Imagine Life Without Jesus

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

A Christless life is a life without any meaning or significance. There are many things in life that I hope to accomplish. I hope to be a good Father and husband, I hope to be a good influence in the community, but I do not find my meaning in those things. I find my meaning in Christ. If it was not for Jesus my life would be a wreck. I would be without hope, without direction, without ambition, without aim, without anything significant to live for, without meaning and without purpose in life.

For me to imagine a life without Jesus is difficult in some ways, because we all have always had some understanding and concept of Jesus, but on the other hand I know what a life without Christ is like, and I know the emptiness that is associated with that. Many other people are leading empty lives, but they just don’t realize how empty their lives are because they don’t know any different.

Ephesians 2:11-13

III. Life Would Have No Hope, Joy or Peace

I am a Christian today not because of what I am getting out of it, but because I love God with my whole heart, soul and mind. However, because I am a Christian there are many benefits that I receive because of my relationship to Christ. In Christ we have hope of Heaven, we have joy because of our salvation and we have peace in knowing that this life is not all that there is. Life without Jesus would remove all hope, joy and peace. There are times when that hope, joy and peace are all we have to cling onto, and if it were not for that I do not know where I would be and perhaps you know what I am saying. Without Jesus, could you imagine how depressing our lives could be? Could you imagine a life where we have to go through the same trials and difficulties only to have no hope of it all working out in the end? Could you imagine seeing and witnessing all the injustices that we see without the hope of one day all wrongs being made right? Could you imagine working day in and day out for something that has no real significance? If there were no Jesus why battle the desires within us to do wrong? Why strive so hard to be a good person and a person of integrity? Without Jesus there would be literally no reason to live, but there is a Jesus. He did come into the world 2,000 years ago. He did die on the cross. He did rise from the dead. He is at the right hand of God. He is going to come again one day for His Church.

a. We Would Have Nothing Beyond This Life

There are times this life can be rough. We don’t have a choice, but to encounter certain problems. Jesus said, “The rain falls on the righteous and the wicked”. We have Christian people among us and around the world who have encountered some great trials in their lives. They have endured suffering. They have resisted temptations. Could you that have gone through those times imagine doing it without the hope of something beyond this life? We have a lot of motivations to carry on and do what is right. I think most of the time we should be motivated purely out of a love for God to do what is right. That is fine sometimes, and many times I am motivated to do things because I love God, but sometimes, honestly, that isn’t enough. Sometimes I am motivated simply by a desire to be a good person. Sometimes I am motivated by a fear of judgment. Sometimes I am motivated because of my hope of a reward of Heaven. Could you imagine life without Jesus? Perhaps you listen to me and think as I do, that would be awful! A world without Jesus would be totally miserable. Perhaps we as Christians take for granted what we have. Perhaps we are so used to having Jesus that we don’t know what life apart from Him could be like, so like the old saying goes, “you can’t miss what you don’t know” and the reality is we don’t know a world without Jesus. Maybe we need some repentance for how we take the fact that we have Jesus for granted. You know what is sad though? Many people forfeit all they could have in Jesus by choice. Many people choose to live a life without Jesus. Maybe they do it because they refuse to believe. Maybe they do it ignorantly because they don’t realize what they can have in Christ. Maybe they do it because of overwhelming desires to sin. Maybe they do it consciously. Whatever the reasoning may be, there are people that live a Christless life and it is a sad life. There are some that are even in the Church that do it. They come to church, but because of sin in their lives they cannot experience the joys of being in Jesus.