What makes life meaningful A sermon delivered at

What makes life meaningful? A sermon delivered at Stone Church September 16, 2012 © Paul T. P. Wong

You may protest: “But I’m very happy!”

Don’t be too happy; Jerry the Cat is watching.

You may also boast: “I am the super bass in a supersized aquarium. ”

Three visions of the good life §A Happy Life §A Successful Life §A Meaningful Life Quest for meaning is the most promising pathway to achieving the good life.

Four good things of a meaningful life

Self-reflection is the first step toward meaningful living.

Self-knowledge is the foundation of meaning in life.

Chip Conley: Measuring what makes life worthwhile http: //www. ted. com/talks/chip_conley_mea suring_what_makes_life_worthwhile. html

Nihilism “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. ” -Nietzsche "If God is dead, then everything is permitted. ” - Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky

The Nihilism of King Solomon ‘Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. ’ (Ecclesiastes 1: 2, NIV)

The meaning of meaninglessness The Hebrew word hebel (translated as “vanity” or “meaninglessness”) has the following root meanings: §Vapor or breath-like §Lacking purpose & significance §Lacking permanence & value §Futile & absurd

Pleasures are meaningless §“The eye never has enough of seeing” (Eccl. 1: 8). §“There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1: 9) §Declining pleasure with age (Eccl. 12: 1) §“For without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment? ” (Eccl. 2: 26)

Pleasures are meaningless (2) §Test the limits of pleasures (Eccl. 2: 1) §“What does pleasure accomplish? ” (Eccl. 2: 2) §Everyone has a happiness set point. §Everything pleasurable has negative side effects.

Success is meaningless “…with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. ” (Eccl. 1: 18) “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. ” (Eccl. 2: 11)

Success is meaningless (2) “What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. ” (Eccl. 2: 22 -23)

Success is meaningless (3) “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. ” (Eccl. 5: 10)

Life is meaningless “…everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. ” (Eccl. 2: 11)

Life is short “Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands. ” (Eccl. 5: 15) “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. ” (Eccl. 7: 2)

Life is absurd “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong. ” (Eccl. 9: 11) “Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones. I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves. ” (Eccl. 10: 6 -7)

What is the point of striving? “I hate life. ” (Eccl. 2: 17) § Fate intervenes. § Bad luck strikes. § Death waits for us. “Men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them. ” (Eccl. 9: 12)

Solomon’s Wisdom on Meaningful Living “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. ” (Eccl. 12: 13)

How is “fear of God” related to meaningful living? § Fear of God reminds us of our finitude and makes us aware of our limitations, thus preventing the excesses that often result from the pursuit of happiness and success. “…Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. ” (Eccl. 7: 18)

How is “fear of God” related to meaningful living? (2) § To fear God is to worship Him and please Him. § “To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness…. ” (Eccl. 2: 26) § He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart…. ” (Eccl. 3: 11)

How is “fear of God” related to meaningful living? (3) § A meaningful life is based on Purpose, Understanding Responsibility, and Enjoyment (PURE). § We can find empirical, philosophical, and biblical support for the meaning hypothesis. § Solomon’s conclusion provides a biblical basis for meaningful living.

Purpose in life 1. “…Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ” (Matthew 22: 37, NIV) 2. “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22: 39)

The two greatest commandments § These two commandments provide the blueprint for meaningful living. § The ultimate concern & highest purpose of human life.

Understanding § To stand in awe of God is to expand our vision and become aware of the vastness of the universe. § “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. ” (Prov. 1: 7, AKJV). § “What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. ” (1 Cor. 2: 12, NIV) Understand God’s purpose & calling for our life.

Responsibility § Our whole duty is to serve God and humanity— this is the foundation of living a meaningful life. § The most glorious human achievements can be reduced to dust and forgotten, but what is done in serving God and others will be remembered forever. § To fear God is to make us more accountable for our behaviour (nothing is hidden from Him & He will judge our deeds, Eccl. 3: 17)

Enjoyment “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. ” (Eccl. 3: 12 -13)

There is joy and beauty in every thing and every season of life

Solomon’s Answer to Meaninglessness Self-centered life 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Life is short. Life is empty. Life is absurd. Work is futile. Happiness is transitory. God-centered life 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Life is eternal. Life has value & purpose. Life makes sense thru faith. Work has significance. God enables us to enjoy work & life with an eye on the future.

Can we live a meaningful life without God? § Yes, we can, but in a limited way because, without belief in God an afterlife, we cannot find a satisfactory answer to the reality of suffering, injustice, and death. § Even if we don’t believe in God, we have to create some myth or beliefs, as if there is a God, in order to make sense of life.

Meaning & Post-modernism "The existence of God, no longer questioned, has become useless to man's predicament and its resolution. This, then, is the irony of the cultural tradition of Christianity: it has bequeathed us the idea of the death of God. " - Gabriel Vahanian

God in a post-Christian world "God is not necessary, but he is inevitable. . Faith in him, the conversion of our human reality, both culturally and existentially, is the demand he still makes upon us. " - Gabriel Vahanian

Meaning & Secularization "To live well instead of badly we need a certain strange confidence that, despite our fragmented and discontinuous experience, somehow it all eventually makes sense. But we don’t need to know the how. There is Someone Else, even in The Secular City, who sees to that. “ - Harvey Cox

Is this our new trinity? Revival of the classic virtues for the post-modern world

Finding meaning through existential philosophy

Is positive psychology the pathway to the good life?

Conclusion § Life takes on new meaning with God. § Remember God in your youth (Eccl. 12: 1). § Remember God in your last days (Eccl 12: 3 -7) § Fear God and keep His commandments (Eccl 12: 13). § God’s way is the best pathway to living a meaningful life.

If you want a copy of this PPT, contact drpaulwong@gmail. com If you want to learn more about meaningful living, please visit the following websites: § www. meaning. ca § www. inpm. org § www. drpaulwong. com § www. meetup. com/Toronto-Meaningful-Living-Group