Dedication To The Work of God

Nehemiah 5:14-19 Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land. Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations. Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people. Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people. 

I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work..

Nehemiah and those with him were dedicated to the work of God. He was clear in his mission. He went there to  rebuild the walls around Jerusalem and restore its gates. There were 12 gates. The walls were over 2 miles in length. Today the walls are 40 feet high and several feet thick.

Nehemiah 4:6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. 

Nehemiah had a clear mission. He knew why he went to Jerusalem and what he was to do. He was like the men of Issachar, I Chronicles 12:32 men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do... They had a specific mission. What is our mission as a church? We are here to be light in the world, the salt of the earth. God has us here to be a lighthouse. Now we cannot be that unless we love each other, pray, stay in His Word... He wants us to be fruitful fishers of men.

Rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem would enable them to be the city God intended them to be. Look at what was said concerning Jerusalem in the Psalms of Ascents:

Psalm 122

Psalm 125:1-2 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people both now and forevermore. 

Psalm 128:5 May the LORD bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 

Psalm 137:5-6 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. 

Jerusalem in Nehemiah's time was the center of worship, in the Temple the place of the Golden Lampstand burning to proclaim they were the light for the world.

Now it is in ruins, its walls are broken down and its gates burned. Nehemiah has come to rebuild and restore it.

As I have mentioned this was very difficult work. The debris and rubble from the destruction of Jerusalem was in the way at times. They were working on a mountain, making it much more challenging. Jerusalem is dry and at times hot. Not much rainfall or even cloud cover. Yet as we just read, at this point in Nehemiah,  they rebuilt the wall to half its height. Amazing to see the progress God brings about on projects for His glory. When a building is going up dedicated to the LORD, and you have qualified people directing it and willing workers, miracles happen.

This book serves as a guidebook for anyone wanting to serve the LORD. It is a classic on the subject of personal service for Christ and the kingdom. It shows how to dedicate oneself to the work of God.

Serving Christ today is a challenge. It requires total dedication. Too many approach the work of God with a careless atttitude, not with the passion we ought to have for it. We let other things interefere. 

1. Dedication to the Work of God requires sacrifice.

Work for the LORD costs us something.

For Nehemiah he left the comfortable position of cupbearer to King Artexerxes and the beauty of the palce of the Persian Empire to go to the city of Jerusalem which lied in ruins. He gave up many creature comforts. Are we willing to do that?

It also can mean ridicule by the enemy. There is a spiriutal battle we take on when we begin to do spiritual work. There are spiritual battles that every worker for the LORD will encounter as he or she seeks to do the Work of God. This can only be fought through prayer.

A deep prayer life means sacrifice. 

Sleep was even sacrificed.

Pleasure- look at Nehemiah's personal testimony of this!

2. Dedication to the Work of God requires reverence.

It is a holy work.

It is His Work.

It is the most important work.

We will live with our involvement in it for eternity.

Storing up riches in heaven... as Jesus spoke about in Matthew 6:20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 

We  are His Workmanship. Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 

3. Dedication to the Work of God reveals character.

What an example Nehemiah was!

He refused the luxuries. Moses did this as well. 

Hebrews 11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 

If we are dedicated to the LORD we are going to have to reject the country club Christianity of America. We are going to have to seek His Kingdom above all else.

Nehemiah refused the luxuries. He embraced the work. He faced the opposition and did all he could to complete the task of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem and restoring its gates.

Our church is going through some restoration. We have prayed for help with the finances and the LORD has answered. December 6th the Spanish Church we began in 1990 will return to share the facilities with us. They will shoulder the cost of the church. The long struggle of trying to pay bills is finally over. This will give us enormous freedom. There will be changes. The biggest change immediately will be our service time. We will move it to 10am on Sunday Mornings beginning December 6th. Let me say a few words... it will mean an adjustment. I am even asking more than half an hour from some of us. I really need you all here upstairs ready to worship at 10 sharp. It will take effort but we can do it. 

It is my hope that we will work together with them and they with us. For instance in talking to Pastor Mauricio we discovered that next year his oldest daughter and my oldest grandson will attend Gardiner Manor School together. This is a new time. A new generation emerging. Way back in the early 1990s our youth group had a significant impact on the schools and when Billy Graham was here a number of their friends came to Christ. I am looking for the LORD to do something like that again!

If we look at this whole package as the Spanish Church bailing us out we will not only miss a great blessing but a golden opportunity. We simply cannot continue as we are. We will fall into a hole financially we never get out of. Something must change. God is freeing us up to be sent out, to be free from a great deal of stuff of maintanence and so giving time to ministry. We can and should flourish.

A number of years ago a Chinese Church had me come and share with their young people once a month. The youth wanted their service in English. Then every three months they would combine the two groups of adults who spoke Mandarin Chinese and the young people who prefered English. They rented a Lutheran Church in Hicksville. I told them that they had a great opprtunity... to share the gospel  without having to care for a church. their priority could be like the early church... we are being handed that today! This is a gift.

They will be meeting around our schedule and us around theirs. Our Bible Studies will continue. Our service and fellowship time as well. Knowing that there is no perfect solution to any problem we will face issues that arise with sharing the facilities with love and grace. 

Bay Shore is changing. Today 45% of our community is White American. 30% is Spanish. This population will continue to increase.  We are going to reflect the change here. We are going to flourish in the change! God will help us!

Martin Luther King spoke these words in 1967 in New York City:

"We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. 

President Ronaold Reagan:

“You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. If we fail, at least let our children and our children’s children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.”

We have a rendezvous with destiny. It is the future of the Bay Shore Church of the Nazarene. If we continue with our current situation and make no change we will go under, if we seek to maintain or just survive we will fail. If we look at this as an answer to prayer and a gift from God and change our thinking and look to the fields that are ripe for harvest then more prayers will be answered, prayers our youth are praying, that God would bring this church into a new day, fill it to overflowing with souls.

Moses said to Israel: Deuteronomy 11:26-28 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. 

Let us go with God. Let us look at the opportunity we have been given. Let us seize this time and make a difference in this portion of the Island and to the uttermost parts of the earth for the sake of the Kingdom of God and for His glory. With God before us who can stand against us?