Why Am I Here? - Summer Series pt. 2

I'm gonna talk a little junk because I care. Just because I have the mike. And they knew. They knew it was coming. So Pastor Saints really didn't give you guys a really good picture of what took place yesterday. I feel like I was cheated. I'm just gonna let you know right now.

In Jesus name, Amen. So if. If you don't know, we did The Amazing Race and the Amazing Race is just like it says. You know, that you're watching TV, that you know, there's people that have been selected and we run and drive and do everything like you're crazy to get to the next destination. And it was a set up, y'all.

They they said you are pastor of I'm gonna let you know right now I feel some kind of way some the talk about the planning committee that say to pull together that is such a wonderful guy let's just give pastor say send his his team and yes Ryan did Ryan did win Yes we Ryan not this Ryan the other Ryan Perry.

Let me tell you, Scott rode up in a in a Corvette yesterday. I saw I rode up in a Hemi. Hey, man, I still lost. I came in third place. But yeah, it's okay. It's okay. But guys, these are things that we do with our youth and our young adult sister. Really, just to have fun and just really celebrate what God is doing their lives.

And so we try to create opportunities not only just for them to have a space to to worship and to grow their faith, but also just to have fun as a believer. Right? Because many people have that that misunderstanding, the misconception like we should become saved in Jesus name, that, you know, there's no fun. I'm sorry, that's not the church thing, because we love to have fun.

We love to shut up. And so, um, and Taco Tuesday and Taco Wednesday night going to be amazing as we get to celebrate just the conclusion of our groups, which is our mid-week gatherings on which we have something for everyone every week. And so there will be a few groups that will be gathering over the summer. So just kind of stay connected with our app, watch our social media page where you can go online to kind of really find out what's taking place in the life of one church over the summer.

Typically we kind of take a break to kind of really settle down and begin to re to start planning for the fall semester. But there still will be some activity taking place within the church. So there's still ways that you can kind of stay connected. Hey, man, a man, a man also do a quick announcement. We have two new kids, children's directors within our church.

Yes. And I am so, so excited. You know, we really our our children's program has been growing by leaps and bounds. And, you know, that's a good thing, right? I mean, somebody is having some babies out there may okay. Yeah. I keep a whole if you want to. We know what goes down, but but we just want to celebrate the leadership that we have.

And so the leadership that's actually taking the mantle, which is Sheila and James McCorkle, I'm so grateful our kids ministry is about to go to a whole nother level. And so. Man, yeah, yeah. I don't think I know we're about to happen, but we're so excited. So yes, definitely. And to our graduates, Kyra and Ryan and Trinity and this president and then the other two, which is Mike.

No, Matthew and Jessica, we just want to celebrate what God is doing her life today. And so today's somewhat of a commencement speech. And so it's a commencement ceremony, um, sermon type of thing. And so as we go into our lesson for today, I'm reminded by Vince Lombardi, the coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Okay, Allison Bass, you guys are listening.

Vince Lombardi is actually the coach of the Green Bay Packers. Right. And he he says that the greatest tragedy of life is not to try and fail, but yet the greatest tragedy is to have a gift and do nothing with it. Right. Miles Monroe says this. He says that the richest place on earth is not found in the diamond mines of Africa.

It's not found in the street of Wall Street in New York City. It's not found in the Middle East with oil. But yet he said the richest place on earth is a cemetery. Dr. Miles Moreau continue to say that the reason why that this is the richest place on Earth is because there you will find not lost treasures or lost diamonds or I mean, you might find some of that.

But the reason why is the richest place on earth is because there's lost dreams, forgotten visions, missed opportunities that people have died with. That's the reason why it makes it the richest place on earth. See, I don't want to live a life saying that I wish I could have, would have and should have. Right? That's not the posture I want to have.

I want to make sure that I live a life that is full of what God has given me, living out my fullest potential. And so, graduates, today you may be asking yourself, why am I here? And I don't believe that's just a question for graduates. That's a question that many of us have and walk out today. Many of us are asking, God, why am I here?

God? Why did you create me? Graduates may be asking, What am I going to do after high school? People are asking you, what college are you going to go to? What profession are you going to pick up? What in the world are you going to do with your life? And I would say that it's sad to see people living below their potential.

You know, it's alarming to see a young man or young woman who's who's sitting on the sidelines of life and not in the spotlight of a god is call them to do. See, we failed to take advantage of life opportunities knocking at your door for whatever reason, it may be slipping away, but opportunities knocking at all of our doors.

But yet many of us are walking through missed opportunities. I know that. My God and your God, our God is that God is always a God of opportunities. He's a God is always opening doors. He's a God that opened doors that no making closed, that he's closing doors, that no man can open. So he calls us to sit at tables.

Research of times is this. He's asking who will be my voice in the marketplace? He's asking that you have me visions and dreams and eyes. I've never seen the ears. I've never heard what he wants to do in your life. So what are you going to do when opportunity is knocking at your door? See, graduates, we have to begin to understand that you didn't make it this far by just by yourself.

It wasn't just your perfect grades or your perfect attendance or or even your A's or your BS or season. Let me say maybe your DS and F, there's got you to this point. Truth be told, if it was not God on my side, I wouldn't know where I would be. But there's a God in heaven who has brought us this far.

See the expectation of moms and dads as Pastor Saints used to talk about teachers and pastors and those we get to shape. You and mode. You kind of really speak life into that. They want a return on their investment. They want a return of what they poured into you over the years. God wants a return from you as well.

God wants you to bring a transforming presence wherever you may go. He wants you to begin to shift the atmospheres. He wants you to walk into the darkness of life and bring the light of salvation and glory. Who God is in every space that you may go to. But many of us are not doing it. Many of us are allowing opportunity to pass us by.

So many of us are sleeping on our moms and dads couches watching Netflix and Hulu playing for five, six, seven and eight. All of not living. Now what God has called you to do. See, some of you may have graduated summa cum laude. Some of you, like myself, graduated magna cum laude. Let me just pop my college record.

I may become a pop and then pop again. But I'm certain to say that some of us just graduated. Thank you. Lordy. Right. I've been there, done that by the hair, my chin is changing. I barely made it through. Come on, now. We've been there, right, Piers? We pushed our kids to the point where they don't want to.

They just want to stay home, skip school. Many of you are staying home, is skipping life. So I believe that there's a desire for us to live, that is, to live in something that's greater, something that's better. And beyond beyond ourselves. We desire to do something that will impact the world. We've all heard the song today. We hear to every graduation, service, pomp and circumstance, uh, and uh, and uh and uh.

Right, we hear it. That's like the. Okay, I'm off. Be this. Okay, Pray for me. It's all good. Yeah. I wanna come up for you. Don't be for me, Garth. Okay. My sister last year says no. But the point. The point is this. So for some of us, once we hear pomp and pomp and circumstance, it's a celebration.

It's a celebration of achievement. But for some of us, it's a reminder of missed opportunities. It's a reminder that says, you know what, I failed. So for some it's a celebration and for others it's a trigger. It's a trigger reminded you that you that you failed and you missed the mark. I know. Because I was there, my brother and I you know, I'm an identical twin for those who's watching us alive, you may not know his name.

They call him Be here at church. That's my Rotterdam. That's my. That's my ace, my brother. You know, he's. He's who I am. That's. That's my brother. Identical twins. And I can recall, you know, I was going through grade school and middle school and high school. I remember I told the story a couple of weeks ago. My mom said, I can't believe you guys did that.

Yes, we cheated. I told the educators who we have many educators here today, and I made the stories better to teach. They repeat, they rebuke me from the stage. It's okay. I tried cheating yesterday, Got me third place, man. But either way, it doesn't matter. But the point is this. The point is this.

I remember graduating high school. My brother and I was always neck and neck doing things together, went to college, went to community college, went to G. I got married at an early age. Felice And I've been married almost 21 years to be 21 years this month. Hey, man. Yes, I'm sure I get some brownie points. I'm that's that's it.

But this is. This is what I'm saying. I got married to my first wife when I was 1920. I'll be honest. I can go to the strip club, ma'am. Like now. This is supposed to do right? This will teach you to do different things, right? You've got to pop bottles and things like that. And I know the guy said, No, that's not what I want you to do.

Right. Well, got married. I was in school working a full time job. I was the manager who became more like I was a salary manager. So I wasn't punching a clock. I was I was managing the store. I was going to school full time Tuesdays and Thursdays. And so I had to make my 50 hours a week, 55 hours a week.

So I'll work all day Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays. And I did that for three strong years. Then I to drop out of school because I need to focus on my marriage, end up getting divorced. Then I'm like, okay, do I need to go back to school? Things are happening. My brother graduated college the first time that where he hit a milestone and I didn't.

I was never there be be there with him the first time in my life where I heard pomp and circumstance and I was not there with my brother, still doing life, doing ministry, kind of going to church, kind of doing, you know, one foot in the world, one thing in this other church. You guys know what I'm talking about.

My brother graduate. It's okay. I don't need to go back to school. I'm I'm on a pretty good career path. I started doing just retail, you know, you guys retail as rough guys. You make great money, but it costs you every aspect of your life. Almost like the hotel industry. I'm just joking. Don't throw anything at me. Things started taking place there.

My brother goes to High Point University to get his master's degree. I hear it again. Pomp and circumstance. It reminded me the things that I felt and where I've always excelled and achieved.

I heard it for the second time that my brother received honors. The guy said, It's time. It's time to go back to school. And I went back to school because in our denomination we require that you have a six pack which allows you to kind of, you know, do the sacraments and different things. And God says, you know what, go back to school is this you have to go back to school.

I said, I'm I'll just finish up. I'm always three quarters of the way there. And that's when I graduated Magnum. Coolgardie For the first time, I was able to kind of walk down the aisle for my collegiate, you know, achievement and say, You know what? I did it before a long time. Like for many of us, we hear it.

And it's a reminder and it plays in your mind, why am I here? God, what do you want me to do? Do What is the purpose in my life is graduates, I get it. When you begin to cross the threshold, begin to begin to understand and wonder when you make those molecules is your people are asking, What are you going to do with your life?

But it's not only a graduate question, it's a question that many of us need to be faced with today as well. What are you doing with your life? And begin to understand that as I went through graduation, I began that there's some things that takes place in our life that actually takes us out of Detour, what God is calling us to do, and we have to get back in alignment with God's called us to be.

And so that detour for me was very it was it was hurtful, but God used it in such a way that he began to position me in places around people to encourage him to strive to fully live out your teaching, your potential, your calling, what God has called you to do to guys, to take the next steps, take the next steps.

Ecclesiastes Chapter three, verses one through four says this For everything. There is a season, and every time and every matter under heaven a time to be born, a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted, a time to kill and a time to heal or a time to break down and a time to build up.

A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn at a time to dance. And so if you go back and finish reading the book of the chapter three of Ecclesiastes six is all it talks about seasons and times of your life, then I begin to really look at this particular passage in Ecclesiastes chapter three, and I begin to look at the author begins to write.

It says There's a season in time. I'm like, Why does the author separate the two? And so if you look at the Hebrew and the Greek word, they're interchangeable. And this is what the Greek in Kairos is, what the Seasons is talking about. Cronos is time. So let me just begin. Kairos is used 86 times in the New Testament, which refers to the opportunity in time for a moment or a season, such as harvest time that is Kairos.

Kronos is time like tick tock time on a watch, which refers to a specific amount of time in a day or an hour. Or let me put it to you this way what you do Kairos season and how you use Kronos time would determine what you would do for God. Well, we would determine how things are played out for God.

You understand it. Your Kairos determines your Kronos is what you use in your season of your life and how use your time. Kronos Tick Tock will let us know how effective you will be in the seasons of your life because you have the Kairos, but you don't use the Kronos you have this season, but you don't use the time.

And often times people use the time in the wrong season. For those who love horticulture, you know, I love planting season grass, I love my grass. You know, I should tell my kids growing up, you go play out in the streets, don't play my grass. Right. Right. And I still do that today. And so you we know that there's a season where you plant certain vegetables, right?

And there's a certain time frame like they would tell you for those who, you know, who has a green thumb like you when you air. Richard Long, what you do in the fall time determines how your spring is. Summertime would look like in your in your in your garden. Right. So they tell you if you if you like your grass, if you know, if you try and get your grass better 70% what you do in the fall when you rain seed is what you do in the fall time and then you reap the 30% in the in the springtime.

My wife mentioned she loves she loves bath and body works. You know, every time I get a coupon in a mail, I try our low key, throw it away. I do. Because my wife, you know, she she you know, she get these coupons and specials and I'm telling my secrets. But she get these coupons. The specials in the mail.

And, you know, she's like, sweetheart, I got a a 50% off where the candles are like 399 or, you know, two yellow or four for 20 or whatever it may be, whatever that deal might be. So her, my daughter, they typically take a trip out to Bath and Body Works and they're like, Babe, she comes home with bags and other stuff.

It's like, Babe, I saved us some money because things were on sale. I'm like, You could to save more money by leaving those bags at the store. Boy, she was she was saying, was this in the season that she saw, she there was a unique opportunity that she had to take advantage of some of in a season where there was some discounts.

And she used that as an opportunity to purchase some things. She we have to make the most of our opportunities because there's moments that you can't get back. You have to make the most of your opportunities. You have to make the most of your call and be careful that when you walking into your call, are you trying to discover your calling?

You have to be careful that there will be things that would distract you as you try to figure out, why am I here? What do you want me to do? Do you have to be careful? Because there will be things and people that would distract you from what God is calling you to do. And not only that, the enemies, the enemy sees your calling and your purpose in life in the enemy will try to even distract you.

So my first point is this Stop chasing careers. Start chasing your calling. Many of us are chasing a career with no kingdom eternal benefit whatsoever. I mean, there are some opportunities that we begin to in our careers that we can be marketplace leaders. I'm all for that because sometimes your call is to be in the marketplace. They may win, but many of us are chasing careers and you're not chasing your calling.

What would it look like if we would become believers that we are chasing a calling before our careers? Jeremiah 2911 We know the Scripture is a very popular scripture that we reach for. I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil to give you a future. And I hope that you will call upon me and pray to me and I will hear you.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. If the Lord knows the plans that He has for you, I would be remiss to say that the enemy knows as well, and he would do everything possible to stop you from hitting him. You're chasing careers rather than your calling because you're chasing money and not mission right?

You have money, but no mission. We have six figure salaries, five figure salaries. Some of us maybe for three, whatever that may be. We're so focused on money that you're missing out on the mission that God has put you before you put before you. We got to stop chasing money. Believe I was there. God, Rick, my life. You know, God put me in a position where I was just chasing like, career and accolades and trying to really position myself to really just kind of go up the corporate ladder.

I was rubbing elbows with the right people. I was meeting the right owners. I was doing consulting to doing different things. And guys are running. Stop chasing money, chase me, wrecked my life for the better. And at that moment when I stopped chasing money and I became on a mission, guys around, we use you right where you're at today to further my purpose and my kingdom in your life.

And so today, three quick points. I'm gonna be doing Genesis chapter 12 verses one through four says this. Now the Lord said to Abraham, Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to a land that I will show you and I will make you a great nation in our bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing.

I would bless those who bless you and I would dishonor you and him who dishonors you. Our curse and in you all the families of the Earth shall be blessed. So Abraham went in. The Lord had told him, and with him Abraham was 75 years old when he departed. Amen. Point number one, Walk my faith. The title of my message is this Why am I here?

Why am I here? Point number one is to walk by faith. And we see here in verse number one, it says that Abraham, go from your country and a country, and I will give you and your father's house and I will show you a land, a place. There will be an assignment on your life that will be so big.

God has to do it right. There will be an assignment in your life that is so big that this beyond your even your skill set, the God has to be in it. And guys were living it out throughout one church every single day. Like the assignment of one church is so big that you know, we can't even begin to fathom what God wants to do is so huge that God has to be the common denominator.

How many times are we kept from doing something because we are fearful, or how many times are we fearful from walking out to regard us, called us to go because of failure or the thought of failure? Because I walk that out every week, just being honest. I'm like, God, what in the world are you going to do here?

Like, there's no way. Like God just blows my mind week after week after week. Where does God want you to step out of faith for and take risk? What is God asking you to, to step out on faith and take a risk? So for our graduates that you guys are graduating, you begin to think about where you want to go.

And what you want to do is God is asking something of you, but what are you going to do to risk to risk it all like you're all in? We have to remember that God is guiding us and there are some things that God wants us to do that He wants us to step out from where you are.

He wants you to go somewhere new. He wants you to do something different. He wants you to to leave what is familiar. He wants you to do something completely that will be radical, that you can't even begin to explain. Because he then and then alone gets all the glory. Like you can't take any of it. He only can get the glory.

Don't allow fear to cripple you from what God was calling to do, what God is calling to become, you have to walk by faith yourself. To walk in purpose. You have to walk in purpose. He says this in verse number two I will make you a great nation. I will bless you. Make your name great so that you will be a blessing.

And I will bless those who bless you. God created you for purpose, on a purpose that God has created you on purpose and for a purpose that He He just doesn't make anything out of, just out of plain air. I mean, he made us out of dirt, right? But still, he made us for a reason. You show me an inventor who makes something that doesn't have a purpose.

It doesn't happen. Every creator that has a creation created it for a purpose. God's vision for your life is that as you walk out your purpose, that you begin to walk in community may be a blessing to many. See what God has developed you for is just that for yourself and for your own benefit is for all that God that you're connected to in places where God wants you to go, that you can be a blessing to nations.

Yeah. He's asking you, do you see a feel it? Do you see your heart healing and do you need a word of encouragement? Be a Barnabas like he wants you to walk out purpose for him and for the Kingdom of God. But even in that purpose, there may be tension, there may be some impossibilities. But he's asking, Will you make yourself available?

And if you make yourself available, then you will know that I'm your master, I'm your Lord, I am a savior, I am Redeemer. And so he's asking you if you will walk out intention through the possibilities by making yourself available, by glorify the master, I can do a miracle if you can walk Intention, look at the impossibilities. Make yourself available to the master.

I can do a miracle. And the result is that I get the glory. He's asked you to walk by faith. He's asking you to walk in purpose and he's asking you to walk out. You call him Abraham left. What? We're familiar. Abraham left what was comfortable? Abraham left even with his his family. And for some of us, our starting point is what's in our hands as our graduates receive that diploma over these past couple of days, you received a diploma in your hand and by the state of North Carolina.

What what they're telling you that you have been you met all the core requirements to fulfill what? Well, what the state says you need to fulfill that God wants to use. So as you have that diploma in your hand, what are you going to do with it? How are you going to use it for those who you have got your hands, what are you going to do?

How God is going to use your hands? And I'm reminded by David, who has a young boy in the scriptures, right? He was a young boy who had a slingshot in hands who took down a philistine warrior. I'm reminded of of a young boy who mom packed him a lunch with two fish and five loaves of bread, fish fed over 5000 women men, which equates to maybe about 25, 35, 30 people.

What do you have in your hands? So David had a slingshot. A young boy had a packed lunch. What about the young lady who. Who? Moses, who had a rod in his hand? Were Moses part of the Red Sea? What are you. What do you do? What do you have in your hands? What about the who has some oil?

And she said, All I have is enough to make myself just some bread and for my son and myself and die. And he said, License to give me what you have and I will bless you. What do you have in your hands? If he has a basketball right in my hands, I might be like, Drew, cone. Cone works.

Amen. But now in my hands, I can. I might be good for knockout. I might be good for one on one. But in his a michael Jordan, he comes back with six championships. Amen. What do you have in your hands? See tennis racket in my hair. I might be beat by Keith Arno. Amen. In Jesus name, it's okay.

But a tennis racket in the hands of Serena. A woman can have multi champions shifts. I might pick up a golf club and shake a ball to the left, but in the hands of Tiger Woods would be the greatest comeback known to all people. So let me just make it simple for you. I may have some nails in my hands.

I can't do nothing for. But the hands of a savior who nails may be nailed to a cross in the nails of a slave. There's redemption. Chanel's in hands is nothing but the nails of a heads of my Savior, Lord Jesus Christ. You have redemption. You have restoration. So I'm asking you, what do you have in your hands As I worship team?

Make their way to the stage. God is asking you, What are you going to do? Maybe you're asking God, What are you going to do? God is asking, What do you have in your hands? How are you going to use your faith? Are you willing to step out into the uncomfortable, the unknown? Many of you today may be wrestling with the question about purpose.

Many of you today may be wrestling the question about your calling. Many of you may be asking, why am I here? You may not be wrestling a guess your career, but you're wrestling. Guess you're calling, but you may be asking, God, why was that created? Some of you may be struggling with hope and anxiety. I just want to remind you that there's a maker, your creator, your redeemer, who can reveal that to you today.

And it is not today that you begin to read his word, to begin to pray, he can reveal what it is that he wants you to do. But you have to step out in faith that says we stand to our feet. I want to remind our graduates those for these past couple of days who have graduated and maybe those who have graduated years ago that used to have a purpose.

If God can use Moses Abraham at age of 76, and Moses does matter what age you may be, you may be 19 coming out of high school or 76 going into retirement. God can still use you. And some ask if you're if you're here today and you're asking God or you've asked that question, What is my purpose? What is my call?

I want you to come up front. I just want to pray for you because I understand I've been there before. I've asked God for years, God, what is my purpose? What is my calling in life? Thank you. I know you're not alone and you're wondering and you're trying to find what you're calling your purpose in life. And my prayer today is that God will begin to reveal it to you in such a way that is clear.

And even if it is, even if it's not clear that God, that you're going to walk out in faith and you go say, God, I give you my life. My prayer today is that God will begin to reveal to you all that He has for you and your life. And I love the fact that I see almost every every generation here.

And that's a blessing. That means that it's not too late for the older generation. But in the younger generation, guys, you have so much more time on your hands to walk out. Your purpose and your calling is chasing career. Start chasing your calling. And so today I just want to pray for you that God began to reveal himself to you.

Heavenly Father, we lift up every child, every man, every woman here today, Heavenly Father, we call him the one who knows who care for you. Your word says in Jeremiah that before full for you that I knew you. That that you before you was born. God, that I shape and fashioned you guys that we know that you have created us with a purpose.

That you have called them by name. We know that Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians that that you are his workmanship created by Christ Jesus for good works, that you was prepared beforehand and that we should walk in them. So Holy Spirit, I pray right now that you begin to download From Heaven to Earth. Got those things that you want these individuals to do say live and walk out that God, that they won't be confused any longer.

God make it clear and make it plain. Right now, God, I pray God that their their faith is sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ. And for those who are standing before us today, God, that they don't know you as your as their redeemer, and they're safe because I pray the prayer of salvation over them right now, God, we pray, God that they will stop walking in fear, God, that they will begin to take bold and courageous steps of faith.

The Holy Spirit, guide them, lead them into our truth. Have your way, Father. God, remove doubt right now. Holy Spirit, Remove fear right now. God, I pray that you begin to send people around the God that can help fan their faith, God, that will help them to walk out what you've called them to do. God pray for words of prophecy over the lives right now.

God, God, We thank you, God, for the willingness to say Yes, God, that this is their first step of faith right now as they lay down their lives and give it to you today, God, to use them to be world changers. God use them in the marketplace. God use them as you see fit. Give them strength when they are weak.

Give them the words to say when they don't have no, they don't know what to say. God have your way in their life and we give you all the glory and the honor and we seal it by the blood of Christ. Today is in Christ Jesus. We say Amen.