Nehemiah 11:1, 12:27-47

²⁷ At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres. ²⁸ The musicians also were brought together from the region around Jerusalem—from the villages of the Netophathites, ²⁹ from Beth Gilgal, and from the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the musicians had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. ³⁰ When the priests and Levites had purified themselves ceremonially, they purified the people, the gates and the wall.³¹ I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall. I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed on top of the wall to the right, toward the Dung Gate. ³² Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them, ³³ along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, ³⁴ Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, ³⁵ as well as some priests with trumpets, and also Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zakkur, the son of Asaph, ³⁶ and his associates—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani—with musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra the teacher of the Law led the procession. ³⁷ At the Fountain Gate they continued directly up the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and passed above the site of David’s palace to the Water Gate on the east.³⁸ The second choir proceeded in the opposite direction. I followed them on top of the wall, together with half the people—past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall, ³⁹ over the Gate of Ephraim, the JeshanahGate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. At the Gate of the Guard they stopped.⁴⁰ The two choirs that gave thanks then took their places in the house of God; so did I, together with half the officials, ⁴¹ as well as the priests—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah with their trumpets— ⁴² and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam and Ezer. The choirs sang under the direction of Jezrahiah. ⁴³ And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.⁴⁴ At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits and tithes. From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites, for Judah was pleased with the ministering priests and Levites. ⁴⁵ They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did also the musicians and gatekeepers, according to the commands of David and his son Solomon. ⁴⁶ For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for the musicians and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.⁴⁷ So in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the musicians and the gatekeepers. They also set aside the portion for the other Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.

After the call to move out of our comfort zones we see secondly a:

2. Commit to Holiness – 11:1 “Holy City”

Moving out of their comfort zone involved a commit to holy living. They didn’t just agree to live in a remodeled city; they were coming to “the holy city.” To live in the holy city was not only a great privilege, but it was also a challenging responsibility. It’s one thing to have a home in a holy city; it’s another thing to make a home holy. Notice that purity started first with the priests and then the people, verse 30. Living in a holy context did not automatically transmit holiness to the individual citizens. It’s not so much about the place as it is the position of your heart. Have you committed yourself to holiness and purity? Are you living your life separated from the “world” because you’re set apart for His use? God is calling you to live in His glory not in the ghetto. Some of us have settled for slumming instead of serving. But we were not saved to be slaves of the slums but servants of the Savior. Today we work hard to have clean, healthy homes, yet we let them become dumping grounds for the pollution contained in many television programs, movies and popular music. We have become a culture of clean homes and contaminated hearts and it’s time to reignite our passion for purity. It’s time for us to stop buying into the lie that macho men sleep around. Look real men don’t mess around they control their passions because they care more about the Father and His purpose than their pleasure. This leads us to the last call a:

3. Commitment to Worship – 12:27-47

Nehemiah 12 reveals that there were two choirs who walked on top of the walls of the city and met up by the temple. As they went, they worshiped and gave thanks. This reminds us of the Purpose of Worship. Celebration is the primary aspect of worship. It does not begin with us, but with who God is, what God has said, and what God has done. Thanksgiving is a way of marveling at God’s generosity. Verse 31 tells us that the choirs were appointed “to give thanks.” That was their job or purpose. By offering themselves in dedication, they were surrendering themselves to God. The secret of acceptable worship is not simply what we do but how we do it and who we do it for. There should be nothing half-hearted about worship, because true worship is the outflow of supremely grateful people whose hearts have personally experienced the lavish generosity of God. It’s here that we also see an aspect of worship we often forget about and that is the Witness of Worship. Verses 31-39 tell us that the leaders went up on the top of the wall. The Jews were accustomed to having workers and watchers on the walls, but now we see worshippers on the walls. The two large choirs walked on top of the wall, one heading north the other south. Nehemiah understood that the people needed to see and touch the walls during this dedication service because it was a visual reminder of God’s power and faithfulness. As the church we need to walk on the top of God’s work. We need to walk on what He has done. What has God done in your life, when was the last time you walked on that wall and worshipped God with all your heart. As the people worshiped and walked on God’s work, they bore witness to a watching world of what God had done and that He alone should get the glorified. The enemy had said in 4:3 that the walls were so weak that they would fall down if even a fox walked along the top, but here the people are marching on the walls! The enemy wants to convince you that Christ’s work on the cross is not enough, what you need to do is to stand firm on the foundation of your faith and be a witness to the world of the incredible work of God. As they marched on top of the walls, everyone could see what was happening, and for miles around unbelievers heard the sound of praise. Verse 43 tells us that “The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.” So, let me ask you how far does your joy reach? Is the world witnessing your worship or your whining? Oh, we worship here but do we worship in the workplace, do they see our love for the Lord not just on our lips but in our lifestyles. But there is another reason that they walked the walls. It was a symbolic act by which they stepped out in faith to claim God’s blessing. In that day, to walk on a piece of property meant to claim it as your own. In Genesis 13:17 Abraham was told to walk around the promised land and God would give it to him. In Joshua 1:3, God said to Joshua, “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” Joshua walked around Jericho and what did God do? So, let me ask you are you walking by faith around your current circumstance in worship and praise or are you whining and protesting? Have you prayed your way all around every aspect of it? Lastly, we see that worship isn’t just what we do with our mouths but what we do with our money. The people gave of their tithes and treasure and notice it wasn’t just because it was the law, it was because they loved their leaders, Verse 44 “For all the people of Judah took joy in the priests and Levites and their work.” The people appreciated their pastors why because they served the sheep. Pastors it’s not about a position it’s about a privilege. So, let me ask you are you serving God’s people with passion and joy or has it become just a job?

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.

As we continue to look at moving out of our comfort zones we see the sacrifice involved. These people had to move from the country to the city, give up their way of life, everything that they knew and were comfortable with. Like them we can have a lot of excuses for not going. Sometimes we are just lazy, and we don’t want to lead. Notice that verse 3 starts with a list of leaders who answered the call. What kind of leadership legacy are you going to leave, one of comfort or conviction? Many of us are mouthing the message we are just not modeling the message. We are buying into a culture that craves comfort. As a result, we are teaching and training our children that comfort not conviction is the most important aspect of being a Christian. But Christ didn’t call us to a life of comfort but one of commitment. We have seen our country go from men and women willing to sacrifice for their country and storm the beaches of Normandy to one where we curl up in a ball and cry if things get uncomfortable. We have gone from soldiers that sacrifice to snowflakes that are selfish. But another reason that we don’t go is that we don’t feel qualified, that we are not good enough. But if there is one thing that this passage teaches us it’s that it’s not about your past or our pedigree. Two of the tribes mentioned are Judah and Benjamin. These two tribes really have a checkered past. At least one of Judah’s children was born of incest (Perez) who went on to became known as one of the mightiest warriors in the nation and is also mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:1-3. The tiny tribe of Benjamin also had a record of sexual sins, including rampant homosexuality. From Benjamin came two Saul’s, one the first king in Israel; the other Saul later had his name changed to Paul. After Saul was converted, he went on to start churches all over the known world and wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else. Two tribes with terrible pedigrees that God used for His purposes despite their checkered past. Some of you may have gotten a rough start like Judah and Benjamin. But starts are only that, because it’s not so much about how you begin but how you finish that counts! Look God is not interested in your pedigree, where you got your start, who your Daddy might be, or what degrees and honors you hold. God is not hung up on your history, He cares about your heart. It’s time to stop letting your history hold you back from serving the Savior. If God only ever used perfect people, there would be no great stories of faith. We have a God who can blot out our blemishes and bind up what is broken. Yet right now there is a voice in your mind that wants to argue with this truth, a voice that wants to tell you that you have gone too far, that your sin is bigger than the Savior, that your messes are bigger than His mercy. But no matter how much you have failed, God’s grace says that you are fixable. If you don’t believe me then take a look at some of the messes that God moved through:

Noah was a drunk that God used.

Abraham was a chronic liar and God used him.

Sarah was a liar who laughed at God’s promise, and God used her.

Jacob was a manipulator and liar and God used him.

Moses was a murderer who had a major problem with anger, and God used him.

Rahab was a prostitute and a liar, and God used her.

Samson was in essence, a selfish sex-addict and God still used him.

David was an adulterer, a murderer, and a failure as a father, and God used him.

Jonah was an angry servant who disobeyed God, threw temper tantrums and spent more time pouting than preaching but God still used him.

The Apostle Peter received divine revelation that Jesus Christ was the son of God (Matthew 16:16-17), but turned around and became an adversary, speaking for the devil, and trying to prevent Jesus from fulfilling His mission to the point that Jesus had to rebuke him (Matthew 16:22-23). He went on to deny Jesus three times, yet God still used him mightily to encourage, teach, heal, minister to, lead and grow the early church. He wrote books in the New Testament, and His writings continue to help us grow as Christians to this today. Are you letting comfort or conviction control your life? Are you giving in to laziness or are you holding back because you feel inadequate? Tell God your fears and failures and let Him change your heart from one of fear to one of faithfulness.