Sermon Tone Analysis

Have you ever wondered what the greater meaning of life is?

Opener: Have you ever wondered what life was really all about?

What is the meaning of it all and what am I here for?

The desire for purpose and know what this life is for: Recently I heard a young person say that they wanted to live with purpose or know what their purpose was.

Have you even wandered that yourself?

Have you ever wondered what your purpose in life was or specifically what you were here for?

Often as young people get close to adulthood they begin to ponder the deeper meanings of life as they try to form their identity and make decisions that will affect their lives long-term.

What’s this life for?

I remember when I was a teenager there was a song that expressed how life’s meaning can be puzzling at times.

The song was called appropriately “what’s this life for?”

And that is the question that it asks throughout the song.

Some people ask this same question throughout there lives.

And you do not have to be young to ask this question.

People have always asked this question.

People are still asking it today.

Some of you may be asking in your hearts what you life is supposed to be all about.

Do not worry you are in good company.

Mankind has always searched for the greater meaning of life.

We even make light of this in our culture with the image (that I remember seeing in a comic once) of climbing to the top of the mountain where the Old Wise man with the long beard sits and asking “what’s the meaning of life?”

Even wise and godly people ponder the question.

One whole book of the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes is in a way a discourse about this question of what is the meaning of life.

Ecclesiastes demonstrates how we not only ask this question but we seek the answer in things in this life that turn out to be meaningless.

God created us in His image to find fulfillment in His purposes.

We desire meaning because we are created in His image...

All this points to the fact we are created in God’s image and he placed within us a need to know these things just as a need to know about eternity (what happens after this life.

One of the major problems with believing in evolution and atheism rather than God is that it does not answer our question of what is this life all about.

If we are just here by chance then there is really no greater meaning for life.

But when our lives lack purpose we are unhappy and restless because we know instinctively that there must be something more.

Even when people live for pleasure there is a continued emptiness that has to be continually be filled by more pleasure.

Even those who have made it there life purpose to be happy through things and centering on self…something seems missing.

This is one of the points of Ecclesiastes and Solomon’s search for meaning in the experiences of this life.

- Solomon tried to find meaning in pleasure but found it to end in meaninglessness.

We do not have to wonder who we are or what our lives are for.

God tells us very clearly what we are to do and be as His people.

God tells us very clearly what we are to do and be as His people.

We would do well to believe this considering that God is our designer and the maker of life.

He is the only one who can show us what HE intended...

When we get outside of God’s reasons for living we find temporary fulfillment but not lasting purpose.

While historically the world has wondered about the purpose of life followers of Christ do not need to.

God has not made it some mystery or difficult puzzle that only the most dedicated scholars can figure out.

What is

God has always made known what He desires from His people and the overall purpose He intends for His people.

There are many places in scripture that we could go to demonstrate this

is one of the best places to start to understand what God’s intentions are for His people.

You might wonder why you would go to an Old Testament passage to understand what God want for His followers under the New Covenant.

The reason is that there are some purposes God has always had for His people to fulfill that go along with why He created us.

So we will start with and bounce back and forth to and New Testament passages that link up with the common purposes that God has had for His people.

Trans:background: Isaiah prophesied to Israel (as we saw last week) at a time when they were steeped in sin and idolatry.

chapter 43 addresses God redeeming Israel again after they call out to Him.

Because of God’s love for Israel as His people the nation He created He would not forget them in captivity but redeem them again.

Through God’s relationship to Israel (His people then) we learn about His relationship to us (His people now)/ So…notice it says...

God has Chosen

GOD CHOSE ISRAEL

- Isaiah reminds Israel that God chose them and what He intended for them to do.

Israel had an important purpose as God’s nation.

It was to be God’s witness that God was the only true God in the midst of a world that followed many false gods made up by men.

As opposed to those who followed false gods Israel could witness to the world around them that God was a real savior and active God.

- God chose Israel and set His affection on them.

Consider the awesome truth that this verse implies that Israel should have realized; that almighty God who created and owns everything chose you.

(After talking about God’s ownership of everything verse 15 says, “Yet God set His heart on your Father…)

Deuteronomy 10:

Israel had every reason to be God’s witnesses because they had experienced God love and favor.

Instead of being God’s witnesses to testify of His greatness Israel got wrapped up in idolatry themselves.

So God would redeem them again and deliver them from captivity.

GOD HAS CHOSEN US

We need to understand that just as God chose Israel, He has also chosen us.

He also set His heart on us to be His, His treasured possession to carry out His purposes.

What a privilege.

Yes?

God chose us before the foundations of the world.

God chose that those who would obey Christ would be His people.

The principles as to why predestination (as others see it) does not work.

God shows no partiality...

God chose us for a great purpose as well.

In that purpose we find what God intended for our lives.

GOD HAS CHOSEN US TO BE HIS WITNESSES

- God has chosen us to be a holy nation now for the same reason to be witnesses proclaiming God’s goodness.

Notice the same reason God created Israel, God chose us.

To be His witnesses to those around us.

We also live in a world that is following false gods and trying to find meaning and fulfilment through things other than God.

We are the ones who have witnessed God’s goodness with our own eyes in our own lives.

We have witnessed and experienced God’s love, power, peace.

God chose us in Christ but He did not chose us to leave us as we are He chose us to create in us something greater than who we were before....

God has Created

GOD CREATED ISRAEL: through Abraham -

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God is declaring His ownership of Israel based on the fact that He created them and they are His.

They would not exist without His actions.

This is not speaking of the fact that God created all people and Israel is a part of that.

God is referring to the fact that Israel exists only because God purposed it and miraculously made it happen.

Think about how incredible this statement is…that God created and formed Israel.

How did the nation of Israel come about?

Yes by Israel (the person) having so many kids and them turning millions of people whom God brought out of Egypt and made into the Nation Israel.

Go back further…to Abraham…and the fact that the great nation Israel came from one great man of faith and His wife who were barren.

God created Israel through Abraham

God miraculously formed the great nation of Israel starting with a couple who couldn’t have kids.

Without God Israel would not exist.

They existed because God had a great plan to make a great people.

He promised this to Abraham.

-Because God created Israel to be His people He was to be their king and only God.