I want to start off by asking 2 questions:
1/ Does this life have meaning and purpose, and if so,
2/ Where can we find the meaning and purpose of life?
There are many people today who feel that life doesn’t have meaning and purpose. They feel empty.
Nothing interests them. They have no drive, no determination, and no desires. They’re depressed, discouraged, disillusioned, and dissatisfied. They feel they have no hope.
I heard Billy Graham say, a person can live 40 days without food, 4 days without water, 4 minutes without air, but only one minute without hope.
We can have hope. We can have purpose and meaning. We can enjoy life.
Paul said, “God…gives us richly all things to enjoy.” 1Ti 6:17
God wants us to enjoy this life. He wants us to have meaning and purpose.
Solomon wrote, “It is good to enjoy your work ... to eat, drink, and accept your lot in life this is a gift from God.” Ecc. 5 What you have in life is a gift from God. He wants you to accept it as your lot.
The good news is you don’t have to attend a seminar or buy a bunch books or join a monastery to find meaning and purpose. I heard about a man who joined a monastery to find meaning and purpose in life. The end result, he didn't find meaning and purpose in the monastery.
When you go to a cemetery and look at the tombstones what you see is there is the date the person was born, a dash, and the date the person died. The day of your birth and death are determined by God, it’s the dash in the middle that I want to talk about today.
The meaning and purpose of life?
The meaning and purpose of life is to know God.
We see this in the early chapters of the book of Genesis, from the very beginning of creation
God created Adam and Eve so they might know him.
The Bible said God would come to the Garden of Eden and talk to Adam.
He told Adam he could eat from the trees of the garden but one.
He told him to name the animals. Adam found meaning and purpose in knowing God.
Solomon said, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
Sadly people look for meaning and purpose in other things.
This is what God says here in Jer 9 V23 God says, “Let not the wise glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty glory in his might, let not the rich glory in his riches:
To glory means to brag, boast, and take pride in. It means to find your happiness, meaning, purpose of life in.
The meaning and purpose of life is not found in wisdom, might and riches.
God is not saying it’s wrong to have wisdom, might and riches. 1Sa 2:7 “The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings down and lifts up.”
Solomon had great wisdom. 1Ki 4:29 says, God gave Solomon great wisdom. He was the wisest man ever to live.
Solomon didn’t find his purpose and meaning in his wisdom. In Ecc 12:13 Solomon wrote, “I have come to understand that the purpose of life is to fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole purpose of man.”
The Bible says Abraham great riches. He didn’t find his purpose and meaning in riches, he found it in being a friend of God.
David was a mighty warrior. The people back in that day would say, Saul killed thousands, but David killed ten thousand.
But David knew that the meaning of life was not being a mighty warrior, but in being a man after God’s own heart.
It’s not wrong to have wisdom, might and riches. Just don’t find your purpose and meaning of life in them.
Instead, find you joy, purpose and meaning of life in knowing the Lord. Find your happiness, meaning, purpose of life in knowing me God says.
In John 17Jesus, who came down from heaven to tell us about God, tells us the purpose of life. He says, “This is life, to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he sent.” Jesus says the purpose of life is to know God.
Knowing God is not just head knowledge. The word “know” means to know him personally. To have a r/ship w/ him
This is what the Apostle Paul speaks of when he says in Phil. 3:10 oh” that I might know him.”
Paul knew the meaning and purpose of life is to know Christ.
His conversion on the road to Damascus dramatically changed his life. He set out in life to do 2 things, to know Christ and to make him known.
Sadly, today, the only thing that the average believer knows about Jesus is what they hear from others instead of learning it directly from Jesus himself.
If the only thing you know about Christ is what you hear in sermons you are greatly lacking in your knowledge of God.
Jesus said search the scriptures for they testify of me. If you want to learn more about God, get in the book, pray, and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you.
God says my people perish for lack of knowledge of him.
Paul also wanted to know Christ powerfully. Paul says, “I want to know him and the power of his rex.” Paul wanted to know the same power that raised Christ from the dead. Rex power. He wanted every morning of his life would be an Easter morning, alive with rex power, joy, hope and purpose. Dr. A. Rogers
Paul wanted to know Christ passionately. He said he wanted to know him v10 “and the fellowship of his sufferings.”
The word “fellowship” means to share together. Paul wanted to know what it was like for Christ to suffer.
Paul wanted what made Christ hurt to make him hurt. What made Christ cry, make him cry. What brought Christ joy, bring him joy.
We’re not talking about head knowledge. This is heart knowledge.
There’s a difference b/ween head knowledge and heart knowledge. The Bible says we believe in our heart.
The distance b/w heaven and hell is the distance b/w your head and your heart. From believing in God in your head to believing in God in your heart.
James said, “You believe that here is one God. You do well! Even the demons believe -- and tremble.” Jas 2:19
Demons believe God exists. We believe we exist for God. There’s a huge difference.
How do we know God? We know him through his word.
The more you know the Bible, the more you will know him.
Knowing God brings meaning and purpose to life.
Knowing God brings life, new life, abundant life, eternal life.
Knowing God brings love, joy, and peace.
Knowing God brings hope and healing.
Do you know him? You can through Christ.
The Bible says one day we will stand before God and give account to him.
He will not ask u how wise u are.
He will not ask u how mighty u are.
He will not ask u how rich u are.
He will ask u do u know him. To those who don’t he will say, depart from me for I never knew you.
Do you know him? If not, you can today.
Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise [man] glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty [man] glory in his might, let not the rich [man] glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I [am] the LORD…. Jer 9:23-24
This is the meaning and purpose of life.
