Discovering Our Purpose: Glorifying God in Everyday Life
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Thank you. Thank you. Hey, while we're making noise, let's welcome all of our other locations joining in. Napa, East Bay, Roseville, Calgary, Prison Church Network, everybody. Come on, give it up for them today. We love you guys. Everybody in the family room is joining us. Hello. Hello. Do me a favor. Stay on your feet for just a moment. It's good to be in the house of God. It's good to be in his presence. And, you know, we are starting a new series today called Glory in the Highest. And in the course of this series, we're going to talk a little bit about what it means to glorify God. And we'll also be kind of dipping into some of the stories surrounding the birth of Jesus. But when Jesus first came to the planet some 2000 plus years ago, he gave a sense of purpose to so many people who came in contact with him. Thousands and thousands of people, they found purpose. And meaning in the Savior and in his words and in his ways. And in the same way, in our day and age, when the Savior enters our lives, he begins to reveal the purpose for which he has created us. And I want to let you know today, maybe you've never heard this before, but you have a purpose. You have a purpose. You matter. You mean something. [00:00:07] (71 seconds)
with a new assignment. And one of our new assignments is this. [00:09:23] (5 seconds)
We have a collective glory to give to God. [00:09:29] (5 seconds)
First Peter 2 .5 tells us, and you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. So Peter gives us two different roles here. First, he says, you're living stones. [00:09:35] (18 seconds)
All the believers, this is the crazy, mysterious plan of God and all of his wisdom and all of his grace. He says, I'm no longer going to choose my dwelling place to be a physical structure or building, but instead all of my people, when they gather together, that will be my spiritual temple. That'll be the place where I dwell. So every time we gather together on Sundays here in all of our locations, or every time we gather together at Pursuit on Thursdays, or Youth, or Celebrate Recovery, or your small group, wherever you may gather with other believers, that is a gathering that God chooses and delights to dwell in. You are the temple of the living God. But Peter continues on and he says, you're not just living stones, you're also a priest. [00:09:53] (43 seconds)
You might be a first responder, you might be a pilot, or a teacher, or a stay -at -home parent, but if you've given your life to Jesus, you are also a priest. And when priests come into the temple of God, they have an active role to play. So you're actually on the clock right now. Surprise! [00:10:40] (17 seconds)
That's your heartfelt praise, your declarations from scripture, prayers, etc. [00:12:01] (4 seconds)
And then there's singing, shouting, lifting your hands, playing instruments, clapping, standing, bowing. And dancing. And these are all things that God has commanded his people, his priests, to do. They're not suggestions. They're not options. They're commands. This is how God has chosen for us to glorify him. [00:12:05] (19 seconds)
And David, who is the writer of over half the Psalms, the 150 Psalms in the book of Psalms, he further links these psalmic expressions of worship with priestly function in Psalm 141, verse 2, where he says this, incense before you, like a priest would burn before God, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. So here you've got speech and the lifting of hands, these psalmic expressions of worship. And David's saying, these things that I'm doing right now, they are just like as if I were a priest in the temple of God, giving him praise. [00:12:25] (36 seconds)
First Peter continues on to say, you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special position. [00:13:01] (9 seconds)
When we gather together as New Testament priests and we come into the house of God, our main goal, our number one priority is to minister to him, bringing him a sacrifice of praise through the methods which he has commanded of us. [00:13:01] (17 seconds)
This is the collective glory that we bring to God. [00:13:14] (4 seconds)
And if you look at the language of the Psalms, you'll see that this ministry, this glory giving is done with a certain attitude, a certain vibe, a certain mood. [00:13:30] (14 seconds)
It's done passionately, heartfelt, enthusiastic, dynamic, the best that you can bring all of your intention and all of your focus and all of your energy and your passion brought to God. Here are a couple of examples of what psalmic worship does not look like. What a beautiful [00:13:56] (22 seconds)
Now, if you feel a little threatened right now, that's not my intention. [00:14:35] (5 seconds)
Many people will say, well, you can't judge my heart based on what I'm worshiping like on the outside. And God knows my heart. And you know what? That's absolutely right. God knows your heart. And no man can judge the state of your heart by your outward appearance. God says man looks at the outward appearance, but he looks at the heart. So yes, God knows your heart. My question to you would be, do you know your heart? [00:14:39] (22 seconds)
And listen, if you're here and you are physically incapable of doing some of these psalmic expressions, but your heart is, man, God, I want to give you the best of me. I want to give you glory. Of course, he sees that. Of course, he honors your heart. And if you can't dance, then maybe you can lift your hands. And if you can't sing, then maybe you can bow before him. The point is God does not deserve our laziness and he doesn't deserve our leftovers. He deserves the best of us. He deserves your heart and soul and your mind and your strength. He's the God who created the universe and gave you breath in your lungs and a beating heart in your chest. He rescued you from hell and the grave. Surely you can give him a little bit of passion, a little bit of intensity, a little bit of volume. And don't do it for me. I'm not trying. You know, this is not me just going like, so come on, let's get loud because I'm saying it when we're worshiping. And this is a part of worship. But man, think of what he's done for you. [00:17:04] (55 seconds)
And just like the psalmists, you speak to your soul and you say, soul, it's time to worship God. I may not feel like it right now. It may not feel convenient, but God is worthy of my praise. And then what I like to do is I try to think of where I was before he found me. I go, man, I was lost. I was a teenager. I was broken and confused. I was depressed and suicidal and bitter and angry. But then Jesus came and he set me free and he clouded the, he parted the clouds of darkness in my life. He gave me joy. He gave me a song to sing. He gave me an amazing church family. He brought me a beautiful wife and beautiful kids. And oh man, when I think of his goodness, when I think of his glory and the things that he's done in my life, how can I not praise him? [00:18:46] (43 seconds)
And when you start to go through that list for just a couple of minutes, you find I'm pretty ready to bring my best to worship. Today, I like God's God's good and I'm going to give him praise. So I would encourage you to be proactive about your priestly ministry. You are not just another body in the room. You're certainly not just a casual observer. You are a priest and you have a job to do when you come to God's house. And thankfully he makes that job a joyful job and a job where we can be free and happy and sing and shout and celebrate. God could make it to where the way that we worship him is by whipping our backs and bowing. Before him and never getting up. But he says, I want you to dance. I want you to celebrate. I want you to lift your hands and sing for joy and sing for gladness. What a good God we serve. Isn't that amazing? And so take your role seriously and let's give him the collective glory that he so rightly deserves. And that's, that's the collective glory that we bring to God. But there's another level as well. You see, you have a unique glory to give to God. God's worthy. [00:19:35] (64 seconds)
our praise on Sundays for sure. He's worthy of the collective glory that we bring, but he's also worthy every other day of the week. [00:20:39] (8 seconds)
How do we give God the glory that he deserves when we're not in the gathering, when it's just us going about our work week or with our family? Do you show up to your job and start dancing and clapping and shouting? Probably not. Depends on your line of work, I suppose, but you know, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. [00:20:46] (19 seconds)
The ancient Jewish understanding of the word glory comes from a specific word that we'll put on the screen in just a moment. [00:21:06] (7 seconds)
It's figurative language that means weight, and it paints this picture. The definition that you're going to see is not the true definition of the word. This is the result of my study and my looking into it, trying to help paint a picture of what is being talked about when they use this word glory. The word for it is kavod, spelled kabod, but it's pronounced kavod. [00:21:12] (23 seconds)
All of your heart and soul is in the glory of God. All of your heart and soul, the very noblest parts of you, the culmination of the best of who and what you are, your God -given
Ask a question about this sermon
with a new assignment. And one of our new assignments is this. [00:09:23] (5 seconds)
We have a collective glory to give to God. [00:09:29] (5 seconds)
First Peter 2 .5 tells us, and you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. So Peter gives us two different roles here. First, he says, you're living stones. [00:09:35] (18 seconds)
All the believers, this is the crazy, mysterious plan of God and all of his wisdom and all of his grace. He says, I'm no longer going to choose my dwelling place to be a physical structure or building, but instead all of my people, when they gather together, that will be my spiritual temple. That'll be the place where I dwell. So every time we gather together on Sundays here in all of our locations, or every time we gather together at Pursuit on Thursdays, or Youth, or Celebrate Recovery, or your small group, wherever you may gather with other believers, that is a gathering that God chooses and delights to dwell in. You are the temple of the living God. But Peter continues on and he says, you're not just living stones, you're also a priest. [00:09:53] (43 seconds)
You might be a first responder, you might be a pilot, or a teacher, or a stay -at -home parent, but if you've given your life to Jesus, you are also a priest. And when priests come into the temple of God, they have an active role to play. So you're actually on the clock right now. Surprise! [00:10:40] (17 seconds)
That's your heartfelt praise, your declarations from scripture, prayers, etc. [00:12:01] (4 seconds)
And then there's singing, shouting, lifting your hands, playing instruments, clapping, standing, bowing. And dancing. And these are all things that God has commanded his people, his priests, to do. They're not suggestions. They're not options. They're commands. This is how God has chosen for us to glorify him. [00:12:05] (19 seconds)
And David, who is the writer of over half the Psalms, the 150 Psalms in the book of Psalms, he further links these psalmic expressions of worship with priestly function in Psalm 141, verse 2, where he says this, incense before you, like a priest would burn before God, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. So here you've got speech and the lifting of hands, these psalmic expressions of worship. And David's saying, these things that I'm doing right now, they are just like as if I were a priest in the temple of God, giving him praise. [00:12:25] (36 seconds)
First Peter continues on to say, you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special position. [00:13:01] (9 seconds)
When we gather together as New Testament priests and we come into the house of God, our main goal, our number one priority is to minister to him, bringing him a sacrifice of praise through the methods which he has commanded of us. [00:13:01] (17 seconds)
This is the collective glory that we bring to God. [00:13:14] (4 seconds)
And if you look at the language of the Psalms, you'll see that this ministry, this glory giving is done with a certain attitude, a certain vibe, a certain mood. [00:13:30] (14 seconds)
It's done passionately, heartfelt, enthusiastic, dynamic, the best that you can bring all of your intention and all of your focus and all of your energy and your passion brought to God. Here are a couple of examples of what psalmic worship does not look like. What a beautiful [00:13:56] (22 seconds)
Now, if you feel a little threatened right now, that's not my intention. [00:14:35] (5 seconds)
Many people will say, well, you can't judge my heart based on what I'm worshiping like on the outside. And God knows my heart. And you know what? That's absolutely right. God knows your heart. And no man can judge the state of your heart by your outward appearance. God says man looks at the outward appearance, but he looks at the heart. So yes, God knows your heart. My question to you would be, do you know your heart? [00:14:39] (22 seconds)
And listen, if you're here and you are physically incapable of doing some of these psalmic expressions, but your heart is, man, God, I want to give you the best of me. I want to give you glory. Of course, he sees that. Of course, he honors your heart. And if you can't dance, then maybe you can lift your hands. And if you can't sing, then maybe you can bow before him. The point is God does not deserve our laziness and he doesn't deserve our leftovers. He deserves the best of us. He deserves your heart and soul and your mind and your strength. He's the God who created the universe and gave you breath in your lungs and a beating heart in your chest. He rescued you from hell and the grave. Surely you can give him a little bit of passion, a little bit of intensity, a little bit of volume. And don't do it for me. I'm not trying. You know, this is not me just going like, so come on, let's get loud because I'm saying it when we're worshiping. And this is a part of worship. But man, think of what he's done for you. [00:17:04] (55 seconds)
And just like the psalmists, you speak to your soul and you say, soul, it's time to worship God. I may not feel like it right now. It may not feel convenient, but God is worthy of my praise. And then what I like to do is I try to think of where I was before he found me. I go, man, I was lost. I was a teenager. I was broken and confused. I was depressed and suicidal and bitter and angry. But then Jesus came and he set me free and he clouded the, he parted the clouds of darkness in my life. He gave me joy. He gave me a song to sing. He gave me an amazing church family. He brought me a beautiful wife and beautiful kids. And oh man, when I think of his goodness, when I think of his glory and the things that he's done in my life, how can I not praise him? [00:18:46] (43 seconds)
And when you start to go through that list for just a couple of minutes, you find I'm pretty ready to bring my best to worship. Today, I like God's God's good and I'm going to give him praise. So I would encourage you to be proactive about your priestly ministry. You are not just another body in the room. You're certainly not just a casual observer. You are a priest and you have a job to do when you come to God's house. And thankfully he makes that job a joyful job and a job where we can be free and happy and sing and shout and celebrate. God could make it to where the way that we worship him is by whipping our backs and bowing. Before him and never getting up. But he says, I want you to dance. I want you to celebrate. I want you to lift your hands and sing for joy and sing for gladness. What a good God we serve. Isn't that amazing? And so take your role seriously and let's give him the collective glory that he so rightly deserves. And that's, that's the collective glory that we bring to God. But there's another level as well. You see, you have a unique glory to give to God. God's worthy. [00:19:35] (64 seconds)
our praise on Sundays for sure. He's worthy of the collective glory that we bring, but he's also worthy every other day of the week. [00:20:39] (8 seconds)
How do we give God the glory that he deserves when we're not in the gathering, when it's just us going about our work week or with our family? Do you show up to your job and start dancing and clapping and shouting? Probably not. Depends on your line of work, I suppose, but you know, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. [00:20:46] (19 seconds)
The ancient Jewish understanding of the word glory comes from a specific word that we'll put on the screen in just a moment. [00:21:06] (7 seconds)
It's figurative language that means weight, and it paints this picture. The definition that you're going to see is not the true definition of the word. This is the result of my study and my looking into it, trying to help paint a picture of what is being talked about when they use this word glory. The word for it is kavod, spelled kabod, but it's pronounced kavod. [00:21:12] (23 seconds)
All of your heart and soul is in the glory of God. All of your heart and soul, the very noblest parts of you, the culmination of the best of who and what you are, your God -given
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