But it is a book in the Bible that tells us how we can find the answer to the question, “WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?” Very few ever come up with the right answer.
Illus: A test was given to 200 men applying for the same job but only 1 out of 200 came up with the right solution.
Each applicant was asked to suppose they are driving along in their car on a wild, stormy night and they pass by a bus stop, and see three people waiting for the bus. Their car is only a two-seater. They have to make a choice as to who they will allow to ride in their other seat. Will it be …
1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
2. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect man (or) woman you have been dreaming about.
You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first.
You could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back.
However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.
Out of 200 applicants the man who got the job answered it this way. He answered:
• I would give the car keys to my old friend who saved my life, and let him take the lady to the hospital.
• I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the woman of my dreams.
Only 1 of 200 came up with the right solution to that question, and when it comes to the question, “What’s It All About?” very few have found the answer.
Many know WHERE THEY WANT TO GO WITH THEIR LIFE but they do not know HOW TO GET THERE.
Illus: One day, three men were trekking through a jungle when they came across a violent, raging river. They had no idea how to cross.
• The first man decided to pray: “Please, God, give me the strength to cross this river.” Immediately he grew enormous muscles in his arms and legs, and he managed to swim across the river in a couple of hours, nearly drowning twice.
• The second man saw this and he prayed “Please, God, give me the strength AND the tools to cross this river.” A boat appeared from nowhere, and he battled across the river in an hour, nearly capsizing twice.
• The third man saw this and prayed “Please, God, give me the strength, the tools AND the intelligence to cross this river.” Immediately he turned into a woman. She looked at the map, walked upstream a hundred yards, and crossed over the bridge to the other side.
It is indeed a terrible thing to go through life not knowing how to CROSS THE BRIDGES OF LIFE.
Solomon is a man that desperately tried to find the answer to “WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT!”
• He had world-wide fame.
• He had wisdom. Three books of the Bible came from Solomon, The Books of Solomon, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs.
• He had hobbies.
• He had material things.
• He had female companionship.
He had everything this world could offer him, but it is obvious as you read the book of Ecclesiastes, he had no IDEA WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT! And when we do not know WHO WE ARE and WHY WE ARE HERE, we are miserable.
Illus: Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother:
• "Why is the bride dressed in white?"
• Her mother said, "Because white is the color of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life."
• The child thought about this for a moment, then said, "So why is the groom wearing black?"
Throughout the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon repeatedly stated how miserable he was, and he refers to life over and over as “vanity of vanities”.
He felt as if there was something missing in his life and he could not find out what it was.
Illus: Solomon was like a man that kept reaching in a sack to find the secret to happiness in life, and every time he pulled his hand out it was empty. He was like a man chasing the wind.
HAVE YOU EVER FELT LIKE THIS?
Many have sought to find peace and happiness:
• When they finally graduated from high school and college, they were determined to find peace within and happiness, but many years have gone by and THEY HAVE NOT FOUND IT!
• When they got married and they bought a nice home, they thought they would find what they were looking for, BUT THEY HAVE NOT!
• When they had children, they thought they would find what they were looking for, BUT THEY HAVE NOT!
• When they found the job that would pay them a large salary and they could have a large savings account, they thought they would find the peace and happiness they were seeking, BUT THEY HAVE NOT!
Many are like Solomon who tried it all, and in his opinion life was EMPTY!
Look at Ecclesiastes 2:16-17, "For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool. Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit."
Solomon HAD ALL THE WORLD COULD OFFER HIM but he was one miserable person! Notice, he says in verse 17, “Therefore I hated life…”
Everyone here can relate to what he is saying. LIFE CAN BECOME GRIEVOUS TO US!
What is the answer? The answer is simple and clear, put God in your life.
2 Cor. 4:7, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”
What we see in this life is only temporary. It is not lasting. It is not eternal. It will never fully satisfy.
• That rusted wreck of a car in the junkyard was once new, shiny, sleek and desirable.
• Those clothes we threw away or gave away were once new, fashionable, and desirable.
We all need to look beyond this life and see the eternal world more than we see this one.
As Paul said in Col. 3:2-3, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
Illus: Rick Warren reveals a wonderful truth in his book THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE. He said, “It’s not about you. The purpose of your life is greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by His purpose and for His purpose.”
To put it simply:
• Life begins with God
• Life ends with God
Somehow we must be sandwiched in the middle. But it is all about God, not about us!
Rick Warren goes on to say that life is all about five things. We will consider two of these things in this sermon and the other three in the next service.
“WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?” Life is all about:
I. WORSHIP - YOU WERE PLANNED FOR GOD’S PLEASURE
It is astounding that people will take the days, weeks, months, and years that God the Creator gives them, and live every minute for themselves. HOW CAN THEY TREAT GOD THEIR CREATOR LIKE THIS?
Listen, God does nothing but good to us week after week and year after year. HOW CAN PEOPLE TREAT HIM LIKE HE DOES NOT EVEN EXIST?
God gives us SIX DAYS A WEEK to take care of all the things we have to take care in life, but many will spend the six days a week God gives them selfishly, and they will also take the SEVENTH DAY.
One of the things God created us for was for WORSHIP.
Heb. 10:25, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
When a person does not faithfully attend the house of God for worship, they are telling us and God something about their life - they are showing that GOD IS NOT THEIR TOP PRIORITY!
WHY SHOULD WE WORSHIP HIM? He created us:
• He gives us life and breath and everything else.
• He gives us the homes we live in, the food we eat, the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, the luxuries we enjoy.
IT IS ONLY RIGHT THAT WE WORSHIP HIM AS OUR CREATOR!
Illus: Someone said:
• As a tear magnifies grief,
• As laughter magnifies humor,
• As a smile magnifies joy,
• So worship magnifies God.”
Worship magnifies God in the sense that it enhances our appreciation of Him. The more we focus on Him and praise Him, the more we think of Him and appreciate Him.
Illus: For example, the more I focus on your good qualities and express appreciation to you for those qualities, the more highly I will think of you. AND SO IT IS WITH GOD!
God wants us to worship Him both publicly and privately.
• Every time you sit down to read your Bible, you are worshipping God.
• Every time you offer a prayer, you are worshipping.
• Every time you say, “Thank you, God” for something, you are worshipping.
• Every time you think or meditate about God and Christ or think about God’s Word, you are worshipping.
• Every time we collectively come together, that’s public worship and we all need it. It’s special, different, encouraging, stimulating, helpful, etc.
Do not wait until you are old to worship the Lord.
Illus: Every time a little boy went into his friends house, he saw his grandmother reading her Bible. The friend commented that she was always reading her Bible and the grandson said, “Yea! I think she is cramming for her final exam!”
Worship service motivates us!
Illus: I never did attend many ball games, but I can remember the times I went because someone invited me to go. Once I was there, it was no time before I got caught up in the spirit of the game and came home excited! SO IT IS WITH CHURCH. The less you attend the worship services, the less you are enthused about serving the Lord.
Illus: We all know Christians that once attended church every time the church doors were open. The devil knew they were fulfilling God’s purpose for their life, and soon got them side-tracked with other things. They began to put those things ahead of the Lord, and soon they began to miss the worship service. The more they missed, the further they seem to go away from the Lord. They once were excited about the Lord but now they are excited only about what the world has to offer.
Listen, you can not find out WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT in this life if you forsake the house of God. GOD’S PURPOSE IS FOR YOU TO WORSHIP HIM!
It is true that we can worship God ANYWHERE at ANYTIME, but the Bible worship that God talks about is A PLACE and A TIME, and God says in Hebrews 10:25, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
II. FELLOWSHIP - YOU WERE FORMED TO BE PART OF GOD’S FAMILY
Illus: Michael Reagan, after the death of President Reagan, was asked to tell the television viewers some things about his dad. He told how he was adopted into the Reagan family, and with tears in his eyes he said, “I am so honored to have him for my dad and for giving me the name of Michael Reagan.”
God wants you to be a part of His family, the church!
God’s Words says, in Romans 8:15, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Illus: There are some advantages of being the OLDEST or the YOUNGEST child in the family. But if you happen to be the MIDDLE CHILD you really miss out.
For example, the oldest child get all the new clothes and the middle child gets the hand-me-downs. But by the time they get down to the youngest child, Mom decides they are in too bad a shape to hand-me-down again, so she buys her baby some new clothes.
Some psychologists have given this condition a name – they call it ‘THE MIDDLE-CHILD SYNDROME.’
While Michael Reagan will always be grateful that Ronald Reagan made him a Reagan through adoption, we indeed are thankful God has made us a child of God through adopting us into the family of God.
We read in Acts 2:41, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
ADDED TO WHAT? Added to church as members of the family of God!
God wants you in His family. You do not become a member of the family of God by joining a church, you become a member of the family of God when you:
• Confess of your sins
• Repent of your sins
• Ask Him to forgive you of your sins
• Put your faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord
If you try to live your life without doing this, you will go through life with a big EMPTINESS in your heart, and you’ll never find the answer to the question, “WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT!”
Conclusion:
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? Life is all about God! If you want to find out WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT, you will have to make time for:
Part 1
I. WORSHIP - You were planned For God’s Pleasure
II. FELLOWSHIP - You were formed to be part of God’s family
Part 2
III. DISCIPLESHIP - You were created to become like Christ
IV. MINISTRY - You were shaped for God’s service
V. MISSION - You were made to tell others about Christ
