On Purpose

Welcome to the Awakening Church podcast.

We pray this message encourages you and provides the hope and light of Jesus Christ.

Thanks for tuning in.

Well, good morning, everyone.

Great to be with you this morning.

You can go ahead and grab a seat.

Absolutely thrilled to have you today.

My name's Ryan, if we haven't met.

And to begin our time, I would love for us to just begin in prayer.

As we look around at the world, it's a mess.

It's always been a mess.

And it will remain messy until Jesus returns.

But we are called to pray, your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And part of what we do as the gathered church and this gathered church is we intercede.

We pray on behalf for God to work and to move.

And so if you wouldn't mind, just get settled in.

If you're comfortable, you can close your eyes.

If not, don't worry about it.

I just want to pray over some of the few things that are going on in our world, not all of them.

As things pop up into your mind, feel free, please, to pray along or pray over different areas that God brings to your mind.

And so we begin, Jesus, how you taught us to pray, our Father.

Reminded that we have a perfect heavenly Father.

Hallowed be your name.

And we seek your kingdom and your ways, your will.

On this hurting, broken world.

God, we pray for the people of Iran.

We pray for the thousands who are dying under violent oppression.

God, would you restrain evil?

Would you protect the innocent?

Would you bring an end to unjust rule?

God, would you strengthen the underground church that is flourishing there?

Would you give the believers courage, protection, and hope?

God, would you meet them powerfully?

Be their strength.

Father, we pray for the persecuted Christians in Nigeria.

It's one of the most dangerous places in the world to follow you.

Those who've lost loved ones, questioning whether they're still alive.

God, would you protect your church?

Would you strengthen those who are suffering?

Bring safe release of those who've been abducted.

May your justice confront evil.

Your peace overcome fear.

And God, we pray for peace, for justice, for healing.

For those in Minnesota shaken by violence, marked by fear, deeply divided by politics.

And we lift up immigrants who are fearful, families who feel unsafe, and communities worn down by the constant polarization.

We are called to pray for our leaders, and so we pray for our leaders at every level, local, state, and national.

That they would seek truth, accountability, and healing.

And Jesus, we confess that we, your church, are often all too silent.

And awaken your people to be peacemakers, comforters, voices for the voiceless.

Make your church a refuge, a place of reconciliation, of hope in this weary world.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Before we dive into the sermon today, and you guys can come on in, I want to give one update that's really encouraging as far as the church being the hands and feet of Jesus.

We said from day one that awakening as we met at Delmar, that Del Mar is more than a place to meet, but a people to love.

And we've done that in so many different ways over the 13 and a half years we've been on this campus.

Years ago, it started recognizing that there's many kids and families that would not be able to experience a Christmas.

And so we just decided as a church we're going to begin to, you know, the school identified certain families and provide Christmas gifts for them.

We soon realize the needs are significance and moves beyond gifts, though those meaningful and powerful.

And we have this beautiful partnership with the administration here where they identify families that are in deep need and crisis, and they allow us and ask us to come alongside to support, to bring relief, bring hope and help.

To do that, we fund that in many ways, in part by a thing we call the Del Mar Giving Fund.

This last Christmas we had a goal of$35,000 for the Del Mar Giving Fund that we'd just be able to resource this school in significant needs.

And you, Church, I just want to brag on you for a second.

You gave$44,000.

Great job.

Great job.

It deserves a way bigger response than that.

I know you're just waking up this morning, but that's unbelievable.

Just the amount of I I'm just telling you, uh, we walk with people through such crises.

What happened?

Oh, there it is.

54,000.

A month! There we go.

Even better! Even better.

Alright, I have all these uh slides in front of me.

I don't even know what they mean anymore.

Um, and so thank you, thank you, thank you for your generosity on all of that.

Okay.

Today we're concluding our series, Awakening Vision.

Would you say that with me?

Uh what if God wants to awaken you to a bigger, truer vision for your life?

As we go through our days, I'm confident you've probably asked this question.

What's the point of it all?

What's the point of it all?

What's the point of all the hustle?

What's the point of the grind, of the endless pursuit of what?

Success.

What is the purpose?

We know this.

We live in one of the most driven, if not the most driven place in the world.

Ambition, innovation, success at any cost, constantly striving to get ahead, to get enough.

Many just to get by.

But what if we stopped just for a moment to ask this question?

How do you live on purpose?

How do you live a life on purpose?

Because the truth is, and we know this, we feel this.

This is the reason we asked the question: what's the point of all this?

We feel this.

Is many of us, most of us, live by default, not on purpose.

Gail Hyatt, she said this.

I love this line.

People lose their way when they lose their why.

Why am I doing?

What is the purpose of it all?

And so as we close our time together, God's awakening vision for us as a church, for us individually.

The sermon titled Today is On Purpose.

Say that with me.

Say it again.

Now look at your neighbor and go, on purpose! All right.

The context, if you got your Bibles, open up to Matthew chapter 28, verse 18 to 20.

Matthew 28:18–20

The context of what we're diving into and is simply this.

After the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples were drifting directionless, they were disillusioned.

Think about this.

They thought they were part of something big, something revolutionary, something that was going to change the world, and then the one they followed was executed.

All their hopes and dreams buried with him.

But then, resurrection changed everything.

Jesus was raised to life, and over the course of 40 days he appeared to more than 500 eyewitnesses.

Something new was happening.

New creation was breaking into this re world.

And before Jesus ascended into heaven, he gave his disciples what we now call the Great Commission.

Commission means to send with authority, it means to entrust with a responsibility.

And here we find how to live life on purpose.

Jesus is going to tell you this is what life is about.

The one who predicted his death and resurrection, defeated the grave three days later, looks at his disciples and says, This is living on purpose.

Pick it up in verse 18.

Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Therefore, in light of this new reality, in this new authority, in light of that, therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.

How do you live life on purpose?

In fact, if you're gonna just take away one thing from the sermon, I want you to remember this, I want you to know this.

Your purpose, my purpose can be distilled into a single sentence.

You were made to know God and to make him known.

You're designed to know God.

You're created.

In fact, we talk about that you're made in the image of God.

You're made to be a reflection of him.

And so the more that you know him and begin to reflect him, the more like yourself you become.

And you have this outward purpose, you have this upward purpose of getting to know your creator, designer, maker, like you're designed for relationship, and we have this longing for transcendence.

And at the same time, you have this mission, this purpose, this calling to help every person around you know him to come into relationship with him.

So, how do we do this?

Jesus gives us three keys to living on purpose.

First one, uh, and I have three P words for you so you can remember it, all right?

The first one's power.

Say power.

Power.

Jesus has all authority.

Not some authority, not um just spiritual authority.

Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth.

Resurrection changed everything.

Jesus, we already said this, remember this.

Walked with his disciples, predicted his death, and said, in three days I'm going to be raised to new life.

And then he did it.

He defeated our greatest foe, death itself, the very thing that yields life meaningless, because you can build up all these things, you can build up your success, you can build up your bank account, but eventually it will go away, eventually you'll pass it on, eventually you cannot take what you make.

And he defeated the grave.

What this means.

Jesus is the King of the universe, he's the light of the world, he's the author of life.

And when you begin to understand who Jesus is, you begin to understand what life is all about.

When you get a proper vision of who Jesus is, everything else begins to uh have clarity.

We need a vision of Jesus that is greater, grander, more breathtaking than what we currently have.

The church, oh, we think such small thoughts of him.

He's a good teacher, kind man, picture of sacrificial love, all true but woefully incomplete.

And I believe it's our small-minded thoughts about Jesus that leaves the church anemic and apathetic.

First key to living your life on purpose is get a vision of who Jesus is, power, all authority.

He is King of the universe, eternal one, creator, sustainer, author of life.

See, living on purpose actually begins with his authority, not your ability.

It's all about him, it's all because of him, it's all for him.

He is Jesus, King, creator.

And when you begin to recognize he is the one that I'm living for, everything else begins to fall into place.

First word, power.

Jesus has all authority.

Second word, purpose.

Say purpose with me.

So the one with all authority of for all time, Jesus calls his disciples to make disciples.

Therefore, go and what?

And there was a murmuring in the church.

Therefore, go and of all nations, what?

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey some of the things I talk to you about.

Well that's how we kind of do it, isn't it?

The first will be last, the last will be first.

Love your enemy, pray for those who persecute you.

We have such a pick and choose theology.

But it actually goes back to our understanding of who Jesus is.

If he's just a good man, if he's a nice man, if he's got, you know, a wise sage from all you take or leave his advice, but if he has all authority, if he is king of the universe, if he is the one and the author and the creator of life, then what he says is true.

If he defeated the grade, then all that he said is true and trustworthy, and it is the way of life.

And he says, Your calling, your purpose is to know me and to make me known.

What is a disciple?

Oh, I'm so glad you asked.

Thanks for asking.

A disciple is an apprentice, one who studies and trains under a master in order to know what the master knows and do what the master does.

Did you know Jesus expects you to do what he did?

When he invites you to be his disciples, it is to come and learn from him and begin to respond the way he would is if he was in your place.

And what I love about this verse is says, What, therefore go, and that um go is actually a participle.

There's three participles.

We're gonna have a little um uh English lessons here.

And so, although go it feels like a command and it does have that force of a command, uh a better translation of this, instead of therefore go, it's it's therefore as you go, therefore while you're going.

Sometimes we can abdicate ourselves from this of like, go is like the missionary.

Like, I have to go to some foreign land or go on a mission trip.

No, Jesus is saying, as you go about your day, as you go to work, as you go to school, as you go to the gym, as you go out with your friends, as you go while you're going about your day, disciple.

Live life in such a way that people see Jesus in you and help them know the Jesus you love and serve.

And he says, baptizing them, and we're gonna have baptisms next week.

Baptism is the public identification into the community, the family of God.

It is this going public with your faith.

If you've never been baptized, now is the time.

We're gonna have it next week.

Get baptized.

It's this beautiful picture of what Christ has done.

The water represents the cleansing work of God and going down into the water, having died with Christ and being raised to new life, and it's going public where you're going, you know what?

This is my new family, my new reality.

He saved me, he changed my life, and I'm in.

I'm following you.

And I want to invite everyone who's not been baptized to get baptized next week and then teaching.

This is both informal and formally.

It's the conversations, it's the questions.

It's allowing, as we started this um series with the Shema, hero Israel, the Lord your God is one.

And then I said uh in Deuteronomy, talk about him as you walk, as you, you know, go about your day.

Just allow your conversation to just have grace and hope and Jesus in it.

Power.

Jesus has all authority and purpose.

Jesus calls, and actually, um if I could change it, and I can because I wrote it, um, but if I could go back and change it, and it wouldn't be as like invitational for us, you know, because we don't we we we like just give me an invitation in.

I want to try it, I want to test it out.

Don't tell me what to do.

Kind of our you know we we like that so just to be clear so you know you got that word power and then Jesus calls let's be clear Jesus commanded his disciples to make disciples that word make disciple is a command it's an imperative if you are a follower of Jesus this is a non-negotiable this is not a nice idea this isn't for the super spiritual the missionary the pastor the elite this is for every single follower of Christ to know him and to make him known one way to live on purpose that is so helpful is to write a purpose statement for your life what is the purpose statement for yours I gave you a a really clear one now personalize it like your one purpose and by the way your purpose it just it can't be tied to stuff that you do because what if you get an accident and you can't do it anymore can you not live on purpose that happens to so many of us we lose our job we lose our purpose we go through a health crisis and the thing that we once were able to do we can't do we lose our purpose no you know God and make him known actually I was sitting talking to Tristan he's uh on our team he just joined he heads up our space uh team yeah set up and tear down we need to cheer loud for those that got up this morning in the cold and set this space up so we can meet in the warmth thank you yeah we'll get this celebration thing eventually church we will um I don't know if I should talk or clap in church I don't know uh you can um we we had coffee this last week and and he just shared like his journey uh his story is so good to hear and he said this one line it was so beautiful I asked him like hey do you mind if I share this?

Because this wasn't like a part of the sermon I wasn't saying hey this is what I'm teaching on give me something good you know he just was talking about his life he's so sweet get to know him he's amazing uh and he's just like you know and uh it was like this season of his life I just came to realize like my purpose is to is to love Jesus and help others love him like how beautiful is that I said way better than to know him and make him known thank you Tristan like like it's just to love Jesus and and I want to help others learn to love him too what is your purpose statement you cannot live on purpose if you don't have it written down keep it in front of you people lose their way when they lose their why.

For us our purpose mission of awakening is we exist to awaken this generation to new life in Jesus we're a church that says hey it's all about Jesus it's focused on transformation he wants to do a brand new work in you and we're after this generation what is this generation?

Well it's that 18 to 30 years of age when we started it was millennials today it's Gen Z and the question I get is like you know well if it's about this generation and I'm not a part of that generation is this church for me?

And the answer's no kinda see we need every generation to reach this generation the way we say it is we are a four-generation church that's for this generation the fastest growing demographic in Silicon Valley's young professionals something that's deeply encouraging of what's happening in the world we see all the bad news let me tell you some of the good news did you know that right now is a quiet what's called the quiet revival growing spiritual movement among Gen Z and millennials marked by a renewed engagement in faith, church and scripture in England and Wales church attendance among 18 to 24 year olds has quadrupled in six years from 4% to 16% with young men especially leading the resurgence.

Barna, a historic reversal this is happening in the US, for the first time in decades younger adults, Gen Z and millennials are now the most regular churchgoers outpacing older generations who once formed the backbone of church attendance.

Isn't that good news?

It's good to be a part of a church instead hey we're about reaching this generation and for me the reason I love this is I want to leave the church in a better place than when I found it.

I want to pass the baton of leadership well to the next generation.

I love it because with my kids who are now this generation they're now part of our group they got to grow up in this I long for them to love Jesus for a lifetime not just a time in their life and to have men and women young adults pour back into their life has been so profound.

And if you're a part of this generation I believe in you God wants to use you powerfully to not just reach this generation but the world it brings such clarity when you get clear on your purpose how do we do that here at Awakening we have what we call the discipleship pathway come to know Jesus we create spaces for you to step into relationship and grow to know him you are made for that grow as a disciple of Jesus we've been talking about this for the last several weeks groups studies we're not talking about them because um we just need more people in them life change happens best in small communities happens best in circles this moment is for inspiration small groups studies for transformation small groups are smaller groups growing together to become more like Jesus we have a loneliness epidemic and yet we stay in our silos lean into a group lean into a study just step in serve in the name of Jesus like you have skills and gifts that God wants to use both here and outside the doors of this church to bring hope and healing and today what we're talking about is sharing the love of Jesus to make him known that's part of your purpose the reason God has placed you here in Silicon Valley think about this.

What if God has placed you here in this moment so that those who don't know him at your work at your school your friends your coworkers your classmates your roommates might come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior experience his love his grace in their life we're doing a memory verse and in fact someone shared last week's memory verse to me before church it was awesome.

I love it not so with you is the first line he said to me I'm like oh hey not so with you either all right we're out there here's our memory verse this week this is part of it what Jesus says to his disciples but you will receive what?

Help me out power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my in Jerusalem in all Judea Samaria until the very ends of the earth here's what this means first thing I want you to get every follower of Jesus is empowered by the Holy Spirit the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead indwells empowers every single follower of Jesus the minute you say yes Jesus be my Lord and Savior he says I deposit my spirit into you we call it new birth like there's a spiritual new birth and awakening that's where our name comes from to new life the spirit energizes and animates our soul to new life that we might live out a brand new way of life you are empowered by the Holy Spirit of God you walked in the way you lived and the way you showed up at school or your workplace if you realize this reality that I'm I'm I'm showing up into this moment with Holy Spirit power I'm showing up into this moment with resurrection power.

I'm showing up into this moment with with the same power that raised Christ from the dead and so if I'm not about my ability but his authority what does he want to do through me in this moment and as he shows me I'll step into it you will begin to see God work in amazing ways.

Second thing every follower of Jesus is a minister of the gospel you'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes up in you and you'll be my what?

Witness you are empowered to be a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

See in our day in the Western we kind of the word minister uh you know pastor is for professionals or super Christians where did that idea come from right oh you're the professional you're the pastor the scripture doesn't teach that you know what this what you know what the Bible says we got a whole group of ministers in this room the Bible teaches what's called the priesthood of all believers a priest is one who bridges the gap between God and man brings man close to God and and he says look right here in this place okay I don't know if I'll do this next service so we'll see if this might not work.

Would you stand up with me by the authority invested in me as a minister of the gospel at least that's what I say at the end of weddings I commission you as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ you are a fool minister of the gospel you minister in the places where you go maybe it's at the grocery store at your gym at your workplace at the coffee shop you are a minister to the gospel of Jesus Christ and don't let anyone tell you the difference amen and you can sit down because I I want us to get this imagine if we as a church began to embrace this and we began to love the one that God has placed in front of us what He might want to do in and through this church so what does this look like?

Tell me yet I want you to ask and answer this question as a minister who is your one you've seen this chair up there the entire time and you're like it was really awkward when you sat in it earlier where's your stool Ryan What I want you to do is that I want you to visualize who's the one that's not here that needs to be here.

Who's the one that doesn't know Jesus that needs to know Jesus who's the one that God has placed in your life that you see consistently and regularly that you go like man this is a person and he's placed me here intentionally would you write it down you have space in your notes you might have five or six people that come to mind.

You might have ten.

Write them all down so the question is Ryan well how do I be a minister?

How do I do this?

Well I'm so glad you asked first thing ministers do is we pray prayer there's a prayer that we've prayed quite a bit over the years.

I want to invite you to pray it afresh Heavenly Father would you give me an opportunity to share with someone in some way about you today Heavenly Father would you give me an opportunity to share with someone in some way about you today like just begin to pray that and have eyes open to what he might want to do who he might put along your path just look for an opportunity to share in some way about him.

Second thing ministers do is we care prayer careing is what our world needs what people need a few things to pay attention to since we're new at this minister thing together right um this is training 101 is listen to when life is new new job new season new transition what when life is new you just begin to lean in ask questions when life is unsettled fills anxious moments worry concern uncertainty disappointment listen when life hurts these are all cues when you're walking through emotional heartache physical pain walking through loss suffering we're praying and then we're looking and listening and well we hear some of these new unsettled hurts we're like oh we're gonna lean in and care we're gonna be the hands and feet of Jesus and we hear these moments and so what do we do we share witness by the way um so often we don't feel equipped to share what is a witness not a trick question yeah someone who thank you someone who just tells someone what they saw happen I witnessed a crime I witnessed a car wreck I I witnessed the most beautiful sunset I witnessed right a witness all you need to know is how Jesus changed you that's it and it's powerful this is what I witnessed so who is someone you see consistently that God is asking you to share the love of Jesus intentionally it's as simple as an invitation invitation to coffee an invitation to dinner I remember in college I played I was a drummer and I played for this worship leader named Rich.

He was a single young professional awesome guy I learned so much about how to be Jesus to people through his life and I remember it was around this time he was hosting a party he called it an anti-Valentine's day party what I love about Rich he was so intentional is he would tell me why he was doing this you know I'm this like 19 20 year old kid he's like so Ryan like church some church people like like you don't want to invite like a bunch of like the there's some people that are like whoo I want my friends to know Jesus but and this is in Chicago okay um not in California there's not that kind of church people here he hosted a party every year as a single young professional invited his friends who didn't know Jesus and then he intentionally handpicked people who had the winsome faith that he wanted them to get to know those kind of Jesus people and invite them to that party and just had a great party and let the Spirit of God do what the Spirit of God does.

Who's somebody that you can just invite there's a couple that we had been praying for for years invited so many different times and it was this last Christmas time that she said hey that church of yours I want to get I want to get it back into like church can we come it's always funny because people don't know they can come I don't know if you know that but people don't feel free.

They don't know that they're invited it's so powerful how you're wanted of course you can come they they had just walked through some deep hurt that we didn't know about opened up the door they came Christmas Eve.

I was so stressed preaching Christmas Eve as they're sitting there you know I'm like oh I want you to know Jesus don't screw up Ryan don't screw up and that's a little bit of it right invite Sundays is what we're gonna start having is these Sundays where you know the invite because some of it is it's like I want to invite people but I don't want you preaching on money that Sunday Ryan right I don't want you preaching about this because and maybe you've had that happen where you you show up and you're like oh no they're talking about that all and you're sitting next to the person.

So I want to give you Sundays that you know hey this is a great Sunday next week we're kicking off a brand new series called Messy Spirituality it's a great Sunday the gospel be shared pray for us pray for the service invite someone you can know just the first Sunday of the month for the next three months are great Sundays to invite people March uh we're kicking off a series knowing God you can actually know to God how can you know God and develop that relationship with him Easter just happens to fall on the first Sunday of April.

These are invite Sundays I'm gonna let you know about them but who's your one be praying for them your one purpose my one purpose to make God to know God and to make him known to love Jesus and help others love Jesus power Jesus has all authority purpose Jesus calls oh he commands his disciples to make disciples and then presence Jesus is with you always Jesus is with you always surely I am with you always to the very end of the age there has never been a moment where you have actually ever been alone Jesus follower there's been moments you felt lonely and I get that and I felt that too but whatever moment that you felt overwhelmed whatever moment you felt that was too big for you whatever moment that you felt was beyond you that was too great whatever moment that was you're filling you with anxiety and trepidation and that you're stepping into this or you're like you just feel this sense that there's a need for courage but you're just shrinking back you're afraid of Jesus says I'm with you I'm with you I'm with you and my presence is enough for whatever you're going through and my presence will allow you to live out your calling one of the ways I just realized this I don't think we have communion set up do we is that right okay we were going to have communion today and it was my fault we didn't make the the uh communicate it uh to all that needed to know so I apologize um but I wanted to be sure before I pulled an audible and said no communion one of the ways that Jesus instructs his disciples that we remember his presence is communion his body broken for you his blood poured out for you we do this as a regular rhythm our rhythm here is we do it the last Sunday of the month and then we often do it at other times as well but we just have that rhythm.

What I would love for us to do as we close is for you to stop and I'm gonna invite the worship band to come up and for you to take a moment do you remember who invited you in the moment you first met Jesus go back to that moment and invite him to do a fresh work in your life maybe you've been drifting maybe you've been living life by default today you can step into your purpose you can live on purpose who's your one we hope you are blessed by this message please subscribe to our podcast for access to every episode as they're uploaded.

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