Me Can't Stands No More! The End Vs The Beginning

ME CAN’T STANDS NO MORE...

IS THIS THE END? OR THE BEGINNING?

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

Let me invite you to be a missionary and go where few dare to go:

Sit on the first two pews!

Hardships of life are not sent by unkind destiny to crush, but by God to challenge.

I. WE HAVE A MANDATE FROM THE KING, AND WE HAVE A GREAT MANDATE FROM GOD! BUT DON’T LOOK FOR EASY--- DOWN HILL --- NO EFFORT MINISTRY. PICK UP THE SHOVEL, SHUT THE NEGATIVE MOUTHS, AND REPAIR THE BREACH.

A. We have many spiritual foes that have developed plans to trap us.

Most traps are hidden. Subtlely --- the foes of Christianity are actively working to see the downfall of the church and Christian leaders.

B. ONE DAY NEHEMIAH IS SITTING IN A COMFORT ZONE AND HAD A POSITION FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. NEHEMIAH BECAME BROKEN FOR WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO HIS PEOPLE AND THE COLD BACKSLIDDEN CHURCH.

C. One day Nehemiah approached King Artaxerxes with his broken heart.

The King was touched by this man’s love of God and his people. The King gave orders for the temple to be re-

established.

Neh. 2:18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.

D. GOD CALLED EZRA AND NEHEMIAH TO REBUILD GOD’S WORK, BUT THE WORK WILL REQUIRE GREAT EFFORT AND THEY WILL HAVE TO OVERCOME MANY OBSTACLES AND HINDERANCES. IS THIS THE END OR IS THIS THE BEGINNING?

1. PROMISE

2. PROBLEM

3. DIVINE PROVISION

4. VICTORY

Neh. 2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

E. SANBALLAT AND TOBIAH WERE MEAN SPIRITED LEADERS OF SOME MEAN SPIRITED PEOPLE. They laid many traps and obstacles to do more than hinder the work, they

wanted to destroy the men of God, the message of God and the work of God.

F. "THEY SAID" CAN BE DANGEROUS?

Who is they, before you tell me what "they said" --- TELL ME WHO THEY ARE.

If you can’t tell me who "they are" we need not hear what "they said!"

"They said" is a dangerous way of hiding mean critical words.

Ezra 4:5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

II. DO YOU WANT CHEESE WITH YOUR WHINE?

A. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah have many good points.

1. Critics have many words but they do very little construction of lasting value.

2. Critics have their own selfish interest at heart, not the good of the whole. Sanaballat had built him a beautiful home. Sanballat was known for mistreating the brethren.

3. Some of what the Sanballat Spirit says is true, they are good at FINDING-FAULTS.

4. After all of the Sanallet crowds critical conclusions and their conversations they never

offer any hope or building for the whole.

5. The man that smells sweaty, and the oxen’s stall that stinks is getting the work accomplished. While the rest of the crowd is critical and always making note of what is wrong with the work, there is more than evil behind Sanballat.

6. The man that has dirty hands is trying and God will bless effort. God rewards those that try and try again.

7. Where there is a call of God there can grow a crowd of SPECTATORS AND ARM CHAIR QUARTERBACKS THAT WANT TO SIT UNDER A SHADE TREE AND EAT AND DRINK AND BE

MERRY, THEY SIT, THEY POUT, THEY WHINE, THEY ARE CRITICAL AND JUDGMENTAL OF EVERYONE BUT THEM AND THEIRS.

8. The poor, the tired, blistered hands of a sweat covered team can OVERWHELM THE NEGATIVE DOOM-DAYERS.

B. NO DEDICATION, NO COMMITMENT, NO GIVING, NO ACTION CROWD IS ALWAYS DEMONIC IN NATURE!

C. James Ellis, Kentucky District Superintendent of the Assemblies of God often said: THOSE THAT SAY IT CAN’T BE DONE ARE BEING PASSED BY THOSE THAT ARE DOING IT.

D. ALL THOSE CRITICAL SPIRIT AND MEAN WORDS CAN BE THE DEATH GARGLE OF THE DYING.

III. IS THIS THE END OR THE BEGINNING? IT MAY BE UP TO YOU AND YOUR ATTITUDE.

IN THE END THE BIBLE IS NOT THE THING WE SEE. THE BIBLE IS RATHER THE LIGHT BY WHICH WE SEE AND WHAT WE SEE IS GOD, LIFE, AND POSSIBILITIES OF HOPE, NEW HOPE, HOPE AGAINST HOPE.

A. NOTHING CREATES MORE DEEP SEATED ANXIETIES THAN THE TEACHING THAT EXPRESSES WE SHOULD BE ANIEXTY FREE?