Ask the congregation to write a one sentence description of their life purpose. Instruct them to leave out any reference to their family or their job. Ask for volunteers to share their sentence.
Review: The past two Sundays we have been involved in a series entitled "Do Not Lose Heart.¨ The intent of the series was to encourage us as we face trials, at work, at home, at church, and in the world. It is not God’s will that we lose heart. However, it is God’s will that He be allowed to help us when we face trials. The past two Sundays we have looked at two resources that will help us overcome the battle against despair. First, we should focus on the goodness of God. God is a good, loving, and merciful God. Nothing will take away his goodness. Second, we should look for the work that God is doing in our hearts. God is at work to transform us into something wonderful. When facing tests it is human nature to focus on the trials. For instance, if I am building a bird house and ,in the midst of that project, hit my thumb with my hammer, what will I do? Am I going to sing and whistle with joy? Obviously not, I am going to cringe in pain and get all of the attention I can from Judy.
Focus matters! William H. Hinson tells us why animal trainers carry a stool when they go into a cage of lions. They have their whip and their pistols are at their sides. But invariably they carry a stool. Hinson says it is the most important tool of the trainer. He holds the stool by the back and thrusts the legs toward the face of the wild animal. Those who know lions maintain that the animal tries to focus on all four legs at once. In the attempt to focus on all four, a kind of paralysis overwhelms the animal, and it becomes tame, weak, and disabled because his attention is fragmented.
(quoted in Autoillustrator.com, PRIORITIES/FOCUS/PURPOSE, from Developing the Leader Within You, by John Maxwell) (Contributed to Sermon Central by Darren Ethier)
Sometimes we lose focus on our purpose. I once read a story that involved President Ulysses Grant that illustrates this point. When golf was first introduced in America a Scotsman came over to America and demonstrated the new game to President Ulysses Grant. Carefully placing the ball on the tee the golfer took a mighty swing. The club hit the turf and scattered dirt all over the President’s beard and surrounding vicinity, while the ball rested on the tee. Again the Scotsman swung, and again he missed. The President waited patiently through six tries and then quietly stated, "There seems to be a fair amount of exercise in the game, but I fail to see the purpose of the ball.¨ (Campus Life)
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Rob Culler)
When we lose sight of our purpose we are susceptible to any number of challenges. All of us have heard and read about the Great Wall of China. In ancient China, the people desired security from their enemies that were located to their north. To meet this challenge they built the Great Wall. It is 30 feet high, 18 feet thick, and more than 1500 miles long.
The Chinese goal was to build an absolutely impenetrable defense too high to climb over, too thick to break down, and too long to go around. But during the first hundred years of the wall’s existence China was successfully invaded three times.
It was not due to faulty workmanship on the wall. During all three invasions, the enemy never climbed over the wall, broke it down, or went around it; they simply bribed a gatekeeper and then marched right in through an open door. The wall failed because it was not able to fulfill its purpose. (James Emery White. "You Can Experience A Purposeful Life¨. Word, 2000) Sometimes life crashes because our purpose is not kept at the forefront.
When you and I are looking at a problem it is hard to focus on our purpose. However, when focused on our purpose we will not be crippled by our problems. It is inevitable that we face our trials; however, God wants to help us move beyond by focusing on our purpose.
The final truth in this series is: focus on God’s purpose and not our problems. Notice verse 1 "Since we have this ministry¡ we do not lose heart.¨ Paul had been given a ministry by God. He was a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ. After commencing his ministry Paul began to run into trials. Some of those trials are mentioned in verse 8 and 9 and in chapter 6 verses 4-6 (pressure, perplexity, persecution, beatings, and imprisonment). In spite of those difficulties Paul kept his eyes on his purpose. What a tremendous truth! Keep focused on God’s purpose and not your problems.
I guess the best place to begin this message is to simply acknowledge that God has a purpose for our lives. This truth is illustrated by the popularity of Rick Warren’s book "The Purpose Driven Life.¨ People are looking for purpose. Rick Warren begins by quoting Colossians 1:16. "For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible¡ everything got started in him and finds its purpose in Him.¨ Warren says "You were made by God and for God’s glory and until you understand that, life will never make sense¨ "I am your creator, you were in my care even before you were born.¨ Is. 44:2a (CEV)
We need to distinguish between purpose and a cause. There are many worthwhile causes in life.
*Some people excel in a sport. The famous coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi, once said "Winning is everything.¨ He won a number of championships while coaching the Packers. He received a lot of fame and recognition for his accomplishments.
* Some people serve other people: politicians, social workers, nurses, teachers, doctors, and the like.
*Some people devote their lives to special causes.
Example: I once saw a documentary about a lady who devoted her life to saving timber wolves.
Example: I saw another documentary about a group that devoted their lives to saving whales.
Example: Some people devote their lives to improving medical science.
Those are worthy causes and we salute every person who champions such a cause. However, life purpose is bigger than a cause. Life purpose is bigger than a person. Life purpose is bigger than a job.
Consider this example. Most everyone knows the name of Tom Landry. Landry was the long time coach of the Dallas Cowboys. (Landry won 2 Super Bowl titles (VI, XII), 5 NFC titles, 13 Divisional titles, and compiled a 270-178-6 record, the 3rd most wins of all time for an NFL coach. His 20 career playoff victories are the most of any coach in NFL history. He was named the NFL Coach of the Year in 1966 and the NFC Coach of the Year in 1975. His most impressive professional accomplishment is his record for coaching the Dallas Cowboys to 20 consecutive winning seasons (1966-1985), an NFL record that remains unbroken and unchallenged. It remains one of the longest winning streaks in all of professional sports history.)
I once read a biography about Tom Landry. In that book Landry discusses his life purpose. Listen to what he said. "The very first time I spoke at an FCA National Conference in Estes Park, Colorado, back in the early sixties, I looked into the faces of fourteen hundred young athletes and coaches and immediately realized this was my calling, my niche. Here was where as a coach I could have the most impact on the lives and values of others by sharing my own spiritual life experience through FCA. And it had been that sense of purpose and direction that had made my role as coach of the Dallas Cowboy enable me to do more than direct a team of professional athletes. It would provide me with a platform to speak to thousands of young athletes about their physical and spiritual needs.¨ (Tom Landry) Landry realized that his life purpose was more than being a coach. He had a divine destiny.
I want to remind you that God’s purpose is bigger than any one cause, job, or person. Basically God’s purpose is three-fold.
(1.) He has a purpose for our existence. Life is not intended to be meaningless. A person may go through life and miss God’s purpose. The purpose of life is to know God and bring glory to Him. In I Cor. 10:31 Paul states it clearly "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.¨
Rick Warren said "You were made by God and for God---and until you understand that, life will never make sense.¨
A famous atheist once said "Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.¨
Your purpose is bigger than the issues of life.
Illustration: I was speaking to a group of senior adults in a nursing home a few weeks ago. I talked about this principle. No matter where you are, God has a purpose for your life. I told those senior adults, you are away from home, many of you have lost your mates, and many of you have significant health issues. However, God still has a purpose for your life. I told them they could be an encouragement to their room mate. They could be an encouragement to a nurse. They could pray for the nursing home staff.
(2.) God’s purpose is that we know Him through His son Jesus Christ. "In Jesus we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him.¨ (Eph. 1:11) "God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.¨ II Tim. 1:9
(3.) God’s purpose is that we serve Him. When we start living for God’s glory and living in relationship with Him everything we do is done to serve Him. We start using our gifts, our talents, our passions, and our personality to serve Him."For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.¨ Eph. 2:10
The little acrostic we use in C.L.A.S.S. 301, to help people discover their ministry, helps us understand how we can serve God.
S.....All believers have a spiritual gift. A few days ago someone apologized to me that they had taken my time in sharing some burdens and asking me to pray with them. I told them, the greatest compliment you can pay me is to talk to me as a pastor and ask me to pray with you. I am a pastor. I am a shepherd. That is how I serve God. That is how I relate to people. I feel good about that.
H.....All of us have a heart (passion) for something.
What are you passionate about? Paul was a passionate evangelist. Nothing could stop him from fulfilling his task. (see vs. 8-9)
A.....All of us have abilities.
Example: Last week I discussed Jim Ryun, the famous track athlete. In his early career Ryun ran for his own glory. In his latter track career he ran for the glory of God. Listen to Ryun’s testimony. "In the midst of the glory, I became aware of a gnawing emptiness in my heart. "If I’m so successful," I reasoned, "Why am I so dissatisfied?" "Around this time, I began meeting people who said they were "born-again Christians." Like me, they were going through personal trials, yet they emerged saying, "Praise the Lord!" What kind of response was that? They had something I wanted. On May 18, 1972, we knelt with friends to receive the Lord into our lives. As we prayed, the empty place in my heart, never filled by the successes of running, was filled with an overwhelming peace. Anne and I, along with our children Heather, Drew, Ned and Catharine, and their families (including six grandchildren) continue to run the race of life with Jesus as our Lord. We daily experience His grace and discipline; His guidance and leadership through our lives.
(www.ryunrunning.com. About Jim Ryun)
P....All of us have a unique personality.
Example: President Lyndon Johnson once suggested that Billy Graham consider running for president. Billy Grahma was nice but said "God has called me to be an evangelist.¨
E.....All of us have unique experiences to share.
Example: Last Sunday Tonya Crawford shared her experience with depression. She wants to use that experience to minister to others.
God has offered us a marvelous gift. He has offered us the gift of a purposeful life. He has offered us the gift of a purpose to live for. The only requirement in receiving a gift is that it must be accepted. If you leave a Christmas gift laying under the tree it will do you no good. If you leave a birthday gift laying on the table it will do you no good. Gifts must be accepted. That is the challenge today. Will we accept God’s gift?
