Worship:  The Chief End Of Man

What is the chief end of man?  The Puritans who wrote the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Shorter Catechism asked that same question.  Their answer was, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”  I believe their answer was Biblical and true.  Furthermore I believe that to glorify God and enjoy Him forever is the essence of worship.  Therefore, the chief end of man is to worship God.

Consider for a moment what it would be like to have an awe-inspiring sight like the Grand Canyon or the Niagara Falls, or Mount Everest, and there be no one to see it.  What would it be like to have the most amazing concert ever, but no one to hear it?  What would it be like to have the most phenomenal painting, like the Mona Lisa, with no one to enjoy it?  That’s a little like what it would have been like for God to exist alone. He is the most wonderful, beautiful, majestic, glorious Being. He needed to create beings that could enjoy Him, be amazed at Him, and be thrilled by Him. He needs to be put on display. So, He creates. At first He creates angels. And then He creates humans.

I want to take the remainder of this message to demonstrate the truth that worship is the chief end of man.

1. Worship As the Chief END

Before the creation of the world

What was going on before the creation of the world?  We know that God had already created angels, because Job 38:4-7 says, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?  Tell Me, if you have understanding, who set its measurements?  Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy.”  Here were are told of the morning stars and sons of God.  Now, these can not be referring to human beings because they were not created yet. The only explanation is that these terms refer to angels whom God had already created.  What were these angels doing when God was busy creating the world?  They were singing together and shouting for joy.  In other words, they were worshiping.

Now, does that surprise you?  It shouldn’t!  Revelation 4:8 describes four living creatures in heaven who do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”  These four living creatures appear to be angels created especially for worship.  They never cease to worship. In other words, every moment of their existence, they have been involved in worshiping God.  They were doing it before the creation of the world. They are doing it now. And they will be doing it forever, ceaselessly.

After The Destruction of the World

After Christ returns, and destroys this present heavens and earth, and judges all men, what will His creatures be doing?  All of the holy angels and saved people will be worshiping Him. We see that in the visions of Revelation 4 and 5 and 7.  Rev. 4:8-11; 5:11-14; 7:9-12.

Before the Fall

What was taking place before the Fall of man?  Worship. After God created Adam and Eve, He gave them permission to eat of any of the trees of the garden, except for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  For a period of time Adam and Eve obeyed God, and as they obeyed they were worshiping. When we obey God for the purpose of pleasing Him, that is worship.

From the Fall to the End of the World

Before the Fall, there was only ceaseless worship.  At the end of the world, in the New Heavens and the New Earth, there will only be ceaseless worship. It is only during this present period of time, this tiny blip in history, that creatures would dare to not worship their Creator! Romans 1:25 says that fallen man “exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

God not only created the angels to worship Him.  He also created humans to worship Him.  And perhaps humans are even more able to glorify God and enjoy Him forever than are angels. After all, the Bible doesn’t say that the angels are created in God’s image, but it does say that man is. Since we are created in God’s image, there are important ways in which we are like God. And because of that, we are capable of being thrilled by God, communing with God, and glorifying God.

And so, what really is God doing during this present time, this blip in the history of the universe?  He’s calling men out of the world to worship Him.  He is seeking sinners who will turn from their idols and worship Him. John Piper says, “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” Jesus said in John 4:23, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”  The Father is seeking true worshipers, who will worship Him in spirit and truth.

This is why God is so grieved and enraged by idolatry.  God hates all sin, but you can plainly see, especially in the Old Testament, that God especially hates idolatry. Idolatry is taking the worship that God is due, and giving it to someone or something else. God is infinitely glorious. He is worthy of all worship. Anything else is greatly inferior to Him and is not worthy of our worship.

God created man to worship. If we do not worship God, we are denying the very reason for our existence!  It is our chief end.

What do we mean by Chief End?

We often speak of “means” and “end”.  The “end” is the goal, and the “means” are the things we will do in order to reach that goal.  For example, we go to work every day. But going to work is not the end, it is the means. It is what we do in order to arrive at our goal, which is to earn money to take care of our families and provide for our needs, and be able to help others.  We read our Bibles. But reading our Bibles is not the end. It is the means we employ in order to know Christ and live a life pleasing to Him.  You see the “end” is greater than the “means.”

Now, what is worship?  Is it a means, or an end?  If it is a means, there must be some goal greater than worshiping God. However, there isn’t! There is nothing we can do that is greater than worshiping God, because that is the reason for our existence. Therefore, worship is not a means to an end. It is the end. It is the goal. It is the highest goal. It is our chief end.

In other words, we don’t worship God in order to obtain some higher good. Worship of God is the highest good possible.  There is no other goal or destination that is higher or better than this.

2. Worship As The CHIEF End

By “chief” end, I am talking about our highest priority in life.  I don’t think I have to persuade you that in our day and age, it is not easy to keep worship as our highest priority.  There are so many interesting and amusing things calling for our attention, especially on our phone, or tablet or computer.  We are often overwhelmed with life’s responsibilities, busy with work, family, and church responsibilities, that we can’t afford to give ourselves to our ultimate responsibility – worship. Of course the truth is that we can’t afford not to!

I want to look at some people in the Bible who understood this truth, that worship was their chief end.  They understood that worship must take precedence over every other activity of life.

David

Psalm 27:4, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:  that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.”

Notice that David had narrowed down all of life to one thing.  He asked one thing of the Lord, not two or three or a hundred.  He had focused his attention on the most important thing in life.  And He would ask the Lord to make it a reality, and he would seek it with his whole being.

What was it?  To dwell in the house of the Lord, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.  Now, that sounds like three things, not one thing, right?  But actually those three things make up one thing – worship.  David wanted to be in the house of the Lord. He wanted to be in God’s presence.  But for what reason?  To behold the Lord’s beauty and meditate upon it.  So, what would you call beholding the Lord’s beauty and meditating upon it?  I would call that worship.

So, let me ask you a question.  If you focused down everything in life, what is the one thing that you are asking the Lord for and seeking from Him?  Is it to have a better marriage? Is it to enjoy good health?  Is it to raise obedient and godly children?  Is it to see people saved?  Now, all of those things are good and wonderful and commendable, but they are not the ultimate thing.  If your greatest passion is not to behold God’s beauty and meditate upon it, you have the wrong priority.

Mary

Luke 10:38-42, “Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.  She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone?  Then tell her to help me. But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Notice that when Jesus addressed Martha he said that she was worried and bothered about so many things, but only one thing is necessary.  Just like David, Jesus understood that there was only one thing that is absolutely necessary, more important than anything else.  I don’t think that Jesus was saying that working and serving and making sure that her guests were taken care of was of no importance.  I just think that He was saying that there was one thing that was far more important than all of that.

What was it?  Well, we know that it was what Mary did, for Jesus said, “Mary has chosen the good part.”  She chose the one thing that was necessary. And what was it?  It was to sit at the Lord’s feet and listen to His words.  In other words, it was communion with Christ.  And communion with Christ is of the essence of worship.  Sitting at the Lord’s feet, is to take the position of a lowly humble servant in submission to Him.  Listening to His Word is to put herself under His Lordship and to learn from Him.  Mary was a worshiper.  We know that, because in John 12 we find her breaking the neck of the jar of costly perfume, and lavishing it on the head of our Lord, anointing his body for burial. Mary was a worshiper, and she had discovered that there is nothing more important in life than that.

What was the difference between these two sisters?  Some say, it was that Martha was the activist, the one who loved to work and get things done. They say that Martha was the quiet and introspective kind of person by nature.  But the Bible doesn’t say that.  It says that Mary chose something that Martha didn’t. Mary chose the good part, to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to His word, and Martha chose to bustle about the house trying to get things done.

Jesus

If we were to define worship as glorifying God and enjoying Him forever, did Jesus make worship His chief end?  Was it His greatest priority?  I think so.

When Satan tempted Jesus to worship before him, Jesus responded, “It is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.”

John 8:29, “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not let Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

He taught that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  Surely, that is the life that Jesus lived – in perfection.

For Jesus, all of life was worship. For Him, worship was not just the greatest priority in life. Worship was His life!

Conclusion

So, let’s ask a few questions:

• Is it your greatest passion to glorify God?
• Are you enjoying God?
• Have you chosen the good part – sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to His Word? How committed are you to that?
• Do you truly believe that worship is your chief end?
• What are you doing in your daily life that proves you believe that?

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