"LESSONS IN LABORING FOR THE LORD!"

Written and preached by David P. Nolte





NEHEMIAH 3:1-5
 


Nehemiah had assessed the problem, had defined the purpose and had motivated the people. Now the work began. It was a monumental task. The walls of Jerusalem had been in disarray for about 150 years. Nehemiah was determined to rebuild them and to end the reproach brought upon the Jews in Jerusalem. It was a labor that could not be undertaken nor carried out by one person. It would take many hands put to the task with a common purpose and desire. I read about another man who had a job he wanted to do and who also had help. The man was moving his books out of the attic to his study on the ground floor. His little boy, whom I choose to call Ronny, wanted to help and his dad let him, even though he was more in the way than he was a real help. The boy had a wise father who was more interested in helping his son learn to work than he was in getting the books moved quickly. Nehemiah was wise enough to allow a variety of people, some more adept than others, to pitch in to help build the wall. There is a good lesson for us all in that insight. Some of us have more skill than others, some more experience, some more native insight, but there is a place in the labor for all who are willing to work. Today I want so share some Lessons in Laboring For The Lord. What is the first lesson?
  1. GOD USES ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE:
    1. In the entire chapter notice that there are
      1. Priests and Levites and other temple servants working.
      2. Goldsmiths, Perfumers and merchants working.
      3. Civic officials working.
      4. Men and women working.
      5. No professional wall builders. They didn't call Superior or Bowers fencing. Remember, though, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic; on which would you prefer to book passage?
    2. For service in Christ's Church, nobody is too klutzy, too dignified, too young, too old, too unknown, too famous, too poor, too rich. Jesus is a true equal opportunity employer.
    3. When you stop to think about it, what an odd assortment of men Jesus chose to be His closest associates and ultimately His prime ambassadors, His apostles:
      1. There were fishermen with little formal education.
      2. One of these was a hot-head who on a regular basis put his mouth in gear before engaging his brain.
      3. There was a tax-collector, a traitorous collaborator with Rome.
      4. There was a nationalistic zealot on the opposite end of the political spectrum.
      5. There was one who was a dishonest scoundrel who would in the end betray Jesus for monetary compensation.
      6. There was a pragmatic cynic who thought nothing good could come from that stink-hole Nazareth.
      7. There was a doubter who demanded proof before he'd believe Jesus rose from the dead.
      8. There was a persecutor of the church whose aim in life was to destroy the followers of Jesus.
    4. And, of course, there is you and there is me. Unlikely choices at best, but we're all He has! Let's us not fail Him. Let's do what we can do, and what He calls us to do, faithfully.
Ronny faithfully toted armload after armload of books from the attic to the study downstairs. What the father could have accomplished alone, and more rapidly, was done in concert with the little boy. Nehemiah, however, was not able to do the job alone and needed the concerted efforts of all of, or the majority of, the people. That suggests to us the second lesson in laboring for the Lord:
  1. TEAMWORK IS ESSENTIAL TO SUCCESS:
    1. Note the teamwork evident throughout the chapter:
      1. Different tasks were assigned to different groups. Some worked on one task, some on another. One part was as important as, but no more important than, another.
      2. Each did his own task which was just a part of the whole. Nobody was responsible for the whole task.
      3. If any group refused, or failed, to build their portion, the rest would have had to take up the slack or the wall would have had one major gaposis.
    2. For whatever reason, the nobles of Tekoa were unwilling to participate. They weren't part of the team; they weren't with the program. That simply put more work on the shoulders of the others.
      1. Perhaps they felt themselves too important and the task too menial.
      2. Perhaps they felt the task too difficult and the benefit too small.
      3. Perhaps they thought the opposition too great and their own resources too meager.
      4. Perhaps it just wasn't in line with their own agenda.
    3. If any part of the Body of Christ refuses to participate, their part of the load has to fall on the shoulders of others. If someone quits a task because they are burned out, or offended, what do you think that does to the ones who have to pick up the slack?
    4. One might say, "But I have such an insignificant part; my ministry done or undone won't make much difference in the long run. Let me illustrate from history. Someone put it this way about an ancient battle where a horseshoe nail fell out: "For want of the nail, the shoe was lost, for want of the shoe the horse was lost, for want of the horse the rider was lost, for want of the rider the message was lost, for want of the message, the battle was lost, for want of the battle the war was lost, for want of the war, the kingdom was lost -- all for the loss of one horseshoe nail!" It is crucial that every member of the team be faithful.
There was a big job to be done in Jerusalem and it would take the faithfulness of each worker to get it done. The father had a big job to do, too. He had a lot of books; some of them Ronny could carry, but there were some that were just too big. On one trip Ronny overestimated his ability and dropped his pile of books several times. Finally he sat down on the steps and cried. It frustrated and shamed him that he was not able to do the work for his dad. He wasn't about to quit, though, and wanted to be faithful to the task. The workers at Jerusalem got discouraged, too, as they faced opposition from the surrounding peoples and as the job mounted into a gargantuan work. They said, "The strength of the burden bearers is failing, yet there is much rubbish; And we ourselves are unable to rebuild the wall." Nehemiah 4:10. But they refused to quit the job, and within 52 days the task was completed. Ronny's father noticed how hard his little boy was working and God saw the efforts of His people. In fact, He found the laborers worthy of inclusion in the Bible for many future generations to read about. God's awareness of the work of His people becomes the last lesson in laboring for the Lord.
  1. THE LORD DOESN'T FORGET FAITHFUL WORKERS:
    1. Little did any of these folk realize that their names would be preserved in Scripture or that they would be the illustrative material for a sermon at Shasta Way Christian Church! We won't find many of these names anywhere else but here! If they were not recorded here, we'd have no knowledge of them -- but god still would!
    2. When you labor and it seems that nobody notices, who cares if they notice or not? We must remember:
      1. First, people may never notice, appreciate or approve what you do. Not everyone noticed, appreciated or approved what Jesus did!
      2. Second, when people do notice, appreciate and approve what you do, they at best can give only a temporal recognition and reward.
        1. The trophy may break.
        2. The certificate may fade.
        3. The promotion may be surpassed by someone else.
      3. Third, what we do for the Lord's eyes and for His notice and approval will never be forgotten! Whoever else may forget or overlook our works, we can be content "For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints." Hebrews 6:10.
      4. Fourth, God who never forgets our work rewards in ways that benefit us for time and eternity.
        1. Abundant, rich and full life here.
        2. An unfading crown, the crown of eternal life hereafter.
    3. God doesn't require that we be successful as the world defines success; but He does require that we be faithful and He doesn't forget His faithful workers. So:
      1. Stick to the job when quitting would be easier.
      2. Do the work even if nobody notices or commends or thanks you.
      3. Keep serving even if you think you're doing more than your fair share.
      4. Refuse to allow any other attraction or interest or pursuit to swerve you from loyalty to Jesus Christ.
      5. Do all that you do (your studies, your vocation, your ministries), not for the praise or publicity of man, but as if you were doing it for the Lord Himself.
    4. Remember: God doesn't forget faithful workers! Except for His admonition about having lost their first love, would that Jesus could speak to us all as He did to the church at Ephesus: Revelation 2:2, 3 "I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary." They had done all they could do, and God didn't forget it!
Ronny had done all he could do, and when he could do no more, he dropped the heavy armload of books. Without a word, the father picked up the load of books, put them into Ronny's arms and scooped up both the boy and the books into his arms. They continued that way load after load, until the last book had been put in its place in the study. When we are faithful, and when the job is just too much for us to accomplish, and even when we falter in the doing of our utmost, God remembers our work, and recognizes our frailty. It is then that He takes us up into His arms to complete the job with and through us, not in our strength, but in His. Today, whoever you are, whatever you've done, however you may have failed in the past, Jesus calls you to service. He calls to service within His church as it assembles, and in the world when the church is scattered. He wants you to put your hand to a task that lasts; to invest your time in eternity; to do a work that endures. He calls you to follow Him to service, and all who hear, and who believe, will humbly, faithfully, diligently put Him first and follow Him. Would you be one who would put your hand to the task? Would you be one who, believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, would follow Him? Then step out and let us know that as we sing!
Ron Mehl, in "More Stories For The Heart," compiled by Alice Gray, Multnomah Publishers Inc., Sisters, Oregon

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