Rising to Your Full Destiny - Sermon at ODCF August 21 & 22, 2011

Rising to your full Destiny

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, Ephesians 2:1-2a
according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Ephesians 2:2b
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, Ephesians 2:4
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, 9 not it is the gift of God; as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
Before the world began, Before sin entered into the heart of humanity, Before anything but God existed, He had a plan that included you.
Lets look at some scriptures that point to this truth:
Before King Josiah was born God told a specific act he would do because of his love for God.
Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. 1 Kings 13:1
He cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, ³O altar, altar, thus says the LORD, 1 Kings 13:2a
Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you. 1 Kings 13:2b
God knew Josiah before he was born. God had a plan for him and knew that He would follow that plan.
Listen to what God told Jeremiah about the plan He had for him.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5
Isaiah was told about God's plan for Mary, the mother of Jesus, hundreds of years before she was born.
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14
God planned from the foundation of the world that Mary's son Jesus would give His life for the world.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8
In exactly the same way God knew you and prepared a destiny for you.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, Romans 8:29a
So God has a plan for your life. It is as specific as it was for Josiah, Jeremiah, Mary and Jesus.
He has given you everything you need to fulfill the dreams He has for you.
If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all²how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:30b
Everything about you, except that which has been come from sin, is given so that you will fulfill the plan He has for you.
EVERYTHING
No circumstance of your life can keep you from the plan He has for you«.. In every one of your circumstances He is working for the good things you and others need to come to your full destiny.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Romans 8:35
Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." Romans 8:36
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, Romans 8:38
nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39
This last scripture tells us one primary aspect of our true destiny.
God has destined us to be loved by Him.
We read earlier of the second primary aspect of our destiny.
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, Romans 8:29
We are to become like Jesus.
The details of our lives are the stage upon which these two great destinies are worked out.
God planned for everyone who has lived or will ever live to be loved by Him and to be made into someone who reflects the nature of His Son Jesus.
When we understand this we also know that nothing of our true destiny can happen without a vital relationship with God.
The beginning of the fulfillment of God's plan for our lives is when we accept Jesus as our Saviour and Lord.
Until He is saviour we do not have the power of God in our lives to walk in His ways.
Until He is Lord of our lives we will be following our own path even if we have His power.
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ (Saviour)--this Jesus whom you crucified." Acts 2:36
Many questions arise once we have established that God has a specific plan for our lives.
Perhaps the most important one to address is about God's actions in our lives.
One extreme of theology says that everything that happens to us is due to God's direct action.
God never does evil.
Everything He does is out of His love for his creatures.
His ultimate purpose is to redeem as many of those who were created to bear His Son's image.
And when we love and follow Him that becomes our destiny as well.
While He does not do or cause everything that happens in our lives, because of what Jesus has done, He can redeem everything no matter how horrible it is.
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37
See again that we overwhelmingly conquer THROUGH JESUS.
We rise to our full destiny through our chosen relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God will not force us into His desired destiny. It will only come by us choosing to love and follow Him.
It is so important that we realize that there are at least three other plans than God's.
These three are the Devil's Plan, The World's Plan and Our Own Plan (the flesh)
Because of sin the influence of the world and your own desires will be in bondage to the devil.
All the evil in the world, all the suffering, pain and sorrow, all the destroyed lives and all the lost potential arise from the work of the devil through humans who follow his plan for them.
In speaking about the devil Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have {it} abundantly. John 10:10
One of the primary missions of Jesus was to destroy the power the devil had over humanity.
Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, Hebrews 2:14
Because of what Jesus did we can live free of the devil's power.
A Forgotten Secret of rising to our full destiny.
So many Christians wonder why their lives do not seem to reach the potential they have in God.
I have taught for years that in order for God to do what He desires in our lives we have a part to play.
OUR PART - GOD'S PART
Behind every successful Christian is a life attitude that ensures they will find God's perfect destiny for them.
That act is given a word in English which today is seen in a very negative light. But when we have this in our lives we will always find God's purpose and succeed in it.
That word is submission.
Drawing from a message preached by D.L. Moody the hymn writer John Sammis penned the words:
Trust and Obey For there's no other way To be happy in Jesus Than to trust and obey.
This simple truth is the foundation for our lives as Christians. It is the only path of God's destiny.
Submitting to God is the only way we will rise to the fullness of our destiny.
So what does the word submit mean in relation to God?
The English word reflects perfectly the Greek meaning. The root words give the picture of true submission.
SUB = UNDER MITT = HAND Submission is to place ourselves under God's Hand.
There is perfect provision, protection and presence when we are under God's Mighty Hand.
To go there defeats the major sin of life - the pride of life. For to get under His hand we have to humble ourselves.
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 1 Peter 5:6
We defeat the enemy and all his plans for us through submission to God.
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7
I want you to get the true picture of submission as it is painted in the Bible. It is not a slavish, mindless obedience to a megalomanic who demands his every selfish whim to be done.
Submission is to place ourselves completely under the care and guidance of our loving heavenly Father's hand.
Under His hand is the only place of protection from ourselves, the world and the devil.
The principal of obedience is simple. We stay under God's hand by following what He teaches us to do. When we disobey his instruction we go out from under His hand. There we can be harmed by the enemy.
As long as we remain under God's hand we are in safety no matter what happens externally.
Some things become very obvious when we understand this. If we are going to follow God's plan for our lives we need to know what it is.
We find the clear instruction of God on every page of His book, the Bible.
This is why historically you cannot find a successful Christian who did not have a commitment to knowing the Bible and following its teaching.
The second major aspect of knowing God's will is prayer. Even if we know what God wants, we have to spend time with Him to be empowered to do His will.
In the beauty of prayer we find the specifics of our personal destiny being unveiled.
We see in Elijah's life that as he let the troubles of his life drive him to a place of brokenness and aloneness with God, his destiny was revealed.
Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD {came} to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?³ 1 Kings 19:9
He said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." 1 Kings 19:10
The LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; 1 Kings 19:15
and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 1 Kings 19:15
Elijah found in the place of prayer what he could not get from the scriptures. For us to find the full destiny for our lives we must be in the habit of going to God to listen for His specific direction for each day.
These three acts in our lives will lead us to our full destiny. 1. Submit ourselves to God's will completely
2. Spending daily time with Him through reading His Word
3. Spending daily time with Him in Prayer
Beyond these foundational thoughts regarding our destiny there are a few things that have helped me along the way.
1. Prepare for your destiny
For us to come to the fullness of our destiny we must prepare for it. No one will be used by God in any activity if they do not prepare for it.
Excellence in preparation is our part of the equation. Whatever we do for God our attitude should be to present Him our very best, with passion, with full perseverance and with thankful hearts.
Whatever you do in word or deed, {do} all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Colosians 3:17
2. FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH GOD'S POWER NOT ON WHAT YOU CANNOT DO.
I found it to be so important for me to focus on what I could do with God and not what I could not do. With God nothing is impossible. It is not about our ability. But often times I have gotten captured in a thinking pattern of "I can't."
Whatever God wants us to do He will give us the ability to do. We face impossibility only to drive us to Elijah's Cave to find what He wants for us. We must press into God for his power and not focus on our ability. If God says we can, then with God we will. If He does not tell us we can, we have no business trying.
3. LOVE YOUR DESTINY
Very early in my life in Jesus I learned that I needed to love my destiny. I found that I often compared myself to others. Almost all of these comparisons ended up with me feeling my destiny was not nearly as exciting or important as someone else's.
Then one day God showed me that for someone my life was as important as the apostle Paul's was. I understood that God had specifically designed me to share His life with the world I lived in. I knew that if I would be faithfully submitting my life to His will He would touch my world through me.
He wants us to love our destiny and not compare ourselves with others.
Our destiny is the unique expression of Jesus lived through us. It is not the full expression. This is why we are to be part of a church body. When we live fully submitted to His will as a church, we are the full picture.
Your life is uniquely created to express Jesus to your world.
NO ONE CAN TAKE YOUR PLACE.
4. YOUR DREAMS CAN LEAD YOU TO GOD'S DESTINY
No one's life more fully expresses this than Joseph. His childhood dreams eventually became his destiny.
To see this in his life helped me greatly to understand that God was not opposed to me having dreams. In fact I learned that when I delighted in Him I could trust that the dreams of my heart - as long as they were not sinful - were being placed there by Him.
Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
5. HELP OTHERS FULFILL THEIR DESTINY
So often we think when God says no to some desire we have it is the end of the discussion. King David helped me understand that sometimes God says no to us to give others a chance to find their own destiny.
David had a passion to build God a Temple. God was pleased that he loved him enough to want that but said no. Instead of giving up his dream, he spent the rest of his life preparing the materials so Solomon his son could fulfill his destiny to build it.
6. PLEASING GOD IS TO BE THE HIGHEST MOTIVATION TO OUR DESTINY.
The thought provided the greatest motivation for me to fulfill my personal destiny was that I could please God. We can actually please God. To know that God was pleased with me has brought the greatest delight I have ever known.
"His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master." Matthew 25:21
I will never forget the moment I came to this. I was watching the movie Chariots of Fire. The Olympic runner, Eric Liddell, was explaining to his sister that his running was not in opposition to God. He told her how he still loved China and the call God had given him to that nation.
But he told her "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast, and when I run I feel God's pleasure."
Our highest motivation is to be pleasing our heavenly Father. It was Jesus's
"And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." John 8:29
Potential Prayer Thoughts:
1. Do you want to pray to accept Jesus as your Saviour?
2. Perhaps you have received Jesus as your Saviour but you have never allowed him to be the Lord of your life. Do you want to pray for that today?
3. Do you want to pray for a deeper relationship with God?
4. Do you want to pray for a clearer revelation of God's plan for your life?
5. Have you been stirred in your heart today about something you believe God wants for you and want prayer for His guidance and power to do it?

Rising to Your Full Destiny