John K. Jenkins Sr - The Purpose Series - Part 6

Today is the final message in this Purpose series. This is part six. I don’t think I’ve ever done six parts of anything since I’ve been pastoring here, but this is part six of this series on purpose. We’ve talked about why God created you; we’ve discussed how to identify what your purpose is. Everybody here has a purpose. God created you for a reason; you’re not just a coincidence. You 're not merely the result of an encounter between your mom and your dad. In fact, you have a purpose, and we’ve explored how to identify that purpose. We’ve talked about the fact that you’re going to encounter some haters. As a matter of fact, haters are indicators that you’re headed in the right direction. Don’t get frustrated, upset, or mad; just recognize that it goes with the territory; it’s part of the journey.

I also talked about the fact that before every significant move God was about to make in my life — and I see this not only in my personal life but even in Scripture- before every significant advancement, some kind of problem would arise. I’ve learned over time that instead of complaining about what’s happening, I shout because I know God is about to do something big. Then we discussed that you’re going to go through some sifting. There 's a sifting process where God wants to clean up some things in your life. I learned that God wants to clean up the mess in your life while you’re in the struggle, so that when you get on His platform, you won’t embarrass Him. Look up and down your row and see if you can figure out who needs to be sifted.

Last week, we celebrated the fact that even though we’re going through sifting, Jesus says, «But I have prayed for you.» I’m shouting because I know that regardless of what’s happening in my life, we serve a God who knows about the drama, the pain, and the issues. He says, «But I have prayed for you,» and that’s great news to me because it doesn’t matter if you all don’t pray for me; it’s okay-Jesus is praying for me.

Alright, today I want to invite your attention to the book of Nehemiah, an Old Testament book. Go ahead and check the table of contents because you might not know where it is. This is part six, and I’m going to chapter 6 of Nehemiah. Now let me give you a little background about Nehemiah. I started off this series talking about Nehemiah, and early in the series, I did mention him. I want to refresh your memory about Nehemiah: he was the king’s cupbearer, living in a foreign country, responsible for eating and drinking the king’s meals just to ensure they weren 't poisoned. I’m not applying for that job! In case the king had been poisoned, then the cupbearer would die first.

One particular day, Nehemiah heard about his hometown, Jerusalem, and discovered that the walls had been torn down. The walls that protected Jerusalem had been destroyed. Even though people wanted to go back home, they were afraid to do so because the walls had been torn down. Over a long period, the walls had never been rebuilt. But Nehemiah 's purpose was ignited; God placed a burden in his heart. By the way, let me throw this in again: you know what your purpose is by the burden that God gives you.

You can identify what God wants you to do when He gives you a burden or a passion for something. Amen? Now, some of you might think your purpose is something you just want to do. You might think that because you can sing, God has called you to be a world-famous singer. That 's not how it works! If you listen to the choir and don’t like how they sound, God might be calling you- instead of criticizing the choir, join them to help make them sound better. Thank all 17 of you for that celebration; I appreciate it!

So, Nehemiah had a burden, and he wanted to go back to rebuild the wall. One day, he was sad, and the king saw him and asked, «Why are you so sad?» Nehemiah explained that his hometown was in disarray, and the walls hadn 't been rebuilt. He asked the king to let him go back to rebuild the walls around his hometown. Amazingly, the king not only granted him leave, but also provided money. I want you to understand the magnitude of that: it’s like you going to your boss, not only asking for leave but also for money to do what you want to do when you go back home. The king gave him money, soldiers, transportation, and resources. Somebody ought to say, «Glory!»

He returned home, and in a record time of 52 days, he rebuilt the walls. In just 52 days, he completed the task, but he encountered some challenges, and I want to talk to you about that for just a moment. Let me get you set.