What’s the meaning of life? Is it simply the pursuit of happiness? And if so, what does happiness mean? Shockingly it’s not just the old that get depressed and realize the frustrations and emptiness of life. Psych wards are filled with kids and geriatrics alike. Poor mental health is a major issue in the home, the workplace, and across our communities. It’s sad but true. A reality of the human condition is that apart from the gracious love of God there is no real satisfaction, no peace, joy, comfort, unity, or harmony.
Yes, of course, there are many good pursuits - but they aren’t the end goal, the meaning of life. You can rattle off a thousand ideas (such as raising a good family and contributing well to society), but it's worthwhile for the Christian to be able to succinctly state what the meaning of life is. It will matter at the end of the day (Revelation 22:12).
You hear all sorts of platitudes down here in the South. You hear that 'it doesn't matter who wins the election as God's in control,' and 'everything has to get way worse before it gets better.' Nonsense. Of course, God is in control in that He rules and reigns and does whatever He wants but He gives us free will and responsibility. Stop talking nonsense as it is just a justification for shirking our responsibility. We are commanded to act well, to put our faith into action, and to trust that God, out of His abundance, will give us everything we need to make disciples and build alongside Him.
King Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, can save us a lot of time (Book of Ecclesiastes). He lets us know that the pursuits in and of themselves are meaningless. This includes the search for understanding, wisdom, pleasure, happiness, building huge homes, amassing wealth, sex, power, enjoying food and drink, and work - all meaningless.
Okay, so that’s great. So what’s the good news. The good news is that there is meaning and purpose in life. Contrary to what Rick Warren says at the start of Purpose Driven Life, it is about you. It's about you in the sense that God took great pains to write the Bible for you so that you can know how much He loves you and so that you can be prepared to stand before Him and present yourself well on judgment day (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). It's about you so much that God sent His one and only Son to die on the Cross and to pay for your sins so that everyone who believes in the Son will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
So how should we think about the meaning of life? I like how Peter puts it, he says, “Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king” (1 Peter 2:17). The trouble with the leadership in many organizations is that they seem hell-bent on controlling their own power and their own empires and they do not respect and love others and they certainly don't fear God.
But what about you, what would you say? Maybe something along the lines of Moses' conclusion in Deuteronomy 7:9: Love God, and keep his commandments? Yup, that would be good. Here's my take: Believe in Jesus and do good deeds. It really is that simple. And that's hard.
The good news is God does not want to keep the good life, a secret. He gives us the Bible so that we can know the meaning of life for certain (2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 1 John 5:13). God, unlike the devil, wants us to have a new life in Christ, and to have it to the full (John 10:10).
The Gospel of John is exciting. There is good reason to refer new Christians or those wondering about spiritual things to the Gospel of John. Scripture is piercing and overwhelmingly liberating. The truth does that.
John, a pillar of the early church, one of Jesus’ inner circle, and a blessed member of the Messiah’s chosen 12 Apostles, wrote five books of the New Testament, including the Book of Revelation.
In the Gospel of John, we get to know our Lord and Savior as John knew Him. Personally, as the best of friends - beyond that, brothers. Yet way more, it was a relationship where John saw Jesus as his Lord and Master, with awe and wonder and with great reverence. Friend, brother, and Lord God.
We must do more than believe there is one God (even the demons do that and they tremble in terror (James 2:19)). We come to faith in Jesus when we hear in the Bible about who Jesus is, why He came to earth and what He’s promised us now and in the future. We accept His gift of forgiveness for our sins and we are spiritually made new through faith in Christ. We hear all of that in the Gospel of John.
In God’s Word, we find the meaning of life: believe in Jesus and do good deeds. It’s faith in action, growing faith, trusting faith, fertile faith, useful faith. There is nothing wrong with the simple - indeed the simple, ordinary, original, and plain - that is the material the Carpenter uses best.
In John, we get the answers to the most complex questions. Existential questions. We get the answers that have real present and eternal consequences for our lives. You want to get out of your rut, your depression, and your cycle of sin and misery? Repent of your sins and accept Jesus' offer of new life. Believe and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. You and your family's lives will be positively impacted for eternity. Not sure what to say or what to do? Message me. I'll do all I can to help you. When the Light of the World comes into you, you are a new creation, part of God's holy people. Welcome to the family. Now we've gotta ensure you are part of a healthy and truth-preaching Church.
Still not sure. That's okay. Walk yourself through the Book of John. Ask the existential questions. Wrestle with them. For starters, does Jesus preexist time? Yes, Jesus preexisted creation - He was with God and He was God (1:1).
Who made the heavens and the earth? Did it evolve out of nothing? Jesus created everything, not only the heavens and the planets, and the light, but also life itself (1:3).
Does God know about us, care about us, and desire a relationship with us? Yes, more than you can imagine. God loves us more than we might think or desire. Jesus’ life brings light to everything, there is no person that Jesus does not know and love (1:4). Jesus loves you! As God, Jesus’ life cannot be extinguished. He is our Creator, the loving God who seeks to bring us.
Okay, that's enough for today. My wife tells me my blogs are too long.
Lord Jesus, we trust You. Please help us this week. We need You more than ever. Our family needs You, as do Your churches, our communities, and our nation. Amen.
Tuesdays are date nights with the grandkids.
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