Genesis 12:1-9, Luke 13:31-35

Genesis 12:1-9

Luke 13:31-35

Live To Please God

March 4, 2007

Part 2 of 2007 Hopewell Lent 6 part series on Purpose Driven Life

Is there a purpose to life?

Does life have purpose and meaning?

If so – what is it?

What is the purpose of life?

Why are we here?

More specifically – what is the purpose of my life?

Why am I here?

Is there something that can give meaning to my life?

Am I here for a purpose?

Did God have a purpose in putting me here?

Questions of purpose and meaning have haunted people since the beginning of time.

As Christians, we can say

“Yes –life has a purpose –

Yes –life has meaning.”

We can say:

“Yes – my life has a purpose –

Yes – my life has meaning.”

We can say:

“Yes – God has put me here for a purpose.”

Lent – the 6 weeks before Holy Week and Easter — has historically been a time Christians have devoted themselves to reflection upon Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross – and our response to Christ and His claim upon our lives.

We are using the Season of Lent this year to look at what God’s purpose for us might be —

what God might have us to have as a purpose in our lives –

and how we can live in God’s purpose for our lives.

So – what is the purpose for our lives?

Last week we looked at how we can not find true purpose for our lives in money

possessions

power

fame

or anything else people might use to find purpose or meaning for their lives when they focus on themselves.

Do you remember the illustration from Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life I gave several times when we were looking at who we are as a Church – who we are as individual Christians – and what we are to be doing as a Church – and as individual Christians?

Warren writes about getting lost in the mountains and going into a store to ask directions. When he explained where he was trying to go, the people in the store replied “O – you can’t get there from here – you have to go back to the bottom of the mountain – go around the mountain – then get on the road that will take you there.”

We will never find – Warren writes — meaning and purpose for our lives by looking for it within ourselves – what we want – what we might think is good or meaningful.

I have another illustration similar to this that helps us understand the same point.

When I was serving a two Church field in North Carolina, the community in which we lived had many members of the Rakestraw family living throughout the community. Many people in that community were either Rakestraw’s – married to a Rakestraw – or kin to the Rakestraw’s. The Rakestraw name in that area was much like the Gregg name is in this area. Well, there was a small country store in the community where many of the people would gather to chat – catch up on the news – and just spend the time. Apparently those types of stores are in every community!

I happened to be in the store one day when a man walked in – looked around – and then raised his voice so everyone in the store could hear him and asked:

“Can anyone tell me where the Rakestraw house is?”

Can you imagine someone walking in to Gregg’s Store and asking:

“Can anyone tell me where the Gregg house is?”

Well, almost in unison – everyone in the store looked at the man and asked:

“Which one?”

After further explanation it turned out the man was a Real Estate appraiser who was needing the appraise the home of one of the Rakestraw’s who was moving. Once the folks in the store knew that, they knew which house to direct him to.

We will never find the meaning and purpose for our lives by just asking general questions or looking for it anywhere else or in anything else than looking for it in God.

Only when we look to God for meaning and purpose for life – only when we look to God for His meaning and His purpose for our lives – can we discover the true meaning and true purpose for our lives.

In his book The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren outlines 5 purposes for life that God has created us for:

1. Pleasing God

2. Loving others who believe in God

3. Becoming like Christ

4. Serving others with the gifts God has given us

5. Telling others about God

Today I want us to look at the first of these – we were created to please God.

Pleasing God is one of the purposes God created us for – pleasing God must be a purpose for our lives.

We’re going to look at 2 passages of scripture – one from the Old Testament – Genesis 12:1-9 – where Abram is called to follow God — and the other from the Gospel of Luke – Luke 13:31-35 – where Jesus laments that some people refuse to follow God. As we look at both of these passages we’ll see a contrast between how to live a life pleasing to God and living a life that is not pleasing to God – and we’ll see that one of our purposes in life is to:

Live to please God

Live to please God

Read passages

When I was in my late teens and early 20’s I did things I am not proud of now. I went to some wrong places – I hung around with a wrong crowd – I did some wrong things. Looking back on the places I went – the people I hung around with – and the things I did I’m not pleased at all at with how I was living at that time in my life.

My parents were not pleased with how I lived at that time in my life, either.

At that time my Dad was on the Sate Highway Commission. He had a special license plate on his car – one that identified him as a Highway Commissioner – much as Senators and Congessmen or Judges might have on their cars. This license plate made him and his car instantly identified to most of the town. People saw the car with the license plate and knew it was Billy Hayes’ car.

Well — I was in college – so I did not live at home – but came home some weekends and breaks from school.

I drove a Chevy Nova Hatchback through college that got me to where I needed to go – but not in the style I wanted. When I was home I would want to drive Dad’s Oldsmobile 98. I thought that the 98 would be much cooler to pick up my date in or to arrive in at the local hangout than my Nova. I always asked Dad to let me borrow his car. He always refused.

“No – I don’t want my car seen at some of place you may be going!” he would say.

He reasoned – and rightly – that I would be going places he did not want to be identified with – - and if his car with his license plate were seen there he would be identified with that place. So I would leave in my Nova Hatchback – wishing I were in the Oldsmobile 98 – and not realizing until years later the point Dad was trying to get across.

My lifestyle at that time in my life was not pleasing to Dad – or to Mom for that matter – or – to God. I finally came around and realized that – and came back to living as God – and my parents – wanted to be live — but it took awhile.

As Christians, one of the purposes of our lives is to

Live to please God

Live to please God

My lifestyle at that time in my life was not pleasing to Dad – or to Mom for that matter – or – to God. I finally came around and realized that – and came back to living as God – and my parents – wanted to be live — but it took awhile.

On the other hand, Abram lived a life that was pleasing to God.

Abram lived a life that pleased God.

In our Old Testament passage for today we have God calling Abram to leave the place where he and his family had settled – and to go.

Go.

Ok – Abram may have thought – go where?

Go – God said –

To the land that I will show you.

Go – to the land that I will show you – and you will be blessed with offspring and will be a great nation.

So – we have Abram – old — childless – with seemingly no immediate hope for having children – told to go – to move – not told where to go to — just told to go – and being promised children.

Believing – and obeying – this promise of God must have been difficult for Abram.

I don’t know about you – but when I get ready to go somewhere – I like to know where I am going. I like to have a map – I like to know the route I will take. I’ll look up the route on MapQuest on the internet – knowing I may not get the most direct route but that it will get me there – and will talk to others who may know the way.

On March 10 of last year Sally and I got in our car in Wentworth, NC to make a trip to Florence – the first trip to interview with Hopewell’s PNC. We had a file full of papers – a Church Information Form with a lot of check marks by things that looked good to us and question marks by things that we wanted to ask about – and we had several maps – one of which had been downloaded off Map Quest.

Abram didn’t have a map.

He couldn’t go to Map Quest and type in where he was going –

He didn’t know where he was going!

God seems to be making what seems to be a ridiculous request of Abram –

Don’t worry about where you are going

Don’t worry about the fact that the promise of children seems ridiculous

Leave all the details up to me – just go.

And what does Abram do?

He goes.

He obeys.

Scripture does not tell us Sarai’s immediate response to all this – it may have been less than positive – or – like Abram – she may have trusted God also.

God calls

Abram obeys

What an example of faith for us.

What an example of what it means to live a life that is pleasing to God.

Hearing God’s call.

Obeying God.

Pleasing God.

One of the questions of the Shorter Catechism is:

“What is the chief end of man?”

Do you remember the response?

“The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

This is so true.

But – what about God enjoying us?

What about God getting pleasure from us – His people – His creation?

The first purpose for our lives is to bring pleasure to God.

We were created for God’s benefit.

We were created for God’s glory.

We were created for God’s purpose.

We were created for God’s delight.

We were created to bring pleasure to God.

We were created to:

Live to please God

Live to please God

Abram lived a life that pleased God.

This does not mean he was perfect or that his faith was always strong – but what it means is that his life was built around trying to please God and obey God.

His life was built around God’s will – God’s purpose for his life – and bringing God pleasure.

Yes – he made mistakes – but he always came back to living a life of trying to follow God’s purpose – a life of pleasing and obeying God.

And I believe God smiled.

Which was not the reacting Jesus had to the many people who refused to believe in Him.

The words Jesus uses when He talks about Jerusalem and it’s people are not words of pleasure – but sorrow:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Not words of pleasure – but words of sorrow that the people of Jerusalem refused to believe in Him. Sorrow that the people of Jerusalem were not concerned about God’s will – or God’s purpose for them – or bringing God pleasure.

Friends — the first purpose for our lives is to bring pleasure to God.

We were created to bring pleasure to God.

We were created to live lives that would be pleasing to God.

Live to please God

Live to please God

So – how do we do this?

How can we live lives that are pleasing to God?

In his book The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren suggests 5 ways that we can live lives that are pleasing to God. These are:

1. A life of worshipping God

2. A life of fellowship with God

3. A life of obedience to God

4. A life of surrender to God

5. A life of being best friends with God.

Doing these things will help you live a life that is pleasing to God.

First – live a life of worship to God.

What does living a life of worship to God mean?

It means living a life where everything we do – every day – is an act of worshipping God. Worship is much more than what we do on Sunday morning here in this building – true worship is a way we live – every day – seeing what God has blessed us with and praising God for His blessing in our lives. The secret to the life of worship is doing everything as if you were doing it for God.

This life of worship pleases God.

Second – there’s the life of fellowship with God.

What does living a life of fellowship with God mean?

It means taking the time to talk to God and listen to God in personal prayers and study of His word – then being willing to trust and obey God. It means using the gifts God has given us for God’s glory.

This life of fellowship pleases God.

Thirdly – there’s the life of obedience to God – being committed to doing God’s will – no matter what.

When you worship God and have fellowship with God, you will come to know God’s will for you. Once you know it, obey it – live in it.

The life of obedience means doing God’s will – and it makes God smile – it is pleasing to God.

Fourth – there’s the life of surrender to God. This means offering ourselves to God for God’s will to be done in our lives. I’m sure it was not easy for Abram to accept God’s will for his life. He could have probably offered many reasons and excuses for not doing what God had asked him to do. But instead he followed – he obeyed – he surrendered his will and plans for his life to God’s will and plan for his life — and it pleased God .

The life of surrender to God means giving up all for our plans and excuses we can make for not doing God’s will – and surrendering to God’s will for our lives – and this pleases God.

Fifth – there’s the life of being best friends with God. The life of being “best friends” with God means having a truly special relationship with God – a relationship that is real and feels like a best friend you would share your life with. It involves wanting to spend time with God – just as you want to spend time with your best friend. It involves looking for ways to please God – ways to do things that will make God happy – just as you might look for ways to please your best friend or make your best friend happy. This life of being “best friends” with God pleases God.

Live to please God

Live to please God

The first purpose of our lives is pleasing God.

We were created for God’s benefit.

W were created for God’s glory.

We were created for God’s purpose.

We were created for God’s delight.

We were created to bring pleasure to God.

We were created to live lives that would be pleasing to God.

Live to please God

Live to please God

Like Abram – we need to develop a life that is pleasing to God – where we yearn to have fellowship with God – obey God – surrender to God’s will – and be best friends with God.

So – the question for today is – does the way you live your life please God?

Does the way you live your life please God?

I am not asking “Are you living a perfect life”? That is not possible. What is possible is living a life that is pleasing to God.

Abram was not perfect — his faith was always strong – but he built his life around trying to please God and obey God.

He built his life around God’s will – God’s purpose for his life – and bringing God pleasure.

Yes – he made mistakes – but he always came back to living a life of trying to follow God’s purpose – a life of pleasing and obeying God.

The people Jesus spoke of in our passage from Luke, however, were not concerned about pleasing God – they were only concerned bout pleasing themselves – and this did not please God.

Are you living your life in a way that pleases God?

My Dad did not want to be associated with some of the places I went – some of the things I did – some of the people I hung around with – when I was in my late teens and early 20’s.

Do the places you go – the things you do – the people you associate with – every day – give glory to God? Are they the places God wants you to be going — – the things God wants you to be doing – and people God wants you to be around?

Are you living your life in a way that pleases God?

It does not mean you have top be perfect – it does not mean your faith is always strong — but it does mean you try to build your life around trying to please God and obey God.

It means you build your life around God’s will – God’s purpose for his life – and bringing God pleasure.

It will more than likely mean you will make mistakes – but it means you always come back to living a life of trying to follow God’s purpose – a life of pleasing and obeying God.

It means you try to make worshipping God, having fellowship with God, being in obedience to God, surrendering to God, and being best friends with God the important things in your life.

It means you try to live like Abram – and bring pleasure to God – instead of like the people Jesus referred to in Luke 13 – who did not please God.

Rick Warren gives 5 purposes for our lives in his book The Purpose Driven Life. These are:

1. Pleasing God

2. Loving others who believe in God

3. Becoming like Christ

4. Serving others with the gifts God has given us

5. Telling others about God

The first purpose for our lives pleasing God.

Live to please God

Live to please God

Amen.