The Functions of Deity: Teleology (God Defines your Life Purpose)

Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ the Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 13 June 2010 and 28 April 2024. Scripture quotes from Matthew, 1 Corinthians, Hebrews, and Isaiah were translated by Nate, all others are adapted by Nate from the ASV.

Intro: Suicide story

Opinion #1 – There is No Meaning to Life

There are some who say that there is no meaning to life because there is no personal God to give it meaning, only an impersonal material universe:

Opinion #2 – You Define Your Own Meaning to Life

Others, however, say that there can be meaning to life and that we are to define that meaning for ourselves:

Opinion #3 – Other People Define your Life Purpose

There are other worldviews that define our life purpose in terms of the will of other persons:

Opinion #4 – A transcendent, personal God defines your life purpose:

God’s Purpose for Life Revealed

God sent prophets and apostles to reveal His plan concerning mankind. Those guys wrote down in the Holy Bible what God revealed to them about His purpose, and what the Bible says is that the overall reason why God made us is for us to glorify Him.

God’s Commands

God’s strategy for achieving His goal

The way God intends to get glory for Himself is by providing such a great salvation that we will want to glorify Him. The Apostle Paul wrote about this at length:

Different Roles in Fulfilling God’s Goal

Everyone is called to glorify God by rejoicing in His salvation, but not everyone has the same role to play in this. God gives more-specific life purposes to different individuals, for instance:

How do you Know God’s Specific Life Purpose For You?

Consider the following five clues. If most of them line up with the same sort of answer, then there’s good reason to believe that is God’s specific life purpose for you.

1. What do you love to do?

2. What are you good at?

3. What scriptural commands resonate with you?

4. What opportunities has God given you?

5. What have wise counselors advised you to do?



Generally these five things will line up to point in a certain direction: the advice of wise counselors, a strategic opportunity, Bible verses that resonate with you, what you are good at and what you love to do. But sometimes things aren’t all that clear. When things are unclear, don’t panic. God is still going to direct you according to His good plan, just as He declares in Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead that we should walk in them.” God has prepared the course of your life ahead-of-time. Don’t worry; just keep following after Him. His purposes will make your life well worth living!

1Based on a story by CNN in 2009. Statistic from https://www.statista.com/statistics/622705/japan-suicide-number-per-100-000-inhabitants-by-gender/

2 M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled, pp. 281-283.

3 www.StevePavlina.com/blog/2005/01/how-to-discover-your-life-purpose-in-about-20-minutes/

4 pp. 107-108.

5 Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living

6 cf. Irving L. Janis, Groupthink: Psychological Studies of Policy Decisions and Fiascoes (1982)

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