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?
B. I refuse to be detoured, delayed, hindered, set-back, --- THIS IS NOT A STUMBLING BLOCK --- THIS IS A STEPPING STONE.
Neh. 6:3 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come
down to you?
C. YOU CAN NOT OVERCOME NEGATIVISM, YOU MUST OVERWHELM IT!
Neh. 6:16 And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.
D. THE WORK IS FINISHED, THE TASK ACCOMPLISHED, NOW WE FEED OTHERS.
Neh. 8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
E. SERVICE THAT COUNTS --- COST!
THE CHURCH ---Like Noah’s ark, it may have a lot of stink on board, but it is still the best ship a float!
IV. WE CAN RUN IN GREAT PANIC AND FEAR AND BE DRIVEN TO DEFEAT.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
A. I once heard a zoologist speaking a lesson about nature. He was describing a pride of lions and their hunting techniques.
He said young lions had excellent eye sight and they were very fast and strong. The young lion would sneak up against the wind and with great speed, attack the
prey, and easily feed on the game. A young strong lion never makes a sound.
B. As a lion gets old and loses some of his sight, and much of it’s speed is gone, the old lion changes it’s strategy and hunting techniques. The old lion is not fast enough to catch it’s prey, thus the old lion uses a psychological tool against it’s prey.
The old lion has a great ability to roar very loud.
The loud sound of the roar will bounce and echo around, soon in fear the prey becomes disoriented, and separated from the group.
Then the prey in a panic running, fearful state will often run right into the path of the hungry old lion. What the lion has lost in ability is corrected by using sound and fear.
Luke 21:26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
V. ARE WE AT THE END IN FRUSTRATION OR IS THIS A BEGINNING OPPORTUNITY? FEAR HAS TORMENT? YOUR ENEMY OPERATES IN A THREE-FOLD PURPOSE.
A. Many years ago a book was written, it said: SATAN IS ALIVE AND WELL.
I respect the author and he has touched many people, but Satan is not alive and well!
Our enemy has a terminal disease ever since that one day in history when an old rugged
cross was lifted on a hill side just out of Jerusalem.
It appeared that IT WAS THE END, IT WAS OVER ON FRIDAY, BUT MY FRIEND, SUNDAY CAME AND IT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
B. I don’t mean to under-estimate our enemies power or his three fold goal:
1. To steal
2. To kill
3. To destroy
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear
hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
C. FEAR HAS TORMENT?
Torment:
The infliction of torture.
Extreme pain or anguish of body or mind... AGONY.
Source of vexation.
To cause severe or persistent or recurrent distress of body or mind.
To distort or twist.
To cause emotional harm.
VI. END? BEGINNING? WHERE WE ARE DID NOT CATCH GOD BY SURPRISE? SOMETIMES THE WORSE THING THAT COULD EVER HAPPEN TO YOU IS THE BEST THING THAT COULD EVER HAPPEN!
WHERE’S THE POWER?
WE DEVELOP A SPARE TIRE RELIGION?
A. You only use a spare tire when you have a flat?
God is more than a crisis mangement team leader.
B. We have several great PHILOSOPHERS TODAY or in the recent past.
C. BARNEY FIFE IS A GREAT PHILOSOPHER...
Barney’s wisdom is often heard in the midst of stupidity.
Barney had a great line, NIP IT! NIP IT IN THE BUD!
That would be a good line for us to know.
D. THERE IS ANOTHER GREAT PHILOSOPHER FROM YESTERYEAR TV. His name was POPEYE. Often Popeye seemed at an end? But it wasn’t? Now Popeye must have been very near-sighted to love OLIVE OYL.
They say: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?
In my opinion I never counted Olive Oyl to be pretty. Olive Oyl had a rotten personality, a bean nose, and a figure of a telephone pole.
1. Brutus was Popeye’s mean friend.
2. WIMPY WAS ALWAYS SAYING: I WILL GLADLY RE-PAY YOU TUESDAY FOR A HAMBURGER TODAY.
I never recall seeing Wimpy make a payment on all those hamburgers. Poor Wimpy must have died early in life with a serious cholesterol problem.
E. POPEYE WOULD COME TO A CERTAIN POINT IN LIFE:
HE WOULD BE AT THE END OF HIS ROPE AND THEN POPEYE WOULD YELL:
ME’S HAD ALLS ME’S CAN STAND AND ME CAN’T STANDS NO MORE...
1. When Popeye got to this point, YOU KNEW SOMETHING WAS GOING TO CHANGE. Popeye had been knocked around enough and Popeye was ready to get serious.
2. OUT WOULD POP A CAN OF SPINACH, POPEYE WOULD OPEN THE CAN, AND THEN EVERYTHING WOULD CHANGE. The spinach made a difference.
Not only was Popeye strong, he had an attitude change...
F. I HAVE ONE QUESTION, WHY WOULD POPEYE WAIT UNTIL HE HAD BEEN BEAT UP, DISGRACED, AND HUMILIATED IN FRONT OF HIS WOMAN AND HIS LITTLE NEPHEW’S?
WHY WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE DOWN AND OUT TO REACH FOR THE SPINACH?
G. As a child I would often ask Mom, "Mom: why doesn’t Popeye eat some spinach for breakfast, lunch, snack time, and supper?"
Popeye should have had spinach in him all the time.
H. All the difficult times, all the hits and bruises, then the spinach?
Doesn’t make sense to me? I think Popeye should have adopted a plan to be ready?
Ready for what? Ready for anything?
I. On a few occasions Brutus caught Popeye away from his can of spinach, and WHIPPED
THE TIRE OUT OF POOR OL’ POPEYE. Then thank God his Nephews or someone would eat the spinach and save the day...
J. WELL, IT IS GOOD WHEN WE GET TO THE POINT:
ME’S HAD ALL ME’S CAN STAND, AND ME’S CAN’T STAND NO MORE... BUT THERE IS WISDOM TO BE VIGILANT, BE READY, BE ALERT, BE PREPARED, THEN LET GOD ARISE...
VII. THERE IS A ROBBER, A THIEF AT EVERY STEP OF YOUR JOURNEY TO STEAL YOUR JOY, PEACE, AND YOUR
UNDERSTANDING. WE CAN’T ALLOW OUR
ENEMY TO GET US TO SEE THIS AS AN END! GOD HAS A PLAN!
A. IF YOU ARE CARRYING A BOMB, YOU SHOULD NOT GET THE FUSE TOO CLOSE TO A BURNING CANDLE?
Deut. 4:9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the
things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;
B. GUARD YOUR THOUGHTS AND YOUR THINKING PROCESSES, THIS IS NOT THE END, THIS IS THE BEGINNING.
Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
C. If we plow in the field, if we sow seed... sometimes the enemy comes in and sows tares... to hinder us ... expect it and make the best of it.
Matthew 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
D. EXPECT SEASONS, SEASONS OF TESTING, SEASONS OF HINDERANCES, AND SEASONS OF OBSTALCES --- THEN EXPECT GOD!!!
1 Thes. 2:18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again;
but Satan hindered us.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Could you help enlarge the hands of this Preacher and pass the work on to another?
