FOUNDATIONS: 3 God’s Purpose for You

He was a very normal Jew. And he had great weaknesses. One day he was violent enough to cut a man’s ear off with a sword. The next day he was a lying coward, afraid to tell even a young slave girl he was a follower of Jesus (cf. John 18:16-17, 26). But God did not leave Simon in his frustration and failure. He became Peter, which in the original Greek means “the Rock,” and the first leader of the largest and most influential religious faith in the world (cf. Matt 16:18). This ordinary man lived an extraordinary life.

Did God intend only some of His people, like Peter, to experience an extraordinary life? Would you describe your Christian life as an extraordinary life? Full of love, joy, peace, and impacting other people for the glory of God? This is what Jesus said He came to give you:

My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life (John 10:10).

Christ invites you to an extraordinary life that is full of joy

and glorifies God.

Christ’s invitation to an extraordinary life

Even though eternal life is a wonderful thing, Jesus also came to give you “a rich and satisfying life” now. The original Greek word translated “satisfying” means, “Extraordinary in experience or amount; remarkable, abundant.” ^[1] Therefore, you are only living Authentic Christianity if you are experiencing a rich, satisfying, and even extraordinary life.

Why is Authentic Christianity an extraordinary life? Because it is enjoying Christ’s promises, experiencing His power, and obeying His commands. And because Christ’s promises, power, and commands are all extraordinary, God expects you to live an extraordinary life!

The following three chapters are devoted to the Essentials of Authentic Christianity and give you a summary of what this extraordinary, biblical Christian life is all about and how it can be yours. In this chapter we study God’s definition and purpose for living an extraordinary life. In the next chapter we discuss God’s power for living this extraordinary life. Finally we introduce God’s process for increasing His power in your life and enabling you to live an extraordinary life that glorifies Him. Christ invites you to an extraordinary life that is full of joy and glorifies God.

Christ’s definition of an extraordinary life

Jesus said He came to give you an extraordinary life. How would Christ define such a life? It is obeying His extraordinary commands.

First, it is reflected in God’s Greatest Commandment: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (Mark 12:30). Imagine actually doing that. Even for one moment. That would be an extraordinary life!

Secondly, an extraordinary life is described in Christ’s New Commandment: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34 NIV). In fact, there are over 50 commands in the NT telling Christians to love one another. Living like this would be extraordinary!

Thirdly, the extraordinary life is reflected in Christ’s Radical Commandment: “Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). Imagine actually doing that! That would be extraordinary!

Fourth, the extraordinary life Christ came to bring us would include God’s Most Repeated Command: “Do not fear.” Imagine never being afraid of anyone or anything ever again! Jesus Christ was never stressed out or anxious and He wants you to have that same extraordinary peace.

Fifth, Christ calls us to an extraordinary family where the husband loves his wife as much as Christ loves the Church, the wife adores and serves her husband as she would Christ Himself, and parents are raising children to experience the love and lordship of Jesus Christ (cf. Eph 5:22-6:4). God wants to help you have an extraordinary family!

Finally, Christ also invites you to an extraordinary life in the Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all the nations . . . Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” (Matt 28:19-20). THAT is making a difference and impacting the world!

Jesus summed up the extraordinary life, and the ultimate purpose of every Christian’s life, when He said: “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8). THAT is the purpose of the Christian life. Glorifying God because your life produces “much fruit.” In fact, to “bear much fruit” is how you “prove” you ARE a follower of Jesus Christ. What is this spiritual fruit?

Spiritual fruit is first of all experiencing the powers of the Spirit. The Bible says, “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23). Living with such supernatural powers would be a fulfilling and extraordinary life! Think about how these powers would affect your life, marriage, parenting, work, and service to God!

The second kind of spiritual fruit that glorifies God is using you to help people become Christians and grow to be more like Christ. You glorify the Father and fulfill your Christian purpose when you are part of the Great Commission to “Go and make disciples” of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said He came to give you an extraordinary and overflowing life. A life that not only fills you up, but is so abundant and full that God’s love and blessings overflow through your life to others. Christ invites you to an extraordinary life that is full of joy and glorifies God.

Christ’s reason for an extraordinary life

Christ wants your life overflowing with God-glorifying joy. Joy is unconditional happiness. It is unconditional because it comes from trusting in the sure promises of God and obeying the satisfying commands of Christ, regardless of your circumstances. And there is no better definition of joy than happiness.

Many Christians think a desire to be happy is selfish or worldly. But Jesus wants you to be happy. And He told you how. Jesus said: “I have told you these things [to obey my commands v. 10] so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15:11). Christ told you how to have joy: Obey His commands. All of Christ’s commands are intended to make you happy and give you the most fulfilling life possible. This is good news because God created your heart with one ultimate controlling desire: to be happy!

Let us repeat that so you can think about it. God created you with one ultimate controlling desire: to be happy. Which is why everything you do, every decision you make, is ultimately motivated to make you happy. The Christian philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal rightly wrote:

All men seek happiness. This is without exception. . . . The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves. ^[2]

How much effort do humans invest in avoiding the opposite of happiness, which is pain? This is why drugs and drinks that relieve pain are a multi-billion dollar business around the world. God has programmed into the center of every human heart the desire and drive to be happy. And this is what everyone seeks in everything they do. Everything! Including you. And you can have the unconditional happiness of joy from God when you trust His promises and obey His commands no matter what else is happening in your life.

Unfortunately, your desire to be “happy” is the ultimate reason you sin. You become convinced that disobeying God will give you the most pleasure, significance, acceptance, or security. You disobey God to be happy, when in reality, the only way to be happy is to trust and obey Him.

Our desire for happiness is another way we are created in God’s image. God wants to be happy. This is why His ultimate plan for Creation is a New Creation where “there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain” (Rev 21:4). Happiness is the ultimate goal of God’s heart!

If you are not experiencing the unconditional happiness of joy, then you are not experiencing God, or the “extraordinary and overflowing life” of Christ. There are times to be sad. But if your life is often discouraging and depressing, then God has more for you. He created you to be happy. A committed Christian who is living for God out of grace instead of guilt is probably the most joyous person you know. Obeying God’s extraordinary commands does not hurt your life, but is the most fulfilling and happy way to live. The happiest people in the world are the holiest people in the world.

If you doubt this, simply try to imagine living as sinfully and selfishly as you can. Would you be happy? No! Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). The original Greek word translated “blessed” means “happy.” Jesus said giving makes you happier than giving. Therefore, we are not talking about a happiness from “health and wealth,” but an unconditional and satisfying joy that comes from obeying and trusting God, instead of just getting from God.

God wants His people to be the happiest and most joyful people in the world because this glorifies God. What if a relationship with God made you miserable? What would that say about your God? This is why “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). Obeying God out of guilt or fear or a sense of duty does not glorify or please God. Obeying with joy, and because of joy, is what God wants. This is why New Life’s definition of Authentic Christianity is “Joyfully serving Christ with our best friends to glorify God.”

Accordingly, the Westminster Confession famously states: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” That includes enjoying God now! Your glorification of God is dependent on your happiness, and this is why He has created humans with the desire for happiness and told you how to unconditionally experience it.

Know this right now and do not doubt it. The most pleasurable experience you will have for the rest of your life is obeying the commandments of God. Don’t miss the best life you can have because you are selfish, independent, worldly, or afraid. Living for the greatest Person, and giving yourself to the greatest cause, is the most satisfying and God-glorifying way to live. And this is why God invites you to live this way. Jesus put it this way: “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10). Christ invites you to an extraordinary life that is full of joy and glorifies God.

► Return to the beginning and answer the questions there.

► Recite Colossians 3:16 from memory.

► Memorize John 10:10 in the translation above or another one.

► Read the next chapter to prepare for your Barnabas Group this week.

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Early Christian Literature (BAGD), F. W. Danker ed, 3^rd ed. (University Of Chicago Press, 2001). ↑
Blaise Pascal, Pensees, 113, (online at www.ccel.org). For more on the psychology of desire and happiness, see chapter 4.1, section C of Biblical Psychology, by Pastor Kurt available online at: http://trainingtims.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/4.1-The-Human-Heart.pdf.

For a popular and practical study on the place of happiness in the Christian life, and a more in-depth study of the purpose of this chapter, see The Dangerous Duty of Delight, John Piper (Multnomah, 2001). ↑