Colossians
1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are
in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by
him, and for him:”
Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.
Bertrand Russell, atheist
The purpose of your life is:
v
Far greater than your own personal
fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness.
v
It’s far greater than your family, your
career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions.
If you want to know why you were
placed on this planet, you must begin with God.
You were born by his purpose and
for his purpose.
The search for the purpose of
life has puzzled people for thousands of years.
That’s because we typically begin
at the wrong starting point-ourselves.
We ask self-centered questions
like:
v
What do I want to be?
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What should I do with my life?
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What are my goals, my ambitions, and my dreams
for my future?
But focusing on ourselves will
never reveal our life’s purpose.
The Bible says in & Job 12:10, “In whose hand is the soul of every living
thing, and the breath of all mankind.” --
Contrary to what many popular
books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won’t discover your life’s meaning by
looking within yourself you’ve probably tried that already.
You didn’t create
yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for!
If I handed you an invention you
had never seen before, you wouldn’t know its purpose, and the invention itself
wouldn’t be able to tell you either.
Only the creator or the owner’s
manual could reveal its purpose.
I once got lost in Dasol
Pangasinan, the first time we went there.
When I stopped to ask for
directions to the campsite, I was told, “You can’t get there from here.
You must start from the other
side of the place!”
In the same way, you cannot
arrive at your life’s purpose by starting with a focus on yourself.
v
You must begin with God, your Creator.
v
You begin exist only because God wills
that you exist.
v
You were made by God and for God-and until you understand
that, life will never make sense.
It is only in God that we discover
our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our
destiny.
Every other path leads to a dead
end.
Many people try to use God for
their own self- actualization, but that is a reversal of nature and is doomed
to failure.
I would want for us to see the principles of starting with God in
Isaiah 6: 1-8
1 Nang taong mamatay si Haring Uzias, nakita
ko si Yahweh. Nakaupo siya sa isang napakataas na luklukan. Ang laylayan ng
kanyang damit ay nakalatag sa buong Templo.
2 May mga serapin sa kanyang
ulunan, at bawat isa'y may anim na pakpak. Dalawa ang nakatakip sa mukha,
dalawa sa buong katawan, at dalawa ang ginagamit sa paglipad.
3 Wala silang tigil nang
kasasabi sa isa't isa ng ganito: "Banal, banal, banal si Yahweh na
Makapangyarihan; ang kanyang kaningninga'y laganap sa sanlibutan."
4 Sa lakas ng kanilang tinig ay
nayanig ang pundasyon ng Templo at ang loob nito'y napuno ng usok.
5 Sinabi ko, "Kawawa ako.
Marumi ang aking labi at naninirahan sa piling ng mga taong marurumi rin ang
labi. Mapapahamak ako pagkat ako'y isang makasalanang nakakita kay Yahweh, ang
Makapangyarihang Hari."
6 Pagkatapos, may isang seraping
sumipit ng baga sa dambana, at lumipad na patungo sa akin.
7 Ang baga ay idiniit sa aking
mga labi, at sinabi: "Wala ka nang sala. Napawi na ang mga kasalanan
mo."
8 Narinig ko ang tinig ni
Yahweh, "Sino ang aking ipadadala? Sino ang aming susuguin?" Sumagot ako, "Narito po ako. Ako ang
isugo n'yo."
Before Isaiah has a personal
encounter with God, you can always hear him say woe is you, woe is you.
But after that defining moment of
starting with God, not on himself, he said woe is me.
If we will not start with God and
always look with in us we will not understand what God is teaching us.
What are the things that we can see in us, in our lives if we start
with God?
1. God wants us to see the Power of
Sin.
vs.1 Nang taong mamatay si Haring Uzias, nakita
ko si Yahweh. Nakaupo siya sa isang napakataas na luklukan. Ang laylayan ng
kanyang damit ay nakalatag sa buong Templo.
Who is King Uzziah? 2 Chro 26:1
1 Nagkaisa ang buong Juda na si Uzias ang
gawing hari kapalit ng yumao niyang amang si Amasias. Noo'y labing-anim na
taong gulang siya.
2 Sa panahon ng kanyang
paghahari, ipinatayo niya uli ang Lunsod ng Elot at ibinalik sa Juda.
3 Labing-anim na taon nga lamang
si Uzias nang umakyat sa trono at limampu't dalawang taong namahala. Sa Jerusalem siya tumira. Ang ina niya'y
si Jecolia na taga-Jerusalem.
4
Si Uzias ay naging kalugud-lugod kay Yahweh tulad ni Amasias.
5
Tinuruan siya ni Zacarias na matakot sa Diyos kaya habang nananalig siya
kay Yahweh, pinauunlad naman ang kanyang kabuhayan.
a. Notice the Prosperity of the man.
vs 5 And he sought God in
the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and
as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.
He started with God, not
with himself.
The secret of prosperity: he sought
the Lord, with the help of the man of God. vs 5.
He has a man of God;
v
Beside him.
v
To guide him.
v
To help him.
v
To pray for him.
He seeks counsel from the man of
God. He sought God and he has counselor.
If you start in your self,
by seeking your life, you will lose it. But if you start with God you will find
it and God will prosper you.
Matthew 16:25 Ang naghahangad na
magligtas ng kanyang buhay ay siyang mawawalan nito; ngunit ang mag-alay ng
kanyang buhay alang-alang sa akin ay siyang magkakamit noon .
He sought God, and as long as he
sought God, God made him to prosper.
b. Notice his spirituality.
Vs 7
Tinulungan siya ng Diyos laban sa mga Filisteo at mga Arabe na namamayan sa
Gurbaal at laban sa mga Meunita. And God helped him against…
Carnal kings are not being helped
by God, only the spiritual.
In spite of the fact that he has
authority, he can do anything; he sought God and was guided by the man of God.
Anyway hari naman ako. Pwede po niyang sabihin na ako ang hari
ditto. Ako ang masusunod, walang pastor apstor sa akin.
He sought the sovereign. He
started with God, not in himself.
c. Notice his security.
vss. 11 Ang nakahandang hukbo ni Uzias ay binubuo ng mga batikang mandirigma sa
pamamahala ni Hananias. Ito'y nahahati sa maraming pangkat ayon sa talaang
ginawa ni Kalihim Jeiel at ng tagapagtalang si Maasias.
12
May 2,600 ang mga puno ng sambahayan na namamahala sa kanyang hukbo.
13 Ito'y binubuo ng may 300,750
kawal, magigiting na mandirigmang laging handang lumaban at magtanggol sa hari.
14 Silang lahat ay binigyan ni
Uzias ng iba't ibang sandata tulad ng baluti, sibat, helmet, pana at tirador.
15 Sa mga tore at mga panulukan
ng Jerusalem ,
naglagay siya ng mga kasangkapang likha ng mga dalubhasa para ipanghagis ng
sibat at malalaking bato. Dahil sa
taglay niyang katalinuhan, si Uzias ay naging makapangyarihan. Anupat
bantog na bantog siya sa lahat ng lugar.
All of these happened because he
started with God, he sought God and humbled himself with the sovereign
authority.
2. God want us to see the Seduction of
Sin. vs 15.
15 Sa mga tore at mga panulukan
ng Jerusalem ,
naglagay siya ng mga kasangkapang likha ng mga dalubhasa para ipanghagis ng
sibat at malalaking bato. Dahil sa taglay niyang katalinuhan, si Uzias ay
naging makapangyarihan. Anupat bantog na bantog siya sa lahat ng lugar.
a. Notice the seed of sin.
16
Nang si Uzias ay maging makapangyarihan, naging palalo siya; ito ang
dahilan ng kanyang pagbagsak. Nilapastangan niya si Yahweh nang pumasok siya sa
Templo upang magsunog ng kamanyang sa dambana.
His pride. Kings are not riding
horses. Pasan pasan ng mga tao ito.
Ako ang nagpatayo nito. Kung hindi sa akin
wala kayo. Yumabang po si Haring Uzziah.
b. Notice the deceitfulness of sin. vs. 15
15 Sa mga tore at mga panulukan
ng Jerusalem ,
naglagay siya ng mga kasangkapang likha ng mga dalubhasa para ipanghagis ng
sibat at malalaking bato. Dahil sa taglay niyang katalinuhan, si Uzias ay
naging makapangyarihan. Anupat bantog na bantog siya sa lahat ng lugar.
16 Nang si Uzias ay maging makapangyarihan,
naging palalo siya; ito ang dahilan ng kanyang pagbagsak. Nilapastangan niya si
Yahweh nang pumasok siya sa Templo upang magsunog ng kamanyang sa dambana.
He abused his
authority. Burning the incense is the
job of the Levites, the Priest, but because he started looking unto himself
and what he had done, he thought he is above the law.
You know what he is saying? wala
kang paki. yun po ang tagalong nun.
v Buti na lang may matapang na pastor.
17 Sinundan siya ni Saserdote Azarias, kasama
ang walumpung matatapang ding saserdote ni Yahweh.
18 Nang makita siya ay sinabi
nila, "Uzias, hindi ka karapat-dapat magsunog ng kamanyang para kay
Yahweh. Tungkulin lamang iyan ng mga saserdote, ng mga anak ni Aaron na
itinalaga sa gayong gawain. Utang na loob, lumabas na kayo. Nagkakasala kayo sa
ginagawa ninyong iyan. Hindi kalulugdan ni Yahweh ang ginagawa ninyo."
The preacher is doing everything to restore the king, but
failed.
c. Notice the sorrow of sin.
While he is angry with the priest, he became a leprous person.
19 Ang Haring Uzias ay nagalit
sa mga saserdote sapagkat hawak na niya noon
ang insensaryo. Ngunit nang sandaling iyon ay nagkaroon siya ng ketong sa noo.
20 Nang makita ni Azarias at ng
mga saserdote ang nangyari kay Uzias, pinalabas nila ito agad. Hindi naman ito
tumutol sapagkat naramdaman niyang siya'y pinarusahan ni Yahweh.
21 Hindi na gumaling ang ketong
ni Haring Uzias hanggang sa siya'y mamatay. Ibinukod siya ng tahanan, inalisan
ng lahat ng katungkulan at pinagbawalang pumasok sa bahay ni Yahweh. Ang anak
niyang si Joatam ang namahala sa palasyo at sa buong lupain.
Do you think that Uzziah plan to
be a leprous person?
Do you think he plan to die as a
leper?
He did not plan to fail.
Once you loose sight of
God, you only see yourself. We will no longer be teachable.
Hindi po natin planong bumagsak.
Stay tuned with God. You started
with God, end with God.
3. God wants to demonstrate to us His Purpose.
Isaiah 6:5 Sinabi ko, "Kawawa ako.
Marumi ang aking labi at naninirahan sa piling ng mga taong marurumi rin ang
labi. Mapapahamak ako pagkat ako'y isang makasalanang nakakita kay Yahweh, ang
Makapangyarihang Hari."
God wants us to see that we are
nothing without Him.
Kaya lang kita dinampot sa
putikan ay dahil sa kahabagan ko, hindi dahil sa kagalingan mo.
Hindi po akilangan ng Diyos ang
kagalingan natin, ang talent natin, magpasalamat na lang po tayo sa biyaya ng
Diyos at tayo ay ginagamit niya.
mas magaling po ang mga angel. Isang
angel pumatay ng 180. tayo ni hindi pa nakakapatay. balak pa lang.
Kung tayo po ay pinik up ng Diyos ay dahil s akahabagan Niya dahil sa Dugo
ng Panginoon Hesukristo.
a. The purpose of our existence.
Isaiah
6:8 Narinig ko ang tinig ni
Yahweh, "Sino ang aking ipadadala? Sino ang aming susuguin?" Sumagot ako, "Narito po ako. Ako ang
isugo n'yo."
God is interested in us.
Do you know why you’re still alive?
Bakit sa dinami dami ng mga
nagging sakit mo, sama ng loob mo, sa dami ng mga problema mo bakit buhay ka
pa?
Bakit binubuhay pa tayo ng Diyos?
Hindi po dahil sa yung karit ay mapurol. (Bulate ayaw pumirma)
(Mother in Law died in Holy Land )
Why are we still alive? Because
God has a purpose.
It’s not our job to create
our purpose; it’s not our job to invent our purpose for ourselves, for our
family, for our future.
Our job is to discover our
purpose by starting with God.
Have the vision of God. If you
will start with yourself and you will see the vision of God mababaliw po tayo.
Big vision belongs to those who
have big dreams because they start with God.
b. The purpose & the position
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Isaiah
6:1 Nang taong mamatay si Haring
Uzias, nakita ko si Yahweh. Nakaupo siya sa isang napakataas na luklukan. Ang
laylayan ng kanyang damit ay nakalatag sa buong Templo.
I saw also the Lord. High and lifted up. There will be
disappointments, discouragements, troubles, see also the Lord.
Jesus is the
triumphant Christ. He is still on the throne.
You were made for God, not
vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not you
using him for your own purpose.
The Bible says in & Rom.8:6, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to
be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
--
I have read many books that
suggest ways to discover the purpose of my life. All of them could be
classified as “self-help” books because they approach the subject from a
self-centered viewpoint.
Self-help books, even Christian
ones, usually offer the same predictable steps to finding your life’s purpose:
- Consider your dreams.
- Clarify your values.
- Set some goals.
- Figure out what you are good at.
- Aim high. Go for it!
- Be disciplined.
- Believe you can achieve your goals.
- Involve others.
- Never give up.
Of course, these recommendations
often lead to great success. You can usually succeed in reaching a goal if you
put your mind to it.
But being successful and
fulfilling your life’s purpose are not at all the same issue!
You could reach all your personal
goals, becoming a raving success by the world’s standard, and still miss the
purposes for which God created you.
You need more than self-help
advice.
The Bible says in & Matt.16:25, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose
it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” ---
This is not a self-help message.
v
It is not about finding the right career,
achieving your dreams, or planning your life.
v
It is not about how to cram more activities into
an overloaded schedule.
v
Actually, it will teach you how to do
less in life-by focusing on what matters most. It is about becoming what God
created you to be.
How, then, do you discover the purpose you were created for?
You have only two options.
1. Your first option is speculation.
This is ‘what most people choose.
They imagine, they guess, they theorize.
When people say, “I’ve always
thought life is . . . they mean, “This
is the best guess I can come up with.”
v
For thousands of years, brilliant philosophers
have discussed and speculated about the meaning of life.
Philosophy is an important
subject and has its uses, but when it comes to determining the purpose of life,
even the wisest philosophers are just guessing.
Dr. Hugh Moorhead, a philosophy
professor at Northeastern
Illinois University
He then published their responses
in a book.
Some offered their best guesses,
some admitted that they just made up a purpose for life, and others were honest
enough to say they were clueless.
In fact, a number of famous
intellectuals asked Professor Moorhead to write back and tell them if he discovered
the purpose of life!
2. Fortunately, there is an alternative to
speculation about the meaning and purpose of life. It’s revelation.
We can turn to what God has
revealed about life in his Word. The easiest way to discover the purpose of an
invention is to ask the creator of it.
The same is true for discovering
your life’s purpose: Ask God.
God has not left us in the dark
to wonder and guess. He has clearly revealed his five purposes for our lives
through the Bible.
It is our Owner’s Manual,
explaining why we are alive, how life works, what to avoid, and what to expect
in the future.
It explains what no self-help or
philosophy book could know.
The Bible says in & I Cor. 2:7, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a
mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our
glory:” --
God is not just the starting
point of your life; he is the source of it.
To discover your purpose in life
you must turn to God’s Word, not the world’s wisdom. You must build your life
on eternal truths, not pop psychology, success- motivation, or inspirational
stories.
The Bible says in & Eph 1:11 , “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:.” --.
This verse gives us three
insights into your purpose.
1. You discover
your identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
If you don’t have such a
relationship, I will later explain how to begin one.
2. God was thinking
of you long before you ever thought about him. His purpose for your life
predates your conception.
He planned it before you existed,
without your input!
You may choose your career, your
spouse, your hobbies, and many other parts of your life, but you don’t get to choose
your purpose. We are not to create our purpose, but to discover it.
- The
purpose of our life fits into a much larger, cosmic purpose that
God has designed for eternity.
That’s what this message is
about.
Andrei Bitov, a Russian novelist,
grew up under an atheistic Communist regime. But God got his attention one
dreary day.
He recalls, “In my twenty-seventh
year, while riding the metro in Leningrad
(now St. Petersburg )
I was overcome with despair so great that life seemed to stop at once, preempting
the future entirely, let alone any meaning.
Suddenly, all by itself, a phrase
appeared: Without God life makes no
sense. Repeating it in astonishment, I rode the phrase up like a moving
staircase, got out of the metro and walked into God’s light.”
You may have felt in the dark
about your purpose in fife. Congratulations, you’re about to walk into the
light.
DAY ONE
THINKING ABOUT MY
PURPOSE
Point to Ponder: It’s not about me.
Verse to Remember:
“…all things were created by him,
and for him:” Colossians 1:16b
Question
to Consider: In spite of all the advertising around me, how
can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?
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