anyway, although i work for our denomination, i've purposed (at least for now), not to "re-preach" a word that God's given to me previously - i always want it to be a fresh word, not left-overs. disclaimer, keeping with the food metaphor, there are some times that i'll use some "ingredients" from a previous message - i.e., a particular point or story - but never the whole message, rehashed.
so today i thought i'd share the reduced fat version (i.e. to the point!) of what i spoke on:
title:
detours, delays & distractions
big idea:
could it be God trying to get your attention when you encounter these
notes:
- In my job, I travel
- Like to get where I'm going quickly
- Don't like a detour or delay
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What can we learn in the process?
Some of you heard Steven Furtick say last week at Catalyst, "Between the promise and the payoff is the process."
- God uses the detours and delays to help us with our Understanding of the Process
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You discover who you are in the process -
- Neh. 1:11-2:5
- In prayer, Nehemiah discovered his purpose (end of vs.4 & vs. 5)
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Know who I am NOT - I'm not a plumber/car repairman/handyman/hunter/fisher/gardner
Know, Who I am? - Things I love: being a husband, being a great dad, worship, public presentation (teaching, preaching, leading), ideation, privately serving others
- Nehemiah started ended with "I was a cupbearer" --> becomes a leader and rebuilder in vs. 5
Nehemiah was a cupbearer
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not an illustrious career
equivalent to a butler
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It was one that was:
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trusted
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respected
close to the king
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Relationships are key
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Scripture says, "Iron sharpens iron"(Prov. 27:17)
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No "iron" can sharpen itself - it takes another
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Life happens
Life happens in relationship
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Nehemiah had relational expertise on several levels that we can learn from:
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As the King's cupbearer, he basically was a part of the inner circle of leadership - that constitutes: diplomacy, tact, wisdom, trust, awareness and leadership
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As the leader of the people he had to know how to: organize, administrate and encourage the people
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Chapter 4 where they begin to grumble and he basically tells them to "man up" and get the job done
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Criticism is a part of leadership and criticism is a part of relationship: How will you respond?
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I like what Rick Warren says, "When you're small, they'll dismiss you; when you're growing, they'll criticize you; when you're large, they'll resent you"
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You can't win, dismiss the critics and move on with what God has for you - a tough lesson, but one you have to learn.
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In every season of your life, look for fruit
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In the process of life, we go through seasons
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Some of the seasons are great, we know God is near
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Some of the seasons are painful
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What do you do in the painful seasons of you life: you have two choices?
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You own the past - leads to self-engulfment (to flow over and enclose); self-seeking; self-serving - focused on self
You allow God to own the past - He can use it and you to help others, serve others, see others
- Jesus said in Jn 12:24-26 - "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
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Jesus compares our lives to a kernel of wheat that falls to the ground
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That means I must be willing to get stepped on
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Dirty
- Stepped on
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Unnoticed
Obscure
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WHY?
So that the soil of life can fall on me and that I can learn to push through that soil as a seed does so that I can produce fruit
CLOSE:
- Detours...
- Good because you're still headed toward your destination
- Along the way, you learn new things
- Read this recently, Passion is Belief in Motion
- Can still be full of passion in a detour
- Delays...
- When God says, "Pause"
- Most key Biblical people had a season of 'Wait'
- Joseph experienced an extended delay...a season of silence
- Silence does not equal absence - God is still with you
- Distractions...
- Have a saying, "Distractions distract"
- Remove your eyes from the focus
- God is not in distraction
- Nehemiah had them
- 5 times he was asked to "come talk with them" (the critics)
- His response: I'm busy doing what God wants.
- Delays & Detours are often a tool that God uses - Nehemiah waited
1 comment:
process...relationship...sounds like a Rick sermon for sure! =D
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