We have all dreamed of what it would be like to have Super Powers.

As kids we daydreamed about what it would be like if we had Super strength or could fly, what it would be to read minds or teleport. As we “matured” we stopped dreaming about super-natural abilities, but maybe that wasn’t the best thing for us.
Life isn’t meant to be ordinary. Life is meant to be Super.
God created you with unique giftings and callings that are anything but ordinary. God wants to give you His Super Power. Let’s take some to time to dream about it like we did as kids.

A gift that God has given all of us is VISION

The ability to see, to sense, to feel the world around us is an often overlooked power. Professor X sensed needs telepathically. Superman could see through anything but lead. Spider man could spider sense danger.
A Bible character named Nehemiah had the super power of vision. It allowed him to see and feel the need of a city 700 miles away.
If a Hero never sees the need, then it doesn’t really matter what super powers they have. All our giftings and abilities will lay dormant in us until we connect with the problems around us.

SEE THE NEED!
FEEL THE NEED!
GO!

super power vision

Super Power Vision

Sermon Notes by Chris Fluitt

**Bumper Video –
Hello! Welcome to the 1^st week of our Super Powers series. My name is Chris Fluitt. I am lead Pastor here at Redemption Church and I want to welcome you today. We are so glad you are here today.
Super Heroes have Super Powers
I am excited to be talking about one of my favorite topics. No it’s not free will versus predestination. No it isn’t Pre-mid or post tribulation rapture. Our subject is Comic book super heroes.
I was about 5 years old and remember having to take a trip to the Doctor. I was sick and not feeling well, but while sitting in the waiting room I discovered a stack of Spider Man comics. Suddenly I didn’t mind being at doctor’s office waiting room.
Now maybe you aren’t interested in comic books or comic book movies or Tv shows, but I guarantee that you have thought about what it would be like to be a Super Hero. As a kid you day dreamed about having Super Powers. You dreamed about having super strength, or the ability to fly. You thought how cool it would be if you could read minds, or have super speed.
As kids we all thought about having Super Power, but we “matured.” But maybe we weren’t supposed to stop dreaming of having Super-Natural ability.
Life isn’t meant to be ordinary. Life is meant to be Super.
Is your life Super? Maybe we should spend some time dreaming and wishing for greater power.
You are called to be a Hero. You are called to have Power. You are called to be Super.

God created Adam & Ever and made them to RULE over the animal kingdom. They had dominion over the Earth. They had a super power given to them by God.. They had power over lions & tigers & bears… oh my
God used a little shepherd boy named David to take down a Giant Warrior. You talk about super. David said “You come to me with sword and shield but I come to you in the name of the Lord”
Jesus gathered a group of 12 around Him and they turned the world on its head. They did miracles and spoke the truth of God. Jesus told them… Acts 1:8 You shall receive Power… after the Spirit comes on you. They walked in that Super Power.

None of these people got the memo that they were supposed to live quiet, ordinary lives.
You are called to be Super! God has placed gifts and purpose inside of you. The heart of a hero beats within you! So dream like a kid about having super power in your life.

I want to talk about a Super Power that I believe God has placed inside everyone.
Vision
The ability to see. The ability to sense a need. The ability to see people for who they really are. The vision to see a better choice and future. Vision is a Super Power.
There are a few Comic book character examples.
Oddly enough there is a character named “vision” but vision is not one of his powers… He is an android that becomes… intangible… whatever that means…

Professor X inside his Cerebro machine can locate, see, and understand anyone on the face of the earth.
Superman can see through anything but lead.
Spider Man has a Spider Sense that helps him see the danger around him

There is a Character in the Bible who has the vision Super Power. Nehemiah
Nehemiah was an Israelite who was living in Exile in Babylon. Generations before Nehemiah a rebellious Israel turned away from God and His protection and they were ransacked by the Babylonian empire. They had carried most of the Israelites away their home land and made them slaves.
Nehemiah is one of these slaves. Bible scholars think it is likely Nehemiah was born while in exile. He was born a slave. Nehemiah’s job was Cup Bearer which was a cushier job than most, but a cup bearer was basically a poison detector. The cup bearer would taste the wine to make sure it wasn’t poisoned. AND YOU THOUGHT YOUR JOB WAS BAD!
One day Nehemiah heard word that the city of Jerusalem, the capital of His homeland was laying in ruin. He heard that the walls and defenses of the city where destroyed and that the few people that lived in the city where in constant danger from attack.
What did he do? What would a super hero do?
Nehemiah 1:4
What do you think of this response to the news of Jerusalem’s condition?
Nehemiah was nowhere near Jerusalem… He was roughly 700 miles away… yet it was like he could see the city of Jerusalem.
Remember that Nehemiah was likely born in Babylonian captivity. That means it is likely he had never even been to Jerusalem. He had heard stories of the city but had never laid eyes on it. But here we see that something is happening inside this cup bearer… He senses a city in trouble.
Nehemiah receives more than information about Jerusalem… He has a vision.
This looks like a job for… Me
Super man with his sonic hearing can hear someone cry for help… and then the tv show would say “This looks like a job for Super Man.” He would spin in and out of a phonebooth and save the day.
Batman would look into the sky and see the Bat Signal. He then knew he needed to act.
The Xmen would spring into action from their lair when they saw they were needed.
Super Heroes see the need and then act. Every Super Hero needs vision. Even Dare Devil who was physically blind was not blind to the need around him.
Nehemiah saw the need and the need caused him to sit and cry.
Listen up super heroes! You have experienced this before.
There may have been a time where you were aware of a need and you said… “Someone needs to do something.”
It is all too easy to pass the need off to others… The Government needs to handle this. Sometimes we complain that no one is doing anything about the problem.
Super Heroes see the need and spring into action. They don’t assign blame, that wastes time… Someone is in need of help and they do something about it!
Maybe we were watching TV and a commercial about starving children in a 3^rd world country came on and you felt something grab your heart. You felt emotional about it.
Maybe you saw a need in someone’s life and you couldn’t stop thinking about it.
That’s what happened to Nehemiah! The need brought tears to his eyes.
But far too often we quickly change the channel. Far too often we let the moment fade. We avoid the feeling that comes with seeing the need.
Nehemiah sat and cried. (Neh 1:4) When was the last time you let the broken situation around you bring you tears?
Super Heroes Cry
Crying isn’t a weakness. Feeling the pain of others isn’t something to avoid. Dreaming of making things better is not wasted time. Vision will sometimes bring Super Heroes to tears.
Nehemiah saw the need and he did something about it. Vision doesn’t just see the need, it also sees a solution, a better future, a possibility…
Proverbs 29:18 Without a vision the people perish
People are perishing because of a lack of vision. People are perishing while we stand around and do nothing. We never seem to see the need…
If a Hero never sees the need then it doesn’t really matter what super powers they have. The gifting and ability need to come in contact with a need. If Superman doesn’t have vision… if he doesn’t see the need… then the super powers of Superman will just stay dormant inside him.
You have some giftings inside you. Don’t let them stay dormant and unused. There is a reason you have these super powers! Find that reason and put them to work.
Clark Kent needs to turn into Superman. The world is full of Clark Kents who refuse to transform into Superman. You are called to be Super, not ordinary.

So what does Nehemiah do? He put himself in danger. He, a slave, went to the King and asked to travel to Jerusalem. Kings could kill or inprison people for less… The King grants him his request and Nehemiah travels back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the broken city.
Nehemiah was a wine testing poison detector… He didn’t know how to build walls… He didn’t know construction… But he went anyway. He had vision of a better future for Jerusalem.
Will you go anyway? Even if you don’t know how… will you try?
Will you go anyway? Even if there is danger? …will you risk?
Will you go anyway? Even if you might fail or be misunderstood? …will you believe?

First time Super Heroes
I love it when Super Heroes use their powers for the first time. It never goes perfectly.
Peter Parker as Spider man had trouble controlling his webbing and sticking to walls.
Tony Stark destroyed a lot of Iron Man suits trying to be super.
Superman seemed pretty clumsy in the beginning…

And so are we… We are clumsy in the beginning. It takes a while to harness your super power giftings. You may fail more than you succeed, but don’t give up.
2 things matter…
#1 You see the need. You feel it and it doesn’t let go of you very easily.
#2 You have a gifting. There is something you can do.

We are going to be talking more about your gifting over the next few weeks, but for now… RIGHT NOW I want us to see the need.
Super heroes do I need to tell you that you are needed?
You are needed in the home.
You are needed in school or on the job.
You are needed in your church, in your city, in your nation…
There are so many needs that it is safe to say… wherever you are… you are needed.

Musician
Hunger, Disease, Education, Friendhip/lonliness, Adoption,

Nehemiah’s story is amazing. It started with Vision. It ends with rebuilt walls and a city with a future.
Maybe the Church of Jesus needs to sit and cry a little bit. Maybe we need to spend some time being moved.

We do 3 things every time we come to Redemption Church.

We have worshipped
We have received the Word of God
Now it is time for us to talk to God. In a short moment we will open this altar for a time of prayer. I encourage you to take a step from your chair signifying you have heard the word and want to bring to change to your life and your world.

I want to invite you to spend some time dreaming… thinking about the hurts around you… Spend time asking God how you can make a difference.

Purpose in your heart that you are going to do something to change the world.

 super power vision