What in the world are you doing here? Wouldn’t it be sad to come to the end of life never having known why you were here? Say friend, why don’t we think about that a few minutes? That is what our program is about today. Stay tuned.
New Year’s greetings to you, my friend, and welcome to our Bible study program In Search of the Lord's Way. Of course, we strongly believe the Lord’s way of salvation and His way to live is all revealed in the Bible-- nowhere else, therefore, ours is a Bible study program. We are sponsored here by some friends of yours and ours in some churches of Christ in the area served by this station. They are the reason you won’t be hassled in this program about sending us money or buying something from us. Oh say! That is a different kind of a religious program, isn’t it? But that isn’t the only difference. What you’re getting here and now is the Lord’s way! It’s so good to have you with us today. We pray we will both be blessed in our study.
Our next program will be in the New Year-- 2009. I don’t know whether you are a New Year’s Resolution kind of a person. It doesn’t really matter. You might ask yourself the question, “What am I supposed to be doing here?” If you haven’t discovered that yet you certainly need to think seriously about it, don’t you think? That’s our message today. My speech teacher many years ago taught us in outlining our speech to put right under the title, the purpose. Well, in this case the title is: Live Life. And my purpose is not to scold anyone for not knowing his or her purpose in life, but to help you find it, ok?
Well, if you think you might want a free printed copy or a free CD or a free audio cassette of it, simply mail your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or to searchtv@searchtv.org. If you prefer to call, our toll-free telephone number for your use is 1-800-321-8633. Visit us online, too, at searchtv.org. Ken Helterbrand is in charge of our music and has been for more than 25 years. He’s going to lead us now in a hymn. Then, I’ll be back.
We are reading from the fifth chapter of the book of Ephesians today; begin reading at verse 8. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Now with that reading in our minds let’s go to God in prayer. Holy Father, we are so thankful for the admonition that is given us here to live our lives fully and completely in Jesus Christ. And we pray that as we meditate on these verses and the things that they teach that are related to them, we pray Your blessings upon us. Give us understanding and give us wisdom to approach Your will and to live our life to the very fullest. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
All the polls I have seen on such matters, say that more than 90% of Americans say they believe in God. Some polls say as many as 96%. I wonder about that, though. I would like to be optimistic about it, but I wonder if even the lowest finding (90%) who say they believe in God, really mean they believe in “a god.” From what I’m reading it appears that we are a culture much like the Athenians were when Paul, the apostle, went there in the first century. When I visited the market-place of the old city of Athens about twenty centuries later than Paul’s visit there, I looked and I saw the remains of altars and temples they had erected to their many gods. If you doubt me, you might study any travel folder of that area, and you’ll see pictures of some of what I saw. And when a person today listens to the religious radio and television programs, or when he reads some of the popular books in the religious bookstores, it becomes just as obvious to him that we Americans are not all talking about worshiping the same god. Thus, Paul’s sermon on Mar’s Hill is as applicable to us as it was to the Athenians.
He said, “I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: To the Unknown God. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, and breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our very being, as also some of your own poets have said, For we are His offspring. Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.” And that is Acts 17, verses 22 through 29. That isn’t all he said, but from that part of his sermon we learn-- as relates to our study today-- (first) my very life-- your life too, friend-- is a gift of God; (secondly) it is “in Him that we live and move and have our very being;” and (thirdly) we are His offspring by generation.
So, the little boy was right when he said to his dad, “After all, I didn’t ask to be here!” Neither did you or I, friend. None of us came into this world because we chose or when we chose, but because God had need of us. There is Divine purpose in our being here, here in this period of history because “in Him we live and move and have our very being.” It is with us as it was with Jeremiah to whom God said, “(1) “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; (2) Before you were born I sanctified you; (3) I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:4 and 5). Same with us.
No, no, no you and I are not the product of “evolution.” It’s a terrible, terrible, unjustifiable and unmerciful injury and even an insult that we do to our children when we teach them from pre-school through university-- in their literature, their music, their entertainment and their education that they are the result of an accidental process called “evolution.” We read in the 127th Psalm, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate” (verses 3 to 5). My friend, we and our children are the “the offspring” (or the children) of the living God. I don’t mean that we are the creation of a god of our liking or a god of our thinking or the god of our making-- a god that makes us feel good. I mean we are the offspring, the children of the “Almighty God” in heaven above; “the God that made the world and everything in it!” Oh! I’d like to shout that to every person in every state in America today! Furthermore we are the offspring, or the children of the “Lord (who is the Ruler) of heaven and earth.”
Having said all that, we draw the very reasonable conclusion that life is a very sacred gift, and it is filled-- I mean it is filled to the brim with purpose. We--that is you and I-- are here at this moment in history for a God given reason. During Paul’s visit to Athens he was encountered in the streets by “certain Epicureans and Stoic philosophers,” according to verse 18 of that 17th chapter. Well, who were those people? What did they believe that was so counter to what Paul preached and what is the reason that they’re mentioned specifically?
Well, the Epicureans were disciples of a philosopher named Epicurus who lived 342 to 270 B.C. Epicurus believed that pleasure is the sole good of life and pain is the sole evil. Well, they were practical materialists then, weren’t they--atheists? I don’t have to tell you, do I, that Epicureanism is alive and well today? There are millions of Americans living now for whom pleasure is the chief aim and purpose of their lives. They pursue pleasure in some form religiously. Please don’t misunderstand me, not all pleasure is sinful and wrong, but to make pleasure in any form the chief aim and purpose of one’s life is wrong. Pleasure is not why you came into this world at this time in world history, friend. You were born into this world to make a difference for God and for good, or you would not have even been born at this time!
Well, the Stoics were disciples of Zeno, another Greek philosopher who died in 265 B.C. They were Pantheists. Their god is in streams and lakes and rocks and trees; and this view is alive today, also. You know that. They are in the news quite often; oh no, not by that name; they are not there by that name. They are more visible every year around Earth Day. Apathy-- impassiveness--indifference-- lack of concern-- non-involvement-- is the Stoic’s chief aim of life. “Don’t sweat.” “Don’t sweat it out.” Well, we heard from a lot of them during recent presidential campaign. They were saying, “Don’t sweat; God is still in control of the world; everything’s going to work out alright anyway.” So, they just didn’t get involved. All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.
When we lived in Australia several years ago, there was a man whose name became a household word there because he was on television. It was his aim to become a millionaire by age thirty. He openly confessed it. He was very vociferous about it. I never knew whether he succeeded or not because we came back to America before he achieved it, if he ever did. My friend, God didn’t bring you into this world to serve this selfish purpose either. “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we should be content. But those who desire to be rich shall fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the truth in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Now those are the words of God in 1 Timothy chapter 6, verses 7 through 10. Believe me, friend, you came not into this world, not for riches, not to be famous, not because you chose or when you chose, but because God had need of you, God who made the world and everything in it had need of you here at this time. Otherwise you would not have even been born. Let’s pray about it. Father, help us to find the true meaning and the purpose for our being here today. Surely it must be with us as it was with Jeremiah that You knew us in the womb, before we were formed in the womb of our mothers. Surely You had a purpose for our coming into this world. Help us to find it, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Christians are called by Jesus Christ in a very special way to make a difference in the world. They are called of God to be “saints” (Romans 1:6 and 7). They are called “with a holy calling” (2 Timothy 1 and 9). Therefore, it is imperative that Christians “be not conformed” to this world’s culture but to be transformed (Romans 12:1 and 2). Christians are designated “the salt-- meaning the preservative-- of the world” (Matthew 5:13). In the next verse Christians’ according to the Savior called them to be “light of the world” deep in the darkness of sin. (Matthew 5:14). Christians are taught to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6, verses 10 and 11).
Your life consists of (1) your time here. Remember? “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years?” You remember that in the 90th Psalm, verse 10, don’t you? “Oh sure, the preacher quoted that at grandpa’s funeral. Yeah, I remember that.” Despite the fact that my dictionary defines life as “that period between birth and death,” your life also consists of (2) your talent. Oh yes, you are talented. It’s a gift of God. You can teach or preach or perform surgery or cook or drive a truck or-- well, you can do something. Your life also consists of the energy that you have to get up and to go to work, using your talent, to earn a living for you and your family (Acts 17, verses 27 through 28). For a long time I preached that those elements were the elements of our lives. Then it dawned on me that by the use of your time, and your talent and your energy, you are productive. Therefore, your productivity (your income, your commissions, your salaries-- whatever you call them) is a part of your life-- and mine, too! The (5th) and final-- most important of all of your life is your purpose. Without it, when you come to press the dying pillow, life will have been meaningless to you. If you have used your time, your talent, your energy and your productivity (whatever they are) for yourself, like the Epicureans or for the others like the Stoics-- or whatever-- then you’ll be like the person who wrote me, and you will come to your last breath wondering “what was I supposed to do here?”
Therefore, I’m urging you to become a Christian today. Don’t wait another day. You know, don’t you, that life is uncertain? As a believer in Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God, the Father, then you turn from a life of no value in its finality, to a life with meaning and purpose. Make a difference with your time here, your talent, your skills, your energies, your productivity. Devote all of your life to Him and you belong to Him, you are redeemed by Him. And if you do that you will have no trouble with the question that troubles some people to death: “Do I really need to be baptized?” Because, you see, according to the Scripture (Mark 16:16) it was Jesus Christ Himself who said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” That isn’t just my opinion, friend. It’s the Lord’s word. Then, you will live for Him. He will add meaning to your being here. May He bless you to this end. Live a Christian life.
Now if you would like a free printed copy, a free CD or a free audio cassette tape of this message, simply mail your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083; or by e-mail to searchtv@searchtv.org. If you prefer you may use our toll-free telephone number and call in your request. That number-- 1-800-321-8633. We are sponsored here by some members in some churches of Christ in the area served by this station. And they would like much if you would pay them a visit-- attend one of their Bible classes and their worship. Have a prosperous new year. God bless you; we love you.
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