1. Rebuilding Broken Lives Nehemiah 11 Page 414 in Pew Bibles

2. Nehemiah 11 1.Now the leaders of the people stayed in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots for one out of ten to come and live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine-tenths remained in their towns. 2.The people praised all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

3. Rebuilding Broken Lives Nehemiah 11

4. What’s Going On… The people have: –Repaired the city wall –Returned to the Bible –Repented of their sins –Reconnected with God The people have moved away from being dysfunctional They are now following God’s plan to become fully functional >

5. A Fully Functional Community of Faith What It Takes To Make It All Work >

6. 1. Somebody’s Got To Be The First Vs. 1 “Now the leaders of the people stayed in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots for one out of ten to come and live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine-tenths remained in their towns.” >

7. 1. Somebody’s Got To Be The First The wall was rebuilt, but the city was empty. The people had built their homes and established their lifestyles. This means they will have to start all over from scratch. It was inconvenient, but it was necessary to get things going. Q >

8. Raymond Brown > What they preferred was secondary to what God desired. …One can hardly fail to admire the faith, love, sacrifice, and heroism of people who were prepared to uproot themselves from familiar surroundings in Judah and sever established friendships, because… they were persuaded it was the will of God for them to do so. The Message of Nehemiah, IVP, page 196

9. 1. Somebody’s Got To Be The First It’s like starting the new Sunday School.. >

10. > 2. Somebody’s Got To Volunteer volunteeredVs. 2 “The people praised all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.” Used of freewill offerings NKJV: “The men who willingly offered themselves”

11. > 2. Somebody’s Got To Volunteer Vs. 2 “The people praised all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.” While they cast lots for 10% of the population to go, some volunteered and all went gladly.

12. . > 2. Somebody’s Got To Volunteer Vs. 2 “The people praised all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.” Judges 5:2 “When the leaders lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, praise the LORD.”

13. praisedVs. 2 “The people praised all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.” At the stadium for the games –The crowd shouted “Axios, axios!” –Telling victors, “You are worthy of our praise” –What is considered worthy of praise in the Lord’s church today?. > 3. The Right Things Have Got To Be Honored

14. holy city11:18 “All the Levites in the holy city” holy city11:1 “Jerusalem, the holy city” Holy does not mean magical Holy means set apart from all else for the Lord It’s about purpose: the city has been set aside for the Lord’s special use. > 4. The Entire Community Needs to Remember Whose We Are

15. HL > 5. Everything Has To Be Biblical 12:45 “They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed.”

16. . > as David and his son Solomon had prescribed12:45 “They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed.” First Chronicles 23-26 5. Everything Has To Be Biblical

17. priestsat11:10, 12 “The priests… did the work at the temple” –The priests helped the people deal with their sins Levites outside11:16 “The Levites, who supervised the work outside the house of God” –These Levites took care of the building > 6. Everybody Has to Do His Part

18. 11:17 “Mattaniah… the leader who began the thanksgiving in prayer” –He was the chanter/worship leader gatekeepers11:19 “The gatekeepers… and their relatives, who guarded the gates” –They secured God’s people from enemies temple servants11:21 “The temple servants lived on the hill of Ophel [in the city]” –“Those given” to the Priests and Levites –They gave practical assistance. > 6. Everybody Has to Do His Part

19. Singers11:22-23 “Singers for the service of God’s house. For there was a command of the king regarding them, and an ordinance regulating the singers’ daily tasks” 12:24 They “gave praise and thanks, division by division, as David the man of God had prescribed” They gave expression to the people’s worship. > 6. Everybody Has to Do His Part

20. every part does its shareEphesians 4:16, NKJV: “From [Jesus] the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”. 6. Everybody Has to Do His Part

21. Rebuilding Broken Lives