New Purpose - Glorify God
New Year, New You • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 30:40
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· 26 viewsWe finish our New Year, New You series today thinking about what the point of living really is? When you follow Jesus, you get a new purpose for living.
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What’s the point?
What’s the point?
By now you’ve probably heard of Marie Kondo.
She’s a tidying expert.
Her philosophy or method is called the KonMari method. The idea been you go through all your stuff starting with your clothes and you, “keep only those things that speak to the heart, and discard items that no longer spark joy. Thank them for their service – then let them go.”
The purpose of your things is to give you joy, no joy no keeping them.
I wonder if the purpose of your things is meant to be sparking joy, then that probably reveals something of the greater purpose of your life doesn’t it. To be joy filled, or to be happy.
This latest craze of tidying up, who knew that could be a craze, I think actually is just another fad in our culture’s belief that to be human is to be happy. This is the point of your life. The is the goal. And, as long as you don’t hurt anyone else, you should seek personal happiness over and above all else.
How’s living life with the ultimate goal of happiness working out for us? Terribly!
Three million Australians are currently experiencing anxiety or depression.
(Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2008). National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results, 2007. Cat. no. (4326.0). Canberra: ABS.)
3,128 Australians took their own life in 2017.
This represents 262 more deaths than the previous year.
Self-harm is now ranked the 13th leading cause of death, moving up from 15th position in 2016.
This is the highest recorded rate in the past 10 years.
(http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/3303.0~2017~Main%20Features~Intentional%20self-harm,%20key%20characteristics~3; https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/26/australias-rising-suicide-rate-sparks-calls-for-national-target-to-reduce-deaths)
And of course we know that some of the people we think ought to be the happiest, those who are successful, rich and famous, are in fact often some of the most unhappy and unsatisfied people going around.
Old Purpose - Take all the glory
Old Purpose - Take all the glory
Well all this makes sense when we think about how the Bible describes our reality.
Remember that in Genesis we have the story of God creating a good world and humanities ultimate rejection of God’s purposes.
Adam and Eve in Genesis Chapter 3 decided that instead of trusting God, they would go about things their own way. The effectively looked at the fruit hanging from the tree of the knoweldge of good and evil and thought I know God said we shouldn’t but I think this will actually make me happy. Life will be better if I do eat it. What would God know anyway.
And of course when you say you know better than God you are exalting yourself over Him. You are a self-glorifier instead of a God glorifier.
And what happens to someone who choses their own glory instead of God’s?
Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden and forced to live in a land cursed by sin.
Jesus warns each of us too of the consequences of ignoring him and choosing to live for our own glory.
Matt 25:31-34; 41; 46
‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
‘Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
‘Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
‘Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.’
The futility of chasing glory in the here and now is that you’ll miss out on sharing in God’s glory for all eternity and will instead be faced with judgment.
Not only is it futile as we look at the stats, it’s eternally futile too.
New Purpose - Give God the glory
New Purpose - Give God the glory
Instead of living your your own glory. The bible calls us to live for God’s glory.
End of verse 11 in our reading today from 1 Peter 4 (v11).
…So that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
The bible in fact is full of verses about how our purpose is to live for God’s glory.
OT
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name for ever.
Not to us, Lord, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.’
Jesus in the gospels instructs us to live for God’s glory too:
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Paul in his letters in the NT:
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
1646
Sums all this teaching of the bible up in it’s very fist question:
Q: What is the chief end of man?
Gives the answer:
A: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. (WSC Q.1)
What is the purpose of your life?
It’s not happiness, or proving to the world you’re a half decent human being. It’s glorifying God.
What does it mean to glorify God?
To point to the goodness and grace of God in the way you live and act.
How do we do that?
Tips for Living a New Life Focussed on God and giving him glory
Tips for Living a New Life Focussed on God and giving him glory
Peter actually gives us some pretty good advice in our reading today:
Pray
The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.
Prayer is the great act of humbling yourself and admitting you can’t do this life on your own. It’s a God glorifying act because it puts you in the place of humble servant of God.
Make time for it. First thing in the morning, last thing at night.
Paul says
17 pray continually,
Or unceasingly.
Learn how to pray:
ACTS - Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication (asking for stuff)
TSP - Thanks, Sorry Please
Lord’s Prayer
Tim Keller - Prayer best book I’ve read on the subject.
Love others
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
We bring glory to God when we demonstrate love for others, especially if the other person has sinned against us.
When you love someone you care about them, you want the best for them, you go out of your way to help them.
Be that kind of person both as part of this community, your spiritual home, but also in the other places God has sent you, work, family friends.
Be hospitable
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
I head a stat once that in Australia people very rarely will have people into their homes unless they are immediate family. We build big houses with big fences and electric garage doors so we don’t have to see our neighbours and so we can escape from the world.
God says, be hospitable and do it joyfully.
Having people into our homes.
Buying lunch/drinks for our colleauges
Always being willing to provide for the needs of others when you’re able.
Use Your gifts
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
So often the things we are good at we use to bring glory to ourselves. But when we bring God glory we remember our skills and the things we are good at are gifts from God and he calls us to use those gifts in service of others.
Sign up to a ministry in church
Help your colleagues/friends
Verse 11 gives us 3 more things to do (watch your words, rely on God’s strength, point to Jesus).
Watch your words
If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
I am a chronic speak before I think kinda person.
The scriptures constantly remind me that how I speak matters. And that I should be careful in my speech and this is God honouring.
So too should you be.
Rely on God’s strength
If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Serve with God’s strength.
Again this is an antidote to serving in our own strength so we can take the glory.
Point to Jesus
If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Finally in all of life, we point to Jesus. If we are people of prayer. Who love others deeply, show hospitality, use our gifts, watch our words, and rely on God’s strength then our lives will point others to Jesus and this is ultimately where God’s glory is truly seen.
The death and resurrection of Jesus show us mostly clearly what God is like.
Lexham Survey of Theology God’s Glory
The glory of God is the splendor and brilliant beauty that shines through all of the divine attributes but is especially evident in the crucified and risen Christ.
Follow Jesus in 2019
Follow Jesus in 2019
This series has hopefully encouraged you to reaffirm your desire, or perhaps make it your desire for the first time, to follow Jesus in 2019.
For it is when we look to Jesus that we see that God loves each of us deeply, and that he wants all of us be different in 2019. Not better versions of ourselves, but people who are more like Him and who share his love with our world and so bring him glory both now and forever. Amen.