Pastor Rich's Sermon,Sunday, January 11, 2004

Shortly after Adam’s second birthday, prompted by a number of family and friends asking, “when we are going to have a second child?” Diane and I began our series of discussions about having an only child. We had discussed it in length. Weighing the pros and cons, such as finances, work schedules, schooling, time restraints, and emotional and physical stamina. We looked at it from Adam’s perspective of being an only child. We turned to my parents, who are both only children. They were a big help. My Dad thought being an only child was great, but my Mom thought it was terrible.

After weighing all the facts we reached our decision that Adam would be our only child. That’s when God cast his vote and Diane greeted me with the news, “Surprise! We are pregnant.”

Chances are some of you were surprised or you had similar surprises as Diane and I did.

When referring to our unexpected pregnancy or when we have talked about Gregory, we have never used the word accident. We always said, and still do say, that Gregory was God’s big surprise. While he was a surprise to us, he was no surprise to God.

While we may not have planned to have another a child, and maybe our parents did not plan to have us, our being here is no accident. God planned for you and me. God planned for us long before any of our parents even knew each other. Long before we were a twinkle in our parent’s eyes God had already conceived us. “You and I live today because God wanted to create you and me.” (The Purpose Driven Life, pg. 22)

Many children are unplanned by their parents, but they are not unplanned by God. God never does anything accidentally, and He never makes mistakes. He has created each and everyone of us for a purpose and God promises,

“The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.”

We live in world where manufacturers attempt to customize their products to your needs. Unlike the days of Henry Ford’s Model T which you could get in any color you wanted as long as it was black, today you can choose color, style, interior fabric, stereo, and more. You don’t have to buy a computer off the shelf. You can customize your computer to be as fast and powerful as you want. Why you can even have a program designed with your needs in mind.

No doubt they got this idea from God. Because God has been customizing human beings since Adam and Eve, making each one of us unique and special.

Where God differs from modern technology and a manufacturer’s desire to design a product to meet the consumers specifications, wants and desires. God creates us to His specifications. He wants us to be used for His purpose and not our own.

Take note of God’s promise in Psalm 138:8.

“The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.”

When was the last time you asked yourself, “What is God’s purpose or will for my life?”

Every person has dreams and makes plans for the future. Most people work hard to see those dreams and plans come true. Basically there is nothing wrong with those plans those dreams. It is not like our plans included breaking the 10 commandments or denouncing God, but have you ever stopped to question if these plans are God’s will for you.

One obvious purpose God has for your life and mine is,

“If anyone would come after me,
he must deny himself and
take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”

When you don’t know Christ you make choices as though this life is all you have. In reality this life is just the introduction to eternity. How you live this life determines your eternal state. What you accumulate on earth has no value in purchasing eternal life. Even the highest social or civic honors cannot earn you entrance into heaven. Evaluate all that happens from an eternal perspective, and you will find your values and decisions changing.

God alone knows what is best for us. God alone knows what is best for us. God alone will fulfill His purpose for us. As You make plans and dream dreams, talk with God about them.

What is keeping you from accepting the fact that God created you? What is keeping you from living the life God created you to live?

What is keeping you from picking up His cross
and following Him?