1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:04,240 Well, we've been working our way through these essentials of faith 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:05,840 to answer this question. 3 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,920 Christianity of false is of no importance. 4 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:11,200 If it's true, it's of infinite importance. 5 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:15,360 The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. 6 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:17,240 Said by C.S. 7 00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:17,840 Lewis. 8 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:21,160 Thanks for your attentiveness to these chapels. 9 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:22,320 I really appreciate it. 10 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:25,040 And today I want to talk about your purpose. 11 00:00:25,770 --> 00:00:28,330 Why did God put you on this earth? 12 00:00:28,890 --> 00:00:32,010 And then I want to tell you, as I told you in the intro, about 13 00:00:32,010 --> 00:00:33,490 the greatest discovery in the Bible. 14 00:00:33,490 --> 00:00:36,090 So that's kind of where we're headed today, because we're getting 15 00:00:36,090 --> 00:00:40,250 close to the end of this series and today looking at successful, 16 00:00:40,490 --> 00:00:41,450 flawed people. 17 00:00:41,609 --> 00:00:42,890 And where's our purpose? 18 00:00:43,210 --> 00:00:47,170 You see, we looked at God and his nature and heaven, and then we 19 00:00:47,170 --> 00:00:49,690 looked at how we're separated from God because of sin. 20 00:00:49,930 --> 00:00:53,050 And then we're reconnected to God because of grace, and we grow 21 00:00:53,050 --> 00:00:54,910 in him because of truth. 22 00:00:55,710 --> 00:01:00,270 And then we looked at how we build character in those gifts of 23 00:01:00,270 --> 00:01:03,910 the spirit, fruits of the spirit, and how love is central to 24 00:01:03,910 --> 00:01:04,910 everything we do. 25 00:01:05,070 --> 00:01:08,990 And then you've got to be able to trust God through the good times 26 00:01:08,990 --> 00:01:11,310 and the bad times, because he is sovereign. 27 00:01:11,630 --> 00:01:15,310 So you put all that together, and that brings us to our purpose. 28 00:01:15,630 --> 00:01:17,390 Why did God put us here? 29 00:01:17,470 --> 00:01:20,350 God did not create you to fill space. 30 00:01:22,690 --> 00:01:26,610 God did not create you because your mom and dad needed another kid. 31 00:01:27,890 --> 00:01:31,890 God did not put you here just to fill a seat. 32 00:01:33,090 --> 00:01:39,130 God created you uniquely with your gifts to do something that only 33 00:01:39,130 --> 00:01:39,970 you could do. 34 00:01:40,370 --> 00:01:43,570 He didn't create you to do something somebody else could do. 35 00:01:43,890 --> 00:01:47,800 He created you to do what only you could do. 36 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,040 And God has a plan for what that is in your life. 37 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,440 And that plan is filled with promise and with purpose. 38 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:58,920 We read about this in Jeremiah. 39 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:04,040 When Jeremiah the prophet says to the people, for I know the plans 40 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:05,800 I have for you, says the Lord. 41 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,840 They're plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future 42 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:12,200 and a hope. 43 00:02:13,580 --> 00:02:16,060 Well, I hope you have a future and a hope and feel that way. 44 00:02:16,060 --> 00:02:19,340 But you have to understand what the promise comes from. 45 00:02:19,340 --> 00:02:24,940 The time of Jeremiah, when Nebuchadnezzar had exiled the leaders 46 00:02:25,180 --> 00:02:33,020 of Israel into Babylon, which is modern day Iraq, and Iran, he 47 00:02:33,020 --> 00:02:35,260 exiled them into that territory. 48 00:02:35,740 --> 00:02:39,660 And in the middle of that, God says, I have a plan for you. 49 00:02:41,290 --> 00:02:43,810 I think they could have said, well, God, that's really good, but, 50 00:02:43,810 --> 00:02:46,210 you know, let's wait till we get out of this thing and then I'll 51 00:02:46,210 --> 00:02:47,010 do your purpose. 52 00:02:47,010 --> 00:02:51,170 No, he had a plan for them right now, and I think a Lot of Christians 53 00:02:51,170 --> 00:02:55,010 sit on the sidelines of life because they're waiting for that 54 00:02:55,010 --> 00:02:56,570 time when everything comes together. 55 00:02:56,570 --> 00:02:58,650 And finally, I can do God's purpose. 56 00:02:59,370 --> 00:03:02,570 If I can just get this degree, then I'll do God's purpose. 57 00:03:02,570 --> 00:03:05,680 If I can just go to graduate school, then I'll do God's purpose. 58 00:03:05,750 --> 00:03:09,150 If I can just get married, start a family, then I'll do God's 59 00:03:09,150 --> 00:03:09,430 purpose. 60 00:03:09,430 --> 00:03:11,150 If I just get enough money, I'll do God's purpose. 61 00:03:11,150 --> 00:03:12,230 It doesn't work that way. 62 00:03:13,190 --> 00:03:16,990 God has a purpose for you right now in your place, right where 63 00:03:16,990 --> 00:03:17,510 you are. 64 00:03:17,670 --> 00:03:22,910 And that purpose will grow and change over time as God unleashes 65 00:03:22,910 --> 00:03:25,190 those gifts in your life. 66 00:03:26,310 --> 00:03:30,670 So I want to talk today about fulfilling God's purpose in our lives. 67 00:03:30,670 --> 00:03:33,040 And I use that word, fulfilling on purpose. 68 00:03:33,750 --> 00:03:36,630 A lot of people say I'm finding God's will for my life. 69 00:03:37,430 --> 00:03:38,470 And I don't believe that. 70 00:03:38,470 --> 00:03:41,670 God does not hide his will for our life. 71 00:03:41,670 --> 00:03:43,670 So you're not finding God's will. 72 00:03:43,750 --> 00:03:47,470 You're fulfilling what he's already determined you're gifted 73 00:03:47,470 --> 00:03:49,830 to do and what he prepared you to do. 74 00:03:50,070 --> 00:03:55,430 You see, God doesn't hide his will, but he only reveals as much 75 00:03:55,430 --> 00:03:57,430 as we can handle at the time. 76 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:00,240 Hear that? 77 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,560 He only reveals what you can handle at the time. 78 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:09,760 When I was in your place, sitting in chapel many years ago, 79 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:13,120 we didn't have phones for distraction. 80 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:16,400 We had studied sometimes, but we listened. 81 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:20,480 So sitting in chapel, I didn't really know what my purpose was. 82 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:23,440 I didn't really know why I was in college other than that's the 83 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:24,000 next thing you do. 84 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,820 My dad had to be president, school, so I better show up. 85 00:04:27,860 --> 00:04:31,660 I was interested in soccer, and I was interested in playing tennis, 86 00:04:31,660 --> 00:04:34,180 and I was interested in Dayton, Mary Lou, and that was about 87 00:04:34,180 --> 00:04:34,500 it. 88 00:04:35,380 --> 00:04:37,220 I didn't have much purpose after that. 89 00:04:37,780 --> 00:04:40,780 I didn't really know what I wanted to do, what I wanted to be. 90 00:04:40,780 --> 00:04:42,580 People would tell me, you're going to do this, you're going to 91 00:04:42,580 --> 00:04:42,980 do that. 92 00:04:42,980 --> 00:04:47,540 And God began to open some little doors in little tiny steps. 93 00:04:48,180 --> 00:04:51,260 Eventually got to graduate school and found out I was a lot 94 00:04:51,260 --> 00:04:54,270 better at academics than I ever applied myself to to be as an 95 00:04:54,270 --> 00:04:54,790 undergraduate. 96 00:04:54,790 --> 00:04:55,990 And I got pretty good at it. 97 00:04:56,470 --> 00:05:00,230 I appreciated what campus life was about because I'd grown up on 98 00:05:00,230 --> 00:05:03,590 a campus and I wanted to be involved in Christian colleges somehow. 99 00:05:03,750 --> 00:05:07,630 So I got a PhD in higher education and wound up at a really 100 00:05:07,630 --> 00:05:11,710 young age being a college president when I was 34 years old. 101 00:05:11,710 --> 00:05:14,550 You know, I'm in my 36th year as a college president. 102 00:05:14,870 --> 00:05:17,870 I have been a college president more years of my life than 103 00:05:17,870 --> 00:05:19,150 I've not been a college president. 104 00:05:20,020 --> 00:05:23,700 And that's really weird, but that's how life came out for me. 105 00:05:23,940 --> 00:05:24,980 But here's the thing. 106 00:05:26,100 --> 00:05:30,820 When I was sitting back there in chapel as a sophomore, if God 107 00:05:30,820 --> 00:05:36,020 had said, you're going to go and be a college president and you're 108 00:05:36,020 --> 00:05:40,780 going to run this organization and you're going to help educate 109 00:05:40,780 --> 00:05:43,820 people and you're going to build this and build that and manage 110 00:05:43,820 --> 00:05:46,130 the budgets to do that, I would have been scared to death. 111 00:05:46,130 --> 00:05:48,310 I, I was scared to even talk in public. 112 00:05:49,110 --> 00:05:54,390 I remember my public speaking class, we had to give a five minute 113 00:05:54,390 --> 00:05:54,710 speech. 114 00:05:54,710 --> 00:05:55,830 I about wilted. 115 00:05:56,470 --> 00:05:57,510 I couldn't do it. 116 00:05:59,670 --> 00:06:05,830 God at that point knew I couldn't handle what his plan was 117 00:06:05,830 --> 00:06:06,390 for me. 118 00:06:07,590 --> 00:06:13,310 But over time, God revealed it and opened it to me so that I could 119 00:06:13,310 --> 00:06:14,330 fulfill it. 120 00:06:15,130 --> 00:06:19,130 It's amazing how God does not hide his will. 121 00:06:19,370 --> 00:06:23,450 He just doesn't show us all of it when we can't handle it. 122 00:06:23,770 --> 00:06:27,170 If he had told me at that time I'm going to do all that stuff, I 123 00:06:27,170 --> 00:06:30,370 would have run and signed up for the greeter training program 124 00:06:30,370 --> 00:06:32,730 at Walmart because I would have thought that'd be a stretch 125 00:06:32,730 --> 00:06:33,210 for me. 126 00:06:33,450 --> 00:06:34,970 That's about the best I could do. 127 00:06:37,130 --> 00:06:42,040 Instead, God wanted me to do these things, but I never in a million 128 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:45,000 years expected it or thought I could. 129 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:50,040 So God doesn't hide his will, but he will be slow to reveal it 130 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:54,520 until you are ready to accept it and act on it. 131 00:06:54,840 --> 00:06:58,680 Secondly, what you do is worthless without love. 132 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:03,080 If you don't love, whatever you do really doesn't matter. 133 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,240 You could have the greatest accomplishments of any graduate who's 134 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:08,440 ever come to Belhaven. 135 00:07:08,700 --> 00:07:11,340 And if you don't love, we don't think it's great. 136 00:07:11,900 --> 00:07:12,940 But God doesn't. 137 00:07:14,060 --> 00:07:15,980 You've been reading First Corinthians 13. 138 00:07:15,980 --> 00:07:18,540 I know you have, because I'm hearing a lot of good stories about 139 00:07:18,540 --> 00:07:20,380 how you're sticking with it and hang in there. 140 00:07:20,460 --> 00:07:23,180 I know you feel like, well, I know it so well, I don't have to 141 00:07:23,180 --> 00:07:23,700 read it anymore. 142 00:07:23,700 --> 00:07:24,300 Yeah, you do. 143 00:07:24,539 --> 00:07:28,060 Stay with it until Thanksgiving and God will continue 144 00:07:28,220 --> 00:07:30,220 to work in your life as you do. 145 00:07:30,860 --> 00:07:33,980 But First Corinthians 13, because you've read it so much now, 146 00:07:33,980 --> 00:07:38,610 you know the first three verses are this contrast between 147 00:07:38,850 --> 00:07:41,810 love and doing some amazing things. 148 00:07:43,010 --> 00:07:45,650 So you can do amazing things in your life. 149 00:07:46,050 --> 00:07:48,690 But if you don't love, it doesn't matter. 150 00:07:50,130 --> 00:07:55,530 In God's perspective of success, here's what scripture says. 151 00:07:55,530 --> 00:07:59,530 If I could speak the languages of the earth and of angels, if I 152 00:07:59,530 --> 00:08:03,070 can communicate with everybody so that I could really connect with 153 00:08:03,070 --> 00:08:06,310 them and help shape their lives and help make their lives better. 154 00:08:06,470 --> 00:08:11,270 And if I could do that, but I didn't love them, I'd just be a noisy 155 00:08:11,270 --> 00:08:12,830 gong or clanging cymbal. 156 00:08:12,830 --> 00:08:15,670 Or if I had the gift of prophecy and I understood everything 157 00:08:15,670 --> 00:08:18,390 about the Bible, wouldn't that be an amazing accomplishment? 158 00:08:18,870 --> 00:08:20,870 But without love, it doesn't matter. 159 00:08:21,590 --> 00:08:24,790 Or if I gave everything I have to the poor, and if I really gave 160 00:08:24,790 --> 00:08:29,900 them sacrifice my own body for serving others, but I didn't love 161 00:08:29,900 --> 00:08:33,140 them, the scripture says it would be nothing. 162 00:08:33,140 --> 00:08:37,220 See, there's this huge contrast between these accomplishments 163 00:08:37,220 --> 00:08:44,180 that are remarkable and when we don't love in our lives and this 164 00:08:44,340 --> 00:08:47,460 image that God that the scripture gives us, I think is pretty 165 00:08:47,460 --> 00:08:48,020 remarkable. 166 00:08:49,140 --> 00:08:51,820 And I borrowed this from the music department, kind of show it 167 00:08:51,820 --> 00:08:52,260 to you. 168 00:08:55,390 --> 00:08:56,110 That's a gong. 169 00:08:57,870 --> 00:09:05,190 So the scripture says that you can accomplish these things, but 170 00:09:05,190 --> 00:09:07,550 if you don't love, you're drowned out by the gong. 171 00:09:07,550 --> 00:09:12,830 So if I could speak with the languages of earth and of angels, 172 00:09:12,990 --> 00:09:17,910 but didn't love others, I would be a noisy gong or a clanging 173 00:09:17,910 --> 00:09:18,590 sipple. 174 00:09:19,940 --> 00:09:22,300 And if I had the gift of prophecy and understood all God's 175 00:09:22,300 --> 00:09:25,020 plans and possessed all knowledge and the faith, I could 176 00:09:25,020 --> 00:09:27,940 move mom but didn't love others, it would be nothing. 177 00:09:28,260 --> 00:09:31,020 And if I gave everything I have to the poor, he would sacrifice 178 00:09:31,020 --> 00:09:33,940 my body and boast of it, but I didn't love others. 179 00:09:33,940 --> 00:09:35,540 It would have gained nothing. 180 00:09:36,820 --> 00:09:37,460 You see? 181 00:09:40,100 --> 00:09:44,620 You see, all your accomplishments don't matter because 182 00:09:44,620 --> 00:09:47,890 it's drowned out if you don't love. 183 00:09:49,010 --> 00:09:51,730 That's why that image is so strong there. 184 00:09:52,130 --> 00:09:55,970 And the people of that day would have understood that image. 185 00:09:56,450 --> 00:10:01,370 They would have understood that that noise was so loud that 186 00:10:01,370 --> 00:10:02,770 they couldn't hear anything else. 187 00:10:04,050 --> 00:10:06,050 That's what God is telling us. 188 00:10:06,770 --> 00:10:08,690 That's how important love is. 189 00:10:08,930 --> 00:10:11,590 So when you're looking for your purpose, it. 190 00:10:11,660 --> 00:10:17,740 If your purpose is not built in love, then it really doesn't matter. 191 00:10:18,540 --> 00:10:22,140 In God's estimation of what is significant. 192 00:10:24,700 --> 00:10:27,180 Love is the core. 193 00:10:27,820 --> 00:10:33,660 Now, you can love in a lot of professions, whatever your profession 194 00:10:33,660 --> 00:10:37,660 is, God's still calling you to the same thing, to love others and 195 00:10:38,370 --> 00:10:39,330 do for the least of these. 196 00:10:39,330 --> 00:10:42,610 Remember that from back when we talked about heaven, do for the 197 00:10:42,610 --> 00:10:43,250 least of these. 198 00:10:43,650 --> 00:10:46,810 Those are the measures of purpose that he says. 199 00:10:46,810 --> 00:10:48,130 So that's your purpose. 200 00:10:48,370 --> 00:10:54,450 And then your other work is a vehicle for accomplishing that purpose 201 00:10:54,530 --> 00:10:56,770 of Love and doing for the least of these. 202 00:10:56,770 --> 00:10:58,410 So maybe you're going to the medical world. 203 00:10:58,410 --> 00:10:58,850 That's great. 204 00:10:58,850 --> 00:10:59,730 If you're going to. 205 00:10:59,810 --> 00:11:03,530 You can really show people that you love and care for them as 206 00:11:03,530 --> 00:11:03,880 individuals. 207 00:11:04,670 --> 00:11:07,310 They're not just the next appointment on the schedule. 208 00:11:07,390 --> 00:11:10,030 Or maybe you're going into education, you're going to teach, 209 00:11:10,030 --> 00:11:12,190 you're going to prepare to work in colleges. 210 00:11:12,350 --> 00:11:14,710 Great place to serve and to love others. 211 00:11:14,710 --> 00:11:18,790 Or maybe you're in the arts and you can bring joy to people and 212 00:11:18,790 --> 00:11:21,790 you can tell stories that help them grapple with the big questions 213 00:11:21,790 --> 00:11:26,670 of life because of your gift and in that you love them. 214 00:11:26,670 --> 00:11:28,190 Or maybe you're going into business. 215 00:11:28,590 --> 00:11:31,230 And if you're going into business, you can still love people, 216 00:11:31,380 --> 00:11:33,570 but because there are a lot of people in your business who don't 217 00:11:33,570 --> 00:11:34,530 make the money you make. 218 00:11:34,530 --> 00:11:37,370 And you can be kind and gentle and supportive of them. 219 00:11:37,370 --> 00:11:40,330 And you can also make a lot of money and give away a lot of money 220 00:11:40,410 --> 00:11:43,610 in order to help a lot of people because you love them. 221 00:11:43,930 --> 00:11:49,410 Or social worker counseling, or, you know, being a pastor or a 222 00:11:49,410 --> 00:11:51,770 coach or a scientist. 223 00:11:51,850 --> 00:11:56,610 In all those professions, you can do things to show your love for 224 00:11:56,610 --> 00:11:59,030 others and to serve the least of these. 225 00:11:59,990 --> 00:12:03,270 You can even do it if you don't do a profession that requires 226 00:12:03,510 --> 00:12:04,590 a college degree. 227 00:12:04,590 --> 00:12:08,670 I was on campus one day and a couple of our maintenance guys were 228 00:12:08,670 --> 00:12:11,510 fixing a water leak right in front of the student center. 229 00:12:11,510 --> 00:12:12,790 They were way down the hole. 230 00:12:12,790 --> 00:12:16,150 They were up to their knees in mud and water and the whole thing. 231 00:12:16,150 --> 00:12:19,470 And I came up to the edge of it, and I look over and I say, guys, 232 00:12:19,470 --> 00:12:20,150 what are you doing? 233 00:12:21,270 --> 00:12:23,510 They said, we're educating students for Christ. 234 00:12:24,710 --> 00:12:26,150 And that's exactly what they were doing. 235 00:12:26,230 --> 00:12:28,310 Now, they were doing it by fixing a water leak. 236 00:12:28,710 --> 00:12:33,750 But if they don't fix a water leak, campus shuts down because the 237 00:12:33,750 --> 00:12:36,070 restrooms don't work and we don't have any air conditioning. 238 00:12:36,390 --> 00:12:37,270 So we're all done. 239 00:12:37,750 --> 00:12:39,750 So that's exactly what they were doing. 240 00:12:39,830 --> 00:12:43,070 They were doing it because they love you and they care about 241 00:12:43,070 --> 00:12:48,550 you and they wanted to use their gifts, their calling to serve 242 00:12:48,550 --> 00:12:49,350 in that way. 243 00:12:51,150 --> 00:12:53,710 What you do is worthless without love. 244 00:12:55,230 --> 00:12:57,710 But love makes all the difference. 245 00:12:57,710 --> 00:13:01,190 And when you take your gifts and your uniqueness and you put it 246 00:13:01,190 --> 00:13:04,830 all together and it's motivated by love, that's when God 247 00:13:04,830 --> 00:13:06,430 will really surprise you. 248 00:13:07,230 --> 00:13:10,470 I think one of the greatest illustrations I've seen of using 249 00:13:10,470 --> 00:13:13,310 your gifts is Doug Ellsworth, who does our music. 250 00:13:14,430 --> 00:13:15,630 Doug's pretty remarkable. 251 00:13:15,630 --> 00:13:21,090 But Doug, a few years ago, got into Looking at developing a better 252 00:13:21,410 --> 00:13:22,450 tasting coffee. 253 00:13:22,850 --> 00:13:27,490 Kind of started as a hobby and it kind of grew into a business. 254 00:13:27,490 --> 00:13:29,890 He hadn't really planned it, but it kind of grew into a business. 255 00:13:29,970 --> 00:13:33,290 And the business got pretty big because all the best restaurants 256 00:13:33,290 --> 00:13:35,570 in Jackson wanted his coffee. 257 00:13:36,450 --> 00:13:39,290 And then he took that interest in it. 258 00:13:39,290 --> 00:13:39,570 But. 259 00:13:39,650 --> 00:13:41,330 But he was also really a. 260 00:13:42,620 --> 00:13:44,140 A music person. 261 00:13:44,140 --> 00:13:45,500 He writes a lot of songs. 262 00:13:45,500 --> 00:13:46,940 He was a pastor at heart. 263 00:13:47,340 --> 00:13:50,860 Doug's really good at bringing together community and one on one 264 00:13:51,340 --> 00:13:52,140 engagement. 265 00:13:52,780 --> 00:13:57,460 And he came to me a few years ago when our Shuberg, you don't remember, 266 00:13:57,460 --> 00:14:02,660 but our Shuberg Cafe was one of the dingiest, most inactive places 267 00:14:02,660 --> 00:14:03,300 on campus. 268 00:14:03,300 --> 00:14:04,220 It was horrible. 269 00:14:04,780 --> 00:14:07,580 We kind of had it open to serve a little bit of this and that, 270 00:14:07,580 --> 00:14:10,650 and it was costing us a lot of money to run the thing. 271 00:14:10,970 --> 00:14:12,250 And nobody cared. 272 00:14:12,250 --> 00:14:12,970 Nobody came. 273 00:14:13,530 --> 00:14:15,930 Doug said, would you be willing to let me take that over? 274 00:14:16,250 --> 00:14:18,970 And it was so bad, I thought, what have you got to lose? 275 00:14:18,970 --> 00:14:21,370 Yeah, help yourself and take the thing over. 276 00:14:22,090 --> 00:14:26,570 And Doug, because he wanted to connect with students, because he 277 00:14:26,570 --> 00:14:31,410 loves you, took all those gifts of his ability to make great 278 00:14:31,410 --> 00:14:37,610 coffee and to serve and to run a business and music and pastoring 279 00:14:37,610 --> 00:14:41,370 and community and one on one, brought it all together to make that 280 00:14:41,370 --> 00:14:43,890 one of the greatest spots we've got on campus. 281 00:14:43,970 --> 00:14:48,930 And people love to congregate, that that's being responsive to your 282 00:14:48,930 --> 00:14:51,250 gifts that are driven by love. 283 00:14:51,410 --> 00:14:55,610 When your gifts are driven by love, God will surprise you in what 284 00:14:55,610 --> 00:14:56,290 he's going to do. 285 00:14:57,570 --> 00:15:00,370 So the next idea is this. 286 00:15:00,710 --> 00:15:03,190 There are many choices to be in God's will. 287 00:15:03,990 --> 00:15:04,870 Many choices. 288 00:15:04,950 --> 00:15:08,190 When I was your age and I was sitting in that chapel, I was scared 289 00:15:08,190 --> 00:15:09,830 to death I was going to miss God's will. 290 00:15:10,470 --> 00:15:12,230 They say you got to find God's will. 291 00:15:13,030 --> 00:15:14,590 Oh, I'm going to miss God's will. 292 00:15:14,590 --> 00:15:16,989 I'm going to choose this profession, this profession. 293 00:15:16,989 --> 00:15:19,590 And my life will be ruined because I miss God's will. 294 00:15:19,670 --> 00:15:21,270 No, it doesn't work that way at all. 295 00:15:21,590 --> 00:15:23,030 It doesn't work that way at all. 296 00:15:23,670 --> 00:15:25,670 His will is that you love people. 297 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:28,720 His will is that you do for the least of these. 298 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:31,520 And there are a whole lot of paths to getting there. 299 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:34,000 There are a whole lot of ways you can do that. 300 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:36,960 And for each of us, it is different. 301 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:39,360 There's not a right or wrong answer. 302 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:43,640 Because his will is to love and to serve the least of these. 303 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:47,280 And as long as that's what motivates you, then there are lots 304 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:49,520 of different ways God can use you. 305 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:51,360 It's not a single path. 306 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:53,680 And often that changes over time, and. 307 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:58,080 And it changes with seasons of life and family obligations and other 308 00:15:58,080 --> 00:15:58,840 kinds of things. 309 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:03,040 And it changes as your gifting grows and develop, you have more 310 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:05,440 opportunities to do other kinds of things. 311 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:10,079 But two things I'd recommend to you are, first of all, listen 312 00:16:10,079 --> 00:16:11,280 to your gifting. 313 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:13,520 Listen to your gifting. 314 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:14,400 What are you good at? 315 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:18,560 God made you, and he made you good at something. 316 00:16:20,890 --> 00:16:24,250 And because of that, God gifted you to begin to develop that 317 00:16:24,250 --> 00:16:26,810 gift, to use it for his honor and glory. 318 00:16:28,090 --> 00:16:32,410 And if you will listen to your gifting and follow that path of your 319 00:16:32,410 --> 00:16:34,970 gifting, it's kind of amazing what God will open up. 320 00:16:36,090 --> 00:16:38,130 Now, some people say, well, I can't do that. 321 00:16:38,130 --> 00:16:39,170 It can't be my profession. 322 00:16:39,170 --> 00:16:40,010 It's too easy. 323 00:16:40,410 --> 00:16:41,770 It's too easy for me. 324 00:16:41,930 --> 00:16:44,730 Yeah, it may be easy because you're gifted at it. 325 00:16:45,580 --> 00:16:49,020 I got folks who help me with the finances of this school, and 326 00:16:49,020 --> 00:16:49,900 it's pretty complex. 327 00:16:50,140 --> 00:16:51,820 You know, we spend a million dollars a week. 328 00:16:51,820 --> 00:16:53,980 It's pretty not an easy place to run. 329 00:16:54,220 --> 00:16:56,700 And they look at it and they go, is this, this, this, this. 330 00:16:57,020 --> 00:16:59,340 It's really simple and easy for them. 331 00:16:59,740 --> 00:17:01,259 And they explain that to other people. 332 00:17:01,259 --> 00:17:02,420 It totally goes over their head. 333 00:17:02,420 --> 00:17:03,980 And they say, I don't know what you're talking about. 334 00:17:04,380 --> 00:17:07,740 Well, because they're working in their gifting, and that's why. 335 00:17:08,620 --> 00:17:10,380 Listen to your gifting. 336 00:17:10,700 --> 00:17:15,679 God made you, and God designed you for a purpose, and he gave you 337 00:17:15,679 --> 00:17:16,119 gifts. 338 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:20,119 And if you follow those gifts, God will open up a path for you. 339 00:17:20,519 --> 00:17:21,399 Second is this. 340 00:17:21,799 --> 00:17:23,879 Listen and learn from mentors. 341 00:17:24,759 --> 00:17:26,919 Mentors are really important in your life. 342 00:17:27,319 --> 00:17:31,279 If you don't have mentors now, make sure you get some people who've 343 00:17:31,279 --> 00:17:33,079 got more experience, who are wise. 344 00:17:33,159 --> 00:17:35,959 They don't have to be even a lot older, but they usually are. 345 00:17:36,519 --> 00:17:38,159 And it doesn't need to be formal. 346 00:17:38,159 --> 00:17:40,639 You know, a lot of people are interested in God, want to be in 347 00:17:40,639 --> 00:17:41,799 a mentoring relationship. 348 00:17:41,799 --> 00:17:43,319 Well, that's fine if you want to do that. 349 00:17:43,860 --> 00:17:44,460 That doesn't work. 350 00:17:44,460 --> 00:17:45,660 That's never worked for me. 351 00:17:45,660 --> 00:17:47,300 I've had mentors my whole life. 352 00:17:47,780 --> 00:17:53,140 But my mentors are people I just watch, I listen to, I really 353 00:17:53,140 --> 00:17:54,340 pick up on their cues. 354 00:17:54,740 --> 00:17:57,860 I learn a lot from them because they're people I respect. 355 00:17:59,140 --> 00:18:05,940 And so you can be in mentoring without it being a formal mentoring 356 00:18:05,940 --> 00:18:06,460 kind of thing. 357 00:18:06,460 --> 00:18:08,260 If you have a teachable spirit. 358 00:18:08,580 --> 00:18:11,890 You know, I hire a lot of people here, and the number one thing 359 00:18:11,890 --> 00:18:14,930 I look for in every single employee at every level is, do you 360 00:18:14,930 --> 00:18:16,010 have a teachable spirit? 361 00:18:16,250 --> 00:18:17,570 If you think you know it all. 362 00:18:17,570 --> 00:18:18,490 You're not going to work here. 363 00:18:18,890 --> 00:18:20,170 I don't want you working here. 364 00:18:20,250 --> 00:18:24,050 You got to be learning and listening to what God's saying and 365 00:18:24,050 --> 00:18:26,010 developing in your life. 366 00:18:26,730 --> 00:18:28,290 So if you have mentors, great. 367 00:18:28,290 --> 00:18:32,250 If you don't have mentors, find mentors, people you can learn 368 00:18:32,250 --> 00:18:32,570 from. 369 00:18:33,210 --> 00:18:37,650 Well, there are many choices to God's will and many directions 370 00:18:37,650 --> 00:18:38,890 of how we can get there. 371 00:18:39,450 --> 00:18:43,650 And that path won't be one thing and then you're kind of set 372 00:18:43,650 --> 00:18:44,170 forever. 373 00:18:44,650 --> 00:18:45,690 Don't expect that. 374 00:18:45,850 --> 00:18:46,970 The key is this. 375 00:18:47,210 --> 00:18:47,570 Yeah. 376 00:18:47,570 --> 00:18:48,330 You got a plan? 377 00:18:48,810 --> 00:18:51,090 I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do that, and I'm gonna go to grad 378 00:18:51,090 --> 00:18:51,250 school. 379 00:18:51,250 --> 00:18:51,930 I'm gonna do this. 380 00:18:52,170 --> 00:18:53,250 Great, wonderful. 381 00:18:53,250 --> 00:18:54,050 Nothing wrong with that. 382 00:18:54,050 --> 00:18:54,810 That's all good. 383 00:18:55,690 --> 00:18:58,890 Just don't hang on to it so tightly that God can't change it. 384 00:18:59,690 --> 00:19:02,010 That's when we miss his best for us. 385 00:19:02,740 --> 00:19:06,020 When you hang on so tightly that you can't adjust from the plan. 386 00:19:06,500 --> 00:19:09,700 God has a plan, but he hadn't revealed it all to you yet. 387 00:19:10,180 --> 00:19:13,380 He will, but it will come over time. 388 00:19:14,260 --> 00:19:18,900 Well, the fourth thing I'd suggest to you is God uses flawed 389 00:19:18,900 --> 00:19:19,220 people. 390 00:19:20,180 --> 00:19:22,020 God uses flawed people. 391 00:19:22,260 --> 00:19:26,180 Nobody in the history of the Christian world has ever done it 392 00:19:26,180 --> 00:19:26,740 all right? 393 00:19:28,430 --> 00:19:31,710 Nobody in life ever gets a free pass. 394 00:19:31,790 --> 00:19:33,230 Everybody gets beat up. 395 00:19:33,870 --> 00:19:34,950 That's how life is. 396 00:19:34,950 --> 00:19:38,670 Because it's a sinful world and we all have sinned and fallen 397 00:19:38,670 --> 00:19:38,990 short. 398 00:19:39,150 --> 00:19:41,070 The scripture tells us very clearly. 399 00:19:42,750 --> 00:19:47,270 And when you understand that God uses flawed people, it opens 400 00:19:47,270 --> 00:19:52,430 up a whole opportunity of purpose that some people shut down 401 00:19:52,430 --> 00:19:56,920 from because they assume that that their flaws keep them from being 402 00:19:57,240 --> 00:19:58,360 used by God. 403 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:02,600 Now one of my mentors is Steve Brown. 404 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:04,240 I love Steve Brown. 405 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:07,080 He's a faculty member down at RTS in Orlando. 406 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaks on the radio a lot. 407 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:10,480 He's got these one minute things. 408 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:13,240 If you ever want to sign up for something that's really helpful. 409 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:15,560 He's always smart, he's always on target. 410 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:16,840 He really helps me. 411 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:21,040 I love Steve and I don't get to be with him that often, but every 412 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:23,390 time I'm with him, he enriches my life. 413 00:20:23,390 --> 00:20:26,110 And Steve said this, he can say it better than I can. 414 00:20:26,110 --> 00:20:28,390 It's pretty short, but he can say it better than I can. 415 00:20:28,390 --> 00:20:29,710 So here's a video. 416 00:20:30,910 --> 00:20:37,150 Very rarely uses obedient, faithful, self righteous people. 417 00:20:40,430 --> 00:20:48,440 He almost always uses screwed up, sinful people who know it. 418 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:52,600 So why discern on the mount? 419 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:56,120 Well, it's to give us a guide about some things that are helpful. 420 00:20:56,200 --> 00:21:01,400 But more important than that, Jesus is saying, if you want me to 421 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:04,040 do amazing things with you. 422 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:11,320 Cry out for mercy and the angels will sing. 423 00:21:13,330 --> 00:21:15,250 You see, God uses flawed people. 424 00:21:15,410 --> 00:21:19,610 And when we can cry out for mercy and know that we're flawed 425 00:21:19,610 --> 00:21:22,930 and go before him, we can take our flaw and turn it into something 426 00:21:23,410 --> 00:21:23,810 significant. 427 00:21:24,130 --> 00:21:25,810 Abraham was old. 428 00:21:26,850 --> 00:21:28,130 Jeremiah was young. 429 00:21:28,530 --> 00:21:30,530 A lot of people think I'm too young to do anything. 430 00:21:30,530 --> 00:21:31,170 No, you're not. 431 00:21:33,170 --> 00:21:34,770 Moses stuttered. 432 00:21:35,410 --> 00:21:37,010 Noah was a drunk. 433 00:21:38,620 --> 00:21:40,220 Jacob was a cheater. 434 00:21:41,660 --> 00:21:43,740 David was a murderer. 435 00:21:44,780 --> 00:21:47,100 Elijah was suicidal. 436 00:21:48,620 --> 00:21:49,980 Joseph was abused. 437 00:21:51,660 --> 00:21:53,500 Gideon was afraid. 438 00:21:54,460 --> 00:21:56,700 Samson was a womanizer. 439 00:21:59,260 --> 00:22:00,940 Rahab was a prostitute. 440 00:22:02,380 --> 00:22:03,580 Job went bankrupt. 441 00:22:05,510 --> 00:22:06,950 Jonah ran from God. 442 00:22:07,750 --> 00:22:10,150 The disciples fell asleep while praying. 443 00:22:11,110 --> 00:22:16,310 And Paul persecuted Christians before he became one. 444 00:22:18,230 --> 00:22:20,950 Every one of them is a flawed person. 445 00:22:22,230 --> 00:22:24,390 And those are our heroes of faith. 446 00:22:24,870 --> 00:22:29,150 Those are people that God felt were important enough to tell their 447 00:22:29,150 --> 00:22:32,590 stories so that we would know them in the scripture. 448 00:22:33,630 --> 00:22:37,470 There are millions of other stories, but he included those on 449 00:22:37,470 --> 00:22:41,870 purpose because they're flawed people, just like you and me. 450 00:22:42,270 --> 00:22:45,830 And if you're waiting and say, well, God can't use me because I'm 451 00:22:45,830 --> 00:22:47,470 flawed, you miss a point. 452 00:22:47,550 --> 00:22:52,190 The greatest discovery in the Bible is to understand that God uses 453 00:22:52,190 --> 00:22:53,070 flawed people. 454 00:22:54,350 --> 00:22:58,830 When you understand that, then you can open yourself to to be a 455 00:22:58,830 --> 00:23:03,510 person used of God and have a purpose and a significance. 456 00:23:04,390 --> 00:23:09,670 If you love God and you love his people, there's no telling what 457 00:23:09,670 --> 00:23:10,790 God will do in your life. 458 00:23:12,230 --> 00:23:15,270 You don't have to be perfect because you're not. 459 00:23:15,670 --> 00:23:18,390 And I don't have to be perfect because I'm not. 460 00:23:19,030 --> 00:23:23,990 But God will use us if we love and if we're willing to serve. 461 00:23:24,980 --> 00:23:29,380 And it'll be way beyond the best we can imagine. 462 00:23:30,340 --> 00:23:35,180 You know, we used to close chapel every year with a verse we'd 463 00:23:35,180 --> 00:23:36,900 say together in unison, out loud. 464 00:23:37,380 --> 00:23:39,300 And we stopped doing it this semester. 465 00:23:39,300 --> 00:23:41,460 And I'm going to bring it back next semester and I'll tell you about 466 00:23:41,460 --> 00:23:41,780 it. 467 00:23:42,260 --> 00:23:43,100 Start of the spring. 468 00:23:43,100 --> 00:23:44,260 Why we're going to bring it back. 469 00:23:44,820 --> 00:23:46,020 But it reads like this. 470 00:23:46,020 --> 00:23:49,140 No eye has seen, no ear is heard. 471 00:23:50,030 --> 00:23:55,630 No mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. 472 00:23:57,070 --> 00:24:01,710 Whatever your best plans are, you haven't yet seen them. 473 00:24:02,510 --> 00:24:06,550 Whatever you think your direction is and you've been counseled 474 00:24:06,550 --> 00:24:08,270 to do, you haven't yet heard it. 475 00:24:09,070 --> 00:24:12,630 Whatever you conceive as a perfect future for you, you haven't 476 00:24:12,630 --> 00:24:13,630 yet conceived it. 477 00:24:14,110 --> 00:24:15,950 God's got more for you. 478 00:24:16,670 --> 00:24:22,110 Because our minds cannot conceive what God has prepared for 479 00:24:22,110 --> 00:24:24,030 those who love him. 480 00:24:25,710 --> 00:24:31,910 And in that our purpose becomes fulfilled for what God designed 481 00:24:31,910 --> 00:24:33,470 us to be and to do. 482 00:24:34,910 --> 00:24:39,670 Well, next week we're going to talk about the event that puts this 483 00:24:39,670 --> 00:24:40,830 whole thing together. 484 00:24:41,310 --> 00:24:43,150 All these essentials come together. 485 00:24:44,590 --> 00:24:50,030 God in eternity, you and me, our purpose, everything is built 486 00:24:50,030 --> 00:24:54,830 around one pivotal moment of history, the resurrection of Jesus. 487 00:24:55,230 --> 00:24:58,910 And so we're going to finish this series on the essentials, looking 488 00:24:58,910 --> 00:25:03,310 at this moment and how everything in history up to that 489 00:25:03,310 --> 00:25:09,070 moment and everything after that moment is built around the resurrection, 490 00:25:09,580 --> 00:25:11,180 as is eternity. 491 00:25:12,140 --> 00:25:13,020 Let's pray together. 492 00:25:13,420 --> 00:25:17,500 Thanks, dear Lord, that you made us for a reason. 493 00:25:18,140 --> 00:25:19,740 You gifted us for a reason. 494 00:25:22,140 --> 00:25:27,260 Even though we're flawed, as long as we come to you and ask for 495 00:25:27,260 --> 00:25:32,500 mercy, you use us for a reason that's way beyond the best we can 496 00:25:32,500 --> 00:25:33,020 imagine. 497 00:25:34,870 --> 00:25:36,390 Help us to trust you for that. 498 00:25:36,950 --> 00:25:38,470 In your name, we ask it. 499 00:25:38,870 --> 00:25:39,430 Amen. 500 00:25:39,910 --> 00:25:41,350 Thanks so much for listening.