Whenever we think about the purpose of life, (especially when we are young) … we usually boil it down to the 3 basic things we heard and saw growing up:
1. EDUCATION
2. CAREER
3. FAMILY
“You need to get an education!! You need to go to college!! You need to get a job… so you can have a family… so you can live on a cul-de-sac / drive a minivan / and get a 4K TV … that you sit in front of, until you DIE!!”
IE: The reality for most of us is, since Junior High … “LIFE” has been like this TRAIN-RIDE that you’ve been on …and each year, the train gets faster and faster!!
It’s just full-speed head… because again:
“I’ve got to graduate High school, so I can go to college, so I can get a job…
so I can raise a family, so I can live in a cul-de-sac, so I can drive a mini-van, so I can retire;
so I can excel, succeed, and WIN… at this game called ‘life’.”
Yet, the reality is that so many people relate to the poet and great philosopher Henry David Thoreau, who said: “(Most men)… The mass of men, lead lives of quiet desperation.”
Then, there was William Wallace… (who in BRAVEHEART) stood before all his warriors; who in this moment, after years of fighting… Find themselves full of FEAR;
–they find themselves WEARY from war, ready to QUIT and go home.
IE: The battle cry of these men was self-preservation, safety and comfort.
And so, they said to their leader, (they said) – “We want to leave and to run, so that we may live.”
“We want to go home, for the English are too many.”
So, William Wallace gives them that ROUSING SPEECH where he says — “FIGHT, and you may die.”
“RUN, and you’ll live… for at least a while.”
“But dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all of the days (from this day to that)… FOR ONE CHANCE, just one chance… to come back here and tell our enemies; that:
— ‘They may take our LIVES, but they will never take our FREEDOM’!!”
IE: He gives them a CAUSE / He gives them PURPOSE!!
And then he summarized his speech, by saying — “Every man dies, but only a few men really live!”
I remember watching that in High School and going – “Man, that fires me up!!”
“I too want meaning and purpose to my life!!”
“I want to fight for a cause!!”
“I want to live for something greater than myself
But about 10 years later, (in my mid 20’s)… I experienced what I called ‘A Quarter-Life-Crisis’.
I looked around and thought – “Everything I’m chasing and pursuing, ISN’T satisfying my heart.”
And I was like – “I don’t want this. I don’t want to LIVE, and then DIE in this nothingness.”
So, in this midst of this season of sadness and gloominess… I remember that I randomly went and sat-down in my DAD’S office… and he looked up at me, (saw my deflated demeanor) and said:
— “What’s wrong son?”
And I told him… I said – “Dad, I just don’t really know what I want;”
“…I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do with my life.”
— And Dad said, “Well son, you’ve got to build your life on something…”
“…and I would recommend you don’t build it on something you’ve made-up.”
— He said, “Build your life, your ministry, your future ON a biblical truth… and then, build your principles, pursuits and your passions ON and AROUND that biblical precept.”
He was like – “Don’t just do stuff. INSTEAD, find out why God put you here …and then walk in that.”
And so, after that impromptu meeting / that divine appointment …I began to ask, pray and deeply consider: Why am I here? What am I here to do?
What is the reason and purpose for my existence and life?
And, (like my dad said) — I didn’t want to make something up.
I didn’t want some cool sounding, but incorrect answer.
Because listen… I’ve been to too many funerals, where people are there, trying to MAKE-UP some reason why their loved-one’s life was meaningful and worthwhile.
I didn’t want that!! I wanted THE ANSWER!!
I wanted THE ROCK-SOLID, FOUNDATIONAL answer!!
I wanted THE REASON WHY!!
I wanted to know what the old theologians meant by “THE CHIEF END OF MAN”…
I wanted the reason behind all the reasons.;
–What are we doing here?
–Why is all this here?
–What does all of this mean for how I live-out my days?
And what I have found, is that God gives us THE ANSWER… in His word. ☺
So, for the rest of our time together, I want to just read a bunch of verses of Scripture… [to help you see]
**WHAT your CHIEF END is;
**And WHAT the Bible says about WHY YOU’RE HERE.
Let’s start with this…
Q: Why is there a Heaven?
Why is there an Earth?
Psalm 19 says it exists for this reason: -To display THE GLORY of God.
It says — “The heavens declare of the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
Q: Why are YOU here?
Isaiah 43:6 – “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for MY GLORY.”
IE: You were made BY God, and FOR the glory of God.
You go, “Pastor Tim, what do you mean – ‘FOR the glory of God’?”
“GLORY” … in the Hebrew language, is tied directly to the word heavy or weighty;
…And it carries the idea of something having substance, value.
And so, when the Bible talks about ‘the glory of God’ …it’s talking about:
– His personal excellence, His attributes, His Holiness, His love and His beauty.
…and that they’re SUBSTANTIAL; (they’re not flighty and light)
They have substance, weight, depth!! -IE: Gravitas… as well as power!!
And then “GLORY” in the Bible is not just the internal substance. It’s the EMANATION of it.
It’s the REVEALING of it.
IE: It’s that which SHINES OUT, as we taste and see that the Lord is good.
And that’s why the Bible speaks to the fact, that:
–The reason all this (all of creation) is here …is so the attributes of God could be on display.
–And that the reason you’re here (and I’m here) …is so God’s attributes can be displayed in us.
… And so that, His glory could be PRAISED by us.
IE: The glory of God is what drives EVERYTHING God has done throughout history.
I mean, think about this:
Q: Why the Exodus?
Why deliver the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt? (The big story of our Old Testament)
A: Psalm 106:7 says – “Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not understand your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea…
Yet He saved them …(why?) …FOR HIS NAMES SAKE, that He might make known His mighty power.”
Then, in Exodus 7:5 God says – “The Egyptians shall know that I Am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt, and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”
IE: God said – “I’m going to deliver them, (not because of what they did)… but to bring GLORY to MY NAME, to show MY POWER.”
Then, in Exodus 9:15, God said to Egypt – “For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up… (here’s why)… to show you MY POWER, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”
Q: Have you ever wondered why there were TEN PLAGUES?
Was God just having fun? Was He bored?
Was God like – “Hmmm… let’s go ahead and do gnats. Nice!! That’d be cool!!”
“Let’s go with frogs this time, that sounds fun!!”
Q: Why 10 plagues?
God just said – “I could have simply ‘put out my hand’ and wiped you out!!”
[It would have been easy!! …easy, peazy, fo-sheazy, easy.]
Q: So, WHY did God drag it out?
WHY was there this whole event?
WHY the show / the display / the drama?
A: Well, God said — So you’d SEE my glory and my power!!
So that MY NAME would be proclaimed in all the earth!!
-God did it this way, so that His people would know He is God and that He loves them.
-God did it this way, so that the Egyptians would know He is more powerful and amazing… then all their little false god’s.
-And God did it this way, so that, by the time the Israelites get to the land of Canaan, there will be people there like Rahab who will say – “I have heard and I believe!!”
(It’s ALL for the glory of God!! It’s ALL for the praise of His name!!)
Q: Why did David kill Goliath?
A: David tells us before he lopped his head off – (David said) – “This is so the whole world will know, that there is a Lord in Israel.” 1 Samuel 17:46
Q: Why did God send the Israelites into Babylonian captivity?
IE: Why didn’t God just wipe the Israelites out, when they were sacrificing their babies;
breaking every law;
and violating every command?
A: Isaiah 48:9, (God says) – “For the sake of My name, I defer my anger; for the sake of MY PRAISE I restrain it for you… For my own sake, I do it… for how should my name be profaned? My GLORY I will not give to another.”
IE: He says – “Israel has rebelled against me… but I will be patient.”
Q: WHY?
(Because they are so cute? So smart? So deserving?) NO!!
A: He says – “For MY NAME / For MY GLORY… I will continue to work with broken, rebellious people.”
And incidentally that’s the ONLY HOPE you and I have.
Our ONLY HOPE that God will love us and care for us through all of our days… is because He’s interested in His glory; and how His love is magnified as He pours-out His love out on us;
…(as sinful / selfish / & rebellious) as we are
Q: Why did Jesus come?
Well, WHAT was the first thing those angels said about Him?
They said – “Glory to God in the highest.”
IE: They were saying – “Jesus, Immanuel has come… primarily for THE GLORY OF GOD.”
Maybe you are someone who loves the different NAMES for God.
–You like to say – “Jesus is my brother / He’s my friend.”
–Or, maybe you call Him FANCY NAMES, like — ‘Jehovah-Rapha’ // ‘Jehova-Nissi’ // or, ‘Jehova-Jireh’. ☺
Well, I’ll give you a name Jesus calls Himself in John 7:18.
He says – “I am the one who seeks the glory of Him who sent me.”
IE: Jesus says – “Do you want to know who I am? I am the guy who is all about the Glory of God”
And as we look towards THE CROSS, in John 12:27… (Jesus said) – “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But…for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, GLORIFY YOUR NAME.’”
Q: So, WHY did Jesus go to the cross?
A: Romans 3:24 says that – “(We are) justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins.”
IE: The reason Jesus went to the cross was (of course) …to demonstrate the righteousness of God;
…to shine-forth the reality that ‘God is righteous’
It was to be the propitiation… [the death/the payment] for all sin ever committed.
BUT… we also see, that ‘the cross’ wasn’t just about SAVING US…
***It was also about Him demonstrating HIS GLORY!!
Q: I mean, WHY did God save you?
A: Ephesians 1 says – “You were predestined to be adopted as sons… (why?)… to the praise of His glory
In fact, 3x’s Ephesians 1 will say – “The reason God called us / chose us / predestined us / and sealed us with His Holy Spirit… was to THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY!!”
1st Peter 2 says of THE CHURCH – “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession… (why?) …that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness, into His marvelous light.”
Q: Why are you a Christian?
A: Is it so that you won’t go to hell?
NO… it’s primarily so that you would proclaim the excellences of Him who called you out of darkness; and into His marvelous light, life and hope!!
And incidentally, (according to scripture)… the glory of God is the motivation for every MORAL-ACTIVITY.
-1st Peter to 2:12 says – “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, that they might see your good deeds and as they observe them, glorify God in the day of his visitation.”
IE: God’s Word says – “The reason we pursue morality / Godliness / and obedience… is so the world will SEE the beauty of the glory of God, and they’ll praise Him!!”
Q: I mean, WHY should we remain sexually pure? [What’s the point of that?]
50% of the sermons you heard in youth group, we’re about – ‘Don’t have sex until you’re married’.
Q: WHY?
A: Well, in youth group we were given all kinds of reasons… it’s sin;
-it could cause emotional trauma
-it could cause an unplanned pregnancy
-it could give you an STD.
(And all of those are true; but they are secondary motivators)
In 1st Corinthians 6 says, Paul said – “Flee immorality… Flee youthful lusts.”
Q: Ok, but WHY?
A: (He said) … “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who’s is in you?”
“Don’t you know that you’ve been bought with a price?’
“… (THEREFORE)… GLORIFY GOD in your body.”
Q: Why do you PRAY?
Jesus was asked by His disciples – “Lord, teach us how to pray.”
Q: And what did He say?
A: Did He say – “Well, you pray simply so you can ask God for stuff… it’s a cool deal.”
NO!!
He said – “If you want to know how to pray, start by saying – “Father, HOLY / HALLOWED is your name”
“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done.”
**That’s how you pray!!
**You pray for the name of God to be revered / treasured / respected / and adored.
Q: I mean, WHY do you do ANYTHING?
A: 1st Corinthians 10:31 says – “Whether you eat or drink (or whatever you do), do ALL for THE GLORY of God.”
I could keep going, (I had 3 more pages that I cut) …but I think you’re starting to get the point ☺
Now maybe you hear this and think… “Ok Tim… but WHY is this such great news?”
“… And HOW does this give my life purpose?”
Well, research shows that most people BELIEVE IN GOD… but, they don’t LIVE for the glory of God.
In fact, 10 years ago, Barna interviewed a bunch of people, and the first question they asked, was:
** “Is God an important part of your life?”
And a vast majority of people answered – “YES… God is important in my life.”
But then, the follow up questions were about: “What do you value and pursue?”
“What do you spend your money and your time on?”
“What do you dream about and chase?”
And Barna’s research revealed that in those specific (“How do I prioritize my daily life”)… questions:
– God, (a reference to God) showed up in only a tiny fraction of their answers.
IE: If you ask people – “Is God important and valuable to you and to your life?”
Most people say –“Oh yeah, of course.”
But, if you ask them – “Ok, what do you treasure? What’s important and valuable to your life?”
-Then, suddenly God was absent from their answer.
IE: When you see where people spend their money and their time…
When you see what captures their thoughts and imaginations…
When the hopes and dreams and ambitions of man are revealed…
…far too often, GOD (and His glory) IS NOT CENTRAL!! // His PRAISE is not paramount!!
But listen, God isn’t just SOMEONE who did SOMETHING…
No, He is EVERYTHING!!
Everything is BY Him, FOR Him, and THROUGH Him!!
Which means: My life is more than just Education // Career // Family // Retirement // and Fun…
My purpose is more than just “being moral” along the path of life…
It means: What I think about / What I care about / What I pursue / What I prioritize;
What I eat and how I eat it / What I drink and how I drink it;
Who I talk to and how I talk to them…
**ALL OF IT… [every breath, every word, every action] … is to DISPLAY and to REFLECT the glory of God!!
Q: So, what is the ‘Chief end of man’?
A: It’s to glorify God and to enjoy Him, forever!!
That’s why David said, (in Psalm 16:11) —
“You (O God), make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, and your right hand, pleasures forevermore.”
IE: It’s in God that all of our JOYS are made complete / and that all of our HAPPINESS is found.
In fact – It’s HARDWIRED in the human story to PRAISE things we value, (we do)… every single one of us.
You have a great song, and you enjoy it. Q: What do you do?
A: You play it for somebody. You say, “Listen to this song.”
You have a new show you like… Q: What do you do?
A: You tell people… “Hey you got to check out this show, it’s great.”
If you see a beautiful sunset… Q: What do you do?
A: You tell somebody to come look at it…
Or, you take a pic and upload it to IG, with the #epic / #sunsetonpoint
Q: WHY?
A: Because it’s so glorious, so beautiful… that: -you can’t keep it in…
-you can’t keep it to yourself…
**you must emanate and reveal the praise of its glory!!
One of our staff members recently bought the new iPhone 12 Pro… (and let me tell you what happened)
When Jake revealed it… We all moved toward it,
We all wanted to touch it,
We all wanted to experience it and enjoy it;
And as he showed us what it could do… **We praised it!! ☺
That’s who we are.
That’s what we’re made to do… to EXPERIENCE / to ENJOY / to SHARE… and to PRAISE.
And so, here’s the point:
If we found THE MOST VALUABLE THING in the Universe… then, we would want to experience it, enjoy it, share it… as well as praise it.
**And God says: “You have found it.” ☺
“You have found the most valuable thing in the universe. It’s Me!!”
“And now, I want you to come know Me and enjoy Me.”
“I want you to come discover that in My presence is fullness of joy.”
“And then, to SHARE and to ultimately PRAISE!!”
Because when you come to know the Lord …you come to the fountainhead;
…you come to the source of everything that you value;
And when you find that in Him… you’ll build your life ON and AROUND Him… and then you’ll PRAISE!!
[That’s why you’re here!!]
You aren’t here to just go TO school / TO get a job / TO get money / TO be safe / TO feel like you’ve won / TO be happy / TO retire / …and then TO die.
NO!! You were made for MORE than that.
You were made BY GOD and FOR THE GLORY OF GOD!!
And therefore, God’s Glory should impact every decision: -What you value
-What you pursue
-What you eat
-What you drink
-What you say
-What you do
…DO IT ALL, for the glory of God!!
Pastor Timothy Brock preaches on For the Glory. Please share online for others to see.
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