Today we are going to talk about a question that has perplexed even the most intelligent people on earth for thousands of years. It's a question that has been widely debated by scholars and philosophers and yet simply ignored or even scoffed at by scientists and atheists. That question is "what is the meaning of life?" What is the true reason for our existence? As a race and, more specifically as individuals? Why are we here?
Now, the Christian community is pretty much in agreement that we were created by God and that God indeed has a specific purpose for our lives. But what that purpose is, seems to be quite debatable-even among those claiming to be born again Christians. And that difference of opinion is often times made quite clear through the music, prayers and sermons of our worship services.
If you're like me, you've noticed that many worship services today seem to be more about entertainment and self-help rather than reverent, Christ-centered worship? The objective seems to be to get people so pumped up and excited about themselves, that they can't wait to come back the following week for another uplifting emotional experience.
In August of last year, Victoria Osteen, wife of mega-church minister Joel Osteen and co-pastor of their gigantic Church in Houston, Texas, made some remarks during a Sunday morning service that, to me, clearly gives us insight into what really motivates a lot of people to worship and even what they believe our entire purpose in life is.
Addressing a huge congregation, with her husband standing by nodding his head in agreement, she said, “"I just want to encourage everyone of us to realize when we obey God, we're not doing it for God – I mean, that's one way to look at it – we're doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we're happy.
So I want you to know this morning: Just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy. When you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God really. You're doing it for yourself, because that's what makes God happy. Amen?"
Joel and his wife pastor the largest Christian church in the country as far as average weekly attendance is concerned. They usually have around 43,500 every Sunday.. To me, that's amazing. But what's sad is that when she said what she did, tens of thousands of people enthusiastically shouted "Amen"!
Now let me just say, I'm not here this morning to single out and condemn a person or even a particular church. But the Lord has impressed me to clearly identify and unmistakably condemn a widely accepted but deadly teaching that is sweeping through mainstream Christianity like wildfire, and is endangering the souls of countless people as it rages.
Many of you know that Joel and his wife are prosperity preachers. They basically teach that if we worship God and live a certain way, God will reward us with good health, wealth and prosperity. (Scripture certainly doesn't teach this by the way…)
We can usually identify a prosperity preacher pretty quickly, but blatant prosperity preachers are not the only ones advocating the dangerous false teaching that is creeping into the church. It comes in more subtle forms from pulpits you would never expect to hear prosperity preaching.
Keep in mind that this false teaching is built around a principle rather than a strictly dogmatic doctrine and I believe that principle was clearly illustrated by the words of Miss Osteen. If you noticed, she deliberately took the focus OFF of God and onto OURSELVES. You heard her say, "..just do good for your own self; " When you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God really. You're doing it for yourself"
Now, please don't misunderstand me, I know that our worship of God is extremely beneficial to us; not only spiritually but also, emotionally and even physically.
That said, we must understand that our worship of God is NOT ABOUT US. Our primary motivation of worshiping God should NOT be what we can get out of it. You see, many churches today, whether they realize it or not, are promoting self-centered worship & living instead of practicing biblical self-sacrificing worship and life style. The message they are sending is that our worship, our good works, our entire lives should be driven by a desire to prosper, promote or otherwise benefit OURSELVES- and that God is happy to be merely a means to help us attain that end.
If our relationship with God is driven by this kind of selfish motivation, I dare to say that our worship and service to God is unacceptable to Him. In fact, we are essentially committing the original sin of self exaltation and even self worship.
Notice what God says about it in Isaiah 14:13,14.
13You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.14I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
When we become more focused on prospering and promoting self rather than worshiping and serving God, like Lucifer, we are effectively trying to usurp the very throne of God! And when we worship and serve God for selfish reasons we become guilty of what Satan accused Job of.. You remember; "he only serves you because you put a hedge around him and bless him and his.." You know why I believe the prosperity gospel is so popular? Because most people today spend the majority of their lives in hot pursuit of one thing; happiness. That's their supreme goal; to achieve and maintain what they perceive to be happiness and to do it at nearly any cost. you know what I mean don't you? We tend to think: if I can only get this job, if I can make this much money, if I can only look like a model or movie star, have this kind of house, live this type of lifestyle, find the perfect spouse who loves me as much as I do, if I could only accomplish this or that great thing…..…… THEN I'll be "happy.".......But will we really?
I want you to listen to an excerpt from an article Tammy shared with me last week. And by the way, she had no idea what I was preparing to preach on this week. ( Taken from the Reader's Digest / April 2015 page 36)
"Research has shown that having purpose and meaning in life increases overall well-being and life satisfaction, improves mental and physical health, enhances resiliency, builds self-esteem, and decreases the chances of depression. And ironically, the single-minded pursuit of happiness is actually leaving people less happy., according to recent research."
"Viktor Frankl, in his 1946 Best selling book Man's Search for Meaning writes, "It is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness." It is why some researchers caution against a goal of merely being happy."
I don't want anyone to leave here and go tell somebody that Dwight said that God doesn't want us to be happy! I believe with all my heart that the bible clearly teaches that God does indeed want His children to be happy-- and ultimately we will be eternally happy. But while we live in this world, even happiness must take a back seat to our salvation and to God's supreme purpose for which God created us..
To be sure you've noticed that our greatest spiritual growth tends to take place during the absolute worst times of our lives. And, like it or not, quite often, it's not in our best interest to "be happy." Sometimes we need to be upset, discontented, tried by affliction, tortured by calamity, or overcome with sadness." These things drive us to the throne of grace, helping us to realize our desperate need of our loving God.
James 1:2
2"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
James is saying that, in a way, life's adversities serve to "complete us" spiritually. The bible says that even Jesus Himself was "made perfect through suffering." (Hebrews 2:10)
Yet the guiding force in the lives of most people today - and it seems especially true for Americans- is the desire to find and capture that illusive creature called happiness. And what's even more sad to me, is that so many don't even know what true happiness really is--so they try to pattern their lives after what society so effectively and relentlessly markets to them as genuine happiness. . And the devil is thrilled to dangle that carrot of happiness in front of millions of people to lead them far from the true purpose of our existence.
Do you know what that purpose is? Thousands of books have been written claiming to reveal the "meaning of life," and nearly all of them are wrong. But there is one ancient Book written by the inspiration of God that tells us the answer to that most perplexing question...
The Bible says that God created us for His own glory. Therefore, the true purpose for our existence here on this earth is simply to glorify God.
God says in Isaiah 43:6,7 "Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— 7everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory"
And we find this same truth repeated in many places and in various ways throughout the Scriptures.
Revelation 14:6,7 "6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth, to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
2 Thessalonians 1:11,12 "11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you.."
[Define "glory", "to glorify" (God's glory is the different attributes of God that make Him God…) When we give glory to Him, we are acknowledging His glory and proclaiming it to all of creation…]
How can we glorify God?
*By Praising Him for Who He is and what He's done.
*Private, family and corporate worship..
*We can glorify Him by observing the Sabbath.
* In our afflictions and even by our deaths. Job said, "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed (glorified) be the name of the Lord!"
*By our obedience to His commands and by our good works..
*Jesus says in John 15:8 "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
*Jesus also says in Matthew 5:16 "..let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
*In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon reveals the findings of his own search for the meaning of life. He says in chapter 12:13, "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
WHATEVER you do: are you living that out?? Or do you have your life somewhat "compartmentalized? That is to say, do you have certain things in your life that you consider part of your "religious life" and other things or aspects of life that fit into your "business life" or your "family life" etc.? Friends, as Christians we should surrender ALL of our life -every single aspect of it to Christ; to live it out to His glory.
How did you glorify God this week? Yesterday? This morning? Make it a part of your morning prayer, "Lord help me to glorify you today!"
Colossians 3:15-18 (very similar to what he wrote in 1 Corinthians..)
"15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
**we have a few different definitions of sin: transgression of the Law(1 John 3:4), anything that we do apart from faith(Romans 14:23) and knowing the good we ought to do and yet failing to do it(James 4:17). Would it be fair to maybe add to that list, anything we do that does NOT bring glory to God?
*the quote about purpose benefits.. you know how it feels when you accomplish something?? Even something as simple as cutting the grass? There is that sense of accomplishment and satisfaction knowing that because of something you did, the world is a slightly better place...
Ezekiel 22:26-31
26 Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. 28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’—when the Lord has not spoken. 29 The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice. ….
30 “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
I think the Bible agrees with that article I read to you earlier, everyone does need a true and noble purpose in life-- we want to somehow make a real and lasting difference in this world. No matter what occupation you find yourself in, or if you are unemployed, or even if you one day find yourself in prison; if you are a child of God, you have been given the most noble of life's callings--you are called to glorify the God of the universe!
Your current occupation by which you make a living is really just a part-time job to help support your true calling which is directing praise and glory to where it belongs; not to ourselves--but to God.
Why do you suppose God wants us to glorify Him? So people might see Him for Who He is, the God Who created them and wants desperately to save them!
In today's society where God is actually being marginalized, we desperately need to seat Him back on the throne of our hearts and lives! And, if we truly do that, we will also desire to lift Him up for all the world to see Him as He truly is; the God of Glory!
