Mission Impossible: Possible

Nehemiah 8:8-12                          (New Revised Standard Version)

So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

How many of you know someone who complains but doesn’t do anything about it?

Are you like this? Do you know someone like this?

Then why in the world are we sitting around just complaining instead of doing something about it?

The text being read in the above passage comes from the Torah and is describing things that followers of God should be doing in their lives.

“They wept,” can mean two things: (1) They were complaining, lamenting, grumbling about what they heard because of something they now had to do, or (2) They were moaning and mourning about what they heard because they hadn’t done it.

Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Fill yourself with what you need so that you can go out and help others do the same.

Do what you must do to straighten yourself up, then help others do the same.

Joy: “To be joined with Chris”

If we open ourselves up to God’s will for our lives, then God can work through us to accomplish even the most impossible of tasks.

Nehemiah had little power but great influence. He was trusted by the king and he was a man of God, concerned about the fate of Jerusalem.

The walls of the city became Nehemiah’s burden to bear.

He saw there was a problem and was distressed. But instead of complaining about it or wallowing in self-piety and grief, he acted, and he did because he knew that God had equipped him to do so.

We are called by God to be the church. As the church, we are called to be a people of action.

God is in the business of working through God’s people to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks.

God has equipped us to accomplish what may seem like impossible tasks.