Let’s talk about Purpose
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Scripture: Nehemiah 1
Contributor: Senior Chaplain Jesse Barrett
This morning it is my intention to discuss the word purpose.
What does the word purpose mean?
Dictionary.com defines it this way:
The reason why we are talking about purpose this morning is because we need it in our lives.
I want to suggest to you that we need to put ourselves in the definitions of purpose.
For example: What is the reason for why I exist?
-Or what is the reason for why I do what I do?
-What is the reason for getting done what I get done?
-What is the intended or desired result of my life?
-What is my aim, or my goals?
The sad reality is that many people are no longer aiming, no longer looking at their goals. No longer living a life on purpose. Many more should be, but they are just as happy letting someone else take over due to lack of concern or heart for what really matters.
I read a story recently, it said:
“At the end of the age when all the believers were standing in line waiting to get into heaven, God appeared and said, "I want all the men to form two lines.
One line will be for the men who were the true heads of their households. The other will be for the men who were dominated by their wives."
God continued, "I want all the women to report to St. Peter."
The women left and the men formed two lines. The line of men who were dominated by their wives was seemingly unending. The line of men who were the true head of their household had one man in it.
God said to the first line, "You men ought to be ashamed or yourselves. I appointed you to be the heads of your households and you were disobedient and have not fulfilled your purpose. Of all of you, there is only one man who obeyed me. Learn from him."
Then God turned to the lone man and asked, "How did you come to be in this line?"
The man replied, "My wife told me to stand here."
The sad reality, is that is the truth. Do I believe that there are strong women who can lead a home like any man? Absolutely.
Do I think that is there purpose? No. That is not what God called them to be.
Some men and some woman in our day and age have lost the reason, or have lost their purpose for why they exist and what they are called to do. They have lost their purpose for why God created them so unique.
It is my goal for you this morning to be able to distinguish the difference between God’s will and God’s purpose for your life. Secondly, I want to be able to give you some encouragement on how to find God’s purpose for your life.
While we are doing that, we will reflect on Nehemiah. He is a man who turned his heart for God and his people into a purpose for his life. Along the way, I hope you will be able to understand who I am a little better before we leave this morning.
As we begin let’s talk about the difference between God’s will and God’s Purpose for your life. Many people think that God’s will and God’s purpose are one in the same. I disagree, let me show you.
Last week I preached on “knowing God’s will” from the book of Haggai, and I suggested three major points in knowing God’s will for your life.
In other words, God’s will is pretty wide in its application.
We could have two people here as different as they come, perhaps one is a farmer and the other an astronaut. Both could live lives in the center of His will even though the rest of their lives are worlds apart. All it takes is the application of a God’s word to their lives.
For It is God’s will that both walk in the Spirit, no matter if their boots are caked in cow pies or moon pies.
In other words, it is his will for us to look like, and act like Christ, we are His aroma. That is His will.
God’s purpose is different, God’s purpose for your life is specific. God calls mankind to do specific things, to take specific actions that he has intended for us to do.
God’s purpose may have been to call the farmer to the tractor, but it was also God’s purpose to send another to the moon on a rocket ship.
In other words, you have a specific job. A purpose made specifically for you that you can do better than anyone else, because he has called you to it. It is what makes you, special.
Do you believe that? You are special…
Romans 8:28 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Folks if you know Christ, he has called you to His purpose. He has a specific plan that he will complete with you in mind, it is our job to seek God’s purpose for our life, to take aim at it, and then to try to live a life of purpose that He will enable us to do.
Ephesians 2:10 is paraphrased this way in the MSG, “God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.”
Perhaps the best question is, “Does God’s purpose for your life motivate you as much as other things in your life?”
One of my favorite verses is proverbs 29:18
KJV says it like this, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
I like the MSG paraphrase too, it says, “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.”
So now that we know the difference between God’s will and God’s purpose for your life, I want to move on to How.
How do we find our purpose?
As I said I want to focus on the life of Nehemiah. So, turn with me to Nehemiah chapter 1. Last week we were in Haggai, the time we are in today is about 80 to 100 years after Haggai’s purpose was complete so we are moving along in History. But in Nehemiah 1 we see a man’ heart totally affected by the news of his home town.
Verse 1 - “The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days, I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”
I want you to see three things from our text about Nehemiah:
“Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel.
I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
8 Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.”
We see that Nehemiah is a man of prayer. His prayer reflects a heart of humility and submission to his God, he is confessing sins, and he is appealing to the promises made in scripture and quotes them.
3. I want you to see that Nehemiah has made a plan in his mind. He believes that he has been called to build the walls of Jerusalem. Which is good. He has taken a look at his gifts and realized that perhaps his greatest gift is that he has been placed so close to the king.
So, as he finishes his prayer, he asks for one thing. Give me favor with the King.Look at verse 11
11 “Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name.
Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.”
So, in progression, Nehemiah’s heart is moved, Nehemiah buries himself in prayer, he arrives at a plan for his people, and he prays for an open door.
Let’s see what happens: Chapter 2
2 “In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so, I set a time.”
I believe God has given us a road map to understand How to find purpose in your life, or how to find God’s purpose for your life.
The model of Nehemiah is:
1- What is my heart being stirred up about? Has God given me a deep-seated concern, or a deep compassion or empathy for something or someone. Has he given motivation for a specific job – or people – or purpose. Listen to your heart.
2- Begin to pray through the situation and repair your relationship with God. This cannot be overlooked. Many of us think we know what God wants us to do but we never seek him to confirm the plan. In our pride, we just assume that because it is a good or moral thing, then God will be OK with it. Church, it is not that God goes with us, but that we should be going with Him.
3- Assess your gifts. What gifts has God given you? It could be talents, it could be people, it could be location, but what are the things you can use to help you on this new journey of purpose. Nehemiah had the gift of friendship with the King, as did Esther. These were so valuable in doing God’s purpose.
4- Make the plan and pray specifically for what you need. If you go to China to be a missionary, you will need to learn Chinese. I would pray specifically that he gives you the gift of tongues. Meaning that he enables you to learn the language so that you can do His purpose for what he has called you to do.
Now that we have discussed what purpose is, and how to find our purpose, I want to talk about…
What purpose looks like.
And for that I want to use Nehemiah, I believe Nehemiah was called to be the First Great Chaplain of the Bible, that was his purpose. Now, the reason why I want to bring this up is because I am an ordained chaplain, and we often get the chaplain mixed up with an ordained pastor. So, let me quickly discuss the differences.
I brought along an article written by Chaplain Steve Ballinger who I thought did an excellent job of explaining the differences.
He writes, “The difference between a pastor and a chaplain is a very legitimate question and one that needs to be answered, for many people are under the impression they are one and the same.
Both callings are wonderful callings on a person’s life, and are desperately needed, but they are very different in ministry. A pastor’s ministry deals mainly with “in-reach”, or we can say is church-based. Whereas, a chaplain’s ministry deals mainly with “out-reach”, and is community-based.
A simple definition of a chaplain is, “a minister in the workplace.” In other words, Chaplains have a home church they attend, but their church is actually outside the walls of the church building. It’s called the community. Chaplains serve people of all faiths.
Pastors and chaplains are not in competition with one another. Instead, they complement one another.
A chaplain is a “bridge between the secular and the sacred”.
Chaplains hope to minister to people who perhaps have never stepped foot inside of a church, or at least haven’t for quite some time. As they have the opportunity to meet the person where they are, love on them and do good for them, they hope to encourage them to get plugged into the church.
Chaplains can also be better “help workers” within their churches and better able to assist the pastor in ministering to the body.
I am not saying the church does not do Missions work, for it does great missions work—locally, nationally and internationally.
However, a chaplain at the local and national level has Constitutional protection, whereas a pastor does not.
An ordained chaplain is recognized by the government, whereas an ordained pastor is not because of the separation of church and state issue.
Jesus tells us that we are to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. The government (Caesar) has specified how we are to interact with secular society through the Constitution.
That’s where the chaplain comes in. He’s a “bridge between the secular and the sacred”; between the community and the church.” (Ballinger)
So now let me use Nehemiah to explain this better.
First, let me show you how Nehemiah was a bridge between the secular and the sacred.
Nehemiah purposed to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. Was that secular? Yep.
We are building walls and gates to secure a people… secular.
Was Nehemiah’s work also sacred? Yes.
Nehemiah begins his calling in heart felt emotion for God, God’s people, and their fulfilled prophecy returning them back to the city of God. He prays to God for His people and he ministers to Judah in her crisis.
The people of Judah are God’s people. The city of Jerusalem is God’s City. Would there be spiritual fruit to rebuild that city? Yes, absolutely.
Now, was Nehemiah himself a pastor? No, he was not a Levite priest called to be in the temple for the purpose of ministering to those “inside” the temple.
But was he ministering to others? Absolutely.
If we read the book of Nehemiah we would see him ministering outside the temple by bringing God’s peace to a scared people, he is ministering as a shepherd by organizing and leading the people, he is also ministering as a teacher – for there were obstacles at every turn trying to derail his purpose and he teaches the people by his example and actions on how to get through this.
Nehemiah was acting like a Chaplain, doing a secular work, in a crisis moment, of building a wall. He did it out of obedience through his love for God, through his godly wisdom, and through the gifts God gave him.
In our country today, we have disaster chaplains who respond to major natural disasters. The people that are there are traumatized by the event. Many are not thinking correctly, many are doing things that will get them more hurt, many are crying with the loss of life, and the chaplain responds to the call with hands and feet of mercy.
They also help the government by pulling off rubble from damaged buildings where responders must enter. They help in clean up etc. Even in just showing up and being there, to hand off a bottle of water and to provide a word of encouragement, they are doing a sacred work.
Secondly, Nehemiah made a bridge between the secular and the sacred by having the recognition of his government with him in his calling to the people of Judah.
That is one of the primary differences between a pastor and a chaplain.
Let’s quickly read about that in Nehemiah 2 beginning in verse 7.
“I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah?
8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.”
As Nehemiah had, so a Chaplain has the stamp of approval from our government to do a primarily secular work, like that of crisis intervention.
The International Fellowship of Chaplains, of which I am a member of, is a fellowship of God fearing men and woman who have agreed to a statement of faith, have committed to a Godly purpose and we are committed to our fellowship in order to form our organization.
Because IFOC has established itself as a secular organization with strong ministry overtones, the government has decided to approved our organization, as a support agency to their efforts.
Like Nehemiah, we have built a bridge of partnership from the secular work to the sacred.
Thirdly, let me also explain how Nehemiah’ s purpose reflected that of a Chaplains by making his work temporary.
Remember in chapter 2 verse 6 “Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so, I set a time.”
In the work of Chaplaincy, a chaplain is involved mostly with crisis care.
We are trained to be first responders, trained in things like: how to deal with trauma scenes and settings, and helping the traumatized; Group Crisis Intervention and so on.
My training as a chaplain was like that, it had topics that included: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Trauma, Grief and Loss, Human Trafficking, Divorce, Depression, Suicide, Death Notification and Counselling.
The point is, as Nehemiah set a time for his return to the King, so does a Chaplain. Chaplains provide immediate care to a crisis event, not long term care.
Let me give you a few examples:
Perhaps when you think of a Fire chaplain, you may expect to see a chaplain comforting a family as they watch a fire consume all their earthly possessions and memories.
Police Chaplains offer the same kind of help on the roadsides of major accidents. Someone must make the call to the mother, someone must hand out the death notification. Someone, must do the secular job but with the heart and mind of Christ.
Perhaps you can picture Prisons were the souls of men are trying to hold it together in front of their peers, but on the inside, they truly just want to lose it because they are afraid or in need of forgiveness. There are men in deep pits of depression, knowing that because of their actions people have suffered and died.
Many are depressed because they know that their actions have hurt their sons and daughters because they will not only be without dad, but also placed in new homes, like group homes and state facilities where you can only hope they receive the love and attention a child needs. A chaplain is there in these crisis moments.
In all of these cases, a chaplain arrives on the scene to provide immediate assistance during the most vulnerable and traumatized events in a person’s life. He will provide an immediate comfort, he will respond with God’s mercy and kindness, he may provide pastoral counseling and he may even coach an individual through the next stages of their lives…
But he will not stay as their primary source of care forever.
A chaplain will pass that care off to someone who provides long term care. It may be a therapist, it may be a doctor, or even a pastor, or a church where a vulnerable and hurting person will receive not only a community, but a spiritual shepherd for the long haul.
Remember our text in 2:6? Nehemiah sets a time. He in fact builds the wall in 52 days according to chapter 6:15. But, he also understands that he has a job to do, and then he must return to the king.
However, he doesn’t just finish the wall and walk away. Nehemiah makes sure that the next set of care-givers are set up for the long haul and then passes the responsibility of the people back to them.
Look at Chapter 7 beginning in verse 1
7 “Now when the wall was rebuilt and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed, 2 then I put Hanani my brother, and Hananiah the commander of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. 3 Then I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot, and while they are standing guard, let them shut and bolt the doors. Also, appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post, and each in front of his own house.”
So, Nehemiah appoints leadership over Judah. He establishes the Levites, the priesthood for the work of ministering to the people, he sets up Hanani as the commander of the fortress, so he is careful to make sure the people of Judah are in a safe place where they can flourish before he leaves.
All of this that Nehemiah is doing is characteristics of a Chaplain. Short term care and the proper handing off of souls to long term care providers.
As we conclude our time together, let me recap – God’s will and God’s purpose for your life is different. My encouragement to you is to find God’s purpose for your life. I talked about how you can find that purpose. I gave you the Nehemian model for determining God’s purpose.
#1 Listen to the stirring of your heart #2 Pray and make sure you are in a right relationship with God and know His word #3 Assess your gifts
#4 Make your plan and pray specifically for what you need.
We talked about what a life of purpose looks like and how Nehemiah reflects the heart of a Chaplain. That was his purpose, to build a bridge between the sacred and the secular and to complete a wall for God’s people.
Finally, I gave you some insight into what I do as a chaplain, and I just wanted to close by giving you my story in how I found God’s purpose for my life.
As I said last week, 2014 became the year that God really stirred me up and sat me down sort of speak and said, “Jesse, get back into full time ministry.”
Now I, like many I am sure, normally think of Bible school they think of enrolling in a famous college. Perhaps names like Bob Jones University, then on to Dallas Theological Seminary, and so on.
Well, I knew God wanted me in ministry, I knew getting an education was important. I also knew that I could not sustain life at a Campus Bible school. Going to college full time while having a young family, was not going to get the bills paid and I knew my responsibilities as a Dad would suffer.
So, I began to look for schools that provided online learning. In my research, I found AMES Christian University who had a purpose statement that I could relate to, it reads:
“To offer the highest-quality education to our learners at a reasonable cost.
So, I took my school of choice to Senior Pastor Mike Speigel and Pastor Ben Baker at First Baptist Church of Newark Valley and got their feedback and advice. We prayed and after getting their support and blessing I enrolled.
At that time, my desired degree at Ames, was a Bachelors of biblical studies with a concentration in Christian counseling.
Because of this path, I searched around for a way to begin being mentored in counselling, and that is when I found Golden Key Prison Ministry.
In 2015 I also felt the Lord leading me to become trained as a Chaplain, and hopefully with our Bible lesson this morning you better understand what a chaplain is and does.
Here is the reason why being a Chaplain initially spoke to me.
The work of a Chaplain is centered on counseling, in fact the three “C’s” of Chaplaincy are considered Counseling, Comfort, and Confidence.
We say “By Counseling in Confidence, I provide Comfort.”
Again, remember that at that time, I thought God would use me primarily in counseling.
I completed this training in early 2015 and began using it in the jails with Pastor Curt.
Later in that same year, I was still very hungry to be better at pastoral counseling, so I went through a 10-week course with Life Breakthrough Academy and received my Certification as a Biblical Life Coach.
So… As a volunteer with Golden Key, as a community chaplain, and as a Certified Biblical Life Coach, I currently minister in two county Jails – Broome and Tioga, and one state facility - Elmira Correctional Facility.
And on Friday nights at First Baptist Church of Newark Valley – I lead an addiction recovery program/Bible study at FBNV. This has a special interest in also reaching men who are re-entering society from incarceration.
In early 2016 I felt a shift in my understanding of what God had in store for me. I believe whole-heartedly that he has called me to be a Chaplain and to minister to the needs of the incarcerated, but I also believe he has called me to minister in the church.
Especially to one of the many small, hospitable, pastor-less, churches in our area. I believe most churches in our area needs their pastor to work and do ministry.
My goal is to work as a chaplain part-time while pastoring a small country church. I believe whole-heartedly, that is God’s purpose for my life.
As I have been praying to God to fulfill His purpose in me, He has provided every open door I needed. I was thrilled to preach as many times as I did in 2016 and I look forward to what 2017 will bring!
In the next few months I will begin my bachelor’s degree and I have decided months ago, to switch my concentration from Christian counseling to Pastoral ministry, as this will help me understand the inner workings of a church ministry.
This year I am looking to finish raising support under Golden Key prison ministries for part time work in jails, and I also looking for support from a church who would like to have me as an intern.