On August 22nd, US Olympian Matt Emmons fired his final shot in the 50-meter three-position rifle competition. Emmons was leading by three points and needed only to get near the bull’s-eye to win the gold medal.
He fired, but the automatic scoring system didn’t register any points. At first, Emmons thought it was an electronic error. Then he learned it was his error. He had fired at the wrong target! Emmons fired at the target in lane three while shooting in lane two. The mistake is called a cross-fire – an extremely rare and shocking mistake in elite competition.
Emmons was awarded him a score of zero for that last shot. His sure win turned into 8th place. His gold medal turned into no medal.
So much skill, so much effort, so much focus. But no medal!
God has planned us for His purposes. He has targets for us to hit with our lives. We can be skilled in this life. We can put forth great effort in this life. We can be very focused in this life. We can be successful in hitting a target in this life. But if it’s the wrong target, we don’t win.
That’s why this Purpose Driven Life series is so important. Do you know your purpose in life? Are you hitting the mark? We need to make sure we are aiming at the right targets. One definition of “failure” is “succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter.” So, ask yourself, “At what target am I really aiming? Is it the right target?
Someone said, “There are two great days in a person’s life -- the day we are born and the day we discover why.”
This morning, we continuing our look at God’s word to discover His purposes for our lives. Today, we’re looking at purpose number 1…
Before we go further, let’s stop and pray about some tragic deaths at BBHHS and IHS. (Talk about the service at 4:00 on Sunday at the Barn…)
Welcome to 40 days of purpose.
Last week we took a look at “what on earth am I here for?”
Next week, we’ll look closely a how we were formed for God’s family.
But today, planned for God’s pleasure…
It’s not too late to join a group. It’s not too late to buy a book. Join us by reading day 8 today.
I love the film “Chariots of Fire.” It’s the story of two British athletes who competed in the Olympics in Paris in 1924. Eric Liddel was a Scottish sprinter who later became a missionary to China. His sister wanted him to be a missionary sooner rather than later and tried to talk him out of running. Let’s take a look…
"When I run I feel God’s pleasure.” Do you feel God’s pleasure as you live your life? Your life – even your running or your shopping or your working – can be
pleasing to God.
Two weekends ago, I said, “Many of us grew up in religious traditions that gave us a view of God like this: He’s always ticked off; He’s always just a little mad at us.” I reminded us that God is a God of wrath. That He is angry with sin. But I encouraged us never to forget that He is a supremely happy, joyful Creator. And that He loves you.
The LORD takes pleasure in His people.
Psalm 149:4 (NASB)
God takes pleasure in watching you be you. Instead of seeing God as always ticked off because of you, why not see Him as a God who rejoices over you? God’s word says that He does.
The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by his love; He will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)
God is glad that He saved you. He rejoices over you. You put a song in His heart. He is love and He made you to love you. Now, what does He want back from you… and me? He wants us to love Him back.
Pastor Rick Warren says, “The most important thing to know in life is that God loves you.
And the most important thing to do in life is to love Him back.”
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:37-38 (NKJV)
If you can say at the end of each day, “Lord, I got to know You a little more today and I learned to love You a little better” then you had a successful day no matter how bad things might have been. But if you can’t say that at the end of the day, it wasn’t a successful day no matter how great things may have seemed.
A word that you can use to describe this kind of love for God is the word “worship.”
God’s purpose for me is worship.
We have lots of misconceptions about worship. We think it’s only supposed to happen in stained glass sanctuaries. Or for religiously weird people. Or for people with seminary degrees. Or for people who don’t know how to get stuff done in the real world. Or for people who just don’t know how to have fun.
But worship is recognizing that there is a God who is the Source of every good thing we have and then living a lifestyle that constantly looks for creative and passionate ways to say “Thanks. I appreciate You. I applaud You.” God is looking for that from us. John 4:23 says, “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” God is seeking worshippers. He’s seeking for worship from you and from me.
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name: bring an offering, and come before Him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
I Chronicles 16:29 (KJV)
God loves our worship. It pleases Him. He responds emotionally to us. We can bring joy to God just as a loving son or daughter does to their parents, and as a friend to a friend.
Sometimes we like to go out to eat. One place my boys especially enjoy is Cracker Barrel. It makes me feel good when my boys recognize that Maryanne and I didn’t have to take them to eat there. That they appreciate the dinner. And that they honor us by saying “thank you.”
When we worship Him, not because of fear or out of obligation, but out of an overflow of love and gratitude, we bless God. This is a privilege that He has given to all His sons and daughters. The Bible says…
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
Psalm 95:6 (KJV)
Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His footstool; holy is He.
Psalm 99:5 (NASB)
Now, there’s a kind of “worship” that isn’t worship at all. It’s a fraud. It’s counterfeit. It doesn’t please God. So, I need to ask myself, “Does my worship really please God? What kind of worship will please Him?” Here are four answers for us today.
1. Worship that pleases God is responsive.
God is the One who makes the first move. God takes the initiative. God doesn’t ask you to make the first move. He always makes the first move toward you.
We love Him because He first loved us.
I John 4:19 (KJV)
The Bible says that God wants to be loved. Have you ever said, “I love You” to God? Think about it: God made you. He sent His Son to die of a cross to pay the penalty for you sin. He offers forgiveness to all who will come to Him through Jesus. He blesses us. He protects us. He loves us. Because of al these things He has done for us, we worship.
You alone are the LORD. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve and give life to everything, and all the angels of heaven worship you.
Nehemiah 9:6 (NLT)
Why do the angels worship? They know God is the Source – the Fountain – the Spring of life. So, they worship. And so should we. Our worship is a response to His goodness to us.
Worship is the spontaneous movement of my heart in response to the greatness of God and His love for me. I naturally respond with a consciousness of who He is and what He has done. I stand in awe of Him. I become conscious of the goodness of God to me that I know I don’t deserve. And I just have to appreciate Him. Worship is the overflow of a grateful heart as I am aware of His favors toward me.
Worship that pleases God is responsive. (Special number here…)
I know that some of you grew up in families that weren’t that affectionate. Maybe you just don’t feel comfortable being expressive. Maybe you’re the strong, silent type. It’s not easy for you to express affection to God without feeling weird about it. You can remember the first time you said “I love you” to someone. You got sweaty palms and your stomach was in a knot.
It’s risky to say “I love you.” But God has taken away the risk. He said it first. He’s said it in a thousand ways. Even when you didn’t know it, He was showing love to you. And God has said over and over to you, “I love you.” So, you can say it back to Him.
Worship that pleases God is responsive.
2. Worship that pleases God is humble.
I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted… Seraphim stood above Him… And one called out to the other and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is filled with His glory.” Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”
Isaiah 6:1b, 2a, 3, 5 (NASB)
This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at My word.
Isaiah 66:2b (NIV)
Worship that pleases God is humble.
3. Worship that pleases God is passionate.
Come on. Let’s be honest today. We’ve all gone through weekend services simply mouthing the words to the songs, yawning through the messages, and bowing no more than my head during prayers. And we leave feeling no closeness with God. But the problem wasn’t with the songs, the message, or the prayers. The problem was with my heart. Jesus once quoted from the OT…
These people show respect to Me with their mouth, but their heart is far from Me. Their worship of Me is worth nothing.
Matthew 15:8-9a (NLV)
If worship is my target – if it’s a bull’s eye that I’ve been created to hit, then I really don’t want my worship to be in vain – to be worth nothing. This verse is telling us that if our hearts aren’t into it, then our worship is empty. God is not blessed by a worship with no heart. We can dutifully sing and pray as much as we like, but it will not be real worship. We cannot honor God if our “heart is far from him.”
Think with me about a wedding anniversary. Mine is on October 2. Suppose on this day I bring home a dozen long-stemmed red roses for Maryanne. When she meets me at the door I hold out the roses, and she says, “O Rick, they’re beautiful, thank you,” and gives me a bug hug.
Then suppose I hold up my hand and say matter-of-factly, “Don’t’ mention it; it’s my duty.”
What happens? Isn’t the exercise of duty a good thing? Don’t we honor people when we dutifully serve them? Not much. Not if there’s no heart in it. Roses given out of a sense of duty are a contradiction in terms. If I don’ love giving her the roses then the roses do not honor her. In fact, they belittle her if all I can muster is a calculated expression of marital duty.
What honors her is if I say, “It’s my delight… my pleasure. Nothing makes me happier than to honor you this way. I’m so glad you married me. If I could give you 10,000 roses, it wouldn’t be enough. Thanks for being my wife, my partner, my friend, my support…” “It’s my duty” is a dishonor to her. “It’s my delight” is an honor to her.
Many of us have failed to see that worship isn’t really about our outward activity. It’s about the passion from our hearts. Something is wrong with our hearts when we just go through the motions. God is looking for glad hearts to worship Him. His word says, “Delight yourself in the Lord!” (Psalm 37:4). He says, “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice!” (Psalm 32:11). He says, “Love Me with all your heart.” He says, “Worship Me in spirit and in truth.”
Worship that pleases God is passionate. (Sing the song here…)
Worship that pleases God is passionate.
4. Worship that pleases God is far-reaching.
There are so many different words that we could use to get at the point of this point. Worship that pleases God is wide-ranging. Far-reaching. All-embracing. Inclusive. All-encompassing. Comprehensive. Worship is not to be limited to your church life. Worship is to be your life! All of it!
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
I Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)
Whatever you do, wherever you are, whenever you can… worship! Give glory to God!
I used to write a Bible reference on the knob of my baseball bat. Why? I wanted a reminder that I could play baseball for the glory of God – that I could actually worship Him out on those fields. I could thank Him. I could talk to Him. I could appreciate Him.
“Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. You say, “How do I do that?” I’m trying to develop the habit of having a constant conversation with God. The Bible says for us to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17, KJV) and to “worship Him continually” (Psalm 105:4, TEV). Every time you get in your car, you could pray for the first couple of minutes to remind yourself to focus on God.
When you shift your focus from yourself and your agenda to God and His agenda, then all of a sudden, you begin to sense gratitude and hope and confidence and love.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Romans 12:1 (ESV)
You can use your body in your everyday life as a tool for worship. I’ve been married long enough to know that it takes more than just words and kisses to express affection. Yes, my wife likes me to tell her, “I love you, Maryanne.” But there’s another kind of love that’s needed to back it up. That’s practical expressions of love. Sometimes, there are chores that need to be done. Sometimes, there are things that need to be fixed. Sometimes, there are errands that need to be run. I show my love in practical ways – fixing, helping, serving.
That’s part of worship, too. You don’t have to join a monastery to worship more. Just present your body to God wherever you are and whatever you’re doing – as long as you’re not violating God’s commands! Your work can become your worship.
You can be a butcher, a baker, or a candlestick-maker and still worship on the job. You can say, “I’m going to do this for You, Lord.” You can be an at-home mom raising kids or you an be an executive in an office high-rise. It doesn’t really matter what you do. It’s Who you do it for.
You say, “Father God, I’m going to cook this meal for my family and I’m doing it for You.” You say, “Lord Jesus, I’m going to file these things away and I’m doing it for You.” This is what turns work into worship. This is the way to worship 24/7/365. Not just in church. God wants your whole life to be worship.
What would happen if you decided that tomorrow morning, you’d change your boss. It’s the same work you’ve been doing for 5 or 10 or 20 years. But you say, “Lord, now I’m going to do it for You.” That would turn the mundane into the momentous. What seems trivial can be a worship that pleases God.
How can I express my affection for God to God? Start by just saying thanks… a lot! Start y looking around at everything and thanking God. “God, thank You for a beautiful sky today.” “God, thank You for the green trees.” “Thank You for the air I breathe.” “Thank You that I live in America and have freedom.” “Thanks that I woke up this morning.” “Thanks that I have something to eat.” You can go on and on.
Worship isn’t walking around saying, “Praise the Lord!” or “Hallelujah” all the time. In fact, maybe people who do that are guilty of not thinking about what they are saying and it’s just become vain repetition for them. God wants you to be you. He likes your personality. But use that personality to worship Him. You’re not really normal until you do! Don’t forget: You were planned for His pleasure.
Worship that pleases God is far-reaching.
A point to ponder: At the heart of my worship is worship from my heart.
A verse to remember: God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
John 4:24 (KJV)
A question to consider: Is there anything that is holding me back from passionately telling God why I love and appreciate Him?
