A life driven by God's divine purpose is the only life Christ calls us to!"

A life driven by God's divine purpose is the only life Christ calls us to.

This is our message today. Welcome to the program, Preach the Gospel, Trouble is Coming to the Earth, produced by Jeshurun Ministry GB in the Bahamas.

In today's message, we will talk about how teachings about purpose have spread across the earth and the Christian communities like wildfire. Reports say 15 to 20,000 new titles or books on purpose are published every year in the US alone. And this is crazy. The purpose-driven life by Rick Warren has sold 50 million copies and has been translated into over 85 languages since its release in 2002. Then there's the late Dr. Myles Monroe who wrote 15 to 20 books revolving around the theme of the pursuit and understanding of purpose. Dr. Monroe's fee range for speaking engagements might have been anywhere between $10 and $20,000 per engagement, while Rick Warren's fees today range anywhere from $30 to $50,000 per engagement. And these are only two of the all-time top speakers on the topic of purpose. Men of God have made millions upon millions from books and speaking engagements on the topic of purpose. And this message is to warn you of the pitfalls of this pursuit of purpose, which sounds good. However, is it more about God's purpose or more about man's purpose? Is it more about God's divine purpose for all mankind?

So, what is our purpose? Unfortunately, purpose is not what so many have written best sellers about. It is not my intention to be an arrogant know-it-all here, but simply to tell it like it is according to the Word of God. Purpose perhaps can be defined as the reason for our existence. And we exist purely for God's pleasure, for the purpose of being obedient to the God of heaven. And this is why He made us in His image. This is our purpose. This will not sound so exciting to some, but this is what it is.

Dear Lord, thank You for this awesomely glorious day that You have given us. May the listener to this message receive a wonderful blessing from Your hand today Father we pray in Jesus' name. Bless their family. Give them wisdom, knowledge, and understanding and a willingness to do Your divine will, Your divine purpose. Bless them, Father, in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

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Jesus Christ said, "Obedience is better than anything that we can do in life." We're familiar with this text. There's nothing that you and I can do that is better than being obedient to God. Obedience is better than being a preacher of the gospel. Is better than singing in the choir, better than dancing in the church. Obedience is better than becoming a bishop, a doctor, or an apostle. And it is even better than giving to the poor. The scriptural evidence for this is the text that says obedience is better than sacrifice found in 1st Samuel 15 and 22. And so obedience is better than anything that you can do in the name of God. It is the only way to please Him. And Jesus Christ said that the best thing that we can do to prove our love for God is to keep His commandments. John 14 and 15.

And so many books about the pursuit of this coveted way called purpose has caused many to turn their attention away from pursuing divine purpose according to God's plan. It has caused many to pursue their own self-conceived purpose instead. And this pursuit has become a hijacking of the purposes of God. I will show you. Scripture says, "Many are the purposes of a man's heart. But only the purpose of God is important." Here's the text found in Proverbs 19:21. There are many plans or devices in a man's heart. Nevertheless, the Lord's counsel that will stand.

The amplified version says it this way. Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand or that will be carried out. I looked for scriptural texts that supported striving after purpose and found nothing. However, I saw several instances where the word purpose was used to talk about the purposes of God. And yet many have gone out and made millions and millions of dollars writing books on man's purpose. And so today this word purpose and the pursuit of it has become a spiritually polluted word. It has lost its true meaning. It has become a word loaded with meaning and appeal not originally intended by God because the emphasis has been placed on the purpose of man rather than the purpose of God. There's an arrogant and self-centeredness in this approach and this is perhaps the reason why 15 to 20,000 books are written annually on the topic of purpose. Just say the word purpose and it evokes a certain feeling and instant interest in people everywhere and you can fill a a large auditorium easily if you preached a message on purpose. However, if you would dare preach a message on repentance, precious few will turn up.

Here are three scripture references that speak of the purpose of God, which I call divine purpose.

Number one, Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." And this text reveals the fact that all of us are called according to God's own holy purpose and expressly for His own pleasure.

Then there's 2 Timothy 1:9 which says God 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 given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began. And this tells us that God has called us for His own reason and for His own purpose. He has not called us to pursue our purpose but to pursue God's divine purpose. And so purpose as defined in many of these books is simply works. If God has not specifically called us to do these things.

Number three, in speaking to the church about purpose, the apostle Paul said, "It is according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we can have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him." And so, friend, God's divine purpose is wrapped up in Jesus Christ and in our obedience to Him. And this text speaks about God's eternal purpose for all His children, which He has established and fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

As I looked into the lives of the patriarchs to see whether they lived this purpose-driven life, this life of purpose, and to see whether they were concerned about this purpose in leadership that has been preached, I found no examples. Sadly, I found no man, no woman of God driven by something called purpose.

However, when I looked, I saw Elijah as God used him to shame the false prophets of Baal who were pursuing their own purpose. Elijah threw barrels of water on a sacrifice, filling the trench. Then, he called fire down from heaven to consume the water and the sacrifice. God used him to end a three-year drought in the earth and bring rain down from heaven that day. Elijah was not pursuing purpose. In fact, he did not know what to do next. You'll see that he ran in fear from Queen Jezebel, who promised to destroy his life by the following day. And after 40 days of running, he ended up at Mount Horeb.

And the Lord asked him twice, "What was he doing there?" And he had no answer. He felt he was the only one left on earth who was faithful to God. And the Lord said to him, "I have 7,000 in Israel who have never bowed their knees to the wicked God called Baal and had not kissed him." It was in that mount that the Lord gave Elijah the great assignment of anointing two new kings for Syria and Israel and to anoint Elisha to become his replacement. His purpose was clearly laid out by God.

Then I looked and saw the prophet Elisha on his family farm working as a farm hand as he plowed with 12 yolk of oxen. And along came the prophet Elijah and cast his mantle upon him. This represented God's call for him to study under Elijah. God's call to the room of the prophet.

And I saw Moses in Midian working for his father-in-law as a sheep runner. And one day he turned aside to see a sudden fire rising up in a burning bush. The fire blazed, but the bush was miraculously not burning. And God had chosen that moment to call him to deliver the Israelites out of the bondage of slavery and into the promised land.

And then I saw the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus for the purpose of persecuting Christians. When the Lord called him, he was pursuing an evil purpose. The purpose of destroying believers in Christ, doing what he thought was good for God. And God chose to call him at that moment to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.

At the time of their call, these men, Elijah, Elisha, Moses, Paul, were not pursuing purpose. Three of them were simply going about their own business. And then God called them to fulfill His divine purpose. They were called to fulfill the will of God and to go where He sent them in obedience. So, can you see here how pursuing purpose can mislead us and cause us to think we are following God when we are really not following God, but we're following our own whims, our own desires.

And the Word of God says that on that day there will be many who will be surprised to find that they've not been included among the faithful. And God will say to them, "He never knew them." Is it possible friend that many of these would be those who were pursuing purpose according to these books which have made so many authors filthy rich.

This is a clear indication that there are two contrasting pathways in life. One path is doing it our way, following a purpose that seems right to us and this way will feel right but will end up in disaster for us. And those on the path will be blinded to the fact that they are headed to spiritual death. And the other path is following Christ and living a life of obedience to God by following His divine purpose and the call on your life. And He will make clear that call. He will make it crystal clear.

Yes, friend, there are two streams in life. One stream leads to life and the other stream leads to death. And the book of Proverbs 14 and 12 tell us that there is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it will lead to death. Apparently this path of following our purpose will feel good. It will make us feel real good and everything will be coming up roses. Watch out friend for trouble looms ahead.

So, how can you know that you are in the right stream? Well, the answer is found in Matthew 7.

Number one, if you're living to do the will of the Father and not following your own will, you're in the right stream. Only those who are doing the will of God and following His divine purpose will enter His kingdom. According to verse 21, and many will say, "Have we not prophesied in Your name? cast out demons in Your name and done many wonders in Your name and then I will declare to them I never knew you.

Secondly, if you've entered by the narrow gate, then you can be certain that you are in the right stream. The narrow gate is the only path that will lead to the place where you will hear the Father say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." The way leading to eternal life with Christ is the difficult road of obedience to God. Having fully repented and having turned away from our sinful life, forsaking the world to walk lock step with the Holy Spirit.

Thirdly, you will be able to tell whether you're in the right stream by the fact that the way God has sent you is neither easy nor popular. The stream that you will find yourself in is not crowded because it is the road less traveled and it is a road fraught with challenges.

Number four, if you have built your house on Christ the solid rock, walking along the path that He's laid for you, living to be obedient to His Word while studying to show yourself approved unto Him.

Number five, if you're willing souls for the kingdom of God, daily praying also for souls to be saved, chances are that you are on the right path. According to Proverbs 11:30, the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and He who wins souls is wise. In other words, the one who captures and wins souls for the kingdom of God gathers them for eternity. And God consider those who do this to be wise.

It is also clear that for some reason one can be in the wrong stream and not know it. In other words, you can be in the stream that is heading to death and destruction and think you're going the right way. You can be doing the things that impress the people of the world and those around you and not know where you are until the day of judgment. This is very frightening. The main reason for this is the work of the devil using false prophets to sew seeds of deception. And even Satan will show up to direct you acting as an angel of life. He lives to plant evil seeds in the minds of the unsuspecting by way of denominational religion by cult leaders by false prophets and by the antichrist himself who is yet to come.

And so we conclude, you and I are admonished in second Peter 1 and 10 to make your calling and election sure. And this means make sure God has called you and chosen you for what you're doing.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believed in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, friend, and keep His commandments. This is the whole duty of man, the entire purpose of man according to Ecclesiastes.

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And this is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Friend, this is our purpose. This is God's will for us to follow. And in this we will find the call of God. We will not find purpose. We'll find the call of God. And as we pursue this, we will certainly be in the right stream. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen. You've been listening to this message and perhaps you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. As usual, we want to give you an opportunity to make that commitment. Engage your heart and say after me:

• Father, I am a sinner.

• I recognize Your call on my life, Your call to obedience.

• Please forgive me my sins.

• I have decided to follow Jesus Christ and to make Him Lord of my life.

• Dear Lord Jesus, welcome to my heart.

• I give You the key to my heart because I now belong to You forever.

• Please give me the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth.

• Thank You Lord for saving my soul. Amen.

Welcome friend to the body of believers in Christ. There are so many of us here awaiting the return of the Good Master, looking forward to what is called the gathering or the rapture. But in the meantime, be certain that you become water baptized as quickly as possible.

Let your pastor know that you've given your life to the Lord and you want to be baptized the way Jesus Christ was baptized. Begin reading the Word of God every day. It is your daily food. You will need it to stay strong. If you do not get it, you will fall faint and Satan will take advantage of you.

Begin reading in the book of John and then go to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, reading audibly as often as possible. Pray daily. Attend at your local church. Do not forsake the assembling of believers. Gather with the believers in preparation for that glorious and wonderful day when we shall all be gathered by Jesus Christ. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.