The Refuge Church

INTRODUCTION:

1. All of us want our lives to count. The question that haunts many is that in spite of that inner longing to matter, many people live and die without feeling their life does count for anything of significance.

2. A lot of people live always looking for that missing link in their lives that will bring them contentment and happiness. They look and look thinking if they just look hard enough they will find that missing secret that will make them happy and fulfilled. Most of us eventually come to the conclusion that God offers fulfillment and meaning, however, God isn’t the simple answer that many assume He is.

3. Over the next 6 weeks we’re going to dig into the question of how becoming the person we were created to be can brings meaning and satisfaction. This series is based on the work of Pastor John Ortberg. Many of the things I’ll share with you come from his book and a church promotion packet that I have. Some of what I’ll be sharing isn’t from his material, so if you hear something that doesn’t ring true to you, don’t automatically blame John Ortberg. Even though a lot of the ideas come from him, I have adapted and added to his material.

4. A fascinating study done by Professor Vicki Medvec reveals that a lot of whether we’re satisfied depends upon our attitude and whether we accept the fact that we’ve done our best. Dr. Medvec studied Olympic medalists and discovered that athletes who win bronze medals are measurably happier than athletes who win silver medals even though bronze medals are for 3rd place and silver medals are to recognize 2nd place. Here’s what she discovered, silver medalist tend to focus on how close they came to winning gold, or 1st place while bronze medal winners typically focus on how close they came to not winning a medal at all.

5. Attitude has a lot to do with our happiness and satisfaction in life or our lack thereof. However, I don’t want you think that our study over the next several weeks is going to focus on having a positive attitude because that’s not what this series is going to focus on.

6. Listen to this great statement John Ortberg made. He said, “Life is not about any particular achievement or experience. The most important task of your life is not what you do, but who you become.”

7. “Jesus’ plan wasn’t to start a church of people who call themselves ‘Christians’ but remain cranky…, judgmental, deceptive, greedy, lustful, gossipy, self-righteous & religious until they die and go to heaven. Jesus’ plan is to have a church of transformed people…” (Ortberg)

8. Ironically, becoming the person we want to be and that God wants us to be will never happen if our primary focus is on ourselves, just as no one becomes happy if their main goal is to be happy. God made you to flourish, but flourishing never happens by looking out for number one. Finding the purpose God intended is tied to a grander nobler vision. The world badly needs people who will allow God’s hope and love to be expressed through their personality and passion.

I. God Made You Special and Unique

1. At first glance it might appear that this message is just a variation of a self-help message. While there is some validity to self-help, that’s not really what this is about. Our focus here is that God made you and that fact means you have incredible value.

2. If you see a picture with the name Rembrandt on it, as long as it’s an original I can tell you it’s a valuable painting because Rembrandt was a master artist. Frankly, Rembrandt is a little too artistic for me. I have a greater appreciation for someone like say a Norman Rockwell. Although his paintings aren’t as valuable, if you have an original Norman Rockwell, you have a very valuable painting because again, Norman Rockwell was a famous painter, he was a master artist.

3. Let me show you what that has to do with you and me. The point is that God is the artist who put us together and He is a master craftsman who has absolutely no equal. In fact, look at the slide of our first passage of scripture and you will see what I’m talking about. Look at how Paul expressed it in Ephesians 2:10.

“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.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

4. I love the way that verse begins, “For we are God’s masterpiece.” If you were to read it in the NIV it would read slightly different but still make the same point, “For we are God’s workmanship.” He is the master artist and we are His creation. Frankly, I don’t think the idea of “masterpiece” is bad when you consider that our Creator is God Himself.

5. Just as a famous painting always has the artist signature on it, we as God’s creation have God’s signature on us as well. We’re His masterpiece and He created us in Jesus for good works. Allow me to put that in slightly different terms. He’s basically saying, You and I are quality art and we were created to bring joy to God and to others.

6. I want you to think about something else. Masterpieces aren’t mass produced. That’s what makes them so valuable. It’s the reason you and I don’t have masterpieces lying around our houses because their too valuable— too expensive for regular people like us to have. But from God’s point of view, although we may see ourselves as regular, in His eyes we’re each a work of art.

7. May I let you in on a little secret? We’re His project, not our own. God thought you up and He knows what you are supposed to be. He has many good works for you to do, but they’re not the kind of “to do” list we give spouses or employees. They come out of who He created you to be.

We are created by God as people who have great Significance.

8. That’s right you are significant. Because of that you were created by God to fulfill a special purpose. Let me illustrate with a story that John Ortberg tells in his book. He said that not long ago he boarded an airport shuttle bus to get to the rental car lot. Driving a shuttle bus is usually a thankless job. Bus passengers are often tired and grumpy and in a hurry to get to their car. No one says much except the name of their rental company… But not on this bus. The man who drove the bus was a delight. He was scanning the sidewalks looking for anybody who needed a ride. “You know” he told us, “I’m always looking because sometimes people are running late. You can tell it in their eyes. I’m always looking.

9. Ortberg said, he was so excited about what he was doing that we got excited. We began cheering him on when he was picking people up. It was like watching Jesus drive a shuttle bus. The man would grab their luggage before they could lift it, then he would jump back on the bus and say, “Well, we’re off! I get you to your car as soon as I can.” Jaded passengers put down their papers. He created such a little community of joy on that bus that people wanted to ride around in the terminal a second time just to hang out with the guy. We would say to people who got on after us, “Watch this guy.” He wasn’t just a shuttle bus driver, he was a man committed to being the best version of himself. Isn’t that what God is calling each of us to become? He sees the potential to become more than we think we can be. Look at how the psalmist puts it in Psalm 100.

“Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3 NIV)

10. We are God’s people and He made us for greatness. I don’t mean that we’re going to be famous or rich or anything like that. What happened to that shuttle bus driver can happen to you and me. Sometimes it does. Every once in a while you do something that surprises you and you catch a little glimpse of the person you were made to be. You say something inspirational at a meeting. You help a homeless person no one else notices. You are patient with a rambunctious 3 year old. You lose yourself in a piece of music. You express compassion. You stand up to a bully. You freely make a sacrificial gift. You forgive an old hurt. You say something you would normally never say, or you don’t say something you would normally blurt out. You take a small step toward being the person God created you to be.

TS— And this brings us to the 2nd part of this morning’s message. Now on the surface this may seem obvious, but I’m not so sure it always is. Here is the 2nd fact we need to remember…

II. God Made You To Be You

1. We can easily fall into the trap of looking at others and thinking we need to be them. It’s always possible to find someone else and think they are more talented, more blessed, more… well put in whatever word you want.

2. As God helps you grow you will change, but you’ll always be yourself. An acorn can grow into an oak tree, but it cannot become a rose bush. It can be a healthy oak tree or a stunted oak, but it won’t be a tomato plant. You will always be you— a healthy growing you, or a withering you, but God didn’t create you to be anyone else. He pre-wired you; He determined your gifts and talents. He made you to feel certain passions and desires. He planned your body and mind. Your uniqueness is God-designed.

3. The trouble is that sometimes we’re tempted to want to be someone other than who we are. We want others to think we’re better than we are. We want to be impressive. While we should always strive to be our best, Jesus doesn’t want us to ruthlessly promote ourselves. He once told a parable that deals with this. Read Luke 14 with me.

7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come & say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, & he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

4. A lot of people think they always have to be making themselves out to be someone they’re not. They believe if others knew how regular they are, or how they struggle they wouldn’t be accepted and loved.

5. Tragically, that is true with some people, but it’s not true with God. He created us. He doesn’t want us to become someone we’re not just because others may not accept us. Some people think that to grow spiritually they will have to become someone else. But God won’t throw out your real you, though He may redirect it. Before Paul met Jesus, he was a brilliant, passionate zealot who persecuted people. After he met Jesus he was a brilliant passionate zealot who sacrificed himself for people.

6. John Ortberg tells a wonderful story about some friends of his who have a daughter named Shauna who was a classic strong-willed child. When she was 4 she kept trying to go AWOL on her tricycle. Her frustrated mom finally said, “Look Shauna, there’s a tree right here, and there’s a driveway right there. You can ride your tricycle on the sidewalk in between the driveway and the tree, but you can’t go past that. If you go past that, you’ll get a spanking. I have to be inside; I’ve got stuff to do. But I’m going to be watching you. Don’t go past either one of those boundaries, or I’ll have to spank you.” Shauna backed up to her mom, pointed to her behind and said, “Well, you might as well spank me now, because I’ve got places to go.” Would it surprise you to know that when Shauna grew up she had formidable leadership capacities and an indomitable drive? When she serves God she’s not going to become a wall flower. God created her to be a leader. She’s probably going to serve God as the person He has created her to be.

7. As Jesus’ parable illustrates, don’t try to promote yourself or make yourself out to be someone you’re not. Be the person God made you to be. You will find that He can use the real you and He doesn’t want you to be someone else!

8. You’re never too young to be who God made you to be. Mozart was composing music when he was five. You’re also never too old to be who God made you to be. Grandma Moses was 69 when she took up painting. She became famous for her art. How tragic if Mozart had thought he had to paint and Grandma Moses had thought she had to write music or if either had thought they couldn’t do it at their age.

9. Henri Nouwen, is a priest and teacher who has moved in the exalted circles of Harvard, Yale and Notre Dame came to believe that those settings did not— for him— call forth the person God intended him to be. So this famous writer spent the last decade of his life caring for physically and mentally challenged residents of a small community called L’Arche. There Henri made friends with a resident named Trevor, who had many mental and emotional challenges. One time when Trevor was sent to a hospital for an evaluation, Henri called to arrange a visit. When the authorities found out that the famous Henri Nouwen was coming they asked him if he would meet with some doctors, chaplains and clergy. He agreed, and when he arrived there was a lovely luncheon laid out in the Golden room, but Trevor was not there. “Where is Trevor,” Henri asked. “He cannot come to the lunch they told him.” Patients and staff are not allowed to have lunch together and no patient has ever had lunch in the Golden Room.” But the whole purpose of my visit was to have lunch with Trevor,” Henri said. “If Trevor is not allowed to attend the lunch, then I will not attend either.” A way was found for Trevor to attend. The Golden Room was filled with people who were quite excited that the great Henri Nouwen was in their midst. Some angled to be close to him. They thought of how wonderful it would be to tell their friends. “As I was saying to Henri Nouwen the other day…” Some pretended to have read books they had not read and know ideas they did not know. Others were upset that the rule separating patients and staff had been broken. Trevor, oblivious to all this, sat next to Henri, who was engaged in conversation with the person on his other side. So, Henri didn’t notice that Trevor had got to his feet. “A toast,” Trevor said, “I will now offer a toast.” The room grew quiet.. What in the world is this guy going to do? everyone wondered. Then Trevor began to sing. If you’re happy and you know it, raise your glass. If you’re happy and you know it, raise your glass. If you’re happy and you know it, if you’re happy and you know it, If you’re happy and you know it, raise your glass. At first people were not sure how to respond, but Trevor was beaming. His face and voice told everyone how glad he was to be there with his friend Henri. Somehow Trevor, in his brokenness and joy gave a gift no one else in the room could give. People began to sing— softly at first, but then with more gusto— until doctors, priests and PhD’s were almost shouting. “If you’re happy and you know it….” All under the direction of Trevor. No one was trying to impress anymore. No one tried to separate the PhD’s from the ADD’s. Because a wounded healer named Henri Nouwen lived among the challenged and because a challenged man named Trevor was living out the best version of himself he made the world a better place. Perhaps it was after this experience that Henri Nouwen wrote this…

“Spiritual greatness has nothing to do with being Greater than Others. It has everything to do with being as great as Each of Us Can Be.” Henry Nouwen

10. Don’t try to be someone you’re not, just be the person God made you to be. That person is needed because remember, you’re God’s masterpiece. Don’t try to be the person others expect you to be, just be yourself.

11. John Ortberg says that many people are afraid of the, “The Me I’m Afraid God Wants Me to Be.” A lot of people are afraid if they follow God He will make them miserable and send them to a foreign country to be a missionary.

12. A recent study by George Barna found that the number one challenge to helping people grow spiritually is that most people equate spiritual maturity with trying hard to follow the rules of the Bible. While we should do what the Bible says to do, the Bible emphasizes loving God much more than just keeping a set of rules, no matter how good those rules are. I love the way The Message paraphrases Galatians 3:12.

“Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: ‘The one who does these things [rule-keeping] continues to live by them.’” (Galatians 3:12, The Message)

13. Some of you know I went to the MBI. Occasionally we would have room inspections and had to clean our rooms. I’m anything but a neat freak, but one of my friends was a real slob, nothing in his room was neat. He worked out a way to pass our periodic room inspections. He would take all the things piled on his floor and pile them on his bed. His bed was piled 3 or 4 feet high from top to bottom. After the room check he took all the stuff off his bed and threw it back on the floor. He figured out how to pass room inspection, but he totally missed the point of room inspection. That room inspection illustrates how just keeping a set of rules doesn’t make us godly. I love this statement by Ortberg…

“There is an enormous difference in Following Rules and Following Jesus.” John Ortberg

14. Jesus’ purpose in our lives isn’t merely to have us following a bunch of rules. He wants us to follow Him and to become the person He created us to be. God doesn’t want us to be miserable and barely manage to survive. He wants us to do more than that… He wants us to thrive. He wants us to become all He knows we can be. If that sounds too good to be true look at this next verse of scripture and see if you think I’m making too much out of this.

~ 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:10 NLT)

15. That was Jesus speaking in that verse. He was just saying in another way, I want you to be the person I made you to be. I don’t want you living a substandard inferior hopeless life, I want you to be the person I created you to be. Now let me be clear, I’m not suggesting that God’s plan for everyone is to be rich and never have any problems. That’s not what I’m talking about at all. I’m talking about the joy and fulfillment of being the person God created us to be. It’s not an automatic or quick process and it doesn’t happen without some pain, but in the end it’s worth it. Consider these words.

The great fear of Henry David Thoreau was that, “when I die I will discover that I have not lived.” Jesus wants us to become the best version of ourselves and in so doing discover Life’s True Meaning.

CONCLUSION: 1. We are all created to be more than we currently are, but God didn’t create us to be someone totally different than who He has made us to be. Some of us are creative and spontaneous, that’s fine be the best creative spontaneous person you can be. Some of you are detail oriented and love structure. That’s fine too, just be the most godly detail oriented person you can be as well.

2. I’m not suggesting this is an easy process, but I am telling you that it’s a worthwhile and fulfilling process. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for his opposition to South Africa’s apartheid, because those in power wanted him to accept the racism that was part of that society. Angry people who suffered under that racism wanted him to seek revenge. Mandela refused to be either. During his 27 years in prison he suffered and he grew. He called his prison, “the university.” He became both increasingly committed to justice and opposed to hate. Even his guards were won over by his life. The final official charged with watching him used to cook Mandela gourmet meals. When he went from Prisoner Mandela to President Mandela, he sought to lead the country to peace through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, established on the biblical principle that “the truth shall make you free.” God didn’t make you to be a Nelson Mandela, He made you to be you, and no human being in your life gets the final word on who God made you to be. The experiences you have are uniquely a part of God’s work in your own life. The Apostle Paul said it this way in Romans 8:28. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (NLT)

3. God challenges all of us to trust Him to make us the person we want to be, the person He created us to be. Would you commit yourself to that process this morning? Would you join me as I pray that God will bring that about in each of our lives?