Preached by Anthony Franklin, 3/2/2008

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Jakob Kocyan (right) Is Baptized

Man’s Search for Meaning in Life - Outline

“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.”
2 Timothy 1:8-11

Do you have a meaning to your life? Meaning is important in literature, art and music because it lets us know why the piece exists. There are many areas where this is true. For example, knowing what someone means within the context of a conversation is very important. The phrase “go away” can have multiple meanings depending upon who said it. Maybe the person wants some privacy. Maybe you made them mad earlier. Regardless, meaning is important in communication. In the same way, the author of our lives, Jesus Christ had a meaning when he made us. We were not made haphazardly by an explosion of molecules, nor did energy and matter come together to produce the creativity, imagination and values each one of us has. No, we were made in the image of God himself who “saved us and called us to a holy life.” God offers to show us time after time (through the word) the meaning for our lives but sadly most never take the time to look.

Often, the symptom in those who are ignorant of God’s meaning for their lives is boredom. Just as conversations become useless without knowing the meaning behind the words, these people become useless, lifeless and hopeless. They fill their lives with the best alternatives: pleasure, money or relationships. I know because I was one of these people. I filled my life with the transitory pleasures this world has to offer and yet every night my head hit my pillow wondering if there was something more to life. Sadly, I attended church weekly and still wondered if there was any real meaning to life. It was not until my freshman year at Wichita State University that I would learn the meaning God has for us. Jesus himself has “destroyed death” through his own sacrifice has brought life into the world. God wants to give us the most important mission any person can have, “to testify about our Lord.”

Our Campus & Teen ministry testified about the Lord in an incredible service this Sunday. We had 147 people in attendance as many of our students preached about the meaning God has given them in life. Amazingly, three were baptized this Sunday: Jakub from UIC, Jacque & Nick all the way from the Quad Cities – as well as one restoration, Elaine! Several of our students preached from their hearts:

• Joel & Brittney – Leaders of our UIC campus ministry welcomed us by sharing powerfully about the two current Bible Talks on campus. They shared about several of the young men and women God has added to their number.
• Victor – Our young fired-up disciple from Harold Washington College prayed for the service.
• James – The newest addition to our family from Kennedy King College preached in his own way as he sang a beautiful song called “ “ to get our hearts ready for communion.
• Theo & Tia – Our two leaders at Joliet Junior College presided over communion. Theo preached from 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 and he spoke about examining himself before communion. He shared powerfully from his own life and how God had given him more chances than he really deserves. Tia shared vulnerably from her own life of selfishness and pride to get us to examine ourselves.
• Dre – Another brother from our campus ministry shared his deep convictions for contribution. Dre shared personally how he had very little money in his life growing up in the south side of Chicago. He also preached the sacrifice Jesus made is a much bigger sacrifice than any of us can make. Truly, he brought our giving back to the view of the cross.
Man’s Search for Meaning

I. Introduction
-explain Man’s search for meaning
-SHARE: GUY ON BIKE ALMOST DYING
*Luke 17:18-30
-People reject God’s purpose for their life

II. The Need for Meaning
A. People want meaning for their lives
1) SHARE: PUBLIC OPINION POLL FOR FINDING MEANING
2) Boredom is the main symptom of having no meaning in life
3) Being busy does not mean you have meaning, quite the opposite
SHARE: MY OWN NON-CHRISTIAN BOREDOM
B. Reasons people don’t have meaning in their lives
1) Conforming to the crowd (we often let others media etc tell us what the meaning of life should be)
2) Our tendency to live in the past
a. Beat ourselves up
b. The best is already over

III. Everything is Meaningless
*Ecclesiastes 2:1-3,10-11
A. Pleasure is Meaningless
1) Happiness is only temporary, thus you can never always have pleasure
2) Joy is permanent, college students known for pursuing pleasure
*Ecclesiastes 2:17-23
B. Work is Meaningless
C. Money is Meaningless

IV. The Ultimate Meaning
*2 Timothy 1:8-12
A. The meaning that lasts forever
1) Fishing for men, saving souls for eternity
2) For too many people, the meaning of their life is to just sit there
B. Living for your meaning
1) Life is both finite and final
2) Make the most of every opportunity

V. Conclusion
*Matthew 28:18-20
A. “He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.” - Nietzsche
B. Jesus gave meaning 2000 years ago, and he still gives it today.
YOU EITHER ACCELERATE OR VEGETATE!

Every generation is looking for meaning to their life. If you are tired of running the rat race, if want to know God’s purpose for your life and if you want to change the world we challenge you to join the revolution. Join us as we press on toward the goal of spreading the gospel to every people, every tribe, and every nation in the world. It was His mission and it must be ours. Let us do it for God and let us do it for the kingdom!

Anthony Franklin

Categories: Campus Ministry, Sermons