The Purpose Driven Life

By Rick Warren
WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR
The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal
fulfillment.
o If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with
God. You were born for his purpose.
o Without God life makes no sense.

God made you for a reason. God never does anything accidentally
and he never makes mistakes.
The benefits of a purpose-driven life
o Knowing your purpose simplifies your life.
It defines what you do and what you dont do.
Your purpose becomes the standard you use to evaluate your lifes activities.
People who dont know their purpose try to do too much.
o Knowing your purpose focuses your life.
It concentrates your efforts on whats important.
If you want your life to have impact, focus it!
o Knowing your purpose motivates your life.
Purpose always produces passion.
Nothing energize like a clear purpose.

Life on earth is a test and a trust

o Character is both developed and revealed by tests. You will be tested by
changes, delayed promises, senseless tragedies and unanswered prayers.
o We are stewards of whatever God gives us. At the end of your life you will be
rewarded according to how well you handled what God entrusted to you.

Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal.

o Measured against eternity, our time on earth is just a blink of an eye, but the
consequences last forever.
o In Gods eyes, the greatest heroes of the faith are those who treat life as a
temporary assignment, expecting their promised reward in eternity.

The Purpose Driven Life (continued)

PURPOSE #1: You Were Planned for Gods Pleasure (WORSHIP)

Our primary purpose is to love God
o
o
o
o

Our expression of love for God is called worship

Worship happens not only on Sunday mornings but throughout the week
A lifestyle of worship is doing everything as if you were doing it for Jesus.
Trusting God is an act of worship

Surrendering ourselves to God is the heart of worship

What it means to surrender
o Surrendered people obey Gods word, even if it doesnt make sense.
o Genuine surrender says, Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance
is needed to fulfill your purpose in my life, then please dont take it away.
o You cannot fulfill Gods purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans.

How to develop a friendship with God

o By having a constant conversation with Him throughout the day.
o By choosing to obey God in faith, especially when it doesnt make sense.
o By choosing to value what God values.

Ways people draw near to God

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Naturalists inspired to love God out-of-doors, in natural settings.

Sensates love God with their senses, i.e., hearing, sight, taste, smell, touch.
Traditionalists draw closer to God through rituals, liturgies, symbols.
Ascetics love God in solitude and simplicity.
Activists love God through confronting evil, battling injustice.
Caregivers love God by loving others and meeting their needs.
Enthusiasts love God through celebration.
Contemplatives love God through adoration.
Intellectuals love God by studying with their minds.

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking and trusting God
during trials, surrendering while suffering, and loving him when he seems distant.

How do you praise God during the difficult times of life

o
o
o
o

Tell God exactly how you feel.

Focus on who God is his unchanging nature
Trust God to keep his promises
Remember what God has already done for you

Page 2 of 6

The Purpose Driven Life (continued)

PURPOSE #2: You Were Formed for Gods Family (FELLOWSHIP)

The best use of your life is to love God & others
o After learning to love God (worship), learning to love others is the second
purpose of your life.
o Relationships, not achievements or the acquisition of things, are what matters
most in life.

You need a church family

o A church family identifies you as a genuine believer.
o A church family moves you out of self-centered isolation. God expects us to give
our lives to each other.
o The body of Christ needs your unique role to play in his family.
o You will never grow to maturity by just attending worship services. Using your
spiritual gift(s) builds spiritual maturity.
o God designed his church specifically to help you fulfill the five purposes he has
for your life:
9 A purpose to live for
9 People to live with
9 Principles to live by
9 A profession to live out
9 A power to live on

The characteristics of biblical fellowship

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Authenticity the sharing of our true feelings, not superficiality

Mutuality building relationships, sharing responsibilities and helping each other
Sympathy sharing the pain of others
Mercy the forgiving of each other
Humility not thinking less of yourself, but thinking more of others
Courtesy the respecting of our differences
Confidentiality not gossiping
Frequency making the group a priority; relationships take time

Four levels of fellowship

o
o
o
o

Level
Level
Level
Level

1:
2:
3:
4:

Membership Choosing to belong

Friendship Learning to share
Partnership Doing my part in Gods family
Kinship Loving believers like family

Page 3 of 6

The Purpose Driven Life (continued)

PURPOSE #3: You Were Created to Be Like Christ (DISCIPLESHIP)

Gods ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development. He
wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ.

Gods Spirit working in you

o It is the Holy Spirits job to produce Christ like character in you. The process of
changing us to be more like Jesus is called sanctification, and it is the third
purpose of your life on earth.
o God waits for you to act first. The Holy Spirit releases his power the moment
you take a step of faith.
o Move ahead in your weakness (out of your comfort zone) doing the right thing in
spite of your fears and feelings. This is how your character develops.

Abiding in Gods Word

o To be a healthy disciple of Jesus, feeding on Gods Word must be your first
priority. Abiding in Gods Word includes three activities:
9 I must accept its authority. The Bible must become the authoritative
standard for my life.
9 I must assimilate its truth. It is not enough just to believe the Bible; I
must fill my mind with it so that the Holy Spirit can transform me.
9 I must apply its principles. Be a doer, not just a listener of the Word.

God has a purpose behind every problem

o He uses circumstances to develop our character.
o God uses problems to draw you closer to himself.
o Because God is sovereign, accidents are just incidents in Gods calendar before
you were born.
o It is vital that you stay focused on Gods plan, not your pain or problem.

Every temptation is an opportunity to do good

o Every time you choose to do good instead of sin, you are growing in the
character of Christ.
o God develops the fruit of the Spirit in you by allowing you to experience
circumstances in which youre tempted to express the exact opposite quality.

Overcoming temptation
o Recognize your pattern of temptation and be prepared for it.
o Refocus your attention on something else. The more you fight the temptation,
the more it controls you. Ignoring a temptation is far more effective.
o Reveal your struggle to a close friend. Dont conceal it; reveal it.

Page 4 of 6

The Purpose Driven Life (continued)

PURPOSE #4: You Were Shaped for Serving God (MINISTRY)

You were put on earth to make a contribution. God wants you to give something back.

You were created to serve God

o Whenever you serve others, you are actually serving God and fulfilling one of
your purposes.
o If you have no love for others and are only interested about your needs, you
should question whether Christ is in your life.
o If you arent serving, youre just existing, because life is meant for ministry.
o God deliberately shaped and formed you to serve him in a way that makes your
ministry unique.

How God shapes you for your ministry

Spiritual Gifts each of us has at least 1 spiritual gift
Heart what do you have a passion for?
Abilities what natural abilities do you have?
Personality each of us has a distinct personality
Experiences your triumphs & failures, your heartaches
o God doesnt waste abilities; he matches our calling with our capabilities
o Your abilities were not given just to make a living; God gave them to you for
your ministry.
o It feels good to do what God made you to do. When you minister consistent
with the personality God gave you, you experience fulfillment and satisfaction.
o God never wastes a hurt! In fact, your greatest ministry will most likely come
out your greatest hurt.

How real servants act

They make themselves available to serve, even when its inconvenient.
They do every task with equal dedication, they do it with all their heart.
They are faithful to their ministry. They keep their commitments.
They maintain a low profile and dont promote attention to themselves
9 Real servants dont serve for the approval or applause of others
9 They live for an audience of One.
9 The most significant service is often the service that is unseen.
o They think more about others than about themselves.
o They think like stewards, not owners. God owns it all including your money.
9 God uses money to test your faithfulness as a servant.
9 Money has the greatest potential to replace God in your life.

o
o
o
o

Page 5 of 6

The Purpose Driven Life (continued)

PURPOSE #5: You Were Made for a Mission (MISSION)

o God wants you to have both a ministry in the Body of Christ and a mission in the
world.
o Your ministry is your service to believers, and your mission is your service to
unbelievers.

What it costs to fulfill your mission

o Requires that you abandon your agenda and accept Gods agenda for your life.
o You yield your rights, expectations, dreams, plans and ambitions to him.
o If you want to be used by God, you must care about what God cares about.

Sharing your Lifes Message

o God has given you a Life Message to share.
o Your Life Message has four parts.
9 Your testimony: the story how you began a relationship with Jesus.
9 Your life lessons: the most important lessons God has taught you.
9 Your godly passions: the issues God shaped you to care about most.
9 The Good News: the message of salvation.
o Questions to jog your memory about your lifes lessons
9 What has God taught me from a lack of money?
9 What has God taught me through waiting?
9 What has God taught me from failure?

Becoming a world-class Christian

o You have a choice to make. You will either be a world-class Christian or a
worldly Christian.
9 Worldly Christians are saved, but self-centered.
9 World-class Christians know they were saved to serve and made for a
mission.

What is a life purpose statement?

o
o
o
o

Develop a purpose statement for your life and review it regularly.

Its a statement that summarizes Gods purposes for your life.
Its a statement that defines success for you.
Its a statement that expresses your shape.

Living on purpose is the only way to really live. Everything else is

just existing.

Page 6 of 6