How Do I Live - Life?

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28; Genesis 1:26-31

Theme: How Do I Live – LIFE?

What is the best way for me to live my life?

INTRO:

Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Let’s start off this morning with some very important questions –

What is the purpose of humanity; of human beings?

Why are we here?

What are we to do?

Who are we to be?

How are we to live the best life possible?

Now, if we had about 500 years to spend together, we might be able to get some good answers to those questions. And then again it might take another 500 years to see if we were right and as far as I know no one has ever lived to be 1,000 years old. At least no human has lived to be 1,000 years old.

Okay, I know someone may be thinking that since Enoch nor Elijah “never died” then we could say that they have lived over 1,000 years but we would also have to say that most of that time has been with God in Heaven. That puts them in another category.

If you were raised a Buddhist or hold to Buddhist theology then the purpose of life on this earth is to escape samsara (s?m-sär'?) – the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

If you were raised a Hindu or hold to Hindu theology, then the purpose of life is to experience:

+Kama (wish, desire, love and sensual pleasure),

+Artha (wealth, prosperity, glory)

+Dharma (righteousness, duty, morality, virtue, ethics), encompassing notions such as ahimsa (non-violence) and satya (truth) and

+Moksha (liberation, i.e. liberation from Sa?sara, the cycle of reincarnation.

If you were raised with a postmodern ideology, then you understand that we only have one life to live (or at least that is the current view) and that life in itself is like winning the lottery. The odds against our existence are beyond comprehension. We don’t know why we exist or why we are here. Life is statistically inconceivable. We are in fact the biggest winners of the lottery because – well we are alive. (From the thoughts of Mike Brooks)

If you were raised Jewish the goal of life is to embody the Torah, the living Word of the Living God Almighty and experience life as a Jew, the Chosen People of God.

If you were raised in the Reformed Tradition like our Presbyterian friends, then you were raised with this statement:

“What is the chief end of man? (humanity) The answer is: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.”

So, what is the purpose of humanity and how do we as humans do our best to live out that purpose?

If we wanted, we could spend the next year seeking to answer those questions. We could look at all kinds of scriptures and other things and develop a list of reasons that in and of themselves would be excellent.

But this morning, I would like to share with you just a few simple things that I believe that the Bible wants us to understand about our existence and how we can best live out what it means to be a human being.

I. True Life begins with God; God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

God is the starting point.

Genesis 1:26 is very simple and direct. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit came to an understanding that they were going to create this creature called a human. We were created following them as a pattern. We were to be created after their image and their likeness.

In other words, at our very core, we were created to have their abilities, their mindset, their values, virtues, and vision.

We are not the result of a cosmic accident.

We are not merely the end of an evolutionary experiment.

From our very beginning we were made to be unlike anything else that had already been made. We come from this earth and yet at the same time we are mixed with the very breath of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.

We breathe the same air and eat the same food as the rest of earth’s creation but the way we move, the way we think and the way we interact with everything is different.

The Bible calls us God’s Masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).

We are not here by accident. We are here by design.

We are here on purpose. Each one of us has been given life by the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.

Perhaps David says it best when he wrote the following words in Psalm 139

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.” 1-3