I wonder if you really believe God will fulfill
his purpose for you? Or are you stressed out because you are trying
to fulfill God's purpose for someone else? You know, we live in a day and time where
we're only one click away from seeing how someone else raises their kids. Before long you can start to compare your
purpose to their purpose. Touch somebody and say, "God didn't call me
to fulfill your purpose, so please do not judge me according to the standards of what
God gave you, because my stewardship is not of your purpose. I don't have to feel bad about the gifts God
did not give me if I am fully maximizing the ones he did." All I have to do… This will set you so free. All I have to do is completely commit my heart
to God's purpose for me. Now it's a funny thing because what my podium
understands and my microphone understands I, as a preacher, have a hard time understanding. I've been preaching at this church for about
12 years, and never once have I seen my podium try to do my microphone's job and amplify
my voice, nor have I seen my microphone try to hold my Bible. But we walk around all the time frustrated
and fearful trying to do something… "Hello. Testing. Testing. Why isn't this working?" Because you have a purpose. When you put the pressure on yourself to fulfill
a purpose God did not intend for your life, of course you're stressed out. Of course you can't sleep. Of course you feel like a failure. But God said, "What I put in you is for you,
and you are not responsible for anybody else's results." I feel chains falling off of somebody. Serve the purpose God has given you. That's what David did. Notice he never sought the position of king. Never once. We live in a world that talks a lot about
finding your purpose, but I wonder if what we're really doing is seeking a position,
and confusing position with purpose. Can I preach a little bit? When Paul talked about the body of Christ,
he said, "Sometimes the ushers in the church are more important than the preacher." He didn't say it just like that. He said, "We are many members, one body, and
the parts you cannot see are the ones that sustain the life function of the body. The parts you can see…" You can do without your pinky. Sometimes the preacher is like the pinky. You see it, but if it wasn't there, it could
still happen. Sometimes it is the stuff that is unseen… David understood how to serve the purpose
of God. If we ever get to hang out, and you ask me,
"How will I know what God's purpose for my life is?" I won't have an answer to give you because
only you can discover that. But I can tell you how to discover it: serve. That's all David ever had to do was to serve
the purpose of his current assignment. When you serve the purpose, God will give
the promotion. Let me tell you something. You don't want a promotion God doesn't give
you. You really don't. You don't want a husband God doesn't give
you, a wife God doesn't give you, a job God doesn't give you, a responsibility God doesn't
give you. All I want to do is serve the purpose of God. That's what David did. There is one Psalm I really love. It kind of has a vibe. Do y'all remember that song from like a hundred
years ago Drake did called, "Start It from the Bottom"? It has that kind of vibe from that song. It's talking about David. This is Psalm 78. I didn't get to it last night, but again,
this is the advanced service, so I'm going to do it with y'all. The Bible says God chose David, his servant. God chose David, his servant. This is how David came into the kingship. Not by standing in line for an opportunity,
but God took David, his servant, chose him, and took him from the sheep pens. What was David doing in the sheep pen? Serving his purpose. In a minimum wage job, David served his purpose. When you serve purpose, you don't have to
search for purpose; purpose will find you. You don't have to seek the position. When you are in the position where God has
placed you, God knows where to look. God knows where to find you. God knows when to raise you. God knows when to promote you. You don't have to worry about the platform;
serve your purpose. God took David from the sheep pens and made
him a king, not because David sought the position but because David served the purpose. Serve the purpose; then you can have confidence
in the promise. God has given you a promise, but you have
to guard the promise. I really want to minister this deeply. Holy Spirit, help me get this across. I think sometimes we assume that when God
makes us a promise, that the promise is automatic because the Word of the Lord is sure. But I've learned the promises of God in our
lives often get perverted. I noticed another thing. Sometimes we'll take something and call it
a promise, but it is only a partial promise. We take things we like the way they sound
in the Bible sometimes… At least I do this; you probably don't. Every once in a while I will take something
I like from the Bible, and I'll cut it up into slices. I'll take a certain slice I like, a certain
verse I like, a certain concept I like, and I'll cling to that and call it a promise,
but it's a partial promise. A few examples of this: "My God shall supply
all of your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ." I like that. It helps me know God is going to help me whatever
situation I get in and give me what I need for wherever I am. So I like that part of the promise, but it's
a partial promise. I don't mean the promise is partial; I mean
to really understand that promise, you have to understand the context of the promise. Paul was writing to a church of people who
had learned to be generous. In their learning to be generous, it released
the abundance of God to their situation. Because when you learn to live with open hands,
you live under an open heaven. The context of the promise is that God will
supply all of your needs if you are living in accordance with his priorities. In order for God to release his provision,
you have to submit to his priorities. It is good. It's good because it works. This other stuff doesn't work, when you take
a little piece of a promise. Have you wanted to take a little piece of
a promise? A little piece of a promise, I like that. I want to pray that God will bless America,
"…land that I love, stand beside her and guide her…" You know. That "Bible verse" that says God will bless
America. Well, the Bible does say, "If my people who
are called by my name…" and it tells us a few things to do. It says we need to be humble and stop clinging
to our own opinions of what is right and wrong. Be humble and stop going on Facebook and spewing
our ignorance all over each other. It does say if we will turn from our wicked
ways and our crazy ways of interacting with people, "…then will I hear from heaven,
then will I heal their land," but we cannot claim a promise we don't even understand. Watch this… "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you," but the promise is contingent upon the process
that produces it. This is why I understand David had to be very
careful. Let's go back to this thing. He said, "…he will fulfill his purpose for
me." That's what David believed, and he believed
that so much he served his purpose even when his purpose seemed small, even when his purpose
seemed insignificant. Even if it was just leaving the sheep with
the keeper of sheep and running to the battle lines with the supplies for his brothers,
David was willing to serve purpose because he had a promise. Somebody shout, "I got a promise!" You need to shout that thing. "I got a promise!" But you have to guard the promise. You have to grasp it for what it is and not
what you want it to be, and not let the Enemy come in and try to pervert the promise of
God until you're expecting something from God that is separate from the process by which
God can do it in your life.
