The Life Before You - Part 1

Welcome to the end caps entire family for Monday, October 4 I created. If you aren't sure open the Scriptures today to discover a solid biblical answer that will change the focus of all you do if I should ask you to describe life as you know and how would you describe would you say life is a wonderful adventure would you say that life is an exciting journey all would you say that life is a mere existence.

It's a battle for survival is a continuous hardship. It's like wandering on a journey with no sense of direction or purpose. How would you describe life and the way you would describe that would say something about the way that your living.

Let me ask you something else what your purpose for living what you living for and where you headed and what you trying to accomplish and what goals do you have for your life. Are you just little floating through are you going somewhere you just sought out there are do you have a sense of direction. What does life mean to you what your real reason for living and people may give lots of reasons. Lots of things about life your lame describe it in the 12th chapter of Hebrews. If you look there for just a moment the first three verses the writer of Hebrews compares life to something that I want us to look at and look at some very probing searching questions in your life today. He says the 12th chapter of Hebrews beginning in verse one. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which does so easily entangle us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. That is, grow weary and lose heart and the race notice the right of Hebrews has described life. Here is a race and he says let so run this race without the entanglements without the encumbrances this life of this race that is set before us that first of all is to look at the originator of this race send them examine two or three things here. It is God who created you, and maybe through human parents that you came but it is God who created you, he is the ultimate reason for your existence. The day what he's saying in this passage is that our life is like a race and the one who originated this was God and the origin of the race. For every believer. The bird beginning line where it all starts is the day you receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior God and that they sent you on the track. Notice what he says let us run the race that is set before us.

What is that is the life that God has set before you. He says we like runners are to run that race.

It began the moment you resave you say what what about me. I'm not a Christian. Grandma you just little wandering around but my friend, those of us who trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior.

He says the life the race that is set before us the life that God has planned for you. He says he's the one who's originated now.

The key question here is this what it listen. We know who the originator is we know where it originates.

But what is the objective. What is it we are running for what is it we are running toward what we living our lives for us what you think very soberly about this question I'm going to ask you if I wrote on the sheet of paper and ask you to complete the sentence. What would you say the objective of my life is how would you answer the I gave you the pencil piece of paper doesn't answer this question. The objective of my life is what is the purpose of my life that I'm living for. The objective of my life is what would you say will many people would say what the objective of my life is is just make a living is not good enough objective of my life is is there is to enjoy life to have pleasure in the fund peace and happiness and joy and all the rest. Listen, did you know that all of those things are dependent upon my outward circumstances in my situation and God does want us living your life that way.

The objective of my life is some of you live 6 to 70 years. Some of you live, 15, 20, 30, 40 years. The objective of my life is how would you completely if you can't complete that it may be an indication that you don't really know why you're here is the realm of vocation is the essence of not talking about your vocation talking about life. I'm talking about that that link that gift of time that God has given to you. What is the objective of it. What did God have in mind the day he created you what even mine the day he sent you on that track and you see we not all running on the same track. There is a track for your life as her track for his life because you see we not competing with each other we not proud trying to out run someone else were not trying to overcome someone else we not trying to get anywhere before someone else gets there.

He says that life is like a raise and the moment you resave he started you at the starting line and from that point on, God says you and I are to run that race. Now if I don't know what I'm running for. I don't know why I'm running don't know where I'm headed, I'm in trouble and he's simply saying to us here when he says the race this is the race. Not that I chose the race that is set before me. That implies that somebody else determine the direction of my life. Somebody else determine the direction and the purpose of your life. What is the objective of your life. Why are you living. Why are you working five and six and some of your seven days a week. What is it that you trying to squeeze out of life, what is you trying to glean out of life erectus searching and seeking and striving and hungering and thirsting and working enslaving and endeavoring and pleading and you name it and you doing it because there's something that you want. Let me ask a question what is the reason God placed you here, are you in the vocation of God's chosen going is your life. An investment of time, which cannot be duplicated. One second were not for the will of God.

Every single heartbeat is the gift of Almighty God every day every minute every second you live is a gift of God he can stop any other in a split second just quicker than that he can start your life, but he let you live. Are you spending are you trying to soak and sap everything you can out of life or do you see your life as an investment. What is the objective of the race.

What are you running toward let me tell you what God says you are put on the other end of that sentence. Listen to me now and don't get tripped up buzzing on about some theological's humbug and met some preacher called novelty is the gospel truth is the divine truth. Here's the truth is, God knows it.

Listen, the objective of my life is every single one of us.

God wants us to honestly be able to add to that the following words, the objective of my life is to glorify God on earth. How did I do that by the life that I live that listen. That's what he says.

The race that is set before you. He saves you in order that the rest of your life that you and I may be a living expression of the presence of God, a living demonstration of the power of God because he didn't create us for us eating critters the sap and so and suck everything we can out of life for our own pleasure. The objective of my life is to glorify God. That means that you and I would so live that other people will listen. They will be Jesus Christ because they met you and me you say benevolent about my vocation. Listen to me carefully. He says the life that is set before us the light that is set before that is the race that is set before us is the Christian life in the Christian life comes your family in the Christian life comes your vocation. These are a part of what a part of your life as you glorify Almighty God.

He's chosen this man to be a carpenter, listen to be a plumber this to be a breach of this would've been attorney this man to be our waiter. This man, this woman multitudes vast in almost indescribable types of vocation. So what seasonable is not the will of God issues this what is the life that is set before the light that is set before us is the Christian life. The purpose and objective of that is the glorify God as a carpenter glorify God as a plumber glorify God is a nurse glorify God as a mother glorify God as a clerk glorify God as a secretary glorify God is as a manager glorifying God.

That is my purpose for living, and you can glorify God, digging ditches, you can glorify God.

Teaching school and you can glorify God, changing diapers is that listen watch this it is and what I'm doing. It is my objective is my goal.

What is the life that God is set before us is a life whereby what ever we invest our life in our families avocations. The ultimate objective of the race is that Almighty God, to whom I belong Maratha creation re-creation in Christ Jesus at the cross. My objective is that all lighting God would be glorified, he would be blessed and honored and magnified because we came through life. One of these days, the race is going to be only going to stretch out your body somewhere even a funeral home on a church over the front here and the question is this not how beautiful is the casket and how expensive is how much money they paid, but when your friends sit in the audience at your memorial service. Here's the question. Who out there is a better person because you live out there discover Jesus Christ because you came their way out there has a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ because you live and invest in your light. You see, most people are spending and spending and spending and spending and spending and spending, and spending it and then not even thinking about investing their life and you know what the best spending something that doesn't even belong to. He says you are not your own.

You said but how long God says you're not euro you elicit is God who created you, is God who sustains you.

It is God who is equipped you gave you our site years he gave your body that that moves he has put you on the track and in the race the run.

He has given you all the equipment you need and he says my objective for you in this race is that Almighty God Jehovah would be glorified through my investment in your life who in the world are we to tell God what we are going to do, how we gonna run and which race we're going to run the objective of my life is how you complete that up on this point in my life. The objective of my life has been how you complete that and some people have this happen at this point. The objective of my life has been to survive to gratify the lust of the flesh to accumulate to achieve to gain fame and honor and recognition and prestige.

I will tell you my friend, Almighty God says there's only 1 Legitimate Way to complete that sentence and that is the glorify Almighty God and I want to say the parents listen if we want our children listen to invest their life not suspended could get some drugs are spending their life alcohol. The spending their life sector spending the life wandering around wasting time spending their life. You see the truth of it is this whether you are 60 or 16 this morning.

Every single one of us is either investing the spending, investing, spending, investing this money when doing one of the two, and we were created to is so invest their life that God would get a good return on his investment.

I don't belong to me. You don't belong to you. We belong to God and his pride and self-will, and self-seeking when a person is if I'm going to do my own thing only by the grace of God, we let you do it and the awesome thing about choices in life is that God gives is that he gives us the power to make the wrong foolish choices. The objective of my life is how you complete that listen what we say how you complete that sentence. The objective of my life is to glorify God throughout life. Okay, so what does God do knowing the temperament we have the gifts the talents and all the rest knowing the weaknesses we have and I like what does he do. Here's what he does when he says what is wrong. The race that is set before us. God knows which tractor put meal he knows which tractor but you will another track today may be a valid track. The track six weeks now. Maybe a mountain track, then every once in a while we get Windows tractor goes through the forest is cool and by the seashore which beautiful and then open up in the mountains where is just delightful it's it's a different track. Why is it that God doesn't want us on the same level track all the time.

Go back to his purpose.

The objective of my life is the glorify God and what must God do. He must sand prune sift.

He must run in the valid to get my attention. He was headed to the mountaintops to test my strength. He must have me through the desert. The test my endurance.

God knows what kind of tractor put you on at what appeared in your life to do what to accomplish his objective.

God is listen.

God isn't primarily interested in my big plans he's interested in accomplishing through you and through me. His big plan.

So he's the one who governs which track our so the next time your complaints are all here, but I was on his track things and be better know it would. God has set you on your track. He knows exactly what it's going to take to make you the man, a woman God want you to be there for when we talk about endurance. Listen in the process of learning to Ron in the process of learning to endure the battles and the hardships in the conflicts of life and life is full of them. It's going to always be full open because the devil is released in this world to harass us and throw rocks at us as we Ron and the yellows you. You've been the race is when somebody booties about all the rest of us would say that he's on the sideline doing us and throwing rocks at us and trying to trip us up because he knows what's within the track. Every race has an but it's 100 yard dash before boarding the mile across country every single race has an end. And guess who's gonna be at the other in of the race. Jesus he'll be there waiting for. And when you get there when your heart beats. The last time the old race is over convincing thing about this race is listen. You and I never know when it's only the fellow who is running the mile he knows when the miles over. He's running up the 448gauge that the 100 he can gauge that the cross-country he knows but you see the race of life.

We don't know whether in, but it's there.

And the one who will be waiting for you and me at the other end is the son of God, who has been there all along, as well as being with those all along encouraging. Listen to the Bible says that he's the judge he's not going to judge her and me about by the speed at which we run a life he's going to judges by the quality of life that people are the purpose of life will determine the quality of life. If I understand and get straight in my mind.

The objective of my life is to glorify God and I invest my life with that purpose in mind when I get to the end of the way I see it's going to be hallelujah but if I waste and squeeze and squander floundering life wobbled down the track finally get there. Having spent God's investment in my life.

It's not going to be such a glorious day when I stand before the judge because the Bible says it is upon the man wants to learn after this the judgment.

We should all give account of our lives for all of our deeds in our life. One of these days were going to give account for the race and I will ask a simple question. Today my friend how are you running the race and how you answer the objective of my life is the encumbrances of my life are the sin that so easily beset me is how events let's pray together.

Father, we thank you and praise you and love you for your goodness and kindness and mercy and how many times you've had to pick us up on the racetrack.

How many times you had to bandage up their wounds. We found the bar more. We've taken upon ourselves weights that should never have been there. We thank you for your loving kindness your goodness your mercy, your forgiveness we thank you for setting us up giving us a new sense of direction making is aware that the goal is still the same father my prayer today is that in Jesus name.

The multitudes of people would understand some of the first time in their life with the purpose of life is all about and commit themselves to running to the glory of our God is my prayer in Jesus name, amen. Thank you for listening to the life before you. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or in touch ministries intact start OIG. This podcast is a presentation in touch ministries Atlanta, Georgia