February 09 2025 // Nehemiah 3
APPLICATION: Read & watch/listen to Nehemiah3
Nehemiah 3
It Takes Us All!!
To accomplish Gods purpose in the kingdom:
1) There must be Common Vision-
a) Priests set the tone
b) Unity – the phrase “next to them” and “after him”
2) There must be Dedicated Leaders -
a) Nehemiah set everything in motion
His burden
His planning
b) Priest leading spiritually and physically
c) Leader of their portion - different groups took on different sections of the wall
3) There must be Willing Workers (Refer to list of workers)
a) People from all “walks of life” showed up to work
b) No matter who you are God calls you to HIS purpose and HIS work
c) As a church with a unified vision we can and will accomplish Gods work
Life Application:
1. A poem to consider…
There was a clever young guy named Somebody Else
There was nothing this guy can’t do
He is busy from morning till late at night
Substituting for you
You’re asked to do this or do that
And what is your ready reply
Get Somebody Else to do that job
He’ll do it much better than I
SO much to do in this weary old world
So much to do and workers so few
And Somebody Else, all weary and worn
Is still substituting for you
The next time you’re asked to do something worthwhile
Just give this ready reply
If Someone Else can give the time
My goodness, so can I.
2.You are famished. You haven’t eaten for several days, but you have been invited to a banquet. You arrive and are seated with the other guests as huge platters of delicious smelling food are served. But then you discover that you have a rather serious problem: your arms will not bend at the elbow! You can’t get the food from your plate to your mouth! Then you learn that everyone else at the banquet has the same problem! No one can taste this feast unless he decides to go for it face first, like a pig.
But then one guy gets an idea. He reaches down with his fork and gets a mouthful of food. With his stiff arm, he swings it over into his neighbor’s mouth. His neighbor reciprocates and soon everyone is feeding one another and enjoying the banquet.
That’s a rough picture of how God’s people should function. God made us as individuals and we should not deny it. But at the same time, He has made us as interdependent individuals. We are many members, but one body in Christ. He wants us to learn to work together. God Himself is a Trinity. He is one God consisting of three persons, each of which is fully God. The three persons are in perfect unity of being and harmony in working together. God wants His people to reflect His image by working together in unity and harmony.
Digging Deeper:
1. The gates of Nehemiah's Jerusalem were designed to protect the city from trouble. Some of the gates include:
Fish Gate: A main entrance to the city where fishermen would sell their catch
Sheep Gate: A gate used by shepherds to bring sheep into the city for sacrifices at the temple
Old Gate: A gate on the northern side of the city wall that was repaired by the Jebusites
Fountain Gate: A gate named for its location near the Siloam Tunnel
Dung Gate: A gate that led to the Western Wall and the Southern Wall Archaeological Park
Valley Gate: A gate repaired by Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah
Water Gate: A gate where Ezra and the priests held a Bible conference
Horse Gate: A gate mentioned in Nehemiah
Gate of the Fountain: A gate located at the Gihon spring on Ophel
In the Bible, gates are often associated with power, defense, and safety.
Questions to Consider:
Prayer:
Nehemiah 3
It Takes Us All!!
To accomplish Gods purpose in the kingdom:
1) There must be Common Vision-
a) Priests set the tone
b) Unity – the phrase “next to them” and “after him”
2) There must be Dedicated Leaders -
a) Nehemiah set everything in motion
His burden
His planning
b) Priest leading spiritually and physically
c) Leader of their portion - different groups took on different sections of the wall
3) There must be Willing Workers (Refer to list of workers)
a) People from all “walks of life” showed up to work
b) No matter who you are God calls you to HIS purpose and HIS work
c) As a church with a unified vision we can and will accomplish Gods work
Life Application:
1. A poem to consider…
There was a clever young guy named Somebody Else
There was nothing this guy can’t do
He is busy from morning till late at night
Substituting for you
You’re asked to do this or do that
And what is your ready reply
Get Somebody Else to do that job
He’ll do it much better than I
SO much to do in this weary old world
So much to do and workers so few
And Somebody Else, all weary and worn
Is still substituting for you
The next time you’re asked to do something worthwhile
Just give this ready reply
If Someone Else can give the time
My goodness, so can I.
2.You are famished. You haven’t eaten for several days, but you have been invited to a banquet. You arrive and are seated with the other guests as huge platters of delicious smelling food are served. But then you discover that you have a rather serious problem: your arms will not bend at the elbow! You can’t get the food from your plate to your mouth! Then you learn that everyone else at the banquet has the same problem! No one can taste this feast unless he decides to go for it face first, like a pig.
But then one guy gets an idea. He reaches down with his fork and gets a mouthful of food. With his stiff arm, he swings it over into his neighbor’s mouth. His neighbor reciprocates and soon everyone is feeding one another and enjoying the banquet.
That’s a rough picture of how God’s people should function. God made us as individuals and we should not deny it. But at the same time, He has made us as interdependent individuals. We are many members, but one body in Christ. He wants us to learn to work together. God Himself is a Trinity. He is one God consisting of three persons, each of which is fully God. The three persons are in perfect unity of being and harmony in working together. God wants His people to reflect His image by working together in unity and harmony.
Digging Deeper:
1. The gates of Nehemiah's Jerusalem were designed to protect the city from trouble. Some of the gates include:
Fish Gate: A main entrance to the city where fishermen would sell their catch
Sheep Gate: A gate used by shepherds to bring sheep into the city for sacrifices at the temple
Old Gate: A gate on the northern side of the city wall that was repaired by the Jebusites
Fountain Gate: A gate named for its location near the Siloam Tunnel
Dung Gate: A gate that led to the Western Wall and the Southern Wall Archaeological Park
Valley Gate: A gate repaired by Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah
Water Gate: A gate where Ezra and the priests held a Bible conference
Horse Gate: A gate mentioned in Nehemiah
Gate of the Fountain: A gate located at the Gihon spring on Ophel
In the Bible, gates are often associated with power, defense, and safety.
Questions to Consider:
- Why does Nehemiah list out so specifically each person's name and where they were working?
- What can we learn from this?
- What observations do you have about this chapter?
- What kinds of people were working on this wall?
- Can we learn any lessons from them about unity?
Prayer: