Sunday Sermons
Salt and Light
It has been noted that the average life span today is 25,550 days, which means that our time here is extremely limited and that people need to set aside some of this time and figure out why they are here. Unfortunately, when some people ask the question, “What is my purpose for this life?”, they immediately think of their own personal goals, such as marriage, family, and career. It is easy to ask questions with the wrong motivation, such as, “What do I want to be?” “What should I do with my life?” Or, “What are my goals, my ambitions, and my dreams for my future?” Please note that the purpose for your existence will not be found by looking within yourself (Jeremiah 10:23), and neither will it be found in making yourself the center of the question. Even religious people can fall into the trap of using God and Christianity as a means to achieving their own personal goals, without any real consideration of what God considers to be the true goal, “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17), that is, really understand what the Master wants. Remember, being successful and fulfilling the purpose for which you were created is not the same thing. A person could reach all their personal goals and still miss the real purpose of life (Daniel 5:23).
The Temporary Assignment
Someone described life here as simply “preschool”. Our time on this earth is extremely short-lived, “Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath” (Psalm 39:4-5). Our earthly life is described in the Bible as a mist, a fast runner, a breath, and a wisp of smoke. The idea is that we are not going to be here for that long, so do not get too attached. In fact, the Bible views this life as a pilgrimage, as if we were temporarily living in a foreign country (1 Peter 2:11 “as aliens and strangers”). “Compared with other centuries, life has never been easier for much of the Western world. We are constantly entertained, amused, and catered to. With all the fascinating attractions, mesmerizing media, and enjoyable experiences available today, it’s easy to forget that the pursuit of happiness is not what life is about. Only as we remember that life is a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment will the appeal of these things lose their grip on our lives”(The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren p. 49). In fact, this is one reason why Christians should rejoice in trials (James 1:2-4),for such things provide a very useful service in keeping us from becoming too comfortable in this world. They remind us that this is not our true home, and that lasting happiness cannot be found here, so we should stop trying to find it in physical things. The Psalmist noted, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statues” (Psalm 119:71), and God had reminded the Israelites centuries before us that He had allowed them to experience trials and hardships so that they would place their trust in Him and not in the temporary things of this world (Deuteronomy 8:3). So let us be grateful and appreciative for the aches and pains of life, for they remind us, “Oh yea, I almost forgot, this is not heaven yet!”
Lasting Forever
In contrast to our brief earthly sojourn, we need to remind ourselves that we were created to last forever. All human beings will spend eternity somewhere! (Matthew 25:46). Life on this earth offers many choices, but eternity offers only two, heaven or hell. C.S. Lewis noted, “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God ‘Thy will be done’ and those to whom God says,‘All right then, have it your way’. Sadly, many people will have to endure eternity without God because they decided to live without Him while here on earth (Romans 2:6-11). Let us remember, that God does not merely have a purpose for us while on this earth, but His purpose for us stretches throughout eternity as well (Matthew 25:34 “inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”). “C.S. Lewis captured the concept of eternity on the last page of the Chronicles of Narnia, his seven-book children’s fiction series: ‘For us this is the end of all stories but for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world had only been the cover and title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read, which goes on forever and in which every chapter is better than the one before”(Warren p. 39). It is so easy to believe that all the things that have happened on the earth are the “great stories” or the “major events” of history, without realizing that these are only the events and happenings that transpired in a temporary assignment.
Our Purpose Here
· Acts 17:26-27:
“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us”
One might say that man’s purpose is to “seek God” and the above passage is so full of hope. At times Christians worry about people who live in places where churches are few or non existent and they wonder what chance does a person have in such a place to actually find God and His truth? This verse informs us that God is the author of every race and thus every race is created in His image and has eternity in their hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). “Unlike the animals, immersed in time, we long to see them (events) in their full context, for we know something of eternity: enough at least to compare the fleeting with the ‘for ever’ (Kidner p. 39). “People have longing or desire to know the extra temporal significance of themselves and their deeds or activities” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 984). We have a sense of the infinite. Built into each one of us is the ability to look back into the past and forward into the future. Of all creatures on this earth, man is the one who thinks about where he has been and where he is going. Thus one more proof that God created us is our ability to grasp the concept of “eternity”, but we know just enough to make us realize the vast amount that we do not know. “We see enough to recognize something of its quality, but the grand design escapes us, for we can never stand back far enough to view it as its Creator does, whole and entire” (Kidner p. 39). All human beings have the capacity and ability to ask the right questions, all have a basic drive to find the true meaning of life and all do have a need for God.
· Ecclesiastes 12:13-14:
“The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil”
When every argument or thought has been heard, the summation is simply that man’s purpose here is to hold God in awe and serve Him faithfully, and this is the purpose not merely for every Israelite (when Solomon wrote this book), but for every human being on the face of the earth. Therefore, to obey God is what it means to be truly human. “Humanity sought to become like God in disobeying Him, but instead they lost the one thing that made them truly human” (Garrett p. 344). Lit., this expression (this applies to every man) means “this is every man”, i.e. this is the duty of every man. “We might translate it, ‘is all that there is to man’” (Kidner p. 107). “For this man was made and placed in the world; this is his real object, the chief good, which he has to seek, and which alone will secure contentment and happiness” (P.P. Comm. p. 306). May I suggest that there is another step that we need to take to see man’s true purpose. Yes, man needs to seek God, find Him and obey Him. Yet, human obedience can be marred by lack of enthusiasm, joy or genuine love (1 Corinthians 13:1-4). Carefully note how Jesus described His life on this earth: “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). Thus man’s purpose is not simply compliance to God’s commands, but an obedience that glorifies God.
· Matthew 5:16:
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven”. “To the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:12). “To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever” (3:21).
Notice the expression, “in such a way”. Does our present obedience glorify God? Or is our obedience more mere duty than genuine love? In the Old Testament God said concerning Israel, “Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made” (Isaiah 43:7). In like manner, do we realize that we are the people created for God’s glory? John Piper noted a very accurate observation when he said, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him”. Paul called upon Christians to “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect” (Titus 2:10). “To embellish with honor” (Thayer p. 356); “Adorn, do credit to, that they may do credit to the teaching in all respects”(Arndt p. 445). When we act upon the truth we are demonstrating how attractive the doctrines in the gospel really are. Hearing “Love your neighbor” is one thing, seeing it is another. Such conduct brings reality and added credibility to the message. Onlookers will say, “See Christianity really does work”.
Applications
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Notice the expression, “or whatever you do”. One paraphrase here says, “Take your everyday, ordinary life, your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life and place it before God as an offering”. God needs to be honored and magnified in every area of our lives, even the things that we might think are mundane and typical. One example of this would be working hard even at a boring or seemingly unimportant task, because one realizes that they are actually working for the Lord(Ephesians 6:5-7). Look closely at your life. Are you glorifying God in the way that you work, in your attitude at the office, in the way you treat others, in the way you talk about your family, or parents? In how you react to inconveniences? Does your marriage glorify God, I mean, could God use it as an living example as to why the marriage relationship that He designed in a wise and good thing, and far better than any other human option? Christians need to realize that they can take any aspect of their life and use it as a way to bring honor and glory in the eyes of others to God who wrote the Bible.
Added to this, is God being honored and magnified by the manner in which we study His word, pray to Him, the spirit in which we attend services, give, sing or partake of communion? How concerned are we about pleasing Him? (2 Corinthians 5:9) Or, how concerned are we about God getting the glory, the credit and not ourselves? Do we honestly desire that God receives all the credit? (1 Corinthians 1:31). God has bestowed so many blessings upon us, have we really returned and given Him meaningful and lasting praise? (Luke 17:15-18). Let us be determined like Jesus, to see to it that our lives seek to manifest God’s greatness, compassion, love and truth to a lost world (John 7:18). What is so amazing about this concept is that fallible people like ourselves can actually glorify God. The way I think and act on a daily basis can reveal the wisdom and glory of God!
