What Difference Can I Make? | Carter Conlon

I want to just say I just so thoroughly enjoyed our volunteers appreciation time yesterday with all my heart there are 1200 people in this church congregation that volunteer to serve God in various capacities and up to 61 different ministries and it was just such a pleasurable time together I heard some incredible stories of God's redemptive and keeping power I want to just tell you two of them before I begin to speak this morning there was young lady I'm assuming late teens maybe 20 years old came up and said can I have a picture which of course has standard fare for these banquets because that's what we do and I said sure so she kind of tucked in under under my arm on the right side and took a picture and then scrolled on your phone and showed me about 20 years ago I was holding her the same way as it baby dedicating her in the pulpit and I said to pastor Tracy this morning that really makes everything worthwhile that that just says it all I don't know what else there is to say you know that you are believing God for your children and for the children of this church and to see them walking with God and serving the Lord 20 years later I thank God for that with all my heart thank you Lord Jesus [Applause] then I was speaking with another young lady on middle 20s I assume and she said she was contemplating suicide as a manufacturer was going to commit suicide when she was a bit younger and she had already gotten the pills and she had already gotten the pad out to leave her suicide note and she started writing the note and she started it dear God and it struck her as odd why did I say that why not dear mom dear dad or if what's God got to do with any of this and not really a believer not really having grown up with the knowledge of God and it started her on a quest and today of course she's a beautiful believer and she's got a Bible study in the community that's being literally flooded with young people coming in and and that's just two of the stories of the victories of God of the incredible victory that's available to people to everybody in this generation and the title of my message this morning is what difference can I make and I know that's a question in many people's hearts online and our a nexus and various campus churches what difference could I make my life nehemiah please if you go to the book of Nehemiah chapter one because I want you to follow along with me in this text today and if you don't have a Bible don't worry about that I'll make it simple so that it can be easily understood so father I thank you God with all my heart for this day I thank you Lord for the hope that we have in Jesus Christ I thank you God for the future that we have in Christ's I thank you Lord that your Kingdom is a supernatural Kingdom it's not a natural Kingdom and god you are able to do exceedingly above all that we even ask or think today Lord you have a plan that is bigger than our thinking and I'm asking for the grease for every person here today to be able to receive that to be able to contemplate that maybe maybe just maybe my life can make a bigger difference than I have believed it could and so Lord lift us out of the realm of small thinking today and bring us into that place where you are give me Lord the ability to speak this in a way that people can hear it and father I thank you for it with all of my heart God let your kingdom come it's time Lord for you to work in Jesus name Amen now before we go into Nehemiah let me just quote to you from Psalm 11 King David wrote these words he said in the Lord I put my trust I trust in God and I hope today that that trust is so deeply embedded in every one of you that it's not your life is no longer governed by by the circumstances or situations or the news or anything else going on that there's an overriding trust in God that tells your heart that God is in control of not only everything in this world but he's in control of my life and if I will yield to him he can do through me whatever he wants to do and I refuse to limit God I refuse to say God can only go this far and no farther in and through my life I'm not going to live there I'm not going to live in mediocrity because I believe that God can take each one here and make a profound difference can you imagine if everybody here today there's I don't know how many thousands are here all together but I imagine if everybody here today were to start a Bible study like this one young lady she just simply prayed God what do you want me to do and it was really simple start a Bible study in your community and suddenly young people are coming in from everywhere wanting to hear the Word of God she just simply heard from God and she obeyed God in the Lord I put my trust how can you say to my soul flee as a bird to the mountain in other words David was saying there's this contrary argument that's coming against me telling me run hide escape preserve yourself how can you say that to me David says when God is my trust not circumstance not situation I'm not governed by any of those things I'm governed by the presence of God in my life and what he tells me to do that's what I will do he says for look the wicked bend their bow they make ready their arrow on the string that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart David saying I'm living in a time war where it seems to be fair game on the righteous fair game against anybody who wants to live a godly lifestyle for a game on anyone who believes in the value of life the sanctity of life or the god-appointed reasons for family and marriage if the foundations are destroyed verse 3 he says what can the righteous do if if I'm looking around me and I'm seeing everything crumble everything that I held dear everything that we believed was the reason why God ever blessed us in the first place and suddenly there's a collective social thought coming against everything that I held to be true and virtuous and right and honest and good and godly and I'm watching it literally I'm watching the foundation of my society literally crumbled before my eyes and there's this inner thought that says flee to the mountain escape preserve yourself hide until this calamity be over past but David says no there's an inherent trust in my heart that God has a plan bigger than my circumstance and thank God that David kept going you know that the end of the story became the mightiest King perhaps in all the history of Israel a man blessed of God a man supernaturally empowered of God but there was a point in his life just as there is in yours where there was that internal voice telling him flee save yourself preserve yourself it's a lost cause it's all coming down the destruction around you you can't rebuild it and this is what happened in this book called Nehemiah where there was just a young man who was a servant that's all he was he had no real pedigree he was living in the nation that had taken his own people captive the history of Israel was such that God had given the people of God of that time a promise he said I'm gonna bless you you're gonna be a blessing and the earth and through you all the nations in the world are going to be blessed by being given the knowledge of who God is it was it was God's determination to lift up a people group who believed in him and make them such a praise in the earth that it would actually draw people to the knowledge or in a desire of saying I want to know who this God is that blesses people in such a way and gives them such ability you remember the Queen of Sheba coming into Solomon's Temple she she had palaces she had servants but she saw something that's so outside of what humanity can produce that it took her breath away I can just hear her words I've never seen anything like this the way everybody moves even the way your cup bearers move the servants the way everybody moves or such a divine order she'd never in her kingdom and with all her power and wealth been able to see anything like that and this was God's intention for his people in the earth to draw society as it is to himself but the people of God of those years began to take it casually they were they got bored with the presence of God it's sad because but it happens in generations they knew the great victory they they knew divine order but somehow they they got casual with it and it suddenly had to slip through their fingers and there were warnings in the scripture that if you allow this to happen not only from within yourself well enemies rise up but from without enemies will come in and you will find yourself surrounded you will find your foundation scattered but they didn't take the warning seriously and so the Babylonian Empire came in and conquered the testimony of God took God's people in three stages in the captivity in Babylon now God gave the Prophet Jeremiah a word that after seventy years of this chastisement as it was for how you so lightly handled the things of God you will be given an opportunity to come back and rebuild and so in three stages the return began about about 70 years after the the first group of people were taken into captivity another king arose another Empire arose the medo-persian empire and the king of that time Cyrus allowed the people to start going back home so in three stages they started to return back to rebuild the testimony of God just like today I'm sure in addition to you and I there are people all over the nation trying to rebuild as best as we can the testimony of God in a society that seems to be crumbling all around us the first group went back and rebuild the temple and rebuilt the altar and and and tried in a sense to do their best to bring the testimony of the temple and God's presence back to the former glory that it once knew later on a second group under a priest called Ezra went back home and they tried to reinstitute the the law the the Word of God the order of God the separation that God requires of his people so that his glory can be made known and so Nehemiah was a cup bearer to the king the foreign King that still was represented the captivity at that time was aware of the history was aware of these groups of people in the thousands actually that returned to rebuild the testimony of God and it starts in verse one of Nehemiah chapter one it says the words of Nehemiah the son of Hilkiah how can I a rather it came to pass in the month of Kislev in the twentieth year as I was in xuxa and the Citadel now let's just set the scene Nehemiah is in the place that once took the people of God captive he's not the testimony that his life should be on the earth but he's making the best of it and in that place of captivity he's kind of worked his way into the palace and he's he's got a good job and he's delivering the he's the cup bearer to the king which by the way was a high-risk occupation you know a lot of people poisoned their kings back then and the cup bearer got to taste all the food first and he got to drink take the first sip out of every cup and of course there would be a moment of pause and then if he died then the next cup bearer would be brought in and that's how they protected the king from being poisoned so I was it was cushy in one sense but it was high-risk in another but nevertheless he worked his way there and and I am sure because I know the story that the King had taken notice of this man because he was diligent in his service he was honorable he was a good man no doubt about that and as he's serving the king and making the Besson's and that speaks of many people today in God's kingdom not really free not really the full testimony that our lives could be living in a society that seems to have surrounded us and is telling us that are we're haters and bigots in our value system is worthless living in a society that's debating killing children outside the womb living in a society that has redefined marriage and is redefining family and as we're watching the foundations crumble all around us and we're doing the best we can with what we have and that thought is in our hearts what difference could my life make me just little me you know me who goes to work every day and I do what I do and I've found a good job and and I'm trying to make the best of it I'm trying to raise a family and I'm trying to be honorable and in what I do and I don't even live where the testimony of God is supposed to be established in the earth matter of fact there's no evidence in him I had ever been there he just knew it he was new he was part of the people you know many people here today and listening online you've never walked in the the supernatural power of God but you know that others have and you know you are part of that family and part of that heritage and so one day some people come to visit the palace and I guess he's got his tray and he's he's serving the King like he normally the odds may be some some lunch and it's an a-cup he says that had and I one of my brethren verse 2 came with men from Judah and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and who had survived the captivity and concerning Jerusalem in other words he just said how's it going how's it going with with the people's attempt to rebuild the testimony of God how's it going in the nation what are the churches like in California what's happening in Colorado what's going in Pennsylvania how is it going are they successful they were released and allowed to go home and to rebuild and how's the rebuild coming is the former glory there the glory that we read about where the presence of God would come to powerful II in the temple that nobody can stand to Minister has that come back is the glory there again and they said to me the survivors who are left from the captivity in the province that in other words the people who were let go back and the people who were already there because the poorest of the land that were left there after the captivity are in great distress and reproach and the wall of Jerusalem is also broken down and its gates are burned with fire the people who are trying to build they're doing their best they've done their best it's been a long time but they're in distress there's a sense of hopelessness in the heart they've tried as hard as they know but it's fallen so far short of the glory of God and their enemies are approaching them saying all where is your God you tell us how powerful you God is you you tell us about the one who parted the Red Sea and brought his people out of captivity where is your God and not only are they in distress but they're in reproach the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and the gates are burned with fire in other words the gates were the places were the plans even battle plans for the day were made in other words there's there's no strategy we were we don't have a word we don't have strength we don't have the leadership that we need and the wall that symbolizes both protection and the demarcation of of who are the people of God and who are not this it's broken down anybody can come in and go out and declare themselves to be part of this thing and we have no way of knowing we have no way because there's a separation required of the people of God that are going to be used of God and they're going to glorify God in that wall of separation is gone and just anybody comes and goes don't you find it's that way even in the church today the wall of separation seems to down and anybody can declare themselves to be a Christian whether they're living for God or not and so it was he says when I heard these words that I sat down and wept and it's that moment that comes into your heart and mine where suddenly the burden of God comes that's that's not just a compassionate man because he had not been there as far as I understand this is the burden of God there's moments in your life and in my life where the burden of God comes into our heart something God begins to speak to us we're not sure what it is but he's speaking it to us I was pastoring in Canada and about 1994 at the beginning of the year and one day I felt the presence of the Lord just very very powerfully come on me and there's no other way if you haven't experienced that then I can't adequately describe it to you other than all your senses are suddenly heightened and you're aware of the presence of God in the room I told my secretary I said shut everything down no phone calls don't interrupt me I'm going to be spending a little bit of time alone with the Lord and so I went in to my office and the Lord said to me keep reading where you're reading right now and I was in the book of Chronicles the Old Testament and he says read this so I opened it and I began to read and and it talked about where David the king gave Solomon his son the pattern of the temple the pattern of the mercy-seat the pattern of the inner courts and the outer courts and and Solomon was commissioned to finish a temple that King David had started and the Lord spoke to my heart said I'm sending you somewhere I'm sending you somewhere you've not considered I'm sending you to finish your work that another man has begun and he's going to give you the pattern of the temple he's going to show you the pattern of God's mercy it's going to show you the pattern of God's provision and everything of the Lord's going to be given to you it was such a moment it's one of those divine moments where as Nehemiah says I I heard these words i sat down and wept i sat down in astonishment I went to my associate pastor I was so sure it heard from God I said I want you to prepare to take over the church I'm going to believe he said to me where you're going I said I have no idea what I'm going but I know that God has spoken to my heart today it was only a few months later that David Wilkerson called and asked at me if I would be willing to come to New York City to help him when I heard these words i sat down and wept and mourned for many days and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven in other words this had to be the cry of this man's heart God what can be done about this it's it's not right that your name should not be glorified in the earth would you agree with me on that this it isn't right that the name of Jesus Christ should be lightly esteemed in this or any other generation it isn't right that people should mock the people of God or the presence of God or the power of God it isn't right that people should die in their sin and not know who Christ is and why he came it simply isn't right and there's a version comes in to the heart and it sets us to self-denial it sets us to fasting and praying and seeking and saying God what difference can my life make and the first thing he of Maya does is he goes back to the Word of God he goes into the Word of God and he discovers the promises of God verse 5 he said and I said I pray Lord God of heaven o great and awesome God you keep you who keep your covenant and mercy with those who love you and observe your commandment so the first thing in my says is I know who you are I know your merciful I know your faithful I know you can't fail I know you don't lie I know that what you say you will do you will do I know that when you speak no prison door can stay closed no I can stay blind no heart can stay wounded I know when you're speaking to poverty poverty is eradicated and the blessing of God comes upon a people and strength is given where there was only weakness I know who you are you keep covenant and mercy to those who love you and whom do the best they can to read your promises and to walk in them please he says in verse six let your ear be attentive and your eyes open that you may hear the prayer of your servant which I pray before you now day and night for the children of Israel your servants and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against you both my father's house and I have sinned you see he had been reading and he had most likely read the places where God appeared to Solomon and said my eyes are open and my ears are now listening for the prayers that you will pray in this place he would have known this incredible mercy of God that had come down in the temple at a previous season but he says Oh God we've all sinned against you God can't use somebody who's trying to blame others for the situation now put it that way know if the testimony of the Lord has not known the way it should be known in this generation it's my fault as well as it's yours there's more that we could have done more that our Father should have done and there's more that will be done if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves not walk in arrogancy not walk in pride recognize that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities in high places we've acted very corruptly verse seven against you we've not kept the commandments and the statutes nor the ordinances which you commanded your servant moses in other words we got into captivity because it was our fault not yours Lord you warned us and we didn't listen remember he says verse eight I pray the word that you the word that you commanded your servant Moses saying if you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the nations God remember imagine requesting that God remember how can he forget he's God he's omniscient the only thing I know in the Bible that he's ever forgotten is when you come to him through Jesus Christ he said your sins and iniquities I will remember no more the only thing he forgets you know I love it because one day when you get to heaven and if you feel like you feel you've trusted in Christ for your salvation you feel like a failure you stand before Almighty God and you say I'm so sorry because I was this and I was this and I was this and I failed here in a field there and the Lord got to look at you and say well I'll have to take your word for it because they don't seem to remember any of it if you are faithful I'll scatter you among the nations in other words God this is part of your promise you promised the people of those generations before me that if they were unfaithful they would be scattered and so being true to your promise we were scattered among the nations but verse 9 if you return to me and keep my Commandments and do them though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens yet I will gather them from there and bring them to the place which I've chosen as a dwelling for my name no matter how you said God no matter how far you are away from me even if it seems like you couldn't be cast any farther off into the heavens than where you are yet in that place where you are if you turn and begin to pray if the people pray I will gather them from there and I will bring them to the place that I've chosen as a dwelling for my name for you and I today it's God says no matter where you are no matter what you're struggling with no matter how deep your bondage might be or how far you might feel away from God if you turn to me I will bring I God says we'll bring you back it will be supernatural to the place that I have destined you to be in I will make you the person that I have determined that you should be your life as Solomon's Temple once did will be radiant with the glory of God the leading of God the voice of God now he says in verse 10 these are your servants and your people whom you've redeemed with your great power and by your strong hand O Lord I pray please let your ear be attentive to the prayer your servant and to the prayer of your servants who desire to fear your name and let your servant prosper this day I pray and granted mercy in the sight of this man for I was the king's cup bearer you see it finishes chapter one with this thought I perceive that I'm in a place to make a difference now I live in the foreign place I'm not personally responsible for all the mess that's been created I didn't do it all personally but I'm I'm part of the testimony that should be today but I perceive I perceive that God has put me in a place to make a difference you see God has put you in a place to make a difference in somebody's life God has put you in a place to make a difference in your community in your workplace some of you God has put in a place to make a difference in your town your city or your nation you don't know unless you ask he could have stayed a cup bare his whole life instead God opened a way for him to petition the king of that time and the King's heart was moved towards him because God's hand was on him and the King promised him permission he gave him permission to go and rebuild the wall he gave him protection as a matter of fact it says when when he arrived in Jerusalem he had captains and kings and are in dunt captains rather he had captains army people and horsemen with him he sent him with an entourage and he gave him all the provision he needed to build everything he was called to build you see when you when you get up to do the work of God that he's ordained your life to be he will give you everything you need to do it he was not an architect he was a cup bearer do you understand a taste tester and he's sent to rebuild a wall he doesn't know anything about rebuilding a wall but God's burden comes on him and after he rebuilds a wall it becomes the governor of Jerusalem for one period of 12 years he's the governor he's actually not just rebuild the wall he's leading the whole place and it all started with a report and a burden and I want to suggest to you this morning if if you're hearing the report of what's happening to our nation today and you have a burden the next step is to start praying and fasting the next step is to say god yes we're in a mess because as a nation and as a church age we've dealt casually and very lightly with truth and because of it we've been invaded from within and from without but Lord you promised you told me that whatever I asked for believing I would receive you said that if I had faith just like a mustard seed I could speak to a mountain and commanded to be cast into the sea you told me that I've been given power over demonic forces and that my life can be used of you to push back this flood of Hell you promised in the Word of God that even when the enemy comes in like a flood the Spirit of God will raise up a counterforce - it might put it that way a standard a counterforce and so God Here I am I am the temple that you dwell in now bring me now to the place where my life is supposed to be bring me God - that what you have for me young lady I spoke to you last night who was on the edge of suicide and started to write a note dear God found out who God is found out she could have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ opened her heart received Christ as Savior then began to pray and God said start a Bible study in your community now her Bible study is starting to overflow with young people starting to want to come in to hear the word of God that's what God can do he can take a life that's on the edge of death and make it an ambassador of his life is forgiveness is mercy that's who God is that's what God does and some of us will be in puppets and some of us will be on the airwaves and others will be in our communities doing what God calls us to do another lady I met last night just said I prayed God what would you have me to do and a few doors down on a police officer had been hurt on duty so she took a copy of the cross and the Switchblade the book that a founding pastor of this church wrote and she wrote a note in it and just left it on his doorstep she met him on the street about four months later and he looked at her so you're the lady left the book on my doorstep aren't you and she said yes he said well I want you to know because of you I'm now going to church praise God for that Oh Lord what would you have me to do what would you have me to do do you understand this morning we are in a divine moment in history we're in a fine moment in history as the Church of Jesus Christ we have an opportunity to make an incredible difference in our society today if we have the courage if we have the courage to pray and say God what would you have me to do would you open the door before me would you give me favor would you help me to make a difference somehow somewhere there's walls that are broken down in somebody's life in somebody's mind in somebody's home in somebody's community and God you can use me to make a difference I believe that with all of my heart I'm not content to just everyday being in the court just serving a cup to the king if you have called me as the ultimate King to do something more than this it involves the willingness to be open to what God has for your life and to follow him without fear and watch what God will do watch what God will do my prayer for this nation now is Oh God give us so many people coming back to you again that we can't count them nobody can count them let it be in the multiples of millions of people that turn to you in this generation let there be a spiritual awakening in New York City in our generation that will stun the world this last place on earth that ever anybody ever thinks God would ever visit let us be the new Nineveh of our generation let there be a turning here that is inexplicable apart from the mercy of God and let it come because of the prayers the witness the testimony of God's people for revival starts in the house of God first among God's people [Applause] why was the king's cup Bearer here's the point I believe that I'm in a place to make a difference I just don't quite know what the difference is yet but I believe I'm in a place to make a difference if that's your heart this morning at home online anywhere around the world that are listening today in the main sanctuary and all our campus churches I'm gonna ask you to get up and come forward we're gonna pray together so lord I don't necessarily I don't necessarily know what I'm called to do but I'm called to do more than I'm doing and if you can use me now keep in mind that God gave this men architectural and leadership skills that he didn't have he was just being diligent in what he was doing but he had an open and an honest heart and when you do that you find out the kingdom of God is a supernatural Kingdom I sometimes feel that that's the only reason I was sent here to New York is to tell you that it's a supernatural Kingdom God's kingdom and you'd be amazed when you yield to him what he'll do through your life the gift should give you the places he'll take you the healing that will come into your heart the testimony that will be left behind when you're gone their beat you all have walked through places of weeping and the scripture says and your love made it a beautiful place a place of living water let that be your cry let it be mine God I believe I'm in a place to make a difference I don't know how and they don't need to know where that's all up to you but you will make a way that the testimony of your name and your glory will be rebuilt through my life thank you God this is my prayer for you this is my heart's cry for you those that have responded today physically and those that have responded in their hearts as well that when you get to the end of your journey you're gonna just these words will be in your heart wow that was amazing you know that it won't be there won't be just I wish I had done this I wish I had done that when you get to the end and you find out what's really of any value you know you got the career you got this you got that but when you get to the end what's it all worth anyway then you won't get there hoping that you have done something but you'll make the choice to do it now and you'll say because I know I'm gonna say it when I get to the end says wow that was amazing what a journey that was and that's my cry for you that as a church and as a church age we have to be lifted out of the natural now and into the supernatural because that's where we were born that is our heritage now the foundation of that might be in ruins but if we turn to God with all our heart no matter where we are he says he'll bring us back again bring us back to that place where he said he would dwell and we are the dwelling place of God now the temple of the Holy Spirit is who you are and so God will bring us back and we won't finish a natural church because the natural shirts can't fight this this hour we're living it now only the presence of God only the Holy Spirit inside surrendered vessels can can win this fight now but I am so encouraged because that's who you are that's who we are as a people you'd be astounded what God will do if you sounded what God will do when you let him do it and when it's his plan not yours don't form a plan and ask God to stamp it it doesn't work that way no you find his plan and all through the Scriptures he's always taking people that aren't qualified to do what he calls them to do you notice that if he's looking for a great prophet he looks for a barren woman first looks for somebody that can't produce a child in their own strength looks for people that are too old to do anything for his kingdom it says okay I found exactly what I need so that you will know that what I'm about to do is all of me and not of you and so father I pray God for the men and women who have gathered here today and are gathering online from anywhere in the world today I'm just pray God bring us back Lord bring us back all of us Lord to where we need to be bring us out of captivity bring us out of mediocrity bring us out of casually dealing with the holy things of your kingdom God even casually dealing with the call that you placed on our lives Lord bring us out of that and bring us into that place of surrender help us to pray and fast again help us Lord to seek you with all of our heart for you said through one of your prophets you will find me you'll search for me and you'll find me when you search for me with all of your heart so I pray Lord for a wholehearted search to come into every life that's here today and God that you would lift us up and use us Lord days there's enough salt in this room alone to salt the whole city of New York god I I'm amazed at what could be done in here Lord we ask you to take charge take control Lord governor's guide us lead us now into the future raise your church Lord here and all over the city and all over this country Lord raise your church again breathe upon the bones that around your altars everywhere God people have lost their strength they've lost hope even God breathed on these bones and bring you a church back to life again Lord we thank you God with all of our heart I pray for a fresh baptism of your Holy Spirit God on every life that you would meet us Lord as we seek you in our homes and our living rooms in the subway on our streets and our bedrooms wherever it is God wherever we're seeking you that you meet every young person every older person God here meet us with your power and your purpose Lord for our futures and Lord we know that whatever you call us to do your provision will be there we thank you God with all of our heart this day give you all the praise for hearing our cry it's a sincere one I believe today and God I thank you for it with everything in me I say thank you Lord in Jesus name in Jesus name hallelujah

Channel: Times Square Church

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Length: 39min 23sec (2363 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 05 2019