Purpose, Process and Promise
God has something significant for your life. Every life is a plan of God. You are not by chance or by accident. But you are here by divine providence this sermon is about the purpose, process and promise that God has for every life
Purpose
Psalm 139:16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
Ephes 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
These verses reveal the fact that every person ever conceived – God had a plan for their lives – there are some purposes of God that are common to all – salvation – relationship with God – worship, to name a few – there are others that are peculiar to the individual - 1 Cor. 12:14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
The secret to the fulfilled life is to find our purpose and walk in it – an easy statement to say but a different one to discover because our destiny involves not only the discovery of our purpose but also the process that leads to the promise.
Genesis 28:11-18 - Jacob = deceiver = when born he grasped his brothers heel, he deceived his father to receive the blessing.
Paddan Aram means “path” or “road.”
He fled from Beersheba the well of seven oaths living water to Haran the place of parched or drought.
A certain place of night, darkness, loneliness, broken dreams, fear, and shame, possessing only what he carried. Exhausted.
This is a description of people, created for purpose and promise, but we sin and lose our way in life. Sin is to miss the mark, we fail to be what God intends us to be and like Jacob leave Beersheba meaning original covenant or the design for God. We end up in Paddam Aram a Path or road leading us away from God and end up in a place of Haran, fear, lonliness and darkness. But God rescues us He is with us and somehow reveals Himself to us and awakens our dreams our purpose. Now to arrive at the promise we go through the process of God. It starts with a:
Dream
In Jesus life all things were instigated by The Holy Spirit – that is The Holy Spirits desire today to call us back to purpose – to take us through process and release us into promise – that is why we read these words in Acts 2:17 ’And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
Prophesy - to foretell events, divine, speak under inspiration
Visions - to experience; behold, perceive, see, and take heed
Dreams - vision in a dream
Prophesy, visions and dreams are God-given abilities to see what God wants to do through your life as you dedicate yourself to Him - they are given to release Gods purpose into our lives and the lives of others – notice each area has a present and future outworking – so the Holy Spirit reveals our purpose through these methods and takes us onward to our destiny – continues with a:
Process
When you dream, there will be those who will try to discourage you people hate dreamers. Right after Joseph began to dream, his troubles began. No dreams just happen. But over and over again in Genesis was a phrase that was repeated time and time again – and it was the phrase, “The Lord was with him!”
God’s Process always begins with leaving the Familiar
God’s Process always involves recognizing God is with you
God’s Process always comes from the word He speaks to you
The Process is designed to cause us to trust God in everything - Do you want to favor of God? The favor of God comes to you when God is able to trust you Then all you have to do is put aside your own agenda and begin to allow Him to trust you with His dream. . And when you have the favor of God, you have access into the King’s presence.
There are people in your life that you trust. And there are those whom you do not trust. When you trust someone, you can give them the keys to your car and trust them that you’ll get your car back in one piece.
Three Nevers for Godly dreamers:
Never use your age or your past as an excuse to refrain from dreaming.
If your dream only involves yourself, then your dream is too small
Never quit on your dream because of opposition. If we are true dreamers of God, we will lose some things but not as much as we will gain - Dreams are costly, but well worth it
Never believe that Gods dream is restricted to yourself - God’s dream in your life is needed to bless others without us walking in Gods dream we prevent others walking in theirs because the Church is a body interlinked.
Jacob in his darkest moment found
a.God’s ladder. A way up to appropriate God’s promises. Jesus Col 2:3.
b.Gods Angels. Ministers to those of salvation. Heb 1:14.
c.God’s Presence. An ability to bring His purposes to pass. Sovereign.
d.Gods Promise. V15 “until I have done what I have promised”
Promise
Jacob’s Revelation God causes His will to come to pass - “not by power nor by might but by My Spirit says the Lord”
Rock is Christ.
Oil is the Holy Spirit.
Ladder the means of appropriating God’s promises.
Luz almond tree became Bethel house of God. The almond tree means God is watching over us to perform His promise. Jeremiah 1:11-12.
God hasn’t abandoned you He is waiting for you to cease striving.
God dared to dream. He dreamed of dwelling with a people. God’s dream began when He created Adam & Eve and desired to dwell with them.
In Genesis, God gave Abraham his dream. He told him, "From your seed is my promise that I desire to dwell with you from generation to generation."
In Exodus, God gave Moses His dream - He said, "Build a Tabernacle, a Tent of Meeting, where I can dwell with you."
God gave David a dream. And Solomon. And Daniel. But eventually, the sin of the people got in the way. The world needed a Savior. So God’s dream continued when He sent His only Son into this world.
God’s dream was and is very costly. Jesus came to earth - Emmanuel, "God with us!" God dwelling with us. What did the people do with God’s dream? They crucified Him. But that didn’t stop God’s dream. God - still - wanted to dwell with His people. So, one day, when 120 were gathered in the upper room, with a mighty rushing wind, He sent the Holy Spirit.
But the good news is - God’s dream is not over. There’s going to come a day, when the trumpet will sound and the dead in Christ will rise, and we who remain will be caught up with Him in the air.
Dare to dream. It may cost you, but it’s well worth it.
