Purpose Driven Life: Finishing the Race (Part 1)

Ever wondered why you are here?

Have you wondered why God just didn’t take you home after you were saved instead of leaving you here? Or perhaps your mate died, and you wonder, “Why didn’t God take me at the same time?” Why am I here?

Every life has a purpose! Everyone is driven by something.

Job 7:6 The Message

6 My days come and go swifter than the click of knitting needles, and then the yarn runs out—an unfinished life!

Job 7:6 The Message

6 My days come and go swifter than the click of knitting needles, and then the yarn runs out—an unfinished life!

Job 7:6

Job 7:17 TEV

17 Why are human beings so important to you? Why pay attention to what they do?

If you would look up the word "drive" in a dictionary, you would find that it says "to guide, to control, or to direct." When you drive a car, you guide, control, direct it down the street. When you drive a nail, you drive, control, direct it into the wood. When you drive a golf ball – hopefully – you drive, control, direct it down the fairway.

;

The fact that you are alive, indicates a desire to live. Why do people want to live, when the years pass so quick and in the end many people think life was meaningless?

Why? The years pas so quick and in the end many people think life was meaningless!

All of us are driven to live. Even when life doesn’t make any sense!

But some are not driven by positive things—they are driven by guilt, or worry, or fear. Some people are driven by insecurity. Some people are driven by anger. Some people are driven all through life by resentment. Some people are driven by their past and they spend their whole lives running from their past. Some people are driven by their possessions and the desire to acquire more.

Some people are driven all through life by resentment. Some people are driven by their past and they spend their whole lives running from their past. Some people are driven by their possessions and the desire to acquire more. Some people are driven by their parents. Even twenty, thirty, forty years after leaving home, and maybe their parents are passed away, and they’re still trying to do what Mommy and Daddy would approve of.

Some people are driven by their parents. Even twenty, thirty, forty years after leaving home, and maybe their parents are passed away, and they’re still trying to do what Mommy and Daddy would approve of.

Some people are driven by insecurity. Some people are driven by anger. Some people are driven all through life by resentment. Some people are driven by their past and they spend their whole lives running from their past. Some people are driven by their possessions and the desire to acquire overwhelms them and they’re consumed by their consumables. Some people are driven by their parents. Even twenty, thirty, forty years later and maybe their parents are passed away they’re still trying to do what Mommy and Daddy would approve of.

What drives you?

What drives you? make a list ______________ _____________ ______________ _____________

I believe that God wants us to be purpose driven people, driven by His plan, His purpose for our lives. That’s where meaning and significance come.

I believe that God wants us to make sense out of life. He longs for us to come to Him and reason, even argue with Him! To be a people driven by passions and desires grounded in His purpose for our lives!

to be purpose driven people, driven by His plan, His purpose for our lives. That’s where meaning and significance come in.

Reason and argue with God? Isa 1:18

Isaiah 1:18 ESV

18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Isaiah 1:18 The Message

18 “Come. Sit down. Let’s argue this out.” This is God’s Message: “If your sins are blood-red, they’ll be snow-white. If they’re red like crimson, they’ll be like wool.

Is

Hebrew: “decide, dispute, prove, correct, argue”

I’m NOT telling you you’re going to win—but we are certainly told to come to Him and bring our case.

This week we start a 6 week series to help us find some answers to what drives us. Paul tells us, everyone runs the race of life which ends when they cross the finish line of death.

“Long ago, even before he made the world. God chose us to be his very own through what Christ would do for us… His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family be sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And he did this because he wanted to!” ()

The intent of this study is to evaluate how we are living life now and what we need to do to get where we want to be.

Ephesians 1:4–5 NLT

4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 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.

Know you are not a mistake and God is leading you to understand your purpose.

Proverbs 16:4 RSV

4 The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

prov

Your life is not a mistake—you were made for a purpose.

Everything God created has a purpose!The Bible teaches very clearly that God has never made anything without a purpose.

Everything! There’s a purpose for everything He creates which means if you’re alive, if your heart is beating, you are not an accident. Regardless of the circumstances of your birth, you are not an accident. Your parents may not have planned you but God did. And if you’re alive, He has a purpose for your life and a reason for your existence. You are not an accident.

Which means, if your heart is beating, you are not an accident. Regardless of the circumstances of your birth, you are not an accident. Your parents may not have planned you but God did. He has a purpose for your life and a reason for your existence. No one is an accident!

He creates which means if you’re alive, if your heart is beating, you are not an accident. Regardless of the circumstances of your birth, you are not an accident. Your parents may not have planned you but God did. And if you’re alive, He has a purpose for your life and a reason for your existence. You are not an accident.

This raised at least 3 questions...

Most people live their entire life and never answer those questions!

Every person lives at one of three levels...

1.SURVIVAL—just going from day to day, existing but not really living. 2.SUCCESS—doing well but not really feeling as if you’re making much of a difference 3.SIGNIFICANCE—knowing why you are here and making a lasting impact on those around you.

You will live life at one of three basic levels.

The first level, the lowest level is what I call the survival level.

Most people live in the survival mode. They get by in life. They’re not really living, they’re just existing. They put in their time, punch the time clock and live for the weekends. They never really have any major goals, major drive in life. They just get by. If you find yourself frequently fanaticizing about escaping to Tahiti you’re in this mode. That’s a telltale sign that you’re in this mode.

Most of you, probably everyone here, are in the second level, a little higher level I call the success level.

By the very nature that you live in America, means you’re in this group. Most of the world would love to have your problems. We worry about paying our mortgage. Other people worry about having food for their children for the next meal. Most people would love to have your problems in the world. At the success level you’ve got a comfortable lifestyle. You have achieved a certain level of success, your needs are met. You have a home. You have possessions. You have prestige. You have pleasures in your life – eat at restaurants, go to Starbucks, other pleasures of life. You’re at the success level. But I have a lot of people tell me, “I don’t understand it. If I’m so successful, why do I feel so unfulfilled? Why is there still a hole in my heart? Why do I still feel empty?”

Because SUCCESS alone does not fully satisfy—we often long for more, even when we don’t know what “more” is!

What we really want is SIGNIFICANCE!

Significance is when you know why you’re here on earth. You have a purpose for your life. You know that your life matters. You know that there is meaning behind what’s going on in your life. People who enjoy significance know what on earth they’re here for!

The tragedy is many people – in fact most people – have no idea what their purpose in life is. I had the opportunity to be around a lot of very successful people. Beneath the façade many successful people still feel insignificant. They don’t really feel significant on the inside.

The intent of this study is to allow you to assess where you are right now, so you can determine whether you are living in SURVIVAL, SUCCESS, or SIGNIFICANT mode. THEN, to help you figure out how to get where you want to be!

1. SURVIVAL: Just going from day to day, existing but not really living.

SURVIVAL—just going from day to day, existing but not really living.

The Survival level is the lowest level of living.

Most people live here just getting by in life. They’re not really living, they’re just existing.

They put in their time, punch the time clock, and live for the weekends. They never really have any major goals or passions. They just get by.

If you find yourself frequently fanaticizing about escaping instead of really escaping, to somewhere you’re in this mode.

2. SUCCESS: Doing well but not really feeling as if you’re making much of a difference

2.SUCCESS—doing well but not really feeling as if you’re making much of a difference 3.SIGNIFICANCE—knowing why you are here and making a lasting impact on those around you.

The success level is where most Americans live.

Most of the world would love to have our problems. We worry about paying our mortgage, while other people worry about having food for their children for the next meal.

At the success level you’ve got a comfortable lifestyle. You have achieved a certain level of success, your needs are met. You have a home. You have possessions. You have prestige. You have pleasures in your life – eat at restaurants, go to Starbucks, shop all you want. You’re at the success level.

But I’ve had many people tell me, “I don’t understand it. If I’m so successful, why do I feel so unfulfilled? Why do I still feel empty?” Because SUCCESS alone does not fully satisfy! We often long for more, even when we don’t know what “more” is!

Because SUCCESS alone does not fully satisfy—we often long for more, even when we don’t know what “more” is!

3. SIGNIFICANCE: Knowing why you exist, which results in making a lasting impact on those around you.

You will live life at one of three basic levels.

Significance is what most people really want!

Most people live in the survival mode. They get by in life. They’re not really living, they’re just existing. They put in their time, punch the time clock and live for the weekends. They never really have any major goals, major drive in life. They just get by. If you find yourself frequently fanaticizing about escaping to Tahiti you’re in this mode. That’s a telltale sign that you’re in this mode.

By the very nature that you live in America, means you’re in this group. Most of the world would love to have your problems. We worry about paying our mortgage. Other people worry about having food for their children for the next meal. Most people would love to have your problems in the world. At the success level you’ve got a comfortable lifestyle. You have achieved a certain level of success, your needs are met. You have a home. You have possessions. You have prestige. You have pleasures in your life – eat at restaurants, go to Starbucks, other pleasures of life. You’re at the success level. But I have a lot of people tell me, “I don’t understand it. If I’m so successful, why do I feel so unfulfilled? Why is there still a hole in my heart? Why do I still feel empty?”

Significance is when you know why you’re here on earth. You have a purpose for your life. You know your life matters. You know there is meaning behind what’s going on in your life. People who enjoy significance know why they exists!

What we really want is SIGNIFICANCE!

Significance is when you know why you’re here on earth. You have a purpose for your life. You know that your life matters. You know that there is meaning behind what’s going on in your life. People who enjoy significance know what on earth they’re here for!

The tragedy is most people have no idea what their purpose in life is or why they exist.

I had the opportunity to be around a lot of very successful people. Beneath the façade many successful people still feel insignificant. hey don’t really feel significant on the inside because success is never really enough! God did not make us to live just a successful life—He longs for us to live a significant life!

had the opportunity to be around a lot of very successful people. Beneath the façade many successful people still feel insignificant. They don’t really feel significant on the inside.

The intent of this study is to allow you to assess where you are right now, so you can determine whether you are living in SURVIVAL, SUCCESS, or SIGNIFICANT mode. THEN, to help you figure out how to get where you want to be!

There’s at least 4 benefits we can expect when we seek to understand our purpose… I can expect:

What are some side benefits we can expect?

If you don’t know your overall direction in life, daily decisions become very very difficult, because you have no basis, no basis at all, for making decisions. You make them haphazard. As that great theologian Alice in Wonderland once said, “If you don’t know where you’re headed, any road will get you there.”

Most people live by calendars, but they don’t give us direction! Frustration is reduced in life when we know our purpose and live life in alignment to our purpose. Knowing why I am here gives me the foundation to make decisions. I can say no to those things that are outside of my purpose and yes to those that fulfill it.

James says, “The double-minded man can never keep a steady course”

James says, “The double-minded man can never keep a steady course.” Most people don’t need another calendar; they need a compass!

Most people don’t need another calendar; they need a compass!

James 1:8 ESV

8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

james 1:8

Isaiah 49:4 ESV

4 But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God.”

is 49

Book: The Overworked American, talks about how Americans are overworked and that’s their big problem. But that’s not the real problem!

The real problem in America is meaningless work. People don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing. That produces a sense of hopelessness.

“I’ve labored to no purpose. I’ve spent my strength in vain and for nothing.”

Earlier in the book Isaiah (26:3 GN) says “God grants perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm.” Peace and purpose go together. If you don’t have a purpose in life you’re going to be awfully frustrated.

Peace and purpose go together. If you don’t have a purpose in life you’re going to be awfully frustrated.

Knowing my purpose will...

If I don’t have a purpose, why get out of bed? Why get up in the morning? Why make any effort?

Knowing your purpose gives a reason to get up! Most people die within 5 years of retirement because they have no purpose!

Knowing your purpose gives a reason to get up!

Most people die within 5 years of retirement because they have no purpose!

Job 7:6 The Message

6 My days come and go swifter than the click of knitting needles, and then the yarn runs out—an unfinished life!

Most people end life, wishing they had more time to do something significant!

Job 7:16 TEV

16 I give up; I am tired of living. Leave me alone. My life makes no sense.

A lot of people limp through life, week after week, same place, same thing They feel like Job felt. “My life drags by. Day after hopeless day. I’m tired of living. My life makes no sense.”

So how do you get motivated?

The secret to motivation—to more energy and enthusiasm, is to discover your life purpose. Knowing what God wants you to do, why He created you, is motivating!

Jer 29

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Open your Bibles to and look close! Circle “hope”. You’ve got to have hope to cope. That’s where you get enthusiasm. When you discover why God put you on this earth, your motivation level is going to go up dramatically.

Do you know where the word “enthusiasm” comes from? It comes from two Greek words: en and theos. En in Greek is the word “in” and theos is the word for “God”

When you get in God, en theos, you’re going to be naturally enthusiastic. When you get in the center of God’s plan for your life and you know “This is my niche. This is why I’m here on earth. This is where I fit.” You can’t help but be enthusiastic.

The Bible says that you cannot even imagine what God wants to do in your life!

Ephesians 3:20 The Message

20 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

That’s what God wants to do in your life. When you discover your plan, your purpose, your frustration will decrease, your motivation will increase!

Knowing my purpose will also produce a...

says that “God is able to do far more than we think or ask or imagine, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, hopes and dreams.” That’s what God wants to do in your life. Discover your plan, your purpose. Your frustration will decrease, your motivation will increase.

Do you agree with me that you don’t have time to do everything? Are any of you trying to do everything? Many people do. How do I know? They do not know how to say, “No.”

Do you agree with me that you don’t have time to do everything? Are any of you trying to do everything? Yes.

The world says, “You can have it all!” That’s a lie. You can’t have it all. It’s not true. You cannot have it all.

Selection is the name of the game and you have to choose what you’re going to build your life around. Don’t try to have it all. You can’t do everything in life.

The Good News is God doesn’t expect you to do everything in life. When you get a purpose, it allows you to focus, to concentrate your life. Your purpose defines your life. It eliminates distractions.

it defines not only what you do but what you don’t do. It eliminates a bunch of the trivia.

“Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then stick to the path. Don’t get sidetracked.”

Proverbs 4:25–26 The Message

25 Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. 26 Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you.

Pr 4:25-27

Proverbs 4:25–27 CEV

25 Keep looking straight ahead, without turning aside. 26 Know where you are headed, and you will stay on solid ground. 27 Don’t make a mistake by turning to the right or the left.

Philippians 3:13 The Message

13 Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus.

Knowing my purpose will...

People are attracted to people who know where they are going. Who know why they exist. Who know their purpose in life!

Let’s consider three know facts about the Christian Life:

Proverbs 11:27 The Message

27 The one who seeks good finds delight; the student of evil becomes evil.

Proverbs 1:27 The Message

27 What if the roof falls in, and your whole life goes to pieces? What if catastrophe strikes and there’s nothing to show for your life but rubble and ashes?

Nothing is quite as powerful as a life lived with purpose.

God made each of us for a purpose, because He doesn’t make anything without a purpose.

If you want to look at the people who have made the greatest impact in this world, they weren’t always the smartest or the wealthiest or the best educated. The people who’ve made the greatest impact were those who had purpose and passion.

God invested each of us with certain talents, abilities, and gifts. He placed within us desires, interests, and abilities He expects us to use to fulfill our purpose for existence.

They were passionate. Another word for that is conviction. Conviction rules the world. The people who have had the deepest convictions for right or for wrong are those who have made the greatest difference in this world. They have believed what they’ve believed. They had a purpose that they were passionate about.

One day God is going to ask for a return on His investment in us!

Someday I will die and God will ask me how I used the resources He provided to me.

God expects a return on each investment. He didn’t just give us talents, abilities, and gifts to waste on ourselves.

He didn’t give you the freedom you have, the opportunities you have, the abilities, the giftedness, the special things that you can do just to live a selfish little life. He wants you to use them for the purpose He designed them for.

He wants you to use them for the purpose He designed them for!

c cor 5:10

2 Corinthians 5:10 The Message

10 Sooner or later we’ll all have to face God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take what’s coming to us as a result of our actions, either good or bad.

One day God’s going to do an audit on your life. He going to give you a Final Exam!

"We will all stand before God's judgment... then each of us will give an account of himself to God."

I’m telling you in advance what two questions on the final exam will be.

1. “What did you do with My Son, Jesus Christ?”

He’s not going to ask what denomination you were. He’s not going to say, Were you Baptist? Were you a Catholic? He’s not going to say, Were you a Buddhist or Moslem or Mormon or…. He’s going to say, “What did you do with My Son, Jesus Christ?

I sent Him to earth so you could have a relationship with Him.”

I hope you know the answer to that question: “I accepted Jesus Christ into my life and heart. I developed a relationship with Him as my Lord and my Boss, my CEO. He guided me through life."

The second question He’s going to ask is, “What did you do with all the talents that I gave you? Your life, your opportunity, your time, your energy? Did you just spend it on yourself or did you use it for the purpose on earth I created you.? What did you do with what I gave you?”

2. The second question He’s going to ask is, “What did you do with all the talents, abilities, and gifts I gave you? Your life, your opportunity, your time, your energy? Did you just spend it on yourself or did you use it for the purpose I created you for? What did you do with what I gave you?”

Your life, your opportunity, your time, your energy? Did you just spend it on yourself or did you use it for the purpose on earth I created you.? What did you do with what I gave you?”

I can image it’s going to be extremely embarrassing for some people to say, “Sorry. I never took the time to discover why I was here on earth.” That’s the wrong answer. Very wrong.

What now? How about some practical things we can do to prepare...

Start with a life assessment: ask yourself some questions...

What do I enjoy doing?

The Lord often directs us with our passions—those things that give up meaning and satisfaction and benefit others.

What has driven my life so far?

Often, what you are doing now is preparing you for what you will do later.

Has it been guilt? Fear? Worry? Resentment? Your past? Other people? Making money? What’s been driving my life so far?

ILLUS: The man who getting an engineering degree, and had a passion for working with youth and children and building things. His passion was in teaching kids how to build things out of wood!

READ and consider some more questions:

What is the first thing I think of when I wake in the morning?

What is my greatest fear?

How do I want to be remembered?

Do an assessment and discover your passion! Next week, I’ll ask you to share some of your answers.

As you enter into the question understand some basic truths:

Believe God is not finished with you. If He were you would be dead! Some of you are still here because you’re not doing what Hw wants and He is giving you the opportunity to make the correction before your Final Exam!

Accept God’s plan for your life. His plan may not be your plan, but remember it’d NOT your life—it’s His life. He owns you lock, stock, and barrel! Your life is not your own, Jesus purchased it with His blood and sacrifice!

Ephesians 2:10 The Message

10 No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Closing: Lord, lead to understand Your purpose for us, then grace us the courage and strength in Christ Jesus to do it! Amen.

Ephesians 3:10 ESV

10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Purpose Driven Life: Finishing the Race (Part 1)

FINISHING THE RACE: with purpose (Part 1)

Why did God leave me here?

“The Lord has made everything for his own purpose…” (LB)

What is my purpose? Why am I here? Where am I going?

Why am I here?

Where am I going?

3 Levels of Living

Four Benefits

1. Reduced frustration

2. Increase motivation

3. More focused life

4. Prepare me to face God

Practical Exercises