The Gatekeeper, The Cheerleader, and The Head Coach – Nehemiah 7:1

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Nehemiah 7:1 “After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed.”

The walls of the city remind me of a football stadium, secure all around with only certain predetermined access points. Let’s imagine our lives as a football stadium – our mind, body, spirit, & emotions.

As Believers in Christ we have been reconstructed in Him. We are open for business to the crowd sure to want access to our lives, but first we must, as CEO, “hire” the right staff to manage the stadium of our lives.

Three applicants with flawless resumes and impeccable references rise to the top, and we hire them – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Now that we’ve hired the management staff, we take off our CEO cap and replace it with a helmet, because now we are going be players on the field, which is the battleground called life.

Nehemiah’s 3 appointments have parallels with football and our lives. Read on and see how.

Gatekeepers – among other things, gatekeepers in a stadium are assigned security of the entrances to the stadium. They check for weapons and diligently guard the gates to keep those who want to do harm from entering.

Nehemiah appointed gatekeepers in the same way for the city of Jerusalem.

The gatekeeper of our lives, the guard at the gate of our entry points, is Jesus Christ.

He will keep us from harm, keep us in His care, and keep us to our final destination in Heaven.

Psalm 91:1-16 speaks clearly to this when it says, “The Lord is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

We must allow Jesus to do His job and not override the authority we’ve given Him by allowing anything into the stadium of our lives that would try and corrupt our souls or defeat us.

Allow Him to possess your gates to keep you safe and secure in Him until that day.

2 Tim. 1:12 says, “For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him until that Day.”

Singers- in a stadium they cheer the team to build them up against their opponents, remind them of their great ability to defeat their foe.

Nehemiah understood the importance of singers in the newly rejuvenated Jerusalem. Worship to God kept the people focused on His greatness and reminded them of their need to remain dependent on Him for their strength, protection, and blessing.

In this way, the Holy Spirit is our cheerleader. In the face of adversity, He reminds us of who we are in Christ Jesus and helps us keep our focus on the prize set before us. Regardless of the overwhelming circumstance we may be facing, His job is to encourage us.

In John 14:16-17 Jesus said He would sent us an Advocate (helper, comforter, encourager) to help us and be with us forever – the Spirit of Truth.

The word for this is “Paraclete”. So (and forgive me as I continue in this football analogy) the Holy Spirit is our “pair of cleats” that we must put on and rely upon daily to help us keep our trust in God in this world of slippery, sinking sand. He will encourage us along the way to “don’t give up, you can make it!”

Levites – at a stadium the Head coach calls the plays, manages the team, and metes out discipline. He’s the final word. He’s in control.

Nehemiah saw the need to appoint the Levites, the teachers of the Law, to remind people of God’s expectations for them. They would rehearse the Law with the people and encourage them to follow and serve God with their whole heart.

God is our Head Coach. He’s the one who calls the shots. He purposefully orders our steps, carefully manages us, and lovingly metes out discipline. He is perfectly seasoned, ultimately wise, and thoroughly experienced.

He is in control.

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 says, “Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in Heaven and Earth is Yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom. You are exalted as Head (Coach) over all. Wealth and honor come from You. You are the ruler of all things.”

He’s the play caller. He knows what’s He’s doing. God doesn’t need our help in calling the plays, what He needs is our obedience in carrying them out.

So, is Jesus your guard at the gate, keeping you from all harm?

Is the Holy Spirit your cheerleader, speaking to you words of encouragement to help you remain focused on your ultimate prize?

Is God your Head Coach, trusting Him explicitly to call the shots in your life, knowing He has your best interest at heart?

As Nehemiah did in Jersusalem, assign God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit to guide you, watch over you, and encourage you on this football field of life.

The battle is before us and the victory is assured in Christ Jesus!