Pastor Jon Burgess
November 1, 2015 - W1544

Today, Pastor Tenari and I will be team teaching.

Pastor Tenari Maafala:

On December 27^th at 7 p.m. there will be a men’s rally at the Stadium. This is an opportunity for men and their families to come together. The focus will be on motivating and cultivating the heart of men, to be the chief cornerstone of their families, and to be the leaders in our community.

The Bible says, “After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel. Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what He had done for Israel”. Judges 2:6-10                                      

The Israelites aroused the anger of God, because they were arrogant and disobedient, and because they worshiped man-made gods such as Baal and the goddess Ashtoreth. The question tonight, church family, is will we stand up for our children and our future generations, so that something like this will never happen?   To prevent something like this from happening, we need to start living a Godly legacy today, not tomorrow. The Bible says, “Do not worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will take care of itself.”   Matthew 6:34

Are we teaching our families the greatest commandment which is “To Love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and that we are to love our neighbors.”? Are we teaching our families to seek God first - then everything will be taken care of?

Concerning this men’s movement, will my brother’s stand up, step up, and speak up for our families and for our community? Get out of your comfort zone and accept the calling that God has placed on your hearts. The Bible says, “Men are to love their wives as Jesus Christ loved the church.” Ephesians 5:25 “You shall diligently teach your children to love God with all their heart, and to love their neighbors and their enemies.” The Bible also says, “For many are the plans of a man’s heart. But it is God’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

Pastor John has asked me to share a vision that I recently had concerning the church in Hawaii.

At 2 a.m., while my wife was sleeping next to me, a hand appeared to me my dream. The hand dropped a pebble in the ocean, sending out ripples that radiated outward. I then asked the Lord what this meant, and He said the pebble represented the State of Hawaii. The ripples that went out was a spiritual tsunami caused by men who were standing together and marching in the name of Jesus.

Pastor Jon:

Pastor Tenari was talking about his vision to stir up the hearts of men in the islands. Their work was represented by concentric circles, because it would affect the world. As we visit Nehemiah and the building of the wall, we will understand the importance of leadership for future generations. People of every age, talent, economic class, and ability were working to build this wall around Jerusalem. Scripture says, “The high priest Eliashib and his fellow priests were up and at it: They went to work on the Sheep Gate; they repaired it and hung its doors, continuing on as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel. The men of Jericho worked alongside them; and next to them, Zaccur son of Imri. The Fish Gate was built by the Hassenaah brothers; they repaired it, hung its doors, and installed its bolts and bars. Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, worked; next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel; next to him Zadok son of Baana; and next to him the Tekoites (except for their nobles, who wouldn’t work with their master and refused to get their hands dirty with such work).” Nehemiah 3:1-5 MSG

When God originally called and used the Tekoite clan, He used them in mighty ways.

THE HISTORY OF TEKOA

• 2 Samuel 23:26 – Tekoa was the home of Kind David’s Mighty Men.

• 2 Samuel 14 – King David uses a wise woman of Tekoa to broker peace between Joab and his son Absalom.

• 2 Chronicles 11:6 – King Rehoboam fortified the city of Tekoa.

• Amos 1:1 – Home to the Prophet Amos.

The men of Tekoa were mighty and prestigious men who were living in a prosperous city; however; they did not want to physically work on the wall, because they were proud men, and because they considered that work beneath them. How many Christians are separated from God do to their parenthesis of pride? If we are not careful, we will pass down to the next generation, a legacy of how we refused to serve God in lower or menial ways. We can either stand back like the Nobles, or take the parenthesis away, get our hands dirty, and be used by God for His purposes.

Nearness vs a legacy of distance.

The Tekoites were leaving a legacy of distance from God.

When I was six years of age, God pressed upon my Dad’s heart the need to move to Kona and be part of a church planting. Therefore, he left his job and our house, and we moved into a little apartment in a half-way house in Kona. My Dad served God by teaching the people who stayed at this house, the trade of cooking, so that they could have a marketable skill to use upon leaving. My parents left everything behind, because God said to do it. As a result, I went after Jesus, because I saw my parents going after Jesus. In Christ, I can only pass on to others what His present tense is to me.   Are you living off past experiences and interactions with God? Jesus wants to be near to us and does not want to be separated from us by the parenthesis of pride.

Kat’s Deli in New York has great pastrami sandwiches. Last week the church staff surprised me for my birthday by giving me this big box of sandwiches, flown in from Kat’s Deli.   Although my boys do not like Swiss cheese, rye bread or pickles, I shared my enthusiasm for these condiments, which prompted my boys to want to try them. Soon everyone enjoyed eating these condiments, and wanted more. This is an example of the present tense – the nearness to God in the “now”. I am not keeping Jesus to myself, I am sharing Him.

Obedience vs a legacy of rebellion.

Would you eat at a restaurant that had a red sign posted on it by the Department of Health that said closed? A green sign signifies that the eating establishment has passed inspection, and a yellow sign means there are issues that need to be corrected. We can make an analogy of the significance of these signs to God. When God sees sin, He calls us on it. If we ignore Him, He closes the kitchen. God’s grace calls us on our sin so we can be healed and set free; however, this will only happen through obedience.

If we are not careful, we will pass on a legacy of hypocrisy. If I tell my sons not to look at girls a certain way, but I look at other women that are not my wife, what message am I sending to them? If I tell my boys to pay close attention at church and take copious notes, but I myself am not doing this- what message does that send to them?

Most of us, because we are not perfect, have the yellow sign posted. We are not closed, but we are not totally clean, because God is working on some stuff within us.

Willingness vs a legacy of fear.

My parents willingly left all of the comforts they had in Oregon, to serve God in Kona. God said to go, so they willingly went to Kona. We are going to swim upstream and simply do what God tells us to do, because God said to do it.

Let me present to you another food analogy. Every year during Halloween, my boys ask me where can we get king sized candy bars instead of the small fun sized bars that most houses give out.  The houses that give out the king sized bars are remembered, and children will go to those same houses every Halloween.

Living in fear will shrink the potential of your legacy to the smallest possible size. Your legacy will be determined by your willingness to go when God says to go, and do what God tells you to do. Maybe a good place to start is by going out to the wall. The Bible says, “Then came the people of Tekoa, who repaired another section across from the great projecting tower and over to the wall of Ophel. Above the Horse Gate, the priests repaired the wall. Each one repaired the section immediately across from his own house.” Nehemiah 3:27-28 NLT

The Tekoa did not stay distant in the parenthesis of pride. The Tekoa did not stay in fear. They said although our forefathers did not serve, we choose to serve. This started a new legacy.

I can either stand in indifference or I can make a difference.

If we do not start to make a difference now – meaning for this generation, then the enemy is going to have the next generation. Nearness, obedience, and willingness are the keys. Speak up because the enemy wants us to shut up.

Let me close with this story. On my birthday, I always talk to my mom and thank her for birthing me. During our conversation she told me that she was proud of me for saying what needs to be said, because a lot of people don’t. She then provided an example of an episode that happened when she was first married to my Dad and living in Sacramento. After coming out of Safeway with her friend, a gang immediately surrounded them and attacked them, because of the color of their skin. While this gang was beating them, and kicking them on the asphalt, she told me that the most painful thing that she experienced was not being beaten, but the fact that people just stood by and watched without intervening, until one man stepped forwarded and said, “I am calling the police.” The gang then left. So I thought, why couldn’t that man have stepped forward earlier?

If you and I buy into the lie that we cannot make a difference, then we will be part of the crowd watching the world go down. It only takes one voice to speak up and save a soul. We will step up and step in with the light of Jesus Christ.

Questions:

• What is your legacy?

• Reflect on some experiences where you could have made a difference, but didn’t. How will you rectify a similar experience the next time around?

• How will you help others to build their legacy?