Discovering Our Divine Purpose in God's Plan
Summary
In our journey through life, understanding our purpose is paramount. Just as an invention's purpose is best understood by consulting its creator or manual, our life's purpose is revealed by connecting with God, our Creator, and His Word. Ephesians 1:11 reminds us that it is in Christ we find our true identity and purpose. We were made by God and for God, and until we grasp this, life will remain a puzzle. God has placed us on this Earth to learn and practice five key purposes.
Firstly, God created us to love us. He is love, and everything He created is an expression of His love. Our primary purpose is to know God and love Him back, which the Bible calls worship. This is not about religious rituals but about a genuine relationship with God, where we seek to know Him more each day.
Secondly, God formed us for His family. We are created to be part of His spiritual family, the church, which is meant to provide support and community. Our spiritual family will outlast our physical one, and it is within this family that we learn to love others, fulfilling our second purpose.
Thirdly, God created us to become like Christ. Our spiritual growth is a journey towards Christlikeness, where our character is shaped to reflect His. This involves going through trials and temptations, which God uses to develop qualities like love, joy, peace, and patience in us.
Fourthly, God shaped us to serve Him. Each of us is uniquely designed with specific gifts, passions, abilities, and experiences to serve others. This service, or ministry, is a practice for what we will do in heaven, and it is through serving others that we serve God.
Finally, God made us for a mission. We are called to make a unique contribution to the world, sharing the good news of God's grace. Our mission is to live out God's plan for our lives, which is far greater than any personal ambition.
Key Takeaways:
- Understanding Our Purpose: Our life's purpose is found in our relationship with God. We were made by Him and for Him, and our lives only make sense when we live in alignment with His purposes. This involves knowing and loving God, which is the essence of worship. [00:37]
- Belonging to God's Family: We are created to be part of God's spiritual family, the church. This community is essential for our growth and support, teaching us to love others and providing a foundation that will last beyond our earthly lives. [06:02]
- Becoming Like Christ: Our spiritual journey is about becoming more like Jesus. This involves developing our character through trials and temptations, as God is more interested in our character than our comfort. [09:12]
- Serving with Our Unique Shape: God has uniquely shaped each of us with specific gifts, passions, and experiences to serve others. Our service is a reflection of our love for God and a preparation for our eternal service in heaven. [18:46]
- Living Out Our Mission: We are called to fulfill a unique mission on Earth, sharing God's love and grace with others. This mission is greater than any personal ambition and is the path to true fulfillment and purpose. [22:05]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:10] - Discovering Purpose
- [00:37] - Made by God, for God
- [01:11] - God's Love and Our Response
- [02:45] - Worship: Knowing and Loving God
- [04:20] - Formed for God's Family
- [06:02] - The Church as Family
- [07:10] - Learning to Love Others
- [08:21] - Becoming Like Christ
- [09:59] - Trials and Character Development
- [11:36] - Developing the Fruit of the Spirit
- [16:28] - Shaped to Serve
- [18:46] - Serving God by Serving Others
- [22:05] - Made for a Mission
- [25:33] - Embracing God's Love and Purpose
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Ephesians 1:11 - "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will."
2. Hosea 6:6 - "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."
3. 1 Peter 4:10 - "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace."
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Observation Questions:
1. According to Ephesians 1:11, where do we find our true identity and purpose? How does this align with the sermon’s message about understanding our purpose in life? [00:37]
2. In Hosea 6:6, what does God desire more than sacrifices? How does this relate to the sermon’s emphasis on worship as a genuine relationship with God? [02:45]
3. What does 1 Peter 4:10 say about the gifts we have received? How does this connect to the sermon’s point about being shaped to serve God by serving others? [21:17]
4. How does the sermon describe the role of trials and temptations in our spiritual growth towards Christlikeness? [09:12]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of being "made by God and for God" challenge common perceptions of personal ambition and success? [00:56]
2. What does it mean to belong to God's family, and how does this spiritual family differ from our physical family according to the sermon? [06:02]
3. How can the development of the fruit of the Spirit, as described in Galatians 5:22-23, be seen as a reflection of becoming more like Christ? [10:49]
4. In what ways does the sermon suggest that serving others is a form of worship and preparation for eternal service in heaven? [18:46]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current understanding of your life’s purpose. How does the sermon’s message about finding purpose in God challenge or affirm your perspective? [00:37]
2. Consider your relationship with God. What steps can you take to deepen this relationship and fulfill the purpose of knowing and loving Him more? [02:45]
3. Think about your involvement in your church community. How can you actively contribute to and benefit from being part of God’s spiritual family? [06:02]
4. Identify a recent trial or temptation you have faced. How can you view this experience as an opportunity for spiritual growth and becoming more like Christ? [09:12]
5. Reflect on the unique gifts and passions God has given you. How can you use these to serve others in your community or church? [18:46]
6. What is one specific way you can share God’s love and grace with someone in your life this week? How does this align with the sermon’s call to live out our mission? [22:05]
7. Consider a person or situation that tests your patience. What practical steps can you take to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in this context? [11:36]
Devotional
Day 1: Discovering Our True Identity in God
Understanding our purpose in life begins with recognizing that we are created by God and for God. Our true identity and purpose are found in our relationship with Him. Ephesians 1:11 emphasizes that it is in Christ we find our true identity and purpose. Until we grasp this, life will remain a puzzle. Our primary purpose is to know God and love Him back, which the Bible calls worship. This is not about religious rituals but about a genuine relationship with God, where we seek to know Him more each day. By aligning our lives with God's purposes, we find meaning and fulfillment. [00:37]
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you deepen your relationship with God today to better understand your purpose in Him?
Day 2: Embracing Our Spiritual Family
God formed us to be part of His spiritual family, the church. This community is essential for our growth and support, teaching us to love others and providing a foundation that will last beyond our earthly lives. Our spiritual family will outlast our physical one, and it is within this family that we learn to love others, fulfilling our second purpose. Being part of the church means actively participating in a community that encourages and supports one another in faith. [06:02]
"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." (Ephesians 2:19, ESV)
Reflection: How can you actively contribute to your church community this week to strengthen your spiritual family?
Day 3: Growing in Christlikeness
Our spiritual journey is about becoming more like Jesus. This involves developing our character through trials and temptations, as God is more interested in our character than our comfort. God uses these experiences to develop qualities like love, joy, peace, and patience in us. As we grow in Christlikeness, we reflect His character to the world around us, becoming a living testimony of His love and grace. [09:12]
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)
Reflection: What specific character trait is God calling you to develop through your current challenges?
Day 4: Serving with Our Unique Gifts
God has uniquely shaped each of us with specific gifts, passions, and experiences to serve others. Our service is a reflection of our love for God and a preparation for our eternal service in heaven. By using our unique shape to serve others, we fulfill our purpose and bring glory to God. This service, or ministry, is a practice for what we will do in heaven, and it is through serving others that we serve God. [18:46]
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." (1 Peter 4:10, ESV)
Reflection: Identify one of your unique gifts. How can you use it to serve someone in your community this week?
Day 5: Living Out Our God-Given Mission
We are called to fulfill a unique mission on Earth, sharing God's love and grace with others. This mission is greater than any personal ambition and is the path to true fulfillment and purpose. By living out God's plan for our lives, we make a unique contribution to the world and participate in His redemptive work. Our mission is to live out God's plan for our lives, which is far greater than any personal ambition. [22:05]
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9, ESV)
Reflection: What is one step you can take today to align your daily actions with God's mission for your life?
Quotes
The only way you ever going to know your purpose for your life why you're here on this planet what on Earth you're here for is a talk to your creator God who made you and B read the owner's manual Ephesians chapter 1 from the Bible says it is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we're living for you were made by God you were made for God until you understand that your life is never going to make sense. [00:29:08]
God created you just to love you the Bible says that God is love I've told you this many times it doesn't say God has love it says God is love everything was created because God gets enjoyment out of it he wanted to love it God loves every Rock every plant every animal every Star and every human being some people think that God is only smiling at them when they're doing something quote religious nothing could be further from the truth. [00:81:43]
God knows everything about you you know almost nothing about God God loves you in spite of everything knows about you God wants you to learn to know him and love him back and the Bible calls this worship and it's the first purpose of your life that God planned me for his pleasure and he wants me to learn to love him back here's what he says in the book of Hosea in the Bible chapter 6: 6 God says I don't want your sacrifices I want your love this is God talking to you. [00:158:80]
God formed me for his family God wanted a family and you were created to be a part of it now he didn't need us but he wanted us he wanted to show his love to something so he created us as objects of his love Ephesians 1:5 God's unchanging plan and never has changed has always been to adopt us into his own family whoa whoa whoa by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ and this gave him God great pleasure. [00:256:44]
The church is not an organization the church is not an institution the church is not a political entity it's not a business uh it's not a a a society it's not an organization God says the church is a family and God's purpose for your life is not just to know him and love him but to belong to his family he doesn't want you just to believe he wants you to belong to be connected a a Christian without a church family is an orphan. [00:371:52]
God created me to become like Christ and once you understand this life's going to make a whole lot more sense because God wants you to grow up spiritually and the model of perfection is Jesus Jesus is the only perfect human being who ever lived because he was God come to Earth in human form he lived a perfect life he showed us exactly what it meant to be fully human once you're born into the family God wants you to grow up in the family and the model for growth is Jesus Christ. [00:505:28]
If God's going to make you like Jesus he's going to take you through everything Jesus went through and Jesus wasn't spared from difficulty was there are times when Jesus was lonely yes time when he was misunderstood yes were there times when Jesus was disappointed by people yes were there times when he was tempted to be discouraged and give up yes were there times when he was just tempted yes and if God let his own son go through all that don't you think he's going to let you go through it too. [00:601:32]
God shaped me to serve him and he uniquely shaped you in a way like no one else and this is the contribution he wants you to make now remember that in heaven one of the things you're going to do is you're going to serve God and so God wants you to learn to practice here now here's what the Bible says Psalm 139: 13 you shaped me God first inside and then out and you formed me in my mother's womb. [00:980:60]
God has given each of you the Bible says some special abilities be sure to use them to make a lot of money no to help each other passing on to others God's many kinds of blessing the fourth purpose of my life is to serve God by serving others there's one other thing God wants you to do on Earth God made me for a mission God put you on Earth first to know him then to learn some things then to become some things then to do some things and the doing part is called your mission. [00:1291:79]
Jesus says in John 17:18 in the same way that the father gave me a mission in the world I give them a mission in the world God put you on this planet to make a unique contribution it is my job as your pastor to help you be be get prepared for your ministry and your mission in the world because one day you're going to stand before God and he's going to say what did you do with what I gave you you're going to answer to God one day for what you did with your life. [00:1332:88]
The Bible says only God's purposes will last forever you know the problem with most people is today their dreams are too small their dreams are too small the biggest dream that most people have is I just want to be happy I just want to live the good life really and we Define the the good life in Southern California as looking good feeling good and having the goods there's only one problem with the good life it isn't good enough it doesn't satisfy. [00:1407:32]
If I could only um teach you one thing if I only had one message to preach in my entire life it would be this open your eyes open your eyes open your eyes to the goodness of God receive the love of God no man will ever love you no woman will ever love you like your creator does like Jesus Christ does and to go entirely through your entire life disconnected from your creator who loves you that much makes no sense at all. [00:1532:20]
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