A. THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT KNOWING YOUR PURPOSE
1. Without knowing your purpose, life will seem tiresome. “The sun still rises and it still goes down . . . the wind blows . . . round and round and back again. Every river flows into the sea . . .[then] the water returns to where the rivers began, and starts all over again. Everything leads to weariness . . .” (Ecc. 1:5-8, TEV).
2. Without knowing your purpose, life will seem unfulfilling. “No matter how much we see, we’re never satisfied; no matter how much we hear, we are not content. History merely repeats itself. Nothing is truly new . . .” (Ecc. 1:8b-9a, LB).
3. Without knowing your purpose, life will seem uncontrollable. “You can’t straighten out what is crooked; you can’t count things that aren’t there” (Ecc. 1:15, TEV).
B. WHAT DRIVES YOUR LIFE?
“I observed that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy!” (Ecc. 4:4, LB).
1. Many people are driven by guilt. “What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God cleaned their record” (Psa. 32:1, LB).
2. Many people are driven by resentment and anger. “To worry yourself to death with resentment would be a foolish, senseless thing to do” (Job 5:2, TEV).
3. Many people are driven by fear. “Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life – fear of death, fear of judgment – is one not yet fully formed in love” (I John 4:18, Msg).
4. Many people are driven by materialism. “Your value is not determined by your valuables.”
5. Many people are driven by their need for approval.
• “Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it”
• No one can serve two masters” (Matt. 6:24).
C. THE BENEFITS OF KNOWING YOUR PURPOSE
“. . . I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven” (Phil. 3:12b – 14, NLT).
1. Knowing the purpose of your life will give your life focus. “. . . I am focusing all my energies on this one thing . . .” (v. 13).
2. Knowing the purpose of your life will simplify your life. “. . . forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead” (v. 13). “You Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm” (Isa. 26:3, TEV).
3. Knowing the purpose of your life will increase motivation in your life. “. . . I strain to reach the end of the race . . .” (v. 14). “For I know the plans I have for you’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope’ (Jer. 29:11, LB).
4. Knowing the purpose of your life will prepare you for eternity. “. . . and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven” (v. 14).
“He has . . . set eternity in the hearts of men . . .” (Ecc. 3:11a, NIV).
D. MY PURPOSE IN LIFE
1. I must give my heart to Christ. “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment” (Matt. 22:37-38, NKJV).
2. I must live for Christ. “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21, NKJV).
3. I must yield my body to Christ. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2, NKJV).
4. I must see God’s plan in troubles. “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me’” (Luke 9:23, 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” (Rom. 8:28, NKJV).
5. I must use my talents. “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you” (I Peter 4:10, NLT).
6. I must witness to others. “But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NLT).
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God. Please contact me at eltowns@liberty.edu and tell us about your salvation experience so that we can rejoice with you.
