Created to Be God’s Joy
Inspired by Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life"
 There has to be more than this… (I’m not always happy)
At some point in our lives we get to a place where we wonder what it is all about. Maybe you’re there now! In a place where you are dissatisfied with your relationships, with your school situation, with your family, and you can’t figure out why nothing seems to be going as it should. Something is clearly missing, but you can’t put your finger on it. Something you can’t see. Something that may seem small but is actually HUGE.
Some time ago a newspaper headline read, "MISSING HYPHEN BLAMED IN ROCKET FAILURE." It was hard to believe that a small hyphen in a computer readout caused the destruction of a huge, powerful missile. Perhaps you've heard the old proverb: "For want of a nail a horseshoe was lost; for want of a horseshoe, a rider was lost; for want of a rider, a battle was lost; for want of a battle, a war was lost." The loss of the war, in other words, was connected to the loss of a nail. Apparently, that was the case here. On the day in question, a Venus space probe launch vehicle, boosted by an eighteen-million-dollar U.S. Atlas rocket, was lost because a hyphen was missing from a computer equation. Richard Morrison, a NASA official, told the House Space Committee investigating the incident that the missing hyphen caused a mathematical miscue. Said Morrison, "The hyphen gives a cue for the spacecraft to ignore the data the computer feeds it until radar contact is once again restored. When that hyphen is left out, false information is fed into the spacecraft control systems. In this case, the computer fed in hard left, nose down and the vehicle obeyed."
I’m Not Always Happy / God is Not Always Happy
You are searching for happiness and meaning and purpose and satisfaction, but do you realize that your happiness can only be found in the happiness of God? Did you even stop to realize that God does feel emotions that we take for granted? Throughout the Bible, we can see that God is capable of great emotion. Scripture tells us that God feels anger, jealousy, grief and compassion. And in addition to this, God is certainly capable of feeling great joy! God experiences pleasure and He is, as the creator of everything in the universe, certainly deserving of such an emotion. Let’s read Ephesians 1:5 to see what pleases God:
 Ephesians 1:5
He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
It would appear that we are in fact the singular most important source of God’s joy. It was his pleasure and purpose to bring us home through our faith in Jesus Christ. Let me help you understand this incredible truth. You were designed by God to bring Him pleasure. That is one of the most important reasons why you are here and that’s why we are starting with this incredible truth. You were designed by God to give Him Joy. And you will never realize your purpose in life until you do just that: learn how to give joy to God. But how do we do that? Let’s read Psalm 147:11:
Psalm 147:11
The LORD favors those who fear Him, Those who wait for His lovingkindness.
Worship is at the core of our ability to please God. When we worship God, he is incredibly pleased. So as we examine this important part of our purpose in life, we need to try to unravel the true nature of worship. Many of you still see worship at something that we do every week when we sing in church… Worship is such a complex notion and it can be a little confusing! We really need to try to define it so we can understand how we can please God! Let’s take a look at what the Webster’s dictionary says about Worship.
Worship Wor"ship, v. t.
1. To respect; to honor; to treat with civil reverence.
2. To pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and veneration; to perform religious exercises in honor of; to adore; to venerate.
3. To honor with extravagant love and extreme submission, as a lover; to adore; to idolize.
Actually, these are not bad definitions are they? The problem is that most people apply these affections and emotions to everything other than God. So many of us worship fame, or achievement, or the people around us. Let’s take a look at what an even more important book says about worship. Let’s start by taking a look at what it is NOT!
 It’s Not Just Music
First of all, worship is not just music. In fact, I think it is safe to say that music is a very SMALL part of worship. But let’s face it, if we come together to show God how much we love him, what are our options. Well, we could tell God that we adore him, and we do that through prayer. We can also sing to God in an effort to give him something special as a gift and offering. That’s why we do it! That’s why we sing together. We are simply trying to give God something special!
 It’s Not for Your Benefit
In addition to this, we’ve also got to remember that worship is not for our benefit. Sometimes we get caught up in listening to a worship team and judging the team based on whether we ‘liked’ the style of music or the song selection. When the worship music ends we sit back and say, “I got something out of that,” or, “That was really good for me.” All along we’ve really missed the point of it all, because the music was never intended to please US. It was intended to please GOD.
 It’s Not a PART of Your Life
And there’s something else that worship is NOT. Worship is not meant to be a PART of your life! God wants worship to be ALL of our life, every breathing minute, every thought, every action, devoted to God. God does not want us to think that worship is just that little time that we spend thinking about him and singing to him in Church. He wants every moment.
A New Worship Definition
So we need a new definition of worship. Here’s a great place to start: whatever you do that brings a smile to God’s face... that is worship! From now on, if you really want to live a life of worship and are asking yourself what you can do to accomplish this or want to test your life to see if you are really a God worshipper, simply ask yourself the question, “Is God looking at what I am doing right now, and smiling about it?” If He isn’t then you are not worshipping or living a life of worship. If, on the other hand, you could say “Yes, God is probably smiling right now as He watches me do this”, then you are involved in an act of worship. You may not be singing or praying or doing anything that you used to think was worship, but if what you are doing would put a smile on God’s face, you are actually involved in an act of worship! I want you to stop thinking of worship as a one dimensional act of singing in church. Worship is multifaceted like a diamond. Look at how Paul describes it in Romans 12:1
Romans 12:1
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
Each and every thing you do during the day can actually be an act of worship. It can be something that you can offer to God. God does not want a little piece of your time. He wants all of you. The you that you are in school, the you that you are in your family, the you that you are when the lights are off and no one is looking…
So, Why Are We Here on Earth?
If you want to live a life of meaning and purpose, if you want a change to occur, if you want to become everything that God intended you to be, you’ve got to start by understanding that:
We were designed to give God joy and pleasure…
That’s the most important reason why we are here. Let me ask you, up to this point in your life, what are the things that have given you the most pleasure?
It’s About His Glory
In briefing rooms of American air bases during World War II there were posters with the following inscription on them: By all known laws which can be proved on paper and in the wind tunnel-the bumblebee cannot fly. The size of his wings in relation to his body, according to aeronautical and mathematical science, simply means that he cannot fly. It is an impossibility. But of course, the bumblebee doesn't know about these rules so he goes ahead and flies anyway.
So if we were to start over again and try to live a life of worship, this time, doing our best to only do those things that bring a smile to God’s face, what would we find ourselves doing? We sometime think that we have to try real hard or do something very special in order to show God that we love Him. But that is not necessarily the case at all. If you are trying to understand what it is that pleases God, you need to know that anything we do that BRINGS GOD GLORY, lies at the heart of true worship. If you want to please God and put a smile on his face, you simply need to live a life that brings God glory… Let’s read what Paul says about pleasing God:
Hebrews 12:25-29
See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” And this expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.
Let's Look at Noah to Learn About Worship
See, a life of worship focuses on God, not on us. It is a life where we say, “God gets all the credit, what can I do for HIM”, not “I get all the credit, what can God do for ME”. It’s not centered on us and our needs; it’s centered on God and His Glory. Have you ever seen the bumper stickers or balloons or pins that say “Smile, God Loves You”? Well they’ve got the idea backwards! God does not exist to make us smile, we exist to make God smile! I want you to understand what a life looks like when it is spent as a worshipper of God. There are several examples in the Bible, but perhaps the best is the story of Noah.
God Smiles When We Love Him
At a time in world history in which everyone was self absorbed and corrupt, fighting and engaging in immoral conduct, one man stood apart from the rest. We know him as Noah. He led a life that pleased God. He was a true worshipper. Genesis 6:8 says that:
Genesis 6:8
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
In spite of what was going on around him, Noah resisted the temptation to become part of the world. Instead he stayed close to God. Genesis 6:9 says:
Noah consistently followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with Him. You won’t be able to enjoy a close relationship with God and be a pleasure to him until you first fall in love with him. When that happens, you will definitely find that God is smiling! Look at what Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew:
Matthew 22:34-39
But when the Pharisees heard that He had put the Sadducees to silence, they gathered themselves together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
If you want to live a life that brings glory to God, start right here. Learn the truth that: God smiles when we love Him above all else.
God Smiles When We Trust Him
But Noah did more than love God. He acted on this love in many different ways. First of all, He trusted God and acted on his commands, in spite of the cost and in spite of the fact that he didn’t always understand! Hebrews 11:7 says that:
Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
John tells us that we can trust what God says far more than we can trust what people say:
1 John 5:9-10
If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for the witness of God is this, that He has borne witness concerning His Son.
If you want to make God smile by giving Him all the Glory He is due, you’ve got to put your trust in HIM alone, in spite of any apparent contradictions in the wisdom of the world around you. God smiles when we trust Him more than we trust ourselves.
God Smiles When We Act in Obedience
And Noah moved beyond trust to ACTION. Noah was obedient in spite of the personal cost or work involved. Imagine what God had asked Noah to do. He was commanded to build the largest structure ever imagined. It took nearly 100 years to complete. It was a huge task and it certainly must have worn Noah out at times. But he did not fail to complete the mission to the exacting specifications of God. Genesis 6:22 says:
Genesis 6:22
Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.
Noah was obedient. Obedience is foundational to worship. Look at what John says in 1 John 3:21:
1 John 3:21-22
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
Obedience is a foundational act if we ever hope to please God. God smiles when we obey Him despite the cost.
 God Smiles When We Thank Him
And Noah always gave God the Glory. He recognized that everything He accomplished had very little to do with his own ability. He knew that God was the power behind everything He did. That’s why he was always so thankful. Even after it was all over, what was the first thing He did? Genesis 8:20-21 says:
Genesis 8:20-21
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Noah glorified God by continually thanking Him. Paul wants us all to live a life like that. Look at what he says in Colossians 3:17:
Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Everything we do and everything we say should be steeped in thanks to God for all that he has given us first through his incredible Gift of Jesus Christ. That alone is enough to thank Him for. I life of worship involves thanking God continually, because a life of worship involves recognizing that God is the source of all we have, and all we are capable of doing. God smiles when we thank Him for everything He has given us.
 God Smiles When We Use the Gifts He Gave Us
Finally, we have to recognize that Noah and his family used every talent they had to build the ark and prepare it for God. Even skills that they may not have seen as worshipful. Every ability, even if it seemed meaningless, was put into action to accomplish the task. And as a result, God saved all of us through Noah’s use of the gifts God gave him. He was incredibly fruitful and God recognized this and called him to continue to be fruitful in repopulating the earth. Read Genesis 9:1-2:
Genesis 9:1-2
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
Noah used everything that God gave him. Peter commands us to do the very same thing. Read 1 Peter 4:10-11:
1 Peter 4:10-11
As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
We are called to use the Gifts that God gave us to change the world. When we do that, we please God. God smiles when we use the gifts He gave us to build His Kingdom. In all of this, Noah demonstrated a singular truth when it comes to living a life of worship, a life that brings glory to God. He understood that a life of worship is a matter of God’s glory and our surrender.
But ask yourself: what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word: ‘surrender’?
His Joy, Our Surrender
When we aim at pleasing God and giving Glory to Him, something powerful also happens to us. The more we surrender to God, the more He blesses our lives.
A businessman owned a warehouse that had sat empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and trash was everywhere inside the building. The businessman showed a prospective buyer the property and took great pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage and clean out all the garbage. "Forget about the repairs," the buyer said. "When I buy this place, I'm going to build something completely different, something entirely new. I don't want the building. I just want the site!"
Interestingly, people who lead worship or sing songs to God often figure this out before anyone else. Maybe it’s because they spend so much time involved in what we commonly think of as worship. Maybe they have surrendered a little bit more to God to find themselves in their position as worship leaders. But to a person, most would say that they are blessed more through the experience of worship than they could ever have imagined.
Surrender / Loser
But when most of us think about the idea of surrender, we tend to associate it with something negative. In recorded history, it certainly seems like losers are the only ones who surrender. And none of us want to see ourselves as losers. When nations surrender in battle they usually surrender their peace. The victor is at peace, but his enemies are all under his feet. There is no peace for them at all! But this is not true when we surrender to god. Read Job 22:21:
Job 22:21
"Yield now and be at peace with Him; Thereby good will come to you.”
When nations surrender in battle they usually surrender their freedom. But this is not true when we surrender to God. Read Romans 6:17:
Romans 6:17-18
But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
When nations surrender in battle they usually surrender their power. But this is also not true when we surrender to God. Read Ephesians 1:19-20:
Ephesians 1:19-20
And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places
You might think that surrender means giving up who you are as a person. But when you surrender to God, you finally get to BECOME who you are as a person. Look at what C.S. Lewis said about this mysterious truth:
Lewis wrote: “The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become – because He made us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be… It is when I turn to Christ, when I give myself up to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.”
God created you to be the best YOU that you can be, and along life’s journey we have a tendency to bury the real people that we are underneath the expectations of our friends and family, underneath our fears of failure, underneath the peer pressure we feel, underneath the pains that we have experienced as we have trued to control our own lives. If you want to be the REAL you, you need to go back to your creator and give it all back to Him. Live a life of surrendered worship and the REAL you will emerge! Paul does perhaps the best job of helping us to understand what a life of worship should look like. Let’s read Romans 12:1 together:
Romans 12:1
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
Did you notice the first and last word here? It is OFFER. A life of worship is centered on our desire to give it all back to God. It was his in the first place and when we recognize that truth and surrender all that we have and all that we are, we live a live of worship. After all, that really isn’t too much to ask, considering the sacrifice that God has already made for us.
So How Does Our Worship Effect Our Lives?
When we live a life of worship, we are finally starting to become what it is that we were designed to be. We are finally living within the will of God, and living in the will of God, isn’t A way to live, it is THE way to live. Let’s pray that all we do would make God smile | 
