Purpose

Purpose (noun)

1 something that one hopes or intends to accomplish - goal

2 the action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists - role

Many times we confuse our "role" in life and our "goal" in life.

In order for us to achieve our goal, our purpose, we need to fulfill a role in certain seasons of our life, but our ever-changing roles in life are but a means to our end result.

The role that you play in this life is merely the means to attain the purpose. There must be a constant and steady renewal of our role in order to achieve our purpose.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Life is cyclical. To grow, you must constantly be shedding the old to mature in the new. We shed old skin constantly. Like a snake must shed off its old skin, as the skin underneath grows, so must we shed off our old skins in order to receive and move in the new things of the Lord. The “old skin” is really our “old man”. Our “old man” includes our old way of thinking, talking, acting and behaving. If we are to walk as the new man, that old man must be die and the new man must be continually renewed to walk in the light of the glorious revelation of Jesus Christ.

Our divine purpose in life is NOW only known by faith.

Gal 3:26-27 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Those of us who find ourselves in true covenant with Jesus Christ are children of God by faith. However, it’s not EXPERIENTIAL. No one looks at us as we are and recognizes that we are children of God. This Word of God has not been manifest or revealed in our lives.

So… we are charged to walk in a manner befitting our calling.

Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

As Paul said, we are to press on toward the mark of the high calling of God – Christ Jesus! In order to do this, the apostles have taught us to put on ourselves His righteousness now…

Rom 13:12-14 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (13) Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. (14) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

We are to put on the armour of light (good works founded in Him), walking honestly, putting on Jesus Christ.

Eph 4:20-24 But ye have not so learned Christ; (21) If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: (22) That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (23) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; (24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

In a sense, there are only two men capable of being our father… the 1st Adam and the 2nd Adam.

The first Adam, Adam, is likened to the old man who is corrupt in lusts which deceive him. Adam and Eve, originally made in the image of God, were corrupted in their lusts for the fruit which deceived them. The second Adam, Christ the new man, is the very image of God created in righteousness and holiness. The 2nd Adam Jesus Christ is the very image of the invisible God, and originally Adam was created in image of Jesus Christ.

Col 3:8-15 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (9) Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (10) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. (12) Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; (13) Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. (14) And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. (15) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

The old man is a corrupted image of God and is unrecognizable in relation his Father, the Creator. The new man is created in knowledge after the image of God. This knowledge causes the new man to be full of mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience. This knowledge of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice warrants us to be forbearing and forgiving of one another. The new man is clothed in charity, which is the bond of perfectness. Charity (love) is the bond that leads us to His perfection.

All that is in between our present day and our destiny are merely the trials by fire that mold us into our destiny. These are practice moments that assess, for us, where we are in the process of becoming a son of God. Not only can we recognize who we are at present, trials are also used to confirm God’s handiwork in our lives. After the trials, we should be able to say, “I’m not the man I used to be, but I’m not yet where I need to be.”

Trials are really tests of surrender… barometer measures of yielded-ness in different moments and circumstances in our lives. Remember Abraham? He went up to the mountain to give a sacrifice to the Lord, comprehending that he was to sacrifice his own son. He was taken to the point and God called him off, for Abraham passed the test of ultimate surrender to even his own son.

The question(s) that we need to ask ourselves as we assess ourselves in our trials is how easily do we revert back to our carnality when the going gets tough? To what extent do we trust Him when everything is seemingly crashing down around us?

Our divine purpose, our goal, is set in stone. Spoken of from eternity past…

1Co 15:51-54 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (54) So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

We are to be changed! We are to change from corruption to incorruption… from mortality to immortality! This is when Death is swallowed up in victory.

In order for Him to robe us in the incorruptible and immortal, we must NOW “put on” and clothe our spirits… by physical actions in this natural world that are seen with the eyes of men. This is how we put on the armour light. This is how we walk in righteousness and holiness… NOW!

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

When he speaks of our works, he speaks about our own “good” works independent of the knowledge of God. The old man is quite capable of being good… but not perfect.

Remember the new man is created in knowledge after the image of God. The new man gives God the glory for all things righteous and holy, and all things done by the new man are sanctified by the Lord.

2Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

Why will you not fall, if diligence is given to make your calling and election sure?

It is the Lord that is sustaining you and enabling you to stand.

The old man does good and sustains himself, but he falls. Why?

His works are imperfect before the Lord. Once he falls, he is blemished for life and he can’t wipe the slate clean.

The new man has his slate wiped by the blood of the Lamb. All past sins have been wiped away, forgiven, never to be remembered again. His “works” are now dependent on the Lord because he waits on His leading, His guidance, His teaching and then moves in accordance with the Spirit. All His ways are now pure and holy because the Lord is the one sanctifying him, not him sanctifying himself. This is why we must “walk in the Spirit”. It is the only way to press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Php 3:14)!

Goal – means – Goal

Our divine goal in life is our sanctification…

1Th 4:3-4,7,9,11,12,16,17 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: (4) That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; (7) For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

He cries out to us: “Be ye holy as I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16) – the Goal!

(9) But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. (11) And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; (12) That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

The means by which we attain this goal is fulfilling our role – love one another, don’t draw attention to oneself, mind your own business, work for yourself, and walk honestly with those around you.

(16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

And what did we just read previously will happen when we meet the Lord in the air?

1Co 15:51-53 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Goal – changed, raised incorruptible, putting on immortality!

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Our role, in this life, is to put on Christ in righteousness and holiness with bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another, forgiving one another, putting on love – the bond of perfectness, letting the peace of God rule in your hearts.

Our Purpose is tied to our Destiny. If you don’t know your destiny, your life will remain purposeless. It is knowing the end, the mark, the target, that we are aimed to meet our destiny!

Being a servant is not good enough anymore. We are not under the Old Covenant.

Heb 3:5-6 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; (6) But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

I’m not baptized into Moses and the cloud (1 Cor 10:1,2). I’m baptized into Christ and His Spirit (Rom 6).

The New Covenant brought about many changes. In actuality, the bar or standard of measure (the plumb line) has been raised.

Heb 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Why should I consider the Apostle and High Priest, Christ Jesus? In this new covenant we are not called to be mere servants. If we are truly brothers of the Son of God, then we are to be sons of the Most High. In doing so, we become joint-heirs (Rom. 8:17) with Christ, the Son of God. He is the standard that we must attain to, for there is none greater than He.

Eph 4:11-13 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (12) For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (13) Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

2Ti 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (8) Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Php 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Paul wanted to obtain that which he had been called unto.

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

That is when the Word of God, which was true when it was not manifest, becomes manifestly true! The sons will look as their Father and all the world will see that we truly are children of the Most High God.

Rom 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

In whatever situation or circumstance I find myself in…

I am to be a son of God in this place…

I am to be manifesting the works of my Father in this place…

I am to shine His light in the midst of this dark and lost world…

I recognize the goals of this world, are not necessarily the goals of my Father…

But I am to be found faithful… both in the world and before my Father who is in heaven…

I am to have favor… both in the world, and before my Father who is in heaven…

And by faith I will be a son of God now, that in the end...

His word can be found true that I am a son of God!