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Woodstock Mountain Bike Fellowship

The Meaning of Life

April 15, 2008

When people voice this question, it is often done with a sense of humor and an expectation that it is basically unanswerable. And the fact is, many people shy away from it based on that perspective, choosing instead to live their lives spontaneously, assuming that they will "know it when they see it."

In reality, this is far more than an academic question pondered by theologians, philosophers, or asylum residents. Each of us needs to know why we are here and what will satisfy the deepest longings of our souls.

In order for our lives to have meaning, they must first extend beyond death and onward into an immortal eternity (Based on thoughts of William Lane Craig). Without immortality, life ultimately ends in death and absolute extinguishment of everything anyone has ever done. If all we do is live to die, then ultimately, our lives have no more significance than a barnyard of pigs or a swarm of mosquitoes. It makes no difference whether you live a life of sacrifice or sadism – the eventual end of everyone’s work ultimately is buried in a universe of ruin.

But like a chunk of stainless steel sitting in a junkyard, infinite duration does not (in itself) grant meaning to our lives. There must be a Designer in order for us to create value and differentiate between a life wasted and one that has been lived well.

Like a ____, we were created for a specific purpose. Unless we understand and act upon that purpose, we will never be satisfied. In order to sort out the popular opinions from the actual fact, we need to ask the Designer why He chose to make us.

Before diving into the Scriptures, Ravi Zacharias shares some thoughts on the things that give life meaning, based on stages of our life experience:

Wonder: If you’ve ever held a brand new baby, you’ll probably remember that you attempted to make it smile by a series of sounds and motions that you hope will inspire a sense of wonder. As a child grows, it takes more to fill their heart with wonder. Eventually, we reach a peak of "extreme" activities or replace the wonder of the unexplained with an attitude of analysis and mechanistic understanding.

Truth: As we get older (perhaps as teens), we find ourselves faced with options and conflicting information. It is then our quest to seek for truth in order to establish coherence in life. But as the questions become more difficult, we often accede to our lazy side and vegetate in front of the TV, choosing mental junk food and replacing our brains cells with mental flab.

Love: Eventually, we find that many of the things that we thought would bring satisfaction have let us down. We have achieved our goals but find that success and stuff are hollow. The importance of relationships grows and we seek to establish meaningful, closer ties with those we love. A phone call from your daughter is more important than a business deal, and a bike ride with your son takes priority over the lawn mower. As we get older, we place even greater emphasis on the acceptance and approval of our fathers.

Security: Finally, as we reach old age, we tend to cling with increasing tenacity to the things that bring security. Fears grow as we watch our dwindling retirement accounts and failing health. And each time our world is shaken, we reach out for things that are solid and stable.

I like Ravi’s thoughts and will come back to tie them together when we’re finished examining the Scripture. Let’s dive in to see what the Designer says about why He chose to create us (drawn from "Desiring God" by John Piper):

  • Isaiah 43:6,7 (created for My glory)
  • Psalm 37:4 (delight yourself in the Lord)
  • Ephesians 1:5,6 (to the praise of His glory)
  • 1 Corinthians 10:31 (do all to the glory of God)
  • John 4:23 (the Father seeks true worshippers)
  • John 17:3,4 (know and glorify God)
  • Philippians 3:8 (all loss in view of knowing Christ)

There are many more verses we could read, but the point is clear: we were created to know and worship God. Only one thing ultimately matters: knowing God and glorifying Him in the way He has appointed.

Redemption, salvation, and restoration are not God's ultimate goal. These He performs for the sake of something greater: namely, the enjoyment that He has in glorifying Himself. Why is this so important? Does God have a problem with self-image or need the worship of people to bolster His ratings?

Certainly not. Acts 17:25 clearly shows that He doesn't need anything from us. But remember that God would be unrighteous (just as we would) if he valued anything more that what is supremely valuable. But He Himself is supremely valuable.

When we worship God, we don't increase His honor. We recognize it, feel it, and ascribe it to Him in a way appropriate to His character (Psalm 96:6-8). God does not seek our praise because He needs it, but because He loves us so much that He seeks the fullness of our joy that can only be found in knowing and praising Him, the most magnificent of all (Romans 15:13).

CS Lewis helped clarify this: "All enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. And if we really value something highly, we urge others to join us in praising it. Praise not only expresses our delight, but it actually is necessary to complete it. Delight is incomplete until it is expressed."

With that truth in mind, take a few moments to consider what true worship looks like. Jesus clarified worship when preaching to a Samaritan harlot in John 4:23,24. He makes it clear that real worship involves our head and our heart (spirit and truth).

It would not seem appropriate for God to display His great all-satisfying grace in joyless souls (Isaiah 29:13). And it is equally vain to think that true worship can come from hearts that are not grounded in truth (Romans 10:2).

There must be heat in the heart and light in the mind – and no more heat than justified by the light. Strong affections for God, rooted in and shaped by the truth of Scripture – this is the bone and marrow of Biblical worship.

A true vision of God's greatness heated by the Holy Spirit in our redeemed spirit leads to powerful worship, pushing its way out in confessions, longings, acclamations, tears, songs, shouts, bowed heads, lifted hands, and obedient lives.

If this is why we exist, why does this experience seem so foreign to us? Perhaps we have grown content to feed our souls with the lesser desires of this world: a new car, a summer vacation, a promotion at work. Or perhaps we have approached worship like a duty instead of a delight, like a husband who gives a dozen roses to his wife on Valentines Day because it is his duty. Or perhaps we come to God in order to give something to Him instead of to receive from His riches, elevating ourselves to His benefactor (idolatry).

For us, praise should be the summit of satisfaction that comes from living in fellowship with God. It is the ultimate goal of what we are and do. So how might this look, privately or corporately? Here are some Biblical ideas:

  • Sit in stunned silence at his majestic holiness (Psalm 46:10, Habakkuk 2:20)
  • Revere him in holy dread for his righteous power (Isaiah 8:13, Psalm 5:7)
  • Be broken over sin with contrition and grief (Psalm 51:17, Isaiah 57:15)
  • Thirst and long for His presence (Psalm 42:1,2; Psalm 73:25,26)
  • Rejoice in His forgiveness and cleansing (Psalm 30:11,12)
  • Know Him and be thrilled in His presence (Psalm 27:4; Psalm 16:11)

It is also possible that we do not fulfill our purpose of worship because we have never been converted. Perhaps we do not possess saving faith. We cannot experience God's glory while we remain in sin (Romans 3:23; 1:23)

Saving faith is not merely agreement with the truth of a doctrine – even Satan agrees with true doctrine (James 2:19). Saving faith involves a profound change of heart (Acts 3:19). Faith is the evidence of the new birth, not the cause of it.

When we come to God, we do not do so half heartedly. Whether we stumble upon the truth accidentally (Matthew 13:44) or find it at the end of a long search (Matthew 13:45,46), we recognize that it is the ultimate source of joy and trade everything for the kingdom. It is not the real estate for which we long, but for the camaraderie with the King.

We worship the one true God, the only one capable of eternally satisfying our deepest desires. In Him, we find:

  • Wonder – inexhaustible and beyond analysis
  • Truth – complete knowledge and absolutely trustworthy
  • Love – everlasting and deeper than we can imagine
  • Security – based on His absolute control of all things
Waiting their turn Bike Limbo! Derailleur clinic