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Nehemiah 11Page 414 in Pew Bibles

Nehemiah Nehemiah 1111

1. Now the leaders of the people stayed in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots for one out of ten to come and live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine-tenths remained in their towns.

2. The people praised all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

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Nehemiah 11

What’s Going On…What’s Going On…

• The people have:– Repaired the city wall– Returned to the Bible – Repented of their sins– Reconnected with God

• The people have moved away from being dysfunctional

• They are now following God’s plan to become fully functional>

A Fully Functional A Fully Functional Community of FaithCommunity of FaithWhat It Takes To Make It All Work

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1. Somebody’s Got To Be 1. Somebody’s Got To Be The FirstThe First

• Vs. 1 “Now the leaders of the people stayed in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots for one out of ten to come and live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine-tenths remained in their towns.”

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1. Somebody’s Got To Be 1. Somebody’s Got To Be The FirstThe First

• The wall was rebuilt, but the city was empty.

• The people had built their homes and established their lifestyles.

• This means they will have to start all over from scratch.

• It was inconvenient, but it was necessary to get things going.

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Raymond Raymond BrownBrown

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What they preferred was secondary to what God desired. …One can hardly fail to admire the faith, love, sacrifice, and heroism of people who were prepared to uproot themselves from familiar surroundings in Judah and sever established friendships, because… they were persuaded it was the will of God for them to do so.

The Message of Nehemiah, IVP, page 196

1. Somebody’s Got To Be 1. Somebody’s Got To Be The FirstThe First

• It’s like starting the new Sunday School.

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2. Somebody’s Got To Volunteer2. Somebody’s Got To Volunteer

• Vs. 2 “The people praised all the men who volunteeredvolunteered to live in Jerusalem.”

Used of freewill offeringsUsed of freewill offeringsNKJV: “The men who willingly NKJV: “The men who willingly

offered themselves”offered themselves”

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2. Somebody’s Got To Volunteer2. Somebody’s Got To Volunteer

• Vs. 2 “The people praised all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.”

• While they cast lots for 10% of the population to go, some volunteered and all went gladly.

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2. Somebody’s Got To Volunteer2. Somebody’s Got To Volunteer

• Vs. 2 “The people praised all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.”

• Judges 5:2 “When the leaders lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, praise the LORD.”

• Vs. 2 “The people praisedpraised all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.”

• At the stadium for the games– The crowd shouted “Axios, axios!”– Telling victors, “You are worthy of our

praise”– What is considered worthy of praise in the

Lord’s church today?

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3. The Right Things Have 3. The Right Things Have Got To Be HonoredGot To Be Honored

• 11:18 “All the Levites in the holy cityholy city”• 11:1 “Jerusalem, the holy cityholy city”• Holy does not mean magical• Holy means set apart from all else for

the Lord• It’s about purpose: the city has been set

aside for the Lord’s special use

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4. The Entire Community Needs 4. The Entire Community Needs to Remember Whose We Areto Remember Whose We Are

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5. Everything Has To Be Biblical5. Everything Has To Be Biblical

• 12:45 “They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed.”

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• 12:45 “They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had as David and his son Solomon had prescribedprescribed.”

First Chronicles 23-26First Chronicles 23-26

5. Everything Has To Be Biblical5. Everything Has To Be Biblical

• 11:10, 12 “The priestspriests… did the work atat the temple”– The priests helped the people deal with

their sins• 11:16 “The LevitesLevites, who supervised the

work outsideoutside the house of God”– These Levites took care of the building

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6. Everybody Has to Do His Part6. Everybody Has to Do His Part

• 11:17 “Mattaniah… the leader who began the thanksgiving in prayer”– He was the chanter/worship leader

• 11:19 “The gatekeepersgatekeepers… and their relatives, who guarded the gates”– They secured God’s people from enemies

• 11:21 “The temple servantstemple servants lived on the hill of Ophel [in the city]”– “Those given” to the Priests and Levites– They gave practical assistance.

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6. Everybody Has to Do His Part6. Everybody Has to Do His Part

• 11:22-23 “SingersSingers for the service of God’s house. For there was a command of the king regarding them, and an ordinance regulating the singers’ daily tasks”

• 12:24 They “gave praise and thanks, division by division, as David the man of God had prescribed”

• They gave expression to the people’s worship.

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6. Everybody Has to Do His Part6. Everybody Has to Do His Part

• Ephesians 4:16, NKJV: “From [Jesus] the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every every part does its sharepart does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

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6. Everybody Has to Do His Part6. Everybody Has to Do His Part

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