March 1, 2020 NOTES
NOT EDITED
The Meaning of Life
The Meaning of Life
Jer. 29:11; Ephesians 3:8
SIS: A person cannot find meaning and
fulfillment in life, until they discover the purpose for which God created
them.
Miillions of people today–some old, some not
so old–who feel discouraged. Many, would
say if they are honest, I am afraid to die, but having nothing to
live for. Many, many people are alive today that really do not
feel they are living a meaningful life.
Most, really could not tell you what makes a meaningful life. Fortunately,
God’s Word tells us that God has a plan for every individual that will give
their lives meaning and bring fulfillment.
God’s Word gives us the “Meaning of Life,” and teaches us how to achieve
a meaningful life.
The “Meaning of Life” may not be understood
well, but it is a popular issue among people. One person (and actually
there are many others) has a web page called the “MeaningofLife.com.” The
premise of this page is that meaning equals happiness. Certainly, there is a connection between the
two, but meaning seems to be something much deeper than a feeling of happiness.
Even Monty Python–that odd ball English
comic–has a web page
devoted to the “Meaning of Life” taken from
one of his comic films. Listen to the lyrics from one of the songs used
in this film. I would have used a clip
from the film, but Monty isn’t always rated “G.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAwDWZoETk4)
The
Meaning of Life
Why are we
here? What's life all about?
Is God really real, or is there some doubt?
Well, tonight, we're going to sort it all out,
For, tonight, it's 'The Meaning of Life'.
Is God really real, or is there some doubt?
Well, tonight, we're going to sort it all out,
For, tonight, it's 'The Meaning of Life'.
What's the
point of all this hoax?
Is it the chicken and the egg time? Are we just yolks?
Or, perhaps, we're just one of God's little jokes.
Well, ça c'est le 'Meaning of Life'.
Is it the chicken and the egg time? Are we just yolks?
Or, perhaps, we're just one of God's little jokes.
Well, ça c'est le 'Meaning of Life'.
Is life just
a game where we make up the rules
While we're searching for something to say,
Or are we just simply spiralling coils
Of self-replicating DNA.
While we're searching for something to say,
Or are we just simply spiralling coils
Of self-replicating DNA.
In this
'life', what is our fate?
Is there Heaven and Hell? Do we reincarnate?
Is mankind evolving, or is it too late?
Well, tonight, here's 'The Meaning of Life'.
For millions this life is a sad vale of tears
Sitting round with nothing to say
While scientists say we're just simply spiraling coils
Of self-replicating DNA
Is there Heaven and Hell? Do we reincarnate?
Is mankind evolving, or is it too late?
Well, tonight, here's 'The Meaning of Life'.
For millions this life is a sad vale of tears
Sitting round with nothing to say
While scientists say we're just simply spiraling coils
Of self-replicating DNA
So just why,
why are we here?
And just what, what, what, what do we fear?
Well çe soir, for a change, it will all be made clear
For this is the meaning of life
See'est le sens de la vie, this is the meaning of life
And just what, what, what, what do we fear?
Well çe soir, for a change, it will all be made clear
For this is the meaning of life
See'est le sens de la vie, this is the meaning of life
Well, you can search the web or dial up Monty
Python, but you won’t find the meaning of life until you look in God’s
“Instruction Manual”–the Holy Bible. Today, I want to show you from God’s
Word how you can find meaning and fulfilment in life by discovering God’s plan
for your life. We find God’s purpose for our lives by answering three important questions:
1) WHO am I;
2) WHY am I
here; and 3) WHERE
am I going?
As a background for our lesson this morning,
let’s establish that God DOES INDEED have a meaningful plan
for our lives. Will take one text from the O.T. and one from the N.T. Let’s read.
(Jer
29:11) 11 For I know the plans I have for you” —this is the Lord’s
declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and
a hope.
…………………………………
(Eph 3:7-8) 7 I was made a
servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the
working of His power.
8 This grace was given to me—the
least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable
riches of the Messiah,
There are 3 powerful lessons that will lead to powerful
living as we learn the “Meaning of Life.” Beginning with the Book of Epehsians,
❶ you
must answer the question: “WHO Am I?”.
(Eph. 3:7b)
Verse
7 teaches clearly who
you are:“You are the miraculous work of an Infinite God.” 7 I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s
grace that was given to me by the working of His power.
Paul reminds us in verse 7: “I am who I am ① BY THE GIFT
OFGOD’S GRACE and ② THE WORKING OF HIS POWER.”
You are UNIQUE . You
are a masterpiece. I read recently somewhere that every person
who is born today is the result of billions upon billions of possibilities.
If you take all the possible genetic possibilities of all your ancestors the possible
combinations would be 240 followed by 45 years of zeroes . That’s
right 45 “years” of zeroes. It would
take you that long to write all the zeroes. You are not “one in a
million.” No, no–you are many, many, many times more unique than that.
If you take the
number 240 and you spend 40 hours every day for 45 years, that’s how long it
would take to describe all the characteristics you could have had.
That’s how much God had to work with when he made you. Listen to
this verse that describes the “personal touch” God took making you – you:
(Psa
139:13-14) 13 For it
was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s
womb. 14 I will praise You because I have been remarkably and
wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well.
That’s pretty unique. God personally made you who you are and
nobody can be you–but YOU! I read a book a while ago title, You’re Born and Original, Don’t
Die a Copy . The author reminds us: “Don’t
just look for miracles. You are a miracle. You are “fearfully and
wonderfully made.” . . . Nobody can be you as efficiently as you can.
When you use the gifts you have, people call you gifted. One of the
hardest things about climbing the ladder of success is getting through the
copies at the bottom .”
Most people miss the bliss in life because
they never come to grips with their God-produced giftedness. Paul found meaning and purpose because he
discovered his unique giftedness. He said in our text here in Ephesians, I serve God according to the gift he gave me by His
grace.
As I said earlier, “No one is better at being you, than YOU.”
Therefore, you are spiritual, one-of-a-kind masterpiece
created in the very image of God, by His own hand. The NLT version of the Bible says this
beautifully just a chapter earlier in Ephesians
(2:10):
10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has
created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us
long ago.
The word, “masterpiece” translates the Greek noun, “poiema ποίημα” which
comes from the verb, poieō, “meaning to make or do,” as with building something or creating
something with one’s hands. In the Greek
period (Plato, for example) it poiema referred
to that created by the gods. Plato used poiema to refer only to the “spiritual
essences, or ideals” created by the Ideal, or primary god. He did not consider the souls and certainly
not the bodies of man to be poiema. These “secondary” creations were
relegated to lesser gods, or demiurges.
When poiema is found in the Greek translations of the O.T.
(over 3200 occurences of the noun and verb) it refers to the direct
action of Yahweh a considerable number of times. The Bible knows no other “Creator” than
Yahweh of the Bible, and everything Yahweh created was “good.” Mankind was, “very
good.” Mankind, you and I, are the “masterpieces” of Almighty God. When
you looked in
the mirror this morning did you say, “Wow! What a masterpiece!” Well, that is “who you are!”
From masterpiece to major mess – created to
be a thing of beauty, preserved over the centuries – in one careless move it
went from timeless treasure into tiny pieces of trash - what a tragedy!
The
body is a masterpiece of
exquisite design. Beautifully "engineered," it is governed by several hundred systems
of control -- each interacting with and affecting the other. The brain has 10
billion nerve cells to record what he sees and hears. The skin has more than 2
million tiny sweat glands -- about 3000 per square inch -- all part of the
intricate system, which keeps his body at an even temperature. A "pump" in his
chest makes his blood travel 168 million miles a day -- equivalent of 6720
times around the world! The lining of his stomach contains 35 million glands secreting juices, which aid the
process of digestion. And these are but a few of the involved processes and
chemical wonders, which operate to sustain his life.
A person will never comprehend the meaning of life until one comes to understand just how “precious and perfect” God created you. This is the great tragedy of teaching evolution to multiple generation of young people. Why is life so cheap? Why is Chicago the murder capital of the world? Why is a little baby killed in the womb every 90 seconds in this country? Life is cheap because generations of school boys and school girls have been taught that they are just the random result of chaotic events and nothing unique or special.
That is not true. God created each and every one of us to be a masterpiece. That’s “Who” you are.
A person will never comprehend the meaning of life until one comes to understand just how “precious and perfect” God created you. This is the great tragedy of teaching evolution to multiple generation of young people. Why is life so cheap? Why is Chicago the murder capital of the world? Why is a little baby killed in the womb every 90 seconds in this country? Life is cheap because generations of school boys and school girls have been taught that they are just the random result of chaotic events and nothing unique or special.
That is not true. God created each and every one of us to be a masterpiece. That’s “Who” you are.
The first question–WHO am I is really quite
simple. YOU ARE A UNIQUELY GIFTED MASTERPIECE DESIGNED AND PRODUCED BY GOD
HIMSELF!
Don’t become a cheap copy by following the
crowd –God made you to be an
“original work of art.” Jesus
didn’t shed His precious blood and die a horrible death to buy back a piece of
junk—Jesus died to redeem His masterpieces.
❷ The
second question you must answer in order to find meaning and happiness is: WHY
AM I HERE? (V7a-8)
7 I was made a servant of this gospel
by the gift of God’s grace. . .8to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of the Messiah
Again, the answer is so simple. God
made you so that you could love Him and “serve Him with your
unique and special gifts.” God made you to know Him . . . and make Him known. In
other words, God made you so you could love Him and show His love to others.
God didn’t create us all to be pastors or
teachers or evangelists, but he did create us all to be missionaries serving God by spreading the good news
about Jesus Christ. The word “missionary” comes from a Latin word meaning,
“sent.” A missionary is someone who is sent with a message – that is the gospel, or good
news of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ.
We have all been called by God to serve as
“missionaries.” There’s an old Southern Spiritual that says, If
you can’t preach like Peter, If you can’t pray like Paul, // Just tell the love
of Jesus, And say He died for all.
God
made you in a unique and special way so that you could reflect His love as
brilliantly and as uniquely as a diamond individually cut by a master
craftsman reflects the light. You can reach people with God’s love in a way
than no one else can. You will meet people in your life that I, as a
pastor and preacher, will never meet. You can share your unique story of
salvation with people in ways that no one else can. That’s WHY you are here on this earth, and until
you start serving God with “all your heart, and all your strength,” you
will never discover the meaning of life.
The meaning of life is grounded in pursuing God’s purpose for your life.
St.
Augustine confessed over
1600 years ago, “A soul is restless until it finds its rest in God.” It
is impossible. It is futile to find meaning in life until you discover
the purpose for which God created you–that is, to serve God faithfully until
the end of your days. To try to find peace and happiness apart
from God is impossible as it was FOR TWO HUNTERS to find their way out
of the woods. The game warden approached the truck of two hunters who
were getting ready to hunt in a very remote area. The warden warned them
of the dangers of getting lost in the thick back country. He said, “If
you get lost, fire three shots in the air and we will come and rescue you.”
The confident hunters thanked the warden but told him they were expert
woodsman and would not get lost. Guess what? They got lost in the thick
brush. One hunter said, “Fire three shots in the air so the warden can
come find us.” The other hunter fired three shots in the air. They
waited about an hour. One hunter turned to his friend again and
said, “It’s been an hour. Fire three more shots in the air.” This
time they waited two hours. It was getting dark and they were getting a
little concerned. The hunter turned to his friend a third time and said,
“Better fire three more shots.” The other hunter replied, “You better
fire them this time. I’m all out of arrows!”
That’s
the same results you will get if
you try to find meaning and fulfilment in life without realizing that the
reason God put you on this earth was to “know him and then make him
known” as a servant of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, “how” you do
that is as unique as “who” you are. We
are all part of God’s body, the church, but we are not all the same
member. 1Cor 12:17-18:
17 If the whole body were an eye,
where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the
sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed each one of the
parts in one body just as He wanted.
Failing to grasp the “purpose God has for your life” will result in making a mess of God’s masterpiece. A visitor to a British museum destroyed a set of priceless 300-year-old Chinese vases after tripping up on his shoelace, the Daily Telegraph reports. The three Qing vases, dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, had stood on a windowsill at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge for at least 40 years. Their prominent position made them among its best-known artifacts, the paper said. The report was accompanied by a photo, taken by another visitor, of the culprit, an unnamed man in his 40s, attempting to pick himself up among the porcelain debris after last week’s accident. Steve Baxter, another visitor who saw the accident, was quoted as saying: "We watched the man fall as if in slow motion. He landed in the middle of the vases and they splintered into a million pieces." "He was still sitting there stunned when museum staff appeared. Everyone stood around in silence, as if in shock. Then the man started talking. He kept pointing to his shoelace and saying, ’There it is; that’s the culprit!’ (ABC News Online, 1/30/06).
Failing to grasp the “purpose God has for your life” will result in making a mess of God’s masterpiece. A visitor to a British museum destroyed a set of priceless 300-year-old Chinese vases after tripping up on his shoelace, the Daily Telegraph reports. The three Qing vases, dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, had stood on a windowsill at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge for at least 40 years. Their prominent position made them among its best-known artifacts, the paper said. The report was accompanied by a photo, taken by another visitor, of the culprit, an unnamed man in his 40s, attempting to pick himself up among the porcelain debris after last week’s accident. Steve Baxter, another visitor who saw the accident, was quoted as saying: "We watched the man fall as if in slow motion. He landed in the middle of the vases and they splintered into a million pieces." "He was still sitting there stunned when museum staff appeared. Everyone stood around in silence, as if in shock. Then the man started talking. He kept pointing to his shoelace and saying, ’There it is; that’s the culprit!’ (ABC News Online, 1/30/06).
Notice the contrast painted by this tragic accident. On the shelf we have the picture of what a
master creator can do—a priceless masterpiece.
On the floor, we see what happens when a man, or woman takes charge of
their lives. It is a mess. God’s purpose for our life is to created a
masterpiece, as we saw early in this message.
When we take charge of our lives, seeking our own pleasures and
purposes, we become a mess.
The answer to the question--WHY are you
here?-- is also a simple one. God placed you here to be
a “servant of God.” Ask yourself: what is my unique place of
service in my church?
❸ A third question must be answered if you hope
to find meaning and happiness in life. You must find out
WHO you are. You must discover
WHY you are here. And, you must know WHERE you are going.
(8)
8 This grace was given to me—the
least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable
riches of the Messiah,
What are the “unsearchable riches of Christ?” There is a hint up in verse 6: This mystery is that through the gospel
the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and
sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
It is indeed a great mystery to me when I wonder HOW God does
what He does, but it is NO
MYSTERY to me WHAT God does. He made a promise through Jesus.
Here’s that promise. Jesus comforted the hearts of His disciples right before
the night he was arrested and later crucified. Jesus said,
(Jn 14:1-6) "Do not let
your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. {2} In my Father's
house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going
there to prepare a place for you. {3} 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.
{4} You know the way to the place where I am going." {5} Thomas said to
him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the
way?" {6} Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
The answer to the question, WHERE AM I GOING, is
extremely simple, and extremely important—in fact it is “eternally”
important. Get this question wrong, and
you are wrong for eternity. Today you are
EITHER HEADED FOR HEAVEN, or YOUR HEADED FOR HELL. At one time or another, to one degree or
another, this question is on everybody’s mind—“Where” do I go when I die.
Years
ago there was a game show called
“The $64,000 Question.” This was back in the
days when $64,000 was a lot of money—just under $700,000 in 2020. After
winning a few preliminary rounds by answering questions the contestant came to
the GRAND FINALE – THE BIG ENCHILADA. Answer this question correctly – take
home a barrel full of money. Answer
incorrectly – go home a loser with nothing.
Well, the question of life-after-death is
worth much more than $64,000. If you don’t get the answer right
to WHERE YOU ARE GOING – you lose more than a stash of cash – you lose your
soul!
Are you a gambler? Maybe there isn’t
life-after-death? But, then again . . . maybe there is. One thing’s for
sure–ULTIMATELY everyone is going to die and go somewhere. The Bible
says, we can BE HEADED FOR HEAVEN or HEADED FOR HELL. I can guarantee that you will never reach
happiness and fulfilment if you are traveling the highway
headed for hell.
Are you headed toward the unsearchable
riches of Christ or the unimaginable horrors of
eternity without God? Are your loved
ones headed for “heaven, or headed for hell?” The question of “Where” I am heading
is an issue of enormous proportions! It is a simple question–but
extremely important.
Let me ask you – do you want to risk ending
your life as an unfulfilled old man or old woman? Some time ago-I don’t
remember when exactly—I turned on the TV.
An elderly man
was sitting in a recliner reflecting on his life. I believe he was about 80 years old. I was moved—actually troubled—by his
assessment of his life. He had never married, had no children or living
relatives, and he lived in a very sparse one bedroom apartment. I
remember his haunting words of despair. “My life is a shambles. I
have no wife, no children, no relatives, no friends. I’m scared of dying
but I don’t have anything to live for.” I’m scared of dying,
but I don’t have anything to live for.
His life was completely meaningless in his
eyes. That my friends, is a very
troubling situation.
Without Christ life is a hopeless end; with
Christ it is an endless hope.
You don’t have to be like the old man on the
TV: afraid to die but having nothing to live for. As we have learned today: faith in God will
give our lives meaning and purpose by helping us to discover WHO we are, WHY we
are here, and WHERE we are going.
The Bible answers Monty Python’s
question:
In this
'life', what is our fate?
Is there Heaven and Hell? Do we reincarnate?
Is mankind evolving, or is it too late?
Is there Heaven and Hell? Do we reincarnate?
Is mankind evolving, or is it too late?
No, it is not too late. Surrender to Jesus and you will discover,
“The Meaning of Life!”
Evel Knievel Testimony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr0I62k4gPE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr0I62k4gPE
G.W. Carver Found God’s Purpose in the Peanut
