MARK: Pastor, I was wondering if you could help me. I’m trying to figure out my schedule for this fall, and I don’t really know how much time I have to be a Christian.
PASTOR: What do you mean?
MARK: Well, you know I’m going to be really busy this fall teaching Science at the high school, and I’m also hoping to have a more active social life. But, I’ve decided that I can spend an hour in church on Sunday morning, an hour in Sunday School, two hours at Club on Wednesday nights, another hour visiting with people before and after church and 1/2 hour in travel time. I’m also going to spend 30 minutes every day reading my Bible and praying. Then, I will visit someone in the hospital or nursing home for an hour each week. That’s 10 hours a week I have for being a Christian. Do you think God will be happy with that?
PASTOR: Well, I don’t know, Mark. But I think being a Christian is a full-time job. I’m not sure that the Lord is pleased with 10 hours, 40 hours or even 80 hours a week. I think being a Christian is a 168 hour a week occupation. It is full time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
MARK: You’ve got to be kidding! How am I going to get all this other stuff done if I’m trying to be a Christian all the time? Maybe I need to find another church where they are a little more reasonable.
PASTOR: No, no. Just calm down. Why don’t you sit down with everyone else, and I’ll explain what I mean by "full-time Christian." I think you’ll find out it is really a wonderful way to spend your life.
MARK: Well, okay, but make it quick. Remember, I’m only planning to spend one hour in this room today!
Now maybe some of you are thinking, "Pastor, this sounds crazy! How can someone serve the Lord 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?" But, this is one of the most important truths in the Bible. It is summed up very well in our text today, 1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." Whether we eat or drink, whether we work, play or sleep, we are to do it in a way that honors the Lord. Every aspect of life is to be lived for his glory. That means being a Christian is something we are 24 hours a day. Let’s pause and pray that God would use His word to help us be full-time Christians.
Paul’s message to the Corinthians, and for us, is to live for the glory of God. In 1 Corinthians, we see Paul addressing a problem concerning meat which had been sacrificed to idols. We won’t take time to go into detail; but in short, some of the folks thought it was wrong to eat this meat while others did not see any problem with having it for dinner. The main point Paul makes is that when people are eating a meal, they should not just do what they feel like. First, they need to be considerate of others. If I had a friend who was a practicing Jew, it would be rude of me to invite him over for dinner and serve ham. Paul encouraged the Corinthians to think about what is good for the other person. But, even more importantly, he wants them to be concerned about what God desires. So, 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Drawing on that verse, the Westminster Catechism says, "the chief purpose of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." But, what does it mean to glorify God? That may sound like a phrase we use in church but which doesn’t mean anything in real life. But it does. The first step in glorifying God is to recognize that God is the most important being in the universe. It is not me or you, but God. A word that the Bible uses to describe this change of attitude is repentance. I like this definition: "Repentance is no less than a restructuring of our world view, with the result that God, rather than man, is placed at the center of the universe." Most people used to think that the earth was in the center of the universe and the sun and all the other planets revolved around the earth. Then a fellow named Copernicus came along and said, "Wait a minute. The earth is not even the center of our solar system. The sun is. The earth, like the other planets, revolves around the sun." Copernicus, who happened to be a devout Christian Scientist, convinced almost everyone he was right, and today we even speak of the Copernican Revolution. Biblical repentance is a similar revolution. God, not us, is at the center and is the most important being in the universe. Believing this is part of being a Christian. Now certainly when we first become a believer in Christ, we don’t understand many of the implications of this truth. But as we stop trusting in ourselves and put our faith in Jesus Christ, which is what becoming a Christian involves, we acknowledge God’s rightful place in the center of reality.
Now, there are a lot of people who pretend that self, another person, or humanity is what is most important. The Bible simply says they are wrong. Pretending something or someone else is more important than God is tragic fiction and to believe that is like living in an imaginary world. And let me add, I think it is much more logical and makes much more sense for an atheist like Mr. French to argue that God does not exist than it does for someone to acknowledge that there is a God but then claim a lot of other things are more important. That is ridiculous. How can the Creator, Sustainer and Ruler of the universe not be more important than anything or anyone else? To glorify God, we must first acknowledge His rightful place in the universe. When we do this, it gives us a new perspective on everything in life. That leads to what I see as three practical things we need to do to glorify the Lord.
1) We glorify God when we love Him with our whole being. Jesus says this is the most important commandment of all: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Matthew 22:37). Now in some ways, loving God is similar to loving any other person, and in other ways it is very different. But, one important part, certainly, is that we desire to be near Him and to spend time with Him. A woman recently called Dr. Laura, upset because her fiancé was spending most of his time doing things with his buddies. He didn’t really seem to want to spend time with her anymore. Dr. Laura, in her usual tactful way, said, "Get a clue, lady! You may love this guy, but he is not who you want to marry because he doesn’t really love you." If we love someone, we want to be with them. We glorify God when we want to be with Him. How do we spend time with God? By reading the Bible, prayer and worship. We express our love to God as we give praise through hymns and other songs and by simply saying, "Lord, I love You." Now, obeying God’s commands is an important part of loving Him; but like an earthly parent, our heavenly Father desires not a grudging, "OK, I’ll do what You say," but joyful obedience which follows out of love. If we come to church on Sunday mornings because it is our religious duty or because someone makes us go, that is not nearly as pleasing to God as if we come because we long to spend time with Him in worship. God desires our love. But isn’t it hard for us to love someone we cannot see? George MacDonald once said, "Is it easy to love God? It is for those who do." Those of us who really know God know that it is not hard to love Him.
2) We glorify God when we obey His commands. This is an essential part of loving Him. In 1 John 2 we read that the person who says he knows God but does not obey His commands is a liar. Our love for God begins in our heart, but it needs to be worked out through our actions. Obeying God’s commands includes not robbing banks and cheating on taxes. It involves telling the truth, avoiding gossip, loving our spouse, controlling our anger and forgiving our enemies. It means we are to be sexually pure and generous in giving to those in need. It includes praying for the pastor of your church. And the list goes on. Some of these commands are easier to obey than others. Everyone I know, in fact everyone who has ever lived on this planet except for Jesus Christ, has disobeyed more than a few of these commands. But just because we are not batting a thousand does not mean we don’t try to get a hit the next time we are at the plate. Those who want to glorify God seek to obey His commands.
3) We glorify God when we enjoy His provisions for us. This, of course, means we should enjoy the rich and marvelous salvation that He has provided for us through Jesus Christ. But there are other aspects of enjoying God’s provisions which may not seem very religious but that are also valid. We can glorify God by sitting on the grass watching a sunset. We can glorify God as we go out in a boat and fish. We can glorify God by going to Pizza Hut and consuming a large pepperoni pan pizza. We can glorify God sitting in the living room with our family playing Monopoly. The key is that we remember that all the good things we enjoy in life are not things we deserve but are, rather, gifts from our gracious and merciful God. There is a Thanksgiving hymn which says, "All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above, so thank the Lord for all His love." We glorify God by enjoying His provisions for us.
We are called to live for the glory of God, and we have the opportunity to do this in every part of life. All of life is to be lived for God’s glory. Colossians 3:17 "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." This is a full time, 168 hour a week job. Friends, there is a spiritual dimension to every part of life. Being a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, ought to make a difference in all that we do, even in the small ordinary parts of life. Some of you are skeptical. "How should a Christian brush his teeth differently than a non-Christian?" Well yes, both should brush up and down, along the gum lines, inside and outside every tooth-and flossing is a good idea too. But, I think a Christian can even take a different approach to such a simple task. Christians should be more concerned about others. Brushing my teeth before I give Nancy a kiss in the morning is a considerate thing to do. More importantly, a Christian realizes that his body, including the teeth, is the temple of the Holy Spirit. God desires us to take good care of that body. A proper diet, adequate sleep, regular exercise and brushing our teeth are all part of being good stewards of the body God has entrusted to us. So, yes, we can brush our teeth for the glory of God. Now, I’m being a little facetious, but I want to make sure we understand that we have an opportunity to glorify God even in the smallest, most ordinary and mundane aspects of life.
Often I talk to people who think that God is only concerned about the religious things. In fact, they seem to think the only place one can serve the Lord is at church. A man once wrote a letter to Elizabeth Elliot which said, "I am a believer in Jesus Christ, but my wife and children are not. The company I work for has 150 employees, but I am the only Christian. I want to be used by God, but there doesn’t seem to be much opportunity to do that." Elizabeth responded, "Sir, you are in the thick of what is really important. I wish I had as many opportunities to share the truth and love of Christ as you do with your family and co-workers." Friends, preaching sermons, writing books and leading worship services are not the only ways to honor the Lord. How you study at school, how you treat your family, the attitude you bring to work, how you relate to your neighbors-these, too, are important things in life. Being a Christian should impact every part of our lives.
And no part of life is exempt. There is no aspect where we can ignore what brings glory to God. Oh, many of us have at least a little part of life where we would prefer that we didn’t have to worry about what honors the Lord. For some of us, it’s the way we make business deals. For others it’s when we get in the car and drive. For a few of us, it’s how much money we spend at the mall. For others, it is when we step onto the softball field. Some of us don’t want to be concerned about glorifying the Lord when we choose what movie to rent, what TV show to watch, or what we are going to look at on the internet. But being a Christian should affect every part of life. There should be no blind spots.
Now maybe you are thinking, "Pastor, you are starting to infringe on my freedom. It is too restrictive to have to do everything for the glory of God." Well, friends, I realize it may seem restrictive, but it is not. This may sound strange, but we will never find true liberty unless we are following the Lord and seeking to bring glory to Him. Is it always easy or fun to follow the Lord? No, but true joy comes only when we are living in the real universe, in the universe where Jesus Christ is Lord. Maybe you are here today and you are not a believer in Jesus Christ. You have never acknowledged God’s rightful place in this universe. I encourage you today, as God enables you, to stop trusting in yourself and put your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Unless you do that, I don’t think you are really going to find joy in this life. And you are certainly not going to find it in the next. Only through Jesus Christ can we receive God’s great salvation, be rescued from eternal hell and spend eternity with Him in heaven. If you are not sure what I mean by trusting in Christ, please talk to me after the service.
Those of us who are Christians should want to be growing spiritually. How is that going to happen in your life during the next year? Usually we focus on how we can have a deeper relationship with the Lord-so our goals are often things like: spend more time in prayer, read the Bible for 15 minutes each day, tell at least three people at school about my faith in Christ. These are all great goals, and certainly we need to grow deeper in our walk with the Lord, but we also need to grow wider. I’m not talking about our waistlines. By wider, I mean that more and more aspects of our lives need to be submitted to the lordship of Jesus Christ and lived for the glory of God.
There is a wonderful little book that I have mentioned before, My Heart, Christ’s Home. Robert Munger talks about how when we become a Christian, Jesus Christ dwells in us, and each aspect of our life is a room over which Christ wants to reign. Let’s look at some areas of life which need to be submitted to Christ’s lordship if we are to live for the glory of God.
1) Family-do we bring glory to God in our home? Husband, do you love your wife? Wife, do you respect and encourage your husband? Children, are you obeying your parents? Parents, are you being kind to your children? It is tragic, but divorce, spousal abuse and child abuse happen in Christian homes. Conflict and arguing are the norm for many Christian families. That should not be. We need to bring our Christianity out of the sanctuary and into the living room. Whatever we do at home needs to be done for the glory of God.
2) How about school? Many of you here are students. Is God glorified when you are at school? Do you treat your teachers and other students in a way that honors the Lord? How about your homework? Do you do that for the glory of God? It was near the end of my college years when I realized that God was not being glorified by my procrastination. Waiting to start a term paper until the afternoon before it was due was not redeeming the time that God had entrusted to me. Oh, I still procrastinate sometimes, but I have already started working on the sermon for next Sunday, and I believe that honors the Lord. If you are a student, study for the glory of God.
3) Work-maybe you have never thought of your job as something you can do for the glory of God, but it is. It doesn’t matter if you are a housewife, washing dishes in a restaurant, or the CEO of General Motors. Your job provides you with an opportunity fo honor Christ. A man walked by and noticed a young fellow washing the windows of a hardware store. "You are doing a great job, young man. Those windows are spotless." "I try to do a good job for the boss," the boy replied. "That’s great, but I know the guy who owns this store, and he isn’t a real pleasant fellow." "Oh, I don’t do it for him," the boy replied, "I do it for Jesus." Indeed, when we do our work "wholeheartedly, as if we were serving the Lord" as Ephesians 6:7 commands, we will bring glory to God.
4) God should be glorified in our politics-in the way we vote. Not all Christians need to be Republicans or Democrats, but every Christian should long for liberty, justice and righteousness to fill our nation, and we should vote in a way that will help this to happen.
5) Our creativity needs to be committed to the glory of God. Francis Schaeffer always emphasized that artists and musicians had great opportunities to serve the Lord. They could do that not just through religious paintings or Christian songs, but by simply appreciating and developing the talent God had given them. J.S. Bach used to write the words "for the glory of God" on the bottom of each of his compositions. It did not matter if that music was meant to be played in church or not. It was all for the glory of God. If you are an artist of any type, you, too, should be doing it for the glory of God.
6) We also need to glorify God in the entertainment we choose. What type of movies and TV shows do we watch? What type of books do we read? This doesn’t mean that we should only watch religious programs. God can be glorified as you watch a re-run of the Beverly Hillbillies or read an Agatha Christie mystery. But there are certain shows we should not watch and certain books we should not read if we are going to honor the Lord.
Our list could go on and on. The point is simple. As Christians, God calls us to do whatever we do for God’s glory. Whether it’s Sunday morning or Tuesday afternoon, whether we are singing a song in church or working out in the garage, we always have an opportunity to live for God’s glory. All parts of life are to be used in a way that will honor Him. And in doing this, we will find the joy that comes from living as we were meant to live.
Friends, how can you better glorify God in your life? The assignment today is to pick out one area of life that you need to work on. One area where the lordship of Jesus Christ is not making the difference it should. It might be one of the things we just mentioned or something else. It might be what seems to be a very small thing or it might be a big thing. Then ask the Lord to help you to make the changes that need to be made. My hope is that by next year at this time, you will be able to say, "This part of life I now do for the glory of God." Because whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, all of life is to be lived for His glory.
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