Seeing His purpose

Some of us may have perfect vision.
Some, a little less than 20 - 20.
Some of us (like me) are legally blind without our corrective lenses!

If God is going to use us for His kingdom, we must have a vision for what His purpose is in our lives. We need to be able to "see" His purpose with our spiritual eyes; we need discernment.
So, in order to be able to be used of God, as Nehemiah was, we need not only to allow our hearts to be burdened for others, but we also need to have a vision of God's purpose in the world.

Nehemiah certainly had that vision; if he had not, he would have responded to Hanani with, "Oh, well, I'm sure things will get better soon."
I mean, why bother, right?
He was ensconced comfortably in the king's court. He had title. He had prestige. He had everything his heart desired, I expect. Except, as we noted, his heart was burdened for the people of God. So instead of saying, "Why bother?" and settling down again after his brother left town, he had a vision for God's purpose in this situation.
Nehemiah knew something about what God wanted to do with His people. Remember verse nine?

 I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ (Nehemiah 1:9)

He remembered that; it was from God's instructions to Moses concerning His children. Babylon wouldn't do. A broken down city wouldn't do. God's purpose involved His name and His glory being made known in Jerusalem.
That was then.
This is now.
What is God's purpose in this age?
Here are some clues:

I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.  (Matthew 16:18b)

And they sang a new song, saying:“You are worthy to take the scroll    and to open its seals,because you were slain,    and with your blood you purchased for God    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,    and they will reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10)

The first verse is the words of Jesus Christ, our Savior. The second passage is the elders, singing about Jesus. That's such a triumphant verse in Revelation . . . I'm so glad that I (and you) are among that "every tribe, language, people, and nation" that they are singing about!
But listen . . . why does God want to save people from all over this earth?
Well, we live in such a self-centered age that we could easily fall into error -- we could think that His purpose is to save people because He loves us and wants us to be happy.
Whoaaa, pardner!
That is a human-centered goal.
And yes, He does love us. And He wants us to be happy.
BUT.
God's purpose is not human-centered; it is God-centered.
What do we mean?
As I said, God DOES love people and He wants them to be happy -- but that is an indirect result. The final end in itself is different. Saving us is a means to His purpose.
Paul tells us in Ephesians that God's purpose includes building His church for the sake of His name and His glory.
He wants to display the riches of His mercy and grace, and His wisdom (through the church) to all of the angelic hosts.

to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ......in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.(Ephesians 1:6, 12-14)

Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Ephesians 3:8-11)

God's chief purpose is to further His glory through the joy of salvation that we believers experience in Him. Sometimes we humans wrestle with these concepts. We've been so steeped in the world's culture and the "easy" gospel messages that are so prevalent, that we somehow balk at this truth. I have to admit, it took some good, hard studying to get this through my own thick noggin. (Grin) One of the books that really helped me was one by John Piper; it is not easy reading, but the Spirit helped me!
Piper's book is called "God's Passion for His Glory" and it's based on an old sermon by Jonathan Edwards, the great preacher and co-catalyst of the Great Awakening revival movement. Piper says the reason God created the world is "first, that the glory of God might be magnified in the universe, and second, that Christ's ransomed people from all times and all nations would rejoice in God above all things." In other words, the absolute deepest joy of human beings is in the display and appreciation of God's great glory! God's glory and His people's joy in Him fit together like two finely crafted puzzle pieces!
Here's another thing - when we studied "Investing 101" we talked about the Great Commission. Our efforts to tell others about Christ is a way to tell the glories of God among ALL people. Those who respond to that message join us in magnifying and glorifying God. Our changed, obedient lives result in His glory AND our joy!

Let's look back at our sad cupbearer. Nehemiah was fully aware of this concept. He also knew that God's people were in great distress and reproach from those around them. He knew that the wall between them and the pagan peoples outside the city was broken down. All of this led to the possibility (and the reality, in some cases) that God's people were not living any differently from the folks outside the ruined walls. The walls symbolized the distinctive difference in the way believers think and act, compared to the unbelievers outside. The values we hold, and the ways we relate to God and to each other should be markedly different from the worldly people we know.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (I Peter 2:9)

This is Peter's way of stating what we've talked about today.
God's purpose is to magnify His name and His glory through us. When we joyfully know Him and obey Him, we are fulfilling that purpose, and our joy is increased even more!
As we close this week of study, let's ask the Spirit to show us people who need His help. Let's ask for Him to give us a filling of Christ's compassion, and wisdom to know what "causes" to work on. And let's ask Him to give us a vision -- no, let's make that a passion -- for His purpose!