Living Life On Purpose

Living With Purpose, Not Many Are Doing It.

Pastor Glenn Newton June 29th, 2003

Jer. 29:11 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to

prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. NIV

Prov. 13:7 “A pretentious , showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full

life.” The Message

What’s the purpose of that chair that your sitting in?

What’s the purpose of your car or truck that brought you to church today?

What’s the purpose of your job that you go to every weekday?

We know what the purpose of our Vacuum cleaners, our coffee makers, our VCR’s, We

know what the purpose of Pizza Hut, Wal-Mart’s, and Jiffy Lube. We have all those

things figured out don’t we?

I wonder...... Do you know what your Purpose is? Teenager, adults, do you know why

you have been created and are now living on Planet Earth? Is it a mystery?

I would suggest to you that for many people today, and for many Born Again Christians....

this idea of truly understanding what their purpose in life is...... Is still a mystery.

Have you ever found a gadget in your closet or in a drawer in your home, and you have no

idea what it is for? Isn’t that frustrating? That kind of thing drives me crazy, because I

know I probably lost it, and now I have found it, but now I can’t remember what it goes

too. THAT’S FRUSTRATION.

Can I tell you a secret? That’s how alot of people feel today. That’s how alot of

Christians live their lives. Utter Frustration. Knowing that there is something better, that

there really is a purpose, but the truth is they haven’t found it, or they can’t figure out how

to carry that purpose out in their lives.

One Professor said to us in college that the root of Frustration is Unmet Expectations. I

believe that was in a marriage counseling class. People are living with this huge mountain

of frustration in their lives because they have certain expectations of what their lives are

supposed to be like, what their marriage is supposed to be like, what their family life is

supposed to be like, what their church should be like.... YET, what they realize is that

reality is so much different than their expectations...... That breeds frustrations.

Friends, Do you know what the purpose of your life is? If you don’t really know what the

purpose of your life is, yet you know God has a purpose for you..... then your probably

like many people today.... a little frustrated. This frustration has no time limit on it... you

can be retired and still struggle with this..... But I want to tell you, WE CAN KNOW

GOD’S PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES..... AND WE CAN KNOW GOD’S PURPOSE

FOR OUR CHRUCH..... WE DON’T HAVE TO LIVE IN FRUSTRATION... AREN’T

YOU GLAD?

There’s another aspect to this that is just as important, and it’s what God has been leaning

heavy on me about. Many people know what God’s purpose is for their lives.... BUT,

they have allowed that purpose to become blurred, and almost out of sight.

How does that happen? My purpose is to Preach the Word of God, to lead this

church by loving you just as Christ loved the church, and to be focused on allowing Christ

to shine through me.

Do we wake up one morning and just decide to be unchristlike.... of coarse not.

What gets many of us off the mark is allowing many good things to take the place of the

best that God has for us. I might be doing 10 good things for the glory of God, but if

those 10 good things are pushing aside the 1 Purpose that God has for me..... then I’m in

error, and I have allowed my focus to be blurred.... Satan loves to offer good things to do

so we will get off God’s agenda.

When you know your purpose, then you can know what you have to focus on, and

you will also know what you will have to say “no” too, even if it’s good.

God has made it very clear to me that I must be Purpose driven for Him, Focused on His

call on my life, and all those other things.... He will provide for those other good things.

How about you? Where do you fit this morning? Do you know what’s God’s Purpose is

for you? Have you allowed the business, the distractions of life to take you away from His

best for your life?

I have Good News for You..... I love preaching the Good News, because It’s life

Changing when the Holy Spirit begins to open up our eyes to His Truth.... Today can be a