The Real Meaning Of Life

Psalm 8:4-9 - 4 What is man that You are

mindful of him, And the son of man that You

visit him?5 For You have made him a little

lower than the angels, And You have

crowned him with glory and honor.6 You

have made him to have dominion over the

works of Your hands; You have put all things

under his feet,7 All sheep and oxen—Even

the beasts of the field,8 The birds of the air,

And the fish of the sea That pass through the

paths of the seas.9 O Lord, our Lord, How

excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Why are we here.....what is the purpose behind our

existence.....what is the real meaning of life....can we know

what life is really all about?

A. These questions and variations on these questions

have bothered mankind from ancient times.

1. We may not specifically ask these questions,

but we can identify with them and we

certainly would welcome a valid answer to

them.

In the overall scheme of things, just what is mankind and

how important is the role that he plays?

A. The impact that we, as a race, have on events

is questionable.

1. Ghengis Kahn

2. Atilla the Hun

3. Alexander the Great

4. Julius Caesar

5. Nebecudnezzar

6. Mussolini

7. Adolf Hitler

8. Mao Se Tung (sp.)

a. These men were all great and had life

changing effects on the world of their

day.

1.) But how do they affect us?

a.) Is anyone here scared of

Ghengis Kahn?

b.) Does Alexander the Great

produce awe in your mind?

If the great are forgotten and their impact is blunted by

time........what about you and me?

A. If the accomplishments of these great people...at

the peak of their greatness has little or no bearing

on us, today.......what bearing will our lives have

on future generations?

1. If the great are so temporal....what about the

not-so-great......like you and me?

In this world, today....what has any lasting meaning and

long effect.

A. In other words.....”What is the REAL meaning of

life?”

1. Not as an abstract thought.....what is the

real meaning of life for YOU?

I. Some believe that the important thing....the real meaning

behind our existence might be the pursuit of wisdom and

knowledge.

** Hear a wise man on this subject.....Solomon.

Eccl. 1:16-18 - 16I communed with my heart, saying,

“Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more

wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My

heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge.” 17And

I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and

folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.

18 For in much wisdom is much grief,

And he who increases knowledge increases

sorrow.

A. In this passage, Solomon speaks of “vexation”

as being connected with wisdom and knowledge.

1. They can vex the heart of man because they

are liquid.

a. Knowledge and wisdom that comes from

anything except God and His word....is

always changing.

1.) The knowledge of mankind is

relative to and dependent upon

time, place, and the prejudice of

the one recording “truth”.

2. They can also vex the soul and heart of man

in the same way that Adam and Even were

undone with wisdom and knowledge.

Gen. 3:4 - 4Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will

not surely die. 5“For God knows that in the day you eat of

it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,

knowing good and evil.”

a. This knowledge that God was keeping

from them (knowledge of good and evil...

innocence) was a knowledge that He

knew would destroy them.

1.) Sometimes things are best left

unknown.

a.) It’s only our vanity and

curiosity which drive us to

know everything that there is

to know.

** Too bad the human urge doesn’t work this strongly in

the things of God.

1. In sort, then, we may become vexed by the things

that we learn.

B. This knowledge is also called “vanity” by

Solomon.

1. The knowledge of mankind is vain, because

of our limited capabilities.

a. We can never come to an end of the

knowledge that is present in God’s

creation........only God can understand

everything.......when we try to understand

everything, we simply confirm our

limited abilities.

1.) In other words, the more that we

know.....the more frustrated we

become with what we don’t know.

** Humans of our day and age, probably have as much

pride in our achievements in space exploration as Eric

the Red’s generation had in his accomplishments, or

Queen Isabella had in Christopher Columbus’ feats.

1. Oh what puny steps of knowledge.

a. Hear the Apostle Paul as he addresses those

who think wisdom and knowledge are the

real meaning of life.