Sermon Tone Analysis

Ezekiel 22:30

So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.

Is it possible for a small group of people to make a difference to the practices of multinational corporations?

In at least some cases it is, as was proven by a group of sociology students from Eastern College in the USA.

Set an assignment in which they were asked how a small group of Christians could bring about significant social change these students focused upon the practices of the Gulf and Western Corporation in the impoverished country of Haiti.

Their proposal was so audacious one of the students said, “why don’t we do it?”.

Why not take this beyond a college paper and actually put their proposal into action?

Their method was simple.

Along with their professor, Tony Campolo, each student purchased a share in Gulf and Western and showed up to the annual general meeting.

As shareholders they were entitled to have a say in the running of the company, and one by one stood up, read passages from the bible that condemned injustice, then asked why Gulf and Western was treating the people of Haiti unjustly.

They wanted the company to address the issue of low wages for the sugar workers, to do something about the fact that they’d made the country more and more dependent on a single crop, and to provide education and medical services for the people.

The purpose was to shame the directors into action, and they were effective.

The directors of Gulf and Western invited the students to meet to talk the issues over.

Eighteen months later Gulf and Western released a plan to act in a socially responsible way in the Dominican Republic.

They would partner with Mt.

Sinai Medical Center to create health services in Dominican Republic communities, would set aside substantial amounts of quality land to produce food for the Dominican people, and would institute a variety of educational programs that included working with Eastern University to develop a new university that would train teachers, lawyers, nurses, and engineers.

Over the next five years Gulf and Western spent half a billion dollars following through on their plans.

And the lives of thousands were dramatically improved.

Source: Reported in Tony Campolo You Can Make a Difference and Let Me Tell You a Story.

Hezekiah was one of the few kings of Judah who was constantly aware of God’s acts in the past and His involvement in the events of every day.

The Bible describes Hezekiah as a king who had a close relationship with God, one who did “what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God” (2 Chronicles 31:20).

Hezekiah’s story is told in 2 Kings 16:20—20:21; 2 Chronicles 28:27—32:33; and Isaiah 36:1—39:8.

He is also mentioned in Proverbs 25:1; Isaiah 1:1; Jeremiah 15:4; 26:18–19; Hosea 1:1; and Micah 1:1.

Hezekiah, a son of the wicked King Ahaz, reigned over the southern kingdom of Judah for twenty-nine years, from c. 715 to 686 BC.

He began his reign at age 25 (2 Kings 18:2).

He was more zealous for the Lord than any of his predecessors (2 Kings 18:5).

During his reign, the prophets Isaiah and Micah ministered in Judah.

After Ahaz’s wicked reign, there was much work to do, and Hezekiah boldly cleaned house.

Pagan altars, idols, and temples were destroyed.

The bronze serpent that Moses had made in the desert (Numbers 21:9) was also destroyed, because the people had made it an idol (2 Kings 18:4).

The temple in Jerusalem, whose doors had been nailed shut by Hezekiah’s own father, was cleaned out and reopened.

The Levitical priesthood was reinstated (2 Chronicles 29:5), and the Passover was reinstituted as a national holiday (2 Chronicles 30:1).

Under Hezekiah’s reforms, revival came to Judah.

Because King Hezekiah put God first in everything he did, God prospered him.

Hezekiah “held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses.

And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook” (2 Kings 18:6–7).

So, who will stand in the gap?

First, we must answer the question “what does that even mean?”

The image of a gap, or break, in the wall is powerful.

If a gap exists in a defensive wall, then there is a weak point that an enemy can exploit and get through the wall.

So, what we see is someone willing to stand in that place of weakness in order to keep the enemy out.

Wow! Think about this for a minute.

The implication is that this person chooses to place themselves in a position identified as a weak point.

A place that is sure to be attacked by the enemy.

Who would choose to be put in such a situation?

This person must be a warrior.

And that explains why people are so hesitant to “stand in the gap”.

There are very few warriors among us today.

Father, raise up an army of warriors willing to place themselves in the positions to protect the weak and blind.

Will it be you?

Are you willing to stand in the gap for you family or your friends?

What about your city?

I’m not talking about arming ourselves with carnal weapons such as pistols and rifles.

I’m looking for prayer warriors and devil defeaters.

Men and women, boys and girls who will hit their knees to stand between the enemy and our city.

Believers whose war cry is prayer, to the tearing down of strongholds.

Church, we are preparing to do battle for our city and I’m telling you right now; we need to have our stuff together.

We have to be able to not only defend the defenseless; but, take back territory that has been occupied by the enemy.

We will stand in the gap, we will be the protectors, we will win back our city.