Sermons

This morning, Andrew has assigned me a rather small passage, so we're going to look at Nehemiah chapter 11 and also part of chapter 12. And before you read this passage, it really should come with a rather large disclaimer. It should come saying, this is going to be very long, and there are going to be many, many, many, many, many names. And so, I'm just going to ask Andrew to come up and read the passage. And then I'll take over. I know that we normally stand for the reading of God's word, but because it is rather long, I'm just gonna ask you to remain seated. And as they would say, may God bless the reading of this word, and I mean really, really, really bless the reading. Nehemiah chapter 11 and chapter 12 to verse 26 in chapter 12.

(Scripture reading) Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns. And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.

These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon’s servants. And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite. All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men.

And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, and his brothers, men of valor, 928. Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city.

Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God, and their brothers who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, and his brothers, heads of fathers’ houses, 242; and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, and their brothers, mighty men of valor, 128; their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim.

And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over the outside work of the house of God; and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise, who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. All the Levites in the holy city were 284.

The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates, were 172. And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, every one in his inheritance. But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants.

The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God. For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, as every day required. And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king’s side in all matters concerning the people.

And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, and in Jeshua and in Moladah and Beth-pelet, in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages, in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages, Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin.

(Chapter 12) These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chiefs of the priests and of their brothers in the days of Jeshua.

And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who with his brothers was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. And Bakbukiah and Unni and their brothers stood opposite them in the service. And Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada, Joiada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaddua.

And in the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers’ houses: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai; of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the Levites were recorded as heads of fathers’ houses; so too were the priests in the reign of Darius the Persian. As for the sons of Levi, their heads of fathers’ houses were written in the Book of the Chronicles until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And the chiefs of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers who stood opposite them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, watch by watch. Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers standing guard at the storehouses of the gates. These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra, the priest and scribe."

Before we start, I really should say, okay, you've done well, you can go home. But we're gonna continue, and I would love you to stand with me as we ask God to help us to understand this passage to ask Him to clearly speak to us, that we wouldn't just leave thinking, wow, that was a lot of names, but that we would leave this place marveled at our Savior.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we are so thankful that we have Your word. and we're so thankful that You have placed every word carefully and it is for our good and for Your glory. I pray, Father, that You would give us listening ears, but Father, most of all, I pray that You would give us obedient hearts. and that we would leave this place changed in and through and by Your living and powerful word. All these things I pray in Your precious Son's name, amen.

There are some parts of the Bible that are easy to love. Like Psalm 23, Romans 8, John 3, Philippians 4, and then you have Nehemiah chapter 11 and chapter 12. There, there are names. Lots and lots and lots of names. Names I can hardly pronounce. There's people who lived in Jerusalem, there are people who lived outside of Jerusalem, there are priests, there are Levites, there are gatekeepers, there are singers, there are officials, there are cities. And then you get to chapter 12, and then you have genealogies of names.

And so when you come to this, if you're being honest, it probably wouldn't be the first passage that you think, I'm going to print that off and put it on my fridge. Or I'm going to get it in a beautiful piece of art and hang it in my living room. Or I know what I'm going to do, I'm gonna take a screenshot and it's going to become my screensaver so that whenever I'm feeling anxious or I need to be reminded of truth, I'm gonna pop up that screensaver and there is Nehemiah 11 and 12. It can seem like it's the kind of passage that we are tempted to quickly read and then just move on.

And if we are completely honest this morning, we might just read those chapters and think, Lord, I know that all scripture is profitable. But what exactly am I supposed to do with this? What does this reveal about You? How can a long list of names teach me more about You?

The God who created, the God who sustains, the God who is sovereign over everyone and everything. But when you come to a passage like this. It is vitally important this morning that we ingrain in our minds that God does not waste words. Every scripture, that means every verse and every chapter is breathed out by God and is what? Profitable for us today.

So, the important question that we must ask ourselves this morning is, why are all these names in this passage? Why does God want us to know who lived in Jerusalem? Why does He wanna tell us who the priests are? Why does He give us generation after generation of names? Because this morning we are not just merely reading a list. These are not name fillers. These names are a testimony to the faithfulness of God.

And as we come near to the epic story of Nehemiah, we discover that the great work being done in Jerusalem was not simply about rebuilding a city. Nehemiah, it began with broken walls. But even though walls are necessary, the walls are important, that was never the ultimate goal. God was never ultimately interested in walls. He was interested in a people. God was not just interested in constructing a city.

God is restoring a people. So, Jerusalem needed people. It needed worship, it needed leadership, it needed families, it needed a community committed to God, and that's what we see developing in Nehemiah chapter 11 and part of chapter 12. What's happening here? The city is being populated. We get to see how the people are being organized. And in this passage, Jerusalem is restored, but it is not what the prophets had promised. And therein lies the big idea of this passage. The city is restored, but not yet complete.

Still, God is faithful to his word and will accomplish all that he has promised. Therefore, what this text enables us to see and be convinced of is as we, as believers, live in this fallen, broken world, as children of God, we can live in confident hope of knowing that God has the victory and will accomplish all He has said that He will do. And so, to convince us of this truth, this passage can be broken into four sections. And these four sections will become the four main points for the sermon this morning.

One, God restores His people by establishing them in Jerusalem. We see this in Nehemiah chapter 11, verses one through to 24. Two, God restores beyond Jerusalem. Nehemiah chapter 11 and verses 25 to 36. Point three, God restores worship among his people. And we see that in Nehemiah chapter 12, verses 1 to 26. And then point four, God's restoration is real. but it is not yet complete.

1. God restores His people by establishing them in Jerusalem

So firstly, God restores His people by establishing them in Jerusalem. Nehemiah chapter 11, verses one to 24. Look with me to Nehemiah chapter 11, verse one.

What does it say? It says, "now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of 10 to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine out of the 10 remained in the other towns." So, what do we have happening here?

The walls have been rebuilt, but there is a problem. The city of Jerusalem desperately needs people. If you turn back to Nehemiah chapter seven and verse four, it states, "now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt." So, the city is standing, right? The walls are built, but it isn't sufficiently populated. The city needs people. It must be populated. So how will this be done? Let's break down verse one. How is it gonna be done?

The passage tells us that some of the Jews chose to live in Jerusalem, but the majority of the Jews lived outside the city. Firstly, it tells us that the leaders lived in Jerusalem, and that's great news. We see here leaders that are leading by example. And then when we read verses 3-24 it expands on this and gives a list of all those leaders who dwelled in the city.

Who were they? We have officials, priests, Levites, and gatekeepers. In verses 4 and 6, you have the leaders from the tribe of Judah. Verses 7and 9, you have the leaders from the tribe of Benjamin. Verses 10 to 14, you have the priests. Verses 15 to 18, you have the Levites. Verses 19 through to 24, you have the gatekeepers and the special offices.

And listed among them, we have 1,192 priests. They are the people who served at the altar. They offered the sacrifices. They carried out the sacred duties of worship in the temple on behalf of the people. Who else do we have? We have 284 Levites listed. The Levites served in the temple and led Israel in worship. That meant they helped the priests and they led the people in thanksgiving and praise. And then recorded are 172 gatekeepers. These were the men responsible for guarding the temple gates, faithfully protecting the house of God, and overseeing who entered and who left.

These are men, when we read them, we do not know. And the world might deem them as greatly insignificant. And yet, this passage highlights their names. God knows them. How amazing is that this morning? The God who created the galaxies, hung the stars in space, holds the oceans in place, who controls all things, who sustains all things, knows them by name and He kindly records them in scripture that for us on the 16th of August 2026, we get to read them. How kind of God to do that. So why are these names there?

What do they matter to God? Why do they matter to Him? Because ordinary faithfulness matters to God. These men were faithfully serving, they were faithfully living in Jerusalem, and they were being obedient to God by being there in Jerusalem. And remember this this morning. that as children of God, as you faithfully serve Him, He sees, He knows, and He deeply cares. Your name matters to Him. I don't know about you, but does that not totally astound you this morning? that God knows you and sees you.

The world may count your name as insignificant, but not to God. What does it tell us in Luke chapter 10 and verse 20 and Revelation 21:27? It reminds us that if you are a child of God's, your name is written in heaven. In the Lamb's book of life, all because of what Christ has graciously done for you. So, this morning, seeing the long list of names should propel you to praise God that even though He is transcendent and all-powerful, He is near and close to His children, and He knows them by name.

God knew exactly who would be in Jerusalem. And at the start of this passage, it tells us that who was there, the leaders are in the city, but it still needs more people. So, verse one explains that a plan was implemented to bring more people in to live in this city. And what was that plan? the people cast lots. And one out of every 10 was chosen to live in Jerusalem. Now let's just do a little quick pause here. What does it mean in Bible times that they cast lots?

This did not mean that they were leaving it to mere chance. They believed that God sovereignly governed the outcome. Proverbs chapter 16 and verse 33 helpfully helps us to understand this a little bit more. It says there, "the lot is cast into the lap, but in every decision is from the Lord." So, casting lots was an act of belief. And so in this case, the people believed that God was choosing the people He wanted to dwell in Jerusalem. That took a little bit of pressure off the leaders because then they knew, oh, well this is God who wants these people to be here.

However, what does verse two tell us? It says that some men willingly went to live there. What does that mean? Some men, they volunteered to live in Jerusalem. And the people blessed them for doing so. I love that word in verse two, willingly. These are men who offered themselves. Sometimes it's really easy to just read the Bible and quickly pass through it than really think, what did that mean? For us today, oh, they just moved into Jerusalem. Really think about that.

That was costly for them. They were willing to make that sacrifice. They were willing to leave what was familiar. They were willing to leave their homes, willing to leave their land. For some, that even meant choosing a brand-new job. They were willing to change their circumstances for the good of God's people and for the purposes of God. The people willingly offered themselves. And then what does verse two say was a response of the people that willingly went to Jerusalem? The people blessed them for it.

Each and every day as Christians, we willingly submit our lives to the Lord. We don't give ourselves to God to earn His love. We give ourselves to God because He has already loved us. We don't serve so that Jesus will save us. We serve because Jesus has saved us. We don't obey so that God will accept us. We obey because Christ has reconciled us to God. The gospel doesn't produce reluctant servants. It produces grateful servants.

Why? Because He is worth it. Jesus says in Matthew chapter 16 and verse 24, "then Jesus told his disciples, if anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me." Why would anyone willingly do that? Because Jesus is worth it.

Think of all that He has done for us, His children. And when you see God for who He truly is and all that He has done, then sacrifices no longer feel like losing something. Rather, it becomes a willing act of worship. John MacArthur said, "your faith in God is more valuable to you than everything you hold most dear. You'll put all your dreams and hopes on the line because you have such implicit and total trust in Him." He is worth it.

Some men in verse one were willing and gave up to all go to Jerusalem. But now as you read the passage and hear the need to fill the city, it may be prompting you to ask the question, hold on, why is Jerusalem so important? Why not let the people live wherever they want to live? Because Jerusalem wasn't simply another city.

This was a city God had chosen. This was where the temple was. This was where God's people gathered. This was the city associated with God's covenant promises. God had judged Jerusalem because of Israel's sin. The Babylonians, they had destroyed it, and the people had been brought into exile. but God had graciously promised that exile would not be the end. He would bring His people back, He would restore them, and now we get to see a glimpse of this glorious restoration. God is establishing His people again in Jerusalem. In the Bible, Jerusalem is often referred to as the holy city. In verse one, you see that, but you also see it in Isaiah, Daniel, Matthew, and Revelation. Remember, for Mark, that's Isaiah. A place that needs people. This is a special place, a chosen place, but it needs people. And so, verses one to 24, we have the long list of people that are already in that city. However, we should not see this passage just as a long list of names.

This passage shows us God's character. It reveals that God is always, always faithful to His word and will always accomplish what He has promised. The people may have failed, the city may have failed, the walls may have failed, but God's word, it had not failed. God had said that He would restore His people and He was faithfully doing it. The faithfulness of God is one of the greatest truths throughout scripture. But this passage does not just end with God restoring His people by establishing them in Jerusalem, it goes further, and that brings us to point two. God restores beyond Jerusalem.

2. God restores beyond Jerusalem

Nehemiah chapter 11, verses 25 to 36. And as you look at those verses, once again we have a long list of names, and this informs us that not all people were living in Jerusalem. Nehemiah begins listing the places where God's people lived throughout Judah. This is a listing of people. This is the listing here where you see in verse 25 and 30 where they are in Judah, and then in verse 31 and 36 you see where Benjamin settled.

And why give these places here in this text? Because it is doing something. It tells us here something really important. God's people are not all in one place. Restoration is not just happening in Jerusalem. God is establishing His people throughout the land. And that this morning greatly matters. because the land was part of God's promise. God had promised His people a land, and the exile that happened, this seemed to undo that promise. But now they are returning. They are living in that land again.

What does that tell us? The promise has not failed. God had not forgotten His promise. Dale Ralph Davies helpfully states this:

This section is not merely a bit of geography, however, but a chunk of theology. What stands behind Nehemiah 11 here is the place component of Yahweh's Abraham promise in Genesis 12. Yahweh has brought them back to this land. So, to the reader, these names emphasize and record restoration. God is sovereign. God is keeping His promise. Yahweh had not forgotten the land promise. God is faithful. Even though these people did not deserve it, He was accomplishing His plan and was being faithful.

But it is vitally important to notice something. This is still not the glorious kingdom that Israel was ultimately expecting. It's not everything that the prophets had promised. It is the beginning.

I've already quoted from Dale Ralph Davies. He has an excellent commentary that I would recommend you to read. It's called The Quest for Restoration. It's his commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah. And he makes this observation about the passage. He describes what we see here as a mustard seed sort of blessing, sort of beginning. He states this:

"Though it is a small mustard seed sort of beginning, can we not see in these mundane verses a renewing of the place element of the Abrahamic covenant? Hence, there is a hint of the fidelity of God in the geography of Judah here."

That's a beautiful way to see Nehemiah chapter 11. A mustard seed.

A beginning, something really significant, but something that is pointing forward to something much, much greater. God gives them a restored Jerusalem, but the prophets had spoken about something greater. Isaiah speaks about God's glory filling the earth. Isaiah speaks about a king who will reign in righteousness. And the Old Testament keeps creating that expectation. God is going to do something greater. And Nehemiah gives us a glimpse of that. But it is not the completion.

And this is important for how we live as children of God. Sometimes we get discouraged as we live in this fallen and broken world. You see people openly reject and speak wrongly against your Savior and Lord. You encounter wars, you encounter so much sickness and death that it can be easy to become discouraged. Nehemiah reminds us that we are not yet home.

Remember that God is still faithful. He will keep His word and one day all will be made right. And so, we see one, God restores His people by establishing them in Jerusalem. Two, God restores beyond Jerusalem, but not only is God interested in establishing people, He is also establishing worship. And this brings us to point three. God restores worship among His people.

3. God restores worship among His people

Nehemiah chapter 12, verses one to 26. Here in Nehemiah chapter 12, it's highlighting the restoration and reestablishment of Israel's worship after the walls have been successfully built up. Chapter 12 underscores that God is not merely giving the people a city. He is doing much more. He is restoring them to worship.

Verses 1 to 9 highlight the priests and Levites who served after the exile. Verses 10 to 11 is a genealogy of the high priests, and this traces the priestly line throughout many, many generations. Verses 12 to 21 highlights the priestly families showing the different priestly households serving in Jerusalem. And then verses 22 to 26, the list of Levites and their ministries. And all these verses from one to 26 are greatly significant.

They are not merely a genealogy. What are they? They are a testimony that God has preserved His people. Even though they are not a perfect people. Even though they do not deserve restoration, God will still accomplish what He wants and will fulfill His promises. This passage here emphasizes that God is faithful and He not only preserved the people, but He preserved their worship.

Think about what Israel had experienced. They had been conquered. They had been exiled. They had been destroyed. The temple had been destroyed. It'd be so easy for the people to think, well, those promises are done. They are finished. But in God's kindness, they were not. Here, in these passages, we get to see that God preserved them. God brought them back. God restored Jerusalem. God restored the priesthood. God restored the Levites.

God had not forgotten His people, and He calls them to worship Him. Nehemiah chapter 12 verses one to 26 beautifully displays to us that God didn't just restore a city, but He was restoring a people who worship Him and serve Him. But remember that this was still not it complete. It is important that we see the bigger picture.

And throughout the whole of the Old Testament, God's people were waiting for a Messiah. God had promised that the Savior would come. What did God promise back in Genesis chapter 13 and verse five? And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring. He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel. God promised a King, a Deliverer, a Messiah.

Someone who would finally deal with the greatest problem, the greatest problem that we still see in Nehemiah, reconciliation to a holy God. The greatest problem in this book of Nehemiah was not the broken walls. The greatest problem here is how can sinful people dwell with a holy God? And not that dwell with a God who is so faithful. and so good and so kind.

The restoration is real, but it's not complete. Nehemiah doesn't give us the final answer, but what does it do? It points us toward it. This book longs. It creates us to long for something greater. The priests are restored, but they are not perfect. The worship is restored, but the people are still sinners. They still get it wrong; they still fail God. The temple is restored, but it's not the final dwelling place of God. The sacrifices continue, but they will not permanently remove sin. The people are back in the land of Jerusalem, but they will still disobey and rebel against their God.

So, we're left with a question. What does complete restoration look like? And Nehemiah doesn't answer the question completely, but the rest of scripture gloriously does. Nehemiah is beautifully part of the story that streams throughout scripture. So, in this passage we see that one, God restores His people by establishing them in Jerusalem. God restores beyond Jerusalem. Point three, God restores worship among His people. But thankfully, this is not where the story ends. And this brings us to our last section, section four. God's restoration is real, but it is not yet complete.

4. God's restoration is real, but it is not yet complete.

And that incompleteness, is not a disappointment, right?

It is a signpost. It is pointing us somewhere. It is pointing us forward. The whole of the Old Testament is pointing us forward. The Passover makes them long for a greater deliverance. The tabernacle makes them long for God's permanent dwelling. The priesthood makes them long for a perfect mediator. The sacrifices make them long for one sacrifice that can defeat sin once and for all. Nehemiah is pointing us this morning to look forward.

God promised Abraham a people through his son, but the promise was bigger than Isaac. God promised His people a land, and Joshua brought them into that land, but the promise was bigger than Canaan. God promised His presence, and His glory filled the tabernacle and the temple, but the promise was bigger than a building. And now in Nehemiah, God restores Jerusalem, even though the people have done nothing to deserve it or to earn it.

The Old Testament is teaching God's people to wait for the one who will fulfill everything that God has promised. And the book of Nehemiah is right in the middle of that waiting. And then we come to the New Testament, and we read in John chapter one and verse 14, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Christ comes. That's astonishing. The God who dwelt among Israel in the tabernacle and in the temple comes to dwell among His people in the person of Jesus Christ. God Himself has come. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus is not simply another priest. He is the great high priest. He is not merely another sacrifice. He is the ultimate sacrifice. And I want to pause briefly here.

It is really important that we don't diminish what God is doing in chapter 11 and chapter 12 of Nehemiah. The restoration does really matter. What do we see? Jerusalem is rebuilt. God has been faithful. The people are moving back. but it's also important to not just stop there. Let this restoration that you see make you hunger for the fullness of God's promises. This is what scripture is teaching us to do. When you see something good that God has done, rejoice and marvel in it, but also remember that not everything has come to completion.

So, if you're a child of God, there are wonderful things that God has already done in your life. If you belong to Jesus, you are forgiven. You are justified. You are adopted. The Holy Spirit dwells in you. You have peace with God. You have fellowship with God's people. You have the hope of the resurrection. This is what you have in Christ. Marvel at that. Praise Him for that. But you also know something as children of God.

You still struggle with sin. You still experience suffering. There is still death in this world. There is still sickness. There is still grief and sadness. You still live in a world that is broken. But Nehemiah helpfully reminds us, restoration has begun, but it is not complete. Jesus has come, but He is coming again.

The sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, it has happened, but resurrection glory is still coming. We have the Holy Spirit, but we are waiting for the day when faith will become sight. Therefore, we live with confidence looking forward to this because God is faithful and He will always keep His promises. Philippians one and verse six, it says, "and I am sure of this, that He who begun a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." What does that mean? God finishes His work. God is victorious.

So these two chapters help us look forward with hopeful, confident anticipation. What will it look like for God's people to finally be home? What will it look like for sin to be finally gone? What will it look like to have no more death? What will it look like to meet your Savior face to face?

The Bible gives us the answer in Revelation 21. John sees a new heaven and earth. In Revelation 21 and three, we read, "and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them and they will be His people and God Himself will be with them as their God." And what does it say in Revelation 21 verse four? I love this.

"He will wipe away every tear from their eye. There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the order of things have passed away." This is complete restoration. No exile, no judgment, no sin, no death. We will worship God perfectly. Christ has the victory. Sin and sorrow will be forgotten, and He will make all things new. He will keep His promise and bring everything perfectly to completion. So, what does that mean for us as children of God? We can fully trust Him as we wait.

But as the people of Nehemiah chapter 11 and 12 waited, they just didn't stay still. They moved, they built, they served, they worshiped. And that is what we do as we wait. We live faithfully. We put Him first. We fight against sin every morning that we wake up. We say, God may I walk in the spirit and not in the flesh. We pursue holiness. We serve His church. We faithfully proclaim the gospel. We raise our families in the fear and admonition of the Lord. We love our neighbors.

We gather for worship, we read and study God's Word, we have the privilege of coming before the throne of grace in prayer, and we do all of this as we wait in the confident hope of knowing God has the victory and will accomplish all that He said that He will do. So the long list of names in Nehemiah chapter 11 and 12 present us this morning with a glorious picture. In this long list of names, we see what? That God is faithful and He always keeps His promise. He will always accomplish what He says He will do despite a people who do wrong against Him, despite a people who fail.

And as we read this passage, it should make us long for the day that we will dwell with our Savior forever and ever and ever and ever and ever. And church, that day is coming. So don't lose heart. When you look at this fallen and broken world, Remember, God is not finished. He will bring it to completion. So, we wait, not anxiously, not hopelessly, but confidently, because our hope is in Christ. And as He has promised, I am coming soon, and the church responds, amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, this morning we are thankful that You are sovereign, king, ruler over all things. And Father, we thank You that You always keep Your promises and that You are faithful and that You are victorious. Father, this morning help us to remember that. Help us to remember that whenever we see a broken and fallen world, You are victorious. You have accomplished it. And Father, we are thankful for that truth this morning. All these things I pray in and through the precious name of the Lord Jesus, amen.

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