Purpose Driven Living

Today we begin a series on The Cultural Relevance of a Biblical Worldview. Human beings are meaning makers. There is always an interpretation of our experiences in life and the circumstances of life. We betray that desire to interpret life by our questions we ask ourselves and others. Why did this thing happen?, What do these things mean?, Why am I here?, and What is my purpose? are only a few of the thoughts that plague us and cry out for answers. The last question is one that contains our purpose today as we seek to gain some insight into the answer to the question: What is my purpose?
It makes a difference in the way we live when we know why we live. And the desire for multitudes of people to nail down the purpose of their lives is prevalent in our culture today. We live in a culture where the cultural institutions are failing us in their provision and protection. That which we have come to depend upon is becoming more and more disappointing. The people we have trusted to lead us have shown themselves to be people who are different from the person we thought we knew. The time is approaching, and is now here, where we as a nation are seeking guidance from a source we can trust. For us, as the people of God to understand our purpose for which we have been created, it must be revealed from a trustworthy source, none other than God Himself. This brings us to another one of those questions. Can God really be known? For until we settle that question, we will never truly know our purpose.

A Culturally Relevant Biblical Truth for our examination today is God Can Be Known.
In our pursuit to know God and discover our purpose we turn to two passages of Scripture today. The first one comes from the book of Genesis, the book of beginnings.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

I. THERE WAS SOMEONE BEFORE THERE WAS SOMETHING.

Created things have a beginning but not so with the Creator. Pondering the phrase in the beginning can provoke a question in my mind. In the beginning of what? It surely wasn’t God’s beginning for we find Him already there, the active agent in Creation’s story. So what is the scripture talking about? The beginning that is referred to here is the beginning of creation’s relationship with its Creator. God created something when there was nothing. This is amazing enough. But when we understand that the Person of God was existing before the existence of Creation it puts things in the right perspective. There was Someone before there was something.
Creatures who have a beginning with naturally end with and ending. In the beginning God created things. And everything He created had a purpose. That purpose was to sustain and promote life. Very early in Creation’s account these living things began to be affected by the curse of sin and death brought living things to an ending. This should trouble the human creatures known as man. But people seem to live as though they give little thought to the fact that their physical earthly lives will come to an end. God is the only Being that has no beginning and therefore no ending.
Christ had a beginning as a man but was in the beginning as God. The unique Being of the Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son, is wrapped up in the phrase “the only begotten”. Christ was not born in the sense of being a creation of the Creator. He is not and has never been a creature. In fact He is contrasted as the Creator. Christ is not only God the Creator, He is Man. Christ was born when God became a man. He had a beginning but was also in the beginning as God. He was God’s perfect man and man’s perfect God. We can only know this by faith. Reason seems to fail to explain this mystery. And the only reason we can know it by faith is that the Word of God tells us that it is so.
The quality and extent of our knowledge of Christ depends primarily upon His revelation. As in any personal relationship, you only know someone as much as they want you to know them. A dog or a horse can be known in a relatively short period of time. But in the case of knowing God, it will take an eternity. But even now, we can begin to know Him as He reveals Himself to us. Our part in this privilege is to place ourselves in the place where God can reveal Himself to us. Intimacy with God allows Him to reveal more of Himself with us.
Church membership has a beginning with knowing the Beginner. The application of this truth to the church becomes apparent with the condition that the church manifests today. In many cases the church lacks the power of God and is often no more than an institution for social gatherings instead of the Living Body of Christ. To what do we attribute this malady? I believe it can be traced to what we see as an unregenerate church. This is the church where you can be a member without being a part of Christ. You can satisfy church membership requirements without being born again. For the church to be a source of the power of God it must be connected to God. The church will have its beginning only after she knows the Beginner. Only then will the church make an eternal impact on people’s lives.

II. ETERNITY EXISTED BEFORE THERE WAS EVER A BEGINNING.

The eternal realm has always existed because of the reality of the Eternal One. Sin is the permeating poison of creation. It causes us to turn away from thinking with an eternal perspective and teaches us to focus on the here and the now. This present world is the one in which we are living out our existence…at least for now. These words in the beginning grabs our attention like the beginning of a great story. How many of us would rather be seated in the movie theater before the feature begins? I don’t like to walk into the middle of the story. I spend too much time trying to guess at what things were like when the movie began. In God’s great story we don’t have to wonder when the beginning was or what was happening. We must begin with God. Eternity. Then the beginning began. This is where the story of man’s interaction with God began. When God created the heavens and the earth.
Self-centered human beings think of themselves as the center of the universe. Contrary to popular thought, our history did not begin when we were born. Eternity has always existed because God has always existed. Self-centered living teaches us that nothing was before we were. But that is a false assumption. We are not the center of the universe. We don’t even know where that is. That is knowledge left for God to reveal.
The presence of Christ in our world is our hope that we are connected to Eternity. In this eternal drama Christ emerges as the Eternal One willingly becoming bound to temporariness. Although Christ was equal with God because He was God He became Man to bridge the connection that was severed between God and man. Knowing Christ is our connection to the God of Eternity.
Living with an eternal worldview shapes our decision making. Consider how my life changes when I think first of all how my words build others up or tear others down. If the God of Eternity is witness to how I speak to others I should think about how I say what I say. Thinking eternally before I speak requires that I think. As I am thinking about eternity I come to discover that every action is at first a thought. And every thought is because I think. We make decisions based upon what we believe about life. If I believe I am accountable in eternity for my life in this temporary place it gives me cause to be cautious about sinful choices and abandoned in joy for godly decisions.
Church life should be focused on living in an Eternal Kingdom. All that takes place of any eternal nature in the church will be because we are living in accordance with the eternal foundation that is in place. Do we care more about business meetings we conduct than conducting our Father’s business? Church life should be about building lives based upon the principles of the Kingdom of God. Things we expend our time, talent and treasure upon should be those things that are invested in building up Kingdom People. Only then will we as God’s People live out our purpose.


III. ETERNAL LIFE IS LIFE’S REVEALED PURPOSE.

Sometimes we are given a real treat when we can look into the Bible and read where God is talking to Himself. As we look into John’s Gospel we see such a time recorded for us. Jesus is in communion with the Father in what is commonly called the High Priestly Prayer. Without taking the time to deal with all that He prays we can gain some insight in the first three verses as we learn to live out our purpose in life.

Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:1-3)

What matters more than I know God is that God knows me. Far greater than knowing God is the knowledge that our God knows us. People will say that they know God if they know a little about God. But they have nothing to say as to whether they are known by God. This is the testimony of God Himself where the Spirit of God testifies that we are children of God. How can I know if I am known by God? I can know the Spirit of God that testifies and instructs us in the truth.
Without a knowledge of eternal life given to us by the Eternal One, life has no meaning and purpose. It is sad to waste a life without the assurance that Christ has given us life. We bounce from one self serving attempt at assurance after another and never rest in this knowledge. If we are unsure about our eternal destiny it will affect how we live our lives in this culture. We will go along to get along and will not stand up for the truth of God when inundated with lies. We will chase every promise of peace without ever finding it because Christ is the Prince of Peace. This passage tells us that this peace is our purpose. Eternal life brings peace in the soul.
Christ is the one and only authorized agent who can grant eternal life. If I desire to receive something authentic I want to go to the authorized source. If I want to receive something relevant, I want to get it from someone who knows the proper usage for the thing I receive. Christ is the Person that knows why I am given eternal life. Without eternal life I can never know an Eternal God. Here is our purpose in life.
The Christian’s eternal purpose is to know God, to make Him known, and to be known by Him. Too many American Christians want to look like they are godly with all the trappings of the world we live in. For example we want the same things and enjoy these temporary creature comforts that our culture abounds in. We get caught up chasing the temporary and yearning for the eternal. No wonder so many of us are wandering and wondering if we are living our purpose.
Mount Olivet can reap eternal benefits when we are investing our time, talent, and
treasure towards eternity. Let us begin today with a fresh vision of our purpose.

Our So What? of today’s message is this:
The knowledge of the Eternal Nature of God is foundational to our biblical worldview.
This knowledge is relevant because it gives purpose to life in a culture of death.
Without the knowledge of God in the Person of Christ Jesus, life has no purpose in eternity.
Life matters to the God of Eternity.
Your life matters to you.