“Living on Purpose”
Ephesians 2:8-10
The year was 1941. World War II was in progress. Tens of thousands of Jews were laboring and dying in Nazi concentration camps. To be exact, 6 million had died and another 11 million died during the war. The Jews struggled every day to find some kind of purpose in all of what was going on. Many were shot; many died in gas chambers-all of them lived in fear of losing their lives every single day.
One group of Jewish men were assigned to carry stones from one end of the road to the other. They heard a rumor that the stones were part of a project to build a road. Finally they started to feel some purpose in life; some purpose in what they were doing. Day after day they hauled stones; their bodies aching. The work was extremely difficult. It was more than difficult. It was hard to find a word to describe how unbearable their situation was. But day after day they carried heavy stones, piled them all in a huge pile and they went to sleep that night with some sense of accomplishment-thinking they were going to build something….a road, a building, something that would offer them some purpose in what they were doing.
Then the next day they were ordered into the yard as usual. Their new assignment now was to carry those same stones-ones they had picked up and carried to one side of the camp-new assignment now was to carry those same stones back to where they started. So it became that there was no purpose or meaning whatsoever in what they were doing. It was all absolutely meaningless. As a result, many of them died shortly after that. Because they simply gave up.
There is something inside of us that causes us to want to believe that life is not pointless and that we matter. When we lose our sense of purpose everything changes. All of us need purpose. There are several words or phrases I could use that depending on the generation you grew up in, you would understand exactly what I mean.
Here are a few...
• I am trying to find myself
• I want to find my destiny
• I want to know my calling
• I want to discover my purpose
For me, these are just four simple ways of saying the same thing. Now I want you to bear with me for a moment-and I want to ask you right now to close your eyes and bow your heads and listen to what God has to say….
• So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Gen. 1:27
• The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water,
but a man of understanding will draw it out. Proverbs 20:5
• 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. .Jeremiah 29:11
• 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 2:10
• 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. Ephesians 1:5 NLT
• For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13 NIV
• “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 prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 NLT
• People can make all kinds of plans, Proverbs 19:21. But only the Lord’s plan will happen.
Prayer.
So I want to ask and answer three questions this morning. Question number one. Does God have a purpose for everyone?
Question number two. If he does, does God want me to know what it is?
Question number three Is it possible to go all the way through life and not understand my purpose?
Well the answer to all three questions is yes, absolutely. Yes, God has a purpose for you! Yes, He wants you to know exactly what it is and yes, it is possible to go completely through life and miss your purpose... Calling... This destiny. In fact many people miss it completely. So let me begin by giving you three truths you need to understand
1. First of all, you were made in God’s image. On the first day God created life and said, this is good. Second day-he created the sky and said, this is 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 said this is good. Then on the sixth day the final day of creation, He then created man in his image... He says this is very good. We believe that this is the first reference in Scripture the holy Trinity. Father. Son. Holy Spirit. All present from the start. And when he looks at what he has created, he doesn’t say it is good; he says it is very good. In other words this is his best work.
The Milky Way is only one galaxy in our universe. We live in that galaxy. Astronomers are now telling us that the universe holds as many as 200 billion galaxies. That may make you feel, small. But it should make you feel kind of important. Because God says that when he made man, mankind was his crowning achievement. You see in all that he made, which is mind-boggling, mankind is the only one who was made in his image.
2. You were made in God’s image on purpose. There are no accidents. The psalmist wrote this: you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. God spoke to Jeremiah and said “God spoke before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” God made us in his image and God made us on purpose.
3. God made us in his image; on purpose for a purpose. Every person here has experienced a time before when you have asked these questions...
• Lord, why am I here?
• What is it you want me to do?
• What is my purpose?
• How can I find meaning?
Here are a few principles to consider.
Principle one. God calls all of his children to full-time service. Serving God is never a part-time occupation. 24/7. 365 days a year. Paul said, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as though you are working for the Lord. You may find yourself in a job that is mundane, ordinary; perhaps you don’t even like it but if you are where you believe God wants you be then work at it as though you are working for the Lord Himself. Let me ask you another question, how many of you have ever held a job that you didn’t like? You just didn’t care to do it. That’s most of us. I have. Several times in fact. I never quit.
I had a man at Disney’s several years ago-we went during spring break and it was incredibly packed. Lines everywhere to do anything. I stood in line to get some. The cashier was handling two separate lines by himself. Very efficiently and he was very patient. When I finished ordering I asked him, this job must yet stressful at times with all the people you have to deal with-he simply looked at me and smiled, and said I love it. It is what you make of it. In other words, attitude is what makes the difference. Perspective.
Principle two. God will give you the gifts necessary to do the work he has called you to do. But understand this, you may or may not have these gifts right at this moment. You see, we base what we do in life on want we already know how to do. It makes sense but it’s not how it always works. This is a huge principle because at one time or another all of us have said: if I could do this or that I would do it. Well how do you know you can’t? I don’t know what it may be like for you but I know this, everyone has a dream and if God gave you that dream, it’s time for you to follow it. But, we say Lord I can’t. I can’t because I don’t have…
• Confidence
• Money
• Education
And basically saying Lord you don’t either. Can’t is such a powerful word. One of the most powerful words in the English language.
• I can’t. I don’t have time.
• I can’t. I don’t have the answers.
• I can’t. I don’t have the talent or the gifts for that.
• I can’t. I don’t have money.
Maybe time to change all that. Dig deeper. Find the resources. Ask God to give to you. Work harder to get the money. Because if God places a calling on your life-if he says this is your purpose-don’t you think he is going to provide the resources necessary???
God was calling me to be a pastor and I said Lord I can’t. I don’t have what it takes to speak in front of people. That’s kind of important. I believe that many times there is a much deeper reason that I can’t and here it is: it is I don’t want to. I don’t want to have to work so hard to make it happen. Too many changes I got a make. I’m comfortable with things as they are. And here is the result … you often miss out on what God has in store for your life.
Principle three. God has chosen some of the most unlikely people you can imagine to do some of his greatest work. And here is the result-miss God’s purpose for your life...
How could God ever use me?
• When Abraham was 100 years old, his wife, who was 90 gave him aside-just as God had promised.
• David committed adultery and had your murder. God called him a man after God’s own heart.
• Jonah ran away from the God – then God used him to preach to those in Nineveh and they all repented
• A little boy gave his lunch and fed 5000 people had 12 baskets full left
• Saul persecuted and murder one believer after another, God saved him. Paul wrote half the New Testament, led many to Christ. And started many churches. But he had been an enemy to every believer.
A mother wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, took the little boy to a piano concert by the great Paderewski. At the run of the century coming into the 1900’a he was considered to be one of the best. He made a great deal of money but was also known for giving a great deal of it away to charity. This mother trying to encourage her child to practice and learn more took him to the concert.
After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked over to greet her. Not realizing that her son would get up from his chair and go explore the concert hall. He made his way eventually to a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE."
About that time the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat only to discover that her son was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway piano on stage. But the even bigger surprise was guess who was sitting at the piano …. Her son. Not Paderewski whom everyone had come to see … but her little boy. She was horrified. About that time the little boy starting playing a song he had learned, twinkle, twinkle, little star …. His mother had no idea what to do when at that The great Paderewski, the grand master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy’s ear, "Don’t quit ... keep playing!!" Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child, and he added some notes and chords of his own … and suddenly it was amazing. Together, the old master and the little boy transformed a very frightening situation into a moment no one would ever forget.
That’s us. That’s you, me and God.
