The Goal for the Life of a Christ-Follower
Jerry Watts
John 1:35-42
What is the goal of your life? Think about that for time today. What is your life's goal? Have you given that question much thought? In a 1727 letter, Poet Alexander Pope wrote, ''Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.''
For the person who sets no goals in life, life sets the goals for you. It's kind of like this: If you don't chart your life's course then life will chart your course for you. So what is your goal?
In 1967 - 85% of College Freshmen want to develop a 'meaningful philosophy of life'' and only 41% thought it important to be 'well-off financially.' Contrast that with 2007 where becoming (81%) and famous (51%) were the top goals. For the better or worse, our goals (for the good or bad - or lack thereof) control us. Rich and famous point to an immediate or present goal. The philosopher Pascal said: ''The present is never our end. The past and the present are our means - the future alone is our end.''
So what exactly is the goal of your life? Can you express it? By the way, God has several goals for you. His first goal is to be saved AND have a personal, close, and intimate relationship with Him. (Intimate is not a sensual type of relationship - it is a relationship that is so personal and so close that you know what the other one is thinking).
Once you are saved, God doesn't just cast you aside like an old newspaper, He embraces you and He empowers you to be an active part of building His Kingdom. He has a plan for you.
Let's learn from John the Baptist. I have found three things He did which God wants us to do.
To Inform - Think about the setting (context) for our text. Just two days earlier John is confronted by the traditionalist because they needed an answer for who 'he thought he was.' The days after this confrontation, Jesus comes along and John preaches a sermon in a sentence.
''Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the si ...
Jerry Watts
John 1:35-42
What is the goal of your life? Think about that for time today. What is your life's goal? Have you given that question much thought? In a 1727 letter, Poet Alexander Pope wrote, ''Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.''
For the person who sets no goals in life, life sets the goals for you. It's kind of like this: If you don't chart your life's course then life will chart your course for you. So what is your goal?
In 1967 - 85% of College Freshmen want to develop a 'meaningful philosophy of life'' and only 41% thought it important to be 'well-off financially.' Contrast that with 2007 where becoming (81%) and famous (51%) were the top goals. For the better or worse, our goals (for the good or bad - or lack thereof) control us. Rich and famous point to an immediate or present goal. The philosopher Pascal said: ''The present is never our end. The past and the present are our means - the future alone is our end.''
So what exactly is the goal of your life? Can you express it? By the way, God has several goals for you. His first goal is to be saved AND have a personal, close, and intimate relationship with Him. (Intimate is not a sensual type of relationship - it is a relationship that is so personal and so close that you know what the other one is thinking).
Once you are saved, God doesn't just cast you aside like an old newspaper, He embraces you and He empowers you to be an active part of building His Kingdom. He has a plan for you.
Let's learn from John the Baptist. I have found three things He did which God wants us to do.
To Inform - Think about the setting (context) for our text. Just two days earlier John is confronted by the traditionalist because they needed an answer for who 'he thought he was.' The days after this confrontation, Jesus comes along and John preaches a sermon in a sentence.
''Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the si ...
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