‘Hewers of the stone of the wall’ Nehemiah 3

II Chron.25:23 – Jehoash breaks wall (400 cubits) II Chron.26:9 – Uzziah repairs wall II Chron.27:3 – Jotham built on wall of Ophel II Chron.32:5 – Hezekiah repaired walls II Chron.33:14 – Manasseh built wall without city II Chron 36:19 – Chaldeans destroy temple & wall REBUILT UNDER NEHEMIAH State of Wall ~ Spiritual Health of Nation

SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS? Prov. 24:30-32 – Spiritual Laziness Prov. 18:10-12 – Walls of Conceit Prov. 25:28 – No Self Control – Wrecking Ball Contrast – Prov.16:32 Ecc.10:8-9 – Break the Wall – Own Peril Ezek. 8:7-12 – A Hole in the Wall Ezek.13:5,10-16 – Band Aids + Temporary Patches Is.59:9-15 – Grope for the Wall Hab.2:9-11 – The Wall Tells a Story Example – Dan.5:25

Ps. 51:17-19 A perpetual process If we are not building we are regressing As soon as we stop building the wall begins to fall

Heb. 2796, ‘an artificer’ - ‘to surround with a fence, hedge,wall,to erect a wall’ II Sam.5:11 – mgn. I Chron.22:2 I Kings 5:15-18 Character of a Mason in the Ecclesia Bezaleel – Ex.35:10,21,25,27,30-35 ‘cutting of stones, to set them’ ‘Repairer (mason) of the breach’ Ezek. 22:30, Is.58:12

Eph.2:14 – ‘Christ…broken down the middle wall of partition’ I Cor.3:10-15 – ‘Let every man take heed how he buildeth’ I Pet.2:5 – ‘lively stones’ Roth. ‘being built up’ ‘WE ARE NOT BRICKS, WE ARE STONES OF ALL DIFFERENT SIZES AND SHAPES’ (Bro Art Clarke)

The Church of the Holy Rude Founded in 1129

Rev.21:15-23 Garnished with precious stones – Mal.3:17 God did lighten it – wall of fire – Zech.2:4-5 Walls called ‘salvation’ – Is.60:18 Everlasting name – Is.56:5 …CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN!!

NEHEMIAH 3 A Microcosm of an Ecclesia

v. 1 v. 2 SEED ON STONY GROUND Matt 13:20-21 NON RESIDENT MEMBERS v. 4 DEDICATED, FOCUSSED, RELIABLE

SPIRITUALLY UNSTABLE v. 5 COMMONERS – perform the work NOBLES – watch the work v.9 Exhort - Nobles became common labourers! Our external vocation doesn’t dictate position in an ecclesia! HEWERS OF WOOD AND DRAWERS OF WATER v. 7 WORKING RULER

v. 10 FUTURE TEMPLE BUILDER Zech 6:10-15 v. 12 SINGLE PARENT v. 14 RECHABITE v. 20 ‘EARNESTLY REPAIRED’ v. 26 MENIAL LABOURERS

I Cor. 3:9-15