Question 1: Does Life Have Purpose?

What is The purpose and meaning of life? Does it have purpose? Do the scriptures point believers to our true purpose?

 What do you think? Does Life Have a Purpose? 

     There are different ways to unpack this question. Some think in terms of purpose, others want to know if life has meaning. Some just want to know if their life has a purpose.

Some look at life like like scientist and atheist Richard Dawkins, that death proves there is no purpose in the universe except genetic replication: He wrote,

”During the minute it takes me to compose this sentence, thousands of animals are being eaten alive; others are running for their lives, whimpering with fear; others are being slowly devoured from within by …parasites; thousands …are dying of starvation, thirst and disease. . . . In a universe of blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.[1](WOW! Why does he get up every day?) 

     But he’s not alone! And he’s not the first one to think that. Remember Macbeth? Shakespeare wrote:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,   To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot,  full of sound and fury - Signifying nothing.

     But that’s an atheist and an old playwrite! What does the Bible say? Well, If Death and suffering are the most basic facts in the Universe, then the Bible pretty much agrees! “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity! Everything is meaningless…What do people gain from all their labors?...No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered...”(Ecc1:2-4)

     So Is everything Really Emptiness? Is that really what the Bible teaches? Well, Ecclesiastes starts out by saying all is vanity and empty of meaning. But it ends with this: Ecc 12:13 The end of the matter; after all has been heard. Revere & honor God, keep and guard His Word and commands, for this is the whole duty of man.  Well, well, well, that sounds like something close to a purpose to me!

     But, One thing death does is cure us of the delusion that we are the center of the universe and in control of everything. We are not the Masters of our destiny if we can’t even guarantee tomorrow!

We are obviously not gods! Gods don’t die. But does this mean, because we aren’t gods that we don’t have meaning?  This is important. You don’t want to get this wrong, but neither do you want to say, "sure my life has meaning," but not know what that meaning is!

     What if someone had a Stradivarius violin and you asked them, do you know what that is for? And they looked at you funny and said “Sure I know what a violin is for!” Then they started to hammer a nail with it! They either have a low view of violins or don't care about the price of a hammer! OR, They don't really know what a violin is!

     When Barna Research group asked the Question “Are you clear about the meaning and purpose of your life?” 21% somewhat agree & 64% strongly agree! That’s 85%! But I have to wonder what their answer is based on? Are they driving nails with the Stradivarius life God has given them? 

     So let me ask you - Are you clear about the meaning and purpose of your life? You are a gifted person. Each of you. You may be a teacher, a marathon runner, a song writer, a great parent, or a really good listener! You have something you do well! But is that your purpose! What happens if you can’t do it anymore? What if you're a great listener and then you go deaf. Have you lost your purpose? If it’s not your talents or the abilities you have worked hard to perfect, then what is your purpose?

     Ever heard the expression, “Image is Everything”? Usually it’s used in an ironic sense. We say it about people who value image over substance. Some people don’t care if they are Doing a good job as long as they LOOK like they’re doing a good job. For them Image is Everything. But I don’t mean it that way when I say it. I mean it the way God uses it in Genesis. “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female…” We are made in God’s Image. THAT image is everything.

Why do I say that? Isa 43:6-7 says, “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory.” And then there’s Rev 4:16 that says were created to glorify God, for His pleasure and His will. 1Cor10:31 says, ‘whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.’

     So let me tie this together: We were created in the Image of God, And, God created us for His glory! So we are to reflect his supreme goodness and the excellence of His character! We are to provide that Image to the world and reflect it back to Him!

So God created us for His glory, were are to glorify Him in all we do – BUT, what does Romans 3:23 say? Famous verse! Its one of the verses of the famous Roman Road! 3:23 says, For All have Sinned and…What? Fallen Short of the Glory of God!

God gave us a life that is like a Stradivarius – it should be making beautiful music in reflecting back to God the beauty of His Holiness. And we started hammering Nails with it!

    I am suggesting to you today, God created us for a purpose. God gave us meaning. And we misused our lives because we thought we knew better, or because we thought we could have more fun, or because we want to be our own masters.

     There is a building in London that has a mural painted on the ceiling by Peter Paul Rubens. They say the beauty and intricacy of it is amazing! But you can only stare up at the ceiling so long before you get a neck ache. So they provide mirrors for you so you can look in the mirrors and see the beauty up above without breaking your back! (Now don’t get ahead of me here.)

     But like that ceiling, the Beauty of God is so high above us, that we can’t continually look at it. Not because we get sore necks. It’s because we have fallen so far from where God created us to be. But Listen, God created us in His image! God wants us to behold the beauty of the Lord, so he sent us a mirror!    Remember what Jesus told the disciples? “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father!” Col 1:15 says Jesus “is the image of the invisible God”.

     And listen to 2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

   I love that! We have the light of the knowledge of God's Glory in Jesus Christ's face!

So what does that mean for us? Think of all the things we say that God has done for us. He loves us so He sent His son, Jesus, who died for us, He rose again, He forgives our sins, He adopts us into His family, He gives us eternal life, he gives us the riches of grace, on and on and on… Why?

WHY does He do all this? WHAT IS THE PURPOSE????

     Consider:

Rom 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” He did all this, so that we may be just like Jesus, who PERFECTLY reflected the Image of God the Father.

Does life have purpose? Yes. For all the meaning your life might have, for all the reasons you exist, it starts with the Purpose of our Creator! And its Found….. In the Face of Jesus Christ!

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[1] http://www.exploregod.com/what-the-bible-says-about-meaning-and-purpose-paper

Death and Life in Christ: On the Loss of My Brother Paul

2Co 1:3  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted of God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds by Christ.

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain to the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

On Tuesday of this week, when Marney and I were driving home from Houston after enjoying Memorial Day with our kids and grandkids, I received a phone call from my brother John that our older brother Paul had died. He had just turned 72 years old.

It was a bit of a surprise. I knew he’d battled cancer for over a year. But I had just learned on Sunday that He had become very ill in the last few weeks. And within 48 hours of learning that, He passed on.

All of us here have lost loved ones. And I know you didn’t know my brother Paul, but I just want to say a few things about Him and about death and the believer.

We just celebrated Memorial day, and my brother, both actually, were Navy veterans. They served during the Viet Nam conflict. And I’m glad they both came home safely.

My brother was also a master electrician, and late in life an interstate truckdriver.

He was also a graduate of Southwestern Seminary here in Fort Worth. His undergrad was in History from Old Dominion University in Va. And for close to 20 years he served in several churches in south and central Texas; including First Baptist Canyon Lake, Tx. It was his pastor from those days who preached his funeral. And I was glad also that I got to play a role in that.

My brother was a little over 12 years older than me. So I spent all my childhood years looking up to him. I was 7 when I saw him going off to college. I was about 12 when after coming home from the Navy he lived at home for a little while and left early every morning for work.

Then, he went to Seminary a little later in life, and I was going to Bible College in the late 70s while he was in Seminary so we had something in common in those days despite the difference of years

Paul Dunlap left behind a wife of 45 years, Ruth, who was a preacher’s daughter.  Also two sons and a daughter, each of whom have children of their own, all of whom loved their dad and grandfather.

Paul and Me

When I look at his life, it wasn’t one of great material wealth. He never won the Nobel Prize or earned a PhD. He never was famous or rubbed shoulders with the famous. But who wouldn’t call 45 years of a good marriage a great success? Who wouldn’t call three children, who all are born again believers, a great prize? Who wouldn’t call a man with nine grandkids, all of whom love him and look up to him, wealthy with the things that matter?

And yet we are saddened when they get to go on to their reward and hear Jesus say “Well Done, good and faithful servant!”

Why do we cry when the reality of their death strikes home?

His wife Ruth insisted that we have a memorial service that was a celebration of his life! And it was! I never saw her cry, but I’m sure she did. In fact, it may have been after all her family finally left and she was all alone Friday evening that she had a real good cry! I don’t know.

But I know this. Would any of us want or loved ones who have gone on to heaven, to leave the glory of God’s presence and come back?  I don’t think so!

Sure we hope to see them again! And we can!

Sure we would like to hear their voices again. And we can!

Sure we would like to feel their embrace.

But we serve the God of all Comfort!

Marney was sharing with me Friday as we drove home from New Braunfels, the lesson she learned so many years ago, when we were newlyweds and our best friends lost a little baby. We were devastated. We were grieving and hurting. But we saw in this young couple the comforting grace of the Holy Spirit. Yes they were hurting and sad, but they were comforting us and telling us, the Lord had given them His grace and He was comforting them.

Paul with my Grandson Phillip

     Marney knew at that time, that when the time comes for us to grieve the loss of a loved one, that the God of all comfort can even comfort us.

One of the ways He comforts us is to remind us of two things.

1)      For the Believer, death is not forever! 1Ths 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Death is not nothingness! Death is not being swallowed up like a drop of water in some cosmic ocean of existence. It is real, we will be aware of what is going on, and we will have personal relationships. Not the least of which will be with our Lord and Savior the Man – Jesus Christ!

2)      And secondly God has a plan for the life after we leave this world! He will come get us. He will make a New Heaven and a New Earth. I think we will have work to do. Did you know that Adam and Eve had responsibilities before the Fall? Having a job to do was not part of God’s curse. Having to earn bread by the sweat of the brow, maybe, but not the idea of being engaged in a worthwhile task! That is a good thing?

      I don’t know what the future holds for all of us, but I know who holds the future!

      And here’s the bottom line. You know how we can best honor our loved ones who have gone on to be with Jesus Christ.  I can let others know how my brother came to be with Christ forever.

      Because at some point in his life, when he was just a youth, he realized He needed a Savior. Why? Because he was a sinner and sin separates us from God. Until a person understands that sin has offended a holy God and has brought God’s judgment on them, they will not understand they need a Savior.

But \knowing we are sinners, and who can deny that? We find out we can have peace with God, through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus volunteered to come and take our punishment!

God had people sacrifice bulls and goats in the Old Testament times as a sacrifice for sins. But it really didn’t pay the price. The Blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin!

But in the fullness of time, Jesus came. Jesus said, I will be the perfect Lamb of God. I will fulfill the law and therefor qualify to be the Lamb who CAN take away your sins.

So Jesus gave the first Gospel Invitation. He said: Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, And I will give you rest!

What kind of labor was he talking about? Having a job? Earning a living? No. He was talking about the labor of trying to get into God’s heaven by doing good works!

Jesus just said, “Come to me.”

Have you come to Christ? Do you KNOW that you know that you know that your sins are forgiven? How can you go on another minute without knowing?

Come to Christ Now!