The Purpose Driven Life 5

40 Days of Purpose

Serving God By Serving Others

By Pastor Samuel Chess 

Introduction: 25 years after the death of Elvis his new album of greatest hits is selling at record levels. He was known for a lot of innovations in music and he mixed a new kind of rock with other styles including religious music. The only album that won a Grammy award out of 250 million albums sold included a religious song called “He Touched Me”.

After the lightning and the thunder

Elvis died at age 42 under anything but good circumstances. In an interview with his wife, Pricilla, she said this about her husband, “Elvis never came to terms with who he was meant to be or what his purpose in life was. He thought he was here for a reason, maybe to preach, maybe to serve, maybe to save, maybe to care for people

That agonizing desire was always with him and he knew he wasn’t fulfilling it.. so he’d go on stage and he wouldn’t have to think about it.

Here’s a man that our society considered amazingly successful who died in despair and shame; who despite his apparent success admittedly never did quite grasp why he was put on this earth.

You’re not Elvis, but you’re in the same search...

Why are you on this earth?

Five reasons to exist:

1) Worship- You were planned for God’s pleasure!

2) Fellowship- You were formed for God’s family!

3) Discipleship- You were created to become like Christ!

4) Service- You were shaped for serving God!

5) Contribution- You were made for a mission

I don’t have to convince any of us that self centeredness comes natural to us as human beings. When we promote a topic like Reach your World our natural inclination is to reach no further than ourselves and our close family members. It takes effort to even think about reaching beyond our own lives, let alone actually doing it. But down inside of our God created spiritual being we know that this life is not really about us. We somehow intuitively know, (even an unbeliever instinctively knows) that living life has to be about more than serving ourselves.

Those who never catch on to this spend a lifetime trying desperately to find fulfillment and it stays just beyond their grasp. I heard someone this week try to explain why Ms Ryder would go into a store a steal 5000.00 worth of unneeded things when she had enough money to buy the whole store out of her pocket change. The only explanation is that there is some frantic internal need inside that all her fame is just not meeting.

B) It’s not about you!

Your first purpose in life is not about getting from God but about giving Him worship. Your second purpose is about you giving of yourselves to meet the needs of the rest of God’s family. Your third purpose is about giving up your self-centeredness and taking on the character of your Savior Jesus Christ. And your fourth purpose is not about you either.

All that nonsense you have constantly bombarding you that tells you that your life is about your happiness and self fulfillment is a lie. It’s the Evil Ones way of distracting you from the real meaning of life, so that you die frustrated and unfulfilled.

Ephesians 2:10 It is God who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others. LB

Ephesians 2:10 We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. NIV

1) You were made to be a contributor; not a consumer.. Many books will tell you how to get the most out of life, but getting is not the primary reason God created you; You were created primarily to add to life on this earth, not take away. Each of you were specially designed by God to give something to the world, that the world would not have had you not been born.

2) God made you to make a difference.

What God told Jeremiah is also true for you...

3) Jeremiah 1:5 Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you, before you were born I set you apart for a special work. NCV

... Saved to serve, gifted to serve, shaped to serve....

1) What matters is not how long you live but how you live.

2) What matters is not the duration of your life but the donation of your life.

And quite honestly the decision of just what donation you are going to make to this life is not yours to make. God created you with a plan in place for your life. You were fashioned specifically to accomplish your contribution:

Eph. 2:10 ...which God prepared in advance for us to do. NIV

God is your creator.... realizing that will take you miles down the road of understanding why you are here. Not grasping that will leave you confused until you die.

There was actually a Atheist march on Washington this week and literally just a handful of atheists had their little platform and made their little speeches about how they knew there was no God. Of course, C-SPAN completely covered the event. (We had a million men in the mall and they didn’t waste tape on us). This guy with a horrible voice gets up and sings a song he had written of how all the things you had heard about God were false and the only thing that mattered was being happy. I listened to every screeching word of the song in fascination that anyone could give their whole life to proving that there was really no reason to be here to start with.

It makes so much more sense to belief what God said about your reason fore existing...

2 Timothy 1:9 It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work, not because we deserved it but because that was his plan. LB

A) Building like the Model

He said, this is how you do it... watch me.. he came to the earth in the form of the Son, the Savior and demonstrated exactly how it was to be done.

Matthew 20:28 Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life. LB

Matthew 20:26-28 ...Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (all) NIV

For the Christian; service to others is not optional, something to be tacked on to our schedules if we can spare the time. Growing spiritual maturity is never an end in itself.

-Your attitude really does define your level of maturity

Mark 8:35 If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw their lives away for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel will ever know what it means to really live. LB

Matthew 20:30-32 Two blind men....shouted, Lord have mercy on us!... Jesus stopped and called them. What do you want me to do for you? He asked. NIV

1) If you want to serve God like Jesus did you must be willing to be interrupted.

2) Much of Jesus most significant ministry and many of Jesus miracles came from interruptions. (blind man, lame man, paralyzed man, dead child.... all interruptions...His first miracle interrupted a wedding.

3) Jesus ministry was packed with results because he put people’s needs ahead of everything else he had to do.

Prov. 3:28 Never tell your neighbor to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now. TEV

Phil. 2:4 Forget yourself long enough to lend a helping hand. MSG

Put away your do-not-disturb sign...

Do Not Disturb

We hang it on the door of our heart... I’ve got my plans, dreams, agenda, goals; Please do not disturb me with the needs of other people.

2nd barrier to service:

2) Perfectionism

Eccl. 11:4 If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. NLT

C) Serving like Jesus means being Faithful

Jn. 17:4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. NIV

1 Cor:15:58 Throw yourselves into the work of the master, confident that nothing you do for Him is a waste of time or effort. Msg

Heb. 6:8 He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other Christians. NLT

Matt. 25:21 Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things so; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share in your Master’s happiness! NIV

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