Predestined for Purpose

Eph. 1: 4-12 (NIV)

God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world, setting us apart to be holy and blameless before Him in love. This divine selection was not random, but purposeful—He predestined us to be adopted into His family as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ. This adoption is not based on our own merit, but is entirely according to the good pleasure of His will. As a result, we are called to live lives that reflect His grace, knowing that we are fully accepted and beloved by God. All of this leads us to praise and glorify Him for the grace that has embraced us and made us part of His family. according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 11 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, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. Only when you have a relationship with God you get the revelation of your purpose. Introduction: Having said that with our theme in mind, I want read Eph. 1: 13 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Praise the Lord that we are Predestined for Purpose even while we were sinners. You can shout now!! Esther was predestined for purpose to stop the plot to execute her people. Hannah predestined for purpose of birth of Samuel after her womb was closed. Mentor by Eli and told him of the sins of his house by his sons, who also anointed David as King. The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you (predestined) you to be a prophet to the nations. Elizabeth who birth John who was the forerunner for Jesus. Mary was born for purpose as a young teenager impregnated by the Holy Spirit to birth the Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Predestined for purpose. Here’s the kicker…If you are constantly looking and living in, what’s behind you, you will never reach your destiny! When you are reliving your past you cannot out your future. You will not live into your destiny that which is before you. Your destiny is not behind you in the past, it is what is set before you. Some of the biggest hinderance is that we have, is the inability to let go of what’s behind us. And as long as it has a grip on you, on your mind, your thinking , your decision-making. How can you ever live in your destiny? That is why Apostle Paul said I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward (not behind) but forward to those things which are ahead (not behind) but ahead, 14 I press toward the goal (I have never seen anyone press backwards) I press for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, that which God has predestined for my life, choosing to look forward to what has not yet been and trust in God in the process of your journey. But let me be clear, it may not and will not always be pleasant. 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. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. When we fully embodied this, realizing that our lives were created for God’s good pleasure, for his purposes, his plans therefore, we must look forward (forward) to the future with the new mercy which God has granted me with for today, keeping my eyes fixed on the Lord and his promises. Destiny often suggests a future that includes something great and important. You cannot reach greatness without serving in the presence and with mental distractions from behind, past hurts, past disappointments, past shame. It all happened for a purpose greater than you. For when I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy of being compared with the (destiny) the glory which shall be revealed in us. Shout glory!! As a test subject, let us examine the story of a widow and her olive oil in 2 Kings 4: 1- 7 “A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” 2 So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So, the oil ceased. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.” Many of us can relate to this woman. The widow of a prophet finds herself in dire financial need following the death of her husband. With creditors threatening to take her two sons as slaves to settle her debts, she is in a state of desperation and despair. Fortunately, a group of women (Alabaster women) from the community gathers around the widow’s home, offering their support and comfort during this trying time. Elisha, the prophet, had a close relationship with the widow’s late husband. He is moved with compassion and decides to intervene and asked her, “what shall I do for you” and tell me what do you have in the house? We may think that we what we have is not much but God can multiply it God can use small things for great things God can use our pain for purpose God can use our mess as a message and every test as a testimony what do you have in your house that's a question you can ask yourself or ask the woman next to you but she says in response nothing in the house but a jar of oil. And if we understand the significance of oil how oil flowed for Aaron's beard the jar of oil is all she needed. The alabaster woman poured out oil to anoint the feet of Jesus. there is some significance to the oil when it's been poured out. But we have to be willing to be poured out when we are predestined for purpose. The Olives must be crushed into a paste, then you force the oil to separate from the solids and water. We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. The crushing produces the oil that God can use. Elisa told her to go borrow vessels (jars) from everywhere from all your neighbor’s empty vessel and do not just get a few again as many as you can. Thank God she had support of her community. But, we can imagine in our day that some neighbors were wondering why this woman was sending her children to collect empty jars, empty vessels what is she up to now we know our husband just died, and Lord have mercy now she has a children out here collecting jars, maybe she's trying to save them sell them for some money, you know last year the car was repossessed and every week we see her standing in line for food and I heard she took a severance package when trump cancel the FBI positions.  So, I imagine that is why the prophet instructs her to shut the door behind you. because some things are a closed-door situation. You have to shut out the naysayers, shut out negativity, shut out the gossipers, shut out the nosy neighbors, and close the door to the unbelievers when you are in between a blessing in between your destiny you do not need any distraction you need to shut the door. She followed the instructions and the words of the prophet. She began to pour the oil she had in her jar into all the vessels she borrowed and set them aside. She kept pouring and filling them up as they brought one as they brought two as they brought another. And since she had just one jar of oil, she must have poured a little drop or drops. After a while, there was not another vessel, and it was at that point that the oil ceased—miraculously filling them all. Once all the vessels are filled, Elijah tells her to sell the oil to pay her debts and to live on the rest. God does not only meet our immediate needs, but He gives us more than enough for future. He will provide for those who trust Him and who are obedient in times of need. You might be looking at your situation right now trying to figure out the next regardless of age,  we are in constant search of the next, evolving to our destiny and yet because of our current condition it may not look like much but you must have faith in God that He has predestined you for purpose from the foundation of the world regardless of what you see, feel, or what you have gone through and experience, 1 Cor. 2: 9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man or woman The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” You are predestined for purpose, and you have the anointing of the oil that has been poured in you by the Holy Spirit. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Conclusion: When we are predestined for purpose, this story teaches us about the importance of helping those in need, showing compassion even when the situation seems impossible—as we are on our path to our destiny. We cannot neglect to help lift up another sister or brother. We can trust God to provide for us by seeking Him first, obeying His guidance, and having faith that He is able to meet our needs. When we acknowledge our dependence on Him and submit to His will, we can be assured that He will always come through for us in His perfect timing and in ways that exceed our expectations. God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world, setting us apart to be holy and blameless before Him in love. This divine selection was not random, but purposeful for His good pleasure—He predestined us to be adopted into His family as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ.Amen.