(1) As I began writing this sermon, I had trouble deciding how to start because I wasn’t sure where to start. I have preached on the five purposes, (worship, outreach, fellowship, discipleship, and service) in the past and I think that many here have read the book, The Purpose Driven Life. Yet I believe that the format of this series will be used by the Lord to really help each one of us come to realize that our purpose on this earth is more than mere existence. Rather, it is a very profound and meaningful existence when we allow God to be at the center of life, influencing and directing our decisions, priorities, values, and attitudes.
As I began to write, a very clear, if unusual illustration came to my mind. When you hear it at first you might be taken aback by the suggestion in the question. But, in light of what this series is about, discerning God’s purpose for each of us and our circumstances, it is a very good question to ask ourselves as we begin this series.
So,… ‘I begin with the end in mind.’ In other words, I want us to focus on the result, the product of not just this series but our own lives in light of what the Bible teaches us about God’s good plans and purposes. In other words, I want us to think about the question, (2) ‘How do I want to be remembered at my funeral?’ as a way to think seriously about God’s purposes in your life.
(3)Would you smile at the things being said about how you spent your dash? How do you want to be remembered at your funeral?
(a) By your family?
(b) By your co-workers?
(c) By your friends?
(d) By your church?
(e) By your God?
Now the point of this is not to put us in a mood of gloom and doom. I believe, and more important, I believe that the Bible teaches us that with God, life is good and meaningful even when it is hard and difficult. God wants to be, and is, with us during the heavy times as well as the lighthearted times.
Because God has given us life, the natural life that we experience on a daily basis and the eternal life that Christ offers us, we need to ask ourselves today and for the next 40 days, (4) ‘What on earth am I here for?’
It was a pointed question they asked Jesus and it came on the heels of an interesting discussion with a group who did not believe in a resurrection about the resurrection and who will be married to whom in the afterlife. The Sadducees had their shot at tripping up Jesus and He had silenced them as Matthew writes in verse 34 of our main text. Now it was the Pharisees turn.
It is a very good question. It is one of those questions that goes to the heart of the matter. It is a question about what constitutes the essentials of the faith. It is also a critical question because the answer to it reveals what God thinks is most important. (5)
‘Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?’
The debates that Jesus had with the Pharisees and Sadducees, two key schools of the Jewish faith in that day, dealt with interpretations of the sacred text as it related to issues of faith. Issues such as, who the Messiah was and what He was going to do; what constituted sin; what was acceptable on the Sabbath; how God healed; how a follower of God’s loyalty to the governing authorities was to be expressed; how sinful behavior was to be dealt with.
In this situation however, the issue of what was at the top, what was the greatest command of God to the people, is the central issue. ‘So Jesus, what is the greatest thing that God tells us to do?’
What then, is the purpose of our faith, the purpose of our obedience, the purpose of our laws? What is the purpose of life?
Jesus wraps it up in one word – love.
“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
In this passage, Jesus simply makes clear what God made clear from the very beginning – that He loves us and wants our love (and obedience) in the return.
However, what about all of the rules and guidelines and rituals that are in the Old Testament? What if we looked at them as the way that God provided the Israelites to learn to love Him because they had to learn how to love Him?
(6) To love Him with all our heart is to put the First Commandment into practice, ‘Do not worship any other gods besides me.’ When we love someone, they usually are constantly in our thoughts, right? The same holds true with God.
(7) To love Him with all our soul is to let go of anything that keeps us from doing so. It is putting the Second Commandment into practice, ‘Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god!’ I will have more to say about this in a moment.
(8) To love Him with all our mind is to think and meditate on the truth of Scripture and the truth of God. It is putting the Fifth Commandment into practice, ‘Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you.’ Taking time for worship, prayer, meditation, and study enables us to think about and on the Lord. Paul wrote in Romans 12:2 ‘let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.’
I think that all of this was obvious to Jesus’ audience as we know they were well versed in the Law and the Prophets. They knew what we now call the Old Testament backwards and forwards as it was their course and subject of study. It was their life. They knew what He was talking about and I think that they would agree with what He had said… so far. But Jesus goes further, ‘A second is equally important,’ He goes on to say, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
It seems to me that the first part of this passage ties in with the first five Commandments all of which deal with our relationship with God. The addition of the second one focuses on the last half of the ten, ones that deal with our relationships with others.
In Luke’s account of this conversation, he notes that Jesus follows up the questioner with the story of the Good Samaritan and in Mark’s account the segment concludes as follows:
‘The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbors as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.” Realizing this man’s understanding, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
In this key passage Jesus expands God’s purpose beyond the ‘normal stuff’ that we have been told to do. He says that God’s greatest command to us is to not just love Him but to love our neighbors as well. We then get a sign here that God’s purpose for us is multi-faceted and has to do with relationships with others as well as our relationship with the Lord.
I suggest this morning that we take the next five Sundays and the five purposes and view them as a way of loving God and our neighbor. Now our guest speakers may not make that clear connection but look for it.
Speaking of the five purposes, let’s take a brief look at each of them.
(9) (a) Worship brings God pleasure. Listen to Romans 12:1 as translated in ‘The Message’ version of the Bible, ‘Take your everyday, ordinary life –your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering.’ Many centuries ago a believer name Brother Lawrence came to the place where he realized that he could worship God no matter what he did. His story and journey is found in the book Practicing the Presence of God. Worship is not just a 9:30 Sunday morning activity, it is an attitude and a habit that we need to cultivate each and everyday of our life.
(9b) Outreach brings God and people together. Listen to John 17:18 from ‘The Message:’ ‘In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world.’ This is Jesus praying for the disciples one last time before He would be arrested, tried, and crucified.
I rejoice in the fact that outreach, that mission, was on Jesus’ mind during this time. He knew that the outcome of the next several hours would form the message of the mission that the disciples and us would spread throughout the world. It is a message of hope for when we reach out to others not just by our words but by our actions, we demonstrate love for our neighbor in Jesus’ name.
You have heard me say this before and I will say it again, (and so has Rick Warren) ‘each one of us has a ministry out there in our community and world.’ In discovering and entering in to it, we bring God and people together.
(9c) Discipleship increases our love for God and care for others. The Living Bible translation of Colossians 2:7 says, “Let your roots grow down into Christ and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth.” This truth is not merely a set of beliefs that we copy onto a page and recite from time to time. This truth that Paul speaks of is a living and dynamic truth that is found in the Lord Himself and in the life that we are given through a personal relationship with Christ. In other words, when Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life,’ He was describing the reality and power of God as a living and breathing spirit and not a set of ideas to be debated. It is thus about a relationship with God and not a class about God. As we then mature in our faith, it increases our capacity and ability to love God and others.
(9d) Fellowship deepens the bonds of between others and the Lord. The Contemporary English Version of Colossians 3:15 says, ‘Each one of you is a part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace.’
Where would we be without people who care for us and about us? How many times have you been given a much needed boost by a kind word or note from another member of this church? How many times has your faith been strengthened by fellow believer?
Fellowship is a critical aspect of God’s purposes for us. It is a key way that we live the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor.
Granted, we do not see ‘eye-to-eye’ on everything. But, when disagreements occur (and they will) how we resolve those disagreements is based in part on the quality of our bonds. If we have built good bonds of fellowship then the disagreements and tough issues that we face from time to time will be resolved well.
(9e) Service brings people hope. In Romans 12:5 we read, ‘Since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be.’ A Danish proverbs says, ‘What you are is God’s gift to you; what you do with yourself is your gift to God.’
In serving, we bring people hope because love of God and love of neighbor is best expressed by serving others. Jesus made that clear in his words about the cup of cold water as we read in Matthew 10:42, ‘And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.’
As Rick Warren has said, ‘God has a place in his church where your specialties can shine and you can make a difference. It’s up to you to find that place.’
I believe that we are going to hear a good word from the Lord these next few weeks. I believe that the Lord wants to speak to each of us and give each of us a clearer understanding of His purpose for us. Are you ready to hear from Him? Are you ready to listen for and to Him?
(10) I conclude this morning with some comments that were made by Joe Stowell at the Promise Keepers conference in Grand Rapids last month. He called them ‘problems’ I call them ‘barriers to progress’ that we need to be aware of as we enter this 40 Days of Purpose.
We will be dealing with them as we hear about discipleship, fellowship, ministry, service and worship over the next five weeks. God is aware of them as well and wants to overcome them. The Evil One is aware of them as well and he will do all he can to keep us from overcoming them.
(10a) The barrier of personal limitations is the first barrier. The great men and women in the Bible dealt with the things. We need to admit to these barriers and turn them over to the Lord so that we are freed to pursue His purposes for us.
(10b) The barrier of a limited perspective is the second barrier. Our vision is cloudy because we are not perfect and cannot see like God can. Again, think of your favorite Bible character, he or she had a limited perspective. During the next forty days allow the Lord to help you see what He wants you to see.
(10c) The barrier of a predisposition to fear is the third barrier. Fear holds us back and Satan loves to keep us afraid because then he wins! What are you afraid of? List your fears and bring them to the Lord! Be aware they can strike (and they will) at any time. But turn them over to Jesus!
(10d) The barrier of a transitional season is the fourth barrier. Some of us are in a transitional period in life. In some ways I feel that I am especially since mom’s cancer discovery. Life is not the same as it was. These barriers can paralyze us if we let them. But, ‘to everything there is a season, a purpose under heaven.’ Don’t let the transitions of life cause you to freeze but let God come closer to you in them and help you move forward through them with Him.
(10e) The barrier of false expectations is the final barrier. Last month we looked at Judas and considered how his false expectations were a part of his betrayal. I don’t expect this 40 Days of purpose to be a magical cure. But I do expect that it will help each of us move forward as individuals and as a church as we listen and follow the Lord.
Stowell concluded with this comment, ‘What is God getting you ready for that you cannot [rely on yourself to do?]’
Someone has said, ‘the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’ and this morning I am asking you to make a single step into the future that God has for you and us as this church.
I am asking that if you are ready to begin this 40 Days of adventure and discovery that you step out of the pews and simply walk down the aisles to the altar for a time of prayer as we conclude this morning. I am not going to ask you to do anything but that.
No matter where you are in live, no matter what your issues (your barriers are), I challenge you to simply come and express your desire to move forward into the future that the Lord has for you by coming forward this morning. Are you ready? I am! Amen.
Power Points for this sermon are available by e-mailing me at pastorjim46755@yahoo.com and asking for ‘100806slides’ Please note that all slides for a particular presentation may not be available.
