Note: The following is the message I'll be sharing today at church. It was inspired by the blog entry over at Totem to Temple by the same name (actually the first of three). I tried to edit for the blog, but please excuse the "in house" references that may not make the most sense...
In starting today, I really wanted to find a great joke to really hit it off big. So I asked my three children for their best joke. Kaylyn offered, "What do you call a fish with no eyes?"
"A Fsh."
Pretty good, pretty good.
Cotter came up with, "Why did the piece of gum cross the road?"
"Because it was stuck to the chicken's shoe."
Again, not bad.
Then Kelsi, after thinking a bit, asked, "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
I thought I knew the punchline, but I didn't want to steal her thunder, so I bit..."Why?" I asked.
"Because I'm Kelsi Girl!"
That's when I decided I needed to re-examine my purpose here today.
In reality, it is important for all of us to be aware of what our purpose is each day. No where this lesson was more dramatically played out than on March 12 of this year, where an amazing drama unfolded in Atlanta.
Brian Nichols was a violent man who had only days earlier murdered four people (a judge, 2 court officers, and a federal officer) and had taken a woman named Ashley Smith hostage. In the face of a wild city-wide manhunt (that caused even us who lived 40 miles to the North, to keep our children in doors that day), Ashley not only remembered her purpose, but helped this lost and dangerous man find his as well.
She accomplished this using a book that you may be familiar with. After gaining his trust, she opened up chapter 33 of The Purpose Driven Life and began reading it to him. The next day, Nichols turned himself in and Ashley survived an encounter with a desperate murderer, and lived to share the tale of God’s grace to every person.
Rick Warren, a Southern Baptist pastor, wrote The Purpose Driven Life back in 2003. The entire book is built on the premise of answering the question, “why on earth am I here?” In the two-plus years since then, it has sold over 30 million copies, including devotionals, diaries, audio books, and companion pieces. Over 22,000 churches of virtually every Christian denomination have taken part in the Purpose-Driven Life conferences that focus on this topic. In a world where a book is considered a success if it stays on the best seller list for more than 12 weeks, this book has been there for 123 (it was #6 this week on the nonfiction list). Clearly this question of “why on earth am I here?” resonates in the hearts of every person, as we live in a chaotic world that seems at times senseless and where purpose seems as elusive as a convict on the lam.
There has only been one person in the history of humanity who was sure of his purpose from the beginning. Even the heroes of our faith that we looked at last week in Brother Jack’s message at one time or another had to answer that question, “Why on earth am I here?” We celebrate these heroes because they found their answer to that question in God’s will, and they responded in obedience by faith. However only one knew his purpose from the very beginning – Jesus. Jesus knew his purpose and refused to be swayed from it.
Before he even began his public ministry, Satan made a three-fold attack to try and defeat Jesus from accomplishing his purpose, to no avail. Once Jesus began his public ministry, he did so with the full awareness of what his purpose was, and what the cost would include. He was quickly surrounded by followers who wanted him to overthrow the shackles of the Roman government that lorded over the Jewish people. They wanted to make him the king of the day. But that was not his purpose, and would not allow his purpose to be distracted, co-opted, or redirected. All around him, debate among the people raged about whether he was a prophet, a priest, a king, or even a re-incarnation of one long-dead prophet or another, and how to best thrust Jesus into a purpose that would best meet theirs. Yet, Jesus knew his purpose and stayed on task.
Please open your Bible to John 10. Here, we will see Jesus answer the question of “Why on earth he is here.” We’re coming in mid-story here. In the previous chapter, the Pharisees, the “religious legal experts” of the day, were investigating a healing that Jesus had given, where he gave sight to a man who had been blind since birth. This healing was particularly provocative because never before had they ever seen this happen. The Pharisees wanted to discredit Jesus and derail from his purpose. So they confronted the healed man, his parents, and eventually even Jesus himself. Rather than wilt under the pressure of confrontation, Jesus stood tall, and spoke with the confidence of one who is absolutely sure of his purpose.
He first spoke an allegorical statement comparing people to sheep, the Pharisees and false prophets like wolves, and then declared himself to be both the Good shepherd who leads wandering sheep into the green pasture of heaven, as well as the Gate by which we sheep can enter that pasture. Read what he says here of himself, and his purpose, beginning in verse 7:
Did you catch it? We’re going to park at the 14 words of John 10:10 because it is here where Jesus declares his life-filled purpose. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Today, we’re going to take a look at the life-driven purpose of Jesus Christ so we can understand clearly what He was and is still today all about, but also so that we might in Jesus see our own purpose and either begin pursuing it, or be encouraged to stay faithful to that purpose. Let’s take a closer look at the life-filled purpose of Jesus Christ.
First, let’s focus on the fact that Jesus has come. Here, Jesus declares that he has made a journey. You see, the Pharisees thought they done their background work on Jesus. They knew that he had come from Nazareth. They knew him as the son of Joseph, the carpenter. Because of this limited understanding, they held him in low regard. However, Jesus’ journey was far greater than that from Nazareth to Jerusalem. In fact let’s take a look at what the Bible says about the journey of Jesus, so we may understand His journey’s origin:
He did not have to do this. He is God. He was within his rights to not even mess with us. When he looked at the plight of humanity from the vantage of heaven, he could have just left us to our own end, or even simply done away with us. But he decided to “pack his bags,” so to speak, leave behind the glory, the grandeur, the praise and adoration, the holiness of heaven and make his way to this earth, where he knew ahead of time what awaited him. He knew that he would be hated. He knew that he would be despised. He knew that even his closest followers would abandon him, and even betray him. He knew that he would be beaten, mocked, ridiculed, and scorned. He knew he would be whipped, that his beard would be yanked out, that a crown of thorns would be jammed upon his head. He knew that he would be nailed to a cross, left to suffer, and to die. And yet, he came.
He still came because he knew that you needed him. If you are ever to find true purpose in your life, then you need him to bring that purpose to you. He knew this, because He is the eternal Lord, so he didn’t think twice about setting aside everything that was perfect and glorious and wonderful about heaven and coming here to die so that you could have life.
How incredible is that? Remember, this is the same Jesus who shared the story of the Good Samaritan, where he indicted the religious leaders and “holy people” of his day for not being willing to even walk to the other side of the street to help a person in need. If anyone had the authority to lay out such an indictment, it was Jesus, who had left heaven to help each one of us.
This may be hard to understand in a day where many people are just as guilty as the religious leaders of that day. In North America alone, it’s estimated that 49 people accept Christ as Savior each day, while 219 die without a saving knowledge of him. Every day. We have more Christians in our nation than ever before (159 million as of the last census), but our percentage of Christians has declined by 10% in the last decade. Could it be that Christians are struggling just as much as nonbelievers to pursue their purpose? Certainly it is not unreasonable to think that if we Christians understood our purpose the way Jesus did (and still does), then perhaps we would be more effective in fulfilling that purpose.
Jesus was effective because He made the journey that originated in heaven because he departed with a motive. Something compelled Christ to leave heaven and come here, and that something was compassion. Jesus had compassion for humanity. Christ's motive was compassion.
In fact, the Greek word for compassion, splanchnizomai, is used nine times to explain the motivation for the miracles of Jesus. This word originally left some theologians feeling that this term was too rough or graphic to be used in reference to God’s compassion. Using the word for “intestines” to refer to God’s compassion is akin to our using the word “guts” for courage in modern English, as when we say, “He really has guts.” However, I think the New Testament writers meant to do exactly this. They were impressing on the readers the power and the force of God’s compassion. They may also have had in mind a physical feeling associated with compassion. Sometimes a sharp pain in the abdomen will accompany intense feelings of compassion or pity for those we love. The choice of such a graphic word served to impress the New Testament Christians that God’s compassion for them was rooted in his deep love for them and his sensitivity to their pain. (ref. www.bible.org)
So to understand the journey of Christ, you need to see that Jesus was so moved, so motivated, with compassion for humanity that he had the guts to leave the comfort and the crowns of heaven and come to this earth.
Now, please hear this truth…his motivation is different than his purpose. Jesus came here, on purpose. Look at what He says, “I came that they may have life, and have it to the full!” Let’s take a look at what it means that Jesus came, so that we may have life. His motive was compassion, but his purpose is to bring life.
First, see that he came with life; life is a gift. I’ll tell you what, buying a gift can be difficult. I may be a young man, but I try to learn life’s lessons, and here’s a brief list of what I’ve learned about what *not* to get for your bride as a gift;
There’s nothing easy about showing up with a good gift. In fact, you can tell whether or not your going to get a good gift or not by how the person gives it. If they give it confidently and with a big grin and great expectation, you can pretty much be sure you have a good gift. However, if they start making excuses and telling you all the places where you can exchange it, even before you open it, then maybe that gift isn’t so good.
And the truth of the matter is this, Jesus knew He showed up with a good gift. When he was talking with the Pharisees and the with the disciples, and who knows who else was around at the time, he just stood up and said confidently, “I came, that they may have life! And that they may have it to the full!”
Jesus wants us to know that the whole reason he left heaven was so that he could deliver to you this gift of life. He boldly and confidently extends it to you, so that you can receive this gift and experience it to the fullness of how it is offered.
And do you know there is a difference between accepting a gift and receiving one? Accepting a gift is more passive, or possibly even obligatory. Like accepting a fruit cake at Christmas, or that purple, green, and orange necktie at Father’s day. On the other hand, receiving a gift is active, enthusiastic, and appreciative. It’s what you do when you are excited about that gift, that you are so pumped and thrilled that somebody thought of you specifically and got you exactly what you were hoping for.
This is the truth, the life that Jesus offers you is a gift that can only be received, not simply accepted. Life must be received. Think about it for a moment….this was the gift that Jesus knows is so important that he left heaven to personally deliver it. This is no ho-hum deal. This is incredible, wonderful, magnificent. In fact, it is so fabulous that when you see that Jesus stepped out of eternity and into time to extend this gift to you, its right and appropriate to shout out “Thank you Lord,” and even cry or laugh or just praise God because of it.
But that doesn’t always happen. Some people never receive the gift because they don’t understand what it is that Jesus offers. They read here “I came to give them life,” and their mind translates it, “I came to gave them church,” or “I came to give them rules,” or “restrictions.”
A couple years ago I was at a staff Christmas party at NAMB, where we did the whole “white elephant” thing. Long story short, after all the passing and exchanging took place, I found myself with a small box of Harry and David fruit. Actually, it was just a pair of pears. Oh my goodness, they looked so good. They were shiny with that waxy polish, and the scent that burst forth was incredible. So I was pretty excited about getting these pears. Well, on the way home, I decided since Kelli isn’t really a fan of pears, there’d be no harm in enjoying one of these. So I picked it up, and thought it felt a little heavy, and then took a big bite.
Turns out that these were not pears, but pear-scented candles. And that waxy shine had another explanation. The whole time, I had the wrong idea about what my gift was. I completely misused the gift because I didn’t understand what it was, and was completely unable to appreciate it for its true purpose.
With that in mind, it’s worthwhile, then, to really understand what this gift of “life” is that Jesus offers.
James chapter 4, verse 14 says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” This echoes the monologue of Solomon in Ecclesiastes speaking of the fleeting nature of life and trying to find purpose. Life is not the sum total of what you do, or of what you accumulate, or of what you stay away from, or of what you see, or of what title you earn. There have been a whole lot of ladders climbed in the name of those pursuits, only to find that they were leaned against the wrong buildings. Those things are not “life,” pursuing them will only give you a “so-called life.” Pursuing those things is like jumping into one of those hamster wheels that in the end, leaves you burnt out and exhausted, no closer to the goal than when you began.
I submit to you today that life is nothing less than knowing God. And I’m not just talking about knowing about God. I’m talking about knowing God personally, intimately, perpetually, relationally, and experientially. The apostle John wrote it twice, once in his gospel account and once in his first epistle, that the whole reason he was writing these biblical truths would so that you would know Jesus is Lord and have eternal life.
Jesus Himself said it clearly…I am the light, the truth, and the life, no man gets to the father, except through the son (John 14:6). He was not just a great teacher, a good example, and a fantastic leader. He was all those things, but so much more. He is life. And the only way you can have life is by knowing Him.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The only gift is a portion of thyself.”
And Jesus gave Himself. Fully. On a cross. So that you may have life!
Jesus brings us the gift of life. And here, in John 10:10, he says, “I came that they have life, and have it to the full.” Let’s close our time today by talking about what this last phrase entails, “to the full.”
Some translations read “and have it abundantly.” We can understand this abundance in two dimensions. First, we can understand it in terms of quality.
We Americans seem to be pretty concerned about living a high quality of life. The problem is, we have been fooled in to thinking that the high quality is based on possessions and bank accounts, vacations and indulgences…and we’ve already seen that these things only lead to the running wheel of a rat race.
Instead, Jesus offers himself as the standard for a high quality life. Look at some of what Jesus offers:
Would you not agree that this is a high-quality life? And this barely scratches the surface of the life-filled purpose. You’ve heard the saying “He who dies with the most toys, still dies.” I don’t want to be one of those people who spent my whole life climbing the ladder of success, only to discover it was leaned against the wrong building. I don’t want to be one of those people who ends up dying miserably because I end up discovering that I lived miserably, and that everything I invested in was folly.
Know this though. A high quality life is a life that has a full complement of peaks and valleys, of ups and downs, of joys and sorrows. God uses all of life’s experiences to draw you near to Him and to meet all your needs. If you’ve ever had to lean upon the Lord during times of difficulty or sadness, you know how grateful you are that He used those times to reveal Himself and His sufficiency. God does not promise you a happy life completely protected from bad circumstances or situations. He promises a full life where He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Not only did Jesus come that you would have a high-quality life, He came that you would have a high-quantity life. Look at what Jesus himself says:
He came that you would not perish, but have everlasting life. The Bible is clear and human experience confirms that everybody is born with a terminal sickness called death. Every one of us will die, and then spend eternity somewhere. Yet Jesus, because of His amazing love, came so that your death will not be the end of your life, but the beginning of eternal life, spent in the very presence of God for eternity. There is no more comprehensive definition of “abundant life” than to spend eternity in the presence of God almighty!
Jesus Christ came so that you would have life, and have it to the full. He left heaven because He had compassion for you. He brought you the gift of life so that you would receive Him as Lord and know Him as your Savior. He came so that you could live this life with the high-quality, unending-quantity spiritual blessings that He promises, enjoying the promises of heaven and eternal life.
July 11, 2005 6:28 AM