The Christian Purpose

Have you ever considered the purpose in your life. While we often study from Ecclesiastes when considering this topic, we also see a few statements by Jesus that define His purpose on this world. If we want to be Christians – that is, Christ-like individuals – our purpose and his purpose should be one and the same.

To Seek and Save
In Luke 19, we meet a tax collector named Zacchaeus who seeks Jesus out. Jesus goes to dine with this person, and the Scribes and Pharisees criticize Jesus for associating with corrupt sinners, but Jesus calls Zacchaeus a son of Abraham for his willingness to repent of wrongdoing. In verse 19, then, Jesus says:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Mark 16 and Matthew 28 contain passages we refer to as the great commissions. In Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:18-19, Jesus tells His disciples to teach and make disciples. As Jesus comes to seek and save the lost, and He tells His followers that their purpose should be the same. This mission is not for the apostles alone; it is for everyone who puts on the name of Christ.

In Romans 10:14, Paul rhetorically asks how anyone can come to Christ without belief; how anyone can believe without hearing of Him; how anyone can hear without those willing to teach. Are we looking for those who are looking for Him? He came to seek and save. We should be doing the same.

To Call Sinners to Repentance
In Mark 2:13, Jesus meets a publican named Matthew, and Jesus goes to eat with them. Again, we see religious leaders criticizing Jesus for these actions, but Jesus answers this way in verse 17:

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

It is difficult to call someone, or even ourselves, to change. It infers that you or I are doing something wrong. Jesus comes to emphasize repentance, though, and He associates with those most in need of change. He shows care and concern, and, rather than demanding them to heal themselves before coming to the Great Physician, He reaches out to those in need of His grace.

To Do His Father’s Will
In John 6:35, Jesus is teaching those He fed with the loaves and the fish of the true nature of spiritual food and His purpose among them. He encourages them to satiate their spiritual hunger and thirst more than their physical needs, and, in verse 38, He says:

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

As difficult as it is, Jesus is focused on the will of the Father, knowing the fate awaiting Him. We have a difficult time setting our own will aside for that of another, but that is exactly what Jesus does in His life of ministry. John 14:24 records Jesus saying that His teachings come from the Father, and He teaches, in Matthew 7:21, of the importance of bending our will to submit to God’s.

To Meet His Final Hour
John 12 records Jesus teaching His disciples of His impending fate, and He asks, in verse 27:

“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.”

There are many things in this life we wish we could remove ourselves from, but Jesus does not turn aside from the painful hour set before us. I Corinthians 10:13 assures us our own trials will never go beyond our breaking point, but we must recognize the difficulties that lie ahead. In I Corinthians 3:10-15, Paul speaks of fires that will try the foundation upon which we build our lives. As Jesus was tried, we will also be tried as if by fire. Will we come out refined?

Conclusion
The sinless Son of God sees meaning in our lives, enough to sacrifice Himself in our stead, and He gives us a purpose in His sacrifice. We should have the same sense of purpose He demonstrated to endure trials, to do God’s will, to reach out to those in need of His grace, and to seek and save the lost. If we are Christ-like individuals, we should live with the same purpose we see in Christ’s life.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Seeking Meaning

We are in a time of year when we tend to be more reflective and more thankful for the things we are blessed with. We tend to give more thought to the meaning of this life. We all want purpose or a reason for living. What are we contributing? What difference do we make as individuals? Thoughts such as these take us naturally to the book of Ecclesiastes.

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon seeks to understand meaning in life so he may share what he learns with others. He calls life under the sun is unprofitable. What this means is that life has meaning, but if we only define ourselves by things of this world, we will ultimately find life meaningless.

Vanity Under the Sun
There is a certain amount of gloom in studying this book. Ecclesiastes 2:11 is only one instance of Solomon expressing distress over the vanity of worldly pursuits. Despair comes when we define ourselves by nothing but carnal standards. Time and again throughout Ecclesiastes 2 and beyond, Solomon expresses despair over his accomplishments. He speaks of vanity – of things that have no true support or continuance.

Solomon sets out to discover whether or not man can find real advantage from his works in this life. He asks this in chapter 1:3 when he asks what profit comes of his labors. He also pursues what, indeed, man should pursue in this life. Chapter 2:3 begins this exploration. He seeks purpose in work, in pleasure, and in general.

Searching for Purpose in this World
Success, friendships, education, comfort, family, wealth, glory, power, enjoyment – all of these are often cited as meaningful in life. In Ecclesiastes 2:1, Solomon begins his search for meaning in pleasures. Chapter 2:16 records him seeking wisdom and honor. Chapter 2:8 records his amassing wealth and possessions. Ecclesiastes 5:10-14 tells us that we will never be satisfied with our material possessions. In all these, Solomon finds vanity.

Ecclesiastes 6:3 explores the joys of a large family. Chapter 1:17 tells of Solomon’s search for worldly wisdom as well as madness and folly. Also, chapter 2:4 begins his search to make a name for himself and surround himself with comfortable things only to realize he would leave everything to someone else. Again, he finds vanity in these worldly pursuits.
If happiness cannot be found in all these things, then why not explore the pleasures of sin? Hebrews 11:24-25 speak about the joys of sin, but these joys are fleeting. The Hebrew author describes their effects as but a season. Romans 6:20-21 speaks of sin as a slave-master that drives one unto death. No true profit or benefit comes from sinful living. Sin does not produce love, respect, or purpose – only harm.

Meaning in Hope
Solomon concludes that life has purpose when it is focused beyond the sun. Under the sun – upon this world – we find little, but God gives us much. Ecclesiastes 2:24, chapter 3:12-13, chapter 5:18-19, all speak of doing good, for goodness is a gift from God. Chapter 8:12, 11:9, 12:13 – these remind us to focus on our Creator. In God, we find goodness and purpose. He motivates us to share that goodness with others, and Solomon assures us that remaining mindful of and obedient of God fulfills the purpose we seek.

There is much for which we can be thankful. We have many worthwhile pursuits, and many of us have professions that help us care for our families. However, the things of this world cannot distract us from the true purpose of this life – the life that is to come. Solomon concludes that God gives our lives purpose and meaning, and, because of that purpose, we have hope.

sermon by Tim Smelser

Here I Am To Worship

What do you think of when you hear the word worship? What is your concept of a worship service for God? We are assembled together because we feel a sense of devotion or obligation to God, but sometimes we struggle with how to worship Him. This is nothing new, and the question of worship has been around since the first family. More and more, there is a growing trend to adjust worship to make it more appealing to the general public or ourselves. The question remains whether or not that is actually what God wants.

Honoring God’s Worth
The most common Greek word for worship literally means to prostrate oneself in homage. In older English, the word was “worthship.” It was giving honor to one considered worthy of praise. In Psalm 96:4, the psalmist appeals to God’s people to fear and honor Him. He assigns honor, glory and majesty to Jehovah as is due His name. Psalm 95:6-7 invites God’s people to bow down and kneel before our Creator, and Psalm 100:3-5 reminds us that we are His creation and His flock to whom he grants loving kindness. Does our worship reflect this honor and humility before the Lord?

In John 4, Jesus enters into a conversation regarding worship with a Samaritan woman, and, in verses 23-24, Jesus explains that God wants our sincere worship. He seeks our worship. As a parent wants love and obedience from a child, as a spouse want love and fidelity, our Creator wants us to love and honor Him. In our pursuit to worship Him, we have to respect what He considers to be true worship. As the First Covenant was being founded, God was meticulous in making sure His people would reflect His character. Likewise, our worship today should also be reflecting the character and the desires of our Lord.

Worship Reflecting God’s Character
In Genesis 4:3, Cain and Abel make offerings to the Lord. Abel brings of his best while there is an implication that Cain may have offered an inferior sacrifice. God, as a result, respect for Abel’s worship. Nadab and Abihu, in Leviticus 10, seek to worship God in their own way by burning offerings in an unauthorized way. These were priests, sons of Aaron, but they were bound by God’s wishes. Matthew 15:6 records Jesus telling spiritual rulers of His day that they are voiding God’s word by supplanting His precepts with their traditions. These examples teach us that worship must reflect our best efforts, that worship means glorifying God, and that worship must honor His name.

Giving God Our Best. The Lord’s Supper is something we observe on a weekly basis based on the New Testament model. We are attending a memorial service in this, and there is nothing contemporary or casual about a memorial, contemplating Christ’s death and resurrection. Sometimes we act like God should be thankful for our presence when we should be the ones thankful for this time in our God’s presence. Hebrews 13:15 describes our worship as sacrifice, and I Peter 2:5 describes Christians as members of a spiritual house and a holy priesthood offering sacrifices to God. My time and resources may have to be sacrificed to give God my best, but God has never accepted inferior sacrificed.

Glorifying Our God. In Leviticus 10, after Nadab and Abihu perish, God explains that He must be sanctified and glorified by those coming near to Him. Aaron holds his peace at this because he knows his sons failed to glorify and sanctify God in their actions. Hebrews 10:28 begins explaining the consequences of violating the Levitical Code, and he asks us to consider how much more sever the result of counting Christ’s sacrifice as common or ordinary. Revelation 5:13 describes all creation giving honor and glory to God. Revelation 7:11-12 describes heavenly entities praising the Lord. Revelation 15:3-4 reflects praises of God’s glory. We assemble to glorify God. Our worship is for Him – not for us. We do benefit from our time spent in worship, but He is the central focus of our efforts. In our worship, we are participants, not spectators. If we are filing to get anything out of worship, we should look at how much we are putting into ascribing honor and glory to our Lord.

Worship That Honors God. Returning to Matthew 15, the problem these leaders have is that they are engaging in lip-service. They say the right things, but their hearts are elsewhere. Jesus describes this kind of worship is vain. These spiritual leaders have supplanted their own traditions and wisdom over God’s, and they dishonor Him. Without our hearts, without our respect of His ordinances, we cannot truly worship our God. Our role is to submit to Him, honor His precepts, and give Him our hearts.

Conclusion
God takes worship seriously, and we must also. We have to remember our place before God. God is the focus. We are the created in presence of the Creator. He wants us to come to Him, and our honoring Him is not restricted to the times of service. Once we devote ourselves to serving and glorifying our Lord, every day of our lives should be reflecting the reverence we give Him. Here I am to worship.

sermon by Tim Smelser

Avoiding Spiritual ADHD

Have you ever told your kids to do some chore or another, but they get distracted along the way? Likewise, have you ever done this yourself, wondering what it was you meant to do before you got distracted? We sometimes joke that we may suffer from an attention deficit disorder, but, in our Christian lives, we might catch ourselves suffering from spiritual-ADHD. We may have the best of intentions, but the various cares, influences, and distractions of this world pull us away from our mission as Christians.

In Luke 2:49, Jesus asks His earthly parents if they are not aware of his focus – that He must be about His father’s business. His ministry is not something that is haphazard. It is one that is planned and purposeful. It is done with the help of others around Him, and His ministry is fulfilled with great inconvenience and pain to Jesus Himself.

Focused On Our Father’s Business
In Matthew 28:18, Jesus tells His disciples to go and make more disciples from other nations. This is not something that happens on accident, nor does it come easily. This is a mission that takes planning and purpose. Jesus says, in Luke 19:10, that His mission is to seek out and save the lost. This is in the context of Zacchaeus who needs to make corrections in his life, and Jesus is setting an example to those around Him who need to change their hearts. Nothing accidental or coincidental is involved here. Jesus is prepared to complete His mission, knowing where and how to look. I Timothy 2:2 encourages us to entrust the gospel with others who will continue the cycle. Passage after passage reminds us to be active in our ministry. We cannot be distracted.

God expects us to grow, both spiritually and in numbers. God’s mission to us, however, is not to recruit members from other congregations. It happens, but this is not true church growth. When we gain members in this way, our effort should be to let them feel at home and put them to work. Our main source of growth, though, should be converting the lost. For this to be accomplished, each Christian needs to be involved. We cannot remain inactive and expect those who need the gospel to accidentally appear in our midst. Jesus’ focus is on the lost, and we should be working to maintain the same focus, not being distracted by what we think we can’t do.

To keep our focus, we have to build one another up. Jude 20, Ephesians 4:12, I Thessalonians 5:11 and 14, and many other verses stress the importance of encouraging one another. God expects us to be evangelistic, but He also expects to build each other up. When we actively work to keep each other focused on our goal, then it becomes easier for each of us to stay on the road to Jesus.

Working With Purpose
Our work as Christians does not come easily, not will it happen on accident. I may meet with discouragement and frustration, but I should be putting planning and effort into my work to help me overcome these obstacles. Remember, Jesus faced discouragement. He wept over the lost. He wept over the sate of His people. Still, He pressed on because His focus was on the Lord and the work set before Him. He planned to work for the purpose set before Him.

He brought in others to help Him, reaching out to others for their cooperation and commitment. His followers came from various locations and backgrounds, but they all worked together with one focus set before them, each one inviting others to come and share in the Lord’s work. Acts 6 shows disciples pulling together to help needy widows. Acts 8 records Peter redirecting Simon as a stumbling new convert. Acts 15 has Christians meeting with the elders in Jerusalem to scripturally work out a doctrinal dispute. Growth can produce problems, but willing cooperation helps us through these.

The Christians of the first century brought services into their homes. They changed their personal budgets. Jesus said He had no home in which to lay His head. Countless examples gave up much or all to follow Christ, putting away worldly distractions to give themselves to the Lord. Our society spoils us with instant gratification, but we might be more satisfied if we nurture patience and persistence in our lives.

Conclusion
Our spiritual mission will have periods of success. It will have periods of difficulty. Jesus gives us an example of patience and focus, and we should be emulating that example. The world may be pulling at our attention, but our purpose should be centered on God, encouraging one another, and inviting others to join us.

sermon by Tim Smelser