Purpose

Grace's father again. We thank you and we just are excited to get into your word and we pray that is we do so that your spirit would be truly leading and guiding our hearts and every way we want to remember Tanya as we pray that you would continue to heal her body and give her strength and energy and feeling that restorative power that you were looking. We pray that your spirit would be touching me it is I open my mouth. I would be speaking your words and your words alone for you open the strength and apart from you. Nothing is accomplished. It needs to be bless us. Oh Lord in this time. amen Well, we've been going over this month taking a look at God's great gifts to us and the first greatest gift of all the gift of Salvation that God has given us and that's the wonderful thing for each and every one of us last week. We looked at is something that those who have called upon his name that if given their hearts and their lives over to Jesus Christ have the nobody else in this world has And in the last last 2 weeks, we will look at today purpose and then next week the idea of Hope and those are very important things for our lives as we move along because those are the things that keep us from discouragement in this life. We can look at all the things that are going wrong in our world and yet still have and we still have hope because we know Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior and that's a powerful thing that other people don't have it. What is what keeps us going in this life. Did we have those things we're going to look today at the idea purpose. Purpose describes for us the meaning of our effort in life. You know, why do we do things what's important about our life? And one of the things that purpose gives to the Christian then it doesn't give to the rest of the world is that God has given us something for us to do that is in Eternal value. That isn't just a value for this life, you know, we can have purpose in the things that we do outside of God. I went to school and I study to be a teacher and it was very important to me because I wanted to have an influence over the lives of young people as they prepared to go out in July. And it was very important in it. That's a great purpose.

and hopefully it went Eternal purpose and it did but it is not an eternal purpose. I coached because I thought that that was a great Avenue to touch hearts and lives of the young people to help them be prepared to go out and to face life with the understanding of what's to be successful. And it's a very important purpose but it doesn't necessarily change people's lives. It depends on what I put into it and what anybody puts into it. It might change somebody's why. When we have a purpose in the desire in our hearts to make a difference in people's lives that is fulfilling God's purpose for us. And so when we look at it today, hey, that's what we're going to be looking for the idea of real purpose in our lives because Jesus Christ is our Lord and our savior. It's not for anybody else in the world. You know, somebody as a Buddhist cannot change anybody's future lie. We can. We can't change them but we can allow God to use us to change them. So let's start it off. We're going to take a look at the Great Commission. So if you went to Matthew 28 verses 19 and 20, it gives us the Great Commission. I'm actually going to start Converse the middle of Versailles 2018 because this is Jesus speaking. This is giving the disciples but he's also giving each and every person who actually comes to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. This is the purpose for our lives and it's what makes a difference not only in your life but in the lives of others because God doesn't just take us out of this life when we become Christians and say, okay they did the right thing. They're coming home to me know. He leaves us here for a reason. Jesus says all authority in heaven and on Earth has been given to me. In other words. He has all the authority that is there therefore go and make disciples of all Nations and other words help people to understand and know there is a problem in their lives and they need a solution in that solution is Jesus Christ. He's the Lord is the savior. That's what he saying here. Of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the father and the song Lee Spirit In other words helping them to understand that the airlines need to reveal the presence of God in their life and they do throw so through the activity of being baptized in the name of God himself and then it says and teaching them to obey everything. I have commanded you in other words tell people about Jesus Christ will talk about that as we go along and surely I am with you always the very end of the age in other words. I'm not sending you out all by yourself to take care of this plan, but I'm going to go with you and I'm going to give you strength and energy and focus for all that you were doing. I am there with you. And so that is what God's commission to you and is it gives that purpose and we're going to examine the whole idea of purpose in three different areas today. We're going to first of all look at purpose. No, Jesus Christ, that is the greatest purpose. We have we talked about salvation, but it Carries On from salvation. So to know Jesus Christ. That's the greatest gift. We're going to talk about teaching others to know Jesus Christ.

And understand him. And then finally, we'll take a look at preaching to others to help them know Jesus Christ. There's a difference between the teaching in the preaching and I'll explain that but first of all, we want to talk about knowing Jesus Christ knowing Jesus Christ is the most powerful thing that can happen because it truly changes Our Lives as we read earlier from 2nd Corinthians. It makes us new a new creation new creatures that are different because God is with us. Paul talks about that in Philippians chapter 3. It's a a great chapter where he is speaking of the importance of rejecting those things that they don't make a difference in taking on those things that truly make a difference in our lives and then transferring that over to others and he he starts It Off by explaining what he had become as a a Pharisee in all the real positives that man would look at it. Say Wow, this guy is pretty awesome. He says these things about that. Chapter 3 verse 8 Olympians. What is more I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ. You see that's the call that God has for each and every one of our lives. That knowing Christ is the most important most valuable thing that you have in this life and it changes every other aspect of your life. If you were truly walking with and following Jesus Christ. It's going to change your life because you're going to be taking him on as part of your character. And that will improve your relationships that will improve your marriage. That will improve your connection with other people. Knowing Jesus Christ is absolutely important for our lives. It's the greatest boast that we can have all cries out and says if that's the big boost in 2nd Corinthians, but you know, even before Paul did this way back in Jeremiah. God says it says, it's Jeremiah 9:24. He says but let him who boasts boast about this video understands and knows me that I am the Lord who energize exercises kindness Justice and righteousness on the earth for in these I Delight declares the Lord.

For these are the life declares the Lord.

He says two things there. Maybe you didn't catch it. Maybe you did understanding and knowledge. You know understanding is reading about something and knowing how to do it, but it's not really doing it. Okay. I can read and understand how to fix a carburetor in my car. I've done that. And it sucks.

But I actually did it once and I ended up with three extra parts at the end still ran it still start it. But but I didn't know how to do it until I actually went through the process of doing it. Okay, so there's a difference I can understand God I can read about him in the Bible. I can understand who he is and what he does but is still on until I start involving my life into who he is. It doesn't make any difference. It doesn't make any difference. he ends up saying about himself that he is kindness and Justice and righteousness and what he wants is for us to understand that these those things but also become take them in and perform those things who are lots he wants us to be involved in who he is. And so he calls us to those things. It is the path of life that God wants for each and every one of us and we need to examine our lots and look and say am I truly walking at am I doing what God has called me to do. Am I drawing close to him to know him and understand him and then participate by doing the things he does. Paul continues on in Philippians chapter 3 verses 10 and 11. He says I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in the suffering becoming like him in his death and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead. In other words, I want to understand who he is by allowing my life to be involved in all the activities that come my way whether their worldly good or worldly evil bad. They are part of what God brings into my life. And it helps me understand him and know him better when I choose to participate in any of those activities as he would. When his character becomes a part of my character and therefore I can look forward. to being with him that I can recognize his death as being part of my death and his resurrection is being a part of my resurrection. Because God Jesus Christ.

Who we know?

Because we follow him through the gospels and through the Epistles. He's the Living God and he's the one that we want to imitate in our lives. We want his image to be a part of our image and sew in the fusions chapter 5. We see the image of perfection.

And it says be it imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children and live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave him self up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

In other words, this is the goal. You know and sometimes we kind of forget about that as we get caught up in our week, you know, is is that truly my goal am I seeking God as I ought to am I looking to him each and every day in each and every circumstance and saying okay. This is where God has brought me. How do I use this? How do I implement this as an image in the imitation of Jesus Christ in my life? And that's what he say. Did God needs to be a part of each of those circumstances of Our Lives? That's knowing Jesus Christ. That's the most important thing. because it leads into the all the other things that we are going to take a look at the next issue is to teach Jesus teach Jesus and this is for God's people. This is not to teach Jesus to others.

We help others understand Jesus will look at that as we talked about preach Jesus, but this is to teach Jesus in our lives. And we think well, I'm not really a teacher. I can't really do those things. Well, this isn't just about teaching in terms of teaching kids through the Avenue of of a teacher itself. There are a lot of other ways. There are a lot of other options that you can use to present Jesus Christ through your life. There's a lot of opportunities around here yard working cooking finances music prayer all these are activities that we can use to help others. Understand and know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. So the teaching option isn't just teaching a Sunday school class or something like that or getting up here in preaching. There are so many other things that God has given us to help us understand but it's really important and Paul goes through this and if these hands and he's talking about well initially, it's God's gift to you and to all to myself and and he's saying that God wants to use these and verses 12 and 13 to prepare God's people for works of service. So that the body of Christ maybe build up until we reach unity in the face. And in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Okay, that's the highest level that we all demonstrate that issue. And each one of us is involved in this activity. I'm involved in it. And so are you if you're a believer in Jesus Christ, you're involved in the activity of growing knowing Jesus Christ making more a part of your body, but I'm supposed to be involved in that activity to but you are supposed to be involved in that activity and helping me grow. So we're all to help one another build up that unity in the face. And the goal is as Paul says on says is become like Christ. Well, if we read further along in Philippians, he would say I don't have it yet. But that's the goal. That's what I'm pressing on towards. None of us have them. But that's the goal Jesus Christ in each and every one of us. Paul writes in 1st Corinthians the whole scenario. Once again, he said he's leading into gifts and what God has blessed you with and how you can use it for the kingdom and he it's it's a focus on the body of Christ. You see each and every gift that is given is really to help others know Jesus Christ. There's only two that aren't and one of them is evangelism the gift of evangelism which is to go out and help others come to know Jesus Christ and the other is speaking in tongues, which is a gift but it is not necessarily to enhance others to grow all the other gifts are to help the body of Christ grow up and sew in 1st Corinthians 12:7 and says now to each one the manifestation in other where's the manifestation of the spear? Is given for the common good you and I have received the spirit of the Living God when we asked Jesus Christ to be our Lord and savior. We were change. We became a new creature the Holy Spirit came into us and he brought with himself a gift for you to use for the kingdom of God or gifts and that is not just for you, but it is for the common good of the body of Christ.

And so he's trying to help us to understand and seek that.

He continues on in chapter 12 in vs. 12 and 27 that says the body is a unit though. It is made up of many parts. So we're all one unit many parts Endo. All of its parts are many they form one body. So it is with Christ. We are all one unit. Where one body. We are the body of Christ. And we have to function in the body and when somebody isn't carrying the load then we misfire and don't operate as well as we should carry gone and verse 27. It says now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of all the part of the body of Christ God has given us.

And there is a truth in life. You know truth is found as we look to God when we look to Jesus Christ is our Lord and savior and that becomes the focus for our lives rather than all those other issues that are placed in our path. We find what we need to find for this life. but when we begin to focus on the things that are around us rather than on God, then we lose at focus and some of the meeting list of Life starts to take place. John speaks on a lot of things about Christ and his books are tremendous as we read through them but in John chapter one, he speaks about the fullness of God's grace verses 16 and 17 and he says from the fullness of his grace. We have received one blessing after another, you know, you've received enormous blessing if you know Jesus Christ, first of all, you have received forgiveness that greatest gift that allows you to come before the Living God and actually have a relationship with him. Another Blessing is the holy spirit coming into your life and living within you. Jesus Christ. Is there with you that you have a guide for life that you are given so many things in Christ. Not only those blessings that God has given you a part from those but you have those Godly blessings that are continually with you. continuing on for the law was given through Moses but grace and truth. That's why we need the first of all know and then help others know him. Because if we have any compassion any desire for the lives of others to have the truth and walk in that truth, we need to be able to teach that true. And so it comes with understanding it comes with making this a valuable portion of Our Lives because this is where we find God described perfectly. And we need to focus on that. It should become important to our loss. Okay, knowing god teaching God finally we get to preaching God in this is where we kind of start to shake a little bit and have struggled because taking God and taking him and telling others about him that don't know him. Sometimes is a very scary experience. But God has asked us to do that going back to 2nd Corinthians. So weary had to Hazard reading this morning. We read 17 through 21 vs. 19 and 20. Let me repeat those for you. That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ not counting men's sins against them and he is committed to us the message of reconciliation. Who us, that's all of us and the message of reconciliation within us. We are there for Christ's ambassadors is though God we're making his appeal through us. You know, we're ambassadors from the kingdom of the Living God to a world in desperate need and as we walk through this life. We need to know Jesus Christ to be able to teach Jesus Christ and therefore to be able to express him through our lives and our words to others. We implore you want rice behalf be reconciled to God in other words. Allow Our Lives to function as God wants them to function. It's the greatest blessing that you and I could bring to a lost world. You know if somebody doesn't know Jesus Christ, their destination is hell. It's Eternal suffering and pain and loneliness and ugliness.

And you have the ability and I have the ability. To bring that message of Truth to them to make a difference and help them to see the path of righteousness and change the direction. So this a traction of goodness and wonder and eternal blessing from the Living God? Romans 4:8 says blessed is the man whose sins the Lord will never count against him. and that's exactly the way it is when you tell somebody about Jesus Christ and they say

and you've kneel down with him you help them seek the Living God and ask him into their lives and when somebody commits their life, what are the things they do is say forgive me and forgive their sin. So they're not remembered anymore. They are wiped away lost further away than God can even see them. Wow. That's an amazing true. Blessed is the man whose sins the Lord will never count against you.

Here's the tough one and Paul even probably struggled with this one as he writes it in the text, but it's to be Fearless be Fearless in presenting. You know, I think everyone here if I asked you where you were afraid when God called you to present the Lord to somebody else where you afraid of that situation and what would happen what that person might think of you I think most of us feel that way. I think Paul felt that way and he says in Ephesians 6:20 says for which I am an ambassador in Chains pray that I may declare it fearlessly. as I should

Think about what you're declaring you're declaring the truth of God's word you're declaring that somebody can have hope where there is. No. Hope you're declaring that God wants to bless. And care for their lives. And so were called to step out and fearlessly give the truth of God's word to a lost and dying. and finally We have to do it now or it's never going to happen. Because once somebody passes from this life, their eternity is Seal. There's no changing it in heaven. The Bible gives us no indication that anybody ever got to change their lives. Once they die here on this Earth. So the opportunity to pass it on is now or never 2nd Corinthians 6:2 says for it says in the time of my favor. I heard you and in the day of salvation. I helped you I tell you now is the time of God's favor now is the day of salvation. You see we have the opportunity to change a person's life by being willing to present them the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

and if they listen to that And responded that their life is changed for all eternity.

And we have had opportunity. But it begins with the first step. To know Jesus Christ and when he becomes more powerful in our lives as we get to know him and understand him then the whole idea of teaching others about Aden and preaching the word of God to others that don't happen becomes a real powerful and exciting opportunity. for each and every lie

We need to think about that as we think gift. God has given to us. He's given us the idea of purpose purpose for a lot. Not just for this world's purpose to kind of change a few lines in this world but to Heaven eternity For the Living God that we can have an opportunity first of all to know him more deeply. and then to help others know him more deeply and finally to help others know him as their lord and savior changing the course of their lives purpose we have You know and that goes right along with everything else we have. salvation presence

so important for each and every one of us and may we continue to take this in and say wow God really has blessed me. He's giving me all these things that are so valuable important now that I didn't have before I knew him as Lord and savior. but now that I know him I can apply each and every one of these in my life and I can make an enormous difference not only in my own life, but in the

let's pray. Grace's Father in Heaven how thankful we are that you have blessed us with so many powerful gifts from above and may we truly remember that and taking me out of May the purpose of our Lots become more and more a reality as we know you as we teach you as we preach you to a world.