Difference Makers!
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Difference Makers!
Difference Makers!
Sermon series - ??
Scripture - Nehemiah 2.1-8
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was served him, I carried the wine and gave it to the king. Now, I had never been sad in his presence before. So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This can only be sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my ancestors’ graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves, so that I may rebuild it.” The king said to me (the queen also was sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a date. Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may grant me passage until I arrive in Judah; and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, directing him to give me timber to make beams for the gates of the temple fortress, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the gracious hand of my God was upon me.
Metaphorical point -
What opportunities is God putting in front of you to do?
Sequences
1. When our lives are confronted by areas that require a difference maker......a healthy mindset towards Servant leadership and stewardship is required.
A. Everything we are/have is to be used for Gods glory.
(pause and expound)
B. One scholar suggests that when just one believer is added with the Holy Spirit the result of the equation is "Enough"
- You have no idea of what kind of difference we will truly make when we wrap our minds around this particular understanding.
C. Finding opportunities to make a difference are not hard to find. It’s finding a reason to be the difference and then partnering with the Holy Spirit that becomes necessary......
(pause)
Summary -
In today’s text...
Nehemiah's opportunity to work as a difference maker emerges around 445-444 B.C. 14 years after Ezra has returned to Jerusalem.
1. Enemies were still occupying these regions and were constantly hindering the efforts of the rebuilding process.
(pause and expound)
I wonder if......
........anyone ever experienced it when there is something constantly hindering you?
In Nehemiah’s scenario.....
Whenever the Jews would make progress the enemy would attack, damage, or tear down what was rebuilt.
And I am wondering if anyone can relate to this type of hindering....
Because.......
.......it appears as though every time you make progress
.....it’s like your progress has a magnetic attraction that draws trouble contributers
......and your very next experience is being attacked
......or there is some type of damage, or tearing down...
(pause)
Well according to the text......
The Lord places it on Nehemiah's heart to make a difference in the situation!
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was served him, I carried the wine and gave it to the king. Now, I had never been sad in his presence before.
According to the text.....
2. Nehemiah's countenance shows he is distressed.
A. And what is happening now is Nehemiah’s expression is communicating his experience.
.........and his experience is holding 4 months of bad news
......he is trying to keep it business as usual, but it’s hard to carry weight for a long time.
(pause and expound - optional)
According to the text.......
3. Nehemiah is carrying the wine as Cup-bearer to Arterxerxes
A. His Role - taster, butler, he has trusted conversations with the king
B. His Status - Wealthy/Influential
This should not be surprising
.....because what most of us don’t understand is that Servant hood always pays the most
(pause)
And as Nehemiah is serving, the text says,
.....that he has never been in sad in the King’s presence before
But....
.....because Nehemiah is carrying this bad news for some time I see him in my spiritual imagination....
.....forgetting to hide what he was going through in the King’s presence
(pause)
Look at it now......
So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This can only be sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
The text says.....
4. The King is concerned about Nehemiah
Apparently what Nehemiah is feeling is now being translated on his face as unhappiness.
And the King is worried.....
......because he understands that Nehemiah’s problem is not physical
(pause)
In other words......
......whatever is bothering you is a different type of pain that comes from a deeper place
(pause)
And.....
........the king says you must be carrying something heavy at the heart level!
And in my spiritual imagination I hear him saying basically,
“.....what’s bothering you?”
(pause)
And the bible says Nehemiah is afraid!
.......this is how I know he did not mean for his sadness to be noticed
..........because now that the king has figured out Nehemiah is struggling with something
“.....then he becomes afraid!”
(pause)
And in the Greek that word afraid interprets the sense of being apprehensive about something....
And I could be wrong but what I hear the King saying is.......
“Something is different about you today!”
(pause)
And let me help somebody right here....
......because whenever God is getting ready to make a difference in or around your life...
......the difference maker has to be affected!
(pause)
Because watch this....
........I have never seen a difference maker, make a difference in an area that does not touch them in some kind of a way causing them to be affected.
Look at it now....
I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my ancestors’ graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
5. Nehemiah's first words start out with showing honor
“May the king live forever!”
.......because even when you got a problem that needs changing
.....you never start with the problem
Especially when you are addressing the King.....
........regardless of how bad you are feeling
........you never honor your problems more than your power!
6. Nehemiah's second words reveal his problem.
A. It's been 70 years and Jerusalem's walls still aren't up yet.
And.......
........even though that’s a huge massive problem and weight to have to carry
......Nehemiah knows who he is talking to
And.....
......that’s why he starts with honor, because honoring the King gives him access to tackle his problems...
(pause)
And what I love about his response to the King is how we are starting to see....
...........that God is the one who has inspired this burden
Because......
.........this really aint a Nehemiah problem
........Nehemiah really does not have to care about this problem that’s much bigger than him
But......
......here he is in the King’s palace worrying about Jerusalem!
(pause and expound)
Expound -
And somebody out there knows what it means to be struggling with a God inspired burden.
.....It was not your responsibility
......you didn’t break it
......you didn’t cause it
But........
God laid it on your heart!
And now you can’t shake it
(pause and expound)
Look at it now.....
Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
Now I want you to see something........
7. Opportunities have to go through a certain process
A. Never go after an opportunity without Gods ok on it!
The king said.........
........What do you request?
And the text says that before Nehemiah responds to the King....
.........he prayed to the God of heaven!
(pause and expound - optional)
B. Nehemiah needed this opportunity........but not without Gods approval and support
And here is what I have discovered Freedom family........
If we are going to be truly effective every one of our opportunities has to go through this process.
Because........
Nehemiah is teaching us that once God gives the OK.........
........Our requests become more accurate!
Freedom family,
....You don’t know what to ask for until we have this kind of a God conversation!
(pause)
Look at it now...
Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves, so that I may rebuild it.”
According to the text...
8. Nehemiah is teaching us the prudence of a Difference maker
He says to the king....
“I ask that you send me to Judah”
Now please understand......
He is not simply asking for permission.........
He is requesting that he be ordered or commanded!
Because just as we discussed relationships on Tuesday night and their connection to Order and Obedience.......
If he only goes with permission he does not have any authority
.......so if he runs into chaos he does not have any other word to stand on other than his own.
But if the King commands him.........
...........he goes in the Kings authority
.........and so now he has Order for his journey that brings everything that is attached to the King’s authority.
(pause)
And in this season Freedom,
..........we don’t want permission to make a difference
..........we need God to say,
“Do this in my AUTHORITY!”
(pause)
Look at it now......
The king said to me (the queen also was sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a date.
This is how you know the difference between Permission and Order!
Because now permission does not necessitate this verse 6 and even verse 7.........
Permission just says go and do what you want to do....
But order says.......
How long you gonna be gone?
When are you coming back?
In other words......
Now we need to discuss some details around what’s getting ready to happen.
And so.......
9. The King/Queen want to know Nehemiah’s plan.
Look at it now.......
Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may grant me passage until I arrive in Judah; and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, directing him to give me timber to make beams for the gates of the temple fortress, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the gracious hand of my God was upon me.
10. Nehemiah explains the rest of the plan
He says......
I need letters for the governors
.........so I can travel with assurance that if anyone tries to stop me and ask me what I’m doing out here, I can show them that the King sent me.
I need a letter for building materials
..........so that I can prove that I am connected to provisions necessary for what is required.
And here is what I want you to see.....
As Difference Makers we have to know where to get our needed resources......
Closing point - (Get ready now DJ)
Nehemiah started out sad......
.........because he knew he needed to make a difference but didn’t know how
But because he was willing to serve........
..........God put him in position to be a difference maker
And then God proved to him that.....
God is his source......
(pause)
And I believe.........
......... that right in this moment God is proving an amazing promise to you and I....
(pause)
Because just like Nehemiah........
God is calling us to be “Difference Makers!”
.....the CITY needs REBUILDING
And God is saying,
FREEDOM.....
"I promise you............ My GRACIOUS hand is on you!”
(I’m closing now........CRESCENDO)
Because make no mistake about it.......
..........the one thing I know about my God if I don’t know anything else
(pause)
Is that........
..............God will strengthen us!!
And while I may not look very strong on the OUTSIDE
God is making the difference on the INSIDE of me first!
So just give me a little time...........
.....and just like Nehemiah
(pause)
I may start out looking troubled.......
But my STRENGTH is coming!!!
because God always strengthens “DIFFERENCE MAKERS!”
...................................COMPLETION................................