Purpose driven Life, week 3

I preached this message this past weekend at MRWC. It's week 3 in our 40 Days of Purpose series. Enjoy the Word!


ILLUSTRATION- Recently, Adelina Dominguez died in San Diego, California. Most of us have never heard of Adelina, but what made her death noteworthy was her age.

At the time of her death, according to Guinness World Records, she was the oldest living American. She outlived some of her children, and even some of her grandchildren.

When asked about the secret of her longevity, she gave all credit to God and to His plan and purpose for her life. She said: “I know God had a purpose for my life.” (P.D.L. sermon, week 3. Pg 4)

Adelina believed that God had a purpose for her life. Unfortunately, many people never clue into this fact. Many people don’t understand that we were created by God and for God.

And the first reason that we were created by God is so we could worship Him. We worship God, not with the songs that we sing on Sunday, but with the lives we live between Sunday’s.

The first purpose of our life is that we were created for God’s pleasure.

Today, and for the rest of the week, we are going to examine the second

purpose of life. If you have a pen, write this down: We were formed for God’s family.

The Bible says: “God is the One who made all things, and all things are for his glory. He wanted to have many children share his glory, so he made the One who leads people to salvation perfect through suffering.” (Heb. 2:10, NCV)

This verse reminds us that nothing just happened. God made all things—including you—and He wants us to be a part of His family.

This is why He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. God wants us to be part of His family.

The Bible says: “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” (Eph. 1:5, NLT2)

Author and Pastor John Ortberg reminds us that: “The story of the Bible isn’t primarily about the desire of people to be with God; it’s the desire of God to be with people” (Ortberg, 2005, 14)

ILLUSTRATION- When my daughter Emma was slightly younger than she is now; she loved to be chased around the house.

I would come home from work, and the first words out of her mouth would be “Play chase Daddy, Play Chase.”

She would begin to run, and I would begin to chase her, and when I finally caught up to her, I would scoop her up in my arms and hold her close to me.

Friends; this is the story of the Bible. God is running after us, trying to bring us into His family.

He wanted to find you so badly, that He sent a search party consisting of One to bring you home.

The Bible says: “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” (Eph. 1:4, NLT2)

God created us to be part of His family. This is the second purpose of life. The Biblical name for this is Fellowship.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:17: “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” (NIV)

I’d have you pay particular attention to the words: “…Love the brotherhood of believers…” (1 Pet. 2:17b, NIV)

We were created to love the people of God. This, according to Jesus, is the 2nd most important thing that we could ever do:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'

31 The second (great command) is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31 NIV)

Worship is loving God, and fellowship is loving other people.

The Greek word for fellowship is “koinonia” and it is: “the close association between persons, emphasising what is common between them.”

As with worship, many people have an inaccurate view of what fellowship is. Some people might say it’s a casual conversation; still others would say: We’ve had the worship, now we will go out for fellowship.

But the Bible teaches that fellowship is much more than a shallow conversation or getting together once in a while for a meal.

The Bible reminds us that fellowship is Loving God’s family. Everyone. Even the person who gets under your skin.

You see dear friends; church is not just a place you go to; nor is church just a building; church is a family; God’s family. And Fellowship is loving God’s family.

The Bible teaches us that there are 4 levels of fellowship. The first level of fellowship is: Membership: Choosing to belong.

We were created to belong. We were never meant to be alone. God said: “…It is not good for the man to be alone…” (Gen. 2:18, NIV)

ILLUSTRATION- Now suppose I go to a recruiting office and say: “I want to join the army.” They say: “that’s great, sign here on the dotted line.”

Then I say “Well, wait just a minute. I want to join the army, but I have a condition. I don’t want to be committed to any specific platoon.

I want to be able to float around from platoon to platoon. I’ll be a part of the army, but I don’t want to be committed to a specific group of soldiers.

If the battle gets a little hot in one area; I’ll move to another area and join another platoon.

And if I don’t like that platoon’s leadership, I’ll join another one.” (Adapted from Warren 2006, 172)

Many Christians today treat the church like that. They float around from church to church with little or no commitment to any specific group of Christians.

The first level of Fellowship is choosing to belong to one specific group of disciples of Jesus Christ.

The Bible says: “…You are members of God’s very own family… and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian…” (Eph. 2:19, LB)

We were never meant to bounce from church to church; we were created to belong to one body of believers.

Paul said in Romans 12:5: “…in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (NIV)

We all belong to each other and we are all members of God’s family; and

while we are here on earth, we are to belong to one Body of believers and stick it out, not get out.

Pastor Tom Holladay has said: “The church is the Bride of Christ. And because Jesus loves the church, you and I need to have the same kind of love for this body by deciding to belong.” (P.D.L. sermon, wk.3, pg. 6)

Are you a member of this body of believers; have you chosen to belong to this body of believers, or are you secretly looking for another platoon?

The second level of fellowship is Friendship: Learning to share.

A great example of fellowship in action is Acts 2: “They (The Members) devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.

44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47

praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (NIV)

This passage is fellowship in action. The believers were together; they chose to belong, they shared with each other; they ate together, they worshipped together; they played well together.

Fellowship will only happen as we get together. Fellowship will only happen as we pick up the phone and invite someone to join us for a meal.

By the way, when was the last time you had someone over for dinner? It’s not just the Pastor’s job to fellowship with church folk---

We are called to do life together, and choosing to share our experiences with other people will go a long way to fulfilling this level of fellowship.

You can only truly fellowship with a few people; this is why we are doing our small groups. You can’t fellowship with everybody, but you can with a few people.

The Bible says: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (NIV)

ILLUSTRATION- Last Sunday night, I sat in on one of our small groups. I was able to learn pieces of information from people that I might not have otherwise known.

I made a deliberate act to get involved in their lives, and I know a little

more about these people.

This is what fellowship does. It takes the risk and gets involved in someone’s life. The Bible says: “Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal. 6:2, NIV)

We can’t carry each other’s burdens if we chose not to share with one another.

Do you have a few close people with whom you can share with? This level of fellowship happens as we learn to share.

This takes us to the 3rd level of Fellowship: Partnership: doing my part.

This level of fellowship says that we all have a part to play in the family of God.

God does not have you at Maple Ridge Wesleyan Church at this point in time just so you could sit in the pews.

God has you here to share your experiences with other people.

Just as your family has responsibilities, God’s family has responsibilities as well.

There are 58 “one another” commands in the New Testament alone. We are to: serve one another, love one another, pray for one another…

It’s great to share your heart, but you must do your part.

The Bible says: “…we are God's fellow workers…” (1 Cor. 3:9a, NIV)

We are partners working with God, and to work with God, we’ve got to figure out where we can work. We’ve got to figure out how we can step up and use our talents and serve the family of God.

The Bible says: “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Eph. 4:16, NLT2)

You have a part to play in the body of Christ; you have a responsibility to make sure fellowship happens. You have been called to do your part in the family of God.

ILLUSTRATION-Mother Teresa spent her life working with the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India. She was once asked: “how do you handle all the disease and death on a daily basis? “How do you do the tough things when it comes to serving?”

She answered: “Every person I bathe, every person I bandage, I imagine seeing the face of Jesus and I do it for Him.”

Each person has a part to play in the kingdom of God. It could be serving the poor, or it could be serving someone in our church. If you want to experience true fellowship; you must do your part.

The last level of fellowship is: Kinship: Loving Believers like family.

Romans 12:10 says: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” (NIV)

Jesus said: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."(John 13:34-35, NIV)

We are to concern ourselves with each other. We are to take an active interest in the lives of our brothers and sisters.

We are—are you ready for this?—we are to get along with others.

It will be our love and concern for our Christian brothers and sisters that will make Christ known to the world, so who do you need to show love to? Who do you need to show fellowship to?

The greatest privilege in this life is being part of God’s family. And it’s by being connected to the church that we learn how to love other people.

You see, you cannot love God and leave others out. To fulfill the purpose that God has for your life, you are going to have to learn how to fellowship with other people.

40 Days of Purpose week 2

This Post is week 2 in the 40 days of purpose series at our church. this Message focuses on Worship

ILLUSTRATION- A man named Bill Mallory traveled to India to discover the purpose of life. But he didn’t find the answer.

            So, after returning home, he noticed a sign at a Chevron gas station that simply said: “As you travel, ask us.”

            So every time he pulled into a Chevron station, he would look at the sign and say: “I’m a traveler. I’d like to ask you a question. What is the purpose of life?”

            Some of the responses that he received were interesting. One attendant said: “Sorry, I’m new here.” Still another said: “I don’t remember anything about that in the owner’s manual.” Someone else said: “I’m not much for church myself, sir.”

            Most people just gave Bill Mallory a blank stare, but he kept on asking the question at all Chevron stations.

            One day, Mallory got a phone call form Chevron Customer Relations. They said to him: “We understand you’ve been asking our dealer’s questions and getting unsatisfactory answers.”

            The caller suggested that Bill write out his question and send it to

Company HQ with a S.A.S.E.

            So, Bill Mallory wrote: “What is the purpose of life?” and sent it to the Chevron gas company.

A couple weeks later, the envelope was returned. The only thing in it was an application for a credit card.” (Adapted from the Chicago Tribune)

            If you want to know the purpose of life, you’re not going to find it at a gas station. If you want to know the purpose of life, you won’t find it on a talk-show.

If you want to know the purpose of life, you have to talk to the One who created it all, and look in the Owner’s Manual.

            You see, dear friends, YOU were made by God and for God. Until we understand this truth, nothing else in life will make sense. We were created by God and for God.

            This morning we are going to look at the first of 5 purposes that God has for our lives.

-PRAY-

            The Bible says in Revelation 4:11b: “…You (God) created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.” (NLT1)

            This verse reminds us that God has created everything, and everything exists for a purpose.

This is the truth that we will spend the entire week looking at: God Made us For His Pleasure.

            One day an expert in the Law came to Jesus and asked Him a question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" (Matthew 22:36, NIV)

            “Of all the rules and regulations found in the Law, Jesus, which one is the most important? Which one do I need to pay the most attention to?”

            “Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38, NIV)

            Jesus reminds us that the first and best thing that we can do with our lives is to love Him with all that we have. The technical name for this is Worship.

            Worship is the first purpose in this life; we were created to worship God.

            Most people have an inaccurate view of worship. Some people think that worship is only the songs that are sung on a Sunday morning.

            Some people think that worship is when we are praying; still other people think that worship is when we are celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

            But worship is so much more than these things.

Worship, according to Jesus, is giving our all to God.

Worship is to be the highest priority of our lives. Worship is the number one purpose in this life. We were created to worship God.

            Jesus said: “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:40, NIV)

The entire Old Testament can be summed up by loving God and loving people. Worship focuses on Loving God.

            There is nothing any more important that we can do with our life than to worship God.

            So, if worship is the greatest thing that we can do, and if nothing in life is more important than worshipà the question that I have is: what is worship?

            Romans 12:1 answers this question for us. “Because of God’s great mercy to us… offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him. This is the true worship that you should offer.” (Rm. 12:1, TEV)

            Paul tells us that Worship is, first of all, My Response to God’s Love.

            Worship is the way that I respond to the God who loves me. Paul said: “Because of God’s great mercy to us…” (Romans 12:1a, TEV)

            Titus reminds us that God: “…saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy….” (Titus 3:5a, NIV)

            God took matters into His own hand; He provided a way of escape. He sent

His only and only Son to die the death that we were supposed to die; and worship is my response to what God did for me.

            But Romans 12:1 also tells us that worship is: Giving Back to God.

The text says: “…offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him.” (Rm. 12:1b, TEV)

Because God gave His best to and for us, we are to give our best back to Him.

The Psalmist said: “How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. 14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.” (Ps 116:12-14, NIV)

            How can we repay the Lord for all His goodness to us?  We will give our all to God, because of what He has given to us.

            The Bible is clear as to what we are to give to God. It’s expressed in our memory verse for this week:

Jesus said: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” (Mark 12:30, NCV)

In this verse, Jesus is giving us an outline for worship. He gives us 3 truths about worship:

#1-Worship is focusing my attention on God.  This is loving God with my

mind.

In Matthew 6, we are told that: “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them...”

⁶ “But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6, NLT2)

We worship God with our mind by having a regularly scheduled time alone with Him. We are to tune out of the world and tune in to the things of God.

We don’t have to be gone for hours on end; we’ve just to go. Jesus said: “…Close the door and pray to your Father…” (Mt. 6:6, NIV)

There must be some privacy that takes place. To worship God, we’ve got to get away and spend time with God.

ILLUSTRATION- I have a routine when I come into the office each day. I set aside a certain amount of time, and spend that part of my day in prayer and solitude.

I take the time to read and study the Word. I go over the events of my day with the Lord. I make the time to hear from the Lord.

            Do you have a regularly scheduled time alone with God? It might be first thing in the morning. It could be while you drive to work. It could be after you have had your 50^th cup of coffee. It matters not when, as long as you take the time.

If we want to worship God with our mind, we must take the time and be alone with God.

The Bible says: “Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.” (Psalm 105:4, NLT2) We are always to be on the lookout for God.

Focusing on God is always the right thing to do; and we worship God by focusing our attention on Him.

The second way that Jesus said we worship God is by: Expressing our Affection for God. This is loving God with “your heart and soul”.

ILLUSTRATION- I remember the first time I kissed Beth Brown.

We had been dating for a few months and as we were out for our nightly walk around Sussex, we ended up standing on a bridge looking down at the water below.

            I noticed that she was leaning against a post, so I stepped out on a limb and said: “Oh that I were that post that I might have a chance to press against thy fair lips.”

            The next thing that I know, I was on the receiving end of a wonderful kiss. From that day on, she has been expressing her affection for me, and I have been

laying on the one-liners.

            Worship is expressing our affection toward God. It’s thanking God for the things in your life.

            “Thanks, God, for this new day!” “Thanks, God, for putting me in the best country in the world” “Thanks, God, for who you are and for what You have done.”

“God, though I don’t like the situation that I am in at this moment, I will trust you to do the right thing.”

            God wants us to express our affection to Him. Not because He needs it, but because we need it.

David said in Psalm 18: “I love you, Lord; you are my strength.

² The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” (Psalm 18:1-2, NLT2)

            David expressed his affection to the God who created Him. When was the last time that you told God how you felt about Him?

Maybe you tell Him when you are upset at Him, but when was the last time you said “thanks, God”?

            John reminds us that: “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1John

4:19 NKJV)

Part of worshipping God, is expressing our affection toward Him.

            God said in Hosea 6:6: “I don’t want your sacrifices—I want your love! I don’t want your offerings-- I want you to know Me” (LB)

            Our first purpose in this life is to “Know Christ”; and one way we do that is by expressing our affection toward Him.

Finally, the third way that Mark 12:30 reminds us to worship God is by: Using my Abilities for Him.  This is the “Loving God with all my strength” part of the verse.

The Bible says: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Col. 3:23-24, NIV)

This verse is not age specific. It simply says that whatever you do you are to do it as unto the Lord.

Instead of “only” working for an earthly boss, and trying to please him; we will work for a higher purpose, we will work for the Lord.

The Bible says: “Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” (1 Cor. 15:58, NLT2)

You see friend, God wants our entire life to bring honor and glory to Him. “God doesn’t want worship just to be a church thing. He wants it to be your whole life.”  (Rick Warren)

The Message paraphrase of Romans 12:1 says: “…Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” (The Message)

Rick Warren reminds us that: “Real Purpose Driven living doesn’t happen in a church. It doesn’t even happen in a small group… it happens in the ordinary, routine, mundane things of real life…” (PDL, sermon, week 2)

We are to take our ordinary life and give it to God, as an act of worship.

ILLUSTRATION- Bother Lawrence has been called a Hero of the faith.

            Brother Lawrence was born Nicholas Herman in France in 1611. He came to Christ at the age of 18.

It would be six years until he finally figured out his purpose in life, when he would join a religious order and live in a monastery.

In the years before that, he served first in the military, because it was a way to get three square meals and a small stipend.

When he got out of the military he was a footman. One of those guys who rode on the backs of carriages to open the door and help the occupants down to

the ground.

He was extremely clumsy and awkward and not well suited for that job. So, at the age of 25 he applied to work in a monastery.

Uneducated and unable to become a monk, they put him to work in the kitchen peeling potatoes and washing dishes.

There he stayed for the next 55 years, working in the kitchen, except for the last few years when he was too old to stand for long periods of time.

Because of his busy job in the kitchen he was not often released by his superiors to go to the set times of community prayers and worship.

So Brother Lawrence decided to make the kitchen his sanctuary. There he developed a way of life that he called “practicing the presence of God.”

Before too long he had such a radiant peace and a constant joy that the monks began going to him in the kitchen for counsel and help.

The highest officials of the monastery would often go down to the kitchen to receive encouragement and guidance.

Visiting dignitaries to the monastery would ask if they could talk to Brother Lawrence.

            Brother Lawrence believed that God was present in his kitchen. He did not have to go to the chapel to find God; he could do so amongst the pots and

pans. (Adapted from http://www.suntreeumc.org/pdf%20sermons/Terri_Heroes%20of%20the%20Faith%20Brother%20Lawrence%20July%2027%2008.pdf)

            How is it that an uneducated kitchen worker became a hero of the faith? He simply practiced worshipping God, where He was.

The truth is my friends, we will either worship the kitchen or we will worship God while we are in the kitchen, but the fact remains that we will worship something.

Whatever you give your time, talent and treasure to, that is what you worship.

            So I ask you to consider the object of your worship?  What do you think about when you let your mind drift?

            The Bible reminds us that we were planned for God’s pleasure—we were created to “Know Christ”.

            This week, we will be challenged to make God the number one priority of our lives, because Jesus said that this is the most important thing that we could

ever do.

            If your worship of God has been tarnished, this is the time and the place to correct it, if God has not been your number one priority; know that you can come back to God today. You can begin living life on purpose.

Purpose Driven Life, Week 1

This is the first message in our 40 Days of Purpose Campaign. Enjoy.

            Today, our Spiritual Growth Campaign or 40 Days of Purpose begins. Today, we begin a 40 day spiritual journey to bigger and better things.

            Many months of praying and planning have gone into this campaign and today it kicks into high gear.

We will be challenged, over these next 40 days to go to new heights and to dig deep roots in our relationship with God.

            I’m hoping that many of you are prayed up and prepared for what God will do in your life over the next 6 weeks.

            If you recall, last week’s message focused on the three basic questions of life. What Does God want? (My life); What does it take? (Discipline) and Why should I give my all to God? (Because of the Cross)

            If those are the three basic questions of life, I would like for us today to look at the 3 Greatest Questions of Life.

-PRAY-

            The first of life’s greatest questions is The Question of Existence: Why am I alive?

            This question is one that people have been asking for centuries.

The prophet Jeremiah asked: “Why was I ever born? My entire life has been filled with trouble, sorrow, and shame.” (Jeremiah 20:18, NLT2)

Jeremiah wrestled with the question of existenceàhe wondered why he was alive.

Carl Jung, the famous psychiatrist, once said: “I don’t know the meaning, the purpose of life, but it looks as if something were meant by it”

Rap artist Ice T once wrote: “The only reason we’re here is to reproduce. Just chill out and reproduce. Keep the species alive.”

People all over the world have tried to come up with an answer to the question of existenceà why am I here?

Self-help books are a billion dollar a year industry. People all over the world are drawn to them to find the answer to the question of existence.

But to answer the question of existence, we must move beyond ourselves. As Rick Warren has said: “You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for.” (Warren, 2003, 18)

            To answer the question of existence, we must look to Someone greater than us. We must look to God.

            The Bible says: “The Lord has made everything for his own purposes…”

(Pr. 16:4a, NLT2)

            The Bible says that God has a purpose for everything. Every rock has a purpose. Every plant has a purpose. Every animal has a purpose, and if you are still breathing, you have a purpose.

            We will spend the next 40 days looking at what those purposes are, but suffice it to say that for now, God has put us here for a reason; for a purpose.

            The Bible says: “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

⁵ God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” (Eph. 1:4-5, NLT2)

The Bible tells me that created us for His purpose. It gave Him pleasure; He wanted to create you, and He wants you to come to Him and find your life’s purpose.

Notice that we are not an accident; nor are we an afterthought. The Bible is crystal clear when it says: “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us…” (Eph. 1:4a, NLT2)

Long before any of this “stuff” was ever made, God decided in advance to create you and to love you.

You see church, God created us to love us. Not because He needed

something to love… remember the Bible tells us that “…God is love.” (1 John 4:8, NIV)

God created us because He wanted to. We were created to be loved by God. We were created to love God. The Bible says: “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1Jo 4:19, NIV)

So what is the answer to the first Great Question of life, the question of existence: why am I here? I was created to be loved by God.

The second question is The Question of Significance: does my life matter?

ILLUSTRATION- The story is told that during WWII, prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp in Hungary were processing human sewage in a factory.

            One day the Allies came along and bombed the factory and blew it apart, leaving the prisoners with nothing to do.

            The Nazi soldiers had the prisoners take all the rubble of the factory and move it to another field.

The next day they had the prisoners take that same rubble and move it back in reverse.

            The next day, they had to take the stuff and move it back; and day after day they had no meaning, no purpose.

It was just work doing the same thing over and over with no meaning and

no purpose. 

            Then something strange began to happen; the prisoners began to go crazy.

They began to lose their will to live because there was no meaning, no purpose in their work. They were just moving bricks back and forth, back and forth.

Many of them began to throw themselves in front of the guards trying to get shot. In essence, they were trying to commit suicide. (Warren, PDL week 1 sermon. Pg5)

Why did these prisoners try to get themselves killed? Because they were made for a purpose, and when life has no purpose, there’s no point in living.

The Bible says that there is a reason to live; there is a purpose to life.

“This is what the Lord says, who made you, who formed you in your mother's body, who will help you: "People of Jacob, my servants, don't be afraid. Israel, I chose you.” (Is. 44:2, NCV)

Jesus told us in John 15: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-- fruit that will last.” (John 15:16, NIV)

And David reminds us in Psalm 139: “For you (God) created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.”

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of

them came to be.” (Psalm 139:13, 16, NIV)

The Bible reminds us that God created; chose; and has planned our days.

He paid so much attention to your life that He has not left anything out. He is with you each and every step of the way.

Over the next 40 days, we are going to examine in detail, how much our life matters; we are going to look at what and why God created us, and how so much of this life is preparation for eternity.

You see dear church, God made us to last forever. He didn’t just create us for the here and nowà He created us to live with Him forever.

Jesus said: “In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3, NIV)

Jesus is preparing your eternal home; and what you do on this earth is preparation for your eternal home.

            The Bible says: “When this tent we live in--- our body here on earth—is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever.” (2 Cor. 5:1, TEV)

            This life is preparation for the life to come.

            In response to the Question of Significance: Does our life on this earth matter?  The answer is: Absolutely! It matters to God.

The third great question of Life is The Question of Intention: What is my purpose?

“What on earth am I here for” is the question that we are going to spend the next 40 days looking at.

In Psalm 89, David asked the question: “Why did you create us? For nothing?” (Psalm 89:47b, NCV)

David wasn’t asking himself that question; he was asking God “what on earth am I here for?” “What is my purpose”?

David asked a question of purpose; I’ve asked a question of purpose, and chances are pretty good that you have asked a question of purpose.

ILLUSTRATION- I have a collection of power tools in my man cave in the basement of our house. Each tool has a specific purpose, and unless I have that specific tool, I am unable to finish my work.

            Whenever I purchase a new tool, one of the first things I do, is reach for the instruction manual. I want to know the proper way to use my new power tool, and how not to lose a finger.

            Friends, if you don’t know something’s purpose; it will likely end up getting

abused and will not work correctly.

            The only want that you will ever know your real purpose in this life is by looking at the Creator and by looking at the Owner’s Manuel, the Bible.

            The Bible says: “In the beginning God created…” (Gen. 1:1, NIV). If we want to understand what our purpose is, we must look to the One who created it all; we must start with God.

            The Bible says: “…understanding begins with knowing the Holy One.” (Pr. 9:10b, NCV)

            We find our purpose in this life by getting to know God.

            Colossians 1:16 says: “For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible…everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.”(The Message)

            We are not going to learn our purpose in life by watching Oprah, Dr. Oz, or even the new season of survivor.

If we want to know what we are on this earth for, we’ve got to look at the One who created all things.

            The Bible says: “He (Jesus) is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col. 1:17, NIV)

ILLUSTRATION- Søren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher, once told a story

about a goose who was wounded and who landed in a barnyard with some chickens.

            He played with the chickens and ate with the chickens. After a while that goose thought he was a chicken.

            One day a flight of geese came over, migrating to their new home. They gave a honk up there in the sky, and the goose heard it.

            Kierkegaard said, “Something stirred within the breast of this goose. Something called him to the skies. He began to flap the wings he hadn’t used, and he rose a few feet in the air.

            Then he stopped, and he settled back again into the mud of the barnyard. He heard the cry, but he settled for less.” (my files)

            You, friend, are hearing that God has a plan for you; you are hearing that God has a purpose for your life.

Will you rise up to the challenge, or will you sink deep into the mud?

            The choice is up to you, will you draw near to God, or will you push God away?

            God invites us to seek him “…while he may be found; (to) call on him while he is near.” (Is. 55:6b, NIV).

            God invites us to use these next 40 days to teach us how to fly.

            I’m going to ask you to take out the commitment card that should have been placed in the bulletin. Many of you responded to the challenge last Sunday night, but some did not.

            If you want to get involved in this 40 day Spiritual journey, I am going to ask you to fill out your area of commitment:

·      hearing all 7 messages in the campaign;

·      reading the PDL book, and

·      Joining a Small Group for the duration of the campaign.

            I would then ask you to sign your name to the bottom of this card, and be sure to give it to me on, and pick up your packet on your way out.

            Those of you who responded last week, I’m going to ask you to respond again, only this time I’m going to ask you to stick your response to your refrigerator…

Let this be your reminder that you are going to take these 40 days and seek God’s will for your life.

            Church, I know that each one of us is at a different stage in our spiritual journey; but we are going to do this 40 DOP together, because the Bible says that: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work...”

(Ecc. 4:9, NIV)

We are going to commit, together, the next 40 days of our lives—out of an approximate 25,550 days—to seek out God’s plan and purpose for our life.

What are the three Great Questions of Life?

·      A Question of existence: Why am I alive? (I am alive to Love God)

·      A Question of Significance: Does my Life matter (Yes! It matters to God)

And

·      A Question of Intention: What is my purpose: (to know Christ and to make Him known)

God tells us in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

God has a purpose and a plan for our life. May each one of us take the next 40 days and figure out “what on earth we are here for.”