DISCOVERING YOUR DESTINY
ILLUSTRATION: ON DESTINY
There was a frog that absolutely knew his destiny was to turn in to a handsome young prince. But for confirmation, he decided to visit a fortuneteller. The fortuneteller brought the frog in and gazed into her crystal ball. She said, “Oh, I see something. You are going to meet a beautiful young woman.”
The frog gets very antsy, “Yes, I knew it. I’m going to become a prince.”
The fortuneteller continues, “From the moment she sets eyes on you she will have an insatiable desire to know all about you. She will be compelled to get close to you--you’ll fascinate her."
The frog is very excited. He asks, “Where am I? At a singles club?”
The fortuneteller answers, “No, Biology class.”
INTRO: There is within each of us, a longing to be useful, to be needed, to contribute to the lives of others in a meaningful way, a desire to know that we’ve made a difference to someone, to be a part of something important, worthwhile, and great.
THE BIG IDEA: God desires that every one of His children would discover their destiny – the good plans that He has for their lives. The starting point for this is a God encounter where we hear His call, and respond with faith and obedience. Then, our lives become something great.
KEY TEXT:
“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).
QUOTE:
“Finding one’s purpose with God can be a strange and mysterious journey; or, it can be as plain as asking God for a task and then watching your desire for that task grow within you. Problem is, most of us forget to ask God to fill us with a fervent spirit to serve Him. Then, years later, we wake up and realize we had our life. We made our choices....our safe choices; but, somehow, we missed the richness of following our God down an uncharted path.” (Hudson Taylor).
I. DESTINY BEGINS WITH A GOD ENCOUNTER:
“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn." So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." Moreover He said, "I am the God of your father--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.” (Exodus 3:1-6).
• Moses was in the desert (preparation, hunger) and the mountain (God-encounter)
• The Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire and spoke to Him
• We will never fully realize our destiny until we have had an encounter with God!
II. GOD CALLED MOSES TO BE A DELIVERER:
“And the Lord said: "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows… Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Ex. 3:7,10).
• God wants to set people free, but He uses regular people.
• Part of our destiny is to impact other people’s lives with God’s love and power.
• Quote Acts 10:38 – God calls us to go around doing good and healing people!
III. MOSES MADE EXCUSES:
“But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" So He said, "I will certainly be with you…So I will stretch out My hand…with all My wonders…” (Ex. 3:11-12a,20).
• Moses made excuses but God answered them all - I will be with you!
• You may feel inadequate like Moses - he stuttered, had a bad past, etc.
• But God says, “I will be with you! I will stretch out my hand with my wonders”
• God isn’t looking for your ability, but rather your availability!
IV. WHAT’S IN YOUR HAND?
“Then Moses answered and said, "But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ’The Lord has not appeared to you.’ " So the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod." And He said, "Cast it on the ground." So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent…” (Exodus 4:1-3).
• God said, “What’s in your hand?” All he had was an ordinary stick!
• What did the rod represent? Moses’ identity, possessions and influence.
“And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.” (Exodus 4:20b).
• Moses’ stick became the rod of God. Your hug can become the hug of God!
• What’s in your hand? An encouraging word, love for children, music – use it for God!
• God’s Holy Spirit upon you will turn your natural into something supernatural!
• Kathryn Kuhlman said, “It’s not the golden vessels or the silver vessels God is looking for, only willing vessels.”
• What are you called to do? “Find a need and fill it.” (Matthew Barnett, founder of the Dream Center, The Church That Never Sleeps).
DISCOVERING YOUR DESTINY: Rick Warren’s “SHAPE”
S - Spiritual Gifts – teaching, prophecy, mercy, giving, serving, etc. (discuss mine)
H - Heart – what are your passions? (me = love for the church; the lost, single parent kids)
A - Abilities – natural abilities – sports, music, etc.
P - Personality – outgoing, shy, whatever – be what God made you!
E - Experiences – for me = single parent family, non-Christian home, etc.
TEXT:
“God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you. Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:10-11).
CLOSING STORY:
“After this, Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee… And a huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miracles as he healed the sick. Then Jesus went up into the hills and sat down with his disciples around him… Jesus soon saw a great crowd of people climbing the hill, looking for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, "Philip, where can we buy bread to feed all these people?" He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip replied, "It would take a small fortune to feed them!" Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. "There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?" "Tell everyone to sit down," Jesus ordered. So all of them – the men alone numbered five thousand – sat down on the grassy slopes. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and passed them out to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate until they were full. "Now gather the leftovers," Jesus told his disciples, "so that nothing is wasted." There were only five barley loaves to start with, but twelve baskets were filled with the pieces of bread the people did not eat! When the people saw this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, "Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!” (John 6:1-14).
WHAT’S IN YOUR HAND? What is God calling YOU to do for Him?
For more sermon outlines or audio sermons, visit:
www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
