Purpose Matters
Teaching Notes
Make a quick list of your first thoughts this morning:
Do you wake up to a bunch of WHATs or from a deep WHY?
Purpose: “Apply your best to what matters most.” - Dr. Vic Strecher, University of Michigan Public School of Health
Core Components of Purpose:
Goals - we are going after something specific
Meaning - we are experiencing and offering meaning
Others - we are pursuing it for the benefit of others
Purpose matters…
To your brain (pic: MRI scans)
To your performance (pic: Janitorial services)
To your grit (pic: Incline test)
When we have purpose:
Resiliency increases by 54%
Stress decreases by 33%
LIfe Engagement increase by 60%
Depression drops by 36%
Inclusivity quadruples
Let’s go back to Genesis 1:26: “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky… (1:26)
God’s purpose was to give us purpose in our work.
I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.
- Jesus, John 10:10
Greek: Ἵνα (pronounced: “hina”)
Why is “ina” significant? “The reason is to be sought in the teleological understanding of the ways of God and the destiny of man” - Ethelbert Stauffer, “Ἵνα,”
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
-Jesus, John 15:11
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
-The Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 5:21
Jesus’ purpose is to make us fully alive
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
John 9:1-3
Jesus’ purpose is to make us fully alive, even through suffering, for His glory.
God’s purposes never stop in your life.
…for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
The Apostle Paul, Philippians 2:13
To Will: θέλειν (pronounced: thelein) - purpose; desire; enjoy; be of an opinion
To Act: ἐνεργέω (pronounced: energeō) - work; be at work, to cause to be, to result in
Good Purpose: Εὐδοκία (pronounced: eudokia): good pleasure; desire, what is wished for
What’s your “So That…”?
Without a clear “So That…” we’ll say:
Now what?
What’s next?
So what.
The “So That…” 5 Circles:
What brings you joy?
What does the world need?
Will they pay for it? (or give to it)
Are you good at it?
What’s in your story?
“So That Statement”:
“I work so that…” {12-15 words}
“So Thats…” won’t always make you happy
Not all “So Thats…” are pleasing to God
Don’t ever say the word “Just.”
Going Deeper Discussion
…for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
The Apostle Paul, Philippians 2:13
To Will: θέλειν (pronounced: thelein) - purpose; desire; enjoy; be of an opinion
To Act: ἐνεργέω (pronounced: energeō) - work; be at work, to cause to be, to result in
Good Purpose: Εὐδοκία (pronounced: eudokia): good pleasure; desire, what is wished for
If you haven't already, watch the weekend message and have a discussion answering the questions below.
What thoughts fill your head when you wake up each morning - a bunch of “Whats” or a “Deep Why?”
Can you describe a time in your life when you didn’t have a sense of purpose? What did that feel like?
How are you personally impacted by the truth that God lives from a deep why and is constantly at work in your life?
What are the things that…
Bring you joy?
The world around you needs?
Someone might pay for or give towards?
You are good at doing?
Do you have a “So That…Statement”—at least one in draft mode? Would you be willing to share it?
Sunday Set List
WFC Lenexa + WFC Anywhere
Great Things- Phil Wickham
Holy Spirit Come- Patrick Mayberry
I Speak Jesus- Charity Gayle
God of Revival- Brian Johnson
WFC Speedway
Rest on Us- Maverick City
Oceans- Hillsong
Forever Reign- Hillson
Glorious Day- Passion City
Be sure to save our Spotify Worship Playlist, updated weekly with the upcoming Sunday’s set!