All In

“The confession of evil works..... is the first beginning of good works.” St. Augustine

The New International Version Chapter 1

6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.

“All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.” - Michael John Babak

Nehemiah 1:6 NIV

let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.

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Regardless if Nehemiah was guilty of every sin -

Regardless if he was as “bad” as others-

he identified with the groups confession and begged for forgiveness

He claims the sins of the everyone as his own.

I think there is something powerful here.

Nehemiah entered a plea of guilty.

Throwing himself in with the mistakes of the Jews.

he comes with the perspective It’s not their problem. It’s our problem.

Anne Lamott said that the most powerful sermon in the world is two words “Me Too”.

In other words your communicating to all that I can relate, your not alone, I’m in this with you.

If you have ever been alone or feel isolated, it’s so comforting when someone comes to your defence that has your back

To know your not alone you can make it.

Nehemiah was putting himself right in the midlle of everything and commiting to be ALL IN

Commitment to go All In will cost you, Commitment is NOT cheap

Commitment is NOT cheap

And it’s got to be more than just “Feeling” something

Anyone can have a burden but to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT

Anyone can have a burden but to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT IS WHAT WERE AFTER

Thats WHAT WERE AFTER

GO ALL IN

When you go ALL IN it builds momentum

lets’ build new momentum moving forward

How do we go all in

How do we go all in

Burn the Ships

Embrace what we teach It’s Never Not your job

Align yourself with those you minister to (it’s amazing what people will remember) To this day, when i talk to students i youth pastored

Commit to a cause

Nehemiah didn’t justify himself

He didn’t protect himself or hold back in case things didn’t go well

Instead he threw himself at the feet of God

Putting himself right there with the rest of the sinners

It didn’t matter that most of their guilt came from actions before Nehemiah was even born

The fact that he was here in the palace and they were there in Jerusalem was irrelevant

Nehemiah blows through any fears or insecurities about hi potential abandoning upward mobility in the kingdom of Persia for the sake of his desperate people.

4. Burn the ships

1519 Cortes landed in Veracruz to begin a great conquest.

“Were here now burn the ships”

What was he saying “RETREAT IS NOT AN OPTION”

When you burn up your options theres no turning back your all in.

There is no discussion about turning back

What do you have to burn to be all in

From the wise Jedi Master Yoda

“Try not. Do or do not. there is no Try”

in other words DON”T TRY, DO and go ALL IN