Remember the 2000 blockbuster movie, “Remember the Titans”?
It was based on a true story. I have a friend who was coaching a junior high
football team back then. He said, “All the kids wanted to be Titans!” But to
remember the Titans requires knowing the story.
In late 1990, screenwriter Gregory Howard wrote a screenplay
called, “Remember the Titans.” It was based on the true story of T.C. Williams
High School in Alexandria, Virginia. After it was purchased by Walt Disney
Pictures, Howard admitted that he had made some big assumptions when writing
the script.
1971 was a turbulent year in Alexandria. Although the school
system desegregated 8 years earlier in 1970, the school board voted to merge
three high schools into one, T.C. Williams High School. While racial tensions
mounted between citizens, Williams’ newly integrated football players were more
concerned with securing a starting position. To further complicate matters,
Williams’ white Head Coach was forced to take the assistant coaching position
to make room for the new African-American Head Coach. In a compelling example
of effective vision-casting the two coaches were able to work together and lead
the Titans to victory in the Virginia State Championship Game. While the rest
of the nation struggled for peace, the student body of T.C. Williams overcame
profound differences and set an example for the surrounding community.
The story of Nehemiah is a bit like that. It is easy to
focus on the monumental achievement of Nehemiah and his fellow Israelites. In
52 days they are able to reconstruct the nine-foot thick, forty-foot high, 2.5
mile long wall around Jerusalem. It is a wall that had lain in ruins for over a
century. However, that is the end of the construction story. The beginning of
the story we have already examined. But now we move to the middle of the story.
Nehemiah has traveled 800 miles with his entourage. They have journeyed for
over a month to get there. Last week we looked at the eight clear and necessary
steps he takes (2:11-20) in planting the vision the Lord has given him in the
hearts and minds of his fellow Jews who live in the midst of the rubble of
Jerusalem.
This week we find their total buy-in expressed in a
whirlwind of activity. Chapter 3 gives us all the detail of the tribes getting
to work. Nehemiah is careful to give us all the detail we need to see the historicity
and scope of the project. But then we come to chapter 4. Here the “unholy
trinity” goes to work attempting to tear down what has been done. It’s
halftime! Half the wall is rebuilt. Now it is fighting time! In a message
entitled “Standing in the Arena” we will examine the challenge, the charge, and
the change of chapter 4.
You may wish to consider the following in preparing to get
the most out of Sunday’s message:
1. Read all of chapter 4.
2. Notice the theme sentence in verse 6.
3. What happens to the people’s “mind to work”?
4. Beginning in verse 7 we see the conspiracy of the naysayers.
What three weapons do they use to discourage the builders? Hint: The same three
that are used widely today.
5. How does Nehemiah face these challenges?
6. What solution were the people offering to the 3 challenges?
See verse 12.
7. What change does he make in the second half of the
rebuilding project?
8. How does he come to conceive of such a solution to the
problem?
9. What is Nehemiah’s message to the builders in verse 14?
10. How does this message parallel Jesus’ message in the Upper
Room?
See you Sunday as we gather around His table!
