Difference Makers - Part 2
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Difference Makers - Part 2
Difference Makers - Part 2
“We Got to do something!”
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer disgrace.” I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us start building!” So they committed themselves to the common good. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they mocked and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven is the one who will give us success, and we his servants are going to start building; but you have no share or claim or historic right in Jerusalem.”
Intro:
The old folk used to say “there’s going to come a time when you’re going to want to do, but you wont be able to do....”
.....and I am learning the wisdom in that statement as it relates to taking advantage of our capacity in our now!
(pause and expound)
And I believe that some things have been exposed to us in this season that should cause us to ask the question......
Are we doing everything we can do to make a difference in our Now?
(pause)
Our Healthcare systems are not sufficiently structured to handle these level of pandemic stressers
Our African American communities are disproportionately affected with sickness and disease
Our families and Churches are questioning how to navigate in a new normal where over 64,000 deaths are confirmed in the U.S., and over 1,000 confirmed deaths in Georgia.
And I don’t believe that we serve a God.....
......that would have us to be exposed to multiple needs......
And not provide a difference maker with multiple awnsers!
(pause and expound)
Look at it now....
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer disgrace.”
According to the text....
Nehemiah is announcing his plans to the people mentioned in verse 16 after he has confirmed the trouble that exists.
He does not have to do much convincing as it relates to the obvious realities that surround them regarding the condition of Jerusalem....
He says,
“There are no longer any walls or gates anywhere around the City!”
And what that really amounts to is that......
.........not only is there a loss in the aesthetics of the city
.........but there is also an absence of security and structure of the city
And sometimes when the walls.....
......and the gates are still up
......everything looks better than it really is
But sometimes........
When there is a disaster bad enough that comes through and tears down everything
........now we are forced to take a good look at some things and confirm like Nehemiah,
“You see the TROUBLE that we are in!”
(pause)
And one of the most powerful things in Nehemiah’s statement to the people is this Pronoun “We”
Because.....
He did not say,
“Do you see the trouble that you are in?”
He said,
“Do you see the trouble that we are in?”
(pause)
And I don’t know how you feel about it....
But for me.....
......If there is no unity in struggle
.....there can absolutely be no unity in strength
(pause)
Listen........
.....AND I really MEAN THIS!!
(slight pause)
.........If I don’t hear from you when I’m climbing my way from the bottom to the top
(slight pause)
.......Don’t call me when I get there!!!
(pause and expound)
And this is why I love Nehemiah’s statement so much....
.......because he has just left the comfort of the King’s palace
......to put in some work with his people back in Jerusalem
(slight pause)
Nehemiah left the Hood.......
.........but he did not forget the Hood!
(pause)
And the more I thought about it......
.....the more I wondered to myself
(slight pause)
......what was it about Jerusalem
.......that caused Nehemiah to care so much about Jersualem to the point
that he joins in with doing the work to make a difference!!!!
Nehemiah says,
“Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem”
And here’s what I found out about why Nehemiah cares so much about Jerusalem!
(pause)
The reason Nehemiah cares so much is found in two reasons.....
The first reason is because Nehemiah is concerned with the good of the Nation.
In other words.....
Nehemiah is saying,
“Everyone is going to benefit from our efforts, if we can fix this and make a difference!”
(pause)
b. The second reason is because Nehemiah is concerned with God’s glory!
And in my spiritual imagination I see Nehemiah being drawn to this city to make a difference
........when he thinks about how the glory of God would fall and rest in the temple!
(pause and expound)
Nehemiah says,
We have got to end this humiliating situation.....
(pause)
It almost reminds me of the time when......
David is sent to check on his brothers by his father Jesse......
.......and he gets up to the battlefield and finds Goliath challenging the soldiers.
And when David gets up to the battlefield and hears what’s going on,
David says.......
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that defies the God of Israel!”
(pause)
And I get the same feeling when I hear Nehemiah giving this “Call to Action”
.........because one thing about Difference Makers
.......if you listen closely
....... they ALL have that SAME TONE that says.....
“WE GOT TO DO SOMETHING!”
(pause)
And usually when a real Difference Maker gets this far out there on the limb.........
.......they say something like Nehemiah does in verse 18
Look at it now.....
I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us start building!” So they committed themselves to the common good.
In other words.......
Nehemiah is saying I have a DOUBLE ANOINTING of authority.........
God’s hand has been gracious upon me
The King has spoken words of authority into what I’m doing
(pause)
In other words.......
Nehemiah started helping them to see how “GOOD” has been added to his life to be a difference maker in this area of need in their community......
And in my spiritual imagination I hear him saying.....
“God has been good to me!”
He’s been opening doors for me
He’s been providing what I needed
Decision makers are working with me instead of against me
(pause)
And all of a sudden the people got encouraged to believe that something DIFFERENT was possible!
(pause)
And in my spiritual imagination somebody in that crowd started to spread the word...........
......Somebody started talking
.......and before you knew it there was a response that said,
“Let us............... start building!”
(pause)
Watch this........
........the word “Start” in the Greek means to “RISE UP!”
(pause)
Baker........
How do you know they were talking in the crowd?
Well......
.....the reason I believe they were talking amongst themselves in my spiritual imagination
.....is because the first part of what they said was,
“LET US!”
........they didn’t say,
“LET ME!”
If they would have said “LET ME!”
......than I could maybe believe that an individual household in the crowd is considering being a difference maker.
But the text says,
“LET US!”
so in my mind,
I see them coming to a decision “ALL TOGETHER” as multiple households to
RISE UP and take a stand and BUILD or DEVELOP
(longer pause)
And then their next move is a BOSS MOVE!
Because the text says,
“they committed themselves to the common good!”
And that word Committed in the Greek here means.....
: To seize, or to grasp
...........or to grow or make strong!
Barrel:
When I was a little boy I used to marvel at the sheer size of my grandaddy’s hands......
I used to watch him wash his hands and say, I want to wash my hands like that.
I used to watch him work with his hands and say, I want to work with my hands like that.
And there was one time in particular at Busch Gardens on a family trip when we were on a water ride and my shoe fell into the water and I reached for it and Grandaddy’s hand reached quick and grabbed me to keep me from going into the water!
(pause)
And that’s what I see in the hearts of the people in this text......
......I see them thinking about their future Jerusalem
.....I see them concerning themselves with how healthcare systems will affect their grandchildren.....
.....and their great grandchildren
(pause)
......I see them saying,
“Nehemiah you’re right!”
Jerusalem can’t stay like this!
Something has to BREAK!!!!! (Illustrate “THE HAND SEIZING!!!”)
(pause)
And so here’s what that means.....
As Difference Makers......
We got to GRAB this thing!”
(pause and expound)
“and they strengthened their hands for the good work
(pause and expound)
Look at it now.....
But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they mocked and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
According to the text....
There is this third opponent entering the ring to ridicule Nehemiah and the Jews....
In verse 10 it was just the two (governor) Sanballat and (high official) Tobiah.......
......but here we are being introduced to Geshem who is the king of Kedar.
And here is what I need for you to notice..........
After the people have been encouraged......
After they have committed to doing what is good.......
Now.......
......after all of that
......here comes another OPPONENT into the ring to start INSULTING them!
“What is this you’re doing?”
(pause)
And what I need for you to know is that...
Just because you’re encouraged.....
.......and just because you are committed
.......does not mean that your OPPONENTS are going to just lay down and let you win.
(pause)
But instead....
.........those low down rascals will try and go get more help to STOP the DIFFERENCE that you’re trying to make!
(pause)
But take a note from NEHEMIAH’S book!
....here it is......
Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven is the one who will give us success, and we his servants are going to start building; but you have no share or claim or historic right in Jerusalem.”
According to the text.....
Nehemiah says to his opponents,
You have no share or portion meaning.........political connection
No claim meaning...........no legal share in the city of Jerusalem.
No historic right or memorial meaning.............no traditional right to participate in the worship in the Temple.
And......
God is going to give us success to make a difference.
In other words.......
This aint got nothing to do with you...........
And.......
.......you want to know how we’re going to do it
.......you want to know how we’re going to build systems that benefit our community
......you want to know how we’re going to advance and experience growth and great legacy
“WE got HELP!!!!”
The God of heaven........
........is the one who will give us success!
We’re not just counting on us!!!
Because while our hands are on the work.......
.....the hand of God is on us!
Freedom family.....
God is making a way for us!
And.......
We’re getting ready to RISE UP and do this!
And finally........
You aint got no right to say nothing about this!
(pause)
CLOSING........
And I just think it’s time for some DIFFERENCE MAKERS to strengthen OUR HANDS!!!
(slight pause)
Let’s START BUILDING!!
(slight pause)
We’ve got DIVINE ASSURANCE
.............EXPOUND and CLOSE to COMPLETION.................