Meaning of Life
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The Meaning of Life
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11, Matthew 21:18-27
Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567
“Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia.
Little is known about her early life, but at a young age, she felt a calling to be a nun and serve
through helping the poor. At the age of 18, she was given permission to join a group of nuns in
Ireland. After a few months of
training, with the Sisters of Loreto,
she was then given permission to
travel to India. On her arrival in
India, she began by working as a
teacher; however, the widespread
poverty of Calcutta made a deep
impression on her, and this led to
her starting a new order called “The
Missionaries of Charity”. The
primary objective of this mission
was to look after people, who
nobody else was prepared to look
after. Mother Teresa felt that
serving others was a fundamental principle of the teachings of Jesus Christ. She often mentioned
the saying of Jesus, “Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.”
She experienced two particularly traumatic periods in Calcutta. The first was the Bengal
famine of 1943 and the second was the Hindu/Muslim violence in 1946, before the partition of
India. In 1948, she left the convent to live full-time among the poorest of Calcutta. She chose to
wear a white Indian sari, with a blue border, out of respect for the traditional Indian dress. For
many years, Mother Teresa and a small band of fellow nuns survived on minimal income and
food, often having to beg for funds. But, slowly her efforts with the poorest were noted and
appreciated by the local community and Indian politicians.
In 1952, she opened her first home for the dying, which allowed people to die with
dignity. Mother Teresa often spent time with those who were dying. Some have criticized the
lack of proper medical attention, and their refusal to give painkillers. Others say that it afforded
many neglected people the opportunity to die knowing that someone cared. Her work spread
around the world. By 2013, there were 700 missions operating in over 130 countries. The scope
of their work also expanded to include orphanages and hospices for those with terminal illnesses.
Mother Teresa became known as a great saint and received the following awards: The
first Pope John XXIII Peace Prize. (1971), Kennedy Prize (1971), The Nehru Prize –“for the
promotion of international peace and understanding”(1972), Albert Schweitzer International
Prize (1975), The Nobel Peace Prize (1979), the States Presidential Medal of Freedom (1985),
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Congressional Gold Medal (1994), U Thant Peace Award (1994) and Honorary citizenship of the
United States (November 16, 1996).”1
The Desire to Have one’s Life Matter
Does hearing of someone who started out with nothing and yet accomplishing so much
inspire you to work even harder so that your life might have “meaning”? That of course depends
on how one defines the “meaning” of life! Even if our hard work would lead to becoming the
richest, most famous and powerful of the land
would our lives have any significance? After all,
when the sun raises and sets from one generation
to the next can anyone truly say they have made
any lasting difference? While the next
generation might remember the modern
successes stories of Arianna Huffington, Bill
Gates, George Steinbrenner, Walt Disney, Steve
Jobs and Milton Hershey; how long before
someone comes up with a newer and more
glamorous invention that relegates their
accomplishments to mere footnotes in history?
So, if our “success treasures” are here today and
gone tomorrow, does this mean that searching for any meaning in life is pure vanity? To answer
this question, I will start out by examining Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 and conclude that all things under
the sun are truly vanity. The second part of this sermon is going to examine Matthew 21:18-22
and conclude the meaning of life is found above the sun, bearing fruit for God who lives in
heaven.
Everything Under the Sun is Meaningless
(Ecclesiastes 1:1-11)
For most people meaning in life is derived
from earthly accomplishments. We tend to see
those who are the best badminton, football,
soccer, tennis players or the best looking, most
rich or famous as having lived a “valuable” or
“meaningful” life. Being the best is not just a
buzzword for our society but the core and
essence of much of our motivation. Since 1955
the Guinness World Records books have sold
1
Based on the book Mother Teresa and taken from the following website:
https://www.biographyonline.net/nobelprize/mother_teresa.html
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over 141 million copies in over 20 languages.2 Every year countless people attempt to set new
records in hopes of their name being written in this book and will do anything to retain their
standing. For example, in 1967 Donald Campbell died while trying to get his speed boat to
travel more than 300 mph in order to break his own world record!3 While many are not
motivated to break a world record, most are willing to put in countless hours to be ranked in the
upper echelon of society so that they might see their life as having meaning. Let’s turn to the
Bible and see what God says about deriving the meaning of life from temporal accomplishments.
The words of the Teacher, a son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2 “Meaningless!
Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is
meaningless.” 3 What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil
under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains
forever. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course. 7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never
full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. 8 All things
are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing. 9 What has been will be again, what has been
done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there
anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here
already, long ago; it was here before our time. 11 No one remembers the
former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by
those who follow them.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11, NIV
I want you to use your imagination for just a
moment. Imagine Solomon4 sitting under a
tree, laying on his bed or sitting on his throne
contemplating the meaning of life. Solomon
had accomplished much in life. Not only was
he famous for being the son of David and king
of Israel but was also known as the one who
built a glorious temple unto God! Solomon
was also known for his wisdom. When God
appeared to Solomon in a dream and said,
“ask for whatever you want Me to give you,”
Solomon asked for a wise and discerning heart
(1 Kings 3:1-15)! Despite his outstanding
2
Taken from the following website: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/press-release/2018/4/ninetyguinness-world-records-attempts-at-the-2018-virgin-money-london-marathon-521802.
3
Taken from the following website: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-45068703
4
I do believe that verse one is an indication that king Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. There are many
commentators whom believe the authorship is unknown and as such refer to the writer as either being the
Pastor/Teacher or Qohelet.
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accomplishments this wise king began to question whether the value of his life was dependent
upon what he had accomplished. Would the core or essence of his being be known throughout
future generations? How would being a great king, temple builder and wise person tell future
generations his likes and dislikes, worries and times of rejoicing, his favorite colors or foods that
he liked to eat? For that matter how long would the temple last and would Israel remember
when he dedicated it to the Lord?
Solomon wondered what do people truly “gain from all their labors at which they toil
under the sun?” (verse 3). “Birth and death are two ends of a spectrum of life. Man has no
control over either.”5 If the physical body is destined to return to the dust in which it was
formed would not our accomplishments also
fade with the passage of time? The meaning
of life is not found in being successful at
sowing a reaping for three reasons. First, no
matter how much effort we put into sowing
and reaping our “success” is not guaranteed
because we do not fully understand, nor do we
control the universe that is around us.6 And
second, the endless cyclical nature of this
world means that no person can “break out of
this temporal circle into a state that leads
somewhere.”7 The wind will continue to blow
(verse 6) and the streams flow into the sea
(verse 7) from one generation to the next regardless of what we do!8 We cannot control the laws
of nature, only God can! And third, our efforts to extend our “fifteen minutes of fame”9 is
merely an exercise in futility10 for there is nothing new under the sun, all things are merely a
variant of the past which remain unchanging over time!11 After giving this evidence much
consideration Solomon concluded the following:
Point 1: Everything done “under the sun” is utterly meaningless (verse 2)!
5
Jim Winter, Opening up Ecclesiastes, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2005), 51.
Iain Provan, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,
2001), 52.
7
J. Stafford Wright, “Ecclesiastes,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of
Songs, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991), 1153.
8
Michael A. Eaton, Ecclesiastes: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 18, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1983), 71.
9
Jim Winter, 54–55.
10
Elizabeth Huwiler, “Ecclesiastes,” in Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, ed. W. Ward Gasque, Robert L.
Hubbard Jr., and Robert K. Johnston, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Books, 2012), 181.
11
J. Stafford Wright, “Ecclesiastes,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of
Songs, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991), 1154.
6
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Life’s Meaning is Found in Producing Fruit in Accordance with God’s Will
If everything done under the sun is utter vanity, then what is the meaning of life? By the
end of Ecclesiastes Solomon tells us the meaning of life can only be found above the sun. While
the physical body is destined to return to the
dust in which it was formed, the soul returns
to God who created it (12:7)! Humanity
was created in the image of God (Genesis
1:27) and bought by the blood of Christ (1
Corinthians 6:20) for the express purpose of
redemption and reconciliation with a holy
God (2 Corinthians 5:17-20). Our value is
firmly rooted in the love of Christ who died
(John 3:16) and set us free from the bondage
of sin (Romans 6:22). The meaning of life
is not found in satisfying our worldly desires
and passions to accumulate treasures on this
earth that are here today and gone tomorrow
(Matthew 6:20-21) but in living our lives in
accordance with the will of Jesus (Matthew 6:33) who controls all things seen and unseen
(Colossians 1:16)! How important is it that we bear fruit while on this earth? To answer this
question let’s examine the Parable of the Fig Tree (Matthew 21:18-22)
In this parable we are told that when Jesus was on His way back to the city, He became
hungry (verse 18). Along the roadside12
He saw a fig tree that had green leaves but
no fruit. This was unusual for even though
it not the season for the fig tree to bear fruit
(Mark 11:13)13 the green leaves advertised
that at minimum it had green figs that were
edible.14 In response to finding the tree
barren Jesus says “may you never bear fruit
again” and the tree withered and died
(verse 19). Since the disciples were
amazed the fig tree died immediately after
Jesus’ command (verse 20), He reminded
them that the authority that had been given
to Him over heaven and earth had been
given to them as well.15 In the last section
of this parable Jesus taught the disciples the importance of trusting in Him.16 If they had faith
12
Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI;
Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 530.
13
D. A. Carson, “The Gospels and Acts,” in NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and
Centered on the Gospel Message, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 1975.
14
James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 450.
15
James Montgomery Boice, 455.
16
Leon Morris, 531.
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and did not doubt, they could ask that a mountain to cast itself into the sea and it would be done
(verse 21). Jesus finished this parable by promising His disciples that when they believe
anything that they asked for in prayer would be granted (verse 22).
In this parable Israel, whom was often compared to a fig tree or vine in the Old
Testament,17 was warned that while their form of religion (2 Timothy 2:5) as represented by the
“green leaves” of the temple, Torah and
status as “God’s chosen people” gave the
appearance of fruit, they were barren and as
such would soon fall under His judgement.18
This parable represents a stern warning to the
modern day Christian as well: God’s
creatures must produce that for which they
were created or risk falling under His
judgement!19 While singing, reading the
Bible and praying only on Sunday morning
might give the appearance of the green
leaves of righteousness, this will not fool
God who can look beyond the intellect and
peer into the soul (Psalms 139)! For our
lives to have meaning we must go beyond merely listening to the word of God (James 1:22-25)
while chasing after the evil desires of our own hearts (James 1:14), we must surrender that which
is not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and with all our heart, mind, soul and strength obey His
word and will for our lives! Let’s not forget that the fields are truly ripe (John 4:35), and our
lifetime is the season to bear much fruit!
Conclusion
Life has meaning when one accomplishes that which God has created one to do! The
meaning of Mother Theresa’s life is not to be found in her earthly titles but in her never-ending
obedience to God’s call to feed and take care of the poor of India! While life has no meaning
under the sun, there is great meaning in serving the Creator of all things seen and unseen. What
keeps us from living fruitful lives is our reluctance to trust that God can and will do more than
we can ask or imagine! We invite God into moments of our lives so that we might have an
appearance of holiness and still chase after the evil desires of our hearts! As those who were
purchased at the price of His Son’s life, God demands that we surrender that which is not our
own and embrace the calling He created us to accomplish. While the earth and heaven will pass
away, we can be rest assured that anything we do in the name and will of Jesus will last for an
eternity!
17
James Montgomery Boice, 448–449.
D. A. Carson, 445.
19
Michael J. Wilkins, Matthew, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing
House, 2004), 694.
18
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