Commencing Prayer: Our Father, we pray now that by your Holy Spirit you may cleanse our minds that we may hear you speak to us - that you would cleanse our hearts and eyes that we may see ourselves as you see us. For the glory of Your Son, we pray. Amen.

Well, the big question on Nehemiah 3 is: What do we do with this passage?

Ah.. congratulations to Elaine for getting all of those names right. Apart from the names, what do we do with this record of the progress of the building of Jerusalem, 2500 years ago? You read through the chapter - Nehemiah details 40 different work crews; working on the walls. Moving from the north-east corner of the Sheep Gate, right around back to the Sheep Gate again. 45 sections. 10 gates. And we're all tempted to say, "So what?" So, what do we do with it? I mean, I could point out the advantages of a well-oiled operation with a reliable infrastructure. Or, perhaps, I could point out that the work crews are organised by common interests, and perhaps that's how we should operate as a church. Or, perhaps, I could point out that even one man got his daughters involved in the labour, in verse 12, and therefore, women ought to be full labourers in the Gospel. Or, it would be an interesting sermon to spend on verse 5, to notice that the only ones who didn't get down to the work are the lazy nobles - and I could say that the congregation is full of nobles who don't want to get down and work. But, I think you'll agree that's all a misrepresentation of the text. And, it's very important because, you see, the youth group is with us. It's important we look at passages which are not immediately relevant and struggle with them because they require more attention than we are used to giving them. And, you know there are a number of very popular and lazy solutions for dealing wih passages like that. Let me give you the two most popular solutions within the Church today:

The first is to.. ah.. is the Moral Lession route. This approach reads Nehemiah as a kind of business manual.. for Christians. So, we ignore what God has done before it, and after it, we read the lessons off of the page.. Here - is a book from my study. It's by a man named Cyril Barber, and it's titled, Nehemiah and the Dynamics of Effective Leadership. And I quote, "from the Book of Nehemiah, I learned how to: plan my work, organise my time and resources, integrate my duties into the total operation of the company, how to motivate others, measure results, set realistic goals, what to do to reach my objectives, and how to solve middle-management problems." You think that's what Nehemiah is about? Here's a book by John White called, Excellence in Leadership: Reaching Goals with Prayers, Courage, and Determination. He says, and I quote, "Nehemiah is a handbook on the basic lessons of leadership." Chapter 3 is about the importance of good organization. And, here are his headings, the lessons are: setting specific goals, delegation, hard work - but not overwork, and, facing problems. And both books have a lot of very good things to say.. but there are several fatal flaws... I don't think there is any indication that Nehemiah intended his book to be read in that way; as an instruction manual for management. When you read the Old Testament that way, you treat the Old Testament like a kind of Aesop's fable. But the worst thing about reading the Old Testament in that way is that Jesus is completely irrelevant.

Well there's a second route that we use today and that is to treat Nehemiah as an allegory. Allegory takes historic events and turns them into symbols of something else, so that the Old Testament narrative becomes a sort of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul'. I was reminded of this.. ah, during the week, a story which took place in Australia, you'll be pleased to know - not Canada - of a Sunday School Anniversary service, where a young man chose to speak on David and Goliath. And, the story was acted out in front of everyone. Goliath had a breastplate, and he peeled off the breast plate strips which revealed childhood sins. And with each sin, the speaker explained - these are the kinds of Goliaths that we all meet. And then, on cue, a strapping young man, who was David, appeared on stage with a sling, which was titled Faith - and he had five smooth stones.. They were: Obedience, Service, Bible Reading, Prayer, and Fellowship. And, it was all very well until the speaker had to decide which of the five stones actually killed the giant. [Laughter here]

Now, I heard of a radio broadcast this week on Nehemiah Chapter 3. And, the preacher demonstrated an admirable inventiveness. The Horse Gate, in V. 28, reminded the preacher of horses, and soldiers, and armour, and he went straight to the Spiritual Battle and the Whole Armour of God in Ephesians 6. The Sheep Gate was, of course, a spring board to instantly go to Jesus, Who is the Good Shepherd.. and I noticed that he carefully avoided the Dung Gate. [More laughter] Nnah, I'm not sure what'd you do with that one. Now, you've got to admire the creativity of those who allegorize. But, the only problem is that the text is no longer in control. I'm in control. And, Jesus is no longer relevant again - unless He somehow fits into your allegory. So, what do we do? What do we do with Nehemiah Chapter 3? What does the building of the walls of Jerusalem, two and a half thousand years ago, have to say to us? You know, if Nehemiah didn't write this to be moralised or allegorized, why is it written? And, for help, I want to go to the New Testament and look at what Jesus says.

Now we're going to do a little Bible-flipping today - ah, we don't always do that - let's turn to Luke Chapter 24 please.

Luke 24, on page 85. This is the day that Jesus rose from the dead - He walks with two friends on the Emmaus road. They don't recognize Him. They express their bewilderment and confusion - and, look at what Jesus says to them on verse 25: '"Oh, foolish men and slow to believe all - that the Prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?" And, beginning with the Moses, and all of the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all of the scriptures the things concerning Himself.' You see, Jesus is thinking that all of the Prophets have their fulfillment in Him. In Jesus' view, the primary focus of the Old Testament is Him, and He is teaching His disciples, here, that we must read the Old Testament in this way.

Look at the end of the chapter, in verse 44: 'Again, appearing to His disciples, He said to them, "These are my words, which I spoke to you while I was still with you: That everything written about Me - in the Law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms - must be fulfilled." And He opened their minds to understand the scriptures.' The Law of Moses, and The Prophets, and the Psalms; all different parts of the Old Testament, have their fulfillment in Me, says Jesus! The character of the Old Testament is one of progress and promise towards the fulfillment in Me. Everything is written about Me, says Jesus. And, from God's point of view, all of the different parts of the Old Testament are preparation for Him - so that the deepest intention of the Book of Nehemiah is to be a witness to Jesus Christ.

That's why, when the Israelites went into the Land, the Land never really fulfilled its promise. It never became the Garden of Eden that it is supposed to be. Rather, it pointed to Christ.

Or, take the Kings of Israel, they never fulfilled the purposes that God appointed for them. They point to the Messiah of God. And, it's the same with Jerusalem, and it's the same with the Temple. They never really fulfill our God's purpose. Even though Nehemiah is building the city under God's direction, God's presence never really comes to dwell there. He has to wait until God comes into our world as a baby.

The point is simple: Jesus wants us to read the Old Testament as it is fulfilled in Him, and since He has come, we can never read the Old Testament as if He is of minor interest. He is the key and the core and the meaning. And one other passage; turn right to.. John.. Chapter 5, for a moment, please.. Page 92.

Verse 37; Jesus is speaking about the Old Testament. He says, "The Father Who sent Me has Himself born witness to me. His voice you've never heard. His form you've never seen. You do not have His word abiding in you for you do not believe in He of whom He sent. You search the scriptures because in them you think you have eternal life - and, it is they that bear witness to Me." Or, again, down to verse 46 - "If you believe Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote of Me." Here is Jesus' view of the Old Testament. It is God, the Father, bearing witness to Him! All the different parts of the Old Testament, the Law and the Prophets, the historical narrative, and the Poetry, in all its diversity, it all converges on the person of Jesus Christ.. 'The Scriptures bear witness to Me.' So that, you see the Old Testament is not just a record of God's dealing with Israel. It's not just historical narrative and inspiring story, it's God, the Father, bearing witness to His Son, Jesus Christ. And, that has huge ramifications for the way we read the Old Testament. We don't read it like greek myths and legends - trying to draw lessons from it. It is an organic whole! And, every fibre of the revelation of God in the Old Testament; History, Law and Poetry - is God's revelation bearing witness to His Son. So, this helps us with Nehemiah 3..

How do we read back Nehemiah 3 through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? When we do, there are a number of connections.. and I just want to point out three organic connections, this morning. The first is this: If what Jesus is saying is true, it means that Nehemiah 3 is our story [part of the Christian story]. The Old Testament is our story. It's not that two-thirds of the Bible is the Hebrew Scriptures, and then when you come to the New Testament it's the Christian Scriptures. The Old Testament is the Christian Scriptures as well. The men and the women who worked on the wall with Nehemiah are our spiritual ancestors. They trust the same God we trust and they face the same temptations we do. The shape of their experience is the shape of our experience. Here they are, the Children of Abraham, surrounded by enemies, fallen on hard times. All that the previous generations had built was now in ruin and devastation.

And, do you know what's so striking about Chapter 3? The Person of God is not mentioned once.. He's mentioned in Chapter 2, verse 20 and in Chapter 4, verse 4, but in Chapter 3.. the Name of God; God, Himself - there is not one reference to Him. How is the work of God seen in Nehemiah 3? He is seen in the ordinary labour of laying one brick upon another brick. The God of heaven, who sent Nehemiah back from Persia, where is He now? He's seen in the ordinary drudgery of building the walls. And, what changes putting bricks in this wall from just another building site in the ancient Near East is that it is taking place in direct fulfilment of the purposes of God, and in the direct response to prayer. And, it is exactly the same for us, of course. The purposes of God devolve on the very ordinary working circumstances in our lives. It is through the unspectacular daily realm that God works and achieves His will. And, some of us think that 'God works over there, and I work over here' but that's not true. It is through the daily drudgery, it is through the mundane of building and living - that is where the Hand of God is.

And, these builders faced circumstances that were almost impossible! How did they know that God was going to be faithful to them in this most difficult of places? I mean, the Glory of God had departed. The Word of God had not been heard for ages and ages. The entire culture around about them ridiculed their ideas and their beliefs. It would have been the easiest possible thing for them to run - from this difficult circumstance. And, we would have understood if they had run. And, if they had run, they would have missed the grace of God at work through them.*

This is our God.. and this is how He works.. His Grace shines most brightly in the darkest circumstances. And, if you and I run from the difficult circumstances, we will not see the grace of God.

We can organise our lives so that we live most securely and most protectively and most easily, and if we do, we avoid the will of God; we know nothing of His enabling grace. It is when things are difficult. It is when God seems absent. It is when it just feels like brick on brick. That is when God is fulfilling His purposes through us. This is what it means to read Nehemiah through Jesus Christ. That's the first connection - that their story is our story.

But, there is a second and deeper connection - and it is this: That Jesus, Himself, is the fulfillment of their work. The Coming of Jesus into our world is the turning point of the purposes of God, and there is now a radical change in God's dealings with us, and a change in what He calls upon us to do. The reason that Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was so to protect the Temple so that God would again come and dwell there. But, in the Person of Jesus Christ, God has entered our world in the form of a human. Now, we come into a relation with God not through the sacrifice in the Temple but through that Person of Jesus Christ. Now we have access to God. Not through proximity to Jerusalem - but through faith in Jesus Christ.

Let's see how that works. Let's turn back a couple of pages to Matthew 16. Matthew, Chapter 16, on page 17, verse 13: 'Now when Jesus came into the District of Ceasaria Philippi He asked His disciples, "Who do men say the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist. Others Elijah. Others Jeremiah, or one of the Prophets." And He said to them, "But, Who do you say that I am?" And, Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ. The Son of the living God."' And since Jesus has come into the world, this is the question that He would put to each of us: 'Who do you say that I am?' Some say that He is a prophet. Some say that He is a great one. But, Simon Peter steps forward and says: "You are the Christ." You are the Son of the living God. You are the One on Whom the purposes, the eternal purposes, of God turn. And do you know what Jesus says in verse 17? "Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah. Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but My Father, Who is in Heaven." Yes, you are right. But, anyone who comes to that conclusion, anyone who begins to see, in the Person of Jesus Christ, the One on Whom God's purposes devolve - that doesn't come from your intelligence and good breeding, it comes directly from God. And, what does that got to do with Nehemiah? Well, in coming to faith in Jesus Christ, Jesus gives us a different task. Look at the very next verse please. Verse 18: "And, I tell you, you are Peter [Cephas: a rock]**, and on this rock [petra: a (mass of) rock = the foundation, or cornerstone; Myself]** I will build my Church, and the powers of Death will not survive or prevail against it." Jesus says, 'I have come to build a new reality. God's purposes are no longer tied to the physical city of Jerusalem and the Temple, but God is now creating a new reality, a new community called the Church.' And, as Peter understands Who Jesus Christ is, Jesus draws him into concern for the Church. And, do you what the Church is, in Jesus' view, in verse 18? It is to run continual attacks on the gates of Hell to rescue people from the power of Death. It's what St. John's exists for. That's why we've met together this morning. That's why we met last Wednesday to pray. That's why we added a service last year. We're seeking to build the Church of Jesus Christ. And, that is where we learn from Nehemiah 3: we cannot do this alone.

We belong to a new community. We belong to this community because we take our identity and our loyalty from Jesus Christ. And our spiritual ancestors who built a physical wall are a picture for us that we are engaged, too, in building a community - a community that is supposed to be marked by submission to the word of Christ. And, repentence and faith in Christ. And a growing humility and love for one another, and a desire to serve one another and build others up. And we too work in a context that is marked by disobedience and devastation.

You're probably aware of the fact that the Anglican Church of Canada, since 1960, has lost 18000 members a year. We have leaders and we have seminaries who seem to take great delight in pulling bricks out of the wall, if they offend the culture. And it is crucial for us to act as our spiritual ancestors did. We need to do what we can to build the Church of Christ: To grow in love and loyalty to the Lord, to draw others into that love, and to commit ourselves to the mutual upbuilding of the Church.

We read Nehemiah through the Person of Jesus Christ. This is our story, and Jesus is the fulfillment of the work.

But, there is a third and final connection, and it is this: That we are the fulfillment of their work. One more passage; let's turn right - to the Book of Ephesians.. Chapter Two.. page 181. Listen to these wonderful words of the Apostle Paul. Pick up the.. what we've been saying already, and Ephesians Chapter Two, verse 19: "So then, you are no longer strangers and sojourners... exiles.. but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and members of the household of God, built upon the foundations of the apostles and the prophets. Christ Jesus, Himself, being the cornerstone, in Whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a Holy Temple in the Lord, in Whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." In Nehemiah, Jerusalem housed the Temple, the dwelling place of God. And Jesus has come in fulfillment of that Temple. But, in His death and resurrection, Jesus creates a new Temple - which is us. As the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in our hearts by faith, we are the Temple of the living God. Hey, it's hard for us to grasp the enormity of the privilege we have: We are the dwelling place of God, the living God, the God of Heaven. Wherever Christians gather, we are the spiritual Temple - God's presence is with us. Every local congregation is an arena for the reality of God's presence. We're built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. We stand or fall on the place that scripture plays in our lives. Our foundation is Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of the New Temple. And that is why this living Temple, that we are a part of, is growing and expanding - because Jesus Christ is the cornerstone and we take our lines from Him. He is the key to our unity. He is the key to our growth. We are bound together by our faith in Him, and do you know what our purpose is? Our purpose is this: It is to be the dwelling place of God. Isn't that remarkable! God no longer dwells in a building. He no longer just dwells in one man, Christ Jesus, He dwells in us. We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. And what that means for you this morning is this: That the reason God has called you to Himself - the reason God is saving you - is not for your own private enjoyment of forgiveness. But, is to show His purposes through you by building you and me into a spiritual house.

You see - the Church was never meant to be a place where I come and I have my needs met.*** The Church is meant to be a place where God dwells. God is building those around you - those people who are sitting in front of you and behind you and beside you - God is building them and you into a spiritual building. And the reason you have come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ is so that you will be joined with them and with one another and grow. The reason you are here at Saint John's - here is your job description, and my job description - is to build up others in their faith. It is to give yourself for the good and the growth of the people around you. It is to find ways so that you can serve. And, as we do that, we build the spiritual house in which God dwells. We build with a much greater confidence than Nehemiah, 'cause God has promised that one day, the New Jerusalem, which is not built with human hands but by the hand of God, will descend. And when it does, we will be with the Lord, and we will know Him as He is, and He will dwell with us and we will be His people forever.

Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast and inmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that, in the Lord, your labour is not in vain. Amen.

[* Shido's commentary: There is an underlying context to Dave's message here to the local Anglican community. At this present age, the local diocese has weakened under social pressures to conform to ideas contrary to the word of God, which would greatly devalue Biblical authority in the lives of Anglican believers. General leadership over this diocese has supported this pressure and the Faith of the community appears in tatters. In this message, we are being reminded of our duties in following Christ's leadership in the face of such opposition, as it is seen both inside and out, and from apparent church authority figures. The rebuilding continues... I write this for the greater community of God's Church in the world today. There is always reason to keep your hope alive. And, as I once reminded some youth in a bible class at St. Andrew's, though not every battle is ours, there is a time - Ec.3 - to stand our ground.]

[** Shido's commentary: There was once a great "misinterpretation" of this verse which may have occurred when the faith was fighting shadows at a time when those who did not have the Christian faith wanted to incorporate some useful ideas from it and thus gain acceptance; a thing known as heresy (- Heretics being in essence pretenders to the faith, and not those of the faith gone awry -). The "misinterpretation" came in a need to show which was the true faith. And from this verse, taken out of context but admittedly a subtle context, the faith, of that time and place, claimed that Jesus had set Peter at the head of a church thus establishing this church as the church for all times to come. Hence, we have one definition for the word apostolic, however an incorrect one. And as a result the church of its day was divided into a schism that should have never existed, and there have been many further schisms since. In this verse, Matthew 16: 18, we are hearing Jesus' plan to build Peter onto Himself. The Church does not issue from Peter, but rather Peter is incorporated into the living structure known as the Church of Jesus Christ, with our Lord as the foundation or cornerstone or, arguably, both.]

[*** Shido's commentary: The greatest stumbling block for Christians today in achieving their spiritual growth lies in the misunderstanding of what the Church is. This is a topic I attempt to touch on again and again. There seem to be two predominant usages, and for this reason I have capitalized, so that the two should be separate. A fellow Anglican once confidently told me that he saw no distinction. And such is the stumbling block I refer to: First, by a dictionary's definition (any will do but this one is from Collins; Canadian Edition, HarperCollins 1998) 'church' (small c denoted) is a building for public Christian worship. I am happy to say that Collins has also listed the capital C definition, which is Christians collectively. However, it has dutifully also included other capital C definitions that refer back again to the small c definition - namely, a particular Christian denomination, and christian clergy, in general. The reason these refer back to the building is that they do not refer to the Church of Jesus Christ as it was instated but rather to the works of men and women to represent themselves in the context of popular thoughts on the religion of Christianity. And while this comes awefully close to the real thing, it is still more of a picture of the reality than the reality itself - just as the Law and the sacrifices of the Old Testament, also known as the Jewish Bible, are just a picture, or as Saint Paul says [my contention], a shadow of reality (Hebrews 8: 5).

While Christians only focus on the small c, they are missing the most substantial point. The point being that we (Christians) are the Church, and being the Church means that we are representing and are being directed by God as we submit to His authority in our lives. The Church of Jesus Christ does not follow men, either in explicit authority or in popular thought (or mores), but it follows the Spirit and the Spirit follows Christ Jesus, Who follows the Father. The Church is never stagnant but always actively pursues the goals that God puts to it to accomplish. It can no more be anticipated than the movements of the wind (John 3: 8), and thus while through the Apostle Peter we are counselled to submit to those in authority over us (1 Peter 2: 13), even our religious leaders, and while these instructions indeed come from the Spirit, the Apostle Peter, himself, said, 'are we to follow the leadership of men? No, but God!' (Acts 5: 29) again acting in the prompting of the Spirit given in that context. So too, God comes first in a Christian's thoughts and actions. And, as we lean outside of these (which is allowed through the actions of our own free will), so too do we lean outside of the parameters of being the Church. The key here is that ultimately the responsibility is ours alone: in the church there is hierarchy, but in the Church there is equality under God. So long as we refuse to understand this we will be necessarily restricted in our spiritual growth to the authorities over us. And, leaders will scratch their heads in worry over our lack of initiative and apparent shallowness, though perhaps commending our dutifulness under them.]

Transcribed by Sid Matheson - Edited for the Net by Shido
For the previous recorded special sermon see: Saint John's (Shaughnessy) Anglican church