“After the Walls: Building God’s People” | Nehemiah 7 | Sunday PM | Pastor Israel

Title of the message is After the Walls Building God's People.

The work looks finished at this point in time, at least on the

outside. The walls have gone up in the

city of Jerusalem, but God isn't done.

There is still much work to be done in the hearts and lives of

the people of Israel at this point in time.

Nehemiah Chapter 7 comes at a moment of success and like I

Nehemiah 7 · chapter mention

said, the walls have been rebuilt, the gates are now in

place, the the city seems secure, the opposition around

has has fallen silent somewhat, and if the book were to end at

chapter 6, we might think that the job was finished.

You go, OK, great, great story. Nehemiah came over from Persia

and he functioned as governor in Jerusalem and rebuilt the wall.

Great, great little story. But Nehemiah knows something and

then goes through him wants to speak to you and I about this

tonight. Nehemiah knows something that I

think many times we can be forgetful of and that is this

that God's work is never finished when the structures are

complete, but only when people are transformed.

So that's really what's before us in this chapter as as this

now transitions through to the the rest of the book of of

chapters one through to six being about rebuilding the walls

and the practical work there in Jerusalem and dealing with

opposition as a consequence of that.

And now from 7:00 through to the end of the book, it's about

rebuilding the people, about setting in place the very things

that we're missing that cause them to go into exile in the

first instant and led to the deterioration of God's people

there in Jerusalem. And the people of Israel are all

along God's chosen people and they were chosen to be a light

and an indication to the nation surrounding of what life was

like to be lived, loving God and serving him and honouring him

there to be a a people of attraction to say what is

different about the God that you serve.

And so now this is the work that is before us as we read in these

chapters. It's instructive for you and I

and the chapter might look if you've skipped ahead as another

list of names and there are plenty and we'll not read all of

them. So don't worry about that.

When I said 73 verses, Oh my goodness, I gave up the tennis

for this. But it is actually a blueprint

here for a thriving community. And that's what it's about.

It's about people. It's about a group of people

coming together to serve the Lord and honour Him both then

and now. So the big idea is this, after

God rebuilds, these people must reorder their priorities around

and we'll see godly leadership first.

We'll spend a bit of time in verses one to three.

Our first two points will be drawn out of those verses.

They need to rebuild around vigilant protection and not just

rest and hang back on their laurels and say, oh great, the

walls built, the gates are hung, That's it.

We're mission accomplished. And then we'll we'll see a

living legacy that carries us from verse 4 through to the end

of the chapter. So let's consider verses one to

three in our first two points in Nehemiah 7, again, I'm reading

new King James Version. It says, then it was when the

wall was built and I had hung the doors, when the gatekeepers,

the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, that I gave the

charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hananiah and Hananiah

the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared

God more than many. And I said to them, verse 3, Do

not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot

and while they stand guard, let them shut and bar the doors and

appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, one at

his watch station and another in front of his own house.

We want to look at the first point being this that that

leadership is important when a people are coming to be

positioned for change and transformation towards

seriousness of a life lived loving the Lord and and so

leadership that fears God is put into place here by Nehemiah with

the walls complete. Nehemiah's first move is not

celebration. Hey, let's have a party.

Let's let's send out word to everybody and look at what we've

accomplished but appointment. So I I need to appoint some

leaders in some particular positions here in Jerusalem to

protect the people to bring about transformation says in

verse 2, I put in charge of Jerusalem this men of integrity

who feared God more than most. I want you to notice that

because Nehemiah when looking for people to appoint to

leadership, he's not looking for personalities.

He's not looking for people with charisma, with a whole heap of

social media followers. What he appoints and what he

looks for is faithful character, and especially mentioned is

integrity. Now, integrity is this.

It means reliability. It means faithfulness, it means

people who show up. It means dependability.

It meant that you could count on these individuals that were

appointed into these positions of leadership.

In other words, I imagine that when Nehemiah arrived and when

he was observing the different people that were out there in

Jerusalem that were helping in the building of the walls, that

the guys he appointed, I think were these guys.

They showed up each day with chow and sword in hand, ready.

Nehemiah, where, where are we repairing the wall today?

That they may have even been there early before Nehemiah

arrived and and had shown some initiative and started labouring

hard and and saw the purpose in the work at hand.

Why is it that they possess such integrity?

Why is it that they were reliable and dependable?

It says because they feared God more than many more than the

others around them. And some translations even have

it that they feared God above how they perceived others

perceptions of them. So their priority was how does

God view me? It's an interesting way to think

of it, and I think they're related.

Fearing God here means living with a sober awareness that

particularly now leadership is actually exercised before God,

that you serve in such a position that comes with a

responsibility unto God. You might serve other people,

you might be accountable to people, but ultimately such

people who are fearful of God more than many are those that

recognise that this role, that this task that I am about, I'm

responsible, I'm accountable to God, you know, So there's a fear

of God there in that. Now these attributes that

Nehemiah looked for that that that we're reading, I'll

certainly apply in a modern context to elders and pastors in

church. And we see that all through

Scripture. I think of the book of Acts in

chapter 6, when the early church was looking for people to

appoint to the service of the needs of what's called the

Hellenist, who were among the group there who were complaining

about the what they perceived to be the unfair distribution of of

the food and on all of the the other essentials that they

needed at that point. And so they looked for faithful

men that they could appoint. Stephen, the first martyr of the

church was one such, Philip another.

Think of Ephesians chapter 4 and first second Timothy and Titus

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

that outline the qualities, the attributes of what it means to

be an elder, to be a pastor, to be a leader of God's people in

such a fashion. But also I want you to see this

that that such qualities, such attributes apply to whatever

phase of life you find yourself in.

It applies to you tonight. If you're a parent, fathers and

mothers, you are leaders in your home.

Your children are watching. They're looking to you and, and

not for your perfection, but your consistency.

It's so important, you know, do they see repentance when you

fall? You know, Dad blew it.

I'm sorry. You know, Mum was wrong when she

said that or when she did that. And the way I handled it wasn't,

wasn't good. It wasn't right.

It wasn't appropriate. Do your kids hear that from you?

Do they see prayer as normal, not exceptional?

Wow. Mum's praying.

Must be something serious going on or is it just like mom's

praying again or dad's praying again, just par for the course

in the household? Do they see God feared in the

home more than comfort more than sport, more than success in in

the fields that the world estimates?

And so in looking at who Nehemiah appointed as we

consider points of application in our lives, it's it's parents

as godly leaders shaping households.

But you know, it's also this, it's also older believers

modelling faithfulness year after year after year, day after

day after day, serving the Lord, loving Him, honouring him.

Let let me tell you about what God has done in my life.

I hear that you're going through such and such an experience or

that you've encountered that. Let me tell you how God moved in

our life or what he did when we prayed, when we sought Him.

That's leadership, it's youth influencing peers.

Paul said to a young Timothy in Timothy, he said, Timothy, I

need you to be an example in your youth.

Don't let people despise you for your young age, but you, you be

an example unto others of what again life is like loving the

Lord, serving him and honouring him.

It's you and I as as professionals in our workplaces

functioning as Christians in those workplaces because we work

as unto the Lord. That's what the Bible tells us.

So leadership in Scripture is never about only a title.

It's about trustworthiness, it's about integrity, it's about fear

of God. And that's what Nehemiah looks

for in these appointments that he makes.

And then verse 3, notice that he was careful about some

instructions concerning the gate when it was to be opened.

It's to be open late, closed early, guarded deliberately.

And the city is protected in this, the people, the

inhabitants of it with the walls and with the gates in place.

But you know, it's still needed to be guarded.

There still needed to be a carefulness in this.

The strong walls would mean nothing if they were left

unattended. These gates with people posted

on there. And it's important because many

times in our lives, victories can be lost if left unguarded.

If we can rest on our laurels and say, God, you know, God

moved in in my life or in our family's life or in, in the

church's life back then. And people could have said,

yeah, God moved in our midst for the last 52 days.

And look how wonderful it is the wall and the gates and if they

just sat back and relaxed. And that's, that's when the

enemy strikes, isn't it? We can never afford to drop our

guard in the battle that is the Christian life because the enemy

is like a roaring lion, constantly seeking those whom he

made a vow. So Nehemiah is very practical in

this point and it's very true in this sense for churches, it's

true for families, it's true for you and I as individuals.

I think many times we as parents, we can kind of work

hard to build good foundations in our kids lives while they're

young and we might send them off to Christian schooling, have

them involved in church and think about youth group and so

on. But we can, you know, as time

rolls around, get a little slack or relaxed in things and we can

neglect to guard what has been built.

You know, conversations go unmonitored, screens go

unchecked, hearts go unpasted. And so faith rebuilt.

And this is what it's about here.

Faith rebuilt after hardship must be protected.

That's what Nehemiah sees as important.

And growth in our lives after repentance must be guarded, must

be looked after, must be protected.

You see, success without vigilance breeds a spiritual

drift, and that truth applies to every stage of life.

No matter who you are, no matter where where you're sitting

tonight, you are here in this. You know young people tonight

the choices that you make when no one is watching will often

shape the direction of your life.

Singles professionals. Success without spiritual

vigilance can slowly erode the soul.

Parents again I've mentioned a little bit.

Foundations laid early need to be guarded intentionally for

years to come. You know, I, I thought when, you

know, commencing parenting with the kids that they, they needed

me the most when they were younger, You know, those primary

school years and especially in those toddler phases where

they're just so, so needy of you as parents.

But man, they need you in such different ways as they age, you

know, in different capacities and so on.

So our jobs never done and we need to guard that.

And older Saints, faith is to be watched even in later years.

You know, many falls happen not in youth, but after long seasons

of faithfulness. So, you know, it broke my heart

to read of a fellow whose readings I liked a lot who was

having a secret affair for eight years in his life.

You've heard of Philip Yancey, you know, and he was, I think,

68, the story went, when he commenced this affair.

Now, victory is not all lost at once.

It's lost when we stop paying attention, when we stop putting

guards in place. And the gates, they're not

closed permanently, but they are watched carefully here.

It's not like Nehemiah shut the city down.

He's not being oppressive in that.

And sometimes we can swing the other pendulum way, especially,

you know, as parents in our households, we can become very

oppressive. And no, you're not going here.

You're not doing that. You're not doing this.

And no one's coming over. And you can be like the gates

closed. But Nehemiah, he put some some

mechanisms in place to protect the inhabitants.

Watch carefully. There's cheques and balances put

in place because the walls don't protect themselves.

And likewise, faith is to be watched over.

Let's move on to the second point again in verses one to

three. It's that protection that guards

what matters is important. The gates represented entry

points into the city. And so they couldn't be careless

in that that was most often where when a city would come

under attack, that the the points would be harnessed to

break down the gates. So protection here isn't

paranoia on Nehemiah's part, It's Love.

Actually, you know, Jesus warned, Paul warned as well the

the early Church of wolves coming in sheep's clothing.

Nehemiah here, I think, models the same wisdom some centuries

earlier. And protection then isn't about

fear, but about faithfulness. So building on the appointment

of faithful leaders in verse one and two, Nehemiah now turns to

the practical mechanisms of protection, verse three with the

gates. But then in doing so, he made

some other appointments that are really focusing in on the

spiritual health of the people of Israel, of God's people.

Verse one explicitly lists some key appointments.

Notice the three roles named together.

He said gatekeepers, those who would control who and what

enters the city. And then don't you think it's

odd that early on in the re establishment of a city, he

goes, you know what we need musicians, singers, let's

appoint them, let's pay them, let's give them that, that

capacity to sustain what and what they were specifically to

be about was not, you know, to have music playing on the radio

there in Jerusalem, just to to provide the ambience and the

atmosphere, because that'd be nice while we're working.

You know, it was about the worship of God.

These were the singers and the leaders and the musicians who

would be there for corporate gatherings of worship, to remind

the people of God's faithfulness, to encourage and

stir up the hearts of the people, to to have their

affection and their energy brought unto God.

And then hand in hand with that Levites.

Levites were those that were the teachers of the scriptures, of

the law, of the Bible, who would offer the sacrifices, who would

preserve the doctrinal purity of the people.

So these aren't random add ONS that Nehemiah is thinking.

You know what we need? Because we need to pay the

Levites, We need to pay the singers.

No, Nehemiah isn't just securing a physical city again.

He's safeguarding the spiritual health, the vibrancy of the

people, a covenant community, a body of believers.

So the walls and the gates protect the body physically, but

these appointments protect the soul spiritually, and that's

what it's about. So without them, Jerusalem could

stand strong outwardly, physically, yes, but be decaying

inwardly. Exactly what happened in

previous generations when false teaching, when idolatry, when,

when compromise came in unchecked.

So Nehemiah knows that more than the gates are important, I need,

yes, gatekeepers. I need the singers, the

musicians, we need the Levites as I like a church with great

facilities. We can have air conditioning, we

can have walls, we can have, you know, new buildings coming in as

our plans are this year. And it can be impressive on the

outside, but vulnerable within without the right guards and

checkpoints. The same enemy that Nehemiah was

dealing with here who mocked the builders in Chapter 4 and

schemed in Chapter 6, they would try to infiltrate and they would

do so to try and bring in false teachers, divisive influences,

you know, moral compromise or, or spiritual apathy.

So the principle carries over into the New Testament.

We read again and again and again.

And I think you're, you're seeing the, the modern

connection to who these gatekeepers, who these

musicians, these singers, who these Levites and teachers are

the gatekeepers in the body of Christ.

You know, the scriptures tell us are the elders, the deacons, the

ministry leaders, the, the mature believers who discern who

or what influences the community, the body of believers

of God. If they say no to false

doctrine, toxic relationships, or cultural idols that erode the

faith, the musicians, the singers, it's pretty obvious The

worship leaders, the composers, the the singers, the

songwriters, anyone who helps the church sing truth and

declare that in our hearts and without our voices unto the

Lord. And guard against shallow

sentimental worship by anchoring it in scripture and doctrine.

The Levites, the teachers are the pastors, the Bible study

leaders, the the Sunday school, the youth group teachers, the

mentors, the parents who faithfully teach God's word,

preparing truth, cripping believers to stand firm.

And we'll see that in action next week in Nehemiah chapter 8.

Nehemiah 8 · chapter mention

It's one of the greatest chapters.

Read ahead. It's so beautiful.

But here's what I want you to see that every Christian, you

and I plays a part in this protective ministry.

Protection is not just the job of the professionals alone.

It's the shared responsibility of all of us as the body of

Christ. Now, when each of us faithfully

gathers. And guards our assigned gate.

The whole community thrives, protected, blessed, worshipping,

growing, growing, honouring God. So whatever you've been called

to, may I encourage you tonight in this to serve faithfully in

the role that you have been appointed in the body of Christ.

And when we studied through First Second Corinthians, we

learnt about the different members of the body, right?

That we're not all ears, that we're not all noses, that we're

not all eyes and some are visible and some are invisible,

but they're all an important part to play.

We can't all be an eye, We can't all be an ear.

That would be an odd looking body.

We need everybody to play their part as as a member of the body

for the protection and the guarding and the blessing of the

body of believers. So guard personally Philtre what

shapes your thinking, your music, social media friends that

you associate with guard what forms your affections guard what

enters into the home and guard corporately.

We we pray for the church. Lord God, I pray for the body of

believers at Calvary Chapel Secret Harbour support and

encourage the leaders and the elders and support the the

worship team and, and sit under sound teaching and and be a

student of the word yourself. So overall in Nehemiah in these

first 3 verses and we're going to move on now from verse 4 to

the end of the chapter. I want you to see in this that

protection isn't about fear. It's what not Nehemiah is is

urging here and pushing, but it's about faithfulness.

Nehemiah appoints these roles so that the city could be rebuilt

and importantly, that the inhabitants of the city could

grow spiritually and thrive spiritually.

So in the same way, the body of Christ, we need to guard what

matters most so that we can remain spiritually healthy and

effective for the gospel. All right, last point.

We'll spend a bit of time on this legacy that remembers that

registers and responds. Verse four and five we'll read

and then we'll we'll move through the remaining verses

touching base on a few of them. Says Now the city was large and

spacious, but the people in it were few and the houses were not

rebuilt. Then my God put it into my heart

to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people that they

might be registered by genealogy.

And I found a register of the genealogy of those who had come

up in the first return and found written in it. 1st floor kind of

sets the scene, provides the tension for us.

The city was large, it said spacious, but there were few

people in it. Walls without people are hollow.

You know, there's times through the week coming into the church

here and you know, we're, we're just setting some things up and

doing some work and without the people and it's, it's kind of

empty. I love the vibrancy of the body

gathered here in this place. And so Nehemiah now pauses and

the progress is there, but he's remembering and reflecting the

past. And it said, verse five, my God

put it into my heart so that now we know that what Nehemiah's

actions and what he's about here are directed by God.

He says, I found the genealogical record of those

who'd come prior in the exile and where it says, my God put it

in my heart. This is often how God speaks,

not through spectacle, but through scriptures, through

prayerful prompting, through wise counsel, and through

present need. That's what's happening here.

Now we're going to look and there's a long list of names,

and it's not a filler. It's not like, you know, God the

Holy Spirit was going. I need to kind of flesh out two

or three pages, you know, just to fill up space.

I'm kind of running out of my word count and the publishers

pushing me for this deadline. I need to pump out the words and

that's not what's going on. These names are important.

It's an honour roll. It says.

I found a register of the genealogy of those who'd come up

in the first return. And this is actually copied

almost verbatim from the book of Ezra, which is the book prior to

Nehemiah here in chapter 2. Ezra was a priest Will will come

across him in a few chapters time.

He'd been sent earlier to help rebuild the temple and then it

says and found written in it verse 6.

These are the people of the province who came back from the

captivity from Babylon, the Persian Empire, at the time of

those who had been carried away, and Nebuchadnezzar, the king of

Babylon had carried away and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah,

everyone to his city. Verse 7, Those who came with the

rubber bell were these eleven guys.

Let me read them quickly because that's how you do it fast,

confident when you don't know how exactly to pronounce them.

Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Ramaya, Nahemani, Mordecai,

Bilshan, Mitzbreath. Big VE.

I like that one. Big VE.

That's, that's a name for a dog. If you're ever looking for a

dog, give me a big VE Nihum and banar, the number of the men of

the people of Israel. Verse 8, the sons of Porosh,

2172. Verse 9, the sons of Shephatiah,

372. Verse 10, the sons of Arah, 652.

So we're not going to read all these names, but we are going to

read a few of them because I want you to notice something in

this. Some of these families have big

numbers. That's a big Christmas do for

some of these. In verse 11, look at this the

sons of Pahath, Moab, of the sons of Joshua and Joab 2818.

Verse 17 The sons of Asghad, 2322, and this one.

Verse 38 The sons of Senna, 3930.

But by comparison, some families were tiny.

Verse 25 The sons of Gibeon 95. Verse 28 The men of Beth as

Meveth 42. Verse 33 The men of the other

Meebo 52. So here's the point.

It doesn't matter if there's a whole crowd of people with you

or if you're practically going it alone.

When you're serving God, all that matters is what you're

doing. Whether these families had many

people with them, or only a few, at some point all of them had

set off to the unknown, living in in Babylon, surrounding areas

in the Persian Empire, and headed back to a city that

they've never seen, they'd heard of in stories told amongst the

people. Or if they'd visited, they

hadn't seen it in years. And they arrived back

altogether, some large families, some small, just to be there for

whatever God might do in and through them.

And that might be you tonight. You might come with a family

and, and be blessed in that way. And, and it's large and you have

that, that blessing of, of, you know, the Blood Brothers,

sisters, parents and so on coming together and worshipping

and serving the Lord. And you might come and you might

be the only one in your household.

But if you're coming to serve the Lord and to love the Lord

and to honour him, and to present yourself and say here I

am, Lord God, use me, God knows your name, you're numbered

amongst these people. It's a valuable and worthwhile

commitment in service of him. And so God is saying in this

list of names, these people mattered.

Their obedience mattered, their sacrifice mattered.

Think of maybe what many of them had back in Persia and they

travel months and then they arrive at Jerusalem with the

walls deteriorated in such a fashion.

And, and they, they lump there with all their belongings and

go. There's a certain pioneering

spirit that needed to be amongst them of trust and, and faith in

God that well, it might not look like much, but this is what God

has called us to and, and we're committed to put our hand to the

task and to serve God in this. And so that's why their names

are listed. Names matter to God.

And I think that truth lands everywhere here tonight because

you know, children, many times you can feel unseen.

I've been coming along to this church for my whole life, 10

years and they still don't know my name.

Hey, boy, hey kid, how are you mate?

Names matter to God. And I think parents, this is a

huge reminder to you and I, your, your children live in a

world that constantly reduces them to performances, to to

grades, to how they are in sport or their popularity or

achievement. But you know this, God doesn't

treat his people just as numbers.

He knows their names. It's recorded for us in His word

here and we're reading it in 2026.

I bet you these people when they were trotting their way from

Persia into Jerusalem, never thought that in Secret harbour

in WA in 2026 they're going to read my name.

So these names represent people who left comfort in Babylon to

return to hardship in Jerusalem. And again, life was easier

there, but it's better here for them as the people of God.

And this is a powerful lesson, again, for families.

Following God does not promise ease, but it does promise

meaning. But also these names here are a

reminder to not just families, but to, you know, adults here in

our myths whose faithfulness feels unnoticed, to singles who

sometimes feel overlooked, to elderly Saints who wonder if if

their season is over, how does it remind us that because God

again recorded their names. And likewise you, you need to

know tonight that you are known by God, you belong to God.

And just on that belonging, I want you to notice something in

verse 61 and verse 64 and 65. Verse 61 says, and these were

the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub Adon

and Imab, it says, but they could not identify their

father's house nor their lineage, whether they were of

Israel. So there's this group that's,

you know, from areas and maybe as the people from Babylon were,

were journeying through and, and word gets around about they're

going to rebuild that these people, they hear it.

Oh, well, let we'll go too. And they join in and well,

they're curious or they just think, you know, I'm tired of

where we're at. And anyway, whatever reasons

they, they join in, but their lineage couldn't be ascertained

as to whether in fact they were of tribes of Israel.

And then verse 64, these sought their listing among those who

were registered by genealogy, but it was not found.

Therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled.

And the governor said to them that they should not eat of the

most holy things till the priest could consult with the Urim and

the Thummim. So that was a means of

consulting direction and leading from God back then.

So some in this list of names from verse 4 through to the end

of the chapter and those pointed out here, they could not prove

their identity, who they were, where they'd come from, who they

were connected to, their ancestry.

And they were restricted as a consequence, not as punishment,

but for clarity. And so in that know this, you

cannot serve boldly if you are unsure where you belong.

And here the chapter quietly points us to Jesus, the true

high priest who secures our place before God and writes our

names in his book, just as they were to a wait for the the

priest to come with the Urim and the Thummim.

The principle is not exclusion, it's identity.

And so in other words, there are many times over the years, and

I've seen it in years of ministry and and in Christian

service, where people have have come and they've put their hand

to the task, but they don't belong to the body of Christ

because they're not believers. They're not saved and they've

they've had some kind of appeal or attraction to what's going

on. And you know, I'm able bodied

and I'll help and I'll serve and I'll do such and such.

But they're not rightly a part of the body of Christ to serve

in such a capacity because their identity is not sure in, in

Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

And I think parents, you and I, we need to know the greatest

gift that you can give your children is not moral behaviour,

but gospel assurance that your kids know who Jesus is, what he

has done, and and then therefore what they do is because they

belong to him. And ultimately our confidence

does not rest in our family line, but in Christ, the true

high priest who secures our place before God.

So if if we're looking to serve in the church in the body of

believers, we go am IA believer, am IA follower of Jesus Christ,

do I belong is my identity in him.

Lastly, the chapter ends from verse 70 through to the end here

with this generosity it says, and some of the heads of the

father's houses gave to the work.

So Nehemiah looks out, identifies need, and sees that

man, this need to rebuild and to provide and supply to get this

city back, vibrant and spiritually healthy.

It's going to come with cost, with finances needed and

required. And so some of the heads of the

father's houses gave to the work, says verse 70, the

governor gave to the treasury 1000 gold drachmas, 50 basins

and 530 priestly garments. And we look at that and we go,

we don't know what that is. Let me tell you, it's a fair

amount. Verse 71, Some of the heads of

the Father's houses gave to the treasury of the work $20,000

drachmas, 2200 silver miners. Verse 72.

And that which the rest of the people gave was 20,000 gold

drachmas, 2000 silver miners, and 67 priestly garments.

So verse 73, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the

singers, some of the people, the nethanim, those who helped serve

in the in the ministry of of the sacrifices and the worship of

God and all Israel dwelt in their cities.

That's how the chapter ends. The leaders gave first notice

the order there, the families followed and everyone gave

according to their means, not equal amounts, but equal

participation. Recognising that in order for

these gatekeepers, for these singers, these musicians, for

these Levites to function in their roles, we need to enable

them to do that. So let's let's give to help

supply that. So some gave more, others gave.

But in all of this, there was no fundraising pressure.

It was an act of worship that the people did unto Lord at this

time in their in their history. And God's work then is resource

through God's people here, not because God lacks provision, but

because he forms his people through generosity.

And again, parents, it's, it's another formative moment in this

as we're we're thinking about applications for this.

You know, your children are learning about what matters most

often about where your money goes.

They learn priorities from your calendar.

They learn values from your budget.

And when children see generosity, they learn that the

church then is not just a service we consume, but a

mission that we share in and are part of.

So giving is not about meeting a need, it is about shaping a

heart. Giving shapes a heart.

Isn't that what Jesus said? Jesus said that where our

treasure is there our heart will be also.

And so Nehemiah records these gifts not to pressure future

generations, but to to submit a question.

Will this generation care as deeply as the last one did?

And there's the legacy in that. Legacy is not about what we

leave behind. It's about what we pass on.

It's deliberate. It's intentional.

And this is what Nehemiah is about here in this chapter.

So tonight God invites you and I into his work.

If you're a young believer, you you learn that faith involves

sacrifice families. We we model generosity together

in our workplaces in all that we have.

We understand as the Bible teaches us, that we're stewards

of what God supplies for eternal purposes.

And even retirees can continue to invest in the Kingdom beyond

working years. Nehemiah 7 teaches that once the

walls are finished, the real work begins.

It's about people. It's about growing spiritually,

It's about loving the Lord, It's about serving Him.

It's about living for Him. And so God builds his people

through. We saw faithful leadership

through vigilant protection and then living legacy.

Not what just you leave behind, but being intentional about.

This is who we are. And this is what I want to pass

on should the Lord tarry to future generations of believers

that this is what it is like loving the Lord and serving Him.

And again, all of this finds its fulfilment in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the faithful leader. Jesus is the true gate.

Jesus is the great High Priest. Jesus is the one who knows us by

name. So wherever you are tonight,

young, old, single, married, settled, searching, the

invitation is the same. In this guard what God has

built, Remember who you are in Him.

Invest your life in what lasts. Walls can be built quickly.

But God is still building a people who belong to him.

Let's pray. Father God, thank you again for

another wonderful passage out of your word tonight.

Your word is timeless. It's not just about what

happened. It's about what always happens.

It's so relevant and so real for our lives today.

It's Your living, breathing word, so we pray that what you

have taught us tonight through it and would sink into our

hearts. The seed of your word would bear

much fruit for your glory and our good in our lives.

May be Lord be your people busy about what you have called us

to, trusting in You, worshipping you, honouring you.

Thank you Lord God for each person here tonight.

May you bless their hearts. May you guide them and direct

them and do a great work in their lives.

These things I pray in Jesus name.

God's people said I'm in.