WE LIVE FOR HIM Vision Series — Part III

WE LIVE FOR HIM

Vision Series — Part III

1 Chronicles 16:29

1 Chronicles 16:29 ESV

29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;

INTRODUCTION — GO BACK TO BETHEL

Church, I want to begin this morning with a man who knew God...

but didn't always live like he knew God.

His name was Jacob.

Jacob had an incredible spiritual heritage.

His grandfather was Abraham.

His father was Isaac.

Jacob grew up hearing about the promises of God.

He knew the stories.

He knew the covenant.

He knew about the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac.

And Jacob would eventually have his own encounter with God.

But here's what makes Jacob's story so interesting:

Jacob knew about God, but Jacob spent much of his life trying to handle life himself.

Jacob was a schemer.

A planner.

A manipulator.

He was always working an angle.

Always trying to get ahead.

Always trying to control the outcome.

He manipulated Esau concerning his birthright.

He deceived his father concerning the blessing.

And eventually Jacob had to run from home because Esau wanted to kill him.

And while Jacob was running, something happened.

He stopped for the night at a place called Bethel.

Genesis 28 tells us that Jacob lay down, put his head on a stone, and went to sleep.

And that night God met him.

Jacob dreamed of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it.

And God reaffirmed to Jacob the promises He had made to Abraham and Isaac.

When Jacob woke up, he said:

“Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”

Jacob had encountered God.

But here's what I want you to see.

An encounter with God doesn't mean Jacob immediately had everything figured out.

Because Jacob got up from Bethel...

and there was still a lot of Jacob left in Jacob.

He went to live with his uncle Laban.

And for years there was manipulation.

Negotiation.

Scheming.

Planning.

Jacob was blessed by God, but he still had this tendency to believe:

“I've got to figure this out.”

“I've got to protect myself.”

“I've got to control the outcome.”

Eventually God tells Jacob:

“Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

So Jacob heads home.

But then he receives terrifying news.

His brother Esau is coming to meet him.

And Esau has 400 men with him.

And what does Jacob do?

What Jacob always did.

He starts planning.

He divides everything into groups.

He sends gifts ahead.

He develops a strategy.

He's trying to figure out how to survive what's coming.

God has already said:

“I will be with you.”

But Jacob is still trying to control everything himself.

And then one night—

Jacob is left alone.

Genesis 32:24 ESV

24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.

Jacob wrestles with God.

And isn't it interesting?

Jacob had spent his whole life wrestling.

Wrestling for the birthright.

Wrestling for the blessing.

Wrestling with Laban.

Wrestling for possessions.

Wrestling with circumstances.

Wrestling to control his future.

But now—

JACOB IS WRESTLING WITH GOD.

And God touches Jacob's hip.

And suddenly the man who has spent his life depending upon his own ability cannot even walk away under his own strength.

Jacob leaves that encounter with a limp.

But he also leaves with something else.

A new name.

God says:

“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel…”

Something has changed.

Jacob entered that night as a man who had spent his life grasping for control.

He left that night clinging to God.

And later, in Genesis 35, God says something to Jacob that I believe somebody may need to hear this morning:

“Arise, go up to Bethel…”

GO BACK TO BETHEL.

Go back to the place where you encountered Me.

Go back to where you first realized:

“Surely the LORD is in this place.”

And this time Jacob responds differently.

He gathers his household and says:

“Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves…”

In other words:

Things are going to be different now.

We're not just going back to Bethel geographically.

We're going back to God spiritually.

The idols have to go.

The old way of living has to go.

Something has changed.

Church, there comes a point when knowing about God has to change the way we live.

Maybe you've been saved for years.

Maybe you can remember a time when you walked closely with God.

You loved His Word.

You prayed.

Your heart was tender.

You wanted His will.

But somewhere along the way, other things moved in.

Life got busy.

The world got loud.

Other things captured your attention.

And maybe the word of God for somebody this morning is:

GO BACK TO BETHEL.

Go back to the God who has never stopped being faithful to you.

Because although Jacob's faithfulness was inconsistent—

GOD'S FAITHFULNESS NEVER WAS.

AND THEN THERE WAS PETER

Centuries later, another man would have his own journey.

His name was Peter.

Peter didn't meet Jesus at Bethel.

He met Him around fishing boats.

Jesus called him:

“Follow me…”

And Peter did.

He left his nets.

He left his livelihood.

He followed Jesus.

For three years Peter saw things most people could only imagine.

He saw Jesus heal the sick.

He saw demons flee.

He saw thousands fed.

He saw Jesus walk on water.

Peter himself stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus.

Peter saw the glory of Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration.

And when Jesus asked:

“Who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered:

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Peter knew who Jesus was.

But knowing Jesus doesn't mean we're incapable of wandering.

On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter was confident.

He essentially said:

“Everybody else may leave You, Jesus, but I won't.”

And only hours later someone looked at Peter and said:

“You were with Him.”

Peter denied it.

Another person recognized him.

Peter denied it again.

And then a third time.

The man who had once declared:

“YOU ARE THE CHRIST!”

now said:

“I DON'T KNOW THE MAN!”

And the rooster crowed.

And Scripture says Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Peter failed.

Badly.

But thank God—

FAILURE WAS NOT THE END OF PETER'S STORY.

After the resurrection, Jesus found Peter.

John 21.

They're beside another body of water.

They're around another fishing boat.

And Jesus asks Peter three times:

“Do you love me?”

And each time Jesus gives Peter something to do.

“Feed my lambs.”

“Tend my sheep.”

“Feed my sheep.”

Three denials.

Three questions.

And then Jesus says:

“Follow me.”

Those words sound familiar, don't they?

That's how Peter's journey started.

Follow Me.

Peter had followed.

Peter had failed.

Peter had wandered.

Jesus restored him.

And now Jesus says:

Peter, we're not finished.

FOLLOW ME.

Then turn a few pages to the book of Acts.

The man who was afraid to admit to one person that he knew Jesus now stands before thousands in Jerusalem.

And Peter boldly declares:

“God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Think about it.

The man who once said:

“I DON'T KNOW HIM!”

is now standing before the world declaring:

“JESUS IS LORD!”

What happened?

Peter was transformed.

He wasn't perfect.

Peter would still make mistakes.

But Peter wasn't the same man.

And church, maybe somebody needs to hear this:

YOUR FAILURE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THE FINAL CHAPTER OF YOUR STORY.

Maybe you've wandered.

Maybe you've compromised.

Maybe you've become cold.

Maybe you've made decisions you're ashamed of.

Maybe you look at where you are spiritually and wonder:

“How did I get this far from where I once was?”

Jacob says:

Go back to Bethel.

Jesus says:

Follow Me.

Because God restores His people.

And the evidence of Peter's restoration wasn't merely that Peter felt badly about what he had done.

Peter began living differently.

He spent the rest of his life—

LIVING FOR HIM.

And that brings us directly to where God has been leading Sandy Springs.

OUR VISION

For the past several weeks, we've been talking about three statements.

They're simple enough that a child can memorize them.

But church, if we actually live them, they will change us.

WE GLORIFY HIM.

We began with David's words:

“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name…”

We said:

We don't make God glorious. God is glorious.

Our responsibility is to recognize the glory that already belongs to Him.

God is the center.

Not me.

Not you.

Not the pastor.

Not our traditions.

Not our preferences.

Not even Sandy Springs.

GOD.

Our first question became:

DOES THIS GLORIFY GOD?

Then David continued:

“Bring an offering and come before him…”

And that brought us to:

WE SURRENDER TO HIM.

We discovered that the offering God ultimately desires isn't merely something from us.

The offering is us.

Romans 12:1:

“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice…”

We talked about getting on the altar—

and living there.

We opened our hands and said:

“Jesus, You are Lord, and I am not.”

Our second question became:

HAVE I SURRENDERED THIS TO GOD?

But now we come to the final statement.

Because surrender isn't the end.

Surrender is the beginning.

David continues:

“Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.”

And that brings us to:

WE LIVE FOR HIM.

Church, here's the question:

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE ALTAR?

What happens after I surrender?

What happens after the invitation?

What happens when the music stops?

What happens when we say amen?

What happens when we walk through those doors, get into our cars and drive back into the world?

Because if I've really surrendered my life to Jesus—

THE SURRENDERED LIFE HAS TO WALK OUT THE DOOR.

I. WORSHIP IS BIGGER THAN SUNDAY

When we hear the word worship, most of us immediately think about church.

Singing.

Praying.

Giving.

Preaching.

And all of that is worship.

But worship was never intended to end when the service ends.

Listen to

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Think about how ordinary that is.

Eat.

Drink.

Whatever you do.

Paul takes something as enormous as the glory of Almighty God and connects it with something as ordinary as eating lunch.

Why?

Because when I belong to Jesus—

THERE IS NO ORDINARY PART OF MY LIFE.

It all belongs to Him.

My Sunday belongs to Him.

But so does my Monday.

My church life belongs to Him.

But so does my work life.

My Bible belongs to Him.

But so does my checkbook.

My worship belongs to Him.

But so does my marriage.

My words.

My phone.

My entertainment.

My attitude.

My decisions.

My private life.

Everything.

We have sometimes learned how to attend church without learning how to live for Christ.

We know when to stand.

We know when to sit.

We know the songs.

We know the language.

We know how Christians are supposed to behave inside this building.

But Jesus never simply said:

“Come to church.”

He said:

“FOLLOW ME.”

Following Jesus happens when church is over.

It happens when somebody makes you angry.

It happens when the bills come due.

It happens when your plans fall apart.

It happens when you're successful.

It happens when you're disappointed.

It happens when nobody else is watching.

Church:

The greatest evidence of my worship may not be what happens in this sanctuary on Sunday. It may be how I live when I leave it.

Because Jesus isn't merely Lord of Sunday.

HE IS LORD OF MY LIFE.

II. WE CANNOT LIVE FOR HIM AND LIVE LIKE THE WORLD

Romans 12:2 ESV

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind...

Two words:

CONFORMED.

TRANSFORMED.

The world is constantly trying to press us into its pattern.

It tells us what success looks like.

What we should desire.

What should make us happy.

How we should spend.

How we should think.

What is right.

What is wrong.

Who we should be.

The Distraction

And Paul says:

Don't let the world determine your pattern.

Worldliness is deeper than a list of things Christians shouldn't do.

Worldliness begins when a world that doesn't know God starts determining how I think, what I value, what I desire and how I live.Look at the contrast.

The world says:

LIVE FOR YOURSELF.

Jesus says:

DENY YOURSELF.

The world says:

FOLLOW YOUR HEART.

Jesus says:

FOLLOW ME.

The world says:

MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF.

Jesus says:

GLORIFY MY FATHER.

The world says:

YOU ARE IN CONTROL.

Jesus says:

SURRENDER.

And suddenly our entire vision comes together.

THE WORLD SAYS: GLORIFY YOURSELF.

We say:

WE GLORIFY HIM.

THE WORLD SAYS: CONTROL YOUR LIFE.

We say:

WE SURRENDER TO HIM.

THE WORLD SAYS: LIVE FOR YOURSELF.

We say:

WE LIVE FOR HIM.

That's not a small adjustment.

That's a completely different way of life.

III. JESUS MUST BE SEEN IN THE WAY WE LIVE

Paul says in Galatians 2:20

Galatians 2:20 ESV

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

There it is.

Christ lives in me.

If Christ really lives in us, eventually Christ should become visible through us.

Not perfection.

But evidence.

If someone followed you around for seven days and never heard you tell them you were a Christian—

Would they see evidence that you belong to Jesus?

Would they see Him in the way you speak?

Would they see Him in your marriage?

Would they see Him in your integrity?

Would they see Him in how you conduct business?

Would they see Him in how you treat someone who cannot do anything for you?

Would they see Him when someone hurts you?

Would they see Him in how you forgive?

Would they see Him in what you do when you're angry?

Would they see Him in what you do when nobody else is watching?

Jesus said in Matthew 5:16

Matthew 5:16 ESV

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Did you catch where it ends?

GLORY.

We have come full circle.

We live differently.

People see Jesus.

And—

GOD GETS THE GLORY.

That's the vision.

WE GLORIFY HIM.

WE SURRENDER TO HIM.

WE LIVE FOR HIM.

And when we live for Him, others see Him and glorify Him.

IV. LIVING FOR HIM IS A DAILY DECISION

Jesus said in Luke 9:23

Luke 9:23 ESV

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

There's one word there we cannot overlook.

DAILY.

Yesterday's surrender doesn't remove today's need to follow Jesus.

Every morning another decision waits for us.

Who am I living for today?

Maybe that's how this vision becomes part of the DNA of Sandy Springs.

Before your feet hit the floor tomorrow morning:

Today, I will glorify Him.

Today, I will surrender to Him.

Today, I will live for Him.

Tuesday morning?

Do it again.

Wednesday?

Again.

Thursday?

Again.

Because eventually something happens.

These stop being three statements hanging on a wall.

They become the way we live.

CONCLUSION — WHO ARE YOU LIVING FOR?

Church, Jacob had to go back to Bethel.

Peter had to hear Jesus say again:

“Follow Me.”

And maybe this morning some of us need one of those two invitations.

Some of you need to go back to Bethel.

You know Christ.

But you've wandered.

You've allowed things into your life that don't belong there.

Your heart isn't where it once was.

And God is calling:

Come back.

Others of us simply need to hear Jesus say again:

“Follow Me.”

Not:

“Attend church.”

Not:

“Try harder.”

Not:

“Become more religious.”

FOLLOW ME.

And Sandy Springs, as we finish this vision series, I don't want this to be something we put on T-shirts.

I don't want it merely printed on banners.

I don't want us six months from now to walk past these words without even noticing them.

I want our children to know them.

I want our Sunday School teachers teaching them.

I want our deacons making decisions through them.

I want every ministry measuring itself against them.

I want them in our homes.

And most importantly—

I want them written on our hearts.

Because ultimately this isn't simply Sandy Springs' vision.

THIS IS THE LIFE OF A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST.

His glory is our purpose.

His will is our desire.

His life is our pattern.

So there are now three questions I want Sandy Springs to learn to ask:

DOES THIS GLORIFY GOD?

HAVE I SURRENDERED THIS TO GOD?

And now:

DOES THE WAY I LIVE SHOW THAT I BELONG TO JESUS?

Church, imagine what God could do through a little church filled with people who wake up every morning and mean these words:

WE GLORIFY HIM.

WE SURRENDER TO HIM.

WE LIVE FOR HIM.

And maybe the best way to finish this entire series is with the same invitation Jesus gave Peter:

“FOLLOW ME.”

Not just today.

Not just inside this sanctuary.

Tomorrow.

At home.

At work.

When life is good.

When life hurts.

When you understand what God is doing.

And when you don't.

Until the day we stand before the One whose glory started this whole journey.

Glorify Him.

Surrender to Him.

Live for Him.

Every day.

With everything.

For the rest of your life.

Church, WE LIVE FOR HIM.