FINDING PURPOSE, FULFILLING DESTINY

Introduction

-{Matthew 5}

-If you have ever read fantasy-type novels or watched fantasy-type movies, there is a theme in the stories revolving around the destiny of the heroes. The heroes were destined to do something grand and world-changing.

~Bilbo Baggins was destined to find the One Ring and help the dwarves retake their mountain, and then Frodo Baggins was destined the destroy the One Ring and save all of Middle Earth.

~The Pevensie children were destined to come to Narnia and assist Aslan in defeating the White Witch, loosing the land from her wicked curse.

~It was the destiny of Anakin Skywalker as the Chosen One to destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force, although he didn’t take that path as was expected.

-Now, there is a fine-line difference between fate and destiny, but as one author described it, fate is predetermined outcomes set by outside forces, while destiny is a journey you are called to join but have a choice of whether or not you will accept that call.

-The great heroes of stories find their meaning for life in following the path to the destinies that they are called to. Everyone wants to find their meaning and purpose and all hope that it contributes to a grander scheme, leaving an indelible mark on the universe.

-And we are no different as Christians. We all want to think that we are destined for greatness because we think that through that we find our meaning and purpose. We want to mean something. We don’t want to think that we are some useless blip in the universe, which is all that most other worldviews make us.

~But even we Christians fall for lesser versions of destiny. We define our destinies according to more selfish motivations—fame, fortune, comfort, ease, etc. And even though in the back of our minds we know that we are settling for something less than what our calling is, we pursue these lesser things thinking that we can create our own meaning and purpose.

~We think that if we define our own destinies, then we can create our own meaning in life. But when we do that, we are looking too low.

-We ARE meant for something great. We are all part of a cosmic story. But the world and the powers of darkness try to redefine what that is in an attempt to make us lesser than who we are. While the world tries to distract us from our destiny or tries to redefine our destiny, we are nothing short of the children of the King, and it is He that defines the destiny that gives us our purpose and meaning.

-In the metaphorical parable that we are looking at today, Jesus teaches that those who belong to the kingdom of God have a redemptive purpose all their days on the earth.

~So, I’m hoping that what you find today is that the destiny of the Christian is to fulfill their redemptive purpose as ambassadors for Christ.

READ MATTHEW 5:13-16

-What does this metaphorical parable tell us about our destiny:

1) The method of our destiny

-The first metaphor that Jesus uses is to compare us to salt. The salt of His day was different than our table salt that we are used to, but it was plentiful from the deposits that were left by the Dead Sea along with other salt pits that were scattered throughout the land.

-Salt in His day served several purposes, including flavoring, healing, as well as destroying—if you have ever dumped any salt water on grass or plants, you know that the grass or plants will die from it—they will burn up.

-But the function of salt that Jesus most likely was referring to was that of preservation. They didn’t have refrigerators back then, and so the way that they would preserve meat was to pack it with salt to stave off any rotting and corruption and decay that would happen over time.

-Due to the effects of sin, the world is cursed and it is corrupt and it truly is decaying over time. While every generation seems to think that it has overcome the problems of previous eras and generations, all it really does is introduce new forms of immorality and hedonism and wickedness. They think they are moving toward a eutopia, when in actuality they are merely shifting from one form of evil to another.

-Christians are to be the salt of the earth. We are to stave off the rotting and corruption and decay that happens in the world. As one pastor stated it:

[Salt] has a beneficial effect on whatever it comes in contact with. So that makes sense for us as Jesus’ followers: our lives should have a good effect on whatever we come in contact with: the people we meet; the society we live in. Our world should be better because we are here.

-We, as Christians, have a purpose of offsetting the effects of the sin curse in this world. We, as spiritual preservatives, counteract the evil and wickedness found in the world. But the question is how do we do that?

-Some people think that it comes by political activism—voting in the right people and rallying for the right causes. While those are good activities, those are not necessarily God-activities. We definitely want the right people in office, the problem is that all political solutions (if there is such a thing) are temporary and worldly. Christ calls us to something bigger and grander than that. Our destinies do not lie in merely human kingdoms.

~As one author stated it:

We are not called to control secular power structures; neither are we promised that we can Christianize the legislation and values of the world. But we must remain active preservative agents...in calling the world to heed God’s standards.

-Instead, we are agents of redemption, serving the world in the name of Jesus Christ by reducing the suffering and wickedness of the world through ministries that center on the sharing and power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

~Yes, we serve others by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, standing up for justice, but at the center of it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ for that message alone offers the redemption that the entire world needs.

~To feed, cloth, and protect in the earthly realm is good service, yet it is incomplete without the Gospel, for we are not only called to be salt for the physical realm, we also are salt for the spiritual realm. We are agents of redemption because we are agents of the gospel.

-But not only is our destiny to be salt, but we are also called to be light. The world is in spiritual darkness, it is groping around searching for purpose and meaning, and can find none. It searches for ways to undue the curse, and it comes up short. The world is too spiritually blind to find the right answer, and we are called to be the light that leads them to where they must go.

-Now, even though Jesus calls us the light of the world, we are merely mirrors that reflect a different light, or we are lamps or vessels that carry someone else’s light. Jesus in John 8:12 says that He is the Light of the World. He is the one that saves and illumines the only way to God. We, then, are merely vessels of His light, shining Him where we go in order to lead people through the narrow gate and difficult path that leads to salvation.

-We can help those groping in the darkness, trying to make their way in a decaying world, that there is a place of hope if you would repent of your sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the light of Jesus in us in order to illuminate the way for people to come to Jesus.

-There’s a story about a gentleman who was walking in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland. The streets were so narrow, and the houses so high, that little direct sunshine ever reached the houses on one side of the street. The gentleman noticed a ragged, barefooted boy trying, with a small piece of mirror, to catch the sun's rays and direct them to a certain spot on one of the houses oppo­site. He became interested in what the boy was doing that he had to ask him, "What in the world are you doing?" The boy replied, "Do you see that window up there? My younger brother had an accident two years ago and is always lying on his back paralyzed in that room, and it is on the wrong side to get the sunshine, so I always try to catch the sun in this mirror and shine it into his room so he can experience the light."

-We are light reflecting the light of Jesus toward those who have not yet seen. We are salt that preserves the world from the ever-encroaching decay of sin.

~Knowing that this is the way of our destiny, we also notice that Jesus gives us:

2) The warning about our destiny

-In these metaphorical parables, Jesus warns Christians, though, about the consequences of not fulfilling the purpose for which we have been called.

-IF SALT LOSES ITS TASTE, HOW CAN ITS SALTINESS BE RESTORED? He asks.

~The salt that was found in Israel was contaminated with all sorts of other items and minerals. What would happen is that if the salt became watered down, the actual sodium chloride would leak out from the rest of it, leaving nothing but a bunch of tasteless waste.

~The salt was impure, and when it lost the salt, what was left was useless. It was good for nothing. It couldn’t flavor anything, heal anything, much less preserve anything.

~All they could do with it was pave roads with it. It stopped fulfilling its purpose.

-When Christians become too diluted with the world through compromise, they lose their effectiveness. How are you going to stop the rot and decay of the world when you become part of the world?

-It’s interesting, right before this passage in the Beatitudes, Jesus talks about how blessed are those who are persecuted for His name’s sake. But when people try to counteract the persecution by giving in to the world’s demands and values, they make themselves impotent to fulfill their divinely ordained role. They are no longer fulfilling destiny but have given in to the fate of the world.

-Why would anyone want to be part of something that isn’t different from the world—how can you show the world the difference Christ makes if you aren’t different?

~There was a pastor of old who was called to the bedside of a young girl who was dying. He read the Bible to her, prayed with her, and pled with her that she would see her need for the Savior and turn to Christ. In desperation he called the girl’s mother into the room, and she, with a heart breaking in sorrow, also pled with the girl to accept Christ as her Savior. The girl listened with a heart of stone, and then she said these indicting words, “Mother, how in the world can you talk to me now about this Jesus when you have never lived your life for Him in my presence?”

-Ohh, the cost of being tasteless salt. Jesus isn’t saying that He’ll toss you out of heaven or that you lose your salvation, but it points to the utter ridiculousness of salt that doesn’t taste or look like salt.

-And just as ridiculous is someone lighting a lamp and then hiding it under a basket. Why would you create light, and then hide the light? A light under a basket isn’t going to illuminate anything.

~You need light in your room, so you turn on a lamp and then you take a heavy blanket or comforter or something and then drape it over the lamp, so it’s just as dark in the room as it was before. What good is the lamp if you’re just going to cover it up?

-Christian, if you are not going to fulfill your destiny of pointing people to the redemption of Jesus Christ, what good are you accomplishing? Why do you bother going through all the Christian motions of things if you aren’t going to shine for Jesus? Why cover up the light that is within you, if indeed the light of Christ is within you?

-Being tasteless salt and covered light is to deny the destiny that has been granted to you by God above, to be partners in His redemptive purposes on the earth, holding high the gospel of Jesus Christ that heals from decay and shines in the darkness.

~The world needs Christians who take their destiny seriously. Be salt and light.

~Just one more quick note:

3) The goal of our destiny

-Jesus says to be salt and light SO THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS AND GIVE GLORY TO YOUR FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN

-We are not salt so that people can cheer us for preserving them from wickedness. We are not light so that people can find their way to us. All that we do in fulfilling our destiny is for the sole purpose of God the Father receiving glory through the salvation of souls who will then join the chorus of other saints in praising God for sending such a wonderful Savior.

-Our destiny is not to make a name for ourselves. Our destiny is not to receive the applause of man. Our destiny is not to get pats on the back and kudos and recognition. Our destiny is for people to see what we do, and they know that it is because we are agents and ambassadors of an Almighty God.

-Modern day Christians are too wrapped up in self. Even though we are constantly told to die to self and take up the cross, instead we want everything in the world to revolve around us.

~But hear me today, God alone is to receive honor and glory and He will not share it with anything else.

“I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” (Isaiah 42:8 ESV)

-Every day you are fulfilling this destiny. When you are at work, you are salt and your light shines so that people give glory to your Father who is in heaven. When you are at school, you are salt and your light shines so that people give glory to your Father who is in heaven. When you go out to lunch today, you are salt and your light shines so that people give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Conclusion

-There’s a story about a young man who went into the military. His first night in the barracks he was tempted to just ignore his normal habit of reading his Bible and getting on his knees to pray beside his bed before going to sleep. If he did it, there was a good chance that the men around him would make fun of him and hate him and humiliate him. But he told himself that as a Christian he ought to give those guys a testimony without being loud or obnoxious about it. He’d just quietly do it like normal. So he kneeled and read and prayed and the barracks became real quiet. The next night the young man went to do the same thing again, and either other guys grabbed their Bibles and read and prayed like he did. Within a month he had the respect of his entire outfit and he led many men to Christ.

LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN…

-Christian, go out into the world and fulfill your destiny—be salt, be light, get your Father some glory. There used to be a poster in our youth room that said be salty and lit. Be the redemptive agents you were called to be…

-But maybe you can’t be salt and light because you are not in Christ…