A Place at the Table Part 3: Stained Chairs: Discover Purpose

Transcription

1 A Place at the Table Part 3: Stained Chairs: Discover Purpose A PLACE AT THE TABLE - CHAIRS & TABLE (ON STAGE) (all 4 chairs explained) Broken Chairs, Stripped Chairs, Stained Chairs, Positioned Chairs God doesn t just strip things back. He replaces them with His things... Stained Chair - God wants to Paint Himself ONTO Your Life Beauty of Gospel is that WE as people CHANGE into something different. The horror of Gospel to culture is that WE as people CHANGE into something different. (many want to be validated for what they do/are) All Creation Longing to See God Revealed in US. - Romans 8 Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Romans 8 Vs led by God are the sons of God - Abba Father (restoration to God - Father God) - Children of God - Heirs of God - Share suffering Vs. 18 -

2 Vs We are revealed as a Child of God Someone who knows God as Father Vs. All creation groaning & prevailing until WHO WE ARE AND WHO HE IS ARE REVEALED All creation praying for God to be revealed in you as Father. All saints praying for God to be revealed in you as Father.. Holy Spirit is praying for God to be revealed in you as Father. Sons & Daughters of God.. Vs Jesus is praying for you for God to be revealed in you as Father. To become something different I must... 1.) Become a means to an end Aaron Rodgers - I hope I don t just do this. Brady - I wish I knew Jim Carey - I wish everyone could be rich & famous... Purpose is nice to have but as a young person - a.) Everyone has to sleep and eat indoors. b.) Purpose is not the focus initially. Assimilate into something bigger than me The CATCH to Purpose My Purpose vs. Purpose = Become a means to an end What is my purpose is the wrong question It just brings me back to me. Empathize with those who want to make their lives count. As long as you are hung up on what is my purpose you will not get there. THE CATCH: Define: (List each of the following on individual slides)

3 Purpose - the reason for which something exists or is accomplished. (1 slide) Means : an action or system by which a result is brought about; a method. (2nd slide) End : a final part of something (3rd slide) Things with meaning/purpose (Purpose is a means to an end) (Shovels dig holes.) (Mouthwash kills bacteria.) Most people want to be an end, not a means to an end. People resists the idea of purpose. Eventually there is a call to sacrifice. Commit myself to something bigger than myself, that is not about myself. END? : God s Purposes His Script Our Scene finds its purpose in His script Discover something bigger than me ILL. Marine BUDS Conversation with Simon Sinek & Marine: Who DOESN T make it through BUDS? The strong leader who delegate & control everyone - none The hulking strong muscle bound ones - none The star athletes tested to the core of their being- none Who DOES make it through? Some of the guys who make it through are skinny and scrawny, some of the guys who make it through you will see them shivering out of fear, every single guy who makes it through when they are emotionally exhausted, physically exhausted, mentally exhausted, when they have nothing left to give, somehow, someway, they are able to dig down deep inside of themselves

4 to find the energy to... help the guy next to them, those are the guys who make it through the most elite players [contributors] of any organization... are not necessarily strongest, smartest or fastest they are the ones with the greatest capacity to help the person to the left and right of them. - Simon Sinek They are not the end (star athlete/muscle bound) in themselves, they become a means to for something greater than themselves. Matthew 16:25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Acts 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace 2.) Be with others who are changing Who is speaking into your value & worth? 4 areas of knowledge Arena - I know and you know Mask - I know but you don t know Blind Spot - I don t know but you know Potential - I don t know and you don t know (God knows) I want friends who will help advance my arena, help me remove my mask, address my blind spots and believe in my potential.

5 ILL. Mona Lisa In 2002 I went to the Louvre in Paris. Mona Lisa was there. Climate controlled room, bullet proof glass Roped off. A Treasure. Valued in the 60s at over 100 million dollars. acclaimed as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world". What if 100+ years ago it was stolen? (In 1911 it was stolen. Found in 1913). What if it wasn t quickly found, eventually changed hands, was lost, ripped & covered in mud, dumped in an alley... Then it is found!! How would it be treated when found? Depends on who found it and how much they understood the original identity & creation of the piece... One might say, ugly woman that is covered in mud, ripped throw it away. One more knowledgeable might say, Don t throw it away! That is a treasure - clean it! Repair it! Fix it! I can use that on MY fireplace! One even more knowledgable say, Don t throw it away! That is an international treasure of such magnitude that it needs to be cleaned, repaired & fixed, but NOT JUST BY ANYONE - take it to the creator - Leonardo DiVinci (assuming he could still be living), the one who crafted her allow him to return it to it s original state. Put gloves on as you deliver it to the Master! Ephesians 2:10 NLT For we are God s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Q: Who has found YOU?

6 Who is speaking into your life? Show me your friends I will show you your future How to choose friends: Circles (multitudes, 70, 12, 3) Love everyone Work with the 70 Live with the 12 Let the 3 know you intimately & see you fully Pick your 12s & 3s intentionally & carefully EGROUPS (Launched last week) theelement.church/egroups Life isn t meant to be lived alone. Life change takes place in context of authentic relationships Find your 3? 3.) Develop My Gifts REDEEM (define websters) : 1. to buy back or re-purchase 2. to repair or restore 3. To return something to its original purpose ILL. Trampoline gift - has to be put together. We see the gift but not the grind God put things in you that He wants to redeem Your design will reveal your destiny

7 A.) Passions Affinity/Passion = a spontaneous or natural liking or sympathy for someone or something. ILL. Chariots of Fire - I feel His pleasure. Play audio/video (start when I mention Chariots of Fire I will be doing some slow motion running on stage: Eric Lidell - I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure. What are you doing when the music starts playing? When you feel His pleasure? Tim Keller Don t start with yourself... Look at the concrete needs of the people & community around you and find what you vibe to. Acts 17: While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. Paul experienced inner grief and turmoil as he saw the idols of Athens (Acts 17:16), so that led him to begin a ministry of apologetics (Acts 17:17). ILL. Popeye Moment - That all I can stands and I can t stands no more

8 Where are your popeye moments? B.) Gifts Ability = possession of the means or skill to do something. Personality, Skills/Talents Bible = Divine Charis I Cor. 12:4-6, 7-9a, There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. Charis What is easy for you to do, that isn t easy for everyone to do, that has an eternal impact? Everyone has a part to play Every part is important Everyone is great at something Not me Scott If you gauge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid. - Einstein(?)

9 Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart ; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Find the SIMPLE THINGS YOU ARE GOOD AT AND DO THEM WELL C.) Opportunity Affinity & Skills can develop, but HOW?... the only way you will ever really come to know the kind of ministry that you are best at is if you do a lot of different things ; then you will know what God [uses]... Just serve plug the gaps and help out. Go through the door of opportunity... doing what needs to be done, and then as time goes on you can check your affinities and abilities and begin to specialize. - ILL. Dark Room Develop film Find out where God is at work and join Him there. - Henry Blackaby God doesn t call out motionless objects; He steers moving ships. - JD Greer 4.) Use what I have right now ILL. Feeding 5,000 John 6:5-6 - When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he [Jesus] said to Philip, Where can we buy bread to feed these people? He said this to stretch Philip s faith. He already knew what he was going to do.

10 Who will help these people? He already knew what He was going to do - just looking for a partner 7 Philip answered him, It would take more than half a year s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite! 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter s brother, spoke up, 9 Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? Paraphrase I don t have what it takes Jesus says - what DO you have? Give that to me - I ll use it Desert Pete (water bottle, pump; despair) Ravi Zacharias shares the Kingston Trio s parable about Desert Pete. A man is wandering through a desert with bottles of water on his shoulder. He conserves his water careful until it is all gone and then he begins to get thirsty. That thirst gets deeper and deeper until he sees a pump and runs to it. He lifts the handle and pulls it down but all he hears is the sound of metal on metal. He starts to panic. Then he sees a tin can at the bottom of the pump and in the tin can is a message. Dear traveler do not despair there is enough water here, just follow the instructions. Lift the handle of the pump, bring it down and when you hear the sound of metal on metal discouraging you here s what you do. Under the pump in front of you there is buried under the sand a bottle of water. Do not despair. Pick up the bottle of water pour it into the cylinder and start priming the pump. The moisture will get the system to work. A rush of water will start gushing out of the pump. You can drink all of the water you want, fill all your bottles but do not forget to fill up the bottle again and leave it for the next passerby. Warning: you re going to be tempted, when

11 you see this one bottle of water, to drink it. But you ll be so thirsty again and so will everyone else who goes by. Empty it out as instructed and you will have all the water you want and so will everybody else going by (as you fill the bottle and put it back again for the next person.) What is available to you right now (small)? Will you serve with what you have? Become a means to an end Be with others who are changing Let God redeem your gifts Use what you have now