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- Two Questions to Discover Your Destiny #8
- Two Questions to Discover Your Destiny #7
- Two Questions to Discover Your Destiny #6
- Two Questions to Discover Your Destiny #5
- Two Questions to Discover Your Destiny #4
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Two Questions to Discover Your Destiny #8:
We have been considering two questions to ask to discover your destiny. The first one was, "Who are you, Lord?" Today we will wrap up this series by considering the second one...
2. DOING HIS WILL: “LORD, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?”
Saul’s second question was, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” He realized that the second most important thing in life was to discover God’s will. Saul would later pray for a church, “that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” (Colossians 1:9). God has a plan and a purpose for every one of our lives – something that He wants us to do. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).
It’s amazing that there are people in the church today who think that they can take Jesus as their Savior, but not have him also as their Lord. They say, “I want Jesus to be my Savior, to forgive my sins, but I’m not going to be obedient to Him and let Him be my Lord.” However, you can’t have one without the other. You can’t have the benefits and blessings of the Cross, without submission to His Crown! Just because our salvation is a free gift of God’s sovereign grace doesn’t give us the right to go out and live however we want. No! “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2, NLT). The Bible says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9). We must receive Jesus as our Lord if we want to be saved. The first thing the Lord Jesus said to Saul was a commandment: “Arise and go… and you will be told what you must do.” Jesus had a plan for Saul’s life, and he has a plan for our lives, too. Coming to Jesus means submission and surrender.
“For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10, NLT). God has a destiny for you. The two greatest questions that we can ask to discover our destinies are: “Who are you, Lord?” and “What do you want me to do?”
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- Pastor Chris Jordan
http://www.beausejourchurch.ca/
Two Questions to Discover Your Destiny #7:
How can we get to know the Lord better? The first place to look is in God’s Word. The Bible is a revelation to us of who God is. If you want to get to know Jesus better, one of the best things you can do is a study of the names and titles of God in the Scriptures. Here are some examples…
SCRIPTURES THAT DESCRIBE GOD’S NATURE:
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2).
“Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.” (Psalm 24:8-9).
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
“For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth..” (Psalm 47:2).
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11).
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” (Psalm 103:8).
THE NAMES OF GOD:
Elohim: (God)
El Shaddai: (Lord God Almighty)
El Elyon: (The Most High God)
Adonai: (Lord, Master)
Yahweh: (Lord)
Jehovah Nissi: (The Lord My Banner)
Jehovah-Rohi: (The Lord My Shepherd)
Jehovah Rapha: (The Lord That Heals)
Jehovah Shammah: (The Lord Is There)
Jehovah Tsidkenu: (The Lord Our Righteousness)
Jehovah M’kaddesh: (The Lord Who Sanctifies You)
Jehovah Jireh: (The Lord Will Provide)
Jehovah Shalom: (The Lord Is Peace)
Jehovah Sabaoth: (The Lord of Hosts)
THE SEVEN “I AM” STATEMENTS OF JESUS:
I am the bread of life (John 6:35)
I am the Light of the world (John 8:12)
I am the door (John 10:9)
I am the good Shepherd (John 10:11)
I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25)
I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6)
I am the vine (John 15:1)
Knowing God is more than just knowing about Him – it is about actually encountering Him in an intimate, personal way. This happens in the place of prayer. The prophet Hosea said, “Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3). When we grow in our relationship with the Lord, we experience healing, revival and refreshing. That’s worth seeking after! The Lord has given us a wonderful promise: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8). In chapter eleven, I will give you some more practical keys about how you can go deeper into the secret place of prayer with the Lord.
- Pastor Chris Jordan
http://www.beausejourchurch.ca/
Two Questions to Discover Your Destiny #6:
After Saul experienced the sovereign grace of God that saved him, he asked two questions that determined his destiny. My prayer is that these two questions would be forever burned in your heart, and that you would spend the remainder of your life looking for the answers to them.
“And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:5-6).
The two greatest questions that we can ask to discover our destinies are: “Who are you, Lord?” and “What do you want me to do?”
1. KNOWING GOD: “WHO ARE YOU, LORD?”
Saul’s first question to Jesus was,
“Who are you, Lord?” This question became the number one passion and driving force in the rest of his life. When he prayed for a church in Ephesus, he prayed,
“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Jesus).” (Ephesians 1:17). Can you hear his heart’s cry in that prayer? He also prayed for them
“to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge.” (Ephesians 3:19).
Saul’s first passion was to know Jesus better.
“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” (Philippians 3:8-10). The Amplified Bible’s translation of this Scripture beautifully conveys Paul’s heart to us:
“Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of
- the priceless privilege
- (the overwhelming preciousness,
- the surpassing worth,
- and supreme advantage)
- of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…
For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One)…
[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him
- [that I may progressively
- become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him,
- perceiving and recognizing and understanding
- the wonders of His Person
- more strongly and more clearly],
and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death.” (Philippians 3:8-10, AMP).
This is our highest calling as Christians, and the first question to discovering our destiny! May this question spur you on to know Jesus more and more throughout your life.
- Pastor Chris Jordan
http://www.beausejourchurch.ca/
SAUL’S CONVERSION WAS SUPERNATURAL:
Saul’s salvation story was a supernatural event. He saw a light from heaven, and heard the voice of God speaking to him. Becoming a Christian isn’t just about making a decision or joining a club. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of the living God comes inside of you to make you a new person. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Becoming a Christian is a supernatural experience! Jesus called this supernatural experience being born again. “But to all who believed Jesus and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan – this rebirth comes from God.” (John 1:12-13, NLT). There is something supernatural that happens on the inside. Although you might not have seen a light or heard a voice, your conversion was no less supernatural than Saul’s. It wasn’t the light from Heaven or the voice of God that made Saul’s conversion a supernatural experience. When the Holy Spirit came to live inside of him, he became a different person. A transformation took place.
A caterpillar is an illustration of what happens when you become a Christian. That caterpillar goes through a complete metamorphosis to become a butterfly. When that caterpillar emerges from its chrysalis, it comes forth with a brand new nature. When you become a Christian, there is a supernatural event that takes place on the inside of you. “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” (Ephesians 2:4-5).
There’s a big debate in the church about whether or not a Christian can lose their salvation. Once a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, that butterfly can never become a caterpillar again. It has a new nature. That butterfly can choose to act like a caterpillar and crawl around on the ground, instead of soaring through the air, and that butterfly can go back to eating leaves and seeds, instead of enjoying the nectar of flowers. But that butterfly does not cease to be a butterfly. Consider some of these wonderful promises from God’s Word:
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.” (John 10:27-29).
“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39, NLT).
Saul himself wrote: “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6).
Too many Christians are eternally insecure. “I don’t know if God loves me today! Yesterday He did, but I was bad today, so I hope I’m not going to hell!” God’s not going to send any of His children to hell! As a father myself, I understand a little bit of God’s loving father’s heart. When my children are rebellious or disobey me, that doesn’t stop me from loving them, and it doesn’t cause them to stop being my children. They will be my children now and forever, and this is our heavenly Father’s heart towards us, too.
- Pastor Chris Jordan
http://www.beausejourchurch.ca/
Two Questions to Discover Your Destiny #4:
Are you familiar of the story of the prodigal son? “He told his father, 'I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living… When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man.” (Luke 15:12-13, 17-19, NLT).
What do you think the father did when he returned home? Did he say, “One moment, son. Get yourself cleaned up first. I want to hear that penitent speech that you’ve been preparing, and if it’s good enough, I might let you back home.” No. The son returned home to his father. “And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him… His father said… We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.” (Luke 15:20-24, NLT). That’s the heart of our loving Heavenly Father!
This is the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, though it doesn’t make sense to our natural minds. All of our lives we have been taught, “If you’re good, then you will be rewarded with good things.” The idea that God says, “I choose you with all of your mistakes, failures, and sins, just come as you are” is foreign to our minds. We don’t understand that kind of love. But our Bible story teaches us that God’s choice of Saul wasn’t based on any inherent goodness in him.
There is a modern thought that says that human beings are born basically good, but as children grow up and are exposed to sinful behavior around them, that’s when we become bad. This is not what the Bible teaches. God’s Word says that we are born with a sin nature.
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5).
“As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10-12).
Any parent knows that this is true. When your child is born, they didn’t have to wait until they grew up to learn how to sin. They were born with a sin nature, and it came naturally to them! Children don’t need to learn how to be bad. God’s Word tells us: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).
Saul was totally depraved, and there was no goodness in him. Therefore, God’s election or choosing of Saul was unconditional. God didn’t choose Saul because he was better than everyone else around him. No – he was in fact worse than anyone else around him! And yet, God still chose him. Isn’t that amazing? King David exclaimed, “Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple.” (Psalm 65:4). Why does God choose us? You can’t understand the choices of the chooser by looking at the one chosen. I think this is what Thomas Merton meant when he said, “A saint is not someone who is good, but someone who experiences the goodness of God.”
There is a story from my personal life that is a great illustration of God’s grace. When I was a kid, I wasn’t very athletic, but I tried out for a little league baseball team called the Huskies. All of my friends from school were trying out for the team, and I wanted to play baseball too. I was a scrawny little kid trying out for the team, and somehow, I actually made it! How did that happen? It wasn’t because of any ability within me, of that I am certain. Do you want to know how I got on the team? My best friend’s dad was the coach! Why does God choose us to be adopted into His family? It’s not because of any goodness within us, but simply because our best friend’s dad in the coach. “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.” (Romans 5:11, NLT).
Saul’s conversion was entirely a work of sovereign grace from start to finish. “God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10, NLT).
- Pastor Chris Jordan
http://www.beausejourchurch.ca/
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