Communauté et discipulat

The Meaning of life

2013.04.07Rev. Eddie Byun

Life, labor, and legacy are all in vain apart from God, so meaning and significance are found only in knowing our Maker, Jesus Christ, and living for His glory.

Our life is in vain apart from God (1-2절)

Ecclesiastes is a book in which the author, most likely Solomon, searches for meaning in a fallen world and shares what he learned. Its opening declares that all is vanity, which repeats the word 38 times in the book and carries the sense of trying to catch the wind or gathering morning mist that vanishes in the hand. James 4:14 speaks of life as a mist that appears briefly and then vanishes. Many people spend years searching for meaning and come up empty, through education, career, relationships, alcohol, entertainment, or the pursuit of an idealized appearance, and some even choose to end their lives. Yet the preacher also shows that life is meaningless only when it is lived apart from God, who is the same person who gives us meaning. The phrase 'under the sun' describes life lived in a world without God.

Our labor is in vain apart from God (3-7절)

Solomon asks what gain there is in all the toil done under the sun. The word gain can also mean profit, the remainder left after all costs are paid. Houses decay, cars rust, clothes go out of style, and even shopping malls lose their appeal within a few years. Generations come and go while the earth remains, and the cycles of sun, wind, and streams show no true direction or purpose. The story of a friend's apples that rotted after a whole day of picking shows that the world owes us nothing for our labor. The elderly Greeks whose lifetime savings vanished overnight show the same thing. The philosophy of our day says we can succeed as self-made people, but God says that without Him there is no gain. Matthew 6:19-21 teaches that the treasure that matters most is the one stored in heaven.

Our work gains meaning when done for the Lord (58절)

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:58 that our labor is not in vain when it is done in the Lord. Colossians 3:17 teaches that whatever we do in word or deed should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus. Jesus gives both life and work their proper purpose. A person has not truly prospered until the most important bank account is the one in heaven, because gaining gold in this life without gaining God means gaining nothing. Life's purpose is not simply to work but to work in a way that brings glory to Jesus and builds the kingdom of God. This is why we exist, why we were saved, and why God gave us the work that He did.

Our legacy is in vain apart from God (9-11절)

Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 teaches that nothing is truly new under the sun and that no one will remember our names generations later, unless we are in Christ, who makes all things new. So we should not put our hope in our own work but in the work of Christ on the cross, which we remember in the Lord's Supper. Hebrews 6:10 says that God will not forget the work and love we show by serving His people. The only thing that remains is the acts of love done in His name. John Piper tells of an elderly man who came to Christ only at the end of his life and cried, 'I've wasted it!' Living for the Lord is what enables us to leave a true legacy.

Only the Maker reveals the purpose of our lives

Blaise Pascal said there is a God-shaped vacuum in every heart that only God can fill, made known through the person of Jesus Christ. We try to fill that emptiness with food, friendships, marriages, drugs, and other things that numb the longing, but only knowing Jesus can satisfy it. Just as the purpose of a CD player is known only to the one who made it, the reason we were made is known only to our Maker. We find our purpose, meaning, and significance in a true relationship with Him. We were created to know Him, to be known by Him, to love Him, to be loved by Him, and to live for Him, so that our work and relationships will have proper significance and leave an eternal legacy.

Apply to Life

  • 우리의 삶이 하나님을 떠나 헛되지 않도록, 나를 지으신 창조주를 알아갑시다.
  • 하나님 없이 쌓는 세상의 보물이 아니라 하늘에 쌓는 보물을 붙듭시다.
  • 우리의 일을 주님을 위해 하고, 예수님의 이름으로 행합시다.
  • 이웃을 섬기는 사랑의 행위가 하나님 앞에서 잊혀지지 않음을 믿고 실천합시다.
  • 마음의 빈자리를 세상의 것이 아니라 오직 예수 그리스도로 채우기를 돌아봅시다.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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