on April 29, 2008
Introduction
We’ve been asking some important questions:
- WHO AM I?
- WHERE DID I COME FROM?
- WHY AM I HERE?
- WHERE AM I GOING?
These are questions every person, religion, and nation needs to answer!
Today’s question continues with purpose:
WHY AM I HERE – Part 2?
We must remind ourselves that purpose is never determined by the created, always by the Creator!
A large percentage of people, even people in the church, will drift through life without ever once thinking about purpose.
What is our purpose in the church?
Why does the church exist?
WHY ARE WE HERE?
What we believe about this question dramatically affects the way we view our participation in the faith community!
What we believe about this question dramatically affects the way our faith community participates in this community and the world!
WHY ARE WE HERE?
Because Christ is building us together!
Matthew 16:18
– and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
1 Peter 2:4,5
– As you come to him, the living Stone–rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him– you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
WHY ARE WE HERE?
To bring glory to our Creator through:
- Worship that honors Him
- Instruction that makes disciples of Christ
- Fellowship that demonstrates union with the community of faith
- Service that expresses our faith in Christ and His Gospel
Worship that honors Him
John 4:23,24 – Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
Psalm 29:2
– Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
Deuteronomy 6:5
– Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Psalm 100
– Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Hebrews 12:28
– Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe…
Revelation 14:6,7
– Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth–to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."
Instruction that makes disciples of Christ
Matthew 28:18-20
– Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inA the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
2 Timothy 3:16,17
– All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
1 Corinthians 10:31-33 – 11:1
– So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God– even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.
Fellowship that demonstrates union with the community of faith
1 John 1:5-7 – This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Hebrews 10:23-25
– Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
2 Corinthians 7:14-18
– Do not be yoked together with unbelievers For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."
"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
John 17:11 – I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name–the name you gave me–so that they may be one as we are one.
Service that expresses our faith in Christ and His Gospel
Mark 10:42-45 – Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
John 13:12-17
– When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me `Teacher' and `Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Galatians 5:13,14
– You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
1 Peter 4:8-10 – Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
Romans 12:4-13
– Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
WHY ARE WE HERE?
Because Christ is building us together!
Matthew 16:18
– and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
1 Peter 2:4,5
– As you come to him, the living Stone–rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him– you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
WHY ARE WE HERE?
To bring glory to our Creator through:
- Worship that honors Him
- Instruction that makes disciples of Christ
- Fellowship that demonstrates union with the community of faith
- Service that expresses our faith in Christ and His Gospel