Why are we Here Eph
Why are we Here Eph. 2:10- EBC 10/25/09
When we understand why we are here then we are just getting to the starting blocks of life. We are here is live life to its fullest and to bring glory to God
God's purpose for His children always include sanctification, stewardship, and service
1- Sanctification- describes progressive growth in holiness. The Holy Spirit will transform our character to be more like Him
2- Stewardship- managing our time, talents and treasures according to His priorities.
3- Service - we serve God by ministering to others. - This is where we are today
We need to understand that our conversion is not the end, it’s just the beginning.
Phil. 2:13- God works thru us thru the Holy Spirit to will and do of his good pleasure. God has to work on us before he can work thru us. God spent 40 years working on Moses before he could work thru him. God worked on Joseph for 13 years before putting him on the throne in Egypt.
We are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” We are not saved by good works, but saved unto good works. The famous theologian John Calvin wrote, “It is faith alone that justifies, but faith that justifies can never be alone.” We are not saved by faith plus good works, but by a faith that works.
It’s so sad many believers make light of the “good works” in their lives. John MacArthur- No good works can produce salvation, but many good works are produced by salvation
Matt. 5:16 – we don’t perform good works to make ourselves looks good we do it to glorify God.
Col. 1:10- fruitful in every good work
1 Peter 2:12- our good works are testimonies to the lost.
Life is full of questions. Many people go thru life and never understand why God put them here.
Someone said- The purpose of life is so much greater than our own personal fulfillment - our own peace of mind - or, even our own happiness! It is far greater than our families, our careers; or, even our wildest dreams and ambitions! If we want to know why we were created, we absolutely must begin with Almighty God - Who, in the beginning, created all things! When we go back to the beginning of time, we see that Almighty God created man and woman with a distinct purpose in mind!
Each of us lives life on one of three levels:
1- The survival mode
2- The success mode
3- The significant mode
I.The Survival Mode
A. These people don’t live they just survive. They only look for Friday
B. They don’t live today, they live looking for tomorrow.
C. Their #1 goal is to just make it thru today. A guy I know if you ask him how he is he will say “barely making it”.
II. The Success Mode
A. This is where most of the people in America live. Attempting to be successful, always by the world’s standards, by doing literally whatever is necessary to get by.
1. They have little care for morals and who they may have to step on as they go to the top of the ladder in business. If they have possessions and a position then they have pleasure.
B. To the outside many of these people are listed as successful. But, many of them as asking- “if I’m so successful why don’t I feel fulfilled”?
1. Reading an article writer mentioned some recent published books- The Price of Success- Is it worth it?, Quiet Desperation- The Truth about Successful Men, The Search for Meaning
C. Many climb the ladder of success only to find it was leaning against the wrong building
III. The Significant Mode
A.People that live here have discovered that God has a plan for their lives. They have a desire to get in one this plan.
1. When you look at those who have made a significant impact on the world you’ll find they weren’t the brightest, the best looking, the wealthiest, the best educated. They were the ones who realized God’s plan for their lives and set about to live it.
B. Until we decide what we are going to do, we live in a world of multiple choices. All these choices cause frustration as they overwhelm us. When we have decided that we are going to live lives for others and that brings glory to God then many things we are faced with are off the table. They aren’t even in the mix.
1. 1 Cor. 10:31- do all to the glory of God
2. Watching TV isn’t even easy now. We have cable and 50 channels. We used to have 6, 8, 12 and then they added 29.
3. For sure we are going to have bumps in the road. But, after knowing which direction to take there are some bumps that won’t affect us. We need to ask ourselves will this help me fulfill God’s purpose for my life. Is this in keeping the direction I need to be going?
C. Jer. 29:11-
D. Eph. 3:20- God is saying- I can use you to accomplish much more than you ever thought possible.
E. Phil. 3:13-14-
1. There is incredible power when we focus our lives on Jesus. Who is your life focused on today? Is it focused on your situation, your children, your job or is it focused on Christ.
2. Heb. 12:1,2- Adrian Rogers- What does it mean to “look to Jesus” to have all of our needs met? Well, let’s say I borrow ten thousand dollars from Dan, a friend of mine, but then I discover that I can’t pay it back. Dan is on to me and says, “If you don’t pay it back, I’m going to foreclose on you.” So I go over to another friend, Tom, and tell him about my dire situation and ask for his help. Tom says, “That’s alright, Adrian, look to me.” Notice that he didn’t say, “Look at me.” He said, “Look to me.” In other words, “I’ll handle it.” That’s what the Bible means when it says “look unto Jesus.” It means look to Him for whatever you need. How do you have faith? You look to Jesus, and faith is produced in your heart. You don’t have to work up faith. Suppose I needed to cross the Mississippi River and I wasn’t sure whether the bridge could hold me up or not. I could do one of two things. I could stand on the banks of the Mississippi and try to work up enough courage to make myself believe in that bridge, then timorously walk over that bridge. Or I could look at the semi-trucks traveling across the mighty steel and concrete of that bridge, believe, and boldly walk across in faith! In this case, faith is the by-product of seeing the strength of the bridge itself. In the same way, it’s not great faith in God that you need; it is faith in a great God!
F. Living our lives to the fullest attracts others. They might want to go alone with you.