WE ARE IDENTIFIED FOR A PURPOSE

OPENING ILLUSTRATION

A boy was building a sandcastle on the beach. He had all the tools and buckets to build the best sandcastle of his life. With full excitement, he went out in the afternoon and began to fill his buckets with sand. With the walls and moat constructed, he began to build the main structure, but he came to the realization that everything he was about to build was only hours from being under the waters of the rising tide. Suddenly, all the motivation he had to build this sandcastle faded, and he was left asking, “What’s the point?” If the castle is inevitably going to get washed away, why build it in the first place?

This is how many people go through life – building up earthly things knowing these things will one day fade away. It can leave people wondering what their purpose is in life. Some people spend their whole lives searching for their purpose in life, but for the Christian, it is different.

That’s why Jesus says in Matthew 6:19–21:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Today we will look at how the identity we receive in Christ gives us all a new purpose in life, but unlike the sandcastle, this purpose never fades.

Every school has two defining features that set it apart from others in the area: its colors and its mascot. Whether it’s for a sport, band, drama, or even the merch you wear, your school is often recognized by those two things. Sometimes you may compete against a school that shares your mascot or colors, but very rarely do they have both. Why? Because these features are meant to identify you with the school you belong to. It tells others whom you represent and the
group you’re supporting.

Much like the mascot and school colors, we are instruments for proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. This is not merely something we should do or must do; it becomes part of who we are!

WE ARE IDENTIFIED FOR A PURPOSE TO PROCLAIM.

Read Matthew 28:18–20

The disciples had received the best news ever. Jesus was not dead; He was alive. In some of His final words to them, He gives them all a mission: GO! This is not a command to be passive in our proclamation. While our deeds and actions should ultimately point to Christ, He commands here an active participation in the telling of His story.

Jesus specifically mentions a disciple identifier in the action of baptism. We see here that part of Jesus’ command is that we, as disciples, are called to be baptized after receiving His Good News. This should be our first public proclamation of our relationship with Him, but it should not be our last. Baptism is a public identification with Christ, but we are then meant to go and proclaim Christ every day.

Read Romans 10:14–15

The command to “go” is one for all of us. We are all sent by God to proclaim The Good News of Jesus. If we neglect that call on all our lives, how will they know?

HOW CAN YOU “GO” AND PROCLAIM CHRIST IN YOUR LIFE?

IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU FEEL UNPREPARED TO PROCLAIM CHRIST IN YOUR LIFE?

WE ARE IDENTIFIED FOR A PURPOSE THAT BRINGS JOY.

Read: Luke 15:8–10

Jesus tells this Parable of the Lost Coin right between two other stories of lost things. The first is the story of a shepherd who loses a sheep and leaves the 99 just to find the one. The third tells the story of the Prodigal Son, who takes his father’s inheritance and wastes it on reckless living. In the end, the son returns to the father, who elcomes him back with open arms. In all three stories, we see the joy when what was lost is found.

If you’ve ever lost something super important to you, you may be able to relate to this story. The anxiety and worry that builds up as you consider how you could have possibly lost such an important thing. Maybe it was your phone, wallet, keys or a sentimental item you hold dear. The thoughts of never finding it begin to flood your mind, but those thoughts are all overridden with unmatched joy when that thing is finally found. We are invited to experience the greatest joy possible with God when we participate in our purpose of sharing Jesus with others. When we see our lost friends or even a stranger come to faith in Jesus, we get to rejoice with the angels of heaven.

We sometimes treat the role we have in fulfilling God’s purpose like a job or task. We know we are supposed to do it, but there’s something in us that really doesn’t want to. Every opportunity to share Jesus can feel like our parent telling us to do the chores we’ve been avoiding. Our mind instantly starts to produce every excuse about why we shouldn’t. We tell ourselves “they’ll never listen to me” or “I don’t know what to say,” and before we know it, the opportunity has passed.

But God’s Word calls us to experience something so much greater. When we realize that people’s need for the Gospel is greater than our excuses, we can become people who bring the joy of Christ to those around us.

Read: Acts 13:46–49

Paul and Barnabas spoke to those who saw themselves as unworthy of eternal life, but through the bold proclamation of the Gospel, many began to rejoice as they experienced saving faith in Jesus. That Good News then began to spread throughout the region. It is often said that “movements begin with moments.” What will your moment be? Will you decide in this moment that the joy of Christ is worth experiencing and sharing?

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU FELT REAL JOY BECAUSE OF SOMETHING GOD DID IN SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE? WHAT MADE THAT MEANINGFUL TO YOU?

WHAT EXCUSE MOST OFTEN HOLDS YOU BACK FROM SHARING JESUS – AND WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE TO CHOOSE JOY OVER THAT EXCUSE THIS WEEK?

The passage in Acts 13 comes after Peter and John had miraculously healed a disabled man and been arrested for preaching of Jesus’ Resurrection. They were brought before a council where they made bold statements for Christ!

Read: Acts 4:5–22

Peter and John sat in front of this council and were questioned about what authority gave them the right to preach. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, was compelled to present the message of the Gospel. This answer astonished the council because it didn’t come from highly educated or high-profile men, but from what they perceived as “common men.” The council tried to stop them from continuing to preach the Gospel, but they responded by saying, “For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” They were so compelled by what they had experienced through the Gospel that nothing was going to stand in the way of their proclaiming it.

WE ARE IDENTIFIED FOR A PURPOSE THAT’S “ALL IN.”

In 1519, Hernán Cortés set sail from Cuba to explore and claim new territory in Mexico. He arrived with a small group of soldiers who quickly realized they were in a land filled with powerful civilizations, unfamiliar terrain and uncertain danger. As fear grew, many of the men began complaining and pushed to return to Cuba. There were even mutinies forming against Cortés. He knew that if retreat remained as an option, his men would never fully commit. So he made a dramatic
decision: He ordered the ships dismantled and sunk, so there was no way to sail back. With the option of retreat gone, the men had no choice but to be fully committed going forward.

Hernán knew he had to remove any other options to get full commitment. Peter and John were so committed that nothing would stand in their way of sharing about Jesus. The question becomes, what is stopping us from being “all in” for Jesus? What is it that keeps us from having the attitude of Peter and John, being compelled to share Jesus no matter the cost. One of God’s primary purposes for you is to make Him known. We can either spend our lives building castles in the sand that will eventually get swept away in the rising tide … or we can go forward with an “all in” mentality toward building the kingdom of heaven.

Read: Hebrews 12:1–2

Here, the Bible commands us to “lay aside every weight that clings so closely so that we can run the race set before us.”

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU NEED TO LAY ASIDE IN ORDER FOR YOU TO RUN YOUR RACE?

WHAT IS STOPPING YOU FROM LIVING “ALL IN” FOR JESUS?

WHO IS ONE PERSON YOU CAN SHARE THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS WITH WHEN YOU GET HOME?