BEING A PEOPLE OF PURPOSE!
1 Peter 4:1-4:7

We are a people of purpose. That perfect purpose is the Will of God. In this outline we point out the purpose of our Christian walk and live.

I. A people of Prayer.
- 1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
- Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
  A. God’s people can take their weapons of prayer, fasting and seeking god to bring revival to the world.
  - 2 Chron.7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
  B. Arguments never settle things, but prayer changes things.
  C. Nothing makes us love our enemies as much as praying for them.
  D. A small boy asked his parents, "I’m going to pray now--do you need anything?"
  E. An important part of praying is a willingness to be a part of the answer.
  F. If we pray in times of victory, we will not need to plead in times of defeat.
  G. Bending our knees in prayer keeps us from breaking under the load of care.
  H. Prayer is not a way of getting what we want, but the way to become what God wants us to be.
  I. Spiritual growth soars up when we have prayed up, made up, and said up.
  J. Prayer less pews make powerless pulpits.
  K. Prayer is the breath of the soul; without it you will turn blue.

II. A people of Worship!
- Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
- 1 Chr 16:29 KJV Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
- John 4:23 KJV But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
- John 4:24 KJV God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
  A. We must make Jesus Lord of our lives.
  B. Since we fight for the liberty to worship, should we not make more use of that liberty?
  C. When we recognize Jesus’ kingship, we’ll give him our worship.
  D. A person may be worthy of admiration, but Christ alone is worthy of adoration.
  E. When we submit to Jesus’ lordship, we’ll give him our worship.
  F. It is possible to be so active in the service of Christ as to forget to love him.
  G. The word worship is a shortened form of the old word worthship, which means showing God the worth he holds in your life.
  H. Fellowship with a holy God will produce holy living.

III. A people of Love.
- John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
  A. We must give the world a new picture of Jesus. We must let our light shine and that light is love.
  -Mat 5:16 KJV Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
  B. In the French revolution, a young man was condemned to the guillotine and shut up in one of the prisons. He was greatly loved by many, but there was someone who loved him more than all the others put together. That one was his own father, and the love he bore his son was proved in this way: when the lists were called, the father--whose name was exactly the same as the son’s--answered to the name, and the father rode in the gloomy tumbrel out to the place of execution, and his head rolled beneath the axe instead of his son’s, a victim to mighty love. See here an image of the love of Christ to sinners. For thus Jesus died for the ungodly.
- Charles Haddon Spurgeon,

IV. A Prophetic People.
- Matt. 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
- Matt.5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
- Matt. 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
- Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
C. We must position ourselves to be a prophetic voice to our generation.
D. We may not know the future but we know who holds the future.
E. On a church bulletin board: Visit us on your way to eternity.

V. A people of Faith.
Hebrews 11:1-2. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.

VI. We must walk in faith where no one else has walked.
Show that you care. A young boy, on an errand for his mother, had just bought a dozen eggs. Walking out of the store, he tripped and dropped the sack. All the eggs broke, and the sidewalk was a mess. The boy tried not to cry. A few people gathered to see if he was OK and to tell him how sorry they were. In the midst of the words of pity, one man handed the boy a quarter. Then he turned to the group and said, "I care 25 cents worth. How much do the rest of you care?"
  A. James 2:16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? points out that words don’t mean much if we have the ability to do more.
  B. Faith is an area where growing up means we must become more like a child.
  C. Faith is the vitamin that makes all we take from the Bible digestible and makes us able to receive it and assimilate it. If we do not have faith, we cannot get anything.

For more info and help go to www.tonyabram.com.

God bless you and yours.
On behalf of this generation,
Your friends in the service of Christ,
Tony and Marge Abram
Abundant Life Crusades
www.abundantlifecrusades.com