What Is The Point Of Life?
Do you likes riddles? I don’t like riddles, because they often leave me feeling confused and excluded, because I don’t know the answers. Think of this riddle: Grandma likes coffee, but she doesn’t like “Tea”.
Grandma likes dark, but not light. Grandma likes likes cookies, but not chocolate. Grandma likes grass, but not pastures. She likes hills, but not mountains. She likes sandals, but not tennis shoes.
Sometimes we have questions about the Bible, about faith, about God- and life can sometimes feel like a riddle. It can feel like other people have it figured it out and have the answers, but we haven’t figured it out yet. We feel as if we are on the outside, excluded. What is the point of life? Today I want to give you the answer that I believe.
What is the Point of Life?
The answer I have is from the apostle Paul. He was known in Jewish communities as Saul. What did he do before he was captivated by Jesus? His goal in life was to obey rules and punish those who did not. It was not a great way to live. What happened to him that changed his life? He encountered Jesus, and his life changed. Then, he went on a mission to share the good news with others, specifically people who were outside of the Jewish community. We know that Paul faced a lot of struggles in life, getting hurt by others, being imprisoned (which is where he was when he wrote most of his letters), and he faced a lot of dark and sad days. But in his letter to the church in Ephesus he tells them that he is blessed and he knows what the point of all his suffering and pain and blessings are.
This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.
I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
(Ephesians 1:1-3, NLT)
Why did he bless us? And what are the blessings?
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
(Ephesians 1:4-8, NLT)
Why did he bless us? God wanted to do it out of love. Why do people have kids? It’s because they love each other so much that they want to create another person who will be like the person they love!
Where do you see the gospel in this passage? What is the gospel? That God loved us so much, he was so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom (from sin and death and every bad thing) with the blood of his son and forgave our sins.
And what are the blessings? Love, forgiveness, grace, kindness, wisdom, and understanding. What is the wisdom and understanding Paul is talking about? He’s talking about the point of everything! The purpose in life! He’s talking about God’s plan for all of creation. God isn’t the kind of god who sits in the clouds waiting for us to figure out the riddle of life. He is the God who sent His son so that we would be able to have a relationship with Him and know the point of life.
God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
(Ephesians 1:9-11, NLT)
God tells us His plan to save anyone who feels lost. Anyone who is wondering “what is the point of life?”
God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
(Ephesians 1:12-14, NLT)
What does Paul say is the purpose and the point of our life? Trusting in Jesus in order to bring praise and glory to God. When I was in middle school, my friend Lydia and I sat on her bed and discussed the meaning of life. By that time I already knew that my purpose in life was to bring praise and glory to God by working with students and loving others. She wasn’t there yet. She was hurting, she saw how unfair the world could be, we had friends with eating disorders, friends who hurt themselves or others, friends whose parents ignored them. In all of that pain, Lydia didn’t want to accept the hope of Jesus coming to make all things new. She didn’t want to believe that Christians can make a difference in the world because of the way we love others. She wasn’t ready to follow Jesus. Maybe you're like my friend, and you aren’t ready to follow Jesus.
But as my youth pastor used to say: I believe we are all on a journey with Jesus.
You may hear me say the point of life is to bring praise and glory to God and maybe that sounds made up to you. Maybe that sounds boring, but I trust that God will reveal the truth of this mystery to you in His perfect timing. You will learn like I have that praising God and glorifying Him isn’t sitting on a cloud in heaven singing old worship songs all day- it is so much more than that.
It is glorifying to God when we play games together and cheer each other on. It’s glorifying to God when we see a friend who is sad and we choose to sit with them, even when we offer them a hug. It is glorifying to God when we go on a hike and notice just how awesome mountains and hills are! We bring praise to God when we tell others about the reason we have hope in this very broken and hurting world.
What are some things that you think might be glorifying to God?
God chose you because He wanted to! You get the opportunity to choose God, not because you have to, but because you want to! You want the point of your life to be living to the fullest. You want the point of your life to be enjoying a relationship with our perfect friend and savior Jesus Christ. If you choose Him, I believe He will give you all the spiritual blessings Paul talks about in Ephesians. Paul reminds us that when we believe in God, we become part of his family, a family that should love one another as our Heavenly Father loves us. I want to encourage you all today as you go home, the point of your life is to glorify God and praise Him wherever you are: in school, at home, and even at work.
