"Made On Purpose, For A Purpose" Series

“Made on Purpose, for a Purpose”

Ephesians 2:8-10

There are several words or phrases I could use that depending on the generation you grew up in, you would know exactly what I mean.

• I am trying to find myself

• I want to find my destiny

• Lord what is my calling

• Lord do I have a purpose?

These four statements are really just four different ways of saying the same thing.

This morning I want you to really focus and listen as I read from the Scripture but I’m going to ask you to do something different. I want you to bow your head and close your eyes right now and I want to read some verses of Scripture from God’s Word and I want you to visualize that God is speaking these words directly to you.

Genesis 1:27 (NLT) 27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Proverbs 20:5 (ESV) 5 The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water,

but a man of understanding will draw it out.

Proverbs 20:5 (NIV) 5 The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 1:5 (NLT) 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.

Psalm 139:13 (NIV) 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb

Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT) 5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.

Before you were born I set you apart

Proverbs 19:21 (NLT) 21 You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

Prayer.

Let me ask you three questions this morning. (1) Does God have a purpose for everyone? (2) Does God want me to know what my purpose is? (3) Is it possible to go all the way through life and not understand my purpose? The answer to all three of these questions is yes. Yes, God has a purpose for every person here today. Yes God want you to know exactly what it is. Yes, it is possible to go completely through life and miss your purpose. Look with me at several truths this morning.

1. First of all you are made in God’s image. The creator of this world created light and at t the end of the first day H said “this is good.” On the second day he created the sky and said “it was good.” This continues for three more days as he created the universe we live in and each day He paused and looked at his creation and simply said, this is good. It is on the sixth day, the final day of creation that He then created man in his image... You will notice he says in our likeness. That is a reference to the Trinity. Father. Son. Holy Spirit. All present from the beginning. But His response on this day is different this time it is…”very good.”

The Milky Way is only one galaxy in our universe. Astronomers are now telling us that the universe holds as many as 200 billion galaxies. Beyond anything we can comprehend. Yet God says that when he made man, that mankind was his crowning achievement. He made this universe, the animals, as far as we can see and beyond what we can imagine yet man is the only one that was made in his image. Now what does that mean? Well it does not mean that we look like him. God is spirit. When we are made in the image of God, it means that God gives us the ability to be able to communicate with him. That privilege is not given to the stars as astrology teaches. That privilege was not given to the earth as New Age philosophy teaches. That privilege is only given to man. You and I have the ability to be able to communicate with the God of this universe-because we are made in his image.

2. You were made in God’s image on purpose. There are no accidents with God. The psalmist wrote these words... “You created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” God spoke to Jeremiah and said, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” God made us in His image and He made us on purpose.