Summary: If we are going to make a difference in the world, we need to be noble people. I want to thank Rick Rusaw for the outline help on this message.

INTRODUCTION

 SLIDE #1

 Today is Father’s Day. I hope all you men got some nice presents. I think Mother’s Day comes first so that we get something nice for our wives so they get something nice for us. 

 Men, we all want to do something significant with our lives. We want to make an impact on the world. We want to have our lives count for something.

 The way we usually try to fulfill this is by throwing ourselves into our work or other things that we think will bring us recognition.

 Do you want to do something significant in your life?

 Do you want to be remembered for something significant that you did with your life?

 Do you want to make a difference in the world?

 Father’s have a unique opportunity to do something significant with their lives.

 We have the opportunity to influence the lives of our sons and daughters.

 To do this, we must be men who our children and grandchildren can look up to. We must be men who our wives can look up to. How can we make a difference? Listen to Isaiah 32:8 with me.

 SLIDE #2

 ISAIAH 32:8 says, “But the noble man devises noble plans; And by noble plans he stands.”

 “But the noble man makes noble plans. And by noble deeds he stands.” (NIV)

 This seemingly insignificant, small but wonderful verse tells us a lot about the kind of person that can make a difference in the world around him.

 If we want to make a real difference in the world, we must be noble men.

 SLIDE #3

SERMON

If you want to make a difference…

I. BE A NOBLE PERSON.

 What does it mean to be a noble person? Well it’s not nobility as we would think of kings and queens or princes. The dictionary definition for noble is stated as:

 Exalted in character or quality; excellence, worthy, high-minded, characterized by virtue.

 A noble person would be a person who is a cut above in character and person.

 In our time it does not seem that people of high character or virtue are lifted up. An example of this is wrestling.

 When I was a kid, the “bad guys” were booed and not very well liked; now the bad guys are the ones that the fans cheer wildly for. I heard an interview with a wrestler on A& E where he was lamenting the fact that this was happening.

 Another area is in our politics. We have such low expectations of our leaders so long as they deliver the money to our pockets.

 They can lie, cheat, steal or sell out the country as long as they show us the money! What kind of message does that send to our children?

 What kind of message would a father send who has no virtue and would do anything to get what they want? What does that tell his children?

 A few months ago at the Boy Scout meeting at the church, I had a person back into my car. Someone from our church tried to wave him down but he kept going. What a great example this person was to his son.

 People have not changed much over time. During the time of Isaiah, he was saying that the same thing was happening. People of virtue were scoffed at. But he said things were about to change.

 SLIDE #4

 Isaiah 32:5 - 8 (GWT) 5Godless fools will no longer be called nobles, nor will scoundrels be considered gentlemen. 6Godless fools speak foolishness, and their minds plan evil in order to do ungodly things. They speak falsely about the LORD. They let people go hungry and withhold water from thirsty people. 7The tricks of scoundrels are evil. They devise wicked plans in order to ruin poor people with lies, even when needy people plead for justice. 8But honorable people act honorably and stand firm for what is honorable.

 How would we describe a noble person from this passage? The scripture doesn’t really describe the noble person, rather it describes the fool. And we can contrast the rouge or the fool with the noble person.

 The scripture describes the fool as one who is quick to do evil, who practices ungodliness, who seeks that out in his life. Someone, who doesn’t know God, someone who steers clear from him. In fact, speaks error against the Lord, who withholds from those who have needs. Maybe it’s food or water or some other resource. The fool appears to be a fairly self-centered person, looking out only for his own interests. And so we can contrast the noble man with the fool.

 SLIDE #5

 This reminds me of Romans 1:32, and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

 The noble man would be one who knows God and seeks to know his grace. A noble man practices truth, seeks to speak the truth, helps others, and utilizes their resources to the benefit of others. A noble man isn’t only looking out for their own agenda, but looking out for what might be in the best interest of other people.

 The only way I can really know God is to spend some time in His word. The only way I can know His truth is to see what He has to say for me. The only way I can really know him is to get connected to some other people that will help me grow in my relationship to Him.

 My challenge for all of us is for us to work on our relationship with God. We do not want to go about it in some kind of hollow way, but we need to really work at growing in grace, becoming the kind of person that God wants us to be and to know Him better.

 The fool is quick to speak evil, to speak untruth. Therefore the noble person must be one who grows in his relationship to the Lord, who is sincere and authentic, who knows the truth.

 SLIDE #6

 Jesus said in John 8:31-32, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. "

 Do we really know His truth? Do we know His grace? If we’re going to be people who make a difference in the world, then we need to be growing in grace, growing in our relationship to God. If I want to be a noble person, if I want to make a difference in the world, I grow in my relationship to God.

 SLIDE #7

If you want to make a difference…

II. MAKE NOBLE PLANS.

• If I want to make a difference in the world, then I need to make noble plans. The scripture says a noble man makes noble plans. I need to be dreaming big dreams. Dreams big enough to really live for.

• We live in a time of great needs in our world. Lots of people looking for something to anchor onto. They are looking for truth, looking to get connected to some other people in our society of isolation.

• Why do you think that so many people are driven to false religions and teachings? People are looking for God!

• Our children need to see that we as fathers are looking to God.

• We’re looking for a way to really grow and connect and have something to hang onto when life seems to be changing so rapidly for us.

• I believe it’s a great opportunity for those of you who have a relationship to Christ to help others to get connected to something that can mean something in their lives; to hang on to that which gives hope, to give them some kind of substance to hold onto.

• It is been said that when you are in the big city, do not act lost, if you are lost, walk around like you are not and then slip into a store and ask for help. The world is doing this, they are acting like they know the way, when in reality, they are lost.

 If you have been to the zoo, have you seen the signs that tell you not to feed the animals? In the movie Forrest Gump Tom Hanks who played Forrest Gump said that we should take some food to feed the animals because they were not the ones who put up the signs.

• How many times have we been told not to share our faith with people because people do not want to hear it? They say the people do not need Jesus.

 How many times have you wanted to do something big for God, but someone told you that you could not do it.

 The world needs people who will dream big for God, who will make nobles plans.

 Rick Rusaw, the minister of Lifebridge Christian Church in Colorado gives five characteristics of great dreams.

• SLIDE #8

1. Only noble plans, great dreams, are worthy of the great God that we serve.

• Too often we’re too short sighted. Too often we don’t make significant plans or dreams because we don’t either have enough confidence in ourselves and more often than not, we don’t have enough confidence in God.

• I believe God wants to make a difference through you. I believe God has given you gifts and abilities and resources to be used in way that have a significant impact.

• Remember the man in Matthew, Chapter 25. That one talented man. The Master had given some servants some talents and to one guy he gave one talent, and the guy didn’t know what to do with it.

• And so he went out in his back yard and dug a hole and he buried it. And when the Master came to settle up accounts, the servant brought back his one talent and said “Here it is, you can have it back.”

• And the Master chastised him. Not because he had lost talent. Not because he had invested poorly. Not because he tried something and it didn’t work.

• He was rebuked because he didn’t do anything with what he had been given. And too often we hold back. Opportunities come, situations arise, dreams pop into our minds, but we say it’s not possible, we can’t do it, we’re afraid.

• So we go and we hide out in the back yard and someday when God settles accounts with us, we’ll say to Him, “Here it is. I didn’t mess up. I didn’t blow it, I didn’t use it unwisely.”

• SLIDE #9

2. Noble plans, great dreams, are born in the heart of God.

• Sometimes we sit back in our chairs and wait for God to pop some dream in our head, or write some message in the sky, or send you a post card to tell you what to do.

• SLIDE #10

• Proverbs 16:9 says, “The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.”

• Proverbs to me says that God expects us to use our ability, and our wisdom, and our insight to make choices. To reason, to think, to counsel with friends. To make plans, to dream dreams. And yet those of us who have a relationship to God recognize that it is God who directs our steps.

• I did not go into ministry for the longest time because I did not think God could use me.

• SLIDE #11

3. Noble plans can inspire others.

• We all know of causes that people have enlisted for, because somebody laid down a challenge, somebody dreamt a dream, somebody said, “This is where we are going.”

• SLIDE #12

4. Noble plans and great dreams take time.

• We want it and we want it now! Great plans take time to work.

• If I wanted this church to grow to over 400 in the first year that I am here, that is not a great plan. Great dreams will take time to implement and will cost us something.

• SLIDE #13

5. Noble plans, great dreams force me to be dependent on God.

 When I worked in the Quality Engineering department, one of the things that I to do was to set my own goals for the year. I saw some make their goals too easy, and the others who were motivated would try to stretch themselves to do great things.

 If I set all my plans to do with my own strength, then the plans are not great.

 If you want to see a powerful God work in your life, make sure your plans are great enough that they need a Great God to help you accomplish them.

 I think that on our own efforts, we can grow this church to 200, but we will really need God’s help to go to 400.

 Father’s, our children need to see that we depend on a great God!

 SLIDE #14

If you want to make a difference…

III. STAND ON NOBLE PLANS.

 If you want to make a difference in the world, you need to be a noble person who makes noble plans. And the scripture says, “And by your noble plans (deeds) you stand.” Noble plans, noble dreams require noble deeds on our part.

 We all have different abilities and God expects us to use those abilities to the fullest.

 It is easy for us to get into a comfort zone, but noble deeds will require us to move out of that comfort zone. Noble deeds will cause us to sacrifice for the Lord.

 What is God doing through you? What risks are you taking? How are you moving out of your comfort zone? Have you given up when the times get tough. I see too many preachers quit the ministry because it got too tough for them.

 There are a few of you that are saying I’ve always wanted to do something significant. I’ve had this dream; I’ve had this idea for a ministry. I’ve had this idea for involvement. I wish our church were doing this, I wish I was involved in this.

 Some of you will step forward and take the risk and make an effort and make a difference in the world. There will be plenty of us who just sit back, and wait and watch and hope.

 Many times instead of getting involved in helping by using our gifts, our lives become a bunch of ‘would of beens’ and ‘could of beens’ and ‘should of beens’.

 But there are a few of you that God will use this year, to make a real difference in this church and in this community.

 I saw happening in my life and that scared me, it motivated me to get out of the comfort zone of the factory and do something for the Lord.

CONCLUSION

 I believe that it was the Marines who have said that they were looking for a few good men.

 God is looking for a few good men. Our wives and children are looking for a few good men.

 Fathers’, do you want to make a difference in the world, be a Noble man who makes noble plans and stands on noble deeds!