Purpose
by Gary Johnson
We are off to a strong start in 2025. Each month, we are focusing on a trait in the life of Jesus, as we want to obey the command in 1 John 2:6 that if we claim to be Christians, we “must live as Jesus did.” Jesus lived with purpose. What does it look like to live with God-honoring purpose?
Think of it this way. I used my Apple iPhone to write some notes about this blog, and I also used it to look up some Scriptures in one of the many Bibles on my phone. Some years ago, under the leadership of the late Steve Jobs, Apple determined their purpose (i.e., why they exist) – to impact the world with technology. Apple is certainly fulfilling their purpose! From iPhones to PowerBooks to iPads and more, Apple is impacting far-reaching corners of the globe with technology.
Jesus KNEW His Purpose
Jesus has impacted – and continues to impact – all of humanity in personal, eternal ways. What was His purpose? Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). Moreover, He explained how He would seek the lost; “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His live as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus had one primary purpose and that was to give His life as a sacrifice for the sins of every man and woman who ever has and ever will live.
Was Jesus master physician and master teacher? Unequivocally, yes! Yet, those were His secondary purposes. When Jesus lived and walked on planet earth, there were people who did not hear His teaching, nor did they benefit from His healing. They lived elsewhere.
When Jesus was immersed, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven and lighted on Him (Matthew 3:13-17). From that moment on, Jesus lived on mission, to seek and to save the lost by serving as the sacrifice and ransom of our sins. The Holy Spirit empowered Jesus to live out His purpose – even His secondary purposes, as “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and (how) He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him” (Acts 10:38).
Jesus PROTECTED His Purpose
Not only did Jesus know and pursue His purpose, He also protected His purpose. For example, knowing that He had to die on a cross (John 3:14, John 12:33), Jesus could not die by some other means. If He had been stabbed or stoned to death, Jesus could not be our Savior. Why? Jesus predicted that He would die by crucifixion, and if He did not die in that way, He would be a false prophet – a liar – and could not be our sinless Lamb who would take away our sins. So, Jesus stayed away from places where His life was at risk (John 7:1). Jesus surrounded Himself with people who loved and protected Him from those wanting to take His life (Matthew 21:45-46).
Jesus FULFILLED His Purpose
In Luke 9:51, we read, “As the time approached for Him to be taken up, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” To be “taken up” means to ascend. For Jesus to ascend into heaven, He had to first die, be buried and then resurrected. Hence, Jesus resolutely (i.e., “set His face to”) set out for the cross. He had a Providential date with death, and He allowed nothing to get in His way of fulfilling His purpose.
With just a few hours left until He was crucified, Jesus prayed, “Father, I have brought you glory by completing the work you sent me to do” (John 17:4). Jesus was given a job to do by His Father in heaven – was given purpose – and Jesus completed that work bringing glory to God by impacting the entire world eternally with His death, burial, and resurrection.
How We Live with Purpose
All of us were born with the same purpose. Yes, you read that correctly. We each have different secondary purposes. Some may be teachers, some are in sales, others are in construction, etc. Moreover, if we know and pursue our primary purpose, we will impact the world, not as Apple does with technology, but in a most God-honoring way.
Here’s our central, main, primary purpose. God said, “…everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, who I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:7). We have been made to bring glory to our Creator, Sustainer and Savior! While praying at the end of a day, and the end of His life, Jesus said to God, “I have brought you glory by completing the work you sent me to do” (John 17:4). At the end of our day, when we lay our heads on the pillow and begin to fall asleep, have we brought glory to God with the words we spoke and the work of our hands during that day? Did the thoughts we entertained and the attitudes we embraced throughout the day bring glory to God?
Our purpose in life is to bring glory to God, day-by-day and even moment-by-moment. Speaking for myself, I so often fail to protect my purpose from the evil one, and my sinful nature causes mission drift in my life. Only through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit do I find supernatural strength to stay the course, one day at a time. With God-in-my-skin (1 John 4:4, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20), I find myself more often rejoicing in having lived another day for the glory of God.
Let’s resolve to live a purpose-driven life as did Jesus.
