(Nehemiah 1:1-4 and Selected Texts)

This morning we are going to depart from our study of I Thessalonians to focus on the question, "Will you be a Difference Maker?" Inside of every one of us is a desire to make a difference, not just to tread water. Few if any students who are starting back to school tomorrow have said about their life, "I want to be an underachiever. That is my goal and purpose in life. I am not going to try to change the world but just get by and get along and never be noticed." That may be what happens but it isn’t a direction that many rational people take. Instead as a believer we want to feel that the world has become just a little more like God wants it to be because we have been alive. That’s why we are looking at Nehemiah today. He’s a person who chose to be a Difference Maker. The question I want you to answer for yourselves is will you make that same choice?

The inspiration for this message has three sources. One is a message by John Ortberg on Nehemiah (which I adapted for a message earlier this summer on Sunday night), another is a new book by Bill Hybels called "Holy Discontent" and my own reflections on the ideas that are found in our study this morning. Because I like this message so much I want to tell you that you will hear this in a series sometime next year. The five principles found here are just too important to try to focus on in one presentation.

Nehemiah lives in Persia, in the capital Susa, around 450 BC, over a century after the Israelites had been sent into exile because their land had been taken by the Babylonians. The Babylonians had been overtaken by the Persians. That’s where our story takes place. If you look at a map of the area surrounding the Persian Gulf, you can see that Nehemiah was a long, long way from Jerusalem. We learn in Neh. 1:11 that he is serving in the Persian government as the Cup Bearer to the King of Persia. It is his job to taste wine before it is presented to the King not to make sure that the wine is good enough, but to make sure that the wine has not been poisoned. You need to understand that a Cup Bearer is more than a butler. He is someone the King trusts, someone who has a lot of access to the King. So Nehemiah was doing very well for himself. He was well connected to the King and on a successful career path. His life is going pretty well, until one day: "In late autumn of the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes' reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had survived the captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem." (Nehemiah 1:1-2)

Nehemiah learns that Jerusalem is in great trouble. Enemies surround them, the walls are in ruins, and morale is in shambles. The part that really concerns Nehemiah is that God’s whole dream of redeeming the world—of letting everybody on earth know that there really is a God who created each of us and the earth is part of his story—that whole idea seems to be at risk. That idea did not exist anywhere other than in Israel. The people of Israel are the stewards of this idea. So Nehemiah says, "When I heard this, I sat down and wept."(Nehemiah 1:4) What I want to do in walking through this story of Nehemiah is to explore what those things are that characterize the life of somebody who makes a difference—somebody who is a Difference Maker.

The first characteristic of someone whom God uses to make a difference in this world is they have a sense of "Holy Discontent." There is a very personal, very deep response to some area of brokenness in the world. What you need to understand is that when Nehemiah gets the information about the walls of Jerusalem it is not really new news. The difference in time since the walls have been torn down and the time that he hears this is almost a hundred years. It is very likely that Nehemiah had never been to Jerusalem and all he has done is hear about this great city and its’ past. Yet when he hears the story this time it burns a path straight to his soul and ignites a flame that can’t be put out.

Bill Hybels in his book "Holy Discontent" calls this a "Popeye Moment". If you are ten years either side of me, you are probably familiar with the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man. Popeye, you remember, had a girlfriend named Olive Oyl, a friend named Wimpy and a bully as an enemy named Bluto. Now if things started going bad for Olive Oyl or for Popeye or any of his friends, his blood pressure would rise and he would blurt out the words, "That’s all I can stands and I can’t stands no more." He would rip open a can of spinach, down it and his arms would swell and spin like a windmill. He would stop the bully Bluto and end with, "I’m strong to the finish, ‘cause I eats me spinach…I’m Popeye the Sailor Man!" (Holy Discontent, p. 21-22)

Generally, in the heart of a leader, before there is a vision of what ought to be done or a path that should be followed there is an intense passionate frustration over some area where God’s will is not being done on earth. They have a burning sense of outrage: "That’s all I can stand, and I can’t stands no more! I’ve got to do something." In this churches’ past someone had a "holy discontent" that resulted in every ministry we have that serves the community of Jonesboro and Northeast Arkansas. Men and women, ministers and volunteers had a "Popeye Moment" and decided, "That’s all I can stand, and I can’t stands no more! I’ve got to do something." And ministries began that serve the lives of persons with all kinds of need. They chose to be Difference Makers out of a holy discontent. That’s where difference making often begins. It’s with a sense of Holy Discontent.

Can I share with you some places that I feel a need for other areas of Holy Discontent in our church? There is need for a holy discontent for deeper spiritual growth among our church members and not surrender to pull of institutional preservation. There needs to be a holy discontent for our church to recognize the indifference we have about persons who are far from God, particularly those who are just like us-our peers. There is a need for a holy discontent for our church to be passionate about vision for a world without Christ. Those are some places where there is a need for a Popeye Moment and someone says, "That’s all I can stands and I can’t stands no more!"

I realize that those may not be the things that are stirring you and I am not saying that everyone should have those same stirrings. Yet let me ask you "Has that ever struck you?" I would just like you to consider the possibility that if there is some area where something really bothers you, if there’s some area where God kind of gets you by the throat, and there’s a gnawing sense of Holy Discontent, consider the possibility that God is calling you to make a difference there. That’s what happens for Nehemiah. Nehemiah says, "I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven." (Nehemiah 1:4)

That brings us to the second characteristic of someone who is a Difference Maker. The first was Holy Discontent and the second one is Urgent Prayer. If you read through the Book of Nehemiah, most of the first chapter is a fabulous prayer where Nehemiah pours out his heart before God, and he does this mourning and fasting and praying not just for days, but for weeks and for months. "Early the following spring, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes' reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never appeared sad in his presence before this time." (Neh.2:1) Our story began in the late fall and now this is early spring. In other words, Nehemiah spent four months praying before he did anything else. He stops when he gets this news, and for four months, he pours out his heart to God every day. For four months, his fire is burning, but he doesn’t do anything but pray. That’s really where it all starts. Difference making always starts with God and so Nehemiah spends four months just in prayer.

After four months of prayer he goes to the king and asks for everything he would need to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He is essentially asking for materials, protection and permission to accomplish what he believes God is stirring within him. We read in Nehemiah 2:8, "And the king granted these requests because the gracious hand of God was with me." What impresses me about this was that Nehemiah didn’t act on his "holy discontent" until he had spent time on his face before God. He saw that the most important thing he could do before anything else was to pray. Over the last two years God has stirred a holy discontent within several of our church family about the need to pray and pray effectively as a church and individually. They see and I share their convictions that before God will bless us with the growth and effectiveness we desire as a church, we must make prayer, urgent prayer, the cry of our heart. This isn’t about what some other church, ministry or tradition does; it’s about following the biblical model that before you can make a difference you must seek the help of the Difference Maker!

That brings us to the third characteristic of a Difference Maker. First, there’s a sense of Holy Discontent, then a commitment to Urgent Prayer, and then Difference Makers Take Action. Most of us, when we hear about a mess somewhere in the world—when we hear that the walls are down—will say, "That’s too bad. Somebody ought to do something about that." Sometimes I’m tempted to give myself credit because I have a good heart and have empathy about something. But Difference Makers actually do something.

Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem and goes out and looks at the mess that is Jerusalem, and now he’s ready. He pulls the leaders of Jerusalem together and says to them, "You know full well the tragedy of our city. It lies in ruins, and its gates are burned..." (Nehemiah 2:17) This is not new information for anyone. Everyone already knows that Jerusalem is a mess, but they have learned to live with it. They don’t bring it up. They don’t talk about the mess. Nehemiah gathers the leaders together and says, "This is unacceptable." Then he presents the vision: "Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and rid ourselves of this disgrace!" Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, "Good! Let's rebuild the wall!" So they began the good work." (Nehemiah 2:17-18) Just one person who has this fire, one person who is courageous and clear enough to name it, then the people say, OK. Let’s do it…and they began the good work. (Nehemiah 2:18)

There comes a time when you have to decide if you are going to fish or cut bait. Are you going to act? It may seem like a small step or it may be a decision that creates a total life change but somewhere you must choose to act. The excitement is that when you act out of your holy discontent and urgent prayer, you know that whatever you face God is there with you and for you. So where do you need to act? Where do you begin to actually do something? Difference Makers are compelled by their Popeye Moment to move their frustration out of their heart and into their hands and feet.

You and I might think that if something has been so inspired by God that there couldn’t be any opposition. Yet that is not true for Nehemiah. He is met by repeated consistent opposition, but he doesn’t give up instead he persists in the face of opposition. So that leads to another characteristic of a Difference Maker: Persistence. Difference Making requires Persistence. Probably about 80% of leadership is just God-driven, Spirit-empowered "I will put my hand to the plow, and as God helps me, I’ll keep going. I won’t look back." We read in Neh. 2:19-20, "But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. ‘What are you doing, rebelling against the king like this?’ they asked. But I replied, "The God of heaven will help us succeed. We his servants will start rebuilding this wall. But you have no stake or claim in Jerusalem." (Nehemiah 2: 19-20)

Seven times in Nehemiah, we find a formula: Where the work advances, something good happens, and then comes the phrase "when they heard." Some member of the opposition hears and there is more trouble. Every single advance in Nehemiah’s mission is met by opposition, and there’s trouble. Nehemiah’s opponents try to oppose him with personal threats and attacks. When they discover that won’t work, they go after the people and the morale of the people starts to cave in as well. The people start to say, "We can’t do it. We can’t go on." At one point, there are rumors that others are coming to attack them and Nehemiah has to address those rumors.

Yet they all persevere together, and the day comes when they lay the last brick. The wall is complete. They’ve done it. How long do you think this project took—for Nehemiah and the people to rebuild the wall that surrounded the city of Jerusalem? "So on October 2 the wall was finally finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun." (Nehemiah 6:15) Fifty-two days! How many cases have you heard about where a construction project was completed before the deadline and under budget? And it was a government project!

Opposition will always happen. You try to allow God to use you to make a difference and you face opposition from within your soul, in this world, a voice that says, "What you’re doing to make a difference is silly—or impossible—or irrelevant—or not working. Go back to your normal life. Just give it up. Just let it go." It is never hard to find a rationale for following the path of least resistance. There will always be voices pushing you in that direction. Some of you are seeking to make a difference for God, and there’s something that you’re seeking to change through God’s power. Maybe it’s in your life. Maybe it’s a habit. Maybe it’s something in the world around you. Maybe it’s your marriage or your family, and you’ve hit a wall and you’ve hit opposition. Of course you have! It’s a fallen, broken world. It’s a spiritual battle. We can’t overcome all these problems on our own. Our job is to persist: All right, God. I’ll be faithful. I won’t give up.

This leads to the last characteristic in the life of a Difference Maker: Joy. If you read through the book, the description of the people when they gather together, the dream is alive again. It’s cost them a lot. Ezra the teacher gathers the people together and reads from the Law of God and the people listen for six hours! (Neh. 8:1-6) It’s such a powerful and beautiful thing that when they hear the Law and realize how far they have fallen short from it, they weep—a little bit like Nehemiah wept. Their hearts are broken as they look at the walls broken down in their own lives. That’s all I can stand, and I can’t stands no more.

Then Nehemiah makes another difference in their hearts. "Go and celebrate with a feast of choice foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!" (Nehemiah 8:10) A fabulous injunction! There is a time for weeping, and the people would weep and confess their sins before God before the story is finished. There is a time for that. But Nehemiah says that the bottom line is not our brokenness. It is the Good News that God is our God and that He loves us. Even though we’ve fallen so far short, He’s a gracious God.

So do things to bring joy. Go and eat—not just food, but choice food. Go and drink—not just drinks, but sweet drinks. Not Diet Cokes—something like Coke Classic. Something that will bring you joy. And give some to people who have nothing, because this is about God’s community. It’s not the "sorrow of the Lord"—not the "judgment of our Lord." Although those are real and very important, they are not our strength. The joy of the Lord is our strength." That’s what makes us want to come back to Him over and over and over again.

In 1950 a young woman named Agnes was teaching geography in the city of Calcutta, India. Each morning, to get to her school, she had to pass by people who were living in the streets of her city in the most deplorable conditions a human can exist. Ultimately, the horror before her eyes connected with a nerve in her soul and she said, "That’s all I can stand and I can’t stands no more." After listening to God about what to do, she quit her teaching job, gathered a few friends and began to rescue the worst of the worst. Agnes, the school teacher, soon became known as Mother Teresa and in time launched the Missionaries of Charity that today, over four thousand strong, serve the most destitute in Calcutta. One woman, one Popeye Moment and a burning Holy Discontent and a Difference Maker began making a difference.

Are all of us to be as well known in being a Difference Maker as Mother Teresa? No, but the difference we make is not any less significant. This past Tuesday our Men’s Group joined the effort of our Women’s Ministry in prayerwalking one of our area schools. We were walking around West School on Washington Avenue about 6:45 a.m. As I walked, I met one of our church members who was out walking for exercise. They live a couple of streets away on Huntington. I noticed as we walked toward each other that she had in her hand a plastic grocery bag. She would walk, stop, pick up something and put it in her bag.

When we met on the sidewalk I asked what she was doing. She said, "Oh, I go for a walk every day and when I walk I pick up trash. I’ve been doing it for years." I thought later that the trash will be back the next day but so will she, making a quiet difference in her world. Today God is calling you to be a Difference Maker. Your "Holy Discontent" may be something greater than your imagination or a quiet decision you make every day. The choice is yours. "Will you be a Difference Maker?"

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Dr. Bruce Tippit, Pastor

First Baptist Church

Jonesboro, Arkansas

btippit@fbcjonesboro.org