For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Luke 19:10
“For the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”
John 4:23
In the first verse, we see that the Lord Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. In the second verse, we see that the Father sent His Son to seek and save—for the specific purpose of producing a people who worship Him. We often think that the primary reason we have been redeemed is to escape hell. That is certainly a wonderful benefit, but it is not the main purpose. While we can and should enjoy the blessings we have in Christ, they must not become our main focus. We should never be so occupied with the blessings that we lose sight of the Blesser.
It may surprise us to realize that the supreme motive in our redemption is not for us to receive, but for God to receive. We have been redeemed so that God may be worshiped and glorified through our lives. The apostle Paul expressed it this way: “To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever” (Ephesians 3:21).
In Romans 1:5, we learn that the purpose of evangelism is “obedience to the faith among all nations for His name’s sake.” The apostle John echoes this in 3 John 7, writing that missionaries went out “for His name’s sake.” Our salvation is first of all for God’s glory, not merely for our benefit.
Of course, we enjoy countless blessings in salvation! But these are added benefits, not the ultimate purpose. We are called to glorify God before seeking to gain anything from Him.
This is what the Lord Jesus emphasized when He said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Throughout Scripture we see that God’s primary activity has always been seeking true worshipers. In Revelation 19:1–5, the church in heaven declares: “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments … Alleluia! … Amen! Alleluia! … Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
The ultimate purpose of heaven is that we might worship God rightly and forever.
Anchor For Today:
May we realize even now that we are saved to worship God as our Father, and may we begin to live out the purpose for which He has redeemed us.