A sermon by Justin R. Lester (recorded 4/27/14) encouraging believers to 'take your limits off' and become agents of transformation. Using Nehemiah's example and personal stories (including a testimony about a car key), Lester urges listeners to let their hearts, not just skills, drive action, to present themselves authentically, and to use their 'key'—connection to Christ—to unlock social and personal change. The talk moves from personal conviction to communal challenge (affordable healthcare, public policy, social-emotional learning).
Chapters
Put a tag on this text and preach this morning as a spiritual guide with this thought on our minds. Take your limits off. Take your limits off showing. And every day, whether you like when you. Whether you like it or not, every day you rise, you're sending a signal to another person. The question becomes, what do you want people to interpret about you when they see you? And when they read your sign, will it say that it's a sign that points that I'm surrendered unto God? Will it be a sign that flashes warning? Warning, you may want to run. Your signs are not created by what you say to people. They're created by the way you present yourself in every situation beyond appreciation and beyond celebration. The question is, what signs are you sending to people that you're living, you care about your life and you're living a life in accordance to what you say. His heart, the pastor. For Nehemiah, this was not a skill issue. This was a heart issue. Nehemiah was not a great leader because Nehemiah was a skilled leader. Nehemiah was a great leader because Nehemiah had a great heart. So when it comes to transformation, it's not about you saying, I don't have the skill to do it, but do you care enough to use a strength that's hidden in your heart? Talk, Justin. See, there are jobs for people who have skills but have overlooked their hearts. See, Nehemiah, while he has no allegiance to this land, his heart pains him so much that he cares so much about a land he does not live in. Situation. And I want to suggest today that Nehemiah was wearing transformation but it needed to be interpreted as sadness so we could learn how to take the limits off and see possibility of success. My question to you this morning, what are you wearing as we look at transformation? With the knowledge you have, with the information you have, with the skill set you have, with the passions that you have, are you wearing the pain of the inability to change some situations? Are you wearing the complacency of distance? Can I suggest. In our walls of ecclesia, our religious structures, our secret places, we spend so much time talking about what isn't being done by covering our faces from the work that God has called us to handle. God has called us to be transformative agents in our churches, outside our churches. But it seems to me we like talking about fixing a situation, but we're not wearing anything that agrees with how we're going to change the situation because, frankly, we like the limits of life. Therefore, when we talk about a situation, our disposition does not match what we say because we're afraid what really may happen if we transform a society, Pastor. We're afraid that the drunk may learn how to dance, that the alcoholic recognize their anointing, that the oppressed may see that oppression is nothing more, because they've learned that they're not just a conqueror, but they're more than a conqueror. This morning, it's time for us to check ourselves and ask ourselves, we what are we wearing? You're wearing something that systems will look at you and. And not just look at you and make fun of you, but find a way to assist you. What are you wearing? What limits are we sitting out to? God? He gets to the king that day. And the king says, nehemiah Lister, translation, why you look so sad? See, he judged him by his shoes, not recognizing the person in the shoes. See, I'm talking to people today who have tattered shoes of a brutal past. Family hurt, church hurt, financial hurt, abuse, neglect, being overlo, being confused, hellish supervisors, hell at home. But, Pastor, I'm so glad I serve a God.
That God is so good, that God.
Will use your tattered past to put you in a place for transformation. See, he. He. He rests on what he prayed for and stands in front of the king. And the king says, nehemiah, why you look so sad? And Nehemiah looks at him and says, king, I like this. He says, I was afraid, but. But I got a story. He. He said. The king says, your body's speaking so loudly. And he said, nehemiah says, king, no, I'm not sad. I'm. Don't. Don't call me sad. He says, I'm afraid of the system you're putting in front of me, but the re. The way I'm going to kill this system. Let me tell you the story of the ugliness of my life. See, Pastor, I like Nehemiah because he acknowledges the story written on his body and with you, because I like Nehemiah because Nehemiah stands in front of this system and says, you know what system? This system. I'm. I'm scared of this because court systems can scare us. A painful past can scar us. But when you remember, Pastor, that my hope is not in the government, my hope is not in the judicial system, my hope is not in the mayor, but my hope is still built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. He says, I know you're afraid, but I got a story, Pastor. I'm afraid to confront a local judicial system that searches for ways to put Black men and women in prison on trucked up charges because they like filling up their pockets. But Pastor, the reason I can't stop talking, if I got a story of a God that I can't stop sharing about that system, a God that makes me remember the lynching of my ancestors and the hoses to try to knock them down. But I got a story to tell you that every time you try to.
Knock me down, God kept on picking us back up.
So my fear won't define my faith, Pastor. I'm afraid sometimes to come to church early on Sunday morning and touch the untouchable across the street from the church because I don't know their motives and they don't know my motives. But Pastor, I got a story about a man who touched me when I.
Was untouchable because I was a wretch undone.
But I got a story that tells you that Jesus can reach way down and pick me up. Am I talking to anybody in the building who can? I got some stuff that scares me.
But I got a story that cannot.
Stop me and do the work myself. And I wondered how to close this. I wondered how to exit out of here when we talk about the puzzle pieces. And Pastor called me to reflect a couple months ago when God blessed me to get a brand new car. God bless me, I had to get a brand new car. And so I went to go purchase my Camry. I'm doing it real big, trying to be like Pastor Buchanan. So I got myself a brand new car. So I went out, got my car. There was this new feature on the car for me because I'm a college student. For me it was this feature on the car that you can touch the handle and the door will unlock. So I thought that was real cool. I said, cool in the gang. Let's, let's try this out. So we get to the car, Pastor, and when we got to the car, the man went up to the car door, he touched the handle and the door unlocked. I said, man, that's real cool. He said, justin, you try it. So he locked the door and I touched the handle and the door didn't unlock. Now I looked at him, I said, I'm paying all this money for this car. Why isn't it working? He said, well, Justin, sorry. He went up there, he acted like he was fixing it. He came back and said, touch it again. I touched the car and the door didn't unlock. Now I'm saved. I'm sanctified. But I know some four letter words that aren't marked Luke and John. And so I looked at him and said, hey, my car isn't working. I'm paying all this money. He said, justin, you're a good customer. I've seen you with your parents before. He said, justin, here's the thing. You don't know about the car. You don't see the key, but the key is on my body. And so while you may not see the key, whatever I touch has got to unlock. He said, while you may not see, see what I hold. Whatever I touch is going to open up. And that's all transformation is. Because, God, I came to tell somebody that you've got the key to possibility. And so you can be a light in dark places. You can shine in dark places and shine in the dark places of marginalized people. Shine so much and use your key until the affluent in Brentwood want to sit at a table with the poor in Edge Hill. Use your key until we can walk down 9th Avenue and recognize other key bearers and say, when all God's children.
Get together, oh, what a time.
But what really caught my attention was after we did that, he looked at me and said, justin, let me show you something real cool about the key. He put his arm around my shoulder, and while I didn't have the key, I touched the handle and the door unlocked. I said, man, what happened to this? He said, because you're connected to me.
Whatever you touch has got to be unlocked.
And I wonder if there's anybody in.
15Th Avenue who can say, I got a key to unlock some stuff. So today I've got to touch the handle of affordable health care. I've got to touch the handle of affecting public policy. I've got to touch the handle of SEL. Is there anybody in 15th Avenue this morning that can say, I got the key? So that's why I think Paul said, I've got to present my body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. So my challenge to 15th Avenue. Use your key and watch this city. City unlocked. Use your key because eyes have not seen.
I messed around and got happy.
I messed around and got happy. Is there anybody other than me? Because I'm going to use my key and set this city on. Can you just go touch someone around? You just touch someone around. You say, I'm gonna unlock something. I'm gonna unlock something. God, oh, my God. I'm gonna unlock something because I got the key inside of me. And eyes have not seen and ears have not heard and hearts have not felt and Nashville has not seen and 15th Avenue has not seen when all of God's children Because I'm not working for you But I'm glad Morning. When this life is over I'll fly away and be at rest I'll put on my golden shoes I walk the streets of glory and when I see Jesus I want Jesus to say well done.
