Intro:
Your Destiny Needs You! Teen, Young adult, middle aged, elderly…mo matter your age or stage of life, you have a destiny to fulfill that you and only you can fulfill. God has ordained a plan and purpose for you that has your name and address written all over it.
Key Verse:
Ephesians 1:11-14 NKJV
11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
AMP Version
11 In Him we also were made [God’s] heritage (portion) and we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His [own] will,
The Message Translation
11-12 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.
Body:
I love the Message translation of Ephesians 1:11. In Christ we find out who we are and what we should be and what we can become. In Christ. Not in magazines, or the internet or a friend’s opinion about us- In Christ and His Word. That is so wow and awesome right there.
Jesus had His eye on us long before we were born, even before there was an earth. That is a long time ago. He had designs for us, plans, destiny to fulfill, for glorious living, and all this is part of His overall purpose for us that He is working our in us. Just for a moment, drink that in. Think on it. Let it sink in. That is such awesome revelation right there. If that does not get you jumping out of your seat right now. Then please come for prayer….
The bottom line is this: God needs you, society needs you, everyone in this world needs you to accomplish God’s destiny for your life. And the key in doing this? Glad you asked:
Key no.1 – Accepting Jesus as your savior
Key no.2 – Dying to self and letting God do His will and plan through your life
Key no.3 - Accept God’s plan by faith
That is it.
This glorious destiny that God had in place for you before time began, was all for His glory, as is everything in life. To bring praise, honor and glory to God the Father.
Each and every person that gets conceived has a plan and destiny, an agenda from God to fulfill. No human being is ever born as a mistake, no matter the avenue of conception. Each life is carefully planned by God.
Throughout the Bible we can see God’s hand in bringing about His plan even when it seems as though people messed things up and there was no way of recovery ever again.
*Think of David with Bathsheba from whose bloodline Jesus was born.
*Joseph that was sold as a slave and forgotten by his brothers, delivered a nation
*Paul the Apostle who persecuted and consented to the killing of Christians, wrote the largest part of the New Testament and started churches.
And the list goes on and on. How different history would have been if the above people decided to simply give up on their destiny? Where would we be today? I thank God that His plan and purpose ALWAYS get’s done.
Romans 8:28 NKJV
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Because God has given to each one of us, free will to make decisions and to decide to follow His plan for our life or not, there are also the consequences of not following our destiny. A prime example of this can be found in the life of Judas, one of the 12 Apostles who betrayed Jesus for money:
Matthew 27:3-5 TLB
3 About that time Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus had been condemned to die, changed his mind and deeply regretted what he had done, and brought back the money to the chief priests and other Jewish leaders.
4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”
“That’s your problem,” they retorted.
5 Then he threw the money onto the floor of the Temple and went out and hanged himself.
6 The chief priests picked the money up. “We can’t put it in the collection,” they said, “since it’s against our laws to accept money paid for murder.”
How terribly sad that Judas did not fulfill his destiny. God had such an amazing plan for his life, yet by choosing not to go God's way in doing His plan, he (Judas) lost out on so much. Don't follow the 'Judas route' by not fulfilling your destiny. Life may be tough and the Christian journey sometimes paved with difficulty and the enemy Satan will try his level best to discourage you and rob you of all that God has planned for you, however God promised in Hebrews 13:5, to never leave us or forsake us and a promise God makes, is a promise He keeps.
And if you have ever wondered, like I have, why you are living in the country and at the address you do, well then God even has an answer for you on that one. Let’s read Acts 17:26
Acts 17:26 (AMP)
26 And He made from one [common origin, one source, one blood] all nations of men to settle on the face of the earth, having definitely determined [their] allotted periods of time and the fixed boundaries of their habitation (their settlements, lands, and abodes),
The New Life Version says it like this:
26 He made from one blood all nations who live on the earth. He set the times and places where they should live.
God believes in you so much that He not only sent Jesus His only Son to come to earth and die for you and I, He also created a tailor-made plan and purpose for you, one that you and only you can fulfill according to His specifications. I can not do your destiny nor can you do mine. Our destiny from God is not transferable, like a cheque. It can not be redeemed or used later, it has a expiry date on it. Check with God....
Now, doing and fulfilling god’s destiny for your life, will take courage and endurance from your side and a lot of faith. Praise God, you have received all of this when you became a born again child of God, and if you have not accepted Jesus into your life yet, you are in the right place. We will give you an opportunity at the end of the message.
Abraham, the father of faith, is a good example of endurance and faith. God told him his destiny and what he needed to do to get it done. It cost him faith and endurance:
Romans 4:18-22 (NKJV)
18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”
19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,
21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Because Abraham believed God and His promise rather than look to his circumstance, age or his body, the Bible says his faith-action resulted in him fulfilling his destiny and top of that it was accounted to him for righteousness (being in right standing with God) and he will for all eternity share in heaven’s blessing and enjoy his reward….that is what I want and I am sure you as well!!!
Because Abraham believed God and His promise rather than look to his circumstance, age or his body, the Bible says his faith-action resulted in him fulfilling his destiny and top of that it was accounted to him for righteousness (being in right standing with God) and he will for all eternity share in heaven’s blessing and enjoy his reward….that is what I want and I am sure you as well!!!
Illustration:
A well trained and famous tightrope walker like the Frenchman Charles Blondin (28 February 1824 – 22 February 1897) would probably not have had a problem carrying a person, from one side of a cliff over to the other side in his arms, while balancing on the tight rope, hundreds of meters above the ground.
Yet that same person would in all likelihood not have been willing to be carried by Charles to the other side, with Charles being blindfolded.
The point is this: We need to by faith, blindfolded, trust God that His plan is perfect for our lives and that He knows where He is taking us. When we can see or when we can't see the plan of God we need to trust Him, get up in His arms and praise Him knowing He will get us safely to our destination...
Close:
In closing, the plan and purpose that God has created for you, is so amazing, so glorious that to not accomplish it would be utter foolishness. Ask the Holy Spirit to minister to you and show you what He wants you to do. He is our helper in everything in life. He is waiting for you to simply ask, to simply seek Him in prayer.
And if you have not accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior I invite you to please do so now as we pray…..
Amen
