Live a life with purpose

We are going to be reading some verses of the word of the Lord and I want to start with Colossians, chapter 1, verse 16, which reads like this: “…For in him all things were created, those that are in heaven, those that are on earth , visible and invisible, be they thrones, be they dominions, be they principalities, be they powers, everything – say everything with me – was created through him and for him.” Hallelujah!

I want to talk about living a life with purpose, under a divine purpose. Brothers, the Bible teaches us that in order to understand what God's purpose is for our life, for a happy life, I first have to know what purpose God has for my life or what purpose I myself have for my life, for my existence, or What do I want to do with my life? Perhaps this will help us answer personal questions such as what am I doing here, why did I come to this world, what am I doing on this earth. Or questions like until today I am 30 years old, 40 years old, 20 years old, 25, 60 years old and until today I have not found the purpose of my life. Why am I here, what am I doing here?

First of all, the Bible tells us that everything begins with God, everything begins with him. Life is for him. Everything makes sense in God, that is, everything loses its meaning if God is not there. That word from Colossians 1:16 says that because in him all things were created. My dears, everything begins and therefore life is not about me, it is not about what I think, what I want, what are my personal plans or my perspectives or my personal dreams. It was God who planned to create me, it was God who had this wonderful idea to make me.

And the Bible says that God planned this when nothing existed. Can you think of the magnitude of this word? When nothing existed, God thought of you. You did not come to earth by chance, it is not by chance, you did not fall here from a star or a spaceship dropped you to earth. That did not happen. You are here for a divine purpose. He designed us with the minimum characteristics necessary to get ahead, to prosper as people, to prosper as his children. Since we were born, since we came out of our mother's womb, we have already been formatted, if one can say, to fulfill our purpose. In other words, say to the person next to you 'you are different,' now say to her, 'but you are the only one,' right?

Let me tell you when God formed you, when God made you, do you know what God did with the form? He threw it away. The mold that God used to create you, he threw away, because you are unique, you are a special person for God. And my brothers, the objective of the entire universe is to show the glory of God, the glory of God is him because of his existence everything includes his person. God made everything for his glory and without the glory of God there would be nothing. And you would ask me, but what is the glory of God?

The glory of God is God in its essence. It is the essence of his nature, of his importance, the brilliance of his splendor, the demonstration of his power, the atmosphere of his presence. The glory of God is the expression of his goodness in all the other intrinsic and eternal qualities of his character and in his person. Now look around you, what do you see? Many people. I see heads, I see people, I see shine, I see smiles, I see teeth, I see the glory of God in each life, each being expresses this glory, this magnitude of an almighty God.

Where is this glory? Everything that God created reflects in one way or another his glory. I can see, my brothers, in all parts of all shapes, of all colors, I see the glory in your creation. I see in the most microscopic, minute forms even the existence of the Milky Way, from the sunsets, the seasons, the storms, in everything I can see the glory of God and the variety of his beauty expressed in a wise God, organized and a creative God. And the Bible says that the heavens also tell of the glory of God.

And let me tell you, do you know how many sperm are necessary, how many compete? There are millions after millions, after millions for it to be fertilized in the mother's egg. So far we agree, right? They are millions, millions and millions. Now tell me, of those millions that compete, how many arrive? One. And this is the only competition where there is no second place, there is only first place. And he knows that this one was the fastest, the most intelligent, the winner.

But let me tell you, you're already born a winner, you're already born a victor. You did not come into this world as a defeated. You came here like a winner. I won the battle, I came out. Every time I pass here, I feel a water here. I thought it's the anointing but it's dripping.

Psalms 139, I love this Psalm of David. In verse 15 David says:

"...You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body, you know how I was made part by part how I was sculpted..."

Wow! This morning when I was praying about this sermon at home, I thought I should take a mirror to church and put it in front of you, right? Then I thought, no, people are going to say, "The pastor is crazy." Bring a mirror and ask each person to come here and look at themselves and what do you see? What do you see when you look in a mirror?

This week I had the opportunity to speak with a woman who told me, "Oh, pastor, I am going to do some surgery and I was worried that it would be a very serious surgery," and she began to say that she wanted to change about 10 items in her life, I want to remove from here and put there. And I told him, "It's okay to do it but let me tell you that when God formed you he had a plan, he had a dream, he had a purpose."

My brothers, the most difficult thing is not to understand who we are, the difficult thing is to understand the purpose for which God called us to this earth and brought us to this world. There is a purpose. Who am I in the world? What was I born for? Because I am here? or what am I here for? are questions we ask immediately after asking ourselves who we are. What is God's purpose for my life? And we have to understand that purpose because many times we think that the world revolves around us. Sometimes we think that the world turns to satisfy our expectations, our desires.

And let me tell you that God loves us and wants to form an intimate friendship with us, about to understand his purpose in eternity. Understand that you are a servant of the Lord and he wants to use you for his great plan on this earth. God has a plan with you. God has a purpose in your life. And he is waiting for the moment when you rise up for the fulfillment of the purpose that is already established before you were born. God already had a purpose for your life.

We were created for this plan. We were created to adore him, to love him. How do you know the expression of pleasing God? It is known through worship, when we adore it. Adoration is the expression of our gratitude to the Lord. Worship is the expression of our appreciation of the person and his character. Worship is not just part of your life, worship should be the essence of your life because in that we recognize who God is. Don't stop loving it. I believe that God smiles when we adore him, that God smiles when we trust him completely, fully, when we obey him with all our hearts. God smiles when we praise him and express our gratitude. God smiles when we use our natural abilities, because everything, everything that is in you has a definite purpose. Without purpose your life, my life, would have no meaning.

Matthew chapter 16, verse 13 to 16, says the word of the Lord:

“…Jesus coming from Caesarea, from Philippi, asked his disciples saying, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” They said, some John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah, and one of the prophets he said to them, "And who do you say that I am?" responding Simon Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

I am reading this passage to remind you that God is interested in you knowing who he is. It is not what the world says, it is not what the television says, it is not what the literature books say, it is not what the history books say, what do you think about God, what does God represent in your life. And if today you have the ability to say, "Lord, you are the Christ, you are my Lord, you are my God, you formed me, you are the center of my life and my existence."

Only in this way, my brothers, will we be able to understand the role that God has for me in this world. What am I here for? Romans chapter 8, beginning in verse 28, says the word of the Lord:

“…And we know that all things help well for those whom God loves, that is, those who are called according to his purpose, because he also predestined those who have been unknown to be made according to the image of his Son, so that he may be the firstborn among many brothers and those he predestined he also called, and those he called he also justified, and those he justified those he also glorified. What shall we say to this? If God is for us, who will be against us?

My brothers, the word does not say that God makes everything happen as I want. Obviously it's not true, nor does it say God makes everything happen to have a happy ending. It doesn't say this either. Because not all endings are happy, because the reason for our life is not happiness, the ultimate search for our existence is not happiness. The final search of our existence is to please God and meet him. This is the ultimate pursuit of existence, it is not happiness. And we confuse this word. We think we have to be happy. Ah, I'm not happy. Ah, I want to be happy. God has something far beyond happiness. We live in a fallen world, brothers, only in heaven everything will be as God wants, only in heaven will we have true happiness. Hallelujah!

The word says that we have been conformed according to his purpose. The word conform is to shape something. He also says that he predestined us, that is, he drew an anticipated line. He also says that he conformed us to the image of his Son, called us, justified us and if he did all that, no one, no one, and nothing can stop us from God's eternal plan and purpose for our lives.

And let me tell you there is no hell, there is no devil, there is no suffering, there is no hunger, there is no nakedness, there is no danger, there is no sword, there is nothing in this world that will undo God's plan for your life. God has a plan and it will be fulfilled in your life. What is the purpose? It is the original intention, that is, the purpose for which something was created, that is a purpose. It is the reason for existence, it is the source of enthusiasm and the matrix of perseverance because I do not see today, but tomorrow God is going to do something. Today I do not see everything stabilized in my life, I do not see today, pastor, everything happening in my life, but if God has a plan he will fulfill it in your life. It is the common denominator that gives each creature a distinctive element, it is the key to life. This is having a purpose.

And let me tell you, there are two types of people, those who have a purpose and know the purpose and those who don't know and don't have a purpose for their life. And I am speaking today perhaps for the two classes of people, those who have a purpose and those who do not yet know God's purpose for their lives.

Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 23, says: “…He took us out from there to bring us back and give us land that he swore to our fathers.” In other words, waiting on the Lord for everyone, because everyone has to recognize that God has a time to establish his purpose. It is interesting to think of the people of Israel who spent 400 years in captivity before seeing the fulfillment of God's purpose. We also have to recognize that God has a perfect time for my person, for my ego to be reformed and put in the right place for God to fulfill his will because sometimes brothers, it takes years, it takes years for me to recognize that I am not It's about me, it's about God.

And when I recognize that it is about God, I change my perspective, I change the way I look at people, I change the way I treat my brother, I change the way I adore him, I adore him because I begin to recognize that he is the only one worthy of honor and glory and that everything you did on this earth was created for honor and glory of his name. So everything is for him and everything is for him. My life changes. We have to recognize that God has a perfect time to grant you victory and for his purpose to be fully fulfilled with you.

And once you recognize that God has a purpose in your life, that your self, your will has died for the Lord. It is no longer about you, it is no longer about your desires, you must then proceed to carry out everything that God commands you in the word. Why am I saying this? Because many of us are not doing God's will because we do not understand God's purpose and God's calling for our lives.

And I wrote here some things that could answer, what would be a purpose of God for my life? First, God's purpose for us is spiritual growth. God wants us to get out of a basic life, brothers, God wants us to get out of spiritual stagnation. God wants you and I to grow spiritually, every day we seek his word, read the Bible more, pray more. God wants us to live a life in accordance with spiritual maturity.

Ephesians chapter 4 verse 5 says, “Before following the truth in love, let us grow up in all things into him who is the head, namely Christ. Let us grow in Christ.”

Second, God's purpose for us is to reach others as well. Don't stay with all that, share your blessing with others. Let me ask how many people at your job, in your neighborhood, in your friendship know that you are a Christian. How many know? How many know that you go to a church and that you congregate, that you praise the Lord, that you come here on Sunday and dance? And Monday is a little devil over there.

Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 12, says, "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ Jesus." God wants me to share his purpose and for us to reach others as well.

Third, God's purpose for us is that we have our identity in Christ Jesus defined, well defined. I went to the doctor a few months ago, many of you know that I did some surgeries on my face, in my mouth, I had skin and bone problems and I had to remove bone from the waist, from the hip and insert bone here. It was a mess that many know. And the first surgery took 13 hours to implant all this mouth that you see here, to eat sancocho, eat meat because I ate sancocho every day of my life.

But let me tell you, when I first met the surgeon he looked at me and said, "I'm going to todo change your life." I told him, "No, you're not." You are not going to change my life, because my life was changed a long time ago. He told me, "I like you." He told me, “Okay, but there is something I am going to do then, I am not going to change your life, I am going to do something, I am going to put your trust up to the roof, I am going to put your trust on the roof.” My wife looked at him and said, "No, you're not." I told him, "Doctor, look here, come here, I have tooth, mouth, and bone programs, I have no problem knowing who I am."

Who I am, the person that God established in my life was already created before I was born. God prepared everything before my birth and the days of my life were written in his book. In God's book it was written that one day on that date I would be here in this place speaking the word to you.

God has a purpose. God's purpose for us also, brothers, fourth, is that we win the battle against the devil. The devil is lying to you every day in your ears, with lies. A brother told me last week, "Pastor, the devil lied to me." And I said, “Why are you listening? Don't give him ears, don't listen to him. If the devil lied to you, it's because you know the devil's voice." Ouch!

Identify the voices and reject the voice of the devil, reject the lie of the devil in relation to your person, your life, your future, your family, in the name of Jesus. The darkness will try to prevent God's plan but let me tell you, there is a revelation from God, there is a heavenly design that was established before you were born and based on that design that you have to walk day after day.

James, chapter 4, verse 7 and 8 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and what is he going to do? He will flee from you." The only way the devil will flee is when we submit to the Lord. Verse 8 says this, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Sinners, clean your hands, God wants to do something, clean your hands and you double-minded, you double-personality, you who suffer the disease of one day dawning a believer, another day dawning away from God, you who have one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom of God, you double-minded, purify your hearts."

Oh, I have a problem, pastor, I don't like people to talk to me in the morning, after 9 o'clock they talk to me. God wants to fulfill his full purpose in your life but don't listen to the devil. Don't listen to their ideas.

Psalm 139, from 13 to 16, "...because you formed my entrails, you made me in my mother's womb, I will praise you because formidable, marvelous are your works."

I imagine that David wrote that psalm in front of a mirror. I praise you, Lord, because look, they are formidable. Sometimes I say to the Lord, look how dark-haired! Your work for her. Glory to God.

And David says, "I am amazed and my soul knows it very well." When I look within myself, when I look at my life, my soul knows who I am in God. There is no doctor who tells me that I have to change, remove from here, put there, because my soul knows that when God made me, he made me with a divine, perfect and wonderful purpose. And when God did he said, it's very good, you look very good. Let me say, you are cute, you are cute.

Say to yourself now, I'm pretty, I'm pretty. Tell him, I love myself, there is no one like me. kiss like that The word says that we are the aroma of God, that is, when God looks at us he makes wow! the perfect aroma [inaudible], the perfect aroma of God and David goes on to say:

“My body was not hidden in you, well that in secret I was formed and interwoven in the depths of the earth. My embryo saw your eyes."

Do you know the depth of what that means? David is saying, my divine embryo, we had a friendly relationship when I was still in my mother's womb. You already loved me, you already loved me, you already told me about your dreams, your plans. Hallelujah!

How to cooperate with God, brothers? I'm trying to land here, you already noticed, right? How to cooperate with God in that purpose? We have to cooperate with the Lord. What is the main thing in my life? What is the main task of my life? God the Father gave his only son, only begotten in the likeness of man to show us more clearly his purpose and he lived on earth based on these answers. What do I have, who am I, why did I come here, what am I doing here, what am I going to do? The life of God, the life of Jesus had these complete answers in its existence.

And that tells us that all life is good, be bad in our existence has the hand of God. Much of what happens to us in the world too, even if it is bad, but God always fulfills his purpose and allows an end according to his will.

I was thinking about the life of Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, of Tamar who seduced her father-in-law to get pregnant. Rahab was a prostitute, Ruth wasn't even Jewish and she broke the law by marrying a Jewish man. Bathsheba committed adultery with David which resulted in her husband being murdered. Those women did not exactly stand out for their good reputation in life. Those women did not stand out because they were women that all of us here want to wait for in their lives or see in it a mirror, something that we want to imitate.

But God produced from what was bad the good. And the word says that Jesus came from exactly that lineage. God's purpose is above our problems, our pain, even our sins. God's purpose is above all. He is the only one, he is the first. He is the beginning. The Bible also says that he is the end, he is in charge of creation, he is the manager of everything, he is the creator of everything, he is the architect of the universe, the director of all time. He is the one who always was, always is, and always will be. He is a God in whom there is no change, there is no sum of variations. He is an invincible God and has never changed in all of history. He was crushed but he brought healing, he was pierced but he eased the pain, he was persecuted but he brought freedom. He was dead and revived and rose again to bring you and me life and peace.

The world couldn't stop him. The armies could not defeat him. The schools couldn't explain it. Kings and rulers could not ignore it. Herod could not kill him. Nero couldn't crush him. The new era cannot replace it and no man on earth has been able to explain it.

Remember that he is light, he is love, he is longevity, he is Lord, he is goodness, he is faithfulness, he is God. Remember he is holy, he is just, he is pure. His ways are correct, his word is eternal, he does not change and his will and his mind is in us and he will fulfill his will.

Let me tell you he is our savior, our guide, our peace, our joy, our comfort, our Lord. He rules our lives. He is my ruler. He is my Lord and I serve him for his goodness and for his love. I serve him because in his character he is perfect and I follow him because his load is light and his yoke is easy. I serve him because he has a goal for my life and has not yet completed the task of turning me into the image of his Son. One day I will be like Jesus in eternity.

My Jesus is the wisdom of the wise, my Jesus is the power of the mighty, the ancient of days, the ruler of rulers, the leader of all leaders, the Lord of that nation. My Lord, he never leaves me. He will never leave you. He will never leave you. My Jesus, he will never deceive you, he will not forget you and he will never erase your name from his eternal book. He has you in mind every day, every moment he thinks of you. This is my Lord.

And let me tell him if you fall he will pick you up and he will put your feet firmly on a rock and if you sin again he will forgive you. Do you know why? Because when you are weak he is strong, when you are lost he is the way, when you are afraid he is your brave protector. And when you stumble it stabilizes you and if you're hurt he's going to heal you, he's going to heal you. When you're broken, broken, bitter, he fixes you, he makes you whole. When you are blind he gives you the direction, he is your driver. If you are hungry he is your food. And if you face the trials of the earth he will be with you, when you are persecuted he protects you. When I run into problems he comes to comfort me. When I face losses, he is my provider.

And when we face death he leads us to meet him to live forever with him. He is everything, he is my owner, he is the owner of the world, he is everywhere, at all times, in every place, he is here, he is God.

He is the Lord. And there is nothing you do today to change that reality. Let me tell you, there is nothing you can do to make God love you more and there is nothing you can do to make God love you less. He loves you to the extent of your need to be loved and to be loved. He is your God. He is the center of all things. If he is the center of your life, stand up and tell the Lord, you are the center of my life.