Your Uniqueness and Your Destiny

When you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, if you are a believer today, you are a masterpiece. But Dr. Tony Yavin says the spiritual makeover Jesus gave us wasn't done to make us pretty, but productive.

Now all you gotta do is learn to live up to the title. Because that's an EUR. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. People sometimes say, when they made you, they broke the mold.

But doctor Evans says there is no mould. that each of us is a one-of-a-kind creation of God. Let's join him as he explains why that's significant when it comes to finding and fulfilling your purpose in life. Today, we want to look at your uniqueness and your destiny. The concept of destiny fits all of us who are Christians.

But you are uniquely designed. for whatever God has for you.

So we want to look at three things from Ephesians chapter 2. Verse 10. We want you to know who you are. We want you to know why you are. And we want you to know whose you are.

Who you are, why you are, and whose you are. in order that through that you will discover your uniqueness. As you proceed, No matter where you're starting from the day to your road of destiny. Who are you? Verse 10 says, For we are his.

Workmanship. We are his workmanship.

So you are his workmanship.

Now in verse 8 and 9 he said, By grace have you been saved through faith, that not of yourself. It is the gift of God, not according to works, so that no one should boast.

So, you are not saved by works. You can't work your way to heaven. You can't earn a relationship with God. all the religion in the world cannot bring you into salvation. You are not saved by works.

He's made that clear. But you are his workmanship. The Greek word for workmanship is the word poima. where we get our English word poem from. Workmanship is from Pohima, where we get our English word poim from.

And the word poima, translated workmanship, in that verse. was used of a work of art. And that which would be known today, we would call it a masterpiece. A significant work of art. A significant structure painting.

Or even poem that would be recognized for its unique. Construction. Who are you? You are God's masterpiece. You are his.

workmanship. You are his poima. You're his sonnet, if you will. Most people are not satisfied. with who they are.

But God wants me to tell you. based on his word. That when you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, if you are a believer today, You are a masterpiece.

Now you may not feel like it. You may not be treated like it. You may not view yourself as it. But that doesn't matter. in terms of determining who you are.

If you rub a diamond in dirt. It's a dirty diamond. But it's still a diamond. Because that's just what it is. In spite of How it's been Treated.

The devil doesn't want you to know who you are. because then you might start acting like it. And so what he does. is he falsifies your identity. with a wrong perception.

Once you met Jesus Christ. and became a child of the living God. with royal blood now flowing through your veins. You're no longer ordinary. You're extraordinary.

Because you are a poyima. You are a masterpiece. It's like he sat down and just wrote a poem. about how great you are. In spite of how you may feel about yourself.

Let me tell you, masterpieces are valuable. You can't find a cheap masterpiece. Masterpieces are costly because they have value. Psalm 139:14 says, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. David says, I'm not just some ordinary person sitting out here because I have the stamp of God on me, and that gives me my value.

So Who you are. As God has made you and then redeemed you. You are so valuable to God he was willing to die. for you. You don't get much more value than that.

That the king of the universe would become a man and die on the cross because that's how much you mattered.

So I don't care how your mama treating you, your daddy treating you, your cousins treating you, your auntie treating you, your uncle treat you, your mate treating you, your kids treat you, the God of the universe is there. You're valuable enough to die for. in order to redeem. Another thing I want you to know is that a masterpiece typically bears the name of its creator. It handles Messiah.

It's Beethoven's fifth. It's Michelangelo's David. They bear the name of their Creator.

So that when you see the masterpiece, you know who put it together. For we are his workmanship. created in Christ Jesus. You are Jesus' man. You are Jesus's woman.

You're not just a woman. You're not just amen. You are created in Christ Jesus. You bear his name. An acorn.

May not look like much when you look at it. But you put that baby in the right soil. And you're going to wind up with an oak. When you look at it, it may not seem special. It may just seem like a nut you can crack and eat.

It may seem like nut, but put that baby in the right soil. And give it the right time. And you got a monster on your hands, you got a beast on your hands. When God saved you, you may be an acorn now because he always starts us off as a seed. But you get that thing in the right soil.

See, and that's what the parable about soil and the sower and the seed is all about. The devil doesn't want the seed planted in the right soil so that the acorn never becomes an oak. He never wants you to reach your full potential. He doesn't want you to reach your destiny. He wants to keep you.

as a nut. He wants to keep you from reaching the height. Because the psalmist says in Psalm chapter 8, verses 4 through 6, that God created you to rule. There is a sphere of responsibility that he has given you that's unique to you because you were created by him. As this unique Masterpiece.

And so, what Satan wants to do is rip you away from your unique identity. He never wants you to realize who you are in Christ. He'll be satisfied if you realize who you are in relationship to other people. Because now you're always comparing yourself. You know, am I better than her?

Am I better than him? Can I keep up with her? And he will keep you focused on the Joneses.

So that you don't realize who you are in Christ. Let me tell you about mister Taylor. Mr. Taylor is known as a junkyard specialist. He goes to junkyards.

You know what he does? He finds stuff nobody else wants. it's in the junkyards that means it's been discarded it's been thrown away So he'll collect pieces from the junkyard and take it to his garage. And he will take junk yard pieces in his garage. and turn them into a contemporary art piece.

and sell it for $5,000. He goes to junk. Redeems it. Takes it to his garage. Reworks it.

And all of a sudden, something. that was viewed by somebody else as worth nothing. has now turned into a $5,000 contemporary art piece, cause Mr. Taylor. Knows how to grab junk.

And turn it into something valuable and make out of junk a masterpiece.

Now, I don't know where you were when God found you. I don't know what kind of situation you were in. But let me tell you about Mr. God. He knows how to visit the junk yard.

Those who've been abused and misused and rejected and overcome with evil and sin and circumstances, and take you to his grace yard. He can take you from the junkyard to the grace yard and reconfigure that thing so that you wind up understanding. You're not junk, you're a masterpiece. Created in Christ Jesus. Cause that's who you are.

And it's who you are because God said that's who you are.

Now, I know you may not be feeling it right now. Your circumstances may make you feel like I'm just a piece of junk right now. That may be how you feel. But right now we're discussing what God says. And God says, you are Pohima.

He's written a sonnet about you. God doesn't lie, the Bible says. He just said you're a masterpiece.

So if you look at yourself anything other than a masterpiece, you are lying to you. Because by two immutable things the Bible says it is impossible for God to lie.

So he calls you a masterpiece. That is what you are.

Now all you gotta do is learn to live up to the title. Because that's who you are.

Now that we know who we are, Dr. Evans will come back in a moment to tell us why we are. But first, I want to remind you about a brand new resource we're making available right now. Fighting the good fight devotional for men. In this daily devotional, Dr.

Evans comes alongside men with biblical encouragement for life's challenges, equipping them to live with strength, integrity, and purpose. and even if you're not requesting it for yourself, it makes a powerful gift for a husband, father, son, or friend. For a few short days we are offering a copy as our thank you gift. to those who support Tony's ministry with a contribution. On top of that, we'll also make available the digital downloads along with C Ds or a USB flash drive.

Containing all six full-length lessons in his current teaching series, Destiny: Let God Use You Like He Made You. Including material there isn't time to bring you on the broadcast. Contact us right away and take advantage of this double offer before time runs out next week. Visit us at tonyevans.org. or call us at 1-800-800-322 or a friendly resource team member standing by around the clock to help with your request.

That's 1-800-800-3222.

Well, here's doctor Evans once again with more of today's lesson.

So who are you? You are a masterpiece. Saved By grace But why? He says in verse 10, For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus. Four good works.

He saved you and made you a masterpiece because he had something he wanted you to do. And it's called good works. A good work. is a biblically Consistent activity that benefits other people for which God gets the credit. In other words, if God is not a part of it, it's not a good work.

It's a good thing. And in Isaiah 46, we read verses 9 and 10 these words: Remember the former things long past. For I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is no one like me. Watch this now.

Declaring the end from the beginning. and from ancient times things which have not been done. Saying, my purpose will be established, and I will complete all my good pleasure. God has already declared in the spiritual realm, the realm you can't see, where He wants you to wind up. He's already declared that in the unseen realm.

So that means there's no human being that has the last say over your life. There's no circumstance that has the last say over your life. They may be powerful, but they ain't God. They aren't God, so they don't have the final say-so. about your About your destiny.

Only God is God, and only God has the final say-so about his purpose for you. To take you from the physical realm in order that you may see what He has declared, what He has written. God has already written your story, Psalm 139, verse 1.

So here it is. Philippians chapter 2, verses 12 and 13. Work out your own salvation in fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do his good pleasure. The keyword is own. Work out your own.

Leave mine alone. I gotta leave yours alone. because ours is not the same. They're general things that apply to us all. to be conformed to the image of Christ.

That applies to all believers. But when it comes to the specific Design or destiny, he has, I must work that out myself. Nobody can do that for you. People can assist you and teach you and guide you and counsel you and all that, but they can't replace you. They can't walk it for you.

You must walk in. And that must be your decision because it's your feet. You must walk in it.

Now, let me tell you the secret. If you, here it is. If you do not walk in what God has revealed. You will not see what he wants to reveal. Let me say it again.

If you are not walking what he has revealed, You will not see, like he told Martha, he said when Lazarus died, he said, remove the stone. She said, but he's been dead four days and he stinks. Jesus said, I didn't ask you for a lesson in mortuary science. You will not see what I'm going to do after you remove the stone until you remove the stone. Until you walk in what I told you, you won't see what's next.

See, a lot of us want to say, I want to see what's next, and then God I'll tell you if I walk. But God says, no, you must walk by faith, not by sight.

So you respond to what I told you, and then I'll show you what's next.

So that's where the faith walk comes in. God has created you. He's crafted you for a purpose. You know, he gave Adam an assignment. He said, here's the garden and I want you to tend it.

That's your assignment. We gave him a specific task to do. You know what the devil did? mess up the assignment. That's the devil's job.

He wants to mess up the assignment so you don't fulfill the assignment, so you have to get booted out of the garden. He wants to mess up the assignment by getting us to act independently of God. And when you act independently of God, which is the great sin in the Bible, to act independently of God, to keep God's name and hang out with church and all that, but to live my life independently of him, if the devil can get you to do that, he can get you to detour your life illegitimately so that you come to the end of the life not being able to say, I'm finished. Yeah. When my mother was on that hospital bed and The doctor made the statement that we'll have to take your leg or you're going to die.

That's what he basically told her in a nice way. He said, y is it's your life or your leg? That's what it is. We were stupefied. Because her statement was, let me think about it.

And she said, let me think about it. because I'm ready to go. The only reason she chose her leg over her life. Because we were talking about this for hours and she kept going back and forth. The only reason she chose her leg over her life Yeah, yeah, yeah.

My daddy said, I would rather have you with no legs. than not have you at all. And out of a decision for his well-being. She made the decision to remove the leg. But as far as she was concerned, It didn't matter.

I don't know about you, but I want to end my life saying it don't matter. Because it's finished. Because it's finished. You have a destiny. And it's not just to live and to eat and to have fun and to, you know, do all the nice stuff that life, nothing wrong with that, but that your destiny will always be something biblically consistent that benefits others, for which God gets the glory, for which you have been uniquely crafted to do.

That leads us to whose you are, finally. I want you to know whose you are, because that's critical to this. Notice what verse 10 says. It says, We are here. His workmanship.

created in Christ Jesus. which God prepared beforehand. That we should walk in it. His, Christ Jesus, God prepared. Have you ever bought something, something expensive, an appliance, a television or something?

And you bought it. And you came home. And it didn't work. or didn't work right. You know how frustrating that is?

to buy something particularly if it costs you costs you a pretty penny And you get home. And it don't work. You are, you are. evangelically frustrated. You know why you're so frustrated?

because of the price you paid to get it. You see? If you're paid a high price, You expect it to work right. It is unfortunate that Jesus has paid this high a price and he can't get his folk to work right. You know another frustrating thing?

To buy something expensive, and it works sometimes. You feel like working today? It don't feel like working tomorrow. You feel like working today, would you be happy with a refrigerator that felt like cooling today but didn't feel like cooling tomorrow? A stove that felt like cooking today and didn't feel like cooking tomorrow.

A can opener that felt like opening the can today, and then the next day it's yawning talking about I ain't in the cans today, you know, a toaster that pops up the bread and... Pops up one bread. You got four things in there. Just all the other three don't want to come up right now. You wouldn't be happy with that.

You know why? Because the price you pay. expected a performance that would respond To the tag, to the price that was paid. Do you and I understand the price paid? Jesus Christ died on the cross for good works.

Not for you to decide to be a Christian sometimes. Not for you to decide to follow God's will.

So here's the key. Because you are God's workmanship, not your workmanship. You must merge on to the highway of his will. off of the ramp. the on-ramp of your life.

If you're going on an R ramp, you do not ask the cars on the highway to adjust. You know, no matter how big you are. You could be an 18-wheeler. But you have to slow down to the Volkswagen coming down the main highway because it has the right-of-way. You know what God is saying?

You are my workmanship. I have the right-of-way. You're on the on-ramp. Adjust to me. Or as Jesus said, not my will, but thy will be done.

When you adopt that mentality, not my will, but thy will be done, now you are his workmanship. I know everybody wants to say, God, bless me. And that's okay to ask God to bless you. But what God wants to know is: can He bless you in His will? Are you willing to say God I don't understand it.

I may not even like it, but because you're God, you know more than I know, I will merge into your will. And see where he takes you. And if you've never made the decision to follow God in the first place, all that can change for you today. Just visit tonyevans.org and and follow the link at the top of the home page that simply says Jesus. There, Dr.

Evans talks about how to know Jesus and how to grow in your relationship with God. Drop by TonyEvans.org today to find out more. And before Tony returns with his final point to day, I want to let you know that this lesson is titled Your Uniqueness and Your Destiny. and it's part of Tony's current series called Destiny Let God Use You Like He Made You. As we've been learning, God has an agenda for your life, a custom-designed calling that'll give you the deep sense of satisfaction that comes from making a real difference.

These six messages will help you discover your special assignment from God. and set a course toward accomplishing it. And remember, they're yours as our gift when you make a donation to help us keep Tony's teaching on this station. Along with it, you'll get the fighting the good fight devotional for men that I told you about earlier. But this double offer ends next week, so don't wait.

Requested online today at tonyevans. org. or call us at 1-800-800-3222. or someone on our resource team is waiting to help you. That's 1-800-800-3222.

Well, tomorrow Dr. Evans will tell us about how the Lord uses our experience to help direct us toward our destiny. and I hope you'll join us for that. but right now he's back with his final word of encouragement for to day.

Now you can't go back. to yesterday. You got to start where you are. But if you'll start where you are, even as you see, when you get off on the wrong exit. You don't just They off.

You get off on the wrong exit, well, let me just keep going. If you lost. You don't try to be lost or. Once you're lost and you find out you're lost, you want to work your way back to the main road so you can get on the highway to destiny. And if you will get on the main road, God will take you to where you need to go, even though you may have lost time.