Thank you very much.
All right, so today I want to talk about a foundational truth from the Bible as far
as what is our purpose of life and why we're here.
And so this sermon is about glorifying God.
So a lot of people have this, especially in the world, and they think, like, why am I
here?
What's the purpose of my life?
But we as Christians in the Bible, we have it laid out for us.
God tells us what our purpose is.
And that purpose is to glorify God.
We exist for God's glory and not our own.
The first thing I want to point to, the very last verse in this chapter, it says, For thy
pleasure they are and were created.
So we are created for God's pleasure.
God made us for Him and His glory and His pleasure.
And this is the 24 elders, and they're bound before God and so forth.
And they're perfect.
There's no sin in them.
The flesh is gone.
And the Bible says that for God's pleasure we were created.
Now if you turn to Isaiah chapter 43, so the Bible is God's story.
It's about Him and what Christ did for us.
It's not about us, it's about what He did for us.
How Jesus came and paid for our sins.
That is the theme of the Bible.
That is the important message that God has given to us.
So if you look at Isaiah 43 verse 7, this is talking to Isaiah, it says, Even everyone
that is called by my name, for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him, yea,
I have made him.
So this reminds me when Jesus says, Not my will but thine be done, talking to the Father.
So we exist for God's glory, to do His will.
We don't exist for our glory.
We don't exist to make ourselves great or to puff ourselves up or make ourselves really
better.
We exist for God's will and exist for His glory.
So again I'm going to read to you in Exodus chapter 9 verse 16.
It says, In the very deeds for this cause I raise thee up, for to show in thee my power
and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
So why was Moses there?
To show God's power and declare His name throughout all the earth.
That's why these events and the miracles that God did them.
To show who He is and have His glory among the nations.
It wasn't about anyone.
It wasn't even about Moses.
It wasn't about God's glory being shown throughout the whole earth.
So you must always keep that in mind.
Our purpose in life is not about us, it's about God.
It's not about fulfilling our own life, our own dreams and desires.
It's really about God and His plan for us.
And we're living in His story and we can choose to play a part in that.
So if you turn to Joshua chapter 5, there's a lot of people that say, How do I get God
on my side?
And there's obviously you want God on your side.
But in another sense, that's really the wrong question.
The question really should be, it's not about you getting God on your side, but you getting
on God's side.
Because I want to show you this verse in Joshua chapter 5 verse 13 and 14.
So this is Joshua and it's an Old Testament appearance of Jesus.
And he peers to him, right?
And he says right here, And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted
up his eyes and looked and behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword
drawn in his hand.
And Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou for us or for our adversaries?
And he said, Nay, but as a captain of the host of the Lord, am I now come?
And Joshua fell on his face and did worship and said unto him, What sayeth my Lord unto
his servant?
So Joshua, he's coming to me, are you for us or for adversaries?
And this is Jesus really saying, Nay.
That's not the answer.
He says, nay.
So it's not about us.
It's not about God necessarily being for us or against us, but us being for God.
And that's where the true fulfillment will come.
So my first point is this, that we exist for God's glory and not our own.
That's our existence.
That's our purpose.
So that's very important that you understand this foundational stuff.
Now the next thing I want to point is point number two is that we glorify God by obeying
him.
So I lead three different ways we can glorify God.
And the first is with our speech, especially praising God or thanking God.
If you go to Luke 17, because when we praise God and we thank God, we're giving glory
to him.
We're praising him.
We're lifting him up.
That's what glory is.
Think of what glory means.
You know, when somebody goes out and they want to, you know, get a bunch of glory or
something of a conqueror and, you know, many have done very glorious deeds, right, throughout
this in this earth.
Well, we're here to raise, give God the glory, and that's our purpose.
So it says right here in Luke 17 about this miracle.
And they lifted up their voice, 17, 13 through 18, and he said, Jesus, Master, have mercy
on us.
And when they saw them, he said unto them, Go show thyself to the priest.
And it came to pass that they went, they were cleansed.
And one of them when he saw his, that he was healed, turned back and with a loud voice,
glorified God.
So you can glorify God by praising him and thanking him, right, just by definition, that's
what glorifying would be.
And he fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks, and he was a Samaritan.
And Jesus answering said, we were, were there not 10 cleansed, but where are the nine?
For they are not found returned to give glory, save this glory to God, save this stranger.
So again, if you want to give glory to God, it's by praising him and thanking him, it's
by singing to him, as we do before services.
It's by speaking well of him and magnifying him amongst men and giving him thanks for
all the good things that he does for us.
So that's the that's one great way to glorify God with our speech in that regard.
The second way to glorify God he turned to Matthew five, verse 14 is with your good works,
your good works, and obeying him it glorifies God.
So I'm going to read from Matthew five, verse 14.
Ye are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men let a candle and put under a bushel, but unto a candlestick, and it
giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father
which is in heaven.
So first thing we have this metaphor that you are the light of the world.
So in about this is also that you are a city on a hill.
Now these are two things that are meant to be seen.
You're meant to see like the light has the light is it gives light you can see everything
around you and you can know where to step you want to walk and you're and you're not
blind in darkness, right?
That's why light is there has a purpose.
The city on a hill has a purpose, right?
So example, you know, why do you have a city on a hill really because you defend your city,
but also is there to be seen amongst men as those two reasons were there.
So that's another example I thought about in modern day is like, you know, when I think
about today like street signs, when you go driving, these are things meant to be seen,
and they have a purpose.
But I want to contrast that with something that's meant to be seen but does not have
a purpose.
The thing I was thinking of like art, like museum art, you just go out and look at it,
but doesn't really have a purpose, really per se, you just look at it and get some self
gratification, but it's not really doing any good.
So that's the contrary, we're meant to be seen with a purpose.
These are the the metaphors that God gives us in the Bible.
So another way to put to glorify God, the final way that I laid out here of the three
ways is by soul winning, which is obviously a type of good works, but it's specifically
soul winning.
So if you go to John 15 verse eight, I'm going to read you Psalm 21 verse four and five or
verse four, it says right here, his glory is great and thy salvation, honor and majesty
thou has laid upon him.
So God's glory is great and his salvation.
If you want to glorify God, proclaim his salvation, preach it, show how to people how to be saved.
That's why we're here today.
Today is we can glorify God and show him or show other people how to be saved and glorify
him with our speech is what we're doing.
So that's a that's a very important thing.
And that's why we're here today.
Because remember, today we want to glorify God with soul winning and that's that's why
we're here.
When people people saved, we want to we want to do that.
So the Bible says in John 15, verse eight, Herein is my Father glorified that you bear
much fruit, so shall you be my disciples.
So if you want to glorify God, which again is your purpose is why God created you.
You bear much fruit.
All right.
That's how you glorify God.
And again, what is fruit in the Bible?
I mean, for the there's, you know, the fruit can be like we talk about different subjects.
But as far as the context right here, fruit, we're talking about the fruit of a Christian
is another Christian.
Right.
The Bible says you must bring forth after their own kind.
That's how God created the whole earth.
So if I'm a Christian, my fruit would be another Christian.
That's soul winning.
That's preaching the gospel.
So how would you glorify God by bringing forth much fruit, winning many souls, doing many
good things as far in as far as good works and by praising him and thanking him.
These are three great ways to glorify God.
When you go out and you win souls, when you go out and you miss his trips, when you go
out with your church and you have a soul winning time, that glorifies God.
That's what we should be doing.
And you say, well, what do I do with my life?
You focus on glorifying God and then you will be blessed.
So that's why you have the our first thing is our purpose in life is to glorify him.
And that's period.
That's what we're here for.
Second is there's three great ways to glorify him.
How we speak of him, how by praising him, speaking well of him, by good works and by
soul winning.
The last point I want to make is in Luke 17, verse 33, if you turn there.
The last point I make is that really serving God is worth it because you may think, well,
if I just give up, if I just like focus on, if I focus on God, what about my desires?
What about all the good things I want?
You know, what about accomplishing all the desires I want?
Now, I'm not saying don't seek and work hard to your goals.
We should always work hard and be and do and even accomplish things and receive things
in his life.
But priority is to glorify God.
That's the essence of why we're here.
Luke 17, 33, Whosoever shall seek his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall lose his
life shall preserve it.
So it's ironic in the Bible.
If you want to save your life and you don't have the best life that God has for you, you
must lose it.
You must give it up for the gospel sake and for the kingdom of heaven.
You must give it up for live your life for God and doing his will.
That's how you save it.
That's how you get all the blessings that God would have for you.
So if you seek to save your life, you will lose it.
But if you lose your life for Christ's sake, you will get all the blessings that God has,
which is greater than anything you could have ever wanted or anything you ever could have
even asked for.
Because God's will is greater than we can even comprehend because it's eternal and there's
only blessings that will come throughout eternity.
So that's why it's very ironic and I just want to put that message down and harp on
this message that your purpose in life is to glorify God.
I want you to get that and remember that.
It's not really all about yourself, which is obviously we all are selfish at times.
I understand that.
But your number one priority is to glorify God and then you ask how do you do it?
And the Bible lays out the three great ways to do it, which it specifically says these
ways glorify God as it talks about in Matthew and so forth.
So again, that's the message I want to say.
I want you to know why you're here.
Why am I soul winning?
Why do I go to church?
Why do I sacrifice?
Some people are driving an hour and a half to church.
That takes some sacrifice to do and people have sacrificed all throughout history for
God and that's why we're here.
So I don't lay that point and let's pray right now.
Dear Father in heaven, thank you for this time to go soul winning.
Please help us glorify you in our lives and in all of our works and how we speak of you
and all the soul winning we do.
Thank you for all the blessings in the Bible for teaching us and thank you for giving us
opportunity and allowing us to preach in America where there's opportunity.
So thank you and amen in Jesus name.
Thank you for all the blessings in the Bible for teaching us and all the soul winning we
do.
Thank you for all the blessings in the Bible for teaching us and all the soul winning we
do.
We do.