The restoration of the gates

The restoration of the wall and the gates of Jerusalem as "a picture of the church being restored".

Hernando Chamorro (Colombia)

Reading: Nehemiah 1:1-3:32.

In the same way that Israel was taken captive to Babylon in three stages -first at the time of Jehoiakim, then in the times of Jehoiachin and finally in the eleventh year of Zedekiah - they were also returned to their homeland in three stages.

First, King Cyrus gave orders to restore the temple, to bring the vessels that were in Babylon to the house of God, which had been destroyed. Cyrus then sent Zerubbabel and Jeshua, who restored first the altar and then the temple. Fifty-eight years later, Ezra came and adorned the temple, and opened the Scriptures. Thirteen years later Nehemiah came and restored the walls, the gates and the city itself.

We want to focus on Nehemiah, in the restoration of the wall and the gates. It is a picture of what the life of the church being restored is like.

A wall serves to protect on the one hand. But it also serves to separate. It serves to exclude and to include. These walls of separation have their gates and these gates, in a gradual manner, represent the restoration of the individual Christian and the life of the church.

Jerusalem was the center of worship. God did not allow another center of worship outside of Jerusalem. In the same way today, God does not allow another center of worship except the life of the church.

The Sheep Gate

Nehemiah 3:1 speaks of the Sheep Gate. The first thing that was restored was the Sheep Gate. This represents the new birth. It also represents our Lord Jesus, that when He came for the first time, He came as a sheep, and passed through that gate, riding on a young donkey. When He returns for the second time He shall enter through the east gate, not as a sheep, but like a lion. He will not come to be judged on the cross, but He will come as King.

The Sheep Gate speaks to us of our entrance into the life of the church. No one can enter except by Christ. The Lord has said, "I am the gate; He who enters through me will be saved."

Other doors had their bolts and locks; but the sheep gate was left without locks, or at least they are not mentioned. But you need to have locks. We cannot allow anyone into the life of the church, we can’t be naive, including all kinds of people, but only sheep. So the locks are necessary.

The bolts speak to us of our pastors. In Acts chapter 20 says: "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.  I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock".

The Sheep Gate, in a sense, had no bolts after the first century. At the time of Pergamum, there were not only sheep, but wolves entering the church. Later we see how the church married the State, and after Pergamum it then declined into Romanism, in Thyatira. Then it moved on to Sardis, which means the Protestant church, and from there to Philadelphia and then to Laodicea.

The Fish Gate

Then we see the fish gate. After a person has been saved, the first desire he has is to fish for men. When Paul turned to the Lord, the word says: "And straightway he preached."

This is necessary in the life of the church. The Lord wants us to be fishers of men. The life of the church is not only hearing doctrine. Instead the Lord wants practical life. What could be more practical than adding timber to the fish gate, that is, becoming fishers of men?

The Lord told his disciples, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." It also says in Isaiah 52: 7: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who announces peace ... who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns!". First he proclaims salvation, having understood the gospel of grace, and then proclaims 'Your God reigns', referring to the gospel of the kingdom.

The beautiful feet are the ones that walk. The Lord Jesus sent his disciples two by two to preach, to become fishers of men. "And if there is a child of peace, remain in that house, and your peace will be upon that house, and if any are sick, heal them. But if any city does not receive you, shake off the dust from your feet over that city. And truly I say to you that the punishment for Sodom and Gomorrah will be more tolerable than for that city."

But today, someone has said that very few people have dust on their feet to shake off, because there really are so few who go out to preach. For that reason I think that the really beautiful feet that Isaiah speaks of are the feet that have dust to shake off. So then, the Lord calls us to preach in season and out of season.

The Old Gate

After a person has gone through the Fish Gate and become a fisher of men, it is necessary that the old gate be restored, not only individually, but also as a church.

Jeremiah 6:16 says, "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls." The old gate refers back to the beginning, the original model of God, to the church as it is in the book of Acts.

The Bible clearly says in Acts 2:42: "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, in fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers." These are the ancient paths. The Lord requires us to return to the ancient paths. We must persevere in the teaching of the apostles, the breaking of bread, fellowship and prayer. The Lord is not interested in our innovations, but in our remaining under the model that has been shown to us.

The life of the church does not consist of filling ourselves up with information, but in practical life. The book of Acts says: "In the first book, Theophilus, I talked about all that Jesus began to do and teach ...". First do, then teach. The Lord demands of us a practical life. Living the life of the church is what really counts.

The Valley Gate

In verse 13 comes the Valley Gate. This gate speaks of humility. When we first came to the life of the church, we came with many pretensions, wanting to find position. We bring a lot of pride, we seek to influence things, and the valley gate speaks of this.

When we are called to live as saints according to the pattern of the early church, what happens next is according to Isaiah 40: 4: "Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley;" and Luke 14:11:" For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. " This is the life of the church; The church life is a life of the cross.

The life of the church is not built without suffering, denying ourselves and taking up the cross daily. Here the Valley Gate means this, that when we enter the life of the church we are sheep, we are fishers of men, we pass through the old gate and we enter onto the ancient paths; we have recovered the Word, the doctrine and teaching of the apostles, and after we have all these things, there are many valleys.

Thank God for the valleys. But there are also mountains among us and the Lord has to use His measuring stick to lower us. He begins to have dealings with us through the life of the church. The Lord begins to go hard on us there, through the brothers, the Lord begins to work on us. Every saint in the life of the church, must have these dealings, to iron out the rough edges. And the Lord does not want anyone to stand out in the life of the church.

In Christianity there are many people who stand out. There are spiritual giants, but in the latter part of this dispensation of the restoration of church life, God is not using giants. God is interested in all of the saints exercising their priesthood.

Do you remember Saul? The word says that Saul stood out among the Israelites, he had the greatest stature. Yes, but sometimes the Lord sends forth his sickle to cut the protruding head. Here the only head that stands out is Christ. Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord, for the Valley Gate.

The Refuse Gate

Later, in verse 14, we see the Refuse Gate. It was a gate whose exit was towards the valley of Ben Hinnom, towards Gehenna, where the garbage was thrown out of Jerusalem. The gates open, in the case of the sheep. "And they will come in through the gate and find pasture." But the gate also has another function which is to expel or remove. The Refuse Gate was the one through which they threw away the garbage. It has both an individual and collective application, to our inner life. Each of us has a secret life that is well hidden. It is not public, only God knows about it, and there the Lord is dealing with us.

The Lord, through the cross, is dealing with all the evil, negative elements there. Because the Bible says it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles us but what comes out of our mouth. Yes, because what comes out from the heart refers to our 'soulish' life. That is what defiles us. What is it that comes from the heart? Murders, adulteries, stupidity, arrogance, all these things.

So the Refuse Gate signifies allowing the Lord to deal with us. It is our responsibility as believers to empty ourselves, and it is God’s responsibility to fill the empty vessels. The Lord will not fill the vessels until they are empty. Elijah told the widow: "Find yourself vessels, and not just a few, that are empty", and they were filled with oil. The condition for being filled with the Lord is to be empty.

The Bible, in the book of Revelation, shows us two vessels, referring to the church aspect. We have Philadelphia that is an empty, poor, weak vessel with little strength. And the Lord fills it. The Lord says, "But you're rich." We also see a vessel that is full of itself; the church in Laodicea. He says: "You say you're rich, that you do not need anything; not even me, because I'm outside the door, knocking. But you're poor, miserable and naked."

The Lord needs us to empty ourselves as we rebuild the Refuse gate. The light of God leads us to see how unworthy we are. Therefore, the Refuse Gate is the emptying of ourselves so that at the next gate, the Fountain gate, which signifies the filling of the Spirit, we may be filled with the Lord. If we are full of ourselves, the Lord won’t bless us. We have to use the Refuse Gate.

There were two people who came before Him, one used the Refuse Gate and the other didn’t: a Pharisee and a publican. The Pharisee was full of himself, saying, "Lord, I am good, I fast so many times a week, I give my tithe, I, I, I and I '. The Bible says that this man was talking alone; he supposed he was talking to God, but "he was talking to himself". The other man came before Him empty, weak: "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner." He came without any strength or merit, and the word of the Lord says the publican went away justified and not the Pharisee.

This is the condition that God requires: being emptied. Whenever the Lord touches us on an issue through a brother, or the Spirit Himself reproves us, we must go to Him and say, 'Lord, help me to let go of this, to empty myself of this. Oh wretch that I am! '. So we know that in our own strength we cannot overcome, we know that it has to be the strength of the Lord, and then we empty ourselves. We have to allow ourselves to be dealt with by the Lord.

Many people run away from the dealings of God, and that means they are closing the Refuse Gate. The Refuse Gate is for taking all the trash out of the life of the church. We cannot bring death to the life of the church, we cannot bring leprosy into Jerusalem, because we will eventually be taken out through the Refuse Gate to be dealt with in the valley of Ben Hinnom.

Now we have the opportunity, while the Lord has not returned, to empty ourselves and carry our own cross and crucify the old man. Otherwise, the Word says that if the salt should lose its flavour, or strength, it is useless, whether for seasoning, for the soil or for the manure pile. Therefore, we need to be dealt with here, and not in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, in the Gehenna of fire.

The Fountain Gate

So, we will continue on. In verse 15, it says, " Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, the official of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate." The fountain gate refers to being filled with the Holy Spirit after we have been emptied of all the refuse. Then once we are clean pots, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we need the fountain, the flow of the Spirit to be in each one of us.

In a large house there are vessels of gold, there are vessels of clay and wood. But he also says: "If anyone cleanses himself from these things - referring to the doctrine, teaching, the garbage of Hymen and Philetus that the resurrection had already taken place and many other things – he will be a vessel that is sanctified and useful to the Lord".

This issue of being filled with the Holy Spirit is very necessary. I’m not just making a Pentecostal speech when I’m saying it. This is very necessary in the life of the church. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not once and forever. If you look at the book of Acts it says that they were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. But later many of these people, in chapter 4, were praying, and the place where they were praying trembled, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit for the second time. This indicates that we need to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Lord doesn’t fill us once and for all with the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit is not regeneration or receipt of eternal life. Here we are talking about something else: being filled with the Holy Spirit for service. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit again and again.

The brothers in Ephesus who were with Paul for more than three years, saw the wonders of the Lord, were filled with the Holy Spirit, and many years later, Paul writes to them: "Do not get drunk on wine ... but rather be filled with the Holy Spirit". How? "Speaking". We are filled with the Spirit by speaking. "Open your mouth, and I will fill it." We must talk, we must preach, we must teach. All this is practical life; this fills us with the Holy Spirit.

The Water Gate

So we see later in verse 26, the water gate. This gate refers to drinking the Word. The Word has  sanctifying powers. By just reading the Word by the Spirit, it washes our feet clean. Because we have already been washed by the blood of the Lord. Those who are already washed only need to clean their feet. That’s what the Lord said to Peter. This means that the word reproves us, the Word cleanses us from the dust of the road, from every impurity that we have in our daily lives.

In the tabernacle of God in the wilderness, there was a bronze fountain. The bottom of the fountain was made from the mirrors of the women of Israel. So there the priest poured clean water, and he washed in it. And the first thing that was reflected was the priest's face.

This indicates that when we go to the Word, the Word shows us our spiritual condition. We can deceive brothers and sisters, but we cannot deceive our conscience. The Word speaks to us, showing us our condition, whether it be sinful or not. There we are set free, we are exposed by the Word of the Lord. So Psalm 119 says: "The unfolding of your words gives light”, and “the sum of your word is truth."

We cannot build the church on the basis of individual experiences of saints, we cannot build up the church on the basis that a saint had a vision or a dream or an experience. If it is not according to the Word, it cannot build up the church. The church must be built based on the Word. This Word washes us, reproves us and builds us up.

The apostle Paul told Timothy: "Until I come, give attention to reading." It is necessary not only as individuals to go to the Word, but also as a church. There must be meetings where we read the word, not just reading books - although books are good and can be read, and we may be reading books - but we must read the word of the Lord in both the Old and New Testament. I make mention of the Old Testament because the things there were also written to teach us, as an example to us.

The Horse Gate

In verse 28 we see the horse gate. This gate refers to the spiritual battle. Proverbs 21:31: "The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but the Lord is the one who gives victory. " Remember that the Lord entered Jerusalem on a donkey. He was the one who was riding; the glory was for the Lord, not for the colt. The horse is like us, we need to be restrained, we need to be directed with a bridle.

2 Timothy 4:7 says: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." We are fighting the good fight, because the victory is ours; the Lord won the victory on the cross. "Now there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness." Not of mercy, but of righteousness, "which the Lord, the righteous judge will give me on that day." There, he is talking about a reward, not a gift, not initial grace, but a reward. "... And not only to me but also to all who love his appearing."

So then, a war horse of the Lord must love His coming. A horse has to be prepared for battle. We have to be prepared with the full armor of God listed in Ephesians 6: 14-17. And verse 11, before that, says: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." Being strong in the Lord is a consideration of faith. It is a confession, a firm belief that we are strengthened in the power of His might.

"Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." If we take up our position in the good fight and battle it out, our reward is laid up for us, that is, we enter the kingdom.

The East Gate

Further on it mentions the East Gate, which speaks to us of the second coming of the Lord. When He comes again, He will enter by the Eastern gate. Ezekiel 43: 4. "And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate facing east." Here it is talking about something that has not yet happened; it is a prophecy.

"Then he brought me back by way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east; and it was shut. And the Lord said to me: This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened nor shall anyone enter by it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut "(Ezekiel 44: 1-2). This is prophetic. The Lord is coming a second time. The East gate is also called "The gate of the King."

To build the East gate means to love the second coming of the Lord. Everyone who loves it has the crown. "I have fought the good fight, therefore there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, and not only to me but to those who love the East Gate, those who love the coming of the Lord."

I say this because very often we don’t love the coming of the Lord. We are rooted here, and say, 'May the Lord come, but after I have finished my career, after I’ve got married, and become prosperous; then yes, may the Lord come. If we are honest, deep down, we do not love the coming of the Lord enough; because we still love the world. And really, if we do not love the East Gate, we cannot enter the Kingdom.

The Inspection Gate

Finally, Nehemiah 3:31 speaks of the gate of Inspection. Immediately after the coming of the Lord Jesus, the Lord will judge His house. See how these gates were restored. They weren’t just restored in any order. This was God's design, just as we go through different stages in the life of the church.

When the Lord comes, He will judge his house, because judgement begins there. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. On that day many people who did not restore any gate, will say, 'Lord, Lord, in your name we did this or that'. And the Lord will say, "I never knew you,  depart from me you evildoers." To others, who have restored the gates, the Lord will say: "Good and faithful servant ... enter into the joy of thy Lord."

At this time, the Lord is inviting us, calling for us to finish the walls and the gates, and when it is finished, everyone will know. "And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations that were around us were afraid and felt humbled, and they knew that our God had done this work" (Neh. 6:16). This also happened with the church in Philadelphia. The Lord said to them, "I will make those who claim to be Jews humble themselves before you and know that I have loved you." Amen.

Message delivered in Barbosa, Colombia, in July 2007.

Copyright © AGUAS VIVAS | CHILE 2007