The Sword & The Trowel: Let Us Rise & Build

And then in a this prophetic foreshadowing of Jesus Christ himself, follow this, Nehemiah enters the destruction and ruin of God's people. Commissioned by the high king, he enters into the destruction and ruin of God's people. It was a city that was destroyed by sin. It was a people who had turned from God, broke covenant with him, and now lay in ruin. This is what Nehemiah entered into. Chapter two paints a picture of Nehemiah entering just like Christ would four hundred and fifty plus years after him. He entered into the depths of sin's consequence, even as one of the people, but one with authority. [00:02:16] (46 seconds)  #NehemiahForeshadowsChrist

But the Sheep Gate's the one that's consecrated. The Sheep Gate's the one that's been made holy. The Sheep Gate is the place upon which all of the other parts of the wall lean and rely. See, the entire city is built around the temple housing the holy presence of God. And before the holy of holies, the manifest presence of the creator of the universe, there was an altar. And on that altar, blood atonement was required for the sins of the people, and that offering was made through sheep, lambs, lambs that would be sacrificed for the sin of the people. [00:10:01] (37 seconds)  #SheepGateAtonement

He's also the good shepherd, he says, who lays down his life for the sheep, which are also us, you, the church, the flock of God. The imagery is clear. All true restoration in this world begins and ends with his sacrificial death and resurrection. That's what this is all pointing to. Guys, this is the gospel, that God became a man, and he lived the life that we couldn't live, and he died the death that we deserve to die as the lamb of God. [00:12:08] (30 seconds)  #GoodShepherdSacrifice

God desired to build this wall like he desires to build his church on the cornerstone of Christ and through the hands of his everyday people, filled with the spirit, focused on his kingdom for his glory. First Peter two nine, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. [00:17:15] (37 seconds)  #BuiltOnChristCornerstone

This thing's not built by a handful of heroes. There's real leadership in this. Yes. But it's servant leadership that's pointing, and it's uniting everyone in the ultimate servant leader and cornerstone who is Christ. And this is our ultimate purpose. So Christ and his commission. Even the wall itself, guys, is designed to provide security and identity and separation for holiness. That's what it's foreshadowing as our role as the church is to be a city on the hill displaying God's glory in our unity. [00:17:52] (40 seconds)  #ServantLeadershipUnites

We worship Jesus as the church. The church is the one that needs the grace. Amen? And so we don't just offer grace. We don't just declare grace. We demonstrate it to one another, and that's our testimony to the lost world. And so this is why we're looking to him in all of it. If you look to the church, guys, as your to to be the perfect form of what you worship, you are headed for very real disillusionment. [00:20:21] (27 seconds)  #ChurchNeedsGrace

We don't love the church because she's so awesome. We love the church and the people in the church because we love Christ who is so awesome. And we tap into his love for one another. And we love because we've tapped into that. We tap into him. We worship him. And now we love one another, even sacrificing to build one another up in his love, not because they deserve it, but because he does. [00:20:48] (32 seconds)  #LoveRootedInChrist

Like, your position is that of sons and daughters of the most high king, ministers of reconciliation, citizens of heaven, emissaries and ambassadors for Christ. This is the language of the Bible. A chosen race, a royal plea priesthood of all believers. This position hasn't just been given to you for the sake of your comfort and convenience, but for the sake of a greater king and a greater kingdom and his greater glory. [00:30:24] (29 seconds)  #RoyalPriesthoodCalled