He's Got The Whole World In His Hands | The Gracious Hand of God

for the Word of God on today and today I want to continue our series of messages concerning the hand of God and I want to preach about the gracious hand of God the gracious hand of God Lord let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts let them be acceptable in thy sight Lord you are strength and you are Redeemer in Jesus name we pray amen it was in 1955 where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on that bus in Montgomery to move to the back where blacks would sit so she could make room for a white man in the front as a consequence she got arrested for that and became the catalyst for the Montgomery bus boycott that for more than one year black people nigras refused to ride the bus in Montgomery and today changed the policy so that blacks could be treated like everybody else and it also brought to the forefront a young preacher by the name of Martin Luther King jr. and then it was also in the sixties the early sixties those Citians that took place at lunch counters in key places across the United States where blacks would go and sit at the counter and refused to move until they were served they refused to go to the back to pay for food at the same price everybody else was paying but not have the same kind of service and of course there was violence against that peaceful protest but they did it until policies got changed and were more inclusive and then the march on Washington in 1963 where dr. Martin Luther King jr. told us about a dream he had a dream that his four little children would grow up in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character then it was in 1965 that marched from Selma to Montgomery that Bloody Sunday when racism and white supremacy showed how ugly it is as they attacked those peaceful marchers and all of that was shown on television and it brought about the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and of course the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and all this stuff was going on in the 60s with protests and violence and racial divide and in those 60s there were those who sought for unity in the United States that one after another in the sixties were being violently killed and destroyed people like John F Kennedy in 1963 when he was assassinated in Dallas Texas in that same here mega Evers was killed in his own yard as he sought to bring some justice to black people in the south and then of course Malcolm X in 1965 when he was also gunned down and then in 1968 in Memphis Martin Luther King jr. on that balcony at the Lorraine hotel was assassinated and after Martin King was assassinated protests took place all throughout the United States of America and then not only the peaceful protests but then there was violence and buildings being destroyed and buildings being burned and so much was going on as a protest against the assassination of Martin Luther King jr. so all of this noise was being made all of this protests all of this social injustice all of this racial divide was going on and in the midst of all of that in on August the 4th in 1961 a black African a Kenyan was married to a white woman and they gave birth that day to their son no fanfare no national acclaim no patterns read not just they they had a little baby boy and that little boy that was born in the midst of all of that noise and in Hawaii ended up going to Harvard University but he never would have been able to get into Harvard University had it not been for the civil rights movement and all the things and others that I just spoke of and then he went on to become a senator for the state of Illinois that never would have taken place had it not been for all the sacrificing and the protests and all the things that would change in terms of legislation and policy from the civil rights movement then he went on to become the first black President of the United States of America and Barack Obama brought Christianity to the White House and he brought integrity to the White House and morality to the White House and honesty to the White House and intelligence to the White House and promoted unity from the White House but none of that would have happened had it not been for the civil rights movement all of those people their sacrifices were behind all of that all I'm trying to tell you is none of that happened by accident when all of that noise was being made with all this social injustice with all that racism with all that was happening that that quiet birth in 1961 in Hawaii was God making a move it was the gracious hand of God it was not by accident it was my intent it was not my chance it was by choice then when all that noise was being made God was giving birth to somebody that would bring help and hope to this nation and I'm just trying to tell you God intervenes and God intercedes and God gets involved the hand of God speaks of the moving of God the it speaks of the manipulation how God manipulate situations how God moves and and how God works things out and what I'm trying to tell you is the time that we're living in now it's a lot of noise it's a lot going on but you don't know what God is giving birth to you don't know who God is giving birth to but I want you to understand about the gracious hand of God that's what nehemiah speaks up in nehemiah chapter 2 in verse 18 Nehemiah says I also saw them about I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me they replied let us start rebuilding so they began to do this good work Nehemiah said I also told them about the gracious hand of God that was on my life hallelujah to the lamb this is of course right after the Babylonian captivity when the children of Israel had been in bondage for 70 years by the Babylonians but now because of Persia conquering babylon and now Israel gets to come back home and that rim that it came back to Jerusalem they come back and they begin to rebuild their homes and they rebuild their communities and their schools and their businesses but the walls around Jerusalem are sealed down those walls were there for fortitude and protection and strength and because they were still lying in ruin than any opposition and any enemy did and could come over and make matters worse in terms of their rebuilding and they're not under Babylonian captivity but they still have to deal with the Persian Authority and it was during that time that there was a man by the name of Nehemiah and he was a Hebrew but he didn't live in Israel he's a Hebrew but he didn't live in Jerusalem Nehemiah lived in Persia he worked for the Persian king he was the cupbearer to the king Nehemiah had a good government job with a good wage and he had all the benefits you could have from a dental plan to a 401k to a health healthcare all of that with the job that he had but Nehemiah still identified with the hurts and the pains of the people that he was a part of in Jerusalem the walls without people were getting hurt things were a mess it was still wrecked and wretched and ruined that was taking place there his brother chapter 1 says his brother came down and explained to him how bad it was in his home because Nehemiah had moved he lived with the Persians that he had a Persian house he had he worked for the Persian government he lived in a Persian neighborhood he had a Persian education he wore Persian clothes he drove drove a Persian chariot but one thing I love about Nehemiah he realized none of that makes me a Persian he still identified with his people that's a lesson we can learn right there that those of us who are black living in America you may have gone to a European school and you may work for European country company and you may wear European clothes and drive at European car but that don't make you a European don't forget who you are and Nehemiah said I'm not gonna forget where I came from and what I need to do and when his brother explained how things were messed up because the wall was still down there was some things still down in Israel that needed to be addressed that's why the people were being hurt because it was down and he looked at that and said social justice is down he looked at that and said the economy is down he looked at that and said the educational system is down the political system is down and because all this stuff is down my people are being hurt and he was trying to figure out what to do and when he went to work for that Persian king the King looked at him and saw how depressed he was it are you okay everything all right and them I said I'm doing good but I'm feeling bad even though I'm doing good I'm feeling bad cause my people are hurting my community is in danger because what is down there and the King challenged them with what you gonna do about it and he said King I gotta do something I can't sit here with my cushy job and my good government job and then just ignore my people who are in trouble there and the King said well what are you gonna do and that's when near my I started praying but then he told the King after the pray so here's here's what I need I want to go help my people can't say well how can I help you and then chapter 2 starts talking about the favor that Nehemiah got from from his boss from his supervisor from that head of state of Persia the favor he got he said King I'm gonna need to hold on to my job I need to go back and help build this back up but I need to hold on to my job but the King said I'm gonna give you a leave of absence no matter how long it takes you when you get back your job is gonna be secure you still make the same pay same position same benefits what else do you need he said King well I'm gonna need some timber some wood I'm gonna need some resources to help build a wall back up I can't I need some help with this King said I'm gonna give you all the resources that you need to help build what you need to build in your community you need anything else to King said he has the favor of the king and Nehemiah say yeah I need a letter from you because when we're taking these resources back to Jerusalem I'm we're gonna be getting stopped in different regions by different leaders and I need a letter from UK cuz if they see your signature on the letter and your signet and they see your stamp they'll leave me alone that letter of authority and the King said I you got that and he said keen I'm gonna need some protection I'm gonna be riding with all these resources and folk may try to take what I have he said I'm gonna give you my own security team and I'm gonna give you the protection that you need here's what I want you to get chapter 2 talks about the favor that the King had for Nehemiah but Nehemiah didn't use the favor on himself he used the favor for his community he used the favor for his people y'all we got to learn that there's so many of us who've accepted Jesus as our personal save you believe Jesus died on the cross you believe God raised him from the dead the moment you do that you become a Christian God as your father Jesus your big brother Holy Spirit is your keeper and I praise God for that and then we start talking about the favor of God and I'll I and and it is the favor that's the catch word in the church the favor of God I got the favor of God the unmerited favor God blessing me even when I don't deserve it to God and the favor of God gave me a house the favor of God got me the job the favor of God got me a promotion a favor but here's what I want you to understand when Nehemiah got all that favor he didn't just use it on himself he used it on his community that was hurting and needed that favor the most you and I when God chose favor on us and when we have the favor of people why don't we use that when God blesses you is not just for you is for you to bless somebody else when God opens the door for you it's not just for you to walk through but when you walk through it hold it open so somebody else can get in God gives us the favor of people and the favor of God so we can be a blessing to somebody and that's what Nehemiah did he took all that favor and now he goes into Israel he shows up in Jerusalem and the walls are down there wreck their wrecked and in ruin leaving it open for opposition and enemies to come in that's why the people are hurting so much trying to rebuild after all that oppression but there's some things that were down that need to be addressed nehemiah got there he said that for three days he just examined the ruin he just he got on his horse by himself and he just rolled around and the walls was around the whole city and he rolled by himself for three days a matter of fact the Bible says he did it in the dark and he didn't say anything to anybody for three days that's because Nehemiah salt to examine with the situation it was all about he wanted to make an analysis what is really going on here and I know what you're gonna say well I thought this brother came and told him what was happening he heard his brother he believed his brother that's why he was there he said I'm not gonna just take my brother's word for it i man examine it for myself I want to see for myself what's going on in my community and I know that we got the mass media and we got mainstream media and we have black media and we have social media and all but you know at some point we got to come out and examine it for ourselves you and I got a see for ourselves what is really going on in our community why is all this social injustice why is all this racism why this economic divide what is going on here what is happening with our people in this time and he decided I'm gonna examine it i'ma analyze it for myself and when he did and I love this about Nehemiah that he didn't try to expand it and make it worse than it was it was bad it's ruined it's messed up and things are happening that did not need to happen but he didn't make it worse than it was he didn't just give up on everything that's how some of us are we're so pessimistic we believe that there is no help and there is no hope we just expand it and make it work it's already bad but you don't have to make it worse than it is because we have God we have Jesus we have His Holy Spirit and we have people with the gifts of God and the anointing of God on their life there's always help and hope you don't have to expand it and make it worse and neither did when he analyzed it Nehemiah didn't try to eliminate the problem some of us do that we try to ignore it and act like it's not there we so spiritual so in tune with God that I'm not going to claim it I don't claim what's happening you don't have to claim it racism claims you social injustice claims you this economic down turn claims you come on I'm gonna opt out of the economic downturn no you lost your job I'm not going to claim the coronavirus know you're sick y'all we cannot fix it if we do not face it well preacher if I don't if I don't eliminate it if I don't expand it how am I supposed to deal with what we're going through well me am I experienced it but for three days he experienced what was going on he wanted to see for himself he wanted to analyze it on it and that's what we gonna have to do whether you realize it or not we're gonna have to go on and experience I know we don't want to but we don't we just have to experience the mess that this nation is in right now and matter of fact in Psalm 23 verse 4 it says yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil yeah I got a walk through I don't want to be in this valley but I have to be in the bag to walk through the valley of the shadow of death I can't act like it's not here I have to experience this I'm not gonna walk around the valley of the shadow of death I'm not gonna bypass the valley of the shadow of death and I'm not gonna stop and give up in the valley I'm going to make it through I don't want to be here I don't want to have to deal with this but I know one thing I'm gonna get through it because on the other side of that Valley there's the reason why we have to experience the valley because there's something on the other side that's waiting on us well the Lord will anoint I here with all and a cup of blessings we'll run over where there's a table that is prepared before us that God prepares that in the face of folk that don't even want you to have anything and God will provide permanent house you live in the house of the Lord forever there's some stuff on the other side so that's experience what we have to experience so there he is for three days in the dark he didn't say anything to anybody that's significant right there those Nehemiah understands no matter what I'm thinking no matter what I'm going through no matter what my plans are no matter what I've come up with I got to be careful not to tell it too soon for three days that he'd tell nobody to tell the priest he didn't tell the elders he didn't tell the people he didn't tell the officials he didn't tell anybody cuz you got to be careful about speaking rheems and vision too soon I learned that in ministry for myself and then of course I finally understood what was happening in the book of Genesis there's a young seventeen year old named Joseph and Joseph had a vision and a dream he got from God and soon as he got that vision and dream he went and told his brothers and his brothers beat him down saw him in a pit lied about it left him for dead get all kind of mess to him that's because he told his dreams too soon and Nehemiah is teaching you and I don't don't tell your dreams too soon and be careful who you tell your dreams to and after that three day period though nehemiah teaches us he said that's when I began to speak to the people my Shack Nehemiah says he spoke to everybody he says he spoke to the people he spoke to the priests he spoke to the elders he spoke to the officials he spoke to everybody look we need to rebuild this we can't leave this in ruin like it is and he began to have this conversation with them and Nehemiah didn't wait on everybody to positively respond to the conversation that's why some of us aren't doing anything right now you did hold a conversation and you told everybody and anybody that would listen like Nehemiah but then you got frustrated and got disappointed because there was some people that wouldn't listen to you and some people said you shouldn't go down there you shouldn't be and you need to leave that alone and that's never gonna work and because everybody wouldn't receive what you were speaking then you gave up on what God called you to do now you're gonna be like that nearby I told everybody and he told anybody but everybody didn't join in with he just went with somebody that's what I learned that a long time ago everybody ain't gonna receive this message but anybody who wants to receive the message of salvation and what we need to be doing in community we can get it done I'm not waiting on there Jesus didn't even get everybody Jesus came from heaven to earth and begin to preset the kingdom of God is at hand there were people that rejected that but he didn't go back to heaven because everybody didn't receive it matter fact you had 12 a cycle Judas didn't make it he he told everybody but everybody didn't make it it's the somebody's that make a difference and go ahead Nehemiah did he told everybody and then just whoever was willing to get it so he holds these conversation and when he held the conversations the first thing he did was told them about what they could see he started saying about the ruin and the wreckage that was going on he starts saying about how unprotected they were how meth they could see that but after he talked about what everybody could see and then the admirer began to talk about what they could not see what is it that they could not see you see the wreckage you see the ruin but the reason you're so hopeless the reason you feel so helpless because you don't see the generous hand of God and Nehemiah said and and Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 8 18 and I told them about the hand of God it's a generous hand he said I had nothing when I came here but I got the favor of the king and because of the generosity of my god I have every fall the resource we need to build this thing back up I have the hearts of the people and the minds of the people because of the generosity of God y'all don't miss out on that that the things that we're looking for will not come all from people will not come all from organizations will not come all from government will not come all from institutions but I think God I serve a God that is just my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in but my God can open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing you won't have room enough to receive it all God can't bless you in such a way that he will give to you good measure pressed down shaken together and running over and all day I can talk about the very thing that the way God moves with his generous hand don't miss out on that I know we talk about everything to folk with that we can see yeah we see racial divide we see social injustice we see police brutality we see unarmed black man being gunned down by those who proposed to protect and serve we see communities of black and brown people and poor people who've been overlooked for far too long and we see ahead state that doesn't even care about the citizenry of his own nation that how can you violently attack peaceful protesters so that you can walk and stand in front of a church that you don't you're not a part of and hold up a book that you refuse to read because if you would open that book and read it you would read the fact that blessed are the peacemakers if you would open that book and read it you would read about that you ought to love others the way you love yourself that if you would open that book and read it it says something about loving God and loving other people open that book and read it it talks about this show all people know that you are my disciple that you love one another but you can't just hold the book up for a picture and refuse to read it the scriptures don't say anything about holding up the book it says God had your word in my heart that I might not sin against you so all this stuff that we see but don't forget there's something you can't see evidently that's the generous hand of God and what we spoke about what they could not see was the gracious hand of God in Nehemiah 2 and 18 he said and I told them about the gracious hand of God the favor of God that's all my life y'all in the midst of all that we're going through you don't know what God's giving birth to you don't know who God is giving birth to you don't know who God is raising up we're looking at all this noise and we don't know that in some obscure place right now God is raising up sons and daughters men and women that can and will make a difference to build what we need in this me it's the favor of God that makes those kind of connections my first trip to Haiti was after that earthquake in Haiti where earthquake and poverty collided and one of the poorest nations in the world and then of course hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives it was a mess over there and we saw that on our television with the news and of course I went to our congregation the eastern star church I said y'all we got to do something and we began to collect resources but that wasn't enough I said we got to do something else I began to call on other pastors and ministers who had preached for and taught and consulted with and I began to call and I mostly Indiana pastors and we were able to raise significant resources and then I called others from around the nation other pastors begin to call me and more than 30 churches came together and got together more than a million dollars that we gave to Haiti through convoy I hope this this this national or should say international relief group because they were already in Haiti when it happened they were already doing work over there and so we provided them those resources from those 32 but that wasn't enough I said we got to do something else so I decided to go to Haiti myself took me a while to get over there to figure out how to get over there Darren Chesky passes a church in Fishers Indiana my good friend I said man I know you grew up in Haiti he's a white man his parents with missionaries in Haiti he had his childhood over that's a man you got to get us over there and he figured out a way to get us over there it was about a month after the earthquake had hit and he said pastor I found us somewhere to stay but I need to tell you because of how messed up it is after this earthquake couldn't get any hotels over there I said I just want to get over there where we stand he said we're gonna stay at an office building but the building has been affected negatively by the earthquake but they said we can stay sleep on the floor so we gonna take sleeping baths and that's okay if Jesus have come from heaven to earth and go through what he went through I'll be able to sleep in the sleeping bag he said but now the powers been shut down in that building ain't no electricity over there I said okay well that still go he said now and no running water over there either so even when we go to the bathroom we got to use the outhouse I said whatever it takes the sacrifice Jesus made for me will do that he said anything can't promise us any food over there they said they'll try to get beans and rice for us once a day why I've been fasting anyway that's one meal more than what I had been getting and we decided to go on over there even though we gonna sleep on a floor in an office building that's been impacted by the earthquake we're gonna sleep in sleeping bag we're gonna have the take use the bathroom in our house we don't have to take a bath or these try to have some hygiene from bottled water we don't have beans and rice once a day and go over and see what's happening I was gonna do like Nehemiah I just wanted to examine what was going on and see it for myself and so we flew from Indianapolis into Miami that was the connecting flight is in Miami to go to Haiti it's about a 90-minute flight from Miami to here's how close it is to us and when we were in the airport in Miami Daron Chesky sohow Donaldson who I didn't even know who he was he said man that's that's Hal Donald's I said mallalieu that is he said man that's the president CEO and founder of convoy I hope that's what we gave all that money to to do that work over there so we went over introduced I said he didn't know us I didn't know him we introduced ourselves he thanked us for what we did we thanked him for his work and then he said where y'all staying over in Haiti well y'all we said where we going just evaluate he said well where y'all stand so we told him sleeping bag no powers no electricity one meal a day beans and rice we told him that he said he said now why don't y'all just come stay with us ain't even asked where y'all staying I'd say yeah they had to be better than the situation we're in I say yes we going to stay with you and they ended up having a decent hotel wasn't the Conrad Indianapolis but it was a decent hotel that had power of least till 6:00 p.m. and we got two meals a day beans or rice twice a day so that's twice as good as I was gonna have it in the other place and electricity and running water losses I can take a shower every day but my point is this somebody would say man that's a great coincidence that y'all would meet the president and founder Conway hope on the same flight y'all go on that helped out all the flights they could have taken they could have gone today before that no no no it was no coincidence it's the Providence of God it's not my chance it's my choice it's the gracious hand of God making connection I want to show you something else when we got over there convoy without doing their thing where we were doing our thing and we're evaluating and looking at seeing what's going on how we can help them come alongside I ran into another group called mission Hope and they were doctors from the state of Indiana met them over in Haiti they didn't know me I didn't know them they said what y'all doing over here we told him what y'all doing well we working with clinics and I said well how's the work going he said well it was going good till we ran out of food I said ran out of food say yeah when the earthquake came we we couldn't get food I said where were you getting food from from from we were getting beans and rice from Haiti to give it to the patients who were coming in there but that's that stop I said we have y'all heard of convoy of Hope said not we never heard of them I said man let me let me help you understand so I hooked convoy of Hope up with mission hope these doctors from Indiana that were blessing the Haitian people in clinics and I hooked them up with a group that gives food to people all over the known world that's not an accident that is the Providence of God that is the favor of God and I can look in my own life and look in our nation and see God's hand making moves but if you're not careful you'll look at the the badness of people and miss out on the goodness of God you look out at the hatred of people miss out on the love of God he told them about what they could not see the generous hand of God the gracious hand of God let me give you one more and he told him about the glorious hand of God he tells them in Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 20 he says that the God of heaven will give us success the God of heaven will give us the victory that's why I'm talking about the glorious hand of yo God is undefeated all of your wondering yeah are we gonna make it as things gonna get better I don't know is he feeling helpless and hopeless we serve a God who is undefeated and me of my total that that the the glorious hand of God is going to give us the victory I love that and that's when the people said all right then then let us build I love that he said God's gonna give us a victory they said let us build they just say all right near my you go on in bill and they didn't say I'm going to build they said let us build something is torn down something messed up our people are hurting our people are in trouble but if it's gonna get any better let us build this is this is not just a operation they didn't just operate they learned how to cooperate I issue is we got a lot of people out here operating we don't know how to cooperate y'all we do better when we work together one could put a thousand of like two could put 10,000 the flight we do better when we work together as for we are unite for the work of the ministry when I try to do things on my own doesn't make a difference yes but when I connect with somebody else we're able to do more i pastor a great church and we've done some marvelous things but when we partner with other ministries and other churches and other institutions and organizations that have the same heart of a community that we have a difference is made it's not just operate it's co-operate let us it's not just me myself and I that issue right there that men tells you right they're gonna mess us up this me my cell just looking out for yourself no its we us an hour there's some people sitting on the sidelines doing nothing saying will if I protest if I March if I write if I say something if I do something what might happen to me that's the wrong mentality not if I do something what might happen to me if I don't do anything what might happen to other people is not me myself and I is we us in our and let us rise up and build and they begin to build I want to show you this I got to read a little bit of this and Nehemiah chapter and Nehemiah chapter three he begins to talk about the work that he said and rebuilt the wall and he said we built it because the people had a man in the work as a mental thing not just resources it's a mental thing we had a mind to work we had a heart to work and in Chapter three he doesn't generalize he could have stopped right there and we rebuilt it we did it we got it up no he's he he itemized it listen to what he said in Nehemiah chapter three he said that the high priests and the fellow priests they built the Sheep gate in verse 2 of chapter three the men of Jericho they built the adjoining section and then in verse three the fish gate they were built by the sons of Hashana and then mara his family they built the next section and as you go through chapter three you see organizations and families that come out to build certain set no one person was building the entire wall everybody and their families took a section to build it and that's what I'm trying to get across to us yes it's messed up yes it's a mess you yes it's wretched yes there is wreckage yes it's ruined but if everybody just take a section if me and my family and in my community in my church if we could just take a section if you can take the adjoining section and you if you can take the next section and everybody just comes and do their part we can build something uniquely special in this nation that will make a difference to everybody that lives here he said the Lord will give us the victory and then they say it let us be land I want you to understand he declared victory before they started building that's what I'm trying to get across they weren't building for victory they were building from victory you know as we're seeking to build social justice as we're seeking to build the economy of is we're seeking to build up education and inclusiveness and love and unity when we're doing that we're not doing it for victory we're doing it from Victor we already have the victory you're all dismissed we're in it's not a surprise to me I know that somebody told you accept Jesus all your issues are done the problem that's not that's a big life here's what Jesus said in the Bible Jesus said in this world you shall have tribulation I'm not surprised but all hell being broken lose why Jesus told us in this world you're gonna have tribulation but he went on to say but be of good courage be of good cheer I have overcome the world I'm already overcome we already have the victory we're not working and serving and doing what we're doing in hopes to get the victory we're doing it because we already have the victory but that victory doesn't come without opposition Sanballat tobias and others were messing with Nehemiah and the workers they put a hit out on on Nehemiah he's trying to build a wall they put a hit out on him some people don't want it built back up because they take advantage of what is down they benefit from what is down and they told me am i come down from the work so we talk about so you want me to stop working to come down to talk to you about the work he said no I'm not coming down I'm gonna finish what God has given us to finish here and he kept on working and kept on doing God but it wasn't without opposition yes when we protest there will be opposition yes when we march there will be opposition who was a William J shawl that said the demonic always tries to take advantage of hurting people that's why when we try to have peaceful protests you got people out here doing some stuff that is violent yeah but if that's the opposition we got to deal with folk trying to distract from what's really going on that's the opposition folk talking about you people lying on your people that are trying to bring you down that's the opposition but we still have the victory despite the opposition let me close it like this I'll close it like this I'm a big NBA fan I got it miss doing the pandemic I really really miss the the NBA I miss watching the NBA I'm a big fan and one thing I learned about the NBA a long time ago is that every single player on every single team in the NBA all of them can play cuz I hear people tell my well you know I don't know how you got on the team because he can't play I'm telling y'all all the players on any NBA team they couldn't have gotten to their level if they could not play that game of basketball and I hear Charles Barkley saying there's some people in the NBA and they on tape but they just can't play no they can't play at your level but they can play I know I don't look like it now but I used to be a decent basketball player and when I went to college I started to play a basketball every single day every day I even that I got married I played basketball every day so I played in pro-am tournament where you have professionals and amateurs I played in dust bowls with professionals from the NBA I played in our own gym with NBA players live I played at rec centers with NBA players i celebrity games with NBA players that I guarantee you all of them can play and those in argue with me know they can't play play one of them one-on-one that that 12 players sitting on the bench that never gets in the game and when he does he gets zero points in one rebound he can steal play and I know you're wondering then why doesn't he get in the game why didn't he get the same time that LeBron gets or same time the Jordan guys are Steph Curry because here's the thing you talking about the greatest players in the game and there's a reason they got to that level and that they they are the great ones the ones you name it but these other players they can think and dribble they can shoot they can pass they can score they can do all of that then preacher why didn't they get up to the level with Durant and the Greek freak and AD why didn't they do that because Kobe Bryant the Kobe Bryant of the world they're able to do all of that against opposition they're able to do it when people are trying to stop them all of them can do it but they can't the only way you can get to the level of a Kobe Bryant or a Greek freak you got to be able to do it with folk or trying to stop you preacher why did you tell us that story because anybody can be a Christian but can you live that Christian life in the face of opposition anybody can preach and teach and serve God but can you do it and folk we're trying to stop you anybody can protest and March and try to have a social justice agenda and inclusiveness of everybody but can you do it in the face of opposition if we're going to go from faith to faith and level to level it's understanding we already have the victory but it's not gonna come without opposition but I know I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength the victory is already yours because of the gracious hand of God that is working well all that is noise is going on God has given birth to people God is giving birth in different places God is giving birth to institutions God is giving birth to organizations God has given birth to ministries that's going to show up and bring us the deliverance that we need as we work together the victory is already yours we used to sing about that when I was a king but I was a kid in church victory is mine victory victory victory is mine I told Satan to get thee behind because victory today is mine and I pray that those who are still struggling with your theology and trying to figure out where is God and all of this to know God still loves you Jesus still died on the cross for you and Jesus was still anointed not just to preach to the poor but to set captives free that social agenda that Jesus had but you need a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ the Bible says who service are called from name of the Lord shall be saved and you can I'm gonna lead you in prayer right now you've never invited the Lord into your life and when you call on him in prayer the Bible says you shall be saved so I must I'm afraid and I want you to pray out loud repeating after me believing God in your heart let's pray father I come right now I know that I've sinned I know that I've done wrong I'm sorry for my sins please forgive me of my sin I believe Jesus died on the cross I believe you raised Jesus from the dead I receive Jesus into my life by faith please fill me with your Holy Spirit in Jesus name Amen praise the Lord I welcome you to the family of God thank God that now God is your father Jesus your big brother the Holy Spirit he is your keeper now email us here at eastern star church and let us know you made that decision please we had a lot of people working behind the scene to get you to know Christ so let us know what happened email us at membership at eastern star church membership at eastern star church to let us know you made that confession and we'll get you connected with church as well and those of you who already Christians you already say but you know you need a church home you straight from church for whatever reason and we need to be connected to do this work that we're doing so go ahead and email us at membership at eastern star church and we'll get you connected praise the Lord well it's time for the offering this is an opportunity for us to support the work of God this is opportunity for us to make sure the gospel is getting out to the world but also that social agenda that we have income alongside a community to build up that community to having that financial literacy to doing the education that we do to help our young people to have an opportunity and a chance to do the housing piece that we do both with new affordable housing and then renovating homes and making them available and affordable so their families who normally wouldn't even be able to buy a house and they are able to do that we're doing so many things I talked about our ministry in Haiti that we're still doing work over they're still building new homes over there and helping with steps seminary we are educating Christian leaders throughout the nation of Haiti and still feeding we fed more than a millions of meals in Haiti and even here in in Indianapolis that we we provide meals more than ten thousand meals a week and of course I care center on Mondays Tuesdays and Fridays does Howard drive-through pantry so tell your family and friends and those who are in need all you got to do is just drive through up here Eastern Star Church at our main location right at the back of it at 57:19 Massachusetts and and we'll make sure we just get that that food put it in your trunk and you go on off you'll have to worry about trying to get sick and hurt and all that kind of stuff we're still doing those things but it's because of your generosity that those things are happening so if you want to give you can give whether it's through our website at Eastern Star Church dot org Eastern Star Church org there's a tab there that you can give or you can text again at four or five seven seven seven and then ESC in the message field with your amount for five seven seven seven ESC in which your amount or you can of course you can still mail it in 5750 East 30th Street in Indianapolis Indiana for six two one eight fifty seven fifty fifty seven fifty East 30th Street Indianapolis Indiana for six to one a thank you for your giving and your generosity let me ask God's blessing on our gifts today father thank you for how you have blessed us thank you for the favor that you've put in our lives the favor with both God and humanity and the doors you've opened the ways you've made the resources you provided and now their God we like Nehemiah want to turn these favors in to be a blessing to others so take them and use them bless them and stretch them to bless this community this nation and this world in the name of Jesus and father those who are giving those who are trusting you with their tithes and offering and sacrifice I pray you give back to them good measures pressed down shaken together I pray you running over in their life with your generous gracious and glorious hand in Jesus name Amen amen again let me say thank you for your sharing and connected remember tonight 7:00 p.m. tonight dr. Cynthia Hales gonna help us celebrate our 100 years as a ministry as a church she's going to be preaching sees with the ray of hope Church in Atlanta Georgia that's 7:00 p.m. you can get it on on Facebook or you can get to us on our YouTube channel but just know we want you to be a part of it and be blessed and I know that God it has something in store for you even in a time like this we definitely got to get God's word let me go ahead and give this benediction I love you all very very much and I pray that God's gonna continue to protect you with that gracious hand that he has may God bless you and keep you may God have his face to smile upon you and be gracious unto you may God turn his countenance towards you and grant you peace and I pray that God through his anointing will help you to walk humbly with your God to love mercy and I pray that God will help you to do good and I pray that through the Holy Spirit that God will cause justice to run down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream I pray he'll do that today and forevermore in Jesus name Amen

Channel: Eastern Star Church

Views: 1,113

Rating: 4.891892 out of 5

Keywords: eastern star church, pastor jeffrey a johnson sr, indianapolis, indy church, indianapolis church, gospel, god, sermon, faith, hope, inspiration, motivation, jesus, love, christianity, black lives matter, social injustice, civil rights, racism, Nehemiah 2:18, gracious hand of god, he's got the whole world in his hands

Id: YI1BXKYV1mo

Length: 46min 33sec (2793 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 03 2020