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Perhaps you are wondering what a building project that took place over 2,400 years ago in land 3,000 miles away has to do with us today. Where does this connect? Have you ever felt that world of God, angels, miracles, spiritual experience, or transcendent purpose is just a million miles from your lived experience? Have you ever felt that life has become slightly colourless – stuck in repetitive cycles at work or unemployment, nothing seems to change so nothing seems to matter. Did you ever wake up in the morning and think nothing I do today will make the slightest difference to anyone’s life? Or get home after a day and think – what have I actually accomplished today? This building project has something to help you. Or maybe you’re at the other end of the spectrum (perhaps you’re killing it at work) your opinion matters, people want to know what you think. People trust you to get things done and they’re grateful for your help. Life is busy (but it’s the good kind of busy), it’s full. It’s exciting. You wake up with purpose and you go to bed content. This building project has something for you too.

This building project is a small part of a big story. The big story is what God is doing all over the world and throughout history. And this building project teaches us how to understand and interpret our life as part of that big story.
If we will learn from it, we can learn to live our lives purposefully, hopefully, resiliently, joyfully and realistically – all our days and in all circumstances. You may be at school or university, or you may be retired. You may be sick or you may be successful. And – you may belong to a church, which is part of a denomination whose leaders are abandoning God’s word and God’s ways. What does God say to us in these chapters of Nehemiah?

Jerusalem Back then

These chapters describe the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls under the leadership of Nehemiah and amidst opposition from Sanballat and his goons. The significance of this project is the city of Jerusalem – the place where God had promised to put his name. The God of the Bible is not a local god, the god of Jerusalem only, he’s the God of the whole world. He is present everywhere all the time, but he chose to make Jerusalem a meeting point between God and man. God chose Jerusalem for the sake of his people.
It was an act of Grace. The problem from Genesis 3 was humanity was banished from God’s presence. God’s kindness and grace was to re-establish contact – and he chose to do that at Jerusalem. Try to imagine the sense of hopelessness of an Old Testament Israelite if Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed: “God says we meet here – but we’ve been taken away from here into Exile.” And what’s more “here” doesn’t exist anymore – it’s just rubble and wilderness. It’s like going to the Doctor hoping to get better – and being told those dreaded words: “There’s nothing we can do.” Or sitting down with an accountant examining your financial records and being told: “There’s no way out of this one – you’ll lose the business, the house, everything.”

That’s the significance of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day. They weren’t just laying brick. They were restoring the meeting place of God and his people.
They were putting Jerusalem back on the map and lifting the meeting place between God and man up high – so that (Isaiah 2.3):

For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

And so that many peoples could say:

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.

Jerusalem Today

That’s what they were doing. What about today? What we find in the New Testament is that Jerusalem on earth corresponds to Jerusalem in heaven. And the people of the heavenly Jerusalem are those who turn to Jesus Christ, repent of their sins and trust in his death and resurrection for forgiveness and life. The heavenly Jerusalem is made up of people from all over the world. The meeting point between God and man is the Cross of Christ. Those who worship God are those who believe in Christ and receive his Spirit. Look with me at the final picture God gives us of the Jerusalem in heaven from our New Testament reading. Revelation 21.11 tells us:

It shone with the glory of God, it’s brilliance was like that of a very precious Jewel, like a Jaspar, clear as Crystal.

These guys in Nehemiah’s time weren’t just laying brick. They were playing their part in building that amazing future – which will be our future and the future of everyone who trusts in Christ. Like I said the earthly Jerusalem corresponds to the heavenly. So the walls back in Nehemiah’s day defined the people of God. A bit like when you go to an airport and go through passport control – there are two queues, one for residents and one for non-residents. I recently went to Japan and we spent 2 hours queuing to get in. But when I came back to the UK, my passport allowed me into the resident queue, we were through in 10 minutes. The walls marked out the residents from the non residents. It separated those inside the people of God from those outside. Look again at the walls of the heavenly Jerusalem in Revelation 21.12:

It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Like in an airport, the gates of the city are for the residents of the city to enter through. And when a person comes to Jesus, they receive citizenship to that city from him. Jesus qualifies people to belong to that city. So if you are a Christian, you might be British, Turkish, Irish, Ghanaian, Afghan or Japanese by culture and ethnicity – but more fundamentally we are citizens of this heavenly city; true children of Abraham; children of God – by the grace of God. And look at the foundations of the heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 21.14):

The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

In Nehemiah’s day they had to dig foundations and lay brick. That was the job they were given. But the heavenly Jerusalem; the foundations are the 12 Apostles. The Apostles’ job was to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ; his death and resurrection, and to call people to repent and believe in him. That is, the way someone becomes part of this city is by hearing and believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which announces his death, resurrection and lordship over the whole earth. And which ends with his appeal to all people to repent from sin and come into his Kingdom. The foundations of Nehemiah’s Jerusalem was brick and stone; and all God’s people were called to build it. The foundations of the heavenly Jerusalem is the Gospel of Christ; and all God’s people are called to proclaim it.

Today’s Building Project

So what do we see about the work God gives us to do when we look at the work God gave them to do? The work of their generation and the work of our generation are both small parts of the same larger story. And what we see is that building the walls of Jerusalem is hard work, it involved everyone, and it was fiercely opposed – but God fights for the builders. And everyone who puts their hands to the job is remembered and their work is recorded. Nehemiah 3 pays honour to everyone who picked up tools and worked. Name after name, section by section. Doesn’t matter who you are; in Nehemiah 3.8 – we’re told that perfumers and goldsmiths didn’t think themselves above laying bricks for Jerusalem. Though Nehemiah 3.5 tells us that sadly there were some who would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors. It’s a shame – everyone else is working but these guys don’t show up. I don’t know, maybe they didn’t like being told what to do. Maybe they thought they had other important work to do so other, less significant people, could do the grunt work. I don’t know what it was, but here’s the thing, when the glorious heavenly Jerusalem, which shines with the glory of God – it’s the bricklayers, not the nobles, who can say God gave me a share in building that which when it appears, what will they think of the other things they pursued?

It’s hard work. It involves everyone. And it is our privilege to have a share in building the heavenly Jerusalem which will shine with the Glory of God forever. But it is constantly opposed, ridicule and threats from outside – from Sanballat and his goons. Then discouragement and despair from within – when some of the Jews start doing the enemy’s propaganda for them (Nehemiah 3.10):

The strength of the labourers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.

Nehemiah 3.12:

Wherever you turn, they will attack us!

What we will learn from Nehemiah as we read though it is that God’s people never get a break. With walls or without – there is always opposition. There is no golden age of Christianity where “all was as it should be” – the devil never sleeps, he is relentless in his opposition and far more cunning than we are. Our only hope is in God – who is a constant guard and Shepherd.
And Nehemiah shows us how we should live (Nehemiah 4.9):

We prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

Nehemiah 4.14 he speaks to us:

Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.

And Nehemiah 4.20:

Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us.

Here is the dynamic that plays out in their generation and in our generation: The work God gives his people to do is hard, it involves everyone, and it is constantly opposed; but God fights for those who do it.

What does that mean for you?

Where does it connect to your life, my life and our life together? For those here who are not Christians – I’m so glad you’re here tonight; for better or for worse you have heard God’s word tonight in this passage in Nehemiah and from Revelation. You’ve heard that there is a heavenly city which God wants you to be a part of. There is a way for you to be a part of it – because Jesus Christ has died for you you can apply for citizenship and receive his Holy Spirit tonight making you a resident member. It is the most efficient civil service in the world. And you’ve also heard what life is like for people who belong to that city. In this age, it a call to work. It is a call to obedience. As God’s people were called to obey Nehemiah back then, God’s people are called to obey Christ now. And Christ is no tyrant – he is a good King. He fights for his people. He died for his people. He rose again to give new life to his people. God’s Word to you this morning calls you to Christ and receive a place in his city and join in the work of bringing others into his city so that together we can enjoy forever the Glory of God and eternal life and peace. So if that is something you need to do, and if you’d like help to know how to do it, please speak to me or to one of the staff at church, or to a Christian friend if you know one. We would love to help where we can and pray with you.

But for those of us who are following Jesus already. Where does Nehemiah connect to you? It reminds us that there is a bigger story which we are a part of. God is gathering and redeeming a people for himself out of a world that is in opposition to him. He’s doing it as the Gospel is being made known. He has given his Gospel to his people to make it known. And he fights for those who obey in faith. Don’t be like the nobles who never showed up. Don’t be discouraged or afraid by the opposition but open your Bibles, open your diaries, gather round tables or get down on your knees and ask “Jesus, how can I help build the heavenly city today?” I don’t know how you feel right now, broadly speaking life may feel full of opportunity and promise – or life may feel crushing and out of control. To those who have opportunity; please may I urge us to take opportunities to bring the Gospel to our neighbours and colleagues? And can I ask us to take an interest in the nations where there are hardly any Christians, and in people who will live and die without hearing the Gospel unless a Christian decides to go and tell them. And may I encourage us to resist the opposition that ridicules and threatens us if we share our faith with others. To recognise the signs of despair and discouragement in other Christians who say “We mustn’t impose our faith” “We’re too few, we’re not credible now” Instead, can I ask us to be like Nehemiah – to say our prayers then take a deep breath and say to our neighbours “There’s something I’d like to tell you” or “There’s something I’d love you to listen to or to read” and trust God to help you share your faith and respond to their reaction.

And to those of us who feel crushed and out of control. I just want to ask you to do 2 things:
1. Put the next church prayer meeting in your diary. Wednesday May 3rd, 7.30pm.
2. Get your hands on the termly prayer diary and pray at least one thing a day from it. Here’s the first request:

Pray for our Sunday services on Nehemiah and Acts that as we gather as a church we would be taught and encouraged together as a household of God. Pray for our small groups that meet – for nourishment by God’s word and rich fellowship with each other.

All you need to do is say “I” before that paragraph and you’ve picked up a brick and added it to the wall. Do not be afraid says Nehemiah Remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your families and Our God will fight for us. I love the words of Missionary Bishop Alf Stanway. I’m going to adapt them into a prayer to close. Let’s Pray:

Father in heaven, if other people knew us like you know us: all our faults, all our vain thoughts, all our sins, all the things in our heart, all the wrong thoughts we ever had, they would never trust us with the kind of work you entrust to us. We praise you for your supreme confidence in your grace. That you take the likes of us and give us the privilege of being your saints.