Fulfill Your Destiny - Follow The Leader

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Fulfill Your Destiny – Follow the Leader

 GREETING     Praise the Lord, Church!     Appreciate: Deb,  Praise Team,  Men,  DVCC.

[Introduction]

Please stand with me     in reverence   as we read the Word of God.

I’ll be reading from the New American Standard Bible,  from the book of Matthew,    Chapter 20,     verses 24-28.

Let’s Pray.

I don’t know about you,    but I hate getting lost.    Don’t you?    I mean   I hate driving somewhere,    when I don’t know exactly    where I’m going,  or how to get there.

And yeah,   I do the man-thing:    I refuse to admit when I’m lost.     But,   as long as no one    says anything to me,    I can   do a pretty good job     of hiding my frustration.

But all it takes   is one innocent comment     to expose  the evils of my heart.  “What a beautiful day!”  

 

I hate the sun.   It’s always shinning,    trying to make everything all bright,   like I need to see where I’m going!    I wish it would     just get lost.

I admit,   get frustrated!      Because,   when I’m lost   I feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness,    I feel vulnerable.  I feel completely Out-Of-Control.

Is it just me?    You feelin’ me?   Wives,   you know what I’m talking about.

You know     when your husband is lost,    and you have this urge    to ask that “One Question”,    the one     you know is going to drive him crazy.

You know     He doesn’t want you to ask it.     And both of you know,    that if you do ask,     he’s going to lie.

But you just  can’t hold it in,  so using your sweetest voice,  you ask, “Honey,  are you lost?”       “NO, I’M NOT LOST!”

Don’t you hate being lost?       Well, I wonder,   are there times,        in your life,   when you feel lost?   

Ever feel, in life   as if you’ve   lost all sense of direction?      Ever feel as if your life has no purpose?    What do you do?

Maybe you feel as if you are      stuck in a rut.     And no one seems to have the right answers    to help     get out.

Like the Jack-in-the-box commercial    where a car on the side of the road   has flipped on its side and a husband a wife are looking over it.

 

And Jack pulls us and says, “What’s the problem?”    And they reply, “We’re stuck in a rut.”  So, Jack tells them about his new breakfast biscuit.

 

Then a tow truck pulls up and the driver asks  “What’s the problem?”   And Jack responds, “Oh, they’re just stuck in the rut.”      Then the driver asks, “Did you tell them about you new breakfast.”       Jack says, “Yeah, I took care of it.”

No one seems to have the right answers!   Don’t you hate being lost?  Don’t you hate being stuck in a rut.  What do you do?      How do you find your way?

A few years ago      my family and I decided take a vacation to Florida,     we decided to drive to Disney World.       I had never driven that far before,    so I joined Triple A,     and asked for what I think they call a “Trip Tic.”  

 

Man,  They gave me a road map straight to Mickey’s front door.   I had maps for every state we would cross into.   And still there were times when   I was unsure of the    right direction     and we got lost.

Life   can be that way, sometimes.      I don’t know about you,   but I find that it is always easier to reach a new destination    when I am following someone who knows the way.

When you feel lost in life,    it’s critical to know    that Jesus knows the way.    Jesus is the way!    And He beckons us to FOLLOW HIM.

When selecting His disciples, Jesus used these words…

MAR 1:17    “And Jesus said to them,  FOLLOW ME,  and I will make you fishers of men.”

Concerning those who claim to know Him, Jesus said,

JOH 10:27     “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they FOLLOW ME…”

Concerning those who desire to serve Him,  Jesus said,

JOH 12:26     “If anyone serves Me, he must FOLLOW ME;  and where I am, there My servant will be also...”

Concerning those who are His closes disciples,   Jesus says,

LUK 9:23     “And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and FOLLOW ME.”

We are all on a journey.    Everyone has a destiny to fulfill.

  

By Destiny    I mean a God-ordained    Purpose in life.

ROM 8:29-30     “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son,   so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;   and these whom He predestined,   He also called;    and these whom He called,    He also justified;    and these whom He justified,    He also glorified.”

God has predestined us to become   conformed to the image of His Son.     God has pre-determined your destiny.

When I hear the word DESTINY,  I immediately think of SELF-HELP      and PROSPERITY   teachers.

Those wolves,    who take advantage    of unhappy,   un-contented people,    using distorted doctrines,   and false promises    of a better destiny, to rob them.

And so,    because I don’t want to be identified with them,    I tend   not to use    the same verbiage    that they use.

But,    I would submit to you this morning,   that there is a destiny     for you to fulfill.     God pre-destiny-ed  -   He has a       predetermined will     for your life.

The problem is    you will never fulfill your destiny   through human efforts.     When you are lost in life,    or stuck in a rut    you need someone to help       lead you out.  

And  Jesus is saying, “FOLLOW ME.”      If you are going to discover    and fulfill your God-given destiny,    you must    FOLLOW THE JESUS.

So, I want to preach this morning from the title, “FULFILL YOUR DESTINY   -   FOLLOW THE LEADER.”

To fulfill your Destiny,  you must Follow the Leader’s example      of SUBMISSION.

MAT 20:22-23      But Jesus answered,   “You do not know what you are asking.    Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”    They said to Him, “We are able.”   He said to them,  “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

His CUP is a symbol    of His complete SUBMISSION    to the will of God.

Creflo Dollar said,  “Your words shape your destiny.   That is way it is vitally important that you choose your words carefully.”

Wouldn’t that be nice?   To be able to speak forth your destiny.      Listen,   it’s not always easy  to submit to God.  

We want to have a say in our future.     We have dreams,   and ambitions,   and aspirations.    We think we know what’s best for us.

And it’s difficult    when you discover    that what you planned for your life,      is not what God has planned.  

It’s not always easy to submit.     And so it would be nice,   just to speak forth    the destiny      that you desire.

However,   your destiny    is not about speaking forth    a life of prosperity,   your destiny is about submitting your will    to God’s will.

Jesus’ was the Son of God.    He had the power to speak forth His destiny.   And  Yet,    in His humanity,     He found His destiny      in a CUP    that He didn’t want to drink.

The CUP represents    the fact    that Jesus had to drink    all of God’s wrath.       To drink the cup  means to go through a very difficult situation.  

When we say today,  “That’s not my cup of tea.”  We are saying that not something that I chose   to go through.

The fact that most trophies are shaped like a cup,   represents that the winner    had to swallow a lot,    had to     go through a lot    in order     to become     the victor.

The wrath of God     filled Jesus’ CUP of Submission        and that was His       God appointed     DESTINY.

ISA 53:10     “But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering...”

It was not easy thing for Jesus to submit to God’s will    and fulfill    His destiny.

Look at Mark 14:36

In His humanity, Jesus   did not determine His own destiny.  His WILL was wrapped up     in the WILL of God. 

Likewise,   it is not up to you    or I   to determine our destiny.     You cannot    speak your destiny    into existence.

It’s already been Predetermined by God.   Jeremiah 1:5.

Only God    determines your destiny.       So, you must follow the Leader.   Jesus was an example of complete submission to the will of the Father.

The bottom line is    we must SUBMIT     our Will    to the Will of God.

To fulfill your Destiny,  you must also   Follow the Leader’s example      of SERVITUDE.

MAT 20:24-28a      And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers.   But Jesus called them to Himself and said,   “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.   It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve ...”

Our destiny    is not about   Personal Greatness,  our destiny   is discovered    when we serve God     by serving others.

 

There is something in man    that longs to be Great.      We like POSITION and POWER,    we enjoy being Served,   rather than Serving.    We always want to be first,   we want the best seat.

My kids always fought over the front seat.  The one who first shouted SHOT-GUN   get to ride in the front seat.     My son came back from bootcamp  , and still He and Kris    were shouting shotgun.      Kris was ready to take on this high trained Marine,  this lethal weapon    for the Position of front seat.

There something in most of us    that always wants to ride in the front seat.

Joel Osteen said,  “God wants us to prosper financially,   to have plenty of money,    to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us.”

Worldly Greatness is about Personal Power,   Popularity,     Prosperity   and Pride.    But Jesus paints a Contrast – “…it is not this way among you…”

If you notice,   Jesus did not rebuke the disciples   for wanting to be great.     Because it’s not a sin to be great.

The problem   is the path that we choose    to Greatness.    I would submit to you today,   that we must     Follow the Leader.      Jesus said…

“…whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant…”

Humility   is the key     to Greatness.     A simple definition of humility is     “the willingness to give up some of your RIGHTS       for the right cause.” 

 

Let’s look at our Leader.     There was no One    who gave up more    of His RIGHTS     for the RIGHT cause.

Although He never gave up being God,   We do know…

He gave up His RIGHT    to worldly Comfort and Security

MAT 8:20      “…The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Are you willing to Follow the Leader?   He gave up His RIGHT     to feel Accepted

JOH 1:11      “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”

Are you willing to Follow the Leader?     He gave up His RIGHT    to Act as God  –

PHI 2:6    “…who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped…”

Are you willing to Follow the Leader?     He gave up His RIGHT    to Call Down angels     to Destroy His accusers…

MAT 26:53      “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”

Are you willing to Follow the Leader?     He gave up His RIGHT  to Fight and Defend   Himself against His executioners…

JOH 18:36       “My kingdom is not of this world.      If My kingdom were of this world,     then My servants would be fighting,    that I might not be delivered up to the Jews;    but as it is,    My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Are you willing to Follow the Leader?  He gave up His RIGHT    to back out of God’s Redemptive plan…

MAT 26:39      “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”

Are you willing to Follow the Leader?   Are you willing to give up some of your RIGHTS,   for the RIGHT cause?

 

Jesus gave up His RIGHTS    for you.      Are you willing to Follow His   example and give up some of your RIGHTS?

Are you willing     to give up some of your RIGHTS  of Comfort and Security – so that you can bless others.

Are you willing    to give up some of your RIGHTS of acceptance by the world,    so that you can truly be SALT     and LIGHT?

Are you willing    to give up some of your RIGHTS of always defend yourself,   so that you can be a PEACEMAKER for God?

Listen to me,   worldly greatness is about who RULES;    Kingdom Greatness is about who SERVES.     

If you want to be GREAT   in the KINGDOM of God,   you must become a SERVANT.

“For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”

True greatness is not how many people    serve you,     It’s about how many people     you serve.    

Our Lord Himself     is our greatest example      when it comes to serving others.     In all His splendor,    majesty,     glory,     and power,     He served humanity.

JOH 13:4-5     “…rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about.   Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.”

His TOWEL is a symbol    of His commitment to SERVITUDE.

There was no more menial task,    no lower duty,     no baser act      than to wash the feet of another.   And yet Jesus did it!        

The very same Jesus,  who raised the dead     laid aside His garment        wrapped a towel around his waist     and washed the disciples feet.

This same Jesus,   who turned water to wine,   healed the sick,     calmed the storm,       walk across water,   cast out demons,      made the blind to see,     and the lame to walk     this same Jesus…

Took the towel and washed     dirty,  grimy,   filthy feet!    

Are you ready to decrease,     that He might increase?    Are you ready to Follow the Leader?

Don’t miss this beautiful picture of HUMILITY…

JOH 13:4-5     “…rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about.   Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.”

He laid aside His garment –the outer garment,   or His robe.     The Robe was a symbol of one’s Position and Power.

This wasn’t the first time Jesus laid aside His Position and Power…

PHI 2:6-7a    “…who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied Himself…

He did not hold on to His equality with God.     He laid aside His Glory,    He laid aside His RIGHT to act as God.       He laid aside     His POSITION      and POWER…

He EMPTIED Himself     of His own will      and become    completely RECEPTIVE      to the will of the Father.

JOH 13:4-5     “…rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about.   Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.”

He took off His robe,  and put on a towel.    The LEADER,   became the SERVANT.      God became a Man.

PHI 2:7b-8      “…taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.   Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

His towel is a symbol of His commitment to servitude.    And Scripture says…

PHI 2:5     “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus…”

God wants us to have this same attitude.      He want us to empty ourselves of our own Will,     our own Power and Position,         He wants us to Follow the Leader.

The TOWEL   is a symbol    of our complete obedience to do God’s will.

The TOWEL     is a symbol     of our commitment to advance God’s KINGDOM    and not our own.

The TOWEL     is a symbol      of your identity in Christ.     You belong to Him.    You are a bond-servant.    

And    the only way you will humble yourself to this extent       is when you know     who you are     in Christ.

Because then   you are not worried about protecting your destiny.     When you     know that your destiny   is secure in Christ,   it frees you     to serve    with complete Humility.

For the believer,   the towel should remind us     of our     Call and Commitment    to serve one another.

Our Destiny    is to SERVE God,    by SERVING others.

The bottom line is   you must develop a   SERVANT’S heart.


 

To fulfill your Destiny,  you must    Follow the Leader’s example      of SACRIFICE.

MAT 20:28      “… just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Our Destiny  is not about securing a    SAFE and SECURE future,   our Destiny   is about LOSING our lives    so that the Life of Christ     can be manifested in us.

 

Jesus had a destiny to fulfill.

MAT 20:17-18a     “And as Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem,  He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem…’”

The road that Jesus travelled    to fulfill His destiny      first took Him up to Jerusalem.

In our pursuit to reach Disney World,     we took Interstate 40,     and this route took us through a small town, called Groom, Texas.

 

And as we   drove down Interstate 40    passing through Groom, Texas    we came across a towering, 19 story high   white cross.

 

I’ll never forget looking up at that enormous cross.  You cannot travel down Interstate 40,  through Groom, Texas       without going past that Cross.

Likewise,  as Jesus was pursuing    His Destiny,   He,  too,   came face to face     with the Cross.

The Scripture says that He took His disciples with Him and said to them…

 MAT 20:18-19     “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”

Jesus had a destiny to fulfill.     Likewise,   you have a destiny to fulfill.      And in order to do so     you must first go up to Jerusalem    and pass Calvary’s Cross.

One of the reasons   our trip was so enjoyable is that my children didn’t bombard me with that age old backseat question, “Are we there yet?”    Otherwise, I might have been tempted to take a short cut.

Some of us    can be    in such a hurry to fulfill our DESTINY,      that we want to take a short-cut.   

But, I’m here to tell you that there are no short-cuts    when it comes to fulfilling    the destiny   God has planned for you.

Everyone,   must first travel past the CROSS.      No one can avoid the Cross.      Everyone must go up to Jerusalem.    Everyone must go pass the Cross of Calvary.   

Jesus said He came “…to give His life as a ransom for many.”

In our quest to FOLLOW THE LEADER,   we cannot avoid the cross.

There was a time    when preaching about the cross    could be heard in most churches    on just about any given Sunday.

Today,   the church has all but removed the cross from it’s teaching.        If it wasn’t for Easter Sunday,   in some churches,   you could go all year without hearing the message of the cross.

In our “want to feel good” culture,   the CROSS   has become an offense.    People today,      no longer understand the significance of the Cross.      

It’s meaning has been reinterpreted to FIT our culture.

But the Scripture says....

1CO 1:18      “For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

The message of the Cross is the Power of God,     but for the sake of filling our pews,   and stuffing our churches with uncommitted people     the Word of the CROSS has been reinterpreted.

We now have two crosses.   An Old Cross and a New Cross.  

The Old Cross is too messy,   too bloody,   it is too cruel,  and way too demanding.     So it had to be reinterpreted    into a kinder,   gentler,    CROSS.

Many in the Church today,     want TO FOLLOW THE LEADER,   but they want to       avoid the Old Cross.

But you cannot Follow Jesus,   and avoid the OLD CROSS.

MAT 20:28      “… just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

One writer said,  The Old Cross is a symbol of death.    

It stands for the abrupt,    and violent end    of a human life.

Listen,   when the man   in Roman times,     took up his cross and started down the road     he had already said good-by     to his family and friends.

He had already    said goodbye to the life he once lived,    and had already counted everything as loss.  

He knew   he was not coming back.     His life was over.    There was no going back.     He knew    he was going    out to have his life ended.

The cross did not COMPROMISE,    it did not NEGOTIATE,    it did not PLEA BARGAIN,   it spared nothing;    it put the whole man to death,     completely,     once and for all.

The CROSS    did not try to keep on good terms with its victim.    When it had finished its work,    the man was no more.

Our  CULTURE   today,    has no place for this kind of CROSS,     so it had to been reinterpreted.

Where the Old Cross    once preached   of death to self,   death to self-will   and death to self-rule.

It has been replaced with a New Cross   which preaches PROSPERITY - it’s about “Your Best Life Now.”

Where the Old Cross preached a message of SUBMISSION to the will of God…   

The New Cross preaches   about “REPOSITIONING YOURSELF”,  it’s been reinterpreted into a SELF-HELP cross.

The Old Cross  preached a message of being crucified with Christ…

The New Cross   is now a watered-down message of Personal Happiness,   Personal Satisfaction,   and Personal Fulfillment.

Listen,   I understand why people today     refuse to travel pass by the Cross.     Because    one repentant look upon that Cross    will SLAY you dead.

But Church, we need that OLD CROSS!   It is still RELEVANT    today.     There’s beauty in the Old CROSS.    There’s POWER in the Old CROSS.

With all of it’s death,   there’s NEW LIFE   in the splinters of the Old CROSS.     

The MESSAGE of the Old CROSS,    reminds me just how much God loves me.

Maybe you are wondering how to stay consistent in your walk with God -  the answer is by embracing the Old Cross.

 

Let’s be honest,   Sometimes it get very difficult to follow the Leader.       Sometimes in our flesh     We don’t want to follow,    We lose our desire to follow – so what do you do?

You go back to the   Old Cross.     You look once again upon the Old Cross.      And you remember…

You remember His death    for you.

You remember the price He paid     for you. 

You remember the blows He took   for you.

You remember the blood He shed    for you. 

You remember the agony in the garden    it was all for you 

When you meditate on the Old Cross,    How can it not affect you?

 

John Piper said,    “preach the gospel to yourself.     The more you focus on the cross    the more you fall in love with God.     The more you preach the gospel story to yourself how He came and died     and all that He went through,    the more you desire God.”

 

The Old CROSS   tells us    that we are FORGIVEN

The Old CROSS    reminds us that we have a home in GLORY.    Our destiny begins at the Cross.    

When you decide to die.   

When you decide to give up living for yourself.    When you decide to embrace the OLD CROSS  - you will find NEW LIFE.

You will discover that your Destiny   is to Die,   So that Christ   can live   His life      in and through you.

The Bottom line   is we must offer ourselves   as Living Sacrifices…

ROM 12:1    “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”


 

[Conclusion]

So the next time you feel lost in life,   the next time you forget that God has a destiny for you to fulfill.    

Remember that His destiny    is for you     to be like Christ.     Are you ready to follow the Leader.

Recall  His cup, and remember that your destiny is to submit your will to His.

Recall His towel,   and remember that your destiny is to serve Him by serving others.

Recall His cross,   and remember that your destiny is to die to self,  that He might live through you.

Remember Jesus, and fulfill your destiny, by following the Leader.

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