The Third Step to Making a Difference for God

Introduction: God is searching…
“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:30

… for just one man or woman to “step out” and make a difference!

 Israel was far from God; wickedness and sin was thriving; God, through the prophet Ezekiel wrote “I sought for a man . . . and found none.” God throughout history has a plan that is carried out through ordinary people who assume that great things for God must be done by others; The qualifications are quite simple – He is looking for a man, a woman whose heart is fully His and when He finds a man or a woman whose heart is fully His, regardless of background, race, gender, stature, education of appearance, He will resource them to stand in the gap to build up the wall to make a difference. God is searching with His eye, going to and fro throughout the whole world for one who would forsake it all and step out and say “All I have is yours and I am willing to do what ever you want me to do, to stand in the gap to be your representative.

The Question:

Review - What does it take to make a difference for God? What kind of person?

1. The 1st prerequisite to make a difference is a Dislocated heart.
• Do you care?
2. The 2nd prerequisite to make a difference is a Broken spirit.
• Are you dependent? Do you have God centered prayers that says “God I can’t do this but I am asking you to do what only you can do”
The 3rd Prerequisite:
3. The 3rd prerequisite to make a difference is a Radical Faith
• Will you step out?

Our Model = Nehemiah

Nehemiah 1:11 “O LORD, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer”.

We pick this story up where Nehemiah finishes his God centered prayer. Here is his request, after four months of fasting and praying God has revealed to Nehemiah that it is not an accident that he has this position, this education, this circle of influence and place near the King; God wants Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall. God has given him a plan as he prayed; Nehemiah has gathered a group of people about him “. . . and to the prayer of thy servants. . .” as he prayed. He is about to walk into the Kings presence; he is putting his life on the line! Nehemiah was taking a radical step of faith; he was putting his life on the line; he will come out of his comfort zone and align himself with God’s agenda.

Nehemiah 1:12:1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. 2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,

The greatest things ever done by God’s people are done by people who are absolutely terrified and afraid of what they are about to do. But, they do not look at themselves; they don’t let the fear of finances, the fear of rejection, the fear of their physical life and they do what God shows them to do even though they are afraid.

"3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? 4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. 6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. “

He had a dislocated heart – he cared; this was not a knee-jerk reaction to bad news; he prayed individually, he gathered a group of people to pray with him for four months he had developed a broken spirit. And now he takes a radical step of faith.

Definition:

A radical faith is choosing to “step out” to fulfill God’s clearly defined will at great personal risk and sacrifice.

This is not just some wild thought that you get; this is God’s clearly defined will. He knew that it was God’s will that the wall be rebuilt. We know that it is God’s will that poor people receive love, lost people to get the gospel, we know that the gospel is to go into the whole world, we know that it is God’s will for fathers to love their family, We know that it is God’s will for mothers to take care of their children, we know that it is God’s will that single people to live pure lives and they are to be loved and encouraged. These are all the clearly defined will of God. You know that it is God’s will for His gospel to cross ethnic barriers.

When you look at churches where God is working and moving you will find people that have taken a radical step of faith. And these people oft times do it reluctantly; we get the idea that they are super-stars and they have super faith and they know so much more than we do. Remember Moses when God called him he said send someone else? And then there is Ester who said “not me please”. When God finds people that are willing to fearfully take a step in faith great things happen.

How Do We Develop a Radical Faith? There are four things to remember to develop a radical faith:

1. By remembering what faith is and is not. Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Faith has to do with things you can’t see. Faith is not based on logic or facts. Faith is not emotions.

Faith is nothing more or less than trusting in the character and the promises of God to the point where you act whether you feel like it or not.

Old Testament example is manna.  God provided enough manna for the day,  If more was gathered than was needed it spoiled; on the day before Sabbath gather enough for two days and it did not spoil.  God was teaching them to trust in Him!

New Testament example is Jesus talking about money; He talked about money more than heaven and hell combined. He says that there are only two gods; it’s either God of money and you can’t serve both!

2. By remembering how deeply God values our faith. Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Two things please God first that you know that He exists and secondly that He rewards those who seek Him. God is not impressed with your morality, He is not impressed with your knowledge, nor is He impressed with your success.

The number one agenda that God has for you is that you trust Him.

What would it take to trust Him? What would it take for you to trust God in your marriage, your job (or lack of having one), your relationships, your choice of a mate, your addiction, what would it look like to launch a project or ministry that He is leading you to do?

Where there is no risk there is no faith! The goal is not to be good but to trust Him!

3. By remembering what Jesus taught His followers about a radical faith.

The only time Jesus rebuked his disciples was for their lack of faith. In all four gospels someone asked “what is the work of God? What does it mean to be right with God? What does God really want?” His response in John 6:29 was 'This is the work of God that you believe'; believe what? Believe everything; believe that this book is God’s word, believe what it says about what’s coming and what happened in the past, believe and trust that you are made for eternity, believe that God can meet your needs, believe that God is sovereign, believe that God is good, believe that He is a rewarder, that He loves you, that He is for you.

Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God.(Romans 10:17) You will never be able to have faith in Him unless you are in the Word of God! It is “God I want to get to know you!” You will never be able to trust His character and know His promises unless the Bible is a part of your daily habit!

• Jesus called them to a radical faith.

Luke 9:23-27 “23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? 26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.”

You may say that you do not have enough faith to be the kind of person that makes a difference for God. But Jesus says that you don’t need much faith. He told his disciples that all they needed was faith the size of a mustard seed to say unto that mountain to be cast into the sea and it would be done.

• Jesus clarified the object of their faith. Luke 9:28-45 “ If you can ever see Jesus for who He is, how good, how kind, how powerful, how trustworthy, how loving, how much He wants for you. If you can ever see God for who He is you don’t really need a lot of faith!

Luke 9:28 – 45 “28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. 29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. 30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: 31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. 33 And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. 34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.”

Jesus was showing them who he was! He’s God. He’s all powerful. He will never let you down.

• Jesus warned of the dangers of having a radical faith.  Read Luke 9:46-56

1. Self; Missuse of power.

2 Exclusivity; Misuse of privilege: God will use many to accomplish his work

3 Zeal; misuse of talent: this produces a critical nature, one that criticizes other ministries or churches. It may be one that God does some things and you get carried away by the experience instead of the Lord.

• Jesus outlined the cost of having a radical faith. Read Luke 9:57-62

The first man: And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. Translation: You can’t hang onto stuff; to follow me you will have to travel light. Don’t trust in material substance but trust in Him.

The second man: And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. Translation: You can’t hang on to people; there can’t be any higher relationship other than your relationship with Jesus. It can’t be your spouse, your children, your friends, your sibling, your parents. You can’t say “I’ll do whatever you want within this box.

The third man: Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Translation: You can’t hang on to the past.

4. By remembering you can’t “walk on water if you don’t get out of the boat.

Read Luke 10:1-27 After this in Luke 10, Jesus sends out 70 people out two by two to do what He sends them to do and He gives them power to do it; he tells them to not take an extra bag, don’t take an extra purse – in fact he says to take nothing; why? He wants them to trust Him.

Read Luke 10:17-20

“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”

God through them did miraculous things.

Summary:

What does it take for you to take a radical step of faith? Is it becoming the man in the house spiritually? Is it giving God 20 to 30 minutes every day to get to know Him? Is it launching your personal ministry? Is it giving back to God what is due him? Is it giving up an addiction or un-godly relationship?

Ezekiel 22:30-31 " And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. 31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.

The Second Step to Making a Difference for God

A Broken Spirit:

Did you know that there is something that will block your relationship with God? It is a barrier that will keep God from hearing your prayers, it’s a barrier that will keep God from blessing your life, and it’s a barrier that He wants to remove so that He can bless you. What is this barrier?

Introduction: God is searching...
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9

…for a select group of people.

The Question:

This is a principal throughout scripture that God is looking for a man or a woman whose heart is fully his. God is looking for regular ordinary people that are all His so that He can show Himself strong for them; to give them whatever they need – wisdom, faith, people, staff, finances, whatever they need to do His will, His purpose. Some He has a lot some a little, some not a all. What does it take to make a difference for God? What kind of person does He promise to strongly support?

The Answer:
There are 6 prerequisites The first is that when God looks your heart: Do you have a dislocated heart? Do you really care? Is your heart really beyond self needs and worldly possessions to really care for other people? Our model was Nehemiah.
• A Dislocated heart.

Nehemiah 1:1-4 "1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. 4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,”

When he heard these words he took them to heart. He was just a businessman, someone who had a fulltime job, yet his heart was going out to the needs of his people far away.
• What is a dislocated heart? It is a God-given concern for others that propels us out of our comfort zone. It is a passionate concern for God’s agenda that supersedes our own desires for personal peace and prosperity.
• Two other examples where Jesus and Paul

The second prerequisite is a Broken spirit.
• There are Two Timeless Axioms Concerning God’s Character:
1. There is something that God hates 100% of the time. When he sees it in a man, when he sees it in a woman when he sees it in a child or corporation, when he sees it in the old testament when he sees it in the new testament God moves against it; It’s not like he is unhappy about it, it is not like he is displeased, he’s against it, he comes against it! He brings consequences, He hates it! That one thing is Pride, God hates pride100% of the time. Pride can be strutting yourself rebellion, pride can be self sufficiency – I don’t need God, and doing your own thing as if God doesn’t exist.

“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.” Proverbs 8:13 ;"

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” James 4:6

2. God responds to a Broken Spirit 100% of the time. After David committed adultery with Bathsheba, after he had murdered her husband David repented and the Lord revealed to him these words:

 “16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:16-17 ;

You see, we have this idea that after we have done something terrible that God will never use you; "I did this", or "I did that", "I’ll try to be a better person", "I’ll do better"; "I’ll be kinder to people"; we have this "works" mentality and it doesn’t work! When we are far from God, and you understand that you are spiritualy bankrupt the only way back is through a broken spirit, You must come to the point to say God, I messed up, I blew it, what I did was wrong, would you forgive me? Will you have mercy on me?

"For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15

The Bible is full of great examples. Moses was a murderer, David was an adulterer and a murderer, Paul was a murderer; somehow we get the picture of these men who are the heroes of the faith but these men did horrendous things, they were very evil people at a certain time, they broke the heart of God – and then they repented! They recognized how they had violated a holy God, They didn’t try to cut a deal they just said “Oh God I was wrong, I don’t deserve it but please forgive me.” When they came to that point and sought forgiveness from a humble and contrite heart the floodgates of heaven opened to them! He restored him!
How Do We Develop A Broken Spirit?
You don’t develop a broken spirit by beating yourself up. Here are three parts for the development of a Broken Spirit.
Our Model = Nehemiah
• A broken spirit begins with a restored view of God – not beating yourself up!

“4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, 5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: 6a Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel” Nehemiah 1:4-6a

We tend to focus on the problem, focus on the problem, focus on the problem and then you start to view all life through the lens of the problem and begin to think that life stinks! So, you drink stuff you shouldn’t, take pills that don’t really help, Watch TV all the time, eat too much all in an attempt to push away or hide the problem as if it doesn’t exist.


Either you have very big problems and a small God or a very big God and very small problems in comparison. These are only two options. Nehemiah had God centered prayers! Do you have God centered prayers or do you just whine before the throne? “God what about this, God what about that. “ Sometimes we just worry out loud and call it prayer. We do not consider who it is that you are talking to!


Nehemiah was speaking to the Great I AM, the one who spoke and the galaxies came into existence, he was speaking to the One with all power and all resources, he was speaking to the One who keeps his covenants of loyal love: he had a high view of God! A view of majesty, power, love, wisdom, justice, and holiness.


The words of the Psalm 46:10 and the song “Be still, and know that I am God: . . .” means next to nothing for the majority of today’s Christians. Christianity today has had big external gains (bigger churches, padded pews, conditioned air) but we have, by and large, grown weaker in our walk with the Lord. Over the last fifty or seventy years the type of Christians that the church is producing is progressively less and less like Jesus; less holy, less loving, less faithful Today’s Christian are many times “It’s all about me” Christianity and when hard times come, they get mad at God for not answering their prayers like they wanted – and fall away.


The way to get a “high view” of God is to become a “worshiper”. You must worship God for who he is. That is when you get alone in a room and think about Him; that is where you adore Him, praise Him, honor Him and thank Him; this is where you are not trying to get something done; this is where you do not constantly look at your watch to see what time it is; you think on the beautiful things God has made and you cry out Holy, Holy, Holy is God almighty!


Application: Worship

Isaiah 6:1-6 “1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:”

• A broken spirit leads us to an accurate view of you.

Nehemiah 1:6b-7“6b and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.”

Until you get a “high view” of God it is difficult to get to a place to realize your need of repentance; once you come to understand not only who God is but how you stand in His sight - your need of repentance and confession comes.


Application: Confession

James 4:7-10 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

• A broken spirit results in a renewed commitment to fulfill God’s agenda.

It was after three months of prayer:

Nehemiah 1:8-11: 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. 9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. 11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,”

Application: Intercession

James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.“

Summary Principles for Impact:


1. We must let God work deeply in us before He will work significantly through us!
2. Until we make prayer a priority progress and power will never be a reality
3. Difference Makers are not necessarily those with “a lot to give,” but those who make available all they have.

The First Step to Making a Difference for God

Introduction: God is searching. . . . . .for a select group of people.

2 Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him"

God is seeking a people that He can empower and equip to do amazing things in them and through them, are you one of them? "For the Eyes of the LORD run to and fro . . ." this means that the eyes of God is going up and down the halls of your home, going up and down the street where you live, going up and down the rooms of the place you work or go to school, going up and down the fields and industrial places of this country. He is seeking for a man or woman whose heart is fully His, when he finds one He will equip, give whatever it takes, to allow that person to do His will. Are you that person?

The Context of 2 Chronicles 16:9

• Past “Success” 2 Chronicles 14-15:

• Asa in chapter 14 gets his heart right with God and honors God by removing the idols. God gives him about 10 years of rest; Asa is obedient to God and God continues to bless Asa.
• God brings a test.The Ethiopians brings an army of well over a million soldiers against Asa; Asa’s army was nothing in comparison. Asa goes to God and says that if the battle is to be won God would have to do it.Asa knew who he was and who God was and what each were capable of doing.
• After the victory wrought by God a prophet comes to Asa and says “if you will be for God, He will be for you, but if you turn away from Him he will turn away from you”. Asa leads the nation in repentance and God gives them 25 more years of peace and prosperity.

Great Door of Opportunity

2 Chronicles 16:1-6 “1 In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, 3 There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. 4 And Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease. 6 Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah.”

Asa’s greatest problem was really his greatest opportunity!

• Judah and Israel have been at odds with one another for generations. God was giving Asa an opportunity to deal with the nation Israel and Syria to demonstrate God's authority. One thing that happens with age and prosperity is that you begin trust in yourself more than you trust in God!
• Asa had matued, he has been king for thirty-five years, he was experienced and God had prospered him. Asa learns that Israel was planning an action against Asa and the nation of Judah. Asa, decided to go the king of Syria for help instead of the Lord.
• The king of Syria did the work and Asa was feeling good about the outcome; he had a problem, he had resources to get out of it, he got out of the problem and now everything is okay; but . . .

A Sad Commentary

2 Chronicles 16:7-12 “7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. 10 Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time. 11 And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.”

Asa started well, but finished poorly!

• A lot of people start well but finish poorly. What happens is that as you move along in life you get risk adverse; you start operating on the success of yesterday, you start to put your faith in yourself.
• You end up this nice moral person who has missed out on what God had prepared for your life.

I don’t know about you, but I want to make a difference, I want that holy ambition that God has planned for me; I don’t want to miss it!

The Question: Will we answer God’s call to make a significant impact?

Our great door of opportunity

We have such uncertainty today, (suicide bombers, economy, strife, false religions, etc.) that produces a fertile environment where people are seeking an answer and are willing to talk about Christ and receive Him as never before.

What will it mean for each of us?

• It means that we will have to model it; you cannot pass on what you do not have; you have to walk the talk!
• It will require focus.
• The key to impact is concentration; the key to concentration is elimination. Your have to simplify your life.You cannot do everything. Discover a few things that God wants you to do and do it with all your might.

Our Model: Nehemiah

Nehemiah 1:1-4 "1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire."

Nehemiah had a full time job; he had a life with responsibilities, he lived in a gated community, he had the finest of clothing, he had privilege, he drove the best chariot, just like you and me! He was just a business man! Notice his response to the news:

"4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,”

Nehemiah had developed a dislocated heart!

What is a dislocated heart?

A dislocated heart is a God-given concern for others that propels us out of our comfort zone. It is a passionate concern for God’s agenda that supersedes our own desires for personal peace and prosperity.

What does a dislocated heart look like?
Exhibit A = Jesus

Philippians 2:5-13 “5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

We need to have this same attitude of crossing a culture - whether its age culture, background culture, education culture, job culture, tatoo culture: to reach people who are different than us!You have to cross some barriers to get the message out that God loves them!Jesus was living in heaven in comfort, He was receiving the adoration of the hosts of heaven, Jesus saw the needs of mankind, He left His comfort zone and became a missionary to mankind.

Exhibit B = Paul

Romans 9:1-3 “1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:. . ."

What is a dislocated heart? It is “do you care?"   No, do you really care? Care enough to sorrow, to morn to sacrifice your time, talent and treasure?

How do you develop a dislocated heart?

• Honest evaluation, do you really care; not by your thoughts but by your actions?
• Genuine repentance, a change of mind and resulting change in behaviors.“God please forgive me, I really have not cared for people and their needs. I’m fairly consumed about me
  and my needs and desires. Please change me.
• Careful consideration. This does come with a cost be careful before moving forward.
• Ask God for a dislocated heart.I don’t want to be a fake or phony.

Paul was willing to give it all up if it would draw his Jewish family to the Christ. Asa was a good king at a bad time! The people where into idol worship, they had forgotten the Lord; they were doing evil things; this was the condition of the land when Asa became king. If you study back from Asa you will discover that Judah had kings that were not good. Occasionally there would be one that was ok, but not good.