Today we continue the series “Wonderfully Complex...”

 ...Psalm 139:13-14 (NLT) “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” Two destinies:

1. As you consider God’s destiny, you sometimes feel like a captive. Maybe you do not seem to be able to break free from the habits that hold you back or hold you down. Maybe a dream God conceived in your spirit years ago has not taken shape. You know who you want to be, what you want to do, and where you want to go, but you can’t seem to get there. I have no idea where you are stuck or how long you have been there but I do know that God wants to finish the work that He started in you. We should look at this as God releasing us to our dual destiny. He died to resurrect the person we were destined to be before sin distorted the image of God in us. We are wonderfully complex. Say Amen!

2. As you consider God’s destiny...you recognize He not only wanted to save you, but give you a new life.

Jesus does not just free us spiritually...He also sets us free emotionally, relationally, and intellectually. We are held captive by so many things and in so many ways. Batterson - Jesus doesn’t just set us free from who we were. He sets us free to become who we were meant to be.  Salvation is not the end goal. Salvation is a new beginning. 

3. As we consider God’s destiny we focus on what and where. God focuses on what we are becoming.

What and where are secondary issues as far as God is concerned...His primary concern is who you are becoming...being is better than doing. What happens in you is more important that what happens to you. Our destination or goal should be, we look, act, feel, talk, dream, and love like Jesus. Philippians 2:3-5 (NLT2)
^“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Batterson: The end goal is not a revelation of who you are. The end goal is a revelation of Who God is. You see...you have two destinies...Our first destiny is just like everyone else’s (it is universal) and that is to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. My other destiny is unique to anyone else’s destiny...to be unlike anyone else. Those two destinies may seem to be at odds with each other, but they are anything but. To become like Christ is to become unlike anyone else. He sets us free from whom we’re not, so we can become who He destined us to be.

Today we again are having our One Church, One Family Celebration...

  ...with Pastor Neftali and La Vida Church and we welcome all of them in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. With this article I want to focus on three areas. We have never been where we are today as a nation. While division abounds in almost every segment of America, it is time to cry out to God in prayer for America. No longer can the people of God be silent before the Lord. We need to call out to God passionately and urgently until the glory of God is experienced in every corner of our nation.

1. PRAY FOR THE LEADERS OF AMERICA “First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Father, we appeal to You for our President and Vice President, members of the Cabinet, along with the members of both the House and the Senate, to make decisions that will lead toward a more righteous, peaceful, and orderly America. Lord, we also ask that these leaders lead us to ways that represent You and Your ways; including decisions that will lead toward the dignity and sanctity of all human life from conception until death. Lord God, may these leaders provide ways for our nation to be secure from terrorism inside and outside of the borders of America.

2. PRAY FOR UNITY IN THE CHURCH OF AMERICA. “Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.” 1 Corinthians 1:10 Confess and repent of the sin of division in the Church of America. God is calling His Church in America to unify upon the authority of the Bible and the centrality of Jesus Christ. Ask God for thousands of local churches to unify as one body of Christ, agreeing together that God is our greatest need in America.

3. PRAY FOR A MIGHTY MOVE OF GOD. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 We must pray God will call His people to prayer in every town, city, and county in America. Appeal to God for the people of God in every town, city, and county to come together to seek the will of God above all turning from all sinful and evil ways. Ask God to answer these prayers, speak to our nation, forgive our sins, and to bring healing to our lives and all of America.

Today, as we continue “Wonderfully Complex” we want to stay...

  ...on this journey of recognizing God’s unique print upon us and our willingness to find our distinctiveness in God. We want to look for defining moments. Psalm 139:14 (NLT) “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”

1. We must recognize those defining moments which reveal our destinies. Batterson – “Time may be measured in minutes, but life is measured in moments. And some moments are bigger than life. And it’s those defining moments that dictate the way we see life.” Some of these moments may be as predictable as a wedding day or the birth of a child. Others may be as unpredictable as an accident. These are the moments that define who we are. And managing those memories is a form of stewardship. Every past experience is preparation for some future opportunity.  

2. We must understand what our soul print is. Think about this...your finger print distinctly identifies and differentiates you from everyone else who has ever lived, but your finger print is only skin deep. Batterson -  “You possess a uniqueness that is soul deep. I call it your soul print. It’s not just who you are, present tense. It’s who you are destined to become, future tense. It’s not just who others see when they look at you from the outside in. It’s who God has destined you to become from the inside out.”  Psalm 139:16 (NIV) “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” As with the Psalmist all your days are ordained by God. It is our holy responsibility to discover that God ordained destiny. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

3. We must believe that we were conceived by God before we were conceived by our parents. You took shape in the heart and imagination of God before you took shape in the womb of your mother. Vincent van Gogh: Christ is more of an artist than the artists...He works in the living spirit and the living flesh; He makes men instead of statues. God is painting a picture of grace on the canvas of your life. God is crafting your character through the circumstances of your life. Batterson – “To see yourself as anything other than God’s masterpiece is to devalue and distort your true identity. And it’s in discovering your true identity that your true destiny is revealed.” A sense of destiny is your sacred birthright as a child of God. He strategically places us in the right place at the right time. God is setting you up and that ought to fill you with an unshakable sense of destiny. God will do the same thing for us if we seek Him with all of hearts. 

Today we start a new series “Wonderfully Complex...”

  ...Psalm 139:13‑15 (NLT) “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.” This portion of Scripture has always brought me a measure of comfort and of great consternation. God knows everything about me!

1. There has never been and never will be anyone else like you! This is not a testament to you.  It is a testament to the God Who created you. You are unlike anyone who has ever lived...you have your own finger prints...your eye scan would be different than anyone else...God is so incredible...snowflakes! Mark Batterson – “You owe it to yourself to be yourself. But more important, you owe it to the One Who designed you and destined you. Here is the good news:  There is nothing God cannot do in you and through you if you simply yield your life to Him. All of it. All of you.” 

2. No one can worship God like you or for you! This sermon is all about you, but it’s not about you at all. The fact that there has never been and never will be anyone like you simply means no one can worship God like you. Batterson - You were created to worship God in a way that no one else can. How?  By living a life no one else can – your life.  God has created you to fulfill a unique destiny and no one else can take your place. Fulfilling your true destiny starts with you discovering who you really are and this is probably our greatest challenge.

3. To find out who you are supposed to be you will have to dig deep. Batterson - Self-discovery is like an archaeological dig. It takes a long time to uncover the hidden treasures that lie buried beneath the surface. You can never be certain of what you will find or where you will find it. And it is a painstaking process. If we fail to dig deep in discovering who we are in Christ. It will result in a superficial life. Psalm 139:14 (NLT) Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.  We not only cheat ourselves and others when we fail to discover our God given identities and God ordained destinies, but we also cheat God Himself. Genesis 1:27 (NKJV) “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Keep digging and you will find your true identity and God’s true destiny for your life. As you do you will never see yourself the same way again because you will see yourself thru the eyes of your Creator!

Today we conclude the series “Under a Tree...”

  ...1 Chronicles 11:15-17 (NKJV) “Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. And David said with longing, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" We see at this time in David’s life that it recalls, as usual, he found himself in hostile conditions…forced to flee into the desert or wilderness just to survive. Certain men had drifted into the hills to join David, a guerrilla army of friends and mighty men willing to show their bravery, loyalty, and devotion to him. At this time, David was just tired. David spoke out from his heart…"Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" Not a command…a wish. A wish from the king’s lips was powerful. These guys stayed close to their king.

1. Staying close to the King makes it possible to hear His wishes. The fact is that David’s wish was most likely uttered quietly, informally. You had to be close and in his presence to hear his wish. To be in the presence of the Commander (Jesus) is to be in a safe place; and to be able to hear His wishes demand a still time when listening is the most important thing. Psalm 46:10-11 (NKJV) “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” 

2. The choice to act is often taken at great risk. Nowhere do we hear that there was debate about going to get the king water. “Are you crazy” “Do you know where the well is?” “Get water for one person…nope!” I can’t stay here! David’s men heard the wish from the lips of their commander. The man or woman who takes the time to hear God speak is apt to have the same reaction: instant motion. 

3. God’s divine power creates our ultimate passion. From Genesis to Revelations there has always been this wonderful, powerful, mysterious power planted into the hearts of men and women to enable them to accomplish God’s wishes. We know that divine power and energy to be Holy Spirit. Everything we have spoken about in this series…weariness, dryness, and lack of intimacy with God was exactly what the disciples were going through after Christ was crucified. But what a difference when they tarried (they waited) in God’s presence for the Promise of the Father…the promised Holy Spirit. Weak, tired, and fearful men became giants when Holy Spirit came. I can’t stay here…I can’t stay under this tree…I must be filled with Holy Spirit and stay close to the King!