Posted By Teresa Han
Our Life Time Goal: To Glorify God (1Cor 10:31) & To Be Like God (1Cor11:1)
1Cor 10:31; 11:1 30th Jan, 2011.
Main idea: To glorify God and be like Him
Objectives: a. To challenge the congregation to glorify God by being Christ-like. b. To teach the congregation to be Christ-like in all godly characters.
A. Introduction
- Have you ever asked yourself why am I here on earth? What is the meaning of my life on earth? What do I want to achieve when I am living? In other words, what is your life time goal? If we are able to answer this kind of crucial questions in view of God whom we are answerable to, at the end of the day, at our deathbeds, we will have no regret. In fact, those of us who are very certain of the answers, we are very confident of seeing Jesus anytime and allow Him to take us home any time. We are not afraid of death. Your life on earth can only live for one time, like a coin, you can use it for one time. What do you do with your life on earth?
- As long as you have a mind you will ask about it.
- I believe all of you as adults you have asked those questions. You have given yourself answers. Some of us are very satisfied with your own answers as a Christian. May be some of us are still searching for a good answer. Some of us, I bet, you will reexamine your answers after a life crisis like in a serious illness; financial loss; marital problem; serious relationship problem with your colleagues; a broken heart, etc.
- Unfortunately, a lot of people only begin to think more seriously about our life meaning and purpose only when we are strike by crisis. However, Christians look at life crisis as opportunity for spiritual growth.
- Yes, pains, illness, hurts, disappointments, loss and death of loved ones, and distress, are most unwelcomed in our lives. However, when it comes, you must remember to examine your life especially your life goal on earth. Do not waste an opportunity to grow as a Christian; a disciple of Jesus.
- People like, mentor minister, Lee Kuan Yew, his life time goal is to build a nation of Singapore. He said that Singapore was still not a nation yet! It is because her people still think in terms of race! You see his life time goal is so challenging.
- What about Jesus life time goal? Can you give the answer? To save the world from their sins and enter into eternity with Him! Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” (New Revised Standard Version, NRSV)
- Praise the Lord, the authoritative word of God (the Bible) has the best answers to our search for our life time goal. Whatever life time goal; life purpose; meaning of life you have set for yourself, it cannot deviate from the biblical teaching, “To glorify God and to be like God.” These passages, 1Cor 10:31; 11:1 will challenge us and teach us to do it.
B. Explanation of the passages
- Apostle Paul said in 1Cor 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” (NRSV) This verse was said in the context of the issue of whether Christians could eat food offered to the idols.
- In facing the issue of whether Christians could eat the meat (that was sold in the market that might be offered to the idols) or the food (which might have been offered to the idols) which was laid before the Christians upon accepting the invitation to the non-Christian functions (verses 23 – 30), Paul offered very firmed answers. These answers also become our practice today.
- His guiding principles are very clear in verses 23 – 24: All things are lawful but not all things are beneficial; but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other. So, he applied the principles into the food offered to the idols situation. He taught the Corinthians, for the sake of not offending the conscience of the neighbors who told them the food had been offered to idols, the Corinthians should not eat it. If they ate it, then, the act would not be beneficial; not building up, the neighbors. If they did not eat it, then, they really thought of the advantage of others.
- It is in this context, that Apostle Paul said, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” After this careful instruction, he went on in verses 32 and 33 to urge the Corinthians not offend the Jews, the Greeks, and fellow Christians (the church of God). He even dared to use himself as an example, he was pleasing everyone and not seeking his own advantage and he sought the advantage of others so that others may be saved.
- In the midst of dealing with the issue of food offered to idols, he taught and challenge Corinthians to glorify God (as their life time goal) in whatever they did; yet at the same time, he was so mission minded (part of his life time goal also), he wanted to make sure these people whom the Corinthians had in contact to be saved!
- Can you also do the same during this Chinese New Year as you do your reunion and visitations? Make sure that you glorify God in whatever you do in CNY. Make sure you do not gamble, get drunk, curse, throw tantrum, quarrel with relatives and friends, etc. So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
- After Apostle Paul taught and challenged the Corinthians to glorify God, he went to say something quite tangible to help the Corinthians to glorify God. He exhorted them to imitate him as he imitate Christ, in 1Cor 11:1, he said, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (NRSB) This is tangible because it answers the question of how to glorify God, an abstract concept/ idea.
- Apostle Paul now said, for the sake of glorifying God, you look at me how and I show you to do it. He told the Corinthian Christians, “You all must learn to be like me as I learn to be Christ-like.” The Corinthian Christians learn to be like Christ through the concrete model of Paul. He showed them how to be like Christ who is God. So, whatever he was doing to glorify God in the person of Christ, they would follow, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
C. Applications
- Our life time goal is to glorify God and be like Christ who is God. You can see from here, the best model to follow to glorify God is Christ our Lord and master.
To glorify God in the person of Jesus is to honor, respect and submit our lives to Him. You will say, “Here I am Jesus, my life is at your disposal, use me at whatever cost.” You will constantly be bothered by the question whether you are pleasing to him with what you do.
- Even Apostle Paul had to follow Christ and imitate Him.
- As Christ is the best model for Apostle Paul, Christ must be our best model. Christ is my best model. Each time a situation requires me to make sacrifice, as I do my human calculations, I always ended with the conclusion that it is not worth it. But when I am reminded by the authoritative word of God in the bible, in the midst of God’s calling to do lots of counseling, to preach a sermon to point out the sins of congregation and challenge people to repent, to go the extra mile to pray for the sick and do follow up, to choose honesty, to choose forgiveness, etc, I stick to/ hold on to Christ on the cross, He gives me the best example of a godly model of what it means to sacrifice. I am convinced by His sacrifice and love for me on the cross. Each time I need to make sacrifice in terms of spending less time for myself, for my family, paying less attention to my own interest, exercise less for my health, etc, I understand why Jesus had to die. He needed to die so that His disciples and apostles at that time understood the price they had to pay to follow Him to do His mission. Today, as I preach to you, I understand why Jesus has to make a life sacrifice like that. For Jesus, no sacrifice, there is no forgiveness for all of us, we all will not get that love of Jesus. How people get blessed by me and you? Unless I sacrifice and you sacrifice, make time for others, they will not come to know the Jesus whom we believe who will give them eternal life and salvation.
- So, are you convinced why you need Jesus to be your best model so badly? Why you need to be like Christ so badly? In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray that by all means you get personal with Him. As you get personal with Him, you cannot help but your life has to show godly characters, that are like the characters of Christ.
- As you glorify God in your life, one mandatory thing you must do is to reflect all the Christ-like characters in your life. If you claim that you are a disciple of Jesus, a follower of Jesus, you want to glorify God in your life, prove yourself with your godly characters. You need to take a close look of all the characters of Christ in his life time and especially when he was crucified on the cross.
- You need to name them and ask the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit to empower you to express them in your lives. The greatest character of Christ is love, a character which all the other characters built on. You can go on to list other great characters like sacrifice, humility, forgiveness, faith, joy, merciful, gracious, patient, compassionate for the lost, wise, honest, responsible, etc.
- Do you know or not, like it or not, you as a Christian or a disciple of Christ, your Christ-like characters are tested by the world every day? Satan loves to see you fail the test! Take for instance; when you do not forgive, you do not glorify God, you put Jesus to shame. You make Jesus so powerless! People will question what Jesus is doing in your life. What the church/ the pastor is doing in your life?
- However, if you are keeping a close relationship with God in the person of Jesus, you are empowered to forgive your wife, husband, your children, your colleagues, your neighbors, your enemies, etc, people will Jesus in your; the power of Jesus in your; people will be attracted to know what makes you so powerful; people would question their own faith and start to challenge their own faiths and they will turn around ask you for your Jesus! In all these, you glorify God.
D. Conclusion
- Have you heard God in the person of Jesus speaking to you today? As a disciple of Jesus, do you now understand what is stake everyday?
- As Jesus has done so much sacrifice for you, He paid for your life salvation with His life, is it too much for Him to ask you to stand up for Him and glorify Him every day with your life?
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