Living for God

“Living for God”

Psalm 139

Preacher: Mary Zhao

Kobe Union Church

June 22, 2025

Psalm 139 

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely. 

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain… 

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

Your works are wonderful, I know that full well… 

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! 

How vast is the sum of them! 

Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— 

I am very honored to be able to stand here and share the message of “Living for God” this morning. 

Peter is a familiar character to many of us. As was preached a few weeks ago, “You can talk casually with Peter because he is a person like us, with good points and also failures.” That gives me great comfort. I don’t need perfect grammar or deep theology to connect with him. Peter made plenty of mistakes—maybe even more than we have! 

In 1 Peter 4:1-2, he says: “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.” 

What does ‘attitude’ mean? I found the Chinese explanation to be simpler and easier to understand: making decisions with your heart. God cares about people’s hearts. 

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” — 1 Samuel 16:7

“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” — Isaiah 29:13 

“What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come — sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” — Mark 7:20-23 

For the hopeless sinners, what did God do? 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” — John 3:16-17 

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” — Matthew 1:21 

These are just a few verses that have drawn me into a life of faith—verses that continue to challenge me to grow in my relationship to God through the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

Our hearts determine who or what we live for. 

In this world, many people live for their parents, their children, and their dreams. Maybe I’ll say that differently: All of us live for something. But what is that something? 

Is it something like what Jesus said, what “moth and rust can destroy” (Matthew 6:19–20), or is it something eternal? 

Parents, children, dreams—these are not bad things. They are actually very good. But when they become our ultimate purpose, they can fail us or fade away. Living for the Lord means relying not on ourselves, but on Him, and this leads to eternal life. Living for people or things, however meaningful they may seem, ultimately leads to disappointment and destruction. 

I grew up in an atheist country. Materialism was at the center. People only thought about how much money you made, what kind of car you drove, or what school your children attended. 

But God led me away from this thinking. It didn’t happen all at once. It was a gradual process. I share this not to lift myself, but to show how the Lord drew me—and how He can draw others. 

When I was in college, I was invited to a Christian prayer meeting because a famous person would be there. I saw several elderly women bowing their heads, praying: “God, you have numbered all the hairs on our head.” Honestly, I feel a little hesitant to tell you, but it was boring and made no sense to me.

Later, after Lex, my husband, and I got married, I was invited to attend a Bible Study. They were discussing: “Do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” I thought they were too timid and strange. But I couldn’t deny that they had something that I didn't have. And in my heart, I thought: these are nice people. 

At that time, I was desperately pursuing fame and fortune. But suddenly, my father passed away. He was a capable, wise, and powerful man. He supported me and cared for me. But seeing him on his deathbed, weak and hopeless, I could not accept that this was the same man who had always been my role model. Neither family, money, medicine, nor fame could keep him alive. 

I was grief-stricken. Not only did I mourn the loss of my father, but I also mourned the loss of my identity. Who was left to prove myself to? What was left to live for? 

There was a deep void in my heart. I even considered giving up on life. It was a dark, dark time. 

Then, a third time, God sent a Japanese Christian lady to invite me to her church. I had completely given up on all hope then. 

There, I heard a song that touched my heart: 

You are my strength when I am weak, 

You are the Treasure that I seek, 

You are my all in all. 

When I fall down, you pick me up, 

When I am dry, you fill my cup, 

You are my all in all. 

Jesus, Lamb of God. Worthy is your name. 

I couldn’t control my tears when I heard this song. My heart was captured—not just by God’s power, but by His love. I accepted Jesus as my Savior. I decided in my heart I would live for God, and nothing else. 

But it’s not easy. God knows it’s not easy. Peter knows it’s not easy. 

Peter followed Jesus for three and a half years. He saw miracles. He even walked on water—can you imagine that? He heard God’s voice on the mountain. But he still relied on his own understanding and strength. He thought eternal life meant reigning with Jesus here on earth. So when peer pressure came after Jesus’ arrest, Peter denied Him three times. 

But what’s amazing is what Jesus did after the resurrection. 

He didn’t scold Peter.

He didn’t say, “I told you so.” 

Instead, He asked him three times: “Do you love me?” (John 21:15–17) 

Strangely, it was my third encounter with Christians that helped me embrace that same love. Those old women praying… 

Those “strange” Christians talking about turning the other cheek… 

They prepared my heart for the moment when God fully drew me by His love. 

With each question, Jesus was healing Peter’s wounds. He gave him a fresh start—a new beginning. 

Peter, now broken and humbled, no longer lived for himself or for the approval of others. He lived for the Lord who gave him eternal life. He relied on the Lord’s everlasting love. 

Peter wrote his letter around 62–64 AD to believers in what is now northern Turkey. The church was growing—but so was the pressure from Roman society. Christians were misunderstood and called rebels and atheists because they refused to worship Caesar or join pagan festivals. 

Under Emperor Nero, persecution grew worse. Christians were tortured and killed—Peter himself was martyred during this time. 

But instead of telling believers to hide or run, Peter says: 

“Arm yourselves with the same attitude.” — 1 Peter 4:1 

Peter teaches that suffering can be a weapon. That sounds strange to the world—but it’s true. Suffering for Christ shapes us, purifies us, and draws us closer to Him. 

However, the teachings of this book have helped the church to survive ten major persecutions and countless minor persecutions over the past 250 years, achieving great triumphs. The shepherding of the Holy Spirit is indeed very timely.

“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33 

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross…” — Hebrews 12:2

“That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” — 1 Peter 4:2 

This is the dividing line between living for the world and living for the Lord. 

At Pentecost, Mark mentioned that at Shavuot, Moses came down the mountain with the Ten Commandments and saw the people worshiping a Golden Calf. He drew a line in the sand, and

invited the people to choose: forsake the golden calf and follow the Lord. God is still drawing a line in the sand today. 

Will you cross over and stand on the Lord’s side? 

How can we know if our desires come from the flesh or the Spirit? 

Sometimes it’s hard. But Peter gives us the answer: look to Christ. 

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” — 1 Peter 3:18 

Jesus is our role model. He didn’t suffer for selfish reasons. He didn’t fight back with violence when He was whipped, beaten, and crucified. He submitted to the will of God—even when it meant the cross. And because of that, we are saved. 

Maybe it’s a line drawn in the sand, or a fork in the road, or two paths—one wide, one narrow. This picture reminds us of the choice each of us must make.

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Will we stay on the side of the world, or will we step across and follow Jesus to lead the people, God’s children, back to our Abba Father, who created us, prepared eternal life for us, and is willing to live with us forever?

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” — John 14:3

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Dear family and friends, are you ready to live for God?