How do you find your calling?
Scripture:
- Acts 13:36 - 37
- 2 Timothy 1:9
- Ephesians 2:8-10
- 1 Samuel 16: 17 - 21
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
- Proverbs 3:5–6
- Acts 18: 4 - 6
- Acts 16:6-10
- 2 Samuel 5: 18 - 19
- Psalms 37:4
- Romans 12:1-2
Outline:
- Review - What is a Purpose/Calling?
- God Has Prepared Works For You
- Serve Faithfully Where You Are
- God Is Preparing You
- Allow God to Direct You
- Depending on God
- Allow God to Change You
- Surrender Your Life
- Find the Caller and You’ll Find Your Calling
Have you ever asked...What am I here for?
Not what are humans here for, but why you specifically?
Have you ever wondered...What’s my purpose in life?
Acts 13:36 - 37
36 “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay;
37 but He whom God raised did not undergo decay.
Don’t we want God to say that we served our purpose in our generation?
We all want an aha moment of clarity where the details of our calling becomes clear
Series: Hearing From God
Review - What is a Purpose/Calling?
Suffering
When people understand the reason that they’re suffering it makes it easier to deal with
Many people lose their faith when they suffer or see suffering and don’t see a purpose
Some people are atheists because they can’t understand how God would allow suffering
Our culture tells us that the purpose/goal of life is to be happy
What is the Point?
Many people search for meaning in life when
- they are suffering
- they have obtained what they thought was going to make them happy but they’re not
2 Timothy 1:9
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,
9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,
- Paul sees the suffering as part of a bigger goal
- Not according to our works...but according to His purpose
Religion gives you a meaning of life outside of yourself. This makes it easier to deal with suffering.
Having a purpose outside of yourself allows for a more fulfilling life
The World’s View of Calling
Passion
Job that aligns with your passion and matters to you and makes the world better
Competence
You have to have something that separates you from everyone else on earth and until you find that you will be struggling.
Biblical View of Calling
- Moses
It's God's purpose...not yours
- You don’t find YOUR purpose.
- You find God’s purpose for you.
God doesn't call the prepared, He prepares the called
- God will make a way
It's God's power that will make you successful...not yours
God's calling for your life cannot be achieved without Him
- Only with God can you achieve your calling
God Has Prepared Works For You
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
- We don’t have to decide what we are going to do.
- We don’t have to fashion a career for ourselves.
We have to find out what are the good works that God prepared beforehand for us to do.
God had a plan before the beginning of time
It’s not according to what we can do.
- It’s not according to what we have been trained to do.
You are God’s workmanship created for something special that he has for you to do. And you will never find for satisfaction until you discover that special something
You don’t find your purpose. You serve God‘s purpose.
When Samuel found David he wasn’t
- Building his resume
- Planning a sheep shearing business
- Trying to get noticed
- Looking for a big break
He was serving.
What did David do after Samuel anointed him as king?
- He went back to tending the flock
Serve Faithfully Where You Are
How did King Saul first meet David?
1 Samuel 16: 17 - 21
17So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring him to me.” 18Then one of the young men said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him.” 19So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David who is with the flock.” 20Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David his son. 21Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer.
- David met Saul because he had a good reputation
Look for opportunities to serve God and God’s people
- Find somewhere to serve in the church
Why was David at the field where Goliath was?
- He was bringing food to his brothers (1 Samuel 17:17-18)
In order to find fulfillment you have to find your place in the body
No Christian can be truly fulfilled on his own without any connection to the body.
God Is Preparing You
Seasons
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
1There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
2A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
We have different seasons in live
Was David fulfilling his purpose when he was a shepherd?
We live our life in phases. Never let a phase define you.
Each phase prepares you for the next phase.
Every year is supposed to be preparation for the next one. If you didn’t find out what you were supposed to do in a particular year you were going to the next year unprepared.
You must enjoy your phase but don’t get attached to your phase. Your best phases are still ahead of you. No phase is forever.
If you serve the purpose of the season you’re in right now, your calling will find you
Example: I had an 6 year period where my season was to attend Bible study
What Am I Being Prepared For?
Share Your Story
If we look at David’s life we can see how God was preparing him
- Learned to fight as a shepherd
- Learned to play music
- Share the story of your life with a wise Christian
- They can tell you the themes that they see emerging
Allow God to Direct You
Proverbs 3:5–6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
We want God to tell us:
- “You will be a missionary in Rwanda”
- “I want you to go and rebuild the temple in Israel”
Sometimes it’s just…”go give that person $73”
God Sometimes Tells You His Plan For You
Wilderness
What happened to those who God told their future
- David would be king
- Joseph would rule over his brothers
They had to go through a lot before they were ready
Some Were Told After Their Preparation
Others who got the final plan
- Disciples - make disciples of all nations
- They had 3 years with Jesus
They had specific training before being given the mission
God May Direct Your Path
Paul - Apostle to the Gentiles
How did Peter know that the Gentiles would be included in the salvation of Jesus?
- He had a vision of various meats falling and God told him to eat (Acts 10:9-16)
How did Paul realize he was the apostle to the Gentiles?
- He sucked at teaching the Jews
Acts 18: 4 - 6
4Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks alike. 5And when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself fully to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. 6But when they opposed and insulted him, he shook out his garments and told them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
He knew he was apostle to the Gentiles because the Jews and they rejected Him
God Directing Paul
You see the apostles just doing things and occasionally God will providentially alter their paths.
Acts 16:6-10
6They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;8and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Sometimes he got clear direction, sometimes he tried something and regrouped if it didn’t work.
Seek God’s Guidance at Every Step
What made David such a successful warrior?
2 Samuel 5: 18 - 19
18Now the Philistines came and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. 19Then David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?” And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.”
He sought God for guidance at every step.
Depending on God
You may want God to give you The entire plan
- But God may want you to depend on him
As you walk with God, you will be surprised at how God arranges every tiny detail of our lives.
God often puts people into positions in which they are not qualified so that they won’t rely on their own ability.
It’s not according to our works but it’s according to his grace.
Grace begins when human ability ends. If you can do it by yourself why should God give you his grace.
Spiritual Gifts
Gifts = charisma
- Free gift
Derived from the Greek word meaning Grace… Charis
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are expressions of God’s grace.
- They enable you to do things that you could not do by your own natural ability.
- Grace cannot be earned.
Grace begins when human ability ends.
When you find your place you will find that God has equipped you with the gifts that you need.
You shouldn’t just be seeking gifts on your own because you might be seeking a gift that you don’t need for your calling.
Measure of Faith
The faith that God has given you is the faith that you will need for the job. If you are doing the job the God called you for you will have the faith that you need.
Allow God to Change You
Psalms 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Delight
Anog
- to be soft, delicate, dainty
- to be soft or pliable
If you allow yourself to be shaped and formed by the LORD He will put desires into your heart
Are you being shaped by the world or shaped by God?
Surrender Your Life
Christians can take one of two paths:
- Some are saved but want to make something of themselves in this world. They work hard at it and they become something. But it probably isn’t what God intended for them to be.
- Other Christians abandon themselves to God. They give up their personal ambitions and say God make me what you want.
If you give up your life you will find the life that God wants you to have.
Romans 12:1-2
1 Therefore I urge you, 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.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
How to find God’s will?
- Present your body as a living sacrifice
- Don’t conform to the world
- Renew your mind
Living Sacrifice
The sacrifice doesn’t sanctify the altar.
- The altar sanctifies the sacrifice
I will no longer decide
- Where to work
- Where to live
- Where to go to church
Renew Your Mind
When you surrender your body and your life to God, He will change the way you think.
The natural mind is self-centered. The renewed mind is God centered.
You will never go beyond a certain point in your Christian experience until you surrender your life to God.
Find the Caller and You’ll Find Your Calling
What did everyone who God called have in common?
- They heard from God
- They had a relationship with God
Distraction from the master is what draws people away from their calling
The enemy would rather have your eyes on
- Work
- The government
- Tragedies in the world
- Riots
- Police brutality
- Trump
- Toilet tissue
- Ministries
- Service
Paul thought that he was serving God before he met Jesus
- He didn’t have the Holy Spirit yet
Our relationship with Jesus allows us to have a relationship with God
- It allows us to have a relationship with the caller
When you find the head everything else will fall into place
- When you find the head, you will find your place in the body.
Look for God and when you find Him He will show you your calling.
God’s original purpose for Adam was to:
- Commune with God
- Be in relationship with others
- Work
- Have dominion over the earth
It all fell apart when the relationship between God and man was severed by sin.
Only by restoring fellowship with God, through faith in Jesus Christ, can your purpose in life be rediscovered.
Find God and you’ll find your the calling.
When I doubt it Lord remind me
I’m wonderfully made
You’re an artist and a potter
I’m the canvas and the clay
You make all things work together
For my future and for my good
You make all things work together
For your glory and for your name
I know nothing has been wasted
No failure or mistake
You’re an artist and the potter
On the canvas and the clay
...You’re not finished with me yet
--Canvas and Clay (Pat Barrett)
Presenter: Michael Leadon
References
Find Your Why
Your Time is Now
How to Find Your Place - Derrek Prince Ministry
Understanding Your Calling - Part I | Ravi Zacharias | RZIM India
Finding Your Calling ~ A Teaching by Pastor Benny Hinn
What does the Bible say about how to find purpose in life?
Extra
Don’t Compare Your Calling With Someone Else’s
Whenever you compare yourself to someone else it robs you of your calling.
You can’t complete God‘s purpose for you when you’re comparing yourself to someone else.
You can’t out succeed your insecurities.
I want to live is not a problem
I want to live like someone else is a big problem
Think about what you want to do in the absence of pressure from your peers, parents, friends. It doesn’t matter what other people think about it.
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