If This Is True: Does Life Have Meaning?

June 4th, 2023/Casey Middle School

Passage: Romans 14:7-9 NLT

“For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.”

Pray:

Intro: we’re working through a series asking life’s greatest questions. And each week is building on the last. First we looked at the divine Scriptures and asked the question “Can we trust the bible”. Then we examined the reality and mysteries of God, and asked the question “Is there a God?” And today, we’re going to look at the bigger story and where we find ourselves in it. The question for today is “Does Life Have Meaning?”

Pastor Rick Warren wrote a book called The Purpose Driven Life. This book has profoundly affected my life and millions of others. It has currently sold over 50 million copies in 137 languages. It is one of the best selling nonfiction books in history! Let that sink in. It has helped millions of people answer the question that we all ask and desperately long to understand. In a world that is often driven by success and pleasure, self-help and self-care, there is still a deeper question that people so desperately long for an answer. What am I here for? What is the meaning of life? What is my purpose?

Story: Growing up and always hearing the statement “What do you want to do when you get older?” Or “What is God's will for your life?” - expound on what that meant to you then. Where could I turn for such a profound and life altering question? I certainly didn’t want culture or friends telling me what my purpose was.

Pastor Rick Warren starts his book with a statement and it is how we are going to start off today. It’s not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your personal fulfillment, achievements, peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s greater than your family, career, or your ambitions.

These pursuits are not bad or wrong in themselves at all, but in order to truly understand purpose and significance it cannot start with you. You must begin with God. You were born by His purpose and For His purpose. Your purpose must be to honor God and not to dimly improve self.

We typically begin with the wrong starting point... ourselves. What do I want to do with my life? What are my dreams? What are my plans? You will never discover life’s meaning by looking inward, you must look upward.

A dream that carries significance will always be bigger than yourself.

Story: Our kids as they are beginning to grow up and learn to talk, no one has to teach them the word “mine.” Our brains gravitate towards me and my. If you’re a parent in the room then you understand this reality, most of parenting a toddler is teaching your kids to SHARE! It’s not just our kids that live with this struggle, it’s me! And if you’re being honest, it’s also you! We tend to think about ourselves first and most often last.

Question: Where do you turn for answers to life’s greatest questions?

When searching for answers to life’s greatest questions, we have to turn to the creator, The author of everything we feel, touch, see, and smell. There are many religions today that try to tell you nature is God, pantheism, polytheism, taoism, hinduism, and paganism. They will try to tell you that God is nature and we find Him when we search deep within ourselves in nature. That to become one with nature is to become one with God. This is why so many worship the creation over the creator.

God’s beauty is meant to be seen in nature, but never worshiped. Being with God in His creation is meaningful, but worshiping the creation is meaningless.

Illust: Home renovation. I’ve been working hard on our home for the last several months. Trying to get plumbing in place, electrical run, and keep the roof from leaking as best as I can. Can you imagine if my bride walked around talking to the house? Sitting in empty rooms trying to become one with the house? Thanking the house for the new toilet… thanking the roof for protecting us from hail storms… C’MON! IT WOULD BE RIDICULOUS. But often that’s exactly what the world is selling our culture! It will never fulfill and it can never bring true purpose.

Many people try to use God for their own self actualization. Life is all about letting God use you for His purposes, not using Him for your purposes. “God this is my dreams and desires, now bless them so that I can bless you.” This is not how a life submitted to Christ works.

The Bible is our guide and source for understanding purpose and meaning in this life. There is no self help book that will result in purpose, maybe success on this earth, maybe a healthier lifestyle, but not purpose. I have walked with many people that have used self-help principles to achieve fame, gain wealth, and live a healthy life, but they still feel that they lack purpose. Self help may provide temporary enjoyment, but will fall short in eternal fulfillment. We must build our lives on eternal truths to truly experience eternal purpose.

One of my favorite CS Lewis quotes is “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Question: What have you been allowing to bring you purpose on this earth more than God?

“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.” - Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG

1. You discover your identity and purpose in Jesus Christ ((what does this practically look like?)) The more you lean in to Jesus, the more you understand who you really are and how God has uniquely designed you.
2. God was thinking about you long before you were thinking about Him. ((His pursuit and love for you far exceeds our love for Him))
3. The purpose of your life fits into a much larger purpose that God has designed for eternity ((like what/so what?))

“for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.” - Colossians 1:16 NLT

You were not an accident. Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the heart of God. He chose your race, skin, talents, personality, and features. He planned the days of your life in advance and every day was recorded in His book. God left no detail to chance, it was all planned for His purpose. Nothing in your life is arbitrary or accidental.

God’s purpose for creating you was His love. He was thinking of you before He made the world. We are the focus of His love and the most valuable among all His creation. Why did He do this, because He is a God of love. He made you for Himself, and He loves you.

If there was no God, then we are all accidents. Just an astronomical happenstance of the universe. No purpose, no significance, no meaning, no right or wrong, and no hope beyond our days. But there is a God that made you for a reason. We discover that only when we make God the reference point of our lives.

“The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.” - Romans 12:3 MSG (a paraphrase)

Russell Kelfer Poem:

You Are Who You Are For A Reason

You are who you are for a reason.

You're part of an intricate plan.

You're a precious and perfect unique design,

Called "God's special woman or man"

You look like you look for a reason.

Our God made no mistake.

He knit you together within the womb,

You're just what He wanted to make!

The parents you had were the ones He chose,

And no matter how you may feel,

They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,

And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy;

And God wept that it hurt you so.

But it was allowed to shape your heart

So that into His likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason.

You've been formed by the Master's rod.

You are who you are, Beloved,

Because there is a GOD.

Question: What drives your life? Everyone’s life is driven by something.

5 things that drive us:

1. Note: the lists in this section draw closely on Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life (days 1 to 3).
2. Guilt. Guilt driven people are manipulated by memories. They often punish themselves for their own success. We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it. God specializes in giving people a fresh start.
3. Resentment. Hold on to hurts and never get over them. Some resentment results in clamming up, while others result in blowing up. You stew in your pain and perpetuate your past. Learn from it, and let it go.
4. Fear. Could be a traumatic experience, unrealistic expectations, or growing up in a high control home, but many people driven by fear often miss great opportunities. It is a self imposed prison. Well formed love banishes fear.
5. Materialism. Their desire to acquire becomes the goal of their lives. As if more might make you happy, secure, or fulfilled. Eventually we become bored with material and move on. Possessions only provide temporary happiness. Self worth and net worth are not the same thing. Your value is not determined by your valuables. “Then I observed that most people are motivated to succeed because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.” - Ecclesiastes 4:4 NLT
6. Approval. The expectation of others often controls our lives. Given to peer pressure and approval of others. Unfortunately, those that follow the crowd, usually get lost in it. One key to failure is to try and please everyone.

5 benefits of living a purpose driven life in Jesus:

1. Meaning.
2. Hope.
3. Joy of the Lord.
4. Peace.
5. Focus. Without a clear purpose you will keep changing jobs, careers, location, and relationships, hoping the next will give you purpose.

Question: At the end of your life, how would you respond if God asked you these two questions?

1. Did you accept what Jesus did for you on the cross?
2. What did you do with the time I gave you?

CS Lewis says there are two types of people, those that say to God thy will be done and those to whom God says all right then, have it your way.

Two of the most important days of your life. The day you were born and the day you discovered why.

Invitation:

The first person I want to speak to is the one who is tired of trying to figure out your purpose alone. Who is tired of pursuing the wrong thing? The one who just needs to take on a new posture of purpose today, a posture of meaning a posture of surrender... if that’s you I want to pray for you, will you raise your hand?

The second person I want to speak to is the person that has never started a relationship with Jesus... present the Gospel...

We have a prayer team ready to pray with you and for you. If you raised your hand for any of these things today or maybe you were too scared to, I want to encourage you to take a step towards prayer.