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Mind Matters – Week 4 – I Don’t MatterMessage Big Idea: You have a purpose. (10-12 minutes total)Scripture: Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4______________________Introduction: “What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?”(Series Graphic) Do you remember when you were younger having to answer the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”?Do you? Some of you are thinking, “Do I remember? I’m still trying to answering that question!”Think back to your 10-year-old self . . . For me - that was more than a few decades ago. Here is me at 10. (Picture) And 10-year-old Jon Ferguson wanted to either be a dentist or a comedian. I’m not kidding. And whenever I told someone I wanted to be a comedian,?they would laugh. Which only encouraged me even more. I’m not sure when that dream faded, but somewhere along the way I decided to become a pastor . . . I guess I just chose a different form of stand-up.But how about you? What would your 10-year-old self say he or she wanted to be when you grew up? Do me a favor and type in the chat. What would you have said you wanted to be?Here’s my next question: Did anyone actually end up being what you said you wanted to be? I believe kids think about what they want to be when they grow up because… Something deep within us wants our life to have direction and purpose. We want to live a life that matters. And so we think about what we want to be!But oftentimes life doesn’t turn out the way we planned – dreams are dashed, circumstances change, tragedy strikes, and sometimes that can cause us to doubt our significance or impact. I’ll be honest with you there are several areas of my life that are nowhere near where I thought they would be by this time in my life. The last few years and even months have thrown more than a couple of curves my way, and there are moments I still question my impact and purpose.But you know what, I would say one of the enemy’s most damaging tactics is to get us to believe the lie: Maybe, “I don’t really matter.”Series RecapOver the past few weeks, we’ve had some very honest conversations about mental health. Our hope with these conversations is to break the silence, remove the stigma, and encourage people to find the help they need to live with hope for the future.?Today as we conclude this “Mind Matters” series, we want to talk about how so often our hope can found in how God uses whatever we’ve gone through in a purposeful way to touch the lives of others. Because God can take even your most difficult and heartbreaking experiences and use them for his purposes. If you remember anything today, remember this truth.Made to MatterIn his letter to Christ-followers in Ephesus, Paul reminds us that that God created us with a purpose in mind. Paul said it like this: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” -Ephesians 2:10Let’s break that down:?First that word (highlight) “handiwork” - It is sometimes translated “workmanship.” And in the original language of the New Testament it is the word poiema (poy-eh-ma). -- Let me ask: What English word does that sound like? Right, “poem.” It’s an artistic term. It conveys the idea that you are not mass produced. God made you creatively, intentionally and individually.You may have heard somebody say something like this: “Let me tell you, when God made him he threw away the mold.” Now sometime that is a compliment and other times not so much. But it’s true of everyone.?You are a one-of-a-kind.?There is no one else like you!?You - are - a - masterpiece.?(Ephesians 2:10) And you’re not a work of art to simply hang on a wall for someone to admire. You are created for a purpose. Paul says you are (highlight) “created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” That’s your purpose. God created you to do good works that are aligned with the greater good he wants to do in this world. I was talking with a friend of mine about this the other day, who also happens to be a professor of theology. So, I figure he likely has a pretty good handle on this whole notion of God’s purpose for our lives.? He said that every one of us has an identity, a calling, and an assignment.?He said your Identity is that you are a child of God, born in his image. You may have heard the term “imago dei” - that’s what it means. We bear the very image of God. You are his child. That is your identity.Then he said your (add) Calling is to “follow Jesus.” -- What did Jesus say to his first followers? He said, “Come follow me . . .” Your calling is to simply follow him. That’s one reason we love to use the term Christ-follower. That is your calling.And then my friend said your (add) Assignment is the specific way that God wants to fulfill his purpose through you in this particular time and place. That was super helpful for me because I sometimes mistake my assignment for my identity or my calling. My assignment in this time and place is to lead and serve here at Community. That assignment may one day change, but my identity and my calling will remain. I will always be a child of God, and I will always follow Jesus no matter my particular assignment.?Here is why I think this is so significant for us today. Don’t miss this: Our assignment or our particular purpose may?change due to our circumstances. And what’s beautiful about our God is this . . . God can take even your most difficult and heartbreaking experiences and use them for his purposes (repeat), God might even give you a new assignment out of those circumstances (as heartbreaking as they may be) because you are still his masterpiece created in Jesus do good works.In another letter to Christ-followers in Corinth, Paul writes these words:“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles…”Paul is praising God calling him the “Father of Compassion”, the “God of all comfort” who comforts us in our troubles . . . And why does he comfort us in our troubles? Let’s read on...“. . . so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” -2 Corinthians 1:3-4Part of your purpose is to comfort others who are in trouble . . . with the comfort you have received from God. You don’t hold on to that comfort that God gave you to get through what you’ve gone through. No, you let God use whatever you have gone through and the comfort you’ve received, to comfort those around you.What does that look like? It looks like being with other people in their struggles, speaking words of encouragement, hope, and purpose. It means sharing how you’ve faced what you’ve gone through to help someone else move forward in their own life.Paul knew that often God will use what we’ve learned through the hardest times in our lives to comfort and impact others.Maya Angelou once said:“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.” -Maya AngelouOver the past three weeks, we’ve heard the stories of John, Latoya, and Annie as they courageously shared some of the mental health challenges they’ve faced in life. Today, we want you to hear from them again, but this time I want you to hear how God is using what they’ve been through to comfort and impact others. Mental Health Interview (3 Testimony People from Weeks 1-3) - 15 MinutesThe Truth About You: You Have a PurposeI’m so encouraged and challenged by John, Latoya, and Annie. I love how God is using their pain for a purpose. They are living examples of this truth: God can take even your most difficult and heartbreaking experiences and use them for his purposes.Every week in this series, we’ve replaced a lie with the truth about you. Today I want to remind you that anytime you feel like you don’t matter or that your life doesn’t count, here is the truth about you: You have a purpose. You are a masterpiece and God has an assignment for you. Every part of your life - including the hardest parts - are something God can use to comfort others, to make an impact. And this is definitely true for people who have struggled with mental illness. As someone who lost a son to mental illness, best-selling author, Rick Warren says:“Your greatest ministry will likely come from your deepest pain.”? -Rick WarrenAnd so as we wrap up this series, I want to ask you to do something with me. I want you to think for a moment about some of the most difficult moments in your life.Maybe it was a season of darkness and depression. For some, it may have been a time of hardship and loss. For others, it’s an ongoing struggle with anxiety or mental illness. Whatever it is for you, I want you to imagine that you are holding that season or that hardship in your hands. Go ahead and put your hands out like this, and imagine that you are holding your deepest pain right now in your hands. And then I want you to hold it up as an offering to God. Will you do that? Will you let him bring purpose from your pain? Because God can take even your most difficult and heartbreaking experiences and use them for his purposes.And as you hold your hardships up to God, let me pray this benediction over us.Wherever you go, God is sending you.Wherever you are, God has put you there.God has a purpose in your being right where you are.Christ, who indwells you by the power of his Spirit,Wants to do something in and through you.Believe this and go in his grace, his love, his power.In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.-Richard Halverson ................
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