This Week's Light Service Sermon

Light Service Sermons for the Month
What Does Christian Teach About.
The Reason for Our Existence
DATE: April 1, 2001
TEXT: Ephesians 3:14-21

What motivates you to do the things you do? What drives you? What compels you? Solomon was the king of Israel, son of David. He was known as the wisest man that ever lived. Solomon too struggled with this very question? Why am I here? What's the reason for our existence?" The book of Ecclesiastes is a book that tells of his struggle. As you read through that book you hear of his struggle. Sometimes it's present in very depressing ways. What's life all about? His answer, "Vanity of vanities. All is vanity." Or if you read the Contemporary English Version: "Nothing makes sense! Everything is nonsense. I have seen it all--nothing makes sense!
Why are we here? Another answer is that people are motivated by power, the acquisition of power, the possession of power, the influence in other people's lives politically and economically. Hitler had a lot of power. We have known presidents with incredible power, enormous power. Along with broken marriages and failing families and I am not just talking about the last one. So is power the real reason we exist?
Others have been motivated by prosperity. We still live in one of the most prosperous times in history. The media tells us story after story of people, some of the most prosperous people in the world. Mark my word; now that the stock market seems in the crapper, we will begin to hear even more stories of more of them as the most miserable people in the world. Is that the answer?
Some people are motivated by position, the alphabet soup after their name or prestige or pleasure, like the beer commercial said, "You only go around once in life, so grab for all the gusto you can!"
Glen Glan in his book Success tells of a meeting in 1923 of the world's most successful financiers. They gathered in Chicago's Edgewater Beach Hotel. These financial giants literally ruled the world of money at that time. They included, Charles Schwab, president of the largest steel company in America. Samuel Insul, president of the largest utility company; Howard Hobson, president of the largest gas company; Arthur Cutton, the great wheat speculator; Richard Whitney, president of the New York Stock Exchange; Albert Fall, Secretary of the Interior; Jesse Livermore, the "Great Bear" on Wall Street; Ivan Kruger, head of the world's greatest monopoly, and Leon Frasier, president of the Bank of International Settlements. These were the movers and shakers. These were the people everyone envied. These were the people others wanted to be like. These were the people who would have a biography written about them if they lived today. And we would assume these would be the people to achieve some level of fulfillment, being able to address that question, "Why am I here?" And yet something went terribly wrong with these men's lives. Twenty-five years later, here's what happened.
Charles Schwab went bankrupt. Samuel Insul died in a foreign land, penniless and a fugitive from justice. Howard Hobson was insane. Arthur Cutton was insolvent and died abroad. Richard Whittney had just been released from prison. Albert Fall had just been pardoned from prison and died at home broke. Jesse Livermore committed suicide; Ivan Kruger committed suicide and Leon Fraiser committed suicide. Amazing. Somehow these men with all their wealth, power, fame and credentials had still failed to adequately answer that question for themselves, "What is the reason for my existence? Why am I here?" And that quest continues.
Victor Fronkel has said that more and more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for. Research shows that the number one deadly fear of Americans today is having lived a meaningless life. Maybe that's your fear. Maybe as the busy-ness subsides in your life, you're calm for a moment and there's this churning inside, "Why am I here? What is my purpose? Why did God put me on the face of this earth? What's it all for anyway?"
Harold Kushner wrote succinctly, "Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth and power. Those three words create almost as many problems as they solve. Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we've figured out how to live so that our lives matter, so that the world will be a little bit different for our having passed through it. If we understand the why of our existence we can deal with the how. In other words, when we understand why we're here, our purpose, we can face all those trials and tribulations that stand between our goals and us."
And so today we're going to talk about what the Bible and Christianity teach about this very important question, the meaning and the reason for our existence. Before we hear that, let's pray together.
(PRAYER)
So why am I here? Why are you here? If you believe what some scientists say, you and I are just a byproduct of a great explosion millions of years ago. Or you and I are the evolutionary result of an atom, survival of the fittest and that we're just being pushed around by chance and someday we'll be moved out of the way for something else.
It's very hard to answer that question. But the Bible says something more. The Bible has profound words to say about our purpose, why God has placed you here. What is that purpose? Why do we exist?
Today I share with you two very simple answers to that question: To be loved and to love.
To be loved. The reason for our existence starts not with us, but with God. Why did God create this world in the first place? What motivated God to create this universe and to create us? Whether you believe God did it in seven days, or seven minutes, or seven million years, doesn't matter. God created this world. For what purpose?
God created this world to enjoy a friendship with him. God is a relational God. God so desperately and passionately wanted to have someone to give that love away. God created us to receive that love, to be in friendship together.
Unfortunately, over the years since the beginning of time and Adam and Eve, we've resisted that love. We've resisted that friendship. Some of us have turned away from God. We've hated God. We've mistrusted God. We've imagined God is out to hurt us rather than to help us.
So God has done everything possible to reconnect. Over the years he gave us kings, rulers, prophets, but ultimately he gave us Jesus Christ. God put skin on; God came into our world through Jesus, felt our pain and our struggle. He felt our joys and our hopes and our dreams. He was one of us; understood us like no one else. He became our friend. Jesus was known as the friend of sinners.
But Jesus took it another step further, beyond what anyone could imagine. Jesus Christ gave his life for us on the cross. If you asked how much does God love? God opened his arms wide and died. God so desperately wanted that relationship that he sent Jesus.
I know you've heard John 3:16 a million times. But listen to these powerful words, "God love the people of this world so much that he gave his only son that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die."
Those of you, who know me well, know that I am bit of a perfectionist. I want to do things well and that I typically don't like to be embarrassed because I've made a mistake or done something wrong. I'll never forget the time a little over 20 years ago that I failed to show up for a funeral. I had written in my book Wednesday but the funeral was actually on Tuesday. Imagine my chagrin when I opened the evening paper and read that I had officiated at a funeral that morning. Talk about caught embarrassment.
At times like that, times when I just don't quite cut it, God taps me on the shoulder. He gently reminds me, "Stan, I love you no matter what." No matter what.God is not grading me, God's not grading you. God's not keeping points. God is standing there with open arms to receive you, to welcome you, to embrace you so you can experience his love again and again and again.
God's love is unconditional. It isn't dependent on how busy you are. You may have achieved great success according to the world's standards or you may have achieved no success at all in your mind. God comes, no matter what, to you and says, "I have a purpose for you: to trust me, to let me love you, the greatest purpose of all."
So today whether you're short or tall, fat or thin, famous or infamous, we're all at the same level playing field in front of the cross knowing that our purpose in life, first and foremost, is to let God love us, to put our trust in him.
Secondly, God invites us, calls us, to love. We also discover the meaning of our existence as we give love away. We find great purpose in that. That is why the happiest people in the world are the people with healthy, close, loving relationships. Loneliness is the curse of having no one to love. A life wrapped up in accomplishments and achievements can give us a certain sense of purpose, but you've heard people say, "I've done it all, I've got it all, now what?"
Like those I know who have said, "I wanted so badly to achieve purpose and meaning and success. I worked so hard at my job that in the process I almost lost my wife and my children and I found myself standing at the very gates of hell."
So the Lord says let your heart experience joy by giving your love away. That's why Jesus says, "Love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34) Not only because others need our love, but we need to love for our own sense of purpose. So the purpose of your life is not just survival, it's giving love away (in spite of what the reality TV shows depict). The purpose of your business is not just to make a quick buck; it's to give love away. The reason for your talents and gifts and creativity isn't just to receive achievement and awards. It's to give love away.
So the question we all can ask is how can I use the talents and gifts that God has given me to give love away? That's your purpose. And for each of you, it will be as unique as you are, as unique as your gifts and talents are. God will help you discover that purpose if you give love away.
The Bible describes this purpose as shining the light. Jesus says, "I am the light of the world." And Jesus came to brighten this world by showing his love. But he also says, "You're the light of the world." That's been the motto of this service since we began it four years ago. God's light shines through each and every one of us.
Robert Louis Stevenson was very ill as a boy and spent lots of time in his room. One night as he was looking out of the window, he saw a lamplighter lighting the lights along the street. As he looked out the window his nurse walked in and said, "Robert, what are you doing?" He said, "I'm watching a man make holes in the darkness." Isn't that what God has called us to do? Jesus punched holes into this dark world and Jesus invites us to punch holds into the darkness.
Through the talents and gifts that God has given us, we're punching holes into this dark world. In Ephesians 5:8 Paul ways, "You are the light in the world. Walk as children of light. Where the light is, there is beauty and truth and goodness."
So Mom, Dad, it's not just about changing those diapers; it's bringing the light of the Lord into the life of your little rugrats so God can love them.
Delivery truck driver: it's not just about delivering; it's about shining the light wherever you go.
Realtor: it's not just about selling homes and making a commission; it's about shining God's light, punching holes in the darkness wherever you go for those looking for a place to lay their head.
I've shared this story before but it speaks well to the point. You all know Alfred Nobel, the founder of the famous peace prize. But perhaps you don't know that he was Swedish chemist who invented dynamite and many other explosives. Through that invention, that discovery, he became one of the richest men in the world. Years later, when Alfred's brother died, the newspaper accidentally printed Alfred's obituary instead of his brother's. Alfred opened the paper to read his own obituary describing him as a man who got rich by enabling people to kill each other in unprecedented quantities.
Well, you can imagine how Alfred Nobel felt. It shook him to the core. In that moment he determined to use his fortune to honor others. To honor accomplishments that benefited humanity and brought peace. So he created the Nobel Peace Prize. Alfred had the rare opportunity to see his life at its end and still have time enough to change it.
Friends, You and I have this same opportunity today. Would you step back and think about your life? What's is all about? What motivates you? What is it?" Power; prosperity, position, prestige, pleasure? Or are you experiencing something more?
God comes to lighten you up. God comes to help you give that love away, to respect and obey God. So I ask you today, is your life lit? You can have it lit today by Jesus Christ. If your life is lit, you can let Jesus Christ help you shine and punch holes in the darkness.
Go and walk in the light of the Lord.
May the light shine upon you.
AMEN