Making Your Life Count! – Sermon Notes                                                                                   Pastor Brad Myers

Positioned to Make a Difference!                                                                                                         January 19, 2025

 

Two-Week Series: Making Your Life Count! IMPACTFUL!

 

Making your life count is where faith drives your daily actions and decisions to positively affect the lives of others. It’s where you intentionally recognize that God will use your abilities, aligned with a divine opportunity, to have a lasting impact on others.

·      Means: You Matter!!

 

Sometimes God positions us to make a difference in ways we don’t even realize.

·      “Position”: The opportunity

 

God places us within an opportunity not for what we want but what he needs.

·      Our wants vs. God needs

(MULTILINE REVEAL SMALL)

Break down: making our lives count.

 

1.     Live a Faith Filled Life

 

A faith filled life isliving with trust in God’s promises, guided by His Word, and walking in obedience, courage, and hope regardless of circumstances. That faith is the foundation upon which we build our actions and decisions.

 

2. Live with Intentionality:Be deliberate in how you spend your time, energy, and resources ensuring that our actions are aligned with your faith and purpose. This means choosing to invest in activities and relationships that bear fruit for the Kingdom of God.

 

3. Live with Purpose: Living with purpose means having a sense of meaning connected to your faith. It is about understanding that your life is part of a bigger picture and that every action you take can contribute to God’s greater plan.

 

4. Live for the Greater Good: Creating positive change in the lives of others is at the heart of being positioned to make a difference. Whether it is through acts of kindness, sharing our faith, or standing up for what is right, our actions inspire and transform.

 

5. Live with Impact:Living in such a way that your actions, words, and choices leave a meaningful, positive, and lasting mark on others. It’s not just about the big, headline-making moments—it’s about the everyday decisions that reflect your values that bring glory to God.

(MULTILINE REVEAL SMALL)

Today: Positioned to Make a Difference.

·      Difference means IMPACT!

 

Q) Have you ever wondered why you are where you are?

·      Family, job, neighborhood, church, your season of life?

 

God’s placement is never random. He positions His people strategically to make a difference for His Kingdom. He then provides an opportunity to make a difference in others. We determine whether the opportunity is worth embracing.

 

Q:Ever wonder why you get stuck in a situation?

·      Right time, right place, right person!

 

Esther 4:14 (NIV)

·      Ordinary Jewish girl, rose to position as queen of Persia.

·      During great crisis for her people.

·      Courage & obedience: saved an entire nation.

(MULTILINE REVEAL SMALL)

1. God’s position comes with purpose. You’re there for a reason!

·      Mordecai challenges Esther to intervene on behalf of the Jews

·      He reminds her that her position as queen was not by chance.

·      He says, “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

 

Divine Placement Is Strategic

·      Esther’s Position: Esther’s rise to royalty was a direct result of God’s providence. She didn’t seek the role of queen, but God placed her there to fulfill His purposes.

·      Your Position: Whether you’re in a leadership role, a supporting role, or even in what feels like an ordinary place, God has positioned you intentionally. Your job, family, or circle of influence is part of His plan.

 

Joseph recognized this intentional positioning.

 

Genesis 50:20 (NLT)

·      Positioned in Egypt to save his family and others during famine.

 

Q) Why has God placed me where I am?

·      You may not see the full picture yet…

 

God’s placement comes with purpose.

(MULTILINE REVEAL SMALL)

2. God Equips Us for the Task

 

Exodus 4:10-12 (NIV)

·      When God positions you, He also equips you.

·      Like Esther, you might feel inadequate or unprepared for the task at hand.

 

When Moses doubted his ability to speak, God assured him,

 

 

Exodus 4:12 (NIV)

 

God doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called.

 

There’s also Preparation for Positioning

 

Esther 2:12 (NLT)

Before each young woman was taken to the king’s bed, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments—six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments.

·      Esther underwent months of beauty treatments for the king

·      BUT, God was preparing her spiritually and emotionally to face the challenges ahead.

Disciples were also equipped for their positions

 

Luke 12:11-12 (NIV)

·      Jesus told them not to worry about what to say….

 

Review

1.     God’s position comes with purpose,

2.     He equips you for the task

3.     THEN WHAT???

(MULTILINE REVEAL SMALL)

3. God Calls Us to Act Boldly

 

Esther 4:15-16 (NIV)

·      Esther’s response to Mordecai’s challenge is a powerful example of bold faith:

·      Approaching the king without an invitation could result in death.

·      Esther had to choose between comfort and courage—and she chose courage.

Boldness requires stepping out in faith, even when the outcome is uncertain.

 

Other Examples of Bold Faith

·      David: A shepherd boy who boldly faced Goliath in the name of the Lord.

·      Daniel: Refused to stop praying, even when threatened with the lion’s den.

·      Peter and John: Continued to preach the gospel boldly, despite threats from the authorities.

(MULTILINE REVEAL SMALL)

Our Year of IMPACT will take bold faith!

 

What bold step is God calling you to take? It may involve sharing your faith, standing up for what’s right, or offering help to someone in need. Boldness often requires us to step out of our comfort zones and trust God with the results.

 

We will remain where we are until God gets what He needs.

·      IMPACT!

 

Like Esther, you are positioned by God to make a difference. Your placement in your family, workplace, church, or community is not accidental. God has a purpose for you, He is equipping you, and He is calling you to act boldly in faith.