Moving Into Jerusalem
By Dr. Bill Rains, Senior Pastor | September 6, 2026
Father, thank You for this great host, even on this Labor Day weekend. Thank You that so many have gathered in the house of the Lord. Challenge us all by the message You’ve given for today, and if anyone does not yet know Christ, help them to trust Him. In Jesus’ wonderful name, Amen.
On September 6, 2026, Dr. Bill Rains, Senior Pastor, preaches Moving Into Jerusalem from Nehemiah 11:1-36. In this message he shows that God still calls His people to willingly accept His will and faithfully do His work—whether that means moving into the hard places, taking leadership, serving without recognition, or gladly taking second place.
1. We Need to Be Willing to Accept the Will of God for Our Lives
Jerusalem was sparsely inhabited after the return from exile. Most of the people preferred the familiar towns and villages of their fathers. So the leaders devised a plan: lots would be cast so that one out of every ten families would move into the holy city. The rest would remain outside. Scripture records, “And the people blessed all the men that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 11:2).
These men and women took the choice of where they would live completely out of their own hands. They laid their personal preferences aside and said, in effect, “God, I don’t know what’s best for me, but You do. I want Your will, not mine.” Proverbs 16:33 reminds us, “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.” When the lot fell, there was to be no argument—only submission.
Dr. Rains points us to Jesus in Gethsemane. Even the Son of God prayed, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Calvary was so dreadful that even He shrank from it, yet He surrendered. The same heart is required of us. Will we put ourselves in the place where the lot can fall on us? Are we willing to say, “Here am I, Lord; send me”—even if the assignment is not our first choice?
2. We Need to Be Willing to Do the Work of God in Our Lives
Once people moved into Jerusalem, work had to be done. The chapter lists overseers, second-in-command leaders, temple servants, mighty men of valor, gatekeepers, singers, those who handled the outward business of God’s house, and even a right-hand man to the king. Some names are recorded; 820 workers in the house of God are mentioned with no individual names at all.
Dr. Rains presses the questions home: Would you accept the responsibility of an overseer if God chose you—not for the spotlight, but because leadership is tough and you must give an account? Are you willing to be second rather than insist on being “top dog”? Will you do the work of the Lord quietly, behind the scenes, with no recognition? Will you serve as a soldier in the Lord’s army, handle the practical “outward business” of the church, lead in prayer, keep the gates, or simply be a faithful right-hand man without holding a dagger?
Talent is wonderful, but talent without a dedicated heart is not enough. Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up and answered, “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8). The same surrender is needed today. Whether the lot places you inside the city or outside, whether you are called to lead or to serve unnoticed, the call is the same: accept God’s will and do God’s work with a willing heart.
God is still looking for people who will say,
“Not my will, but Thine be done,”
and then faithfully do the work He assigns.
Dr. Rains closes with a personal challenge: the names of faithful men and women are spiritually inscribed all over the properties of the church because they did the will of God and the work of God the best they could. Will your name be written there too? Moving into Jerusalem still requires the same willing heart. Let us stand ready to accept His will and do His work.
