I. INTRODUCTION
A. To accomplish anything, it is necessary to set goals.
1. Every person needs to have purposes and goals for which he is working. Otherwise, he is living aimlessly and is unlikely to achieve anything of value.
2. Even the Lord Jesus had goals when He came into the world (Matt. 5:17; 10:34; Mark 1:38; Luke 12:51; John 3:16; 9:39; 10:10; 12:27), which can be summarized in Luke 19:10 – "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
B. In this lesson, let us consider some godly goals and how to achieve them.
II. WHAT ARE SOME GODLY GOALS FOR YOU?
A. Become a genuine follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. As a true disciple of Christ, you will learn from and follow after Jesus in all things. Jesus said, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32).
2. In Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus advised those who would be His disciples: "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
B. Be pleasing to the Lord in all things.
1. As a subject of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is necessary to please Him in every area of life – home, work, church, recreation, etc.
2. Notice 2Corinthains 5:6-11 – "Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord – for we walk by faith, not by sight – we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. "
C. Save other souls.
1. As disciples of Christ, we have inherited a mission from the Lord that we should "go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15-16; see also Matt. 28:18-20).
2. By doing so, we may "have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh” (Jude 22-23).
D. Live a good life here on earth.
1. The world’s idea of "the good life” is one of luxury and opulence, but a life that is good in the sight of God is quite different from the world’s definition.
2. The life of a Christian is a truly good life, for Christians do good for their families, their fellow Christians, and their neighbors. Consider a few passages to this effect:
a. 1Thessalonians 4:11 – "…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you.”
b. Romans 12:17-18 – "Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”
c. Galatians 6:10 – "So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
d. Proverbs 13:22a – "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…”
E. Obtain eternal life in heaven with Jesus.
1. Your living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ is "to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1Pet. 1:4).
2. Notice Paul’s goals and ambitions in Philippians 3:12-14 – "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
III. SUBMIT YOUR GOALS TO GOD AND TRUST HIM
A. Make your plans in accordance with God’s word and offer them to the Lord in subjection.
1. To set goals and pursue them without regard for God is arrogant. Notice James 4:13-15:
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”
2. Disciples of Christ should always submit their plans in humility in the likeness of Jesus, who prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39).
3. God and His will should always be the center of any plans you make. Notice Proverbs 16:3 – "Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established.”
B. When you entrust your life’s goals to God, have confidence that He will help you succeed.
1. Every Christian needs to share the attitude of Paul, who wrote, "I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2Tim. 1:12).
2. Follow the example of Jesus, who came to save the lost by His dying sacrifice, and "kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1Pet. 2:23).
C. If you fall short of some of your goals, then accept that not everything works out in this world.
1. In a perfect world, the "good guys” that do everything right always win, and the "bad guys” that do everything wrong always lose. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world.
2. Consider Ecclesiastes 9:11 – "I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all.”
IV. WORK FOR YOUR GOALS
A. Setting goals and submitting them to God are not enough to achieve them. To accomplish your goals, you must work.
1. Good intentions do not guarantee good results. To achieve any of the goals mentioned before, you must "run in such a way that you may win” (1Cor. 9:24).
2. God does not do for us that which He enables us to do for ourselves. He requires us to work. Notice a few passages:
a. John 9:4 – "We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.”
b. Philippians 2:12 – "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”
c. 2Timothy 2:15 – "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”
3. When you set goals and begin to work for them, be sure to "finish doing it also” (2Cor. 8:11). Like many New Year’s resolutions, many goals are set, but their course is never finished because people grow tired of working.
B. Understand what will be required to reach your goals before you set out to achieve them, and don’t take your eyes off the goal.
1. In Luke 14:27-32, Jesus warned His disciples to count the cost of following Him before they began. If your goal is to be His disciple, then know that you must carry your own cross.
2. In Hebrews 12:2, we are told to run the endurance race of faith set before us, "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.” He stands at the goal and has shown us how to run the course.
V. CONCLUSION
A. The best goals of this life will be rewarded by God when this life is over. While we sow to the goals here on earth, we will reap the rewards there in heaven.
B. Therefore, let us set godly goals, submit them to the Lord, and work to achieve them. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1Cor. 15:58).