Sermon # 21 - Discover Life's Purpose Series

We read in Romans 12:1, “For this reason I make request to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you will give your bodies as a living offering, holy, pleasing to God, which is the worship it is right for you to give him.” (BBE)

In Romans 12:1, when Paul exhorts the believers with the words ‘for this reason’ it is obvious that he had mentioned something earlier and on the basis of that word of admonition, he requested them to present their bodies as a living sacrifice unto the Lord. This reason is elucidated by Paul in Romans 11:36, “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be the glory forever. So be it.” (BBE)

There are three realities explained in Romans 11:36 that we are called to pay close attention to. Firstly, all things come ‘from God’, secondly all things come ‘through God’ and finally all things are made ‘for God’. When the word mentions ‘all things’ we are reminded that it includes all created things and the whole of mankind.

If we were to translate this to our day to day living it would mean that every part of us, our lives, our families, our work, our society, all of it originates, and ends with God, who alone is worthy of all the glory and honor. There are many who are not sure of the purpose for which they live here on earth. It is only when we comprehend this fact that our life here on earth is a gift from God, through God and for God, then we will most assuredly glorify Him in everything we do, and there will be no room for any sort of sin or bondage.

For instance there are some people who are so obsessed with food that ‘they don’t eat to live, but live to eat’ which is also a form of bondage. No wonder then that Paul exhorts the church in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (NLT)

The psalmist often prayed in the Psalms, ‘not to us Lord but to your name alone be all the glory’ which if we were to analyze are in complete contrast to our prayers, most of which are self-centered and self-seeking. We must learn to pray in submission to God’s will, so that He alone is glorified in and through us.

If the intentions for our prayers to God are good, and in accordance to His will, with the true motive to glorify the Lord, then most assuredly the Lord will be delighted to answer our prayers. Our ambition in life must be to glorify God in every aspect of our lives; our walk, our talk, our worship, at work, in our travels and in every single thing we do. If we sincerely seek that God’s kingdom come, His will be done on earth, right here where we are as it is in heaven, then we will experience a complete change all around us. When the glory of the Lord is all that we long for, everything we put our hands to will prosper, and all that we desire will surely be fulfilled.

We read in the Bible at the very outset in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (KJV) and if we read the last verse in the Bible in Revelation 22:21, it reads, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (KJV). The first and the last verse in the Bible emphasize the truth that it all began with God, and will also end with God. Therefore, it is imperative that God and God alone, should be the recipient of all our glory and honor. If this is so, we will find the Lord’s hand of blessing resting on all that we do, and we will have no need to fear disfavor or dishonor at the hands of men.

Noah, a righteous man among ungodly people

In the Book of Genesis, the Bible records an incident of God’s destruction of all mankind and all of creation, except Noah and his family with floods. The reason for God’s wrath and judgement in those days, was that mankind had forgotten their primary purpose, and were in oblivion as to why God created them.

Recollecting the days of Noah, these are the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:37-38, "When the Son of Man comes again, it will be exactly like the days of Noah. In the days before the flood, people were eating, drinking, and getting married until the day that Noah went into the ship.” (GW)

It is not that the Lord was against the people eating, drinking or marrying, but it grieved the Lord that people were so engaged with the mundane, that they forgot their primary purpose for living. The people during the time of Noah had become so insensitive to the voice of God, become engrossed with the temporal, and had no concept of right and wrong.