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Sermon from John 1:1-34; 18:37
Has a sense of purpose ever dominated your mind. Most have no sense of purpose in their lives. Other than get up, go to work, come home, watch tv, go to bed, and then do the same thing the next day, until they retire so they can collect seashells by the seashore. They don’t know why they are here and what they are supposed to be doing. No sense of divine purpose, calling, destiny, or anything. They just wander through life like a pinball in a machine. They rack up a few points, set off some bells and lights, and always eventually end up in the hole. Then it’s over. You’re dead. I used to cheat the pinball machines in my town by putting the legs on top of my feet. I could put one coin in and play the rest of the night. But in the end, I would walk out the door and that machine would be dead. That’s where everyone ends up. Dead and in the hole.
Mohammed Ali won the world heavyweight championship in boxing more times than anyone else. He kept boxing until he got his brains beat out. When asked why he kept boxing he said, “Cause I want people to remember my name!” That was it. But in a few years, nobody will remember his name except those who play Trivial Pursuit. There are no boxers’ names in the history books.
Though people are not just animals, they live a lot like animals. They do what it takes to stay alive, with what little temporary pleasure they can get out of it from time to time. They spend most of their waking hours at a job they hate, but… ya gotta eat! They eat to stay alive so they can eat and stay alive a little longer.
The Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible describes life for many people. Their whole being exists on solely a horizontal plane. It’s boring and meaningless. The phrase the inspired Solomon uses to describe this is “Vanity of vanity, all is vanity.” This is the richest man who ever lived, the most productive man who ever lived, with the biggest family ever in the history of the world, and yet the theme of his book was it’s all vanity.
Life lived with only a horizontal perspective is in the end – useless. It’s all vain. There is no vertical perspective, no divine perspective at all. They may believe in God but they have no sense of purpose that He has given them. No divine purpose, which means no eternal perspective. In the end, it’s just… the end. On the way to the end the scenery is boring. They purchase adult toys to help, but they break down, just like their lives eventually do. They have no sense of eternal significance. They may have some temporary purpose: “My purpose is to paint. My purpose is to lay bricks.” Or whatever. But in the end, it does not satisfy the heart that longs for eternal significance. We need God’s purpose for our lives. He alone gives the purpose that will not die when you die.
Answer this question: Why did the Son of God come into the world? Why did Jesus come? You might think of several answers, but do you know what He said about why He came. He told Pilate, the judge at His trial, why He came into the world, in John 18: 37, “For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.” He came for a witness to the truth of God. And He did.
Jesus is on trial for His life and He’s not defending Himself. Pilate marveled at His lack of defense. No lawyer or appeals. He simply stands there. But then He decides to say something vitally important. Pilate wanted to know if He considered Himself a king and Jesus told him this powerful statement of eternal significance. to read more click here: https://sites.google.com/view/gracehouseclinton/sermons
Aug 5 202446 mins