as well, these were not the ones that were drafted they were the ones that volunteered. Which group are you in, are you the drafted disciple or the consenting Christian? You will never serve as long as you make it about self. Service requires sacrifice. But today we have convinced ourselves that we can serve Christ out of our comfort. Many Churches are functioning based on the comfort of their parishioners instead of the crisis in their communities. When Churches base the mission around comfort instead of Christ, they become not just reluctant to change but resistant. Are you willing to leave your comfort zone for the sake of the kingdom? I don’t know what God might be asking you to do, but I do know that He wants you to be available. When God called me to be a preacher, I had to say no to a career, I had to say no to my extended family, in the last 22 years I have been home 3 times. Now I find myself with a new calling, to leave the church and community I love to become a pastor to pastors. What is God asking you to do that is going to stretch you? Maybe it’s a short-term mission’s trip. Maybe He is asking you to pray for your neighbors and look for ways to care for them. Isn’t it sad that for many of us loving our neighbor is outside our comfort zone. What is God laying on your heart, when we are burdened, we must go like those that didn’t wait for a lot to be cast. They were already prepared to uproot themselves, because they were already persuaded that God’s plan was worth pursuing. Their hearts were convinced, and they were ready for the challenge. Whatever it is, are you willing to step out of your comfort zone and live outside your normal boundaries, are you willing to let God stretch you? Or are you going to try and live your life as a comfortably complacent Christian? You want to know what the problem in the church is, we are so busy clinging to our comfort zones that we are no longer clinging to the cross. We have become summer soldiers instead of sold out soldiers. William Gurnall said, “The soldier is summoned to a life of active duty and so is the Christian and the very nature of the calling precludes a life of ease”. How sensitive are you to God’s call on your life? Are you will to be like Isaiah who in Isaiah 6:8 says, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Nehemiah 10:32-39

³² “We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God: ³³ for the bread set out on the table; for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon feasts and at the appointed festivals; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings to make atonement for Israel; and for all the duties of the house of our God.³⁴ “We—the priests, the Levites and the people—have cast lots to determine when each of our families is to bring to the house of our God at set times each year a contribution of wood to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Law.³⁵ “We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the Lord each year the firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree.³⁶ “As it is also written in the Law, we will bring the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our God, to the priests ministering there.³⁷ “Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and olive oil. And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work. ³⁸ A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury. ³⁹ The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and olive oil to the storerooms, where the articles for the sanctuary and for the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the musicians are also kept.“We will not neglect the house of our God.”

Not only did they commit themselves to submit to the Word of God, to live separated from the world and to savor the Sabbath but they also commit to:

4. Supporting God’s work – Vs 32-39

Verse 39 sums up their commitment: “We will not neglect the house of our God.” The temple in Jerusalem stood at the heart of their religious, moral and spiritual life. In symbolic terms it proclaimed the presence and power of God among His people. What is interesting to note is that the bulk of their words are tied to tithing and it’s here that we learn several important things about giving.

1. It was responsible giving. Look at verse 32 and verse 35 where the people say that “they assume responsibility…” They owned it and gave what they owned because they saw it as their privilege not as a pain. Are you being responsibility with God’s riches?

2. It was an act of obedience, they didn’t practice “impulse giving” but instead gave as an expression of practical obedience. Those who love Him will do what He says. Verse 32 says they were “carrying out the commands to give.” God had been good to His people, and generosity is the appropriate response.

3. It was systematic. Not only was it obedient it was orderly. There was nothing haphazard about their giving. Verse 32 says that they were to bring a third of a silver shekel each year. Verse 34 states that lots were drawn to determine when families were to bring a contribution of wood at set times each year. Verse 35 tells us that first fruits were brought each year. There was an orderliness about these offerings. The New Testament teaches systematic giving as well in 1 Corinthians 16:2: “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income…”

4. It was proportionate. The reference to the wood offering provided an opportunity for many of the poor people in Israel to bring a gift to God that would demand time rather than treasures. The temple needed a regular supply of firewood to keep the sacrificial fires burning and everyone, regardless of income, could gather wood and take it to the temple.

5. It was sacrificial. They were to bring to God’s house the “first fruits.” To offer the first of their crops was to declare that God was the giver of all things, that everything belongs to Him, and that He is worthy of the best we can offer Him. While not everyone can give the same amount, everyone can make the same sacrifice. Not equal giving, but equal sacrifice. They gave the first and best of everything to God. They didn’t give God their leftovers. What about you are you giving God your treasure or your trash? Is the first thing you consider in every paycheck your giving to God? When it comes to giving, we can do it:

• Because we have to that’s law
• Because we ought to that’s obligation
• Because we want to that’s grace

They were saying, “We will give. We will give of ourselves, of our crops, of our money. We will commit ourselves and our commitment will be backed up with action.” That is the only kind of commitment that really counts because words are cheap. If you want to know how completely committed to Christ and His cause a person is all you have to do is look at their friendships, their calendar, and their checkbook. Many of us never come to the point of getting serious in our walk with God simply because we never get specific with Him. We hear sermons and sense the Spirit’s tug at our heart, but until we decide to be completely committed to Him, we won’t be.