for the kingdom. Well, beloved brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, suppose you have to pack up everything you have, sell your beautiful house, give up your land, your garden, your fresh produce. Suppose you have to lose your friends, leave your church behind, and then move to a place that's not particularly good. It doesn't have good internet connection. which is a necessity these days, it seems. They don't have any fresh produce. There's no security. Would you volunteer to go if someone asked you to? You'd probably say quickly, no. But suppose you have to do it for a distant relative. You don't speak the same language as their relative speaks, but you are asked to go. And then you learn the neighbors, those are terrible people. The neighbors hate you, and they're always trying to cause trouble. They oppose your religion. They oppose your lifestyle. Would you still go? There may be a slight chance you might go for a distant relative, but mostly you'd probably say no. But suppose you have to go for someone who saved your life. Would you go? You probably still won't go because you think the danger is too much. Who wants to go to a place where people hate your guts? Not many. Well, some Jews in the small towns or in the countryside who survived the Babylonian attacks were asked to go with their families to Jerusalem. and not the old Jerusalem that was prosperous before the Assyrian or Babylonian captivity, the depleted city. the dangerous city, and they were asked to go and settle there. Well, let's see how they responded. Our headings are three. God chose the volunteers. Second, men honored the volunteers. And then third, God honored the volunteers. And our goals are that you will be willing to make sacrifices for the one who sacrificed his life on Calvary's cross for you. First, God chose the volunteers. One, Jerusalem had a problem, and a problem that needed to be addressed quickly. There was a shortage of men there. Now this shortage was so severe, they could not defend the city, and there were many threats. We read of Sanballat and Tobiah and Gishom the Arab, so the Arabians are against them. The Ashdodites from the Philistines were against them. Threats were everywhere. And then there were even internal threats. Remember some of the people working in the temple. It was a dangerous place. And the enemies from outside and inside truly hated Jerusalem. Many didn't like the fact that it was a prosperous place. But look at the problem, Nehemiah 7, verse 4, together. So it didn't have the luxurious houses and then they're told, you need to go here. As some of the people who had worked on the wall in Jerusalem, repairing it, had lived outside of Jerusalem. So with the walls completed, repaired, they just went back home. They didn't want to stay in Jerusalem. It is estimated there were less than 20,000 people, more like 17,000 people at this time by the best estimates. But more than the fact that it was uninhabited and there are not a lot of good housing there, the city itself was decimated so there weren't many job opportunities. It wasn't a thriving metropolis, the trading hub. So that made it even more difficult. Would you volunteer to go there? Also, proper order had not yet been established. They needed lawmakers. They needed judges. They needed to develop that social structure. It should have been there, but it wasn't anymore. Look at Psalm 122, verse 5. Together, for thrones are set there for judgment, the thrones of the house of David. You needed a good judicial system for any society to thrive. like the psalmist described. More than that, a strong Jerusalem was necessary. Now you're looking at the positive side. They needed a strong Jerusalem for business, and they didn't have that. So the business was bad, but they didn't have the foundations for making it a good place for business. All the wealth that was in Jerusalem had disappeared. The revenue had been lost. More than that, the temple had been rebuilt, but there were not enough people to serve in the temple. There were not enough people to work and gather the wood like we talked about the last time, to help in carrying the water and taking care of the animals and making the sacrifices themselves. So even the attraction of being able to be close to the worship of God, it wasn't there. And then you remember Jerusalem was the place from which Messiah would come. He would come to die for the sins of the world and they needed to have that established. They needed to have it established properly in order for Messiah to come. If Jerusalem were captured by the Astrodites or the Arabians or some of these other people or be unstable, it would have been a terrible place for the sacrifice of Jesus to take place. It wouldn't have been a fit place. So they had to find a solution, and they had to find a solution fast. But in order to, before they got the people, the volunteers to come, it's notable that Nehemiah described Jerusalem as the holy city, as the holy city. Why was Jerusalem described as a holy city? Well, Jerusalem was the place where the Ark of the Covenant was. That's that box. I was supposed to be in the holiest place with the things inside to remind God's people of his provision for them, including the Aaron's rod that had budded in a jar of manna that was inside, because that represented the very presence of God. We'll talk about that manna in the second service. The very presence of God was there. More, this was a place of sacrifice, the sacrifice of animals that picture the sacrifice of the Holy One of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. And there were other things there as well. In the temple, there was not just the holiest place where the Ark of the Covenant was. At the front part of the temple, there were three things that were there, three tables. And one table was a table of showbread. that two stacks of six that represented God's provision for His people, for all of them, for all 12 tribes with the 12 loaves of bread that were there. And then on the other side of that was the table of the lampstand that pictured God the Father by the seven lights that were there on the lampstand. And directly in front of the holiest place was the altar of incense. Well, picture what? The presence of the Holy Spirit. It means by which we're able to go to God. As the incense would rise, so would the prayers of God's people by the Spirit of God. So, you see why this was considered to be so holy. Look at Joel 3, verse 17, together. So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, and no aliens shall ever pass through her again." Picture there, Zion, Jerusalem, my holy mountain. Jerusalem was on Mount Zion. He says, that will be holy. Why? Because I am there. The church, the New Jerusalem is also described as holy in the New Testament. And we see the picture of the New Testament in the Old Testament. Look at Daniel chapter 9. Let's read verse 34 together. 70 weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. What was this speaking of? The advent of the church of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. And that 70 weeks is divided in two parts, three and a half and three and a half. Well, three and a half years was the work of Jesus' ministry. At the end of that time, there was the great sacrifice. And He was the holy sacrifice, the one time for all time sacrifice. The second three and a half years came when they rejected God and they were ultimately destroyed. The city was sacked. That city now is coming down from heaven. Revelation chapter 3, and it's also repeated in Revelation chapter 21. Chapter 3 verse 12 says, together, He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God. And I will write on him my new name. Now, one of the interesting things you see about this city is that it has many gates. And why were there gates? Because the people will go out and conquer the world. In other words, there's still conversion taking place. That's what's taking place now, the presence of God. We are the new Jerusalem, not what is happening in, I'm not sure which direction, I guess east, that direction, what is happening in Israel today. Jerusalem there is not the holy city of God. You are the holy city of God. And why this is important, you see the context of this passage, is that they're being called to volunteer to go into the city, to go with God's people, to prepare the way for Messiah to come, to prepare the way for the great new Jerusalem to come. All God's people from all the different backgrounds in this world. So the leaders decide to cast lots to see who would go to live in Jerusalem for the kingdom's sake. Now, we already have the background. It's not a good place. It's not a safe place. It's not a rich place. They don't have all the nice things. The trees were cut down. There weren't many fresh things available. It's on a mountain, so you're not going to get even the fresh fish of being close to the rivers. and they're being asked to volunteer. But the interesting thing is, in order to volunteer, they cast lots. Why cast lots? And this is usually two sticks or two stones that they would have, or two pieces of bone, and they would get an answer by throwing this. We're not sure exactly how it was done, but they would get a way of knowing from God what the answer is. And they use this because God then determined, not luck, not chance, but God determined who would be asked to go. Who would be asked to go to Jerusalem? Look at Proverbs chapter 18, verse 18. Casting lots causes contention to cease and keeps the mighty apart. In other words, you know that's God who determined that. So one can't argue, oh, you did that to me. You made me have to go. And then Proverbs 16, 33, together, the lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord. So God determined who would be that one in 10 person who would be chosen to go to Jerusalem. And they decided that one-tenth would go, leave their homes from in the country areas, the small towns, to move to live in Jerusalem. This was done throughout history. It's not an uncommon thing to move people. If you know Syracuse, which is in Sicily, Rome, and even Tiberius right on the other side of the Jordan River from Israel. It used to be part of Israel, actually, where Reuben Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh lived on the east side of the Jordan. They were forcefully populated. People were brought from other places to live there. In this case, though, it wasn't force. It was voluntary. It was voluntary. Remember last week we talked about tithing not being used by force. You don't have to turn over your T4 slips for people to check how much money you ought to tithe. God commanded it, but you have to do that voluntarily before Him. Well, that's what God is doing here. So God chose the volunteers. What can we learn? Congregations are smaller today, generally speaking, and it should really be a cause of concern because the church in North America is getting smaller. The church needs to be bigger to fight for the kingdom. But sometimes people use this as if it were a good thing that the church was smaller, saying, well, the church is smaller in order to be purer. But that's not necessarily true. Big churches can be pure too. What we need is godliness, faithful preaching, proper discipline, good administration of the sacraments so the church will grow and thrive and be pure also. So we don't need to celebrate being small. What we need to do is evangelize when we're small. Invite others to come and hear the gospel. That's what you see. Remember Revelation 3 and 21. The church is to be opened. The doors are to be opened so people will feel welcome. They will come in and hear the message of Jesus Christ. And you will invite them and say, come to the bread of life. Come to the waters of life. Second, there's another way in which a church is to be built up. And one of them is having children, your own biological children. Some reject this idea because they're selfish or they don't know better. They don't want children because they say children will limit me and I won't be able to travel and do the things I should do. I have more money for myself, I can do whatever I want. Well, not having children is what killed communism. And by the way, there were some godly reformed men who prophesied this back in the 60s and said, the reason communism will fall apart is because those people in communism didn't want to have children and they will die because of that. That's exactly what happened. When the communists were having 0.5 children per family, the Christians were having seven on average in Russia. And guess what happened? It influenced the fall, including Gorbachev, who had a grandmother who was a believer. So children is normal. You're young, you get married, you have children, and raise them in the fear of the Lord. Three, don't reject church membership. The godly man knows He needs to show commitment so the work of the kingdom can be done. It's not just about survival, it's expansion. And you see, becoming a member of the church shows your commitment to Christ. There's never force. There's God's call, come, gather for worship, be joined to the church of Jesus Christ. But there's no force. You have to make that commitment to Christ. be personally involved in the life of the church. The Lord will use that to draw the world to Himself. Look at Isaiah 52 verse 1. Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion. Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city. Now, if you are looking at a young woman and you're trying to win a good husband and get his attention, what do you do? You dress nicely. You put on beautiful clothing. You look good, so you are attractive. And that's what God is saying to the bride, look good, put on nice clothes. Let the world see the beauty of the bride. Let the world see that this family cares so that the family will be drawn in. And that takes time. There's not a woman here who thinks you can get ready in five minutes like most men can. Why? It takes time. And that's work. It's a sacrifice. One more lesson. Remember where all this decision started. Remember what came before this? They had stood up for hours and read. And then they gathered next day and they heard the teaching of the word and explanation of the word. It was really a return to the scripture and a recommitment of themselves to the Lord. They committed themselves to serving God because they were aware of their sins and the failures of their fathers. And they said, we're not going that way anymore. We're going to change. We know what sent us into captivity. We're not going there anymore. We're not going there anymore. That's what precipitated this, and then their willingness to volunteer to go to Jerusalem for the sake of the kingdom. Second point, men honored the volunteers. Now, while the lot's decision was from God, the men apparently were not forced to move to Jerusalem, but voluntarily left for the greater good. And as a result, the people who were around them, who were remaining, blessed them. These volunteers had faith in the Lord Jesus. That's why they were willing to go. They had courage because of that faith. And that then led to self-denial. Because you know who you are and you know what Christ has done for you, you're willing to make the sacrifices for the kingdom. And no wonder they were honored by those who remained behind. You know, Judah, was described by Jacob in a beautiful way as that bold lion in Genesis 49 where he was blessing his people, his children. And look, isn't that true? Judah was willing to go and face the enemies, the difficulties for the sake of the kingdom. No wonder Jesus came from Judah, the lion of Judah. Love for their Savior made them overcome the fear of the enemy. What does it mean that the people blessed the volunteers? Can a man bless another man? Well, the meaning of blessed here is they prayed for the volunteers, they spoke well of them, they encouraged them, they supported them. That's what it means that they blessed them. They couldn't impart blessings into their souls, but they could encourage them and support them. Look at Psalm 122, verse 6. Together. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you. Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good. That's verse 9. The idea here is that you are to pray and support and encourage those who are working in the kingdom of God. Not everyone is able to do this. Not everyone is able to stand up. Not everyone is able to play the piano. Not everyone is able to engage someone with the gospel. But everyone is able to pray and support those who are. Charles Spurgeon was known for having a group of women at the back of Metropolitan Tabernacle in South London. And they'd be in the back praying while he was preaching. And he often said, that's the powerhouse. That's where they generated the electricity they needed for the front. And those women were never seen. But they sure knew they were playing an important part in the work of the church. They were a blessing to Him. Two lessons here. First of all, be willing to sometimes give up your freedom and even your finances and even your friends for the common good of God's people. You know, it's not easy telling people to pick up their lives. Many of them are just resettled and then being told, go to Jerusalem now and face difficulties. But their love for Christ drove them on and they did. Unfortunately, because of the drumbeat of the importance of the individual and self-love, some will only do things because they get something back for it. Maybe they'll get paid to do it. Maybe they'll get promoted to do it. Maybe they'll get recognized, and then they do it for those things. That's our modern society. But not for you, though. You know differently. You know that the Lord did something for you in the cross that you desperately needed, and then you are willing to give up your own temporary benefits for the kingdom benefits, to honor the one who lived and died for you. And then He even promised rewards if you do, but you do it because of what He has done for you. So God chose the volunteers, the neighbors honored the volunteers, and that wasn't the end. Then God honored the volunteers. That's what we see in verse 3. God honored those who volunteered to move to Jerusalem and give up their comforts, to give up their security, give up their prosperity of living in the country. The people who returned from captivity had settled in their original places in the country, but they were willing to give that up, and God honored them. By the way, you see the word Judas described as a province, and you think, how is that? They had tribes before. Well, it's because it was a province now of Medo-Persia, and it's described that way. But even men like Nehemiah himself had volunteered and invested his money in the building up of the temple and the building up of the repairing of the walls and the providing for security and the establishment of a court system in Jerusalem again. And God honored them. How did God honor them? He had their names written down for everyone to see for eternity. When was this? This was about two and a half thousand years ago. And for two and a half thousand years, we read these names with affection and admiration for what these people did. Now, these men weren't asking for their names to be written up in the annals of history, but God wanted it recorded. And you know, we will remember these people in heaven too. We'll remember these people who made this, who volunteered to go to Jerusalem when we are in heaven. And these men had some nice names too. Athai, which means Yahweh has shown himself preeminent. You see their love for God. Haziah, Yahweh has seen, you see that in verse five. And you go through the list of names, there were wonderful names showing the confidence and the hope of the people in God, which made them willing to sacrifice for the kingdom. And some of the people to note who were there, who joined with them, the Nethanims and Solomon's servants. There were also some Israelis, the former Israelites, who had been left and mixed around with the people of Judah. They were included as well. But the Nethanim and Solomon's servants are mentioned. Who were the Nethanim? The Nethanim were likely the Gibeonites who had tricked Joshua into making an agreement with him to live there. And when they were found out, God said, you can't break your oath with them, but they can become your servants and your water carriers and your fetchers of wood and woodcutters. And they also were there. You notice God didn't ignore these people. They went to Jerusalem also. And in Solomon's servants, descendants, that's self-explanatory, they continued to serve. And there's one more thing here, Jerusalem was given to Judah and their neighbors, Benjamin. These two were given the responsibility to inherit and to oversee Jerusalem. Look at the two examples, Joshua 15, 63, together. As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out, but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day." So the Judah, the Jews, or Judah, had inherited part of Jerusalem. But look also at Joshua chapter 18, verse 28. Together, Zillah, Eliph, Jebus, which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kirjath, 14 cities with their villages. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, according to their families. So, why is this important? These two tribes then had a duty to make sacrifices, because God wanted the sacrifices made where the temple was. And the temple was established, first of all, buying the land by David and then built by Solomon and then rebuilt during the time of Zerubbabel. And because they're the ones who inherited that land, they had to make the sacrifices of themselves and then make the sacrifices to God to do so. God wrote their names down. If you read, there are many names. You see an account of it in Chronicles, you see an account of it in Ezra, and you see an account of it in Nehemiah. Their names are mentioned, most of the names, three times. That is truly an honor to have your name recorded there. What can we learn from the way God honored the volunteers? First of all, even the smallest thing you do for Christ is made note of and will be rewarded on Judgment Day. The smallest thing. Maybe you shared a hymn book with somebody and we ran out of hymn books. Maybe you point someone to where the refreshments are before the kids get to it after church on Sunday. That's a nice gesture. It's a little thing, but it's a wonderful thing. Maybe you just pat someone on the shoulder. You see someone coming to the church and you give them a pat. It's good to meet you. Glad to see you. Please do come back. Simple thing like that. It's not a lot in the grand scheme of things, and yet the Lord will bless that. Smallest thing. Second, the lowest, the oldest, the least educated, the uneducated, the poorest, all have a part to play in Christ's kingdom. That's why the mention is made of Solomon's servant's descendants. Or the netonym. We had an S, but the IM at the end is plural already. These were not High class people, they were water carriers and woodcutters, but they were included in the people of God. And they were going to Jerusalem to serve the place where Jesus would come. And that's what they were there for, to secure that land, to establish his people for Messiah to come. And then there was people like Nehemiah, he was a eunuch. No one thought much about him, but he was included too. Such is the work of God. So are you playing your part? And are you training for the part that God has marked out for you? Lesson two, this is three, sorry. Be warned, be warned of this. Most people prefer their own wealth their own credit, their own pleasure, their own ease and safety before the glory of God and the public good. You see, this is what we fight against because we naturally want to look out for our immediate needs. And you have to be warned that you have to be willing to sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. People who are selfish that way, don't marry them, don't be close to them. Hear this final warning, Philippians 2.21, together, for all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. That is the problem. We're naturally selfish. It takes supernatural help to do what God calls us to do. Because the natural thing is to be selfish. Let's conclude. The Jews, mostly men from Judah and Benjamin, but some others from the defunct Israel were included. high and low, rich and poor, they were picked by God and consequently volunteered to go to Jerusalem to ensure the safety, the stability, and the success of that great city. Above all, this was essential for the coming of Messiah and the establishment of His kingdom. This commitment flowed from the renewal of their covenant with God after hearing the word of God preached. There was no revival because we're going to change our programs. There's going to be revival because of the preaching of the true counsel of God. So beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, what are you volunteering to do for the kingdom of God? And remember, I didn't ask what you're going to do so people might like you or what are you going to do so you get a sense of fulfillment? It doesn't matter whether you get a sense of fulfillment, you usually do, but that's not the purpose. So you can feel good about what you did. You do what you do for the kingdom because of what Christ has done for you. So are you praying for God's kingdom? Are you evangelizing for God's kingdom? Are you encouraging for God's kingdom? Are you even showing charity to others? Are you leading others? Are you giving to God's kingdom? Are you teaching for God's kingdom? What will make you do this? Remember what Jesus did for you on the cross. This is what gives meaning to your life. This is why you would want to live and work for Him. This is why you would worship Him. And let me tell you one thing specifically. One of the best ways to volunteer for the kingdom is to invite people to church so they might hear the gospel and be saved. There's no more effective way than simply inviting people to come and worship God with you. They hear the message, and then they're saved. That's the way it's worked. Not all will, but it's the most effective way of building the kingdom. And finally, do you want to be part of the kingdom of God? God calls you. Come in. He doesn't force you. He provides the way. Jesus said, I am the door. I am the only way. Come. but he also warns of judgment if you don't come in. Let us pray. Thank you, Father, for your words. Thank you for the reminder of how much you desire to see your kingdom established and how you call us to be willing to give up some things in order for the kingdom to prosper. We know you don't need us. You could build your kingdom without us, but you're pleased to use us. Help us not to be selfish. but to be willing to sacrifice, even as Jesus Christ sacrificed for us. Bless us and keep us, we pray, for Jesus' sake. Amen.