Introduction:
This morning I want us to look at God’s call of another one of His prophets—the Prophet Jeremiah. Last week we saw God call Isaiah through a vision of heaven that prompted Isaiah to Look UP and see the holiness of God—to Look INWARD and see his only sinfulness as well as God’s forgiveness—and then to Look OUTWARD and see God’s call to go and share His message. Today we are going to hear God’s call of Jeremiah, and our theme is going to be centered around the idea of living life on purpose.
All of us are driven by different things—different situations, settings, people, problems—work, family, interests, and so on. What I’d like for us to do this morning is to use God’s call of Jeremiah to remind us of the importance of living our lives on purpose for the Lord.
Text: Jeremiah 1:4-10 (NLT)
4The LORD gave me a message. He said, 5“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.”
6“O Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”
7“Don’t say that,” the LORD replied, “for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and take care of you. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
9Then the LORD touched my mouth and said, “See, I have put my words in your mouth! 10Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. You are to uproot some and tear them down, to destroy and overthrow them. You are to build others up and plant them.”
I’d like to begin by offering you some basic truths that I believe are crucial to understanding how to live life on purpose. We’ll simply refer to them as:
I. Things to Know
1. God is the Giver of Life
David in Psalm 139 painted a wonderful word picture of God as a giver of life:
Psalm 139:13-16 MSG
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.
The Lord gives us life—that is His gift to us. What we make of the life He gives us—that is our gift to Him. You don’t accidentally give someone a gift—you have to purposefully go and get something. If the gift is going to be a reflection of your love, your appreciation for that person, then you are going to put some thought into what you are going to give. Depending on the depth our your relationship, you will determine how much you will spend.
My point is this: God has given us the gift of life—that is a wonderful gift—so what are purposing to give Him?
2. God has a Purpose for the Life He has Given us
Rick Warren, the author of The Purpose Drive Life writes in the opening chapter of that book:
“You were made by God and for God—and until you understand that,
life will never make sense.”
Rick goes on to quote Ephesians 1:11 from the Message:
It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
We don’t have time to really to Go into all that is involved in discovering God’s purpose for our lives. I hope that sometime during this next year we can have some small groups go through The Purpose Driven Life, but there are two basic things that I believe God wants all people to know about His purpose for their life:
1) God wants everyone to know the hope of eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ.
2) God wants those who know His Son to be a reflection of Him in his or her daily life.
3) God will Enable us to Fulfill our Life’s Purpose
Jeremiah said to the LORD, “I can’t!” and the LORD quickly replied, “You can! If you depend on Me.” Jeremiah 1:8 is another one of those powerful “Emmanuel” passages of scripture, and one that you should highlight in your Bible:
8…don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and take care of you. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
God gave Jeremiah the promise of His presence, and His presence was a promise to provide His power. God’s promise, His presence, and His power are still available today. God will enable us to fulfill our life’s purpose, which is why I keep saying:
Whatever God calls you to do, He will empower you to accomplish.
Let me give you two basic examples of that truth, they are built on the two purposes that I mentioned earlier that God wants all people to know:
1) God calls us to Salvation—and through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ, He saves us by His grace.
2) God calls us to Serve Him—and by the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit He give us the strength to accomplish the work He gives us to do.
Now that we established the “Things to Know” let’s tie this up this morning by offering you some practical applications, some principles to live by as you strive to Live Life on Purpose.
II. Principles to Live By
1. God Created You for a Purpose…So Don’t Be Afraid to Be YOURSELF
God created Jeremiah to be Jeremiah, not Isaiah, not Ezekiel, or Zechariah, or Daniel, or anybody else. God created you to be you! If you are willing to give your life fully to Jesus Christ, to make a commitment to live life on purpose, then you can discover who the real you really is! It’s OK to be yourself, can wants to use each of us through the talents, personalities, and strengths that we have, as long as they are surrendered to His will.
2. God Created You for a Purpose…So TRUST Him to Take Care of You
God has a plan, and just because we don’t know all the details doesn’t mean that it isn’t there. That is where faith comes in, that is when we must learn to trust the Lord. One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 3:5-6 where God’s Word says:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding,
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will lead you straight.
3. God Created You for a Purpose…So Speak Out on His Behalf
Jeremiah’s life purpose was to be God’s messenger. Part of our life’s purpose is to speak out on behalf of our Savior Jesus Christ. Let me give you three ways you can speak out on behalf of the Lord:
1) Speak from His Word
God told Jeremiah, “I have put my words in your mouth…” which says to me, that while we should be committed to studying God’s Word, we should be studying God’s Word so that we can speak it to a world that needs to hear the truth.
2) Speak out against sin
God told Jeremiah to “stand up against the nations,” which tells me that we need to be willing to take a stand against sin. Not to be self-righteous and condemn sinners, but to be beacons of light that point the way to a better life found in Jesus Christ.
3) Speak words of encouragement
While Jeremiah was called to “stand against,” he was also called to “plant, and to build up…” messages of encouragement to those trying to live life on purpose. We need to be encouragers, because we live in world that can be very discouraging.
Conclusion:
God wants you to live your life on purpose, and He wants you to discover the purpose He has for you. It begins with a willingness to receive Christ as your Savior, and it grows as you willingly give Him control of your life each day.
Your life is a gift from God—what you do with your life is your gift to Him.
