Introduction to the Purpose Driven Life 40 Days Study
Message Presented by Bob Koehler at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station
For the Military Community Christian Community
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Responsive Reading
I will love You, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.
Psalm 18:1-3 (NKJV)
Sermon Outline & Notes
On the back page of your worship folder is an outline with a place to take notes and fill in some blanks.
Let’s open our Bibles to the Book of Ephesians Chapter 1 and read verses 3 through 6:
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Eph 1:3-6 (NKJV)
Welcome to 40 Days of Purpose. We’re ready to start on an exciting journey that will take us through the next 7 weeks. Today we’re going to look at life’s three greatest questions: 1) The question of existence – why am I alive? 2) the question of significance – does my life matter? and 3) the question of intention – what is my purpose?
LIFE’S 3 GREATEST QUESTIONS:
1. QUESTION OF EXISTENCE: WHY AM I ALIVE?
Now this first question, the “Question of Existence: Why am I alive?” is not exactly a new question. It was asked thousands of years ago. In fact, 7 centuries before the birth of Christ, Jeremiah asked this question in Jeremiah 20:18, “Why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and sorrow, That my days should be consumed with shame? Jer. 20:18 (NKJV)
Now there have probably been times in your life when you felt that way, too. Was I born just to have a bunch of problems? Was I put on this planet just to have heartache, grief and stress? Jeremiah is essentially asking: “Why was I born? Was it only to have trouble and sorrow, to end my life in disgrace?” Jer. 20:18 (TEV)
Science Fiction writer Arthur Ashley Brilliant said “my life is a superb cast, but I can’t figure out the plot.” Jack Hanley, is an American writer and was a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1991-2003. He wrote, “I hope life isn’t a joke, because I don’t get it.”
Everything that we see both as good and also things we may see as bad have some kind of purpose. In the Book of Proverbs we read:
“The Lord has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.” Prov. 16:4 (NKJV)
The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster. Pr. 16:4 (NLT)
So “The Lord has made everything for His own purpose…” Prov. 16:4a (GW)
It’s for His purpose. Now God has never made anything without a purpose. Every rock has a purpose, every plant has a purpose, every animal has a purpose and you have a purpose. The truth is God has many purposes for your life. In the next 40 days we’re going to look in detail at five of those purposes. Five of the reasons God put you on this planet.
Today, though, I just want us to see God’s motive.
Lets look at our Scripture from Ephesians again in Verse 4 … “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,”
The idea here is: “Long before He laid down earth's foundations, He had us in mind, and settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love.” Eph. 1:4 (Msg)
If you don’t get anything else as we start this 40 days study, I want you to understand this, God says He made you, to love you. God made you to love you. You might want to write that down in the blank space on the outline. Why did God create me? Write this down… I was created to be loved by God. God is love and God wanted to create someone to love and so He created you. He really didn’t need you. He wasn’t lonely. But He made you in order to love you..Because He wanted you..And before we can talk about anything else, you have to understand that this is what on earth you’re here for–to be loved by God.
I WAS CREATED TO BE LOVED BY GOD.
2. QUESTION OF SIGNIFICANCE: DOES MY LIFE MATTER?
The second key question of life is the “Question of Significance: Does my life matter?” Isaiah asked this question in Isaiah 49:4a. Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain;…
“My work all seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and for no purpose at all.” Isa. 49:4a (NLT)
But he goes on in the same verse to conclude:
Yet surely my just reward is with the Lord, And my work with my God.’” Is. 49:4 (NKJV)
You were made for meaning, and if you don’t have a meaning and purpose in your life and you don’t know why God put you on this planet, life just does not make sense.
Elsewhere the prophet Isaiah tells us:
“Thus says the Lord who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: ‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring; Is. 44:2-3
“I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.” Isa. 44:2 (CEV)
During World War II, there were prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp in Hungary, that were put to work in a factory. The allies came along, bombed that factory and blew it apart. So the prisoners had nothing to do. The Nazi soldiers had the prisoners take all the rubble of that factory and move it to another field. The next day, they had them take that same rubble and move it back in reverse. The next day, they had to take that stuff and move it back and day after day they had no meaning, no purpose. It was just work doing the same thing over and over with no meaning and no purpose. Then something strange began to happen. The prisoners began to go crazy. They began to lose their will to live because there was no meaning, no purpose in their work. They were just moving bricks back and forth, back and forth. Many of them began to throw themselves in front of the guards trying to get shot. In essence, trying to commit suicide.
I had a very similar experience when I was running tugboats. We were asked to move a barge to a certain oil dock and load a particular product, then take it to another dock and discharge the cargo into the shore tanks. Then we received orders to load the same product back on the barge and take it back to the dock where we loaded it and discharge it there. The company never told us why, they just said: "do it." We felt like we were just spinning our wheels. This is because our brains are hard wired by God. We know that we were made for meaning and purpose.
In our Scripture reading for today notice verses 5 & 6: “5having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Jesus Christ wants to adopt and accept each one of us. We can be part of God’s family if we desire to find God’s purposes for our life.
In the Book of Psalms we read: Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Ps. 139: 16-17 (NKJV)
Another way of stating this is … “You... scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!” Ps. 139:16 (LB)
Psalm 33 tells us: The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations. Ps. 33:11 (NKJV)
The idea here is that God’s "His plans endure forever; his purposes last eternally." Ps. 33:11 (GN)
So if we are part of God’s plan and His purposes last forever then you can write this in the blank on your outline: God says, “I was made to last forever.”
I WAS MADE TO LAST FOREVER.
I was made to be loved by God, and I was made to last forever. This life is not all there is. One of the biggest ways you can waste your life is thinking that all there is, is here and now. You are going to spend far more time on that side of death, than you do on this side. On this side, you may get to live 60, 70, 80 or 90 years or so. But that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. It’s like if you stretched out a line from Tokyo to Los Angeles, across the Pacific Ocean. The first millimeter of that line would not even equal how tiny your life is compared to all the time you’re going to spend in eternity. You were made for eternity and this life is preparation for eternity. You’re not going to find that in a self-help book, but it’s the truth. Life is preparation for eternity and in the next 40 days we are going to discover how to prepare, because this is not all there is. This is the key to the meaning of life. Realizing that life on earth is preparation for life in eternity. The Bible says this:
“1For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 1 Cor. 5:1 (NKJV) God is preparing new resurrection bodies for us!
A more contemporary translation might be: “When this tent we live in—our body here on earth—is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever.” 2 Cor. 5:1 (TEV)
How do we get there to Heaven and in our new bodies. Proverbs tells us: “Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.” Pr. 9:6 (NKJV)
Another way of stating this might be to “Leave your impoverished confusion and live! Walk up the street to a life with meaning." Prov. 9:6 (Msg)
It is extremely and eternally important that we discover how to find the purpose and meaning God wants us to have.
Jesus spent quite a bit of time during his ministry explaining in great detail what specifics He would like to see in our lives and also what He does not want to see in us. After one such message to His disciples about what NOT to do He concluded with these words:
“And these (speaking of those people who were NOT fulfilling God’s purpose) will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Mt. 25:46 (NKJV) Which direction are you going right now?
3. QUESTION OF INTENTION: WHAT IS MY PURPOSE?
Next comes the third question, the “Question of Intention: What is my purpose?”
(Discussion of why we need to know our “purpose” using three electrical devices as illustrations. What happens if we connect something to the wrong voltage?)
So what is my purpose? What on earth am I here for? And that’s what we’re going to spend 40 days looking at. In Psalm 89:47 David asked the question “For what futility have You created all the children of men?” Ps 89:47b (NKJV) Who is David talking to when he says that, himself? No, he’s talking to God.
He is basically asking: “Why did you create us? For nothing?” Ps. 89:47 (NCV)
One of the greatest, atheist philosophers of the last century, Bertrand Russell, an Englishman said .. (Now remember he was an atheist and at least he was intellectually honest enough to say this) … he said, “Unless you assume the existence of God, the question of life’s meaning and purpose is irrelevant.” You see, if there is no God, if you’re just a freak chance of nature, if you came from just some complex pond scum – guess what? – Your life doesn’t matter.
Let’s turn in our Bibles to the very first page of the Book of Genesis and read with me the very first words in the first verse in the entire Bible:
“1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Gen. 1:1
The Bible begins with the statement that God created everything. Then if you move down the page to Verses 27 & 28 you find: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
So you are not descended from some pond scum … God made you and He gave you a job to do.
The Bible tells us in the 1st verse of Psalm 14 that: The fool has said in his heart, “(There is) no God.” The words “There is” were used for clarification in the English translation. The literal translation from Hebrew is: “The fool has said in his heart … NO God.” You do not want to be someone who rejects God and his purposes for your life because there are eternal consequences.
King Solomon was David’s Son. During his reign he was the richest and wisest man in the entire world. Success spoiled him and he had many problems later on in His life. He had it all yet he stumbled and did not completely fulfill what God could have done with him had he been obedient. But … He did learn an important and expensive lesson which he shares with us. In the Book of Proverbs King Solomon tells us: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Pr. 9:10 (NKJV)
What does in mean to fear God? Well, first of all …
Fearing God does not mean being terrified of him. Knowing God increases reverent fear. To fear the Lord is to recognize God for who he is: God is loving and merciful. He is also holy, almighty, righteous, pure, all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-wise. When we regard God correctly, we gain a clearer picture of ourselves: we are sinful, weak, frail, and needy. When we recognize who God is and who we are, we will fall at his feet in humble respect. Only then will he show us how to choose His way of accomplishing His purposes for our lives.
Fearing God leads to knowing him more fully. “Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him.” God offers intimate and lasting friendship to those who revere him, who hold him in highest honor. What relationship could ever compare with having the Lord of all creation for a friend? Your everlasting friendship with God will grow as you revere him.
In essence God is telling us through Solomon that … "Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding." Pr. 9:10b (LB)
So…Write this down in the blank on your outline. I find my purpose by getting to know God. It all starts with God.
I FIND MY PURPOSE BY GETTING TO KNOW GOD.
We need to know God because we are told in the Book of Colossians: For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Col. 1:16
In a nutshell this means “For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible … everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.” Col 1:16 (Msg)
If God is our creator (and the Bible says He is) then we are ultimately responsible to Him.
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, Eph. 1:11 (NKJV)
Paul is telling us that “It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for... part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.” Eph. 1:11 (Msg)
God considers 40 days to be a significant time period. In fact, in the Bible, when God wanted to prepare people for His purposes, He often took 40 days. For instance:
· Noah’s life was transformed during 40 days of rain;
· Moses’ life was transformed during 40 days on Mount Sinai;
· The spies were transformed while spending 40 days in the Promise Land;
· Part of David’s transformation happened because of Goliath’s 40-day challenge;
· The city of Nineveh was transformed in 40 days and decided to repent of their sins;
· Jesus was empowered for ministry while spending 40 days in the desert;
· And the disciples were transformed during their 40 days with Jesus after His resurrection.
I am confident that if you participate with us the 40 days of Purpose study your life will be transformed.
Why do we need to know God?
We will live forever. Our bodies will eventually pass away, but our spirit and soul live on. At some point in the future God promises us new, resurrection bodies. After our life on earth there are only two possible destinations. Eternal life with God or eternal separation away from Him.
In our Scripture verses for today in Ephesians 1:3 we read: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”
So the big question is … Are you “in Christ?” This verse is telling us that we are only blessed with every spiritual blessing” if and only if we are “in Christ.”
You see … Eternal life (or Heaven) is a free gift. God wants you to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Heaven is a perfect place and in order to be accepted there Jesus tells us we must be perfect.
“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Mat. 5:48 (NKJV)
But we all know that right here- right now, we are not perfect. We know that in the world there are all sorts of problems. These are primarily the result of something God calls sin.
What is sin? Sin is doing something that God has told us not to do. And … Sin is also NOT doing what God has said we must do.
Paul says in Romans…”for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Rom. 3:23
How many of you have ever had to qualify with small arms out at the range? The Greek word for sin is hamartia. It is an archery term. Today we can relate that to the Rifle range: Sin is anything except dead center!!! How hard is that? Can you shoot in the exact center of the target every single time? I’ve held an NRA certification as an Expert marksman and Rifle Instructor and I know I can’t.
Even though we are sinners … God is merciful and does not want to punish us. The Bible tells us that “God is love” 1 Jn. 4:8b (NKJV)
But … God is just and must punish our sin. He is “keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, (BUT) by no means clearing the guilty,” Ex 34:7 (NKJV)
This presents a real problem. How can God be both merciful and just at the same time? Well … God is big enough to solve any problem and He solved this problem through Jesus Christ.
Jesus is both 100% God & 100% man at the same time.
The Gospel of John tells us:
1In the beginning was the Word (THAT’S JESUS), and the Word was with God, and the Word (JESUS) was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through Him (JESUS), and without Him nothing was made that was made. … 14And the Word (JESUS) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-3 & 14 (NKJV)
Jesus (God in the flesh), became a man, died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins and purchase a place in Heaven for us.
All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Is. 53:6 (NKJV)
(Book Illustration of how Jesus took our sin on Himself tied in with Is. 53:6)
It sort of looks sort of like this. When I was stationed on the Minesweeper USS Implicit and one of the crew did something wrong he got written up and went to Captain’s Mast. If he was guilty he received a punishment or had to pay a fine. Let’s suppose that I did something wrong and got fined by the Captain, but then the Captain said: “I’ll pay your fine for you.” He takes out his wallet, gives the money to Disbursing Officer who marks our account “Paid In Full.” If you are Army – think of being found guilty at a Court Martial and having General Combs from the Joint Forces Training Center offer to serve your sentence for you!!!
We are guilty of sin. The Bible tells us: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom. 6:23 (NKJV)
Jesus, the righteous judge has declared that there is a penalty that must be paid for our sin. And Jesus our merciful Savior took off His robes of office, came to earth, became a man just like us, lived a sinless life, went to the cross and died in our place … in your place.
The free gift of eternal life has been paid for, it is available to all, but it is not automatic.
John’s Gospel tells us: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12 (NKJV)
Now you might remember back in the Book of Genesis that God originally created man in His image. The next question might be – well, If I was created in God’s image…why do I need permission to be a child of God. When Adam and Eve sinned - man’s fellowship with God was broken. We inherited a sin nature and we need God’s forgiveness to restore the broken relationship.
So how do we go about obtaining forgiveness and becoming part of God’s forever family?
Jesus answered this for us in the first sermon He ever preached. In Mark 1:14 we read - Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
If you’ve ever been a part of a unit that marched or watched a drill team you know what the word “Repent” means. It is the same as “About Face!” Jesus says we need to turn away from our sin and towards Him in faith.
Now this might seem hard to do. In fact many people mistakenly believe that you have to work hard to get to Heaven. They think that God grades on a curve and if they do enough good works they might have a chance of getting in. But that is not God’s plan… Jesus said:
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6:29 (NKJV) Who is the one we need to believe in? Jesus Christ.
How do we do this? By faith in Jesus. But this faith is not just head knowledge. We need to transfer our complete trust from anything we have ever done or could ever do in the future that we think might earn God’s favor and place our faith in Jesus Christ alone for our eternal life.
(Sitting in the chair illustration of what really constitutes faith)
The Bible says in the Book of Romans “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Rom. 10:9-10 (NKJV)
I realize that all of us here today are at different stages in our spiritual journey. That doesn’t matter. Everyone is on a spiritual journey whether they realize it or not. Some of you may be seekers, some of you might no be sure if you buy the whole idea of Jesus and Christianity, some may be new believers and some may have been Christians for a long time. That’s Great! We’re all going to have the chance go through this journey together, no matter what stage you are in. Some of you are strong believers, and you’re going to be able to go deeper with God than you’ve ever gone before and you’re going to bring others along, too. Regardless of where you are in your spiritual journey, listen to what God says in His word: …in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. Acts 10:35b (NKJV)
The idea here is that “It makes no difference who you are or where you're from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open.” Acts 10:35 (Msg)
When I was in 7th and 8th grade I worked at the YMCA in Canton, Ohio. One of the directors there had a sign on his all that I still remember today. It read “always be ready to give up what you are today for what you can become tomorrow.” This speaks of action. Are you ready to take action by turning away from the things you are doing which are not pleasing to God and discovering what His purpose for your life?
Let’s bow our heads – You know God had a purpose in bringing you here today. He wants you to know Him and He wants you to know His purposes for you. Let’s talk to Him right now…
“Heavenly Father, I realize that if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be alive. But because you made me, I know that you have a purpose for me. I admit that I have focused on my plans for my life, not yours. But I want to know your purposes for me, so I commit myself to learning more about you and your plan. Thank you that you made me so you could love me. Thank you that you cared for me even when I didn’t know you. Thank you that I was made to last forever. I want a life filled with meaning. I want to start by getting to know you better. So, right now, I turn away from my sins and I turn towards you. Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for me and purchasing my place in Heaven. To the best of my understanding, I ask you, Jesus Christ, to come into my life and help me to know your purposes for me. I want to take the first step today. In your name I pray, Amen.”
Thank you for joining us today. May God Richly Bless Your Life!
Material for this message drawn from Sermon Notes of Rick Warren from Saddleback Church and from The Handbook of Bible Application Edited by Neil S. Wilson. Most Scripture verses are from the New King James Version. BestOfTheWebShopping.Com is a good source for Christian Books and Music.
