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Worship: Stand Still - Maverick
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Bible Story: David
Outline
- Introduction
- Your Purpose
- David and Saul’s Armor
- David’s Uniqueness
- God can use your inadequacies
- You were made for a time like this
Scriptures:
- Psalm 139:13-16
- 1 Samuel 17: 36 - 40
- Acts 13:36
Introduction
Psalm 139:13-16
13 For You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, And skillfully formed in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my formless substance; And in Your book were written All the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.
It is not fate,
- nor chance
- nor luck
- nor coincidence
that you are breathing at this moment
God prescribed every detail
- Race.
- Talent you would possess.
- Uniqueness of your personality
- When you would be born
- Where you would be born?
You were created on purpose … for a purpose
Science is Confirming The Bible
“the cosmos appears increasingly to be a vast system finely tuned to generate life and organisms of biology very similar, perhaps identical, to ourselves. All the evidence available in the biological sciences supports the core proposition of traditional natural theology - that the cosmos is a specially designed whole with life and mankind as a fundamental goal and purpose, a whole in which all facets of reality, from the size of galaxies to the thermal capacity of water, have their meaning and explanation in this central fact.
― Michael Denton, Nature's Destiny: How the Laws of Biology Reveal Purpose in the Universe
Science is now proving that the whole universe was created with the single goal of supporting humans
- Like the Bible says
Example: double slit experiment (quantum physics)
God created it all for you
God created you … for a purpose
You Are Who You Are For A Reason
You are who you are for a reason.
You’re part of an intricate plan.
You’re a precious and perfect unique design,
Called “God’s special woman or man”
You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You’re just what He wanted to make!
The parents you had were the ones He chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God’s plan in mind,
And they bear the Master’s seal.
No, that trauma you faced was not easy;
And God wept that it hurt you so.
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into His likeness you’d grow.
You are who you are for a reason.
You’ve been formed by the Master’s rod.
You are who you are, Beloved,
Because there is a GOD.
Russell Kelfer
I don’t believe that God caused every bad circumstance, but I believe that that circumstance couldn’t cancel out your purpose.
- Only you can do that
Your Purpose
The two greatest days in your life are:
- the day you were born
- the day you figure out why you were born
– – Mark twain
Purpose is the fundamental reason something exists
- It is the "why”
The Bible tells us that everything was created by God, the Designer, for a reason
If you want to find your purpose… You have to start with God
Your calling is the purpose that God created you for
- It's the destination or the end goal of your assignment on earth
A calling is God‘s invitation for your participation and the reason for your creation
–Darius Daniels
Purpose is a deep seated, unique imprint of God on your soul with which you serve his purposes in your world
- Pastor Ayo Ajani
Having a purpose gives you
- a meaningful goal
- a sense of fulfilment
- clarity making life decisions
Having a purpose makes suffering more bearable
A Christian’s Callings
Christians have
- General callings
- A Unique calling
General Christian Callings
All Christians are called to:
- To Love God
- Love your neighbor
- Make disciples
Unique Calling
Additionally, you are called to use your unique
- gifts, talents, and abilities
- Life experiences
to serve others, and to glorify God.
In this series we have discussed
- What a purpose is and why it matters
- General purposes for Christians
Followed by
- Your Unique Design
- Your Unique Journey
- Discovering your unique purpose
- Overcome the barriers preventing you from pursuing your purpose
Over the next year, I will walk alongside you and help you find your purpose
David and Saul’s Armor
1 Samuel 17: 36 - 40
36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 And David said, “The LORD who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you.” 38 Then Saul clothed David with his military attire and put a bronze helmet on his head, and outfitted him with armor. 39 And David strapped on his sword over his military attire and struggled at walking, for he had not trained with the armor. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, because I have not trained with them.” And David took them [y]off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, that is, in his shepherd’s pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.
David’s design.
David was a Shepherd, but also a king.
He was a giant slaying warrior, but also a poet
He was the chosen leader of God‘s chosen people
David put on the robe of a priest and joined the crowd of worshipers.
- His wife wasn’t pleased
David was unique
Goliath was offended when David stood in front of him without armor, sword, or shield
Both the king and Goliath had expectations on how David would fight
From every side, David felt the pressure to conform
He made a difference in the world by acting out his own unique identity
- You and I must do the same if we want to achieve the same results
Smooth Stones
Why are all River stones pretty much the same?
- Smooth.
- Fit in the palm of your hand.
Because they live in the river that has a current.
There is always a pressure trying to push you in a certain direction
- Go to school
- Get a good education
- Get a job
- Get married
- Have kids
- Buy a house
You cannot walk into a full understanding of identity… If you are walking with the current
The current won’t stop until we become smooth round stones just like everyone else
You have not been called to conform.
- You have been called to reform
The consequences of conformity
People who live a life of conformity are not happy long-term
One of the reasons we conform is that we want to be accepted
- We don’t want people to think of us as different.
- So we all act the same
- We follow the same rules, strive for the same goals, and make the same choices
What we don’t realize is that most people are unhappy
- Those people who you are trying to make happy by doing what they expect you to do are unhappy because they are doing what other people expect them to do
some people will drop their own uniqueness, trying to be like someone else
It is exhausting pretending to be someone who you are not
the alternative is to simply be yourself… Your real self
It is hard to feel good… When you don’t feel good about who you are
When you turn away from your unique design you won’t be:
- As happy as you could be.
- Healthy as you should be.
- Helpful as you need to be
There are people who have problems that only you can solve
There is a uniqueness that every person is bringing to this generation
The harm principle
How can we determine if our difference is positive or negative?
How do we know if it is something we should embrace, or if it’s a character flaw?
Example: I like to drive on the left side of the road
What about the person who says “I’m more comfortable driving on the left side of the road because I’m from England. You Americans drive on the wrong side and I’m not going to conform to that. Everywhere else drives on the left!!
—
What will happen if they express their uniqueness and drive on the left side of the freeway?
We simply need to ask if the difference is causing harm:
- To others
- To ourselves
Having a strong temper isn’t harmful.
- But if your temper causes you to lash out in ways that are destructive and hurtful, then it is harmful.
- If it causes you to speak disrespectfully then it is harmful
If your behaviour is harming yourself or others, such as putting your kids future in jeopardy, … You are unhealthy
You should seek to improve it as you are able
In general… You know when something is harmful
We can also ask
- Is it keeping me from achieving mine or God’s goal?
David’s Uniqueness
If it don’t fit…
Saul’s sword and armor were the best
David had to get Saul’s permission to fight Goliath.
- Saul offering his armor was a sign of honor.
The king’s armor would have been the safest, most elaborate and expensive armor of the entire army.
- All of the soldiers would have been honored to wear it.
- All of the soldiers would also agree that wearing it would give David the highest chance to defeat Goliath.
The King assumed David would fight Goliath like all of his other soldiers would have
Example: farmer goes to help fight in a war
- Military offers him a tank
- He says no I’m good with my pick up truck and my shotgun
David had to recognize what didn’t fit him
- “I know that’s the way culture does it“
- “I know that’s the way people say it has to be done“
- “I know that it has worked for many people “
- … but that is not the way God wired me
One of David‘s most courageous acts… Was rejecting that armor
Goliath’s advantages only worked in close combat
- His sword
- His size
- His strength
Goliath's size just made him a bigger target
What some people saw as a disadvantage for David was an advantage for him
David’s Sling Example
https://youtube.com/shorts/w-chks4gxGg?si=hvRVKYcKb1u4Mcr1
Growing into your uniqueness
you must be willing to live through a season where you feel weird… So God can push you in a season where you feel relevant
The same thing that makes you feel small in one season… Is the thing that God will use to make you big in another
God can use your inadequacies
how far you go and how much you grow it’s not just determined by what you believe about God
- It is equally determined by what you believe about… You
Solomon says: as a man thinketh in his heart so is he
You always behave in a way that is consistent with how you see yourself
- There can be a gap between how you see yourself and how God sees you
when the enemy can’t change what you think about God… He tries to change what you think about you
The enemy
Can’t take your worth… But he can take your awareness of it
Dependence on God
God called Moses to do something in the exact area that he felt inadequate
- Moses said “I can’t do this without you“
- God said “exactly“
that’s why God picked Moses … a stutterer
Because he knew that he couldn’t do it without God
- And he would never try
- Moses’ inadequacy was God’s insurance that he would always lean on him
Your purpose may not be based on your talents
God can use the unqualified
The theory of compensation
A person compensates for a perceived weakness (real or imagined) by developing a strength or capability in a different area.
Examples:
• A person who feels insecure about their social skills might overcompensate by becoming a highly driven and successful executive.
Sometimes shorter people learn to become funny because they can’t fight or to gain attraction
- Others become overly aggressive
Example: UCLA
- I thought everyone else was smarter
- So I studied more than they did
- I got on the Dean’s list
- I had friends came in with higher GPAs but didn’t graduate
- They were busy partying
Oftentimes people don’t succeed in spite of their limitations… They succeed because of their limitations.
They develop traits to counteract their limitations, which were the traits they needed to succeed
When people find an area that they are weak in, they find a way to compensate.
- And it is in this compensation that they find their purpose
Your Insecurity is Your Superpower
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQZY6PpEZ3D/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
- Sylvia Dejewski, Fox News.
You were made for a time like this
Acts 13:36
“For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep, and was buried among his fathers and underwent decay;
David “served his generation“
Your time and place on earth is divinely orchestrated
Your purpose is connected to the time and place you live
We live in one of the Most unchurched cities
- San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose, California (60 percent)
You have to figure out “why did God put you here“?
God wouldn’t have called you to it if you couldn’t do it
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQ74JUrgMF-/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
You might be like David
- You were the one they forgot about
- You were the one they counted out
I have come to pour oil on your head… To tell them they don’t know who you are
The that didn’t think David deserved it… Had to watch him receive the anointing
When God has something for you… It doesn’t matter who gets there first
- They can apply for the job first
- They can make the investment first
- They can meet them first
It's yours!!
Instructor: Michael Leadon
References
This doesn’t fit
Dr. Darius Daniels
Your purpose is calling
Dr. Dharius Daniels.
Purpose driven LIFE
Pastor Rick Warren
Hope for my Region: Hope [fully] Pt 3
Pastor Felipe Santos: Echo Sunnyvale
Finding your unique design and purpose,
Pastor Ayo, Ajani
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