“Made on Purpose, for a Purpose”
Ephesians 2:8-10
There are several words or phrases I could use that depending on the generation you grew up in, you would know exactly what I mean.
• I am trying to find myself
• I want to find my destiny
• Lord what is my calling
• Lord do I have a purpose?
These four statements are really just four different ways of saying the same thing.
This morning I want you to really focus and listen as I read from the Scripture but I’m going to ask you to do something different. I want you to bow your head and close your eyes right now and I want to read some verses of Scripture from God’s Word and I want you to visualize that God is speaking these words directly to you.
Genesis 1:27 (NLT) 27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Proverbs 20:5 (ESV) 5 The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water,
but a man of understanding will draw it out.
Proverbs 20:5 (NIV) 5 The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 1:5 (NLT) 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
Psalm 139:13 (NIV) 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb
Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT) 5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
Proverbs 19:21 (NLT) 21 You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
Prayer.
Let me ask you three questions this morning. (1) Does God have a purpose for everyone? (2) Does God want me to know what my purpose is? (3) Is it possible to go all the way through life and not understand my purpose? The answer to all three of these questions is yes. Yes, God has a purpose for every person here today. Yes God want you to know exactly what it is. Yes, it is possible to go completely through life and miss your purpose. Look with me at several truths this morning.
1. First of all you are made in God’s image. The creator of this world created light and at t the end of the first day H said “this is good.” On the second day he created the sky and said “it was good.” This continues for three more days as he created the universe we live in and each day He paused and looked at his creation and simply said, this is good. It is on the sixth day, the final day of creation that He then created man in his image... You will notice he says in our likeness. That is a reference to the Trinity. Father. Son. Holy Spirit. All present from the beginning. But His response on this day is different this time it is…”very good.”
The Milky Way is only one galaxy in our universe. Astronomers are now telling us that the universe holds as many as 200 billion galaxies. Beyond anything we can comprehend. Yet God says that when he made man, that mankind was his crowning achievement. He made this universe, the animals, as far as we can see and beyond what we can imagine yet man is the only one that was made in his image. Now what does that mean? Well it does not mean that we look like him. God is spirit. When we are made in the image of God, it means that God gives us the ability to be able to communicate with him. That privilege is not given to the stars as astrology teaches. That privilege was not given to the earth as New Age philosophy teaches. That privilege is only given to man. You and I have the ability to be able to communicate with the God of this universe-because we are made in his image.
2. You were made in God’s image on purpose. There are no accidents with God. The psalmist wrote these words... “You created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” God spoke to Jeremiah and said, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” God made us in His image and He made us on purpose.
3. God made us in his image; on purpose, for a purpose. All of us have experienced a time in our lives when we have asked the hard questions-Lord why am I here? What is it you want me to do? What is my purpose? Lord what is it you have called me to do? Look at these principles.
Principle #1. God calls every believer to full-time service. Serving God is not a part-time occupation. It’s 24/7, 365 days a year. Paul said, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord.” You may find yourself in a job that is ordinary, mundane, perhaps even one you don’t especially enjoy but if you are where you believe God wants you to be then work at it as though you are working for the Lord himself. How many of you have ever held a job that you didn’t like, you just didn’t care for it? I believe that would be 100%. I have. Several times in fact. But I never quit. My day off this week was Thursday so Denise and I and Brian his family went to Disney. This is a picture I took as we were leaving. A sea of people there that day. Lines everywhere to do anything. I stood in line to get some lunch. The cashier was handling two separate lines by himself. Very patient man. When I finished ordering I said to him, “this job must get stressful at times with all of these people to deal with.” He looked at me and said “I love it.” It’s all what you make of it. In other words attitude is what makes the difference. In your work, do it is though you are doing it for the Lord.
Principle #2. God will give you the gifts that are necessary to do the work he calls you to do. This applies to our work both inside and outside the church. And this is a huge principle that we really need to pay attention to because many of us have said at one time or another. I believe God wants me to do this or that.
• Teach a class
• share my faith
• give financially
But we say Lord I can’t. I can’t teach a class because I don’t have the confidence. I can’t share my faith because I don’t know what to say. I can’t give financially because well, I’m broke. And so when we say these things we’re limiting God in every way because we’re basically saying Lord you can’t or you won’t give me confidence, words, money. Lord I know you don’t have any money.
But let me show you a better way. Here is that powerful word. One of the most powerful words in English language. Can’t. We have used that word since we were children. And when we do it really means one of several things.
• I can’t. My parents won’t let me. I answer to them and they said no. End of story.
• I can’t. I don’t have the time. A friend ask you to do one thing which are already committed to doing another thing.
• I can’t. I don’t have the resources. A friend asked you to go to the movies are out to eat. I can’t. I don’t have the money. And so we are limited.
But look at it this way. Look at the first slide here. Let’s say you feel a strong calling that God wants you to do a particular thing and you give your typical response. This one. I can’t. We don’t have the confidence of the words of the money to do it but there’s also another reason, perhaps an even deeper one. Here it is. I don’t want to. It’s too much work. It’s too hard. I’m comfortable with things as they are. I don’t want to change. And when you do that, when you respond in that fashion you will miss God’s purpose for your life. You see in all the descriptive terms the Bible gives regarding your purpose in life, one thing we are never told is that it will be easy. To stop looking for easy.
Second slide. Paul closes his letter to the church in Philippi by reminding us of the kinds of things we should think about. Things that are true, right, noble, pure, lovely, excellent-the things that are best in life. He then focuses on the circumstances of life.
• When we are in need or when we have plenty
• When we are hungry or when we are full
No matter what: I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength. Time to take that T out of the equation. Change it from can’t to can. A huge difference.
Third slide. To do this we have to take that one thing that is holding us back, that fear; that concern, the unknown in turn it over to Christ. That cross we bear. The Bible speaks on a number of occasions of men and women who faced great difficulty in determining God’s will; some fell back, and a missed God’s purpose completely; some move forward and live the life that was filled with contentment and purpose.
Fourth slide. If final slide we learn this-we can never accomplish anything that is of lasting value until we say Lord, I’m willing. What I’ll feel able. I don’t feel strong enough. Worthy enough. Smart enough.
God cares more than anything if we are simply willing to answer with one word. Yes. “Yes, Lord I am willing.”
