God’s Plan and Purpose (Part-2)

(Message byPastor Philip Joseph. Come be a part of His plan!)

Col. 1:16

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

This is a wonderful purpose for our lives- we were created FOR HIM. And every moment that we think about this verse, whatever be our circumstances and whatever our situation, we can re-orient and realign our lives to fulfil this purpose- we were created for Him!

I remember when I was young and the times when I used to wonder about God’s purpose for my life.I used to read the Scriptures and try to find out ‘What on earth am I herefor?’ And 20 years ago, these wonderful TWO words spoke to my heart- “FOR HIM”and I found rest in my soul. Wonderful words of life- For Him.

We may be involved in so many activities- our work at the office, home, schooling, taking care of our children, our spouse; but we must be careful not to miss out on this great purpose of God for OUR lives- For Him!

FOR HIM
In the beginning,when God created Adam and Eve, they were given some assignments too to DO- but it was not everything. They looked forward to the time when they could commune with God Himself; and in the cool of the day He would call them and Adam and Eve could hear Him. And in Col. 1:16 there is the answer- the man and woman were basically created for God.

For His Glory
We too can work from day till night and involve in many activities; but do not miss out on the purpose that we were basically created for Him. God has created mankind primarily for Himself; not to live for ourselves, not for others, not for some spiritual works even. Isaiah 43:7 says: Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him. The chief purpose of man is to glorify God in and through his life. God wants us to be God-centred people; not self-centred, and not even others centred. All of our other activities must be centred on God.

For His Worship
Jesus spoke tothe woman at the well in John 4:23 saying: But the hour is coming, and now is,when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for theFather is seeking such to worship Him.
Imagine the Father seeking for true worshippers- who worship in spirit and truth. We were primarily created to be true worshippers first; even more than being diligent workers. When we come before God, our being is subject to the most intimate communion possible with God- in true worship.

We are made of spirit, soul and body- and we can truly worship Him submitting our bodies as a living sacrifice; we dance before Him, we lift our hands, we kneel before Him,we bow down and worship Him, knowing He is our God, and we are the sheep of His hand (This is only the body realm). We can sing with our understanding and being stirred up- use our God given emotions to express our love for Him in worship (the soul realm). But our aim must be to go further and please the Father who is seeking those who worship Him in the spirit realm. This is the place where we commune with our God- one on One.

Worship must become an important and integral part of our life. In the Bible, we have glimpses of heaven- prophets seeing visions and describing the ‘atmosphere’ in heaven, especially in books of Isaiah, Ezekiel and Revelation. And what we hear them speak is an ‘atmosphere’ of Worship- angels singing ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ and the four living creatures and the elders casting down their golden crowns before God and involved in worship. And in the Book of Revelation, we find the redeemed of the Lamb- those who are washed in His blood and made clean, worship the Lamb who sits on the throne.

True Worship
Now, imagine here on earth, are you looking for your purpose wondering what on earth are you here for? Now you know the answer: Worship God in spirit and truth. Otherwise, we will be only some religious people babbling something with our mouth, doing some lip-service and singing some ‘nice’ lies. Isaiah 29:13 says: Therefore theLORD said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me…”

TO HIM
Romans 12:1 is a familiar verse for most of us. But at the start of the verse, Paul writes to the Romans “Therefore…”. This should prompt us to look into the last part of chapter 11 and see why Paul is saying therefore. (You know that in the original text of the Bible, there were no demarcations for numbering verses and chapters. These were later added on for our convenience). And so we find in Romans 11:36 this verse: For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Present To Him
To Him are all things- therefore, we ought to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him (Romans 12:1, 2). This calls us to a life of surrender. We have come here not just to thank Him for what He has done for us; but also to surrender our lives to Him. Imagine Paul- the learned, wise and young man must have lived with his dreams of being someone, maybe someone religious; but Paul forsook all in that dramatic turn on the road to Damascus as he cried out: Lord, what do you want me to do? He confesses in Phil. 1:21“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Pleasing To Him

Paul learnt it the ‘hard’ way- it was hard for him to kick against thorns. Here and now we have an opportunity to learn and live a life pleasing to Jesus Christ. We live to Him, setting aside all our personal ambitions, plans and dreams. “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” [2Cor. 5:9]

How about you- do you seek to please Him? Next time you are in some place, think about whether it is pleasing to Him. Or if you are involved in some activity, forget about friends and peers, and think about whether it is pleasing to Him. Step back! We can give up on certain friendships and give up on certain ‘fun’ activities for the sake of pleasing Him. In every circumstance of life, this should be our overriding ambition-to please Him.

Jesus while He walked on this earth some 2000 years ago, had the same ambition Himself- to please His Father. In John 8:29 Jesus testifies “And He who sent Me is with Me.The Father has not left Me alone, for I ALWAYS do those things that please Him.” Even before Jesus started His ministry, on the shores of the river where John baptised Him, they all heard a voice from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” [Matt. 3:17]

God is with us,too; He has not left us alone. Is God well pleased with you? Know that man was created for His good pleasure.

Praise To Him

James 4:8 says:Draw near to God and He will draw near to you... There is a certainty about this verse that compels us to look at ourselves, if we ‘feel’ being far away from Him. He will certainly draw near to us, if we are willing to draw near to Him! In all our days, we can have a close walk with Him. Take time to be holy and speak often with the Lord. Pray without ceasing and rejoice in thanksgiving for all that He has done for you.

In Genesis 5, we come across a long list of individuals; it is recorded that they lived,married, had children, and died after living for such and such duration. But then in verse 24, we come across this man Enoch- who walked with God. It was such a close walk, that God took him… he did not even face death here on earth.

We can start our walk with Him today- step-by-step and step in step following our Lord Jesus…“that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory”-Eph. 1:12

The book of Ephesians is a wonderfully organized book of 6 chapters. The first 3 chapters talk about the- Position of The Christian, and the next 3 chapters- The Practice (or Performance) of The Christian; that in all these that we live the verse of Eph. 1:12 to the praise of His glory. For His glory we were created,and to the praise of His glory, we must live.

It is good to hope in God; but I pray today that you will graduate to glory in God. For Him,through Him and To Him, is what we are here for! Therefore, let your lives give Him glory, bring Him glory, and proclaim His glory; In Jesus name, Amen.