The Lord's Guidance On Goals Series

The Lord's Guidance on Goals

The Gospel of John

John 10:10-11

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - March 8, 2017

(Revised October 26, 2019)

MESSAGE:

*Tonight, we will take a closer vs. 10-11 because here God gives us some very important lessons about goals. Goals are important in life. A wise man once said, "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time." And that is true. On the other hand, Les Brown once said: "Shoot for the moon. -- Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." (1)

*Goals are important in life, and spiritual goals are the most important of all. The Apostle Paul knew this very well. After he had been a Christian for many years Paul still strived to keep going forward for Christ.

*In Philippians 3:12-14 from the New Living Translation, Paul wrote, 12. I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

*God wants us to have wisdom about goals for our lives: What matters, and what doesn't matter, what helps, and what hurts.

1. SO FIRST: JESUS TELLS US THAT SATAN HAS GOALS FOR OUR LIVES.

*We need to know, and we better believe that Satan has some goals for our lives. The Lord tells us about Satan's goals in the first part of vs. 10, and here Jesus said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy."

*Steal. -- Kill. -- Destroy: These are horrible goals for you and me. But they are Satan's greatest desires for our lives. And because we are born with a sinful nature, we are all susceptible to his goals.

*I was reminded of this truth in a story Jonathan Busch told. It was about a preacher who was trying to teach children about honoring their father and mother, and the preacher used an example with money. He started by talking about the things that money can't buy. He said, "Money can't buy laughter, and it can't buy love."

*Then to drive his point home, the preacher asked, "What would you do if I offered you a thousand dollars to not love your mother and father?" The children sat there in stunned silence. But then a small voice asked, "How much would you give me to not love my big sister?" (2)

*We are all subject to selfishness and sin, so, we need to guard our hearts and be on the lookout for Satan's goals in our lives. And what are they again? Jesus said: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy."

[1] THE DEVIL'S FIRST GOAL IN OUR LIVES HAS TO DO WITH DECEPTION

*That's the main way Satan steals from us. Jesus called the devil "the father of lies." In John 8:44, Jesus spoke to the Pharisees who hated Him and wanted to kill Him. There the Lord told them, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."

*Oh, how the devil loves to lie! Revelation 12:9 speaks of him deceiving the whole world. And the devil will always try to lie to us about who we are, about what we should do, about what's good for us, and what's not good for us.

[2] SATAN'S GOALS FOR US INCLUDE DECEPTION. THEY ALSO INCLUDE DEATH.

*Death is the devil's second goal for our lives. As Jesus said in vs. 10, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill." The devil wants to kill people, yes, physically, but most of all, he wants to kill people spiritually.

*Well, if we are Christians, if we have trusted in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, thank God, Satan can't kill us spiritually! But he still wants to kill our hopes, our dreams, and our potential in life.

[3] THE DEVIL'S GOALS FOR US INCLUDE DEATH. THEY ALSO INCLUDE DESTRUCTION.

*Again in vs. 10, Jesus said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." The devil wants to destroy our homes, our trust, and our happiness. He wants to destroy our children, our church and our country.