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God wants you to find the purpose that he has for you in your life. God has good things planned to bless you and to bless others around you. We often celebrate the day that we are born, but hardly do we recognize the second most important day. That is when we find our why.

 

Welcome back to Redemption Church. My name is Chris Fluitt and I want to greet all you wonderful people here with us IN-PERSON, as well as all of you joining ONLINE.  Special shout out to Lissa Lucas. Thank you for your encouragement, Lissa.

We are starting a brand-new sermon series today called “Born for This.”

Born for This

Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

We know and celebrate the day we are born.  People bring a cake with candles, balloons, and gifts to celebrate your birthday. We have reminders on Facebook and google calendar to help us keep up with birthdays, but that other important day Mark Twain spoke of the day we find out “why;” that day is not so widely known or celebrated.

You were born, but do you know why?  What is it that you were born for? Why were you placed on the Earth?

 

Today I want you to find your ‘why’.

Find your Why

Where should you look to find your why?

• Look within?
  • Humanism does this when it focuses on human potential.
  • You are broken, confused, and aimless, and looking inside yourself just leads to more of the same.
  • We become self-centered when we look to self.
• Look beside you?
  • This is like trying to cheat off your neighbor in math class.
  • We have looked to the celebrities… only to find they are depressed and sad.
  • We have looked to our governmental leaders… only to find they have no answers but to blame the other guy.
  • We have looked to the highly intelligent… at least we were told they were highly intelligent, but we have found them to be proven wrong over time. While we appreciate science, let’s remember that today’s science is often proven wrong with tomorrow’s evidence. 
• Look to the creator!

 

If you want to truly understand a device or invention you must talk to either the CREATOR or the OWNER’S MANUAL.

We have a creator, and He has given us an owner’s manual! It is the Bible!

 

Have you been looking to the creator and what He says in His manual?  If not, you might be getting some things wrong.

 

If you don’t know the proper use, you are likely to misuse.

(Toilet Brush example)

Just today I was standing in front of my mirror, and I was going to comb my hair, but I could not find my comb or my brush. I was about to yell at my kids, but no bother. I looked down and found a device that would work just as well.

It was just sitting by the toilet for some reason, but this brush really worked wonders with my hair.

I am not sure what they call this thing, but it has many great uses… back scratcher, you could serve pasta with it, and perhaps even brush your teeth.

Our society has not looked to the creator and His manual to understand the proper use of things like…

Marriage, sexuality, strength, wealth… so we painfully misuse them just like I mis-used that toilet brush.

 

This is why we must look to the creator and consult his handy user’s manual.

If you will look in God’s Word, you will find He says a lot about you.

 

Ephesians 1:11-12 (MESSAGE) It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

Are you looking for your why? Look to the Creator! Look to Jesus.  In Jesus we find out who we are and why we were created.  Before we knew Him, He had His eye on us and had designs for us.

Colossians 1:15-17 (MESSAGE) 15-18 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.

Look to the creator for your why!

 

Born for This

 

Do you have plans?  How far out do your plans reach?

Some have plans of where to eat after service.
Some may have plans for their day tomorrow.
Occasionally, you meet someone who claims to be working a personal 5-year plan.

 

God has long range plans for your life

God’s plan for you goes way beyond this moment, tomorrow, and the next 5 years.

God plans for you to spend more time on the future side of life than you spend in this present life.

Perhaps our purpose – our ‘why’ – should not just incorporate today but include our lives in ETERNITY.

 

Why didn’t God start with you in heaven?   You aren’t ready for heaven. God plans on equipping you not only for this life, but also for your eternal life.

This life is prep work, kindergarten, practice… for an eternal life to come.

God has long range plans for your life!  God has never lost sight of the end game. God has never given up on you.

We lose sight on eternity. We lose sight of the practice realm called Earth, and when things go a little bit wrong we are ready to give up and throw in the towel.  

God is more gracious about our mistakes than we are.  Coach God tells to get back on the field and try again.

While we are ready to give up, God your Creator knows what and why you were created, and He believes in you.

 

I want to connect you with God’s purpose today.

 

God planned me for His pleasure

 

1 John 4:8 says, “God IS love.”

It does not say “God needs love.”  It does not say God is loving.”  It says God IS love.  Love is WHO God is.

 

If you have ever been loved; if your mind can define a moment where you felt unconditionally loved… that was a God moment. God is just like that CONTINUALLY.

 

God does not need love, but God does desire our love.

*Revelation 4:11b (KJV) for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created.

Revelation 4:11 (Message) Worthy, O Master! Yes, our God! Take the glory! the honor! the power! You created it all; It was created because you wanted it.

 

Why were you created?  For God’s pleasure.
Why were you created? Because God wanted you.

 

But I have failed and sinned. I have fallen short of the glorious designer.  Why does He keep us around?

His WHY has never changed.  You are still his pleasure.  He still wants you.

 

*Psalm 149:4a (NIV) For the LORD takes delight in his people;

God delights in you. It does not say God delights in you when you are quoting a Bible verse or attending a Church service.  God smiles when you are simply you being you…  Not just religious you.  Not just perfect you.  Not just ‘hymn-singing’ you.  ALL OF YOU makes God happy.

 

Parents like to watch their kids sleep. I still tip toe into rooms to just watch my little angels. They could have been devil’s all day long, but when they sleep they are just angels, and they make me so happy.  They aren’t really doing anything… they are just being themselves and that is enough.  I delight in them.

 

Ephesians 1: 3-5 (NIV) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

He chose you before you could earn it.
He chose you before you could mess it up.
He chose us because of WHO HE IS (He is Love), and because WHO WE ARE (we are His).

He did not choose nature… Nature is beautiful.  There are amazing sights to be seen in this messed up world.. but God did not choose nature.

He did not choose animals… Animals are amazing. I love animals, but God did not choose animals.

God chose you. God has given you an ability that nature doesn’t have.  Neither the Grand Canyons nor Mount Everest have this ability.

God gave you an ability that no animal has. Neither Borneo Pygmy Elephant nor the Elephant Shrew have this ability.

God has given you something that nothing in nature nor in the animal kingdom can replicate.

Born for This

Do you know what it is?  It is your why.  It is what you were created for.

God has given humans the ability to love God back.

 

What is the most important commandment?  Jesus was asked this one day and he answered it with 2 words – Love God.

The most important command and ability given to humans is to love this ‘loving God’ of ours back.

 

Hosea 6:6 (NLT) I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings

God wants something that only you can give.  I want you to show love… I want you to know me more…

Pastor of Saddleback Community Church and author of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren, reveals what He says to God every day. 

I want to know you better and love you more – Rick Warren

If you have a terrible day, but at the end of that day you know God a little better and love God a little more… your terrible day was, in fact a great day.

If you have a day where you sign a wealthy deal and win an award, but if at the end of the day you can’t say you know God a little better and love God a little more… that was not a great day.  Compared with the long-term plans of God, that day was a loss.

 

Born For This:  Know & Love God

You were born for this: To know God and to love God.

It is possible to have success in your career, your education, your relationships, your health, your finances, YET miss the most important thing in your life.

1 Tim 6:21 TLB 21 Some of these people have missed the most important thing in life—they don’t know God.

Are you missing the most important thing in life? Are you focused on things of secondary importance and missing out on what is of primary importance?

If your financial manager called you with important information, would you take that call?
I know someone greater than your financial manager and He is calling for you today.

If you looked down at your phone and saw an emergency call from your family or friend, would you answer that call? Will you answer God’s call today?

If your doctor, your teacher, your boss called you, would you recognize the importance of that call and answer it?
Do you recognize the importance of this call right now?

 

I am glad you came to church today… I am glad you tuned in online today… But it is not enough!

There is a God you need to KNOW & LOVE.

 

I received a call this week from a friend who is a young Christian. He told me of something God had done for him. God had taken away a desire to do wrong. God had broken an addiction in his life.  My friend said, “Chris I don’t know how to say it, but it was like God lifted this weight off of my chest and I was free.”

I felt so strong to tell my friend what I am about to tell you. As I told this to my friend I knew you would need to hear it.

I told my friend, “It is so good that this supernatural miracle has happened. You have encountered God. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE TO CHURCH SERVICE AFTER CHURCH SERVICE AND HAVE NEVER ENCOUNTERED GOD LIKE YOU JUST EXPERIENCED. From now on, you cannot be satisfied to just attend another Church service, sing a song, and hear a sermon… from now on you will insist on having another encounter with God.

There is God; you can know Him better today. Come encounter Him.  Come to His altar.

There is a God you can love better today.  Come love him with your whole heart. Come demonstrate your love for Him.  Come talk to your creator.