Teaching # 2: PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE--YOU WERE MADE FOR GOD'S PLEASURE

SERMON NOTES Made For God’s Pleasure-- The Purpose Driven Life – Part 2 By Rick Warren 1. The Bible says you were created for ______ __________. 2. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV) 3. WORSHIP IS____________ ______ __________. 4. We love him, because he loved us first. 1 John 4: Sermon Transcript Today we continue our series called 40 Days of Purpose, by looking at the first of God’s five purposes for your life. If you would take out your sermon notes, and pass out the pens at the end of the pews, you are going to learn something amazing. Looking at point # 1--- The Bible says you were created FOR GOD’S ENJOYMENT. God made you just to enjoy you. God planned you for his purpose…to enjoy YOU. How many of you are parents? Can I see your hands? How many of you enjoy watching your kids? Most of the time! And I think the same thing is true with God, most of the time he enjoys watching you be you. You were made for God’s pleasure. When you were born, when you came out of your mother’s womb, God was there in that room, smiling from ear to ear, because he wanted you made. God smiled at your birth because he created you to enjoy you. 2 Sundays ago, we talked about how you were created to be loved by God. This week we’re looking at the flip side, the first purpose of your life, which is, please repeat after me: GOD WANTS YOU TO LOVE HIM BACK. In today’s Gospel , Jesus was confronted by know-it-all-religious-lawyer, who asked, “What’s the most important command in the entire Bible?” Jesus goes, “okay, I’m going to give it to you. If you don’t get anything else, you get this. This will summarize the whole Bible. Okay? Let’s read it together from # 2 n your notes: He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Circle “first” and “greatest.” God says if you don’t get anything else, here’s what you’re supposed to do in life: you’re supposed to learn to love Me back, because I made you to love you, and you will never find lasting fulfillment unless you do what made you to do. Now, there’s a word for this. It’s a word we misunderstand so a lot of people don’t use it. It is the word “worship.” Looking at # 3, fill n the blanks--Worship is LOVING GOD BACK. Now, the problem is, that worship is misunderstood today. And when I say the word “worship,” what do you think of? Well, you may think of a priest, or a church, or ritual. But worship is far, far more than all those things. Real worship is love. Let’s look back at your notes and fall in the blanks in section # 4: “We love him, because HE FIRST LOVED US.” 1 John 4:19 (KJV) Worship is just the way I react, I respond, to God when He loves me. You see in this case, God takes the initiative. God always makes the first move. He creates us. He saves us. He forgives us. He blesses us. He protects us. He heals us. Even when you didn’t know it, he was showing love to you. And God has said over and over and over to you, “I love you.” Indeed, He sent us His own Son, Jesus Christ, to show us the way of love. All these things and then because of all these things, we love God back, which is what worship is all about. And whenever you give back to God, whenever you offer anything to God, that’s called worship. And that brings pleasure to God. It brings enjoyment to God. When your kids are grateful to you, as a parent, that brings pleasure to you. When we’re grateful to our heavenly Father, that brings pleasure to him. And what do we gave back to him? Your love. That s the only thing that God cannot make for himself. Your Love. Here’s the absolute truth and I am not making this up. The New Testament was originally written in ancient Greek, and the Greek word for worship means to KISS. So, real worship, genuine worship, is when we express affection for God. This is loving God with your heart and soul, which s the first and greatest commandment. You see, so many people do not know what you are hearing today. They think that worship is about watching the priest and the choir, or sitting in a pew, or mumbling some words that they really do not mean. But none of that is any good, unless you are intending it to express your love for God. Jesus goes so far as to say that Worship, without putting your heart into it, actually offends God because of the hypocrisy of it all. Look again at #4, and let’s read it together, saying, “We love him, because he first loved us.” You know, in many religions, God is this angry tyrant, and you have to appease God, you have to be afraid of God. But that’s not the real God. The Bible says God wants to be loved. He wants to be loved. Have you ever said, “I love you” to God? God wants that from you. If you are not expressing love to God, then your life is missing out on something just as valuable as air, water, and food. You see, the most important thing you can know in life is that God loves you. And the most important thing you can do in life is to love him back. So how can I express my affection to God? Here are two ways: First, just start n your dally life by just saying “thanks.” Start looking around at everything and start thanking God. “God, thank you for a beautiful sky today. That’s gorgeous.” “God, thank you for green trees.” Here s a favorite of mine-- “Thank you that I’m still breathing.” “Thank you that I live in America and I have freedom.” You could go on and on. Everything you look at is a gift from God. You could probably think of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of things just to start thanking God more for. That’s a good way to start expressing your love to God. Secondly, when you are here n church on Sundays, don’t be a passive spectator. Put your heart into put your prayers, make each song a love song to God. Sing like you mean it. Look at the words. Make them your prayer. In reference to singing, the Bible says, “Make a joyful noise for God.” Don’t worry about getting the notes right. The song of an off keyed believer is sweeter to God then the song of a musically skilled unbeliever. Love God by singing. Secondly, pray like you mean it. When there are prayer responses in our Sunday services, pray -- say them enthusiastically and loudly. Put your heart into it. Also, when we proved the opportunity for the congregation to offer your own prayers, aloud or silently, then do it. Mean it. And if you do that, something wonderful happens: God promises to pour Hs JOY upon you and others who love Him. Expressing love to God n worship releases heavenly joy upon God’s people. We saw an awesome example of that last Sunday, when our children enthusiastically sang, “Up, Up, and Away we go.” The joy of the Lord was just radiating through them, and t was contagious. And later today, we are going to sing a couple Joyfull—full of joy songs, just to make God and us happy. But right now, would like for you all to join me in singing as love song to God, which summarizes today’s message. Make this a love song, and find your heart touched with joy of the Lord.