God’s promises..Purpose
Selected Scriptures
Introduction-
We have been in a series called God’s promises.
We have looked at God’s faithfulness. His faithfulness to us and His expectation that we will be faithful to Him.
We looked at God’s wisdom. God gives us wisdom from His Word, His people, and the lessons that we have learned. God’s wisdom has eternal benefits.
Last week we looked at God’s promise of hope. We see and will continue to see a world that is not only spiritually lost, but has also lost all common sense and they have lost hope.
Wishful thinking is not hope.
Pretending and putting our heads in the sand is not going to change any situation.
God offers us hope and His name is Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ is the hope of mankind.
In Jesus is peace, His presence, and most important until He returns for His people is His strength and power.
This morning we are wearing our favorite jerseys. On any given day, our teams will come together as a group trying to win the game. Weather it is football, baseball, or hockey, all playing to win the game.
I kid you about your favorite team and promote mine, but truth of the matter is, we like those teams but we are not on those teams.
They can make reference of football fans being the12th man, but the 12th man never gets a check, but if you are at the game, you will give a check.
God a long time ago, His team went together for the eternal victory of mankind. God’s plan to send His son Jesus to pay for the sins of mankind. His plan was flawless.
There was not room for error and it is complete.
Jesus return to the Father brought the Holy Spirit of God to not only be with believers but within believers to empower them to live the very life that Christ died for and desires for us to live for.
God’s team completion allows all of us who calls Jesus Lord to be empowered by His Spirit. That is God’s playbook. You can’t change the first part of that, it is a done deal. He finished His task for mankind, and eternally the victory is recorded.
Here’s where it gets interesting.
He offers us an opportunity to be on the team. Not as the 12rth man, watching from the sidelines and cheering from cheap seats, but as an active participate.
He called that purpose. As people search for hope, they are also looking for purpose.
Each person is created by God for a unique and important purpose.
Notice I did not say some, and notice I did not say all of us had to sell everything we have and move to a mission field.
Illustration-
A man catches three trout. Each one as they were caught was alive with fight until they were thrown up on the bank after they were caught. The man noticed that they seemed unhappy just laying there so he was going to encourage them. “ little fish, don’t be sad. You’ll like the grass. Just try it! No movement. No response, no change. A few minutes later, a little boy walked by and said what are you doing? They can’t be all they were created to be when they are out of the water. They put the fish back and within seconds, they flopped in the water and swam away. Silly I know, but get the point.
Do you feel like a fish out of water? Feeling dissatisfied?
Maybe, God is telling you to use your God given talents for God’s kingdom.
Maybe God is pushing you out of the shallow water and taking you to the deep side of the pool.
Text- 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 (Read from Bible)
The body is a unit, it is made up of many parts.
I didn’t say it, it is in God’s Word.
Many people from all walks of life, diversified by culture, age, color, gender, talents, gifts, resources, life experiences. All in one body we call the church.
Each part of that body wanting and needing to find purpose.
We have all been taught the dissatisfaction is bad. We should avoid it at all cost. Shove it down, pretend it is not there. Real Christians call it “bearing the cross.”
Taking chill pills, acting like it doesn’t bother you, ignoring it, or faking a smile won’t help.
Maybe God is wanting you swim in a bigger ocean, or He has you right where you need to be but he is making you uncomfortable so you will be part of a team instead of doing it all by yourself.
Did you ever wonder why some divide spiritual gifts and earthly gifts? Are they not the same?
Did they not come from God? One is usually used for self and one is used for self and kingdom.
Al through the Bible, God uses everyday people to do kingdom work. He uses blue collar and white collar and they all have a part in His kingdom.
People need to eat, he uses farmers and fisherman. They have to be taught, he uses teachers. People have physical hurts and he uses doctors.
We cannot eliminate anyone of them without missing meeting needs.
God has brought all these gifts into the church or at least that is His desire so that not only are you and I making a living but we can have purpose.
It is different people doing different jobs, using our skills for God’s kingdom.
Apostle Paul
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
You know Jesus healed 10 lepers and only one came back to say thank you. You have been there too.
Thought about all the ungrateful people that you have come to help. Yet Jesus helped them anyway. He knew most would not express thanks.
Today with society it is easy to write people off and become discouraged by peoples action instead of the more important task. Being and doing what God wants us to do. Fulfilling our purpose. How many churches today look at the community deciding not to reach out to them because they are not members, don’t come on Sunday, don’t say thank you.
We have all been given skills, ALL OF US! And if we are to have purpose and if this body of Christ is to function the way that God intended it to, we are important , and we are going to have to function together. Even if there are personality clashes, different priorities, different backgrounds.
NOBODY IS A NOBODY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST (repeat)
1 Your important because you are a part of the body of Christ
Unity, many parts, one Spirit, one body.
Romans 12:4-5-
“Just as each of us has a body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each members belongs to all others.”
If you belong to Christ, you belong to the body of Christ. No one is excluded. We find purpose in Christ.
2 Your important because you are different
Some of you are very different. I am different.
There is diversity in the body of Christ. Tall, short, big, small, poor, rich, quiet, loud, black, white, yellow, male, female, Baptist, Nazarene, because we are different doesn’t mean that we don’t belong. It proves that we do!
Different gifts, different talents, as God sees fit. To be used for God’s glory
Gal. 5:28-
“ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”
We may be different, but as long as we are under the Lordship of Christ, following the teachings of Christ we are one body.
One preacher put it this way. As different as toenails and eyelashes, we are still members of the same body.
3 Your important because we need each other.
God has given each one of us purpose, not only in our lives to make a living, but purpose in the kingdom of God.
You may feel like you have not found your kingdom purpose, but if you are praying about it, He will show you.
As the human body has many parts doing different things, so it is in the body of Crhist. Different giftscoming together to a unified purpose. Apostle Paul writes these words to the Corinthians church because they felt these gifts were inferior to them.
Each church and each person doing what God has purposed for them to do. Each church put together makes up the universal body of Christ to what they were called to do.
I need you, and you need me. When one is missing, it makes a difference. It makes a difference when you are not here, the body is not complete.
Illustration-
Charlie Brown episode.
What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over asks Linus? These five fingers says Lucy. Individually there is nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says “ why can’t you guys get organized like that?
I don’t condone her method, but it does prove unity.
Close, are you fulfilling your purpose not only in the work world, but are you fulfilling your purpose at Rosedale? God has work to be done, and given everything we need to do it right here at Rosedale. The talents, abilities are here, the resources and the wisdom are here.
Let me end with a scripture, what God says when a church (body of Christ) is doing what they are suppose too. Every member fulfilling their purpose.
Ephesians 4
“then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every word of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up unto him who is the heaqd, that is Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does it work.”
Look to the one and your left and right and tell them “I need You”
Amen.
