Tyler Lynde: Anyway, I'm Tyler, I'm the lead pastor here and I'm so grateful to be able to stand in front of you and share the Word of God with you.
Tyler Lynde: And we are in the book of Nehemiah, so let's turn there to Nehemiah chapter.
Tyler Lynde: We're going to start in chapter 2.
Tyler Lynde: Today's the third installment of our sermon series on the book of Nehemiah, called the Passion Project.
Tyler Lynde: The Jews had been in captivity for 160 years in one form or fashion, and through that time, several different groups of Jewish people were allowed to come back to the homeland, and to Jerusalem in particular.
Tyler Lynde: The temple had been rebuilt, but the walls surrounding Jerusalem and the gates there were 12 gates that were part of the walls were still in disarray and in bad disrepair.
Tyler Lynde: We've seen so far how Nehemiah, after understanding and receiving the word of the condition of the walls of Jerusalem, began to cry.
Tyler Lynde: He was torn up, he became passionate about the state of things within his homeland, and so what did he do?
Tyler Lynde: He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed favor toward him and he answered his prayers by causing the Persian king, artaxerxes, to give him favor and to send him out of Persia, carrying with him all the materials that he would need to rebuild the gates and the walls, and also supplies and money to be able to purchase anything else that might be needed to finish the job.
Tyler Lynde: And so Nehemiah comes out and he comes into Jerusalem, and last week, scott did a great job of teaching us how Nehemiah put his faith into action.
Tyler Lynde: He put his faith into action, and this reality is what this could.
Tyler Lynde: The reality, though, is this this one man could not do the job.
Tyler Lynde: This one man could not do the job that was needed to be done, and so today's message is entitled the Value of Teamwork.
Tyler Lynde: The Value of Teamwork.
Tyler Lynde: Let's look at Nehemiah, chapter 2, and we're going to start in verses 17 and 18, and then we're going to look at chapter 3 to help us flesh out the truths that are in these verses.
Tyler Lynde: So let's read the word of God together.
Tyler Lynde: Then I said to them you see the trouble that we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins, with its gates burned.
Tyler Lynde: Come, let us listen to the plural words.
Tyler Lynde: Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem that we may no longer suffer derision.
Tyler Lynde: And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me and they said let us rise up and build.
Tyler Lynde: So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
Tyler Lynde: Let's pray together this morning.
Tyler Lynde: Father God, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for the work that you've already done here today and, lord, we ask that this would be a continuation.
Tyler Lynde: We ask that you would take these words that you've placed in your Bible for us and that you would cause them to come alive, lord, that we would not only be hearers of the word, but we would hear this word, put our faith into action and do the things that you're asking of us.
Tyler Lynde: We thank you, holy Spirit, for saving those who are not saved and for causing those who may be in a state of disrepair in their own lives to have hope that today is the day for a new beginning, and we thank you for that in Jesus' name, amen.
Tyler Lynde: So there are two basic thoughts that, if you allow them to linger in your life, will stop any momentum in your life, and especially when it comes to your Christian community, this church and the church that God's called us to be a part of.
Tyler Lynde: I personally have experienced these two things in different ways, and I'm sure that you have as well.
Tyler Lynde: So the first one is we kind of like the way things are, Everything's good.
Tyler Lynde: We don't need the way things are, everything's good, we don't need to change a thing.
Tyler Lynde: Anybody ever lived within that reality Maybe you find yourself there right now that, my friends, if left unattended, can become a momentum killer.
Tyler Lynde: It can become a passion killer, because how many of you know that God, although he is the same yesterday, today and forever, is continually in motion.
Tyler Lynde: There is momentum.
Tyler Lynde: The kingdom of God is a momentous kingdom.
Tyler Lynde: It has movement, it breathes, it lives.
Tyler Lynde: There's activity in the kingdom of God.
Tyler Lynde: There is no point in your Christian life where there won't be some form of movement.
Tyler Lynde: Now, it doesn't mean that you have to.
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know Jesus?
Tyler Lynde: Very rarely do we hear of him running anywhere, but how many of you know he walked a lot of places and a lot of times?
Tyler Lynde: When he showed up in places, what did they say of him?
Tyler Lynde: If you'd only been here just a little bit sooner?
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know God's timing scale is not our timing scale.
Tyler Lynde: His way of measuring things is not the way that we measure things, but God is a God of movement, god is a God of momentum.
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know that Jesus also took time to be still to spend time with his father alone.
Tyler Lynde: All of that was a part of the momentum, the building of the kingdom of God.
Tyler Lynde: Those things were essential.
Tyler Lynde: So some people might say don't rock the boat, keep things the way that they are.
Tyler Lynde: Change is evil.
Tyler Lynde: Here's the thing you never want to do.
Tyler Lynde: If you believe that, don't look in the mirror every day, because a few weeks from now you look in that mirror and guess what you notice Change is happening.
Tyler Lynde: The other way you can tell change is happening is watching children grow.
Tyler Lynde: I saw Scott's granddaughter come in this morning and my goodness, he's so tall, scott, and she just shot up.
Tyler Lynde: You know, it's all the hormones in the chicken, man, I don't know.
Tyler Lynde: Sorry, that might actually stir some passion up within some of y'all, so I need to be careful there.
Tyler Lynde: Anyway, moving on, so that's one school of thought.
Tyler Lynde: Here's the other one, and maybe this one is even more invasive.
Tyler Lynde: We tried that before and it didn't work.
Tyler Lynde: We already tried that and it didn't work.
Tyler Lynde: How many of us have found ourselves in that sort of scenario?
Tyler Lynde: Imagine the children of Israel marching around Jericho after the third day.
Tyler Lynde: They said we tried that it didn't work.
Tyler Lynde: Or maybe the sixth time around the wall on that seventh day we tried that it didn't work.
Tyler Lynde: Or maybe the sixth time around the wall on that seventh day we tried that and it didn't work.
Tyler Lynde: Obedience is more important than what we perceive as something working.
Tyler Lynde: Does that make sense?
Tyler Lynde: God is always working and he's always moving.
Tyler Lynde: So let's make sure that we allow the passion of God to stir within us a desire for momentum, for movement, for change that is healthy, for change that he is bringing into our lives right, and let's shake off any kind of mindset that says I don't want to change or we've already tried that and it didn't work.
Tyler Lynde: Let's shake that off by the grace of God this morning.
Tyler Lynde: Amen.
Tyler Lynde: And that's what Nehemiah was faced with as he's talking, as he's observing and looking at how he's going to bring about change in this community.
Tyler Lynde: Nehemiah faces both of these passion stealers as he attempts to bring about a reformation among the people of God.
Tyler Lynde: Well, it's true that the temple had been restored 60 years prior to this, but the wall and the gates had been compromised and were laying in ruins for over 140 years.
Tyler Lynde: Wow, that's a long time, how many of you know you can get used to something after 140 years?
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know you can get used to something after 140 years?
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know you can almost forget that there were walls there after 140 years?
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know that weeds will take over any area that is not cultivated over 140 years?
Tyler Lynde: Right, so you can imagine, just picture with me what the scene must have looked like around Jerusalem.
Tyler Lynde: They had attempted to rebuild the walls even before and had failed miserably Again.
Tyler Lynde: All of these reasons, all of these excuses, all of these things that were screaming out to them just sit down, just hold on, just quit, just sit back.
Tyler Lynde: So we learn in our passage this morning that leadership is essential for teamwork.
Tyler Lynde: Talking about the value of teamwork, in order to have a team, you need to have at least a leader, right, or leaders.
Tyler Lynde: This is true in many different scenarios.
Tyler Lynde: How about in families?
Tyler Lynde: God has placed in families leadership.
Tyler Lynde: For those of you who are single parents, guess what?
Tyler Lynde: God has given you the authority and the leadership to help your family, to minister to your family, to lead and guide your family.
Tyler Lynde: To those of you who are married, god has given both responsibilities, but the man, specifically, is called to be the spiritual leader of his household.
Tyler Lynde: Men, we have an opportunity to be a godly leader in our homes.
Tyler Lynde: How about in workplaces?
Tyler Lynde: Is leadership essential in workplaces?
Tyler Lynde: We may not like the leadership we have in workplaces, but leadership is essential Also in governments.
Tyler Lynde: We know that that's the same case there, and we could go on and on.
Tyler Lynde: How much more is it true in Christianity that godly leadership is essential for teamwork?
Tyler Lynde: So Nehemiah is an excellent example to us of what it looks like to be a godly leader.
Tyler Lynde: So let's talk about a godly leader First of all.
Tyler Lynde: A godly leader identifies and communicates challenges.
Tyler Lynde: Godly leaders do not hide from trouble.
Tyler Lynde: Godly leaders do not run from problems.
Tyler Lynde: Godly leaders observe them, understand them and then communicate about them.
Tyler Lynde: What needs to happen, right?
Tyler Lynde: So let's go back to the verses again.
Tyler Lynde: Then I said to them Nehemiah, speaking to the crowd, you see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned.
Tyler Lynde: Nehemiah is pointing out for them there's a problem, there's a challenge, there's something that we are facing, and this was important not just because of the walls themselves being forms of protection, but it was also about the identity of a people, the identity of the people of Israel, the identity of the Jewish people.
Tyler Lynde: Jerusalem and the walls that were surrounding it were helping should have been helping to identify who these people were as the people of God.
Tyler Lynde: And yet their lives were disheveled and in disarray because they had quit attempting to repair things.
Tyler Lynde: I love that Nehemiah didn't sugarcoat it.
Tyler Lynde: He didn't say well, you know, I was just walking around today and I stubbed my toe on a rock and I thought you know, maybe somebody would like somewhere to.
Tyler Lynde: Somehow, if you don't mind, would you please move that rock?
Tyler Lynde: No, he said guys, there's a problem.
Tyler Lynde: There's a problem that we need to face.
Tyler Lynde: He had heard the report of the wall and now he'd observed it with his own eyes.
Tyler Lynde: His job, as he saw it now, was to rally the people to begin again, to begin again.
Tyler Lynde: Hear me prophetically this morning, some of you, god is calling you to begin again and I'm hearing that call myself, that clarion call from the Lord to step up, to re-engage, to begin again.
Tyler Lynde: He was communicating to everyone who would listen, to anyone who would listen to his voice.
Tyler Lynde: He was communicating to them, he was giving them a clear understanding of the issue and of the problem.
Tyler Lynde: But a godly leader doesn't just point out the problems.
Tyler Lynde: A godly leader calls others up to work with them.
Tyler Lynde: He says come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem that we may no longer suffer derision.
Tyler Lynde: Nehemiah issues again this great call to all who would hear his voice.
Tyler Lynde: And when I was reading this, I couldn't help but think of the scene from Braveheart where William Wallace gets on his horse and he's riding back and forth in front of the men who were getting ready to leave and go back to their homes and to lay down in their beds, and he's talking about the cost of freedom.
Tyler Lynde: And are you going to be content to lay down and beds?
Tyler Lynde: And he's talking about the cost of freedom.
Tyler Lynde: And are you going to be content to lay down?
Tyler Lynde: And many years from now, you may still be alive, but what will it have cost you if you lose your freedom, your freedom?
Tyler Lynde: Nehemiah, in a similar way, is rallying the troops.
Tyler Lynde: He's saying let's get, let's understand that we can do this together, let's do this thing together.
Tyler Lynde: He challenged their passion by asking them if they were content to let the nations around them mock them and mock their God.
Tyler Lynde: The nations around them were mocking them and mocking their God.
Tyler Lynde: A godly leader must receive a vision from God and then make it clear to those that will work together with them.
Tyler Lynde: Habakkuk 2 says this Write the vision, make it plain on tablets so he may run.
Tyler Lynde: Who reads it?
Tyler Lynde: We're not given every detail of Nehemiah's plan, but we know he had a plan Because we'll see as we get into chapter three how that plan was executed.
Tyler Lynde: And it's masterful.
Tyler Lynde: It's really amazing how God gave him such wisdom and insight on how to make sure that things were done in a way that would end up bringing glory and honor to God.
Tyler Lynde: And finally, a godly leader is under authority.
Tyler Lynde: What do you mean?
Tyler Lynde: I have authority if I'm a godly leader.
Tyler Lynde: We have authority because we've been given authority right.
Tyler Lynde: Nehemiah goes on to say and I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me.
Tyler Lynde: Nehemiah had been given a burden from God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and God's favor was on him to do the task that he had the burden to do.
Tyler Lynde: Not only that, but the king of Persia, a foreign king who was holding Israelites captive, sent him with his blessings, with supplies, with funding, to complete the job.
Tyler Lynde: He wasn't a lone ranger.
Tyler Lynde: Friends, we cannot afford to be lone rangers.
Tyler Lynde: I think Kelly brought this up in the first message.
Tyler Lynde: We are not called to live this Christian life alone.
Tyler Lynde: We're called to run together.
Tyler Lynde: He used the authority God gave him to steward his greatest resource of all.
Tyler Lynde: What was the greatest resource he had?
Tyler Lynde: All of the stones that were there in disarray?
Tyler Lynde: Was it the wood that he brought from Persia?
Tyler Lynde: Was it the metal that the blacksmiths had made for locks?
Tyler Lynde: Was it, you know?
Tyler Lynde: Was it the supply of finances and gold to be able to purchase anything that needed to be purchased?
Tyler Lynde: What was the greatest resource out of the call of God that was on his life?
Tyler Lynde: The greatest resource was the people.
Tyler Lynde: Leaders, please understand your greatest resources is not your company or your money or your ability to command others.
Tyler Lynde: Your greatest resource are the people who serve with you, the people who work with you, the people who walk with you.
Tyler Lynde: Let's not take for granted our children, right?
Tyler Lynde: Let's not take for granted employees.
Tyler Lynde: Let's not take for granted those that are in our community groups.
Tyler Lynde: Let's not take for granted those who are part of this church.
Tyler Lynde: Let's not take for granted the children that are back here in the children's ministry.
Tyler Lynde: Do you know?
Tyler Lynde: They're not just future participants of this church.
Tyler Lynde: They're with us, they're a part of us and we have the privilege of stewarding them by the grace of God.
Tyler Lynde: So not only do we need godly leadership, but in order to have a team, what else do you have to have?
Tyler Lynde: You can have a lot of leaders and have no what Chief or followers.
Tyler Lynde: Right, we need some workers, we need some followers.
Tyler Lynde: A team is essential for teamwork.
Tyler Lynde: I know that this is not rocket science today, but the word of God sometimes is very plain, and I'm glad that it is because I need it to be plain.
Tyler Lynde: What I need is the Holy Spirit to stir me up so that I become passionate about the things that God is passionate about.
Tyler Lynde: And they said let us rise up and build.
Tyler Lynde: So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
Tyler Lynde: I'm going to show you a picture now.
Tyler Lynde: This is Jerusalem.
Tyler Lynde: This is a rendering, obviously.
Tyler Lynde: No, it's a picture.
Tyler Lynde: It's a rendering of Jerusalem, and this is with the completed walls, and you can see it there.
Tyler Lynde: And you see all of the different gates.
Tyler Lynde: I love the fact that the gates a lot of them were pretty simple, like fish gate.
Tyler Lynde: What do you think that was for, yeah, it's, the fishermen would bring their fish in and there was a fish market there, right?
Tyler Lynde: The dung gate.
Tyler Lynde: What was the dung gate for?
Tyler Lynde: Nobody wants to say.
Tyler Lynde: That's where all the trash went.
Tyler Lynde: Okay, outside of the city, outside of the city, the fountain gate, the water gate, on and on and on the horse gate, pretty simple, and we're going to talk about the sheep gate in just a minute.
Tyler Lynde: But look at this If you look at the fish gate, that's where the sheep gate, up at the top, that's where the work began, and they worked counterclockwise around the walls all the way around back to the sheep gate.
Tyler Lynde: It's about a two mile circumference from one end to the other.
Tyler Lynde: So just picture that, think about no power tools, just picture that, think about no power tools, no lifts, no large moving vehicles.
Tyler Lynde: And if you've ever been to Israel and you've seen what remains of the wall of Jerusalem, you understand that this was some large stone work.
Tyler Lynde: This was a big deal, right?
Tyler Lynde: Everybody getting an image of that, everybody getting an image of that.
Tyler Lynde: So chapter 3 begins to describe how, under Nehemiah's leadership, different parts of the city wall were rebuilt by groups.
Tyler Lynde: There were 42 sections of the wall that this chapter speaks about 42 sections and 12 gates.
Tyler Lynde: There's 10 gates that are mentioned in this chapter, but there were 12 gates.
Tyler Lynde: There's 10 gates that are mentioned in this chapter, but there were 12 gates in Jerusalem.
Tyler Lynde: So, the spiritual leaders, first of all.
Tyler Lynde: We talked about leadership.
Tyler Lynde: Let's look at even the work itself.
Tyler Lynde: Spiritual leaders set an example.
Tyler Lynde: Look at Nehemiah 3, verse 1.
Tyler Lynde: Then Eliashib, the high priest, rose up with his brothers, the priests, and they built the sheep gate.
Tyler Lynde: They consecrated it and set its doors.
Tyler Lynde: They consecrated it as far as the tower of the hundred, as far as the tower of Hananel.
Tyler Lynde: We lead, first of all, by example.
Tyler Lynde: It's one of the things I love about the leaders in this church.
Tyler Lynde: We all have this mindset and we don't do it perfectly.
Tyler Lynde: We need your prayers, but we have this mindset that we are servant leaders.
Tyler Lynde: God has made us servants and we have the privilege of leading.
Tyler Lynde: It's fitting that the high priest should set the example.
Tyler Lynde: He was placed in charge of rebuilding the sheep gate.
Tyler Lynde: And what was the purpose of the sheep gate?
Tyler Lynde: This is where the sheep would have been brought in.
Tyler Lynde: In order to what?
Tyler Lynde: In order to be sacrificed on the temple altar, to atone for the sins of the people Think about it like this.
Tyler Lynde: There's no way that this high priest could have understood at the time the importance of this gate being restored.
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know that there would be another lamb who would walk through this gate?
Tyler Lynde: Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Tyler Lynde: And we know that he did because, if you look at John, chapter 5, verse 1, it says this after this, there was a feast of the world.
Tyler Lynde: And we know that he did because, if you look at John 5, verse 1, it says this After this, there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Tyler Lynde: Now there is in Jerusalem, by the Sheep Gate, a pool, an Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades.
Tyler Lynde: In these lay a multitude of invalids blind, lame and paralyzed.
Tyler Lynde: One man was there who had been an invalid for 38 years.
Tyler Lynde: Just think about that.
Tyler Lynde: When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him do you want to be healed, boy?
Tyler Lynde: That seems like a strange question.
Tyler Lynde: What was he looking for?
Tyler Lynde: Jesus was looking for faith in this man.
Tyler Lynde: The sick man answered and said Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up.
Tyler Lynde: I've been here 38 years.
Tyler Lynde: I've tried and I've tried and I've tried.
Tyler Lynde: And while I'm going another steps down before me, jesus said to him Get up, take up your bed and walk.
Tyler Lynde: And at once the man was healed and he took up his bed and walked.
Tyler Lynde: Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, the Messiah, is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Tyler Lynde: The perfect sacrifice.
Tyler Lynde: Put your faith and hope and trust in him today.
Tyler Lynde: Amen, amen.
Tyler Lynde: Secondly, another important part about the team is a diverse team contributed.
Tyler Lynde: First of all, there were Israelites from outside of Jerusalem that came to help.
Tyler Lynde: The Jews in Jerusalem, were assisted in their building operations by their fellow countrymen who lived in the surrounding area.
Tyler Lynde: Chapter 3 talks about the men of Jericho they knew something about walls right.
Tyler Lynde: The men of Tekoa, the men from Gibeon and Mizpah, the residents of Zenoa, those of the district of Beth-Zer and the district of Keilah.
Tyler Lynde: All of these different groups came to Jerusalem or were in Jerusalem and agreed to participate in the rebuilding process.
Tyler Lynde: Let's use the Tekoites for an example.
Tyler Lynde: In verse five it says and next next to them, the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord, what the people of Tekoa willingly served, but their nobles would not bow their knees, would not stoop themselves down to participate in serving in this venture.
Tyler Lynde: I know that some of you have leaders in your life who are not on board with you following Christ, who are not on board with you being obedient to the commandments of God, who are not on board with you pursuing Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: This is the one space where we have to make a decision to follow someone greater.
Tyler Lynde: If we had to choose between an earthly leader attempting to pull us away from God and Jesus, king of kings and Lord of lords, how many of you know Jesus is the only answer.
Tyler Lynde: So I just want to encourage you that I know it may be difficult and we're praying for you and if we can help you and be supportive of you, please let us know.
Tyler Lynde: I know how difficult.
Tyler Lynde: I don't know because I haven't fully experienced it but I want to know, I want to understand how difficult it must be for you.
Tyler Lynde: But when it comes to this type of thing, follow Jesus, follow Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: I know my mom did this for well over a year, as my dad ridiculed her and mocked her and said she was weak, and only the weak, need Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: Until one day my dad bowed his knee, took off his hat and gave his heart and soul to Jesus Christ.
Tyler Lynde: Your labor is not in vain.
Tyler Lynde: The Tekoaites were so into this.
Tyler Lynde: They were so I'm trying to think of the right word connected Verse 27,.
Tyler Lynde: It says after him, the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower, as far as the wall of Ophel.
Tyler Lynde: They got done with their part and they're like give us more.
Tyler Lynde: We want to do more.
Tyler Lynde: Is there anything else that we can do?
Tyler Lynde: I'm sure the leaders were excited with that right.
Tyler Lynde: So much diversity, so many different types of people that were there that were a part of this.
Tyler Lynde: They're also with people with varying gifts and occupations.
Tyler Lynde: Very few actual builders seem to contribute to the project.
Tyler Lynde: That's crazy to me.
Tyler Lynde: It seems like to me you'd put out a call for all of the stone workers, for all of those who know how to make wood straight and square and know how to fortify things, all of those who have experience you come and be a part of this.
Tyler Lynde: No, it was all who are willing come.
Tyler Lynde: There were goldsmiths and perfumers, several that were called rulers, and also some women.
Tyler Lynde: Come on.
Tyler Lynde: In the Old Testament.
Tyler Lynde: Some women contributed to this project.
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know, god loves women.
Tyler Lynde: God loves women and the Church of Jesus Christ in the largest part in America has been sustained throughout the generations by women who fall on their knees before him and cry out to him for their families, for their husbands and for the world.
Tyler Lynde: Now, men, men, I'm saying men, men, hear the call.
Tyler Lynde: It's time to step up.
Tyler Lynde: It's time to step up, it's time to get back, it's time to lead spiritually.
Tyler Lynde: It's one thing to command your wife to do something or to command your children to do something in anger and in wrath.
Tyler Lynde: It's another thing to lovingly lead them, like Christ leads his church.
Tyler Lynde: You know, this is an example.
Tyler Lynde: This Old Testament reality is an example of what the body of Christ is like.
Tyler Lynde: It really is.
Tyler Lynde: We are all needed in order to see God's purposes fulfilled.
Tyler Lynde: Look at 1 Corinthians 12, verse 14.
Tyler Lynde: For the body does not consist of one member, but of many.
Tyler Lynde: If the foot should say, because I'm not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body.
Tyler Lynde: And if the ear should say, because I'm not an eye, I do not belong to the body.
Tyler Lynde: That would not make it any less a part of the body.
Tyler Lynde: If the whole body were an eye, if the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?
Tyler Lynde: But as it is, god arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
Tyler Lynde: If all were a single member, where would the body be as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
Tyler Lynde: Be who God made you to be.
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know, we can work on the same types of activities, the same sort of projects, the same sort of.
Tyler Lynde: We can follow the same, be a part of the same mission, and yet each one of us brings to the table our particular slant.
Tyler Lynde: I wonder if the gold workers you know dressed up their side of the wall a little bit differently and put some gold leaf here and there, or maybe made some little ornamental things?
Tyler Lynde: I don't know.
Tyler Lynde: Maybe the perfumers you know soaked the stones with some kind of beautiful smelling aroma.
Tyler Lynde: I don't know what they did, but all of them worked together for the purpose of rebuilding the wall.
Tyler Lynde: Not only that, but team members were placed strategically.
Tyler Lynde: Strategically, god is a God of order and he's a God of strategy, and he knows what he's doing.
Tyler Lynde: First of all, when it was possible, he placed them close to their own homes.
Tyler Lynde: Why was that important?
Tyler Lynde: Why was it important for Nehemiah to place those who were working close to their own homes?
Tyler Lynde: Yeah yeah, pride in their work, ownership, all of those things right.
Tyler Lynde: When Nehemiah organized the work, he adopted the policy, like I said, wherever possible, of assigning a particular person to repair the part of the wall which was opposite his house, for this would encourage that person to work hard so as to ensure that his own home and family would be well protected.
Tyler Lynde: It was in their own interest even to help rebuild this portion of the wall.
Tyler Lynde: What's in front of your house right now of the wall?
Tyler Lynde: What's in front of your house right now?
Tyler Lynde: As you look out the windows of your house right now, what do you see that needs to be reordered?
Tyler Lynde: Where do you see areas that are broken and disheveled?
Tyler Lynde: What is it that God's put right in front of you?
Tyler Lynde: Are we being faithful with that?
Tyler Lynde: So many times, we talk about wanting to go to foreign nations and faraway places to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and is that important?
Tyler Lynde: Absolutely so.
Tyler Lynde: This church that's a big part of what we do, but how many of you know God's placed you in a neighborhood, people all around you.
Tyler Lynde: I was thinking about that this morning as we were driving out and people were walking their dogs and I was thinking we really haven't done a great job yet of reaching them for Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: What's right in front of my house and how can I be involved actively and passionately in the building of the kingdom of God?
Tyler Lynde: Not only were they close to their homes, but they were also placed next to each other.
Tyler Lynde: Twelve times in chapter three it says that they were next to the person or the people that were next to them.
Tyler Lynde: I said it again it was important for each team member to acknowledge the fact that they were serving next to others because, although they were working independently of the people next to them, they would complete this job as a team, each one doing their work next to each other.
Tyler Lynde: I'm sure that there was camaraderie.
Tyler Lynde: I'm sure if these were normal human beings, what else was there?
Tyler Lynde: There's probably some competition.
Tyler Lynde: Probably somebody cried out you call that a wall.
Tyler Lynde: I'm sure there were some that were saying that's a weird color all of these things.
Tyler Lynde: But they were all actively involved and they were working next to each other.
Tyler Lynde: Who has God placed you next to?
Tyler Lynde: I don't like that person.
Tyler Lynde: Hey, talk to God.
Tyler Lynde: He's the strategist, he's the one that's placed us next to those people.
Tyler Lynde: And God forbid, please tell me you're not saying that about your husband or your wife.
Tyler Lynde: God forbid, please tell me you're not saying that about your husband or your wife.
Tyler Lynde: If you are, call the church office and let's set up a time to get together and do some counseling.
Tyler Lynde: But God has placed us next to people for a reason, for a purpose, right?
Tyler Lynde: So let's link arms.
Tyler Lynde: And, by the way, nehemiah 3, as we read this, it reads it as a completed project.
Tyler Lynde: Guess what we're going to find out in the next few weeks.
Tyler Lynde: The project is far from over.
Tyler Lynde: There are all kinds of disturbances and things that are going to try to interrupt the flow of things, but Nehemiah is giving an overview and he's mentioning all of these people's names and all of these groups of people that were such an essential part of this passion project.
Tyler Lynde: Friends, let's not unlock arms and move away from each other unless God's the one that does it.
Tyler Lynde: If God's called you to be a part of this church, let's link arms, let's look at what's in front of us and let's work together to fulfill his purpose.
Tyler Lynde: And finally, god places a high value on teamwork.
Tyler Lynde: How do we know that?
Tyler Lynde: Let's look at Psalm 133.
Tyler Lynde: It says Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.
Tyler Lynde: It is like the precious oil on the head running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes.
Tyler Lynde: It is like the dew of Hermon which falls on the mountains of Zion.
Tyler Lynde: Is God a God of unity?
Tyler Lynde: Is God a God of teamwork?
Tyler Lynde: Is God a God that overlooks and doesn't care about division and strife and backbiting?
Tyler Lynde: God wants that to stop.
Tyler Lynde: If there are marriages that are in trouble, those who are married have a choice to make and I'm praying for you that you will make the right choice to follow after God, to pursue Him, and I'm praying for you that, whenever it is at all possible that there will be forgiveness and restoration and redemption.
Tyler Lynde: Also praying that for families.
Tyler Lynde: I know that there are some families that are ostracized from one another.
Tyler Lynde: When it's within your power to do so, would you consider humbling yourself and reaching out and loving, with boundaries that are healthy?
Tyler Lynde: I understand that, but would you consider being that person and being passionate about restoration, about relationship and within our church as well.
Tyler Lynde: We could all just come together on Sundays and we do, and I'm so grateful for that.
Tyler Lynde: But, man, wouldn't it be better if we could have meals together, if we could see each other at Walmart and not duck and hide, but we'd go find each other and we'd spend 30 minutes just catching up, just because we can't hardly stand being apart?
Tyler Lynde: Wouldn't it be amazing if we, as a group of people, as a church, decided that we were going to follow God when it comes to being passionate about the things that he's passionate about?
Tyler Lynde: How would the world change if the Christians in America would put God's priorities as their priorities?
Tyler Lynde: My friends, we are not waiting for the government to change this country.
Tyler Lynde: We are not waiting for the government to change this country.
Tyler Lynde: God's the only one that can change the heart of people, and how does he do that?
Tyler Lynde: A lot of times, he does it through Christians who are not perfect but who are attempting, by God's grace, to live out the values and the truths that are found in the word of God.