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uh so we are continuing our series the uh which is of course the perfect man series and as i said last week's sermon was to be more of an introduction but this sermon as well is almost like an introduction as well it's very much foundational to the rest of the series you know if you don't get this sermon you're not going to appreciate the rest of the series let's put it that way so i would say this is probably by far the most important sermon of the series so i really want you to pay attention and as we keep going through the series i want you to reflect back and think about what we spoke about today all right so what am i going to be looking at today well first of all we're all given life we've all been born praise god whether you're saved or unsaved you know you're living on this world and we're trying to get through life but you know what life shouldn't be just about getting through life you know at some point it crosses everybody's mind whether you're saved or unsaved at some point it'll cross your mind what is the meaning of life what is the purpose of life okay why am i here where did i come from where am i going and we all have different perspectives on that in fact you know to prepare for this sermon i looked up on just online to see what different people give their opinions on and what the the meaning of life is and really i read so many articles and they just could not tell you that's just the world does not know but yet they are seeking this they're seeking meaning they're seeking purpose they want satisfaction and fulfillment in their life but they don't know what the meaning is and so i want to give you the meaning today the title for the sermon this morning is the meaning of life the meaning of life if you get the meaning you get your purpose you know why you exist and where you came from where you're going the rest of the world rest of life is going to make perfect sense to you you'll be able to strive toward being that perfect man if you look at colossians chapter 1 verse number 16 colossians chapter 1 verse number 16 it says for by him were all things created that are in heaven and are in earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or or powers look at this all things were created by him and for him verse number 17 and he is before all things and by him all things consist and he is the head of the body the church who is the beginning the first bond from the dead that in all things he might have the preeminence who are we speaking about who's the him here of course the context of that is jesus christ okay so what's at the end of verse number 16 it says all things were created by him and for him what is the meaning of life why do you exist you know why you exist for him you exist for jesus god gave you life god let you be born in this world for jesus god has given you every day leading up to this point for jesus today ought to be for jesus tomorrow ought to be for jesus the person that you are everything that you accomplish everything that you do ought to be to our lord god almighty that is the meaning of life brethren it might it's so it's so obvious to christians we know this truth okay i'm not teaching you anything new we know this this is easy to understand but you know what it's it's hard to apply it's hard to remind yourself every day the reason i'm here is for jesus's sake what does the lord want from me and you know as a child i remember growing up and i'm hearing sermons you know we do all things for christ and i'm like yeah okay we do all things for christ but you know i've got to go to school and how's that for christ you know i i play with my friends and i i'm just you know as a child i'm just thinking i'm just getting through life i understand the disconnect that people can have understanding that we're here for jesus we're here for the lord god but not really understanding how their life plugs into that idea you know your daily life your daily routine that you're trying to get through in life and uh as i said everybody at some point tries to work out why am i here what's my purpose and if you don't figure it out and you can't apply it even though you know what it is but it's so far removed from your mind you're going to feel like a failure you're going to feel like your life is worthless that there's no purpose behind this life and you may end up having some very negative thoughts but you know from my own personal experience my own life and and even the testimony and life of others i've learned that those people that understand this truth that i'm here for jesus i'm here to serve jesus christ they end up being the people that have the most joy they end up people that seem to have the motivation to get through whatever challenge and difficulty they may face in life they also the the people that can turn a negative situation a negative uh you know experience into a positive one very quickly they're able to quickly determine okay this is difficult this is challenging but they very quickly turn okay what is the positive what can i get out of this and the same thing that i'm finding within not just my own personal life but again the testimony of others is that you know we've ended up understanding that we're here for jesus we're going through this because of jesus we're living our life because of jesus i'm in my family because of jesus i'm living this life i'm in this job because of jesus i have this these children because of jesus i have this church because of jesus i go soul winning because of jesus and once you understand that that is the purpose that isn't me that's why you were created for jesus's sake he created him you were created for him and everything you do is for him everything starts to make a lot of sense and i promise this you're going to have a lot of joy in your life you're going to have a greater motivation in life than what you may have in this current time well that's all i want to take out of colossians can you please turn to the book of ecclesiastes turn to the book of ecclesiastes and ecclesiastes chapter one the book of ecclesiastes we know it's it's a book that's written by solomon and it's it's a it's a book that's kind of hard to fully grasp grasp sometimes some things are clear and easy some things are kind of challenging but it's it's understanding what this book is all about it's about solomon king solomon and he's trying to figure out the meaning of life he's trying to figure out what is the purpose of all things you know and he explores and tries a whole bunch of different things and he's kind of giving testimony on his journey as he tries to discover what gives fulfillment what gives purpose what gives meaning in life okay so you've got to be mindful when you read things that you understand that it your your the book is through the lens of a man trying to find answers to life's questions okay so if we look at ecclesiastes chapter one verse number 14 king solomon of course was able to accomplish much did a lot of great works had a lot of power and influence and and even money and it says in verse number 14 i have seen all the works that are done under the sun and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirits wow solomon has looked at everything every work every situation any kind of pleasure you know anything that people seek after and he's able to look at it all all the works under the sun is like it's all vanity it's all empty it's all vexation spirit it bothers the soul it bothers the spirit of man you know they're just not able they seem to be seeking after things but even when you achieve and you reach that thing it's still vanity and if you're not careful the book of ecclesiastes you might end up with a thought that well whatever we do in life means nothing in the end like whatever we do just it's pointless you know having having a you know a faithful family serving the lord is pointless having a job to provide for my every knee it's pointless you may end up and you don't understand the greater context of the book of ecclesiastics that's why it's a challenging book you need to understand we're going through the journey of a man he's trying to find answers he's trying to find fulfillment okay basically you know if you were to ask the question so is everything that we do in life vain and empty if if that's an affirmative yes all the time then i can understand that we're no different at that point to an atheist an atheist that doesn't believe in god he believes that you know he's just a random his existences are just a random chance that when he dies he's just going to be buried it's going to be fertilizer to grass and that's the end of his consciousness that's the end of his existence because at the end of it what's the point of it all it's just a random accident well in that sense yes it's true in that sense it's true that all of life is vain and empty and pointless it can the answer can be yes okay but the answer can also be no that everything that we do has meaning everything that we do has purpose and don't you think if you understand that everything that i am everything i do has meaning and purpose and you understand that meaning of life that you're here for jesus that that's going to cause you to enjoy life that's going to cause you to be happy and fulfilled but if you take the view that well everything's pointless and empty and there's no you know i'm just gonna die and that's the end of it all don't you realize that's also uh the that's where someone can feel the vanity of life where someone can be depressed and discouraged and think it's all worthless what's the point of it all and so what solomon is saying is true okay it's true but it's true at this point in his journey as he's seeking pleasures of the world let's go to chapter two ecclesiastes chapter two in verse number one let's have a look at you know the things that he seeks for in life you know what kind of fulfillment is he looking for and before we read ecclesiastes uh chapter two the point that i'm trying to drive is we can have two men right or one man is here on the right hand side one man is here on the left hand side you know both these men work a similar job both these men you know uh earn similar money both these men have gone out and and they provided for themselves and you know they may have similar uh possessions and similar interests in life both these men sometimes might be able to relax and go on holidays and you know chill out once in a while and just just enjoy uh what there is to see and to do in the world right but one man can look at it all at some point in his life and say boy what's the point of it all i'm not fulfilled i'm not satisfied i'm doing everything that i want but i'm just i'm not happy in life i just don't find any satisfaction it's all vanity because i'm just going to die and what's the point of it all the same man has done everything on the right hand side this same man has done everything this man on the left has done and he's able to go boy i love life it's wonderful you know thank god i'm being blessed by the lord you know i i'm serving the lord jesus christ of my life and and i'm thankful for everything that god has given me and yet both these men have done pretty much the exact same thing as each other but they have very different outlooks to life okay why is that why is one to one everything being vanity and for another they're blessed and they're just living that abundant happy life well this person my point is is doing all things for jesus christ and this person is doing it for himself he's trying to fulfill his will and this person on the right is trying to fulfill the will of the lord god that's the difference okay look at ecclesiastes chapter two and verse number one it says i said in mine heart go to now i will prove thee with mirth therefore enjoy pleasure and behold this also is vanity the psalmist is like i'm just going to seek whatever pleases me because man it's all vanity what what what kinds of thing did he look up look for verse number two i said of laughter it is mad and of mirth what doeth it i sought in my heart to give myself unto wine yet acquainted my heart with wisdom and to lay hold on folly till i might see what was that good for the sons of men which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life i made me great works i builded me houses i planted me vineyards i made me gardens and orchids and i planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits i made me pools of water to water with the wood that bring forth trees i got me servants and maidens and had servants born in my house also i had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in jerusalem before me i gathered me also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces i get me men singers and women singers i even had you know performers right and that the lights of the sons of men as musical instruments and that of all sorts so i was great and increased more than all that were before me in jerusalem also my wisdom remained with me and whatsoever mine eyes desired i kept not from them what would we call that everything my eyes desires we would call that covetousness right i withheld not my heart from any joy for my heart rejoiced in all my labor and this was my portion of all my labor then i looked on all the works that my hands had wrought and on the labor that i had labor to do and behold all was vanity and vexation of spirits and there was no profit under the sun okay so we need to understand what is he what is he saying here what solomon is saying that if you seek to find meaning in life in earthly pleasures what is the meaning of life maybe the meaning of life maybe my purpose is to acquire as much wealth to acquire as much possessions as i possibly can i can i can you know have as many friends people serving me i can just you know i just want to achieve everything that anybody in this world achieves and you think if you find meaning and purpose and pleasure in those things you're going to end up saying boy it's all vanity it's all vexation of spirit in fact this gives me no joy at the end of it it brings me down it gives me sorrow it brings me vexation that's the problem he's looking for meaning the meaning of life in earthly possessions okay it's all going to be for vanity and brethren if you are seeking purpose of who you are why you're here and you think it's just about acquiring as much as you can and maybe you'll find enjoyment in the hobbies and the pleasures that you have you're going to turn around one day and say it's all for vanity it's vexation of spirit what was the point of it all i gave myself to so many things but it was all worthless you're going to be cast down depressed and you're not going to be able to fulfill the great work that god has for you but when we look at some of the things that he spoke about are they wrong are they sinful in of themselves maybe some of those things were wrong maybe some of those things were sinful i'm not sure what kind of wine was speaking about in that passage might have been alcoholic wine if that's the case that would have been sinful uh of course wine back in those days was a very you know juice juice in general an alcoholic juice was uh you know um very valuable very rare hard to come about so maybe he's just thinking about the pleasures of having the ability to drink juice rather than just water all the time you know but you know many of these things they're not necessarily wrong or sinful in of themselves many of these things if you had yourself and maybe some of those things you do have maybe you do have the houses that he built maybe you do have the gold and the silver and you have a bit of a bank account or some some investments in different places does that mean it's all wicked and sinful it's something you shouldn't have in life that's not what he's saying he's saying that his pleasures he's he's seeking for meaning is in those possessions and that's why it's all vanity those things in of themselves are not sinful those things in of themselves in fact may very well be the blessings of god in your life but you need to ensure you understand what is my meaning is my purpose is my meaning earthly possessions earthly pleasures or is my meaning of life to serve my lord jesus christ okay and that's the end of that's really it brethren if you have your mindset that i'm here to serve jesus and you end up with some of these things that were mentioned there by king solomon you can't turn around and say well that's just vain and worthless and vexational spirit it's not because what it is is a byproduct of having put christ first and in your journey of putting christ first you've acquired certain things in life but once again it's not because you sought pleasures or meaning in those things of themselves rather your desire your delight was in the lord god you sought to serve him first can you please turn to the book of luke turn to luke chapter 12 for me luke chapter 12 luke chapter 12 and verse number 15 luke chapter 12 and verse number 15 luke 12 15 reads and he said unto them take heed to pay attention listen up and beware of covetousness for a man's life consists of not in the abundance of the things which he possesses what is jesus saying he's teaching the complete opposite to what our society teaches you know what our society thinks they think you are your level of education they think that what makes up the man that you are is how much you've studied have you completed your your high school have you completed you know a diploma have you gone to university have you gained qualifications and they think well if you've gained all those things that's who you are you know you've made yourself into something in society now again is there anything wrong with that education of course not right there's nothing wrong with that education in of itself but people think that's what that's who i am okay you know and they might look at themselves as being highly educated they might look at someone else who has had no education and think well i'm a better person i'm a better person in society i've achieved more than the person over here that has not had a decent education life is more than that okay life is more than your financial position again people think the amount of wealth that i have right you see magazines and they'll list like you know the top the the richest people on the earth or they might say hey these are some self-made millionaires and there were lists of people and people that have made you know great sums of money they yes i'm in the billionaire club billionaire that almost doesn't sound that great anymore but you know a trillionaire i'm in the trillionaire club you know and that's who i am and no that's not what life is all about yes that's what man looks at that's not how god judges who you are that's god is not a respect of persons okay that's not what is valuable to the lord god what else do people look out look for you know i i know people that kind of think of themselves as uh highly cultured because they traveled you know around the world and it's like i hear stories people say well before i get married you know i want to make sure that i visit you know that i've gone to europe that i've gone to the united states that i've gone into asia and i've experienced the world to some extent you know that i'm cultured and knowing about the world and they think that's important they think that's what makes them who they are and they look at someone who has not traveled maybe has just been humbly in the same town their whole life and they think well i'm much better than that person because i'm cultured you know that that's what again that's what man looks for okay that's what they seek for but again is there anything wrong with these things once again is there anything wrong with the education no is there anything wrong with having some level of wealth and possessions from your hard work no is there anything wrong with going and visiting a country and enjoying a bit of a holiday and relaxation no there's nothing wrong and sinful in all those things by themselves but the people that seek meaning in these things that think that's what their life is made up of they're gonna turn around one day and say boy it's all vain it's all vexational spirit you know it was all worthless what was the point of it all for the person over here that has acquired those things in life as a byproduct of simply serving the lord god in their life prioritizing christ understanding who they are and why they're created they'll be able to enjoy those things and they'll say hey those things weren't vain those things were a blessing thank you lord for making my life fulfilled and and you know fun and enjoyable and i was able to you know serve you lord but at the same time i was able to have a happy life and a fulfilled life on this earth you know your life is not your political affiliations that's something else that people build up and they like to find identity in a you know ideology or political realm and say well that's what i belong that's what i am right whatever whatever political politics you may have in your mind is there anything wrong with politics once again nothing wrong with it we need to have you know some set of uh thoughts of governing a nation and and uh you know we can't just be anarchy and no rules that govern the land you know politics has its place but once again that's not who i am my political views is not who i am as far as at the end of the day okay my affiliations on political views is not what god wants to be focused on in life but again is there anything wrong with those things no there's nothing wrong with these things in of themselves drop down to verse number 22 luke 12 22 luke 12 22 and while there's nothing wrong in those things in of themselves but doesn't that isn't that what the world seeks after they seek to identify themselves with these possessions with their experiences with their education with their political affiliation and they think that's what makes who they are okay once again those people seeking that they think that's where the meaning of life is they're gonna see that life is all vanity okay luke 12 22 22 and he said unto his disciples therefore i say unto you take no thoughts for your life what you shall eat neither for the body what you shall put on the life is more than meat and the body is more than raiment so this is how you now understand do we need meat do we need to eat we need to eat but life is more than that do we need raiment we need raiment but life is more than that do we need an education get an education do we need to work hard and have some finances so we can pay for our bills yes work hard get your finances together amen okay should i something if i have the ability to go to holidays and even visit another country and uh you know get to see a little bit of the world you know yes do that if you can do that do it all right do those things you know but your life is more than those things okay your life is the meaning of life is beyond all of that this is what's being taught here it's not saying you've got to choose one or another and this is where i find young christians especially children that get into adulthood teenagers get into adulthood they struggle with these ideas i struggled with this concept you know how is it you know and i'm thinking does jesus just want me to give everything up does jesus just want me to be like all right i'm gonna do nothing in my life and i'm just going to you know get into church and work and get into my full-time ministry in church maybe some people have thought you know i've got to quit my jobs and just go soloing every day of my life maybe that's what's going to please god you know and and they can't reconcile these thoughts how is it that god is saying you know jesus christ is saying take no thought of your life what you shall eat oh i guess that means i don't have to work i guess that means i don't have to provide because god's just going to take care of it all that's nobody's saying okay it's that that's not what you just that's not just your life you know you're going to work isn't or let's say you're an electrician you know and you say i'm an electrician well you are an electrician as far as your employment goes but your life is more than that you're not just an electrician if you lived a life just to be an electrician yeah you're going to find your life being vanity and empty okay but if as you serve god knowing that you need to work hard knowing that you need to provide knowing that you need to one day have a wife and family and provide for them and as a to serve the lord jesus christ because that's what god wants from you and as a byproduct of that of knowing that you go and get a job and become an electrician that's a byproduct that's secondary but your primary purpose was i'm here to serve jesus what does jesus want me to do with my life and when that's your perspective and at the end of the day brevin this is what the sermon is all about you need the right perspective when you have that as perspective you're going to find fulfillment in every aspect of your life no matter how challenging and difficult it might become let's keep going let's drop down to verse number 30 luke chapter 12 and verse number 30 it says in it says there for all these things do the nations of the world seek after what does the world seek after all those things that we listed right to think that's what's going to give them meaning and purpose and your father knows that you need all these things so it's not saying that you don't need those things yourself the father knows you need those things right look at verse number 31 but rather seek you the kingdom of god at the expense of all those other things no seek you the kingdom of god and all these things shall be added unto you you see god is not saying go without all those things forget your education forget working hard forget providing forget all that and just serve me that's what he's saying he says as you serve me the byproduct of serving me will be all these things in your life in other words you've got to have the right perspective you've got to have the right priorities your priority is jesus your priority is the lord your priorities understanding i'm here for god and when i go and do and accomplish the same things and i get the same things that the world has my pleasures and my heart is not set on those things it is simply i brought byproducts that i can enjoy uh in life and it doesn't it's not vanity anymore because i've achieved those things i've attained those things as i've had my focus and my mind set on the lord god that's how we reconcile these passages brethren it's not that god wants you to be this herman that's i'm not going to get married i'm not going to have a home i'm going to be like jesus and not have a place to rest my head that's how i'm served god right you become a monk in some monastery monastery that's what they think they think you've got to give it all up and just that's how god's going to be happy you know you've missed the point it's about doing the same thing that the world does of course not the sinful things but the same things that the world kind of needs in order to get through life it's accomplishing those same things by having your priorities in your heart your love set on jesus christ and his kingdom as you go for this this changes everything in life i'm telling you it's going to give you the greatest joy okay it's going to give this greatest joy and uh you know you need to determine and understand that my existence and all that i do is for the lord okay everything else is a byproduct everything else is secondary things that i can enjoy yes amen enjoy the things that you have in life and as australians we have a lot we have a lot in life okay as australians but where is your heart is your heart in those things or is your heart toward the lord let me give you an example of how this plays and real life examples in my life and again i don't say give you these examples i'm thinking a great person i'm not a great person brethren i'm the same as anybody else okay but you know when i was uh recently married and then both these these stories and i've probably given them before in past sermons but both these stories took place early in our marriage my wife and i and uh i had a heart set you know that i've got to buy a house you know i just had that in my mind i don't know just society has put that into my brain that i need to buy a house i can't just rent for the rest of my life and i found that you know i'm working a job and i'm earning like a low i have a low income at this point in time and like i'm never gonna save up for a deposit i'm never it's never gonna happen and uh you know what my heart was set on getting a house you know what i did found out early in my life as though i had my heart set on buying a house i just turned around say it's all vanity in fact it's more than vanity it's vexation of spirit this gives me great sorrow it casts me down you know why is it you know it seems like lord everyone needs a house surely you know i'm not asking for too much here lord right surely but again my priorities were wrong my priority was i i have to have this house i got to a point in my life when i thought about jesus and again i already kind of mentioned jesus said he had no place to lay his head and at some point you know i just i kind of broke down a little bit of the law and i said wow you know how is it that i can ask and demand for my lord something that jesus christ did not even have jesus christ did not have a house okay he went from house to house but many times he would have just been out there in the wilderness sleeping up on a mountain or something with his disciples trying to find some shelter and i'm asking for much more and i just said to the lord you know lord if it's not your will i'm at a point now where if i you know if i can't buy a house i don't care about that you know if that's not your will for my life lord i just want to follow your will whatever that is lord if i have to rent for the rest of my life you know what i just i just submit to that will and i'm sorry for being selfish i'm sorry for having the wrong perspective of in life you know what i think within the month i was able to get a deposit together and buy a house once i was able to change my priorities in life once i was able to just and i i'm telling you the truth i completely gave up on the idea i completely i just put in god's hand and said god i'm putting you first whatever you want lord you can do it and then he he gave me a house okay so you know i'm not here saying wow you know because you know one of the great desires of australians is to be a homeowner you know that doesn't i don't care about that brethren that's not what makes me a great person having a house who cares you know is it a bike it's a by-product thank you lord you've made you made it possible but i realized i had to put my lord first i had to find the meaning of life my meaning was not the house my meaning was my lord god and thank you lord you actually open the door somehow somehow god's hand can change things and uh it makes it possible the other example that i have in our newly married life was my wife many of you know that i gave the story before we got married my wife was told she'll never be able to have kids and she went the first nine months you know um i don't believe she felt pregnant you know at all the first nine months of our marriage and it was a desire for for christina to have children and i think being told as a woman you can never have kids i think that desire becomes even greater okay and uh you know she got to a point as well similar to me she got to a point where she told me about this i knew this was a great burden upon her and she came one day to me and said look i've decided that uh if i can't have any kids and that's what god's will is for me and i'm going to be barren for the rest of my life i decide that i'm just going to be happy i'm going to accept that as god's will for my life and i think again something similar within a month she fell pregnant we had his you know isabel nine months later and then what 11 kids now praise god but you know they're both the same story it's it's the same thing we both found meaning in life okay not meaning in possessions not even meaning in a large family i don't go around thinking man i'm such a great person look at me with 11 kids i'm so great you know what you can be great with one child and you know what if a woman is barren she can be great for the lord you know what it's about finding meaning in the lord jesus christ say god i understand my purpose now my purpose is prioritize you your kingdom you come first your will in my life lord and if you give me all these other things that the gentiles and the world seeks after lord then praise god you give it to me and he has and i think we can be blessed in such a great way in life if we just change our perspective we just change our priority we just discover meaning not in our possessions or or what we accomplish in life but we find our meaning in the lord say lord i'm here for you what would you have me to do lord how would you have me live my life for you and this comes in all aspects every aspect of your life not just your job not just the raising of your family not just your church but even every dollar you spend every dollar that comes out of your wallet to spend on something say lord i'm going to do this for you you know what you change that mindset everything changes you're going to stop wasting your money on the crap can i say that yeah you know you're going to stop wasting your money on on hollywood you're going to stop wasting your money on things that are truly godless and vain and you know this please the lord when you understand that whatever dollar that i have in my wallet whatever dollar i have my bank account lord that's for you and i'm going to serve you before i spend this how would you want me to spend this dollar you know it changes everything i'm talking about all aspects of your life it changes everything can you please turn to marked up the 12 in verse number 41 marked up the 12 and verse number 41 mark 12 41 next point that i have for you on this topic is don't compare yourself to others don't compare yourself to others don't look at your possessions and what you've accomplished in life and look at someone else's possessions and what they've accomplished in life and because if you do that you're not going to be happy you're not going to be fulfilled okay because there's always someone that has more than you and here's the thing you can have it all just like solomon no one had more than solomon and he still found it all to be vain and empty okay but march of the 12 in verse number 41 and before we read this i want because i'm sure there are some people right now in church going yeah that's all well and good for you pastor kevin you grew up in a christian home you got married you've never been divorced you gotta have a bunch of kids your pastor in two churches you know but me i've stuffed up my life i've been divorced you know i committed i've you know committed fornication or something right i've been a drunkard i i've still struggling with different things in my life this and that and i've i've messed up my life and you know i i haven't been living for the lord and i've made too many mistakes uh pastor kevin how does this apply to me well it's not about your past anymore you can't change the past this sermon is for today this sermon is for today okay how are you going to prioritize and serve the lord today how are you going to find meaning in life today you can't change the past you don't need to go back there okay how are you going to serve the lord today okay maybe your life is messed up right now maybe you're struggling with all kinds of sicknesses in your body maybe you've made all kinds of mistakes and problems and you're still dealing with the consequences of all those mistakes and problems in the past but you know what you need to decide this is what i have right now lord today my life is messed up yes it is lord i'm sorry for all the stuff ups that i made but this is my life that i have right now lord and if i'm going to find meaning my life lord help me find meaning in the current situation that i am in today okay now look at march of the 12 in verse number 41 and jesus sat over against the treasury and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury and many that were rich cast in much and there came a certain poor widow and threw in two mites i don't know what two mites is i'm thinking two cents okay which make a farthing we don't even have two cents anymore in australia okay let's say it was 10 cents two five cent coins okay which make a farthing then he called unto him his disciples and safe unto them verily i say unto you that this poor widow have cast it cast more in look at that than all they which have cast into the treasury for all they did cast out of their abundance but she of her wants did cast in all that she had even all her living listen this widow doesn't have much she's lost her husband i don't know who's looking after her maybe she's going without she's obviously wanting christ says she has wants she has needs but you know what she says she goes i have two mites lord that's all i have in my life okay this is where i am right now i don't have abundance i'm not doing that well in my life all i have are these two mites you know what she says these two mites are for the lord lord i'm going to prioritize you this is all i have lord i'm going to prioritize you even with these two mites that i have and jesus christ looks down and says she's given more okay you know what yes i had the blessing of growing up in christian home yes i passed the two churches yes my life has been pretty stable you know and i haven't had great misery and great uh sufferings like other people have okay but you know what you can accomplish more for god than me even if your life is messed up even if you made mistakes even if you stuffed up your life yesterday today you've got a chance to give everything you have before you have these two mites you give it unto the lord say lord i'm prioritizing you you've given much more than those that have abundance okay and god's going to reward you as such this widow you think this widow's going to remain a poor beggar in heaven when she gets to heaven or do you think she's going to have one of the best mansions you know she's given everything she has to the lord and yet on this earth it was only two months so you need to have god's perspective on life you need to get meaning from the lord okay don't compare yourself to other people that have abundance you might have very little but you give it to the lord you're going to have great riches in heaven god looks down and he's pleased okay that is her purpose that is her meaning the widow to give all she has to the lord now this is not teaching empty out your bank account and put it onto the church that's not what he's teaching reverend okay the point is she's being careful with what she has instead of prioritizing her own will she goes no lord i'm going to prioritize your will what you want from me you know and no doubt she's going to be great in the kingdom of heaven you know the biggest game changer for me where i really learned this was when i was working a job and i was stuck in a dead-end job that like literally dead-end job i was there for maybe three years at this point in time i'm working because i've got a wife and i got kids now to look after and i don't have a choice right i mean if i was a single man i would have been a dead-end job and i'd probably be like man it's this i can't do this i'll quit that's probably how i'd be and this is why many single men they they get into a job and becomes like you know repetitive and mundane they're like i can't i don't find fulfillment in this and they leave the job and find something else when you got a wife and kids got no choice amen praise god for that uh but yeah you know when i'm stuck in that dead-end job i'm just thinking this is all just vanity this is empty what am i doing here where am i going you know what am i achieving and i found myself going to work and just not being happy okay not being happy at work can you please turn to Colossians chapter 3 and verse number 22 this was the biggest game changer for me this is where i learned that myself okay and then i started to apply in all aspects of my life and i'm telling you my life just changed my perspective changed i found meaning of life i found myself prioritizing the lord in all aspects of my life Colossians 3 22 and but when i say these things i'm not perfect okay i'm not saying there's never been times in my life where i haven't prioritized the lord and i prioritize my own selfish desires of course we all do that i'm just saying at a larger extent understanding the teaching applying it in other aspects of life can just change your life completely okay Colossians 3 22 servants so these are workers these are employees obey in all things your masters according to the flesh you say oh it's a dead end job right not with eye service as men pleasers you know what when we go to work it's not about pleasing man you know look at me i'm such a great worker hey pat me on the back can you reward me for working you know i've been an employer i remember having employees come up to me and say boy you know i've worked i've worked i've worked uh all these hours but you know i'm not getting anything out of it i'm like what do you mean don't you get your paycheck every week and they're like yeah isn't that how agreement that you work these hours you get your paycheck you're not going without this is the agreement right but yeah when you're stuck in a dead-end job and you feel like you're working then you kind of want extra you want something right you want men to look down on you and give you and to to give you compliments and to thank you and again is there anything wrong with that though like if if your manager comes up to you pat you on the back hey good work if your manager comes up to you say hey man you've been working so hard here's the pay rise here's the promotion in work is that wrong is that bad of course not but the point is this it's about perspective again right not with vice service as men pleasers but in singleness of heart fearing god you got to work and say i fear god i'm gonna make sure i work as as hard as i can god you've given me these hours lord i have to work you've given me this job i'm gonna fear you as i serve you yes serve you god serve jesus because that's where meaning of life is in my workplace verse number 23 and whatsoever you do do it heartily do it with all your hearts okay as to the lord and not unto men you know and i'm just saying again for the men that work and for those of you that maybe i feel like i'm stuck in a dead-end job and you're you're getting frustrated in the workplace work for god that's it jesus is your employer whoever whatever man is sitting in that office behind that desk forget him for a moment and think about the one that's above him jesus christ like jesus you've given me this job you've given me my family the things that i need to provide for whatever it is you know say lord i'm just going to work for you i'm going to pretend from this day forward you're my employer i'm going to when i check in and work at 9 a.m lord i'm going to be saying hey you're looking at me right now lord from 9 to 10 for this first hour i'm going to serve you and from 10 to 11 and from 11 to 12 and then my lunch and etc to the day i drive and go home that employment lord was i'm serving you i'm prioritizing you lord and whatever the byproduct of that is praise god you get your paycheck praise god you know your perspective will change don't you think that if you know in your mind right now that jesus has given you a job to do if jesus walks through the church building right now and said you know brother calum i just used an example brother you know says you know calum i've got a job for you okay can you go and clean that toilet and jesus is asking you wouldn't you be like i would i don't think i'd even see calum get off your seat he'd be back there he'd be back there washing it brushing it down making sure there's not a single spot on the floor everything will be clean i have no doubt that'll be the case but what if a man came and asked you that okay to any of you okay would you give it the same effort but you know what if it's your employer that's how you ought to be thinking about it whatever job i have to do um this is no longer a dead-end job it has meaning it has purpose i'm serving jesus jesus looking down at this dead-end job it's no longer dead-end because i'm serving my lord god who is eternal okay his his thought process is eternity what i do to serve my jesus right now will provide me great opportunities in my future eternal state with my lord god okay you serve god in every opportunity every capacity that you have let's keep going verse number 24 it says knowing that of the lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve the lord christ yes even in your workplace you serve the lord christ okay you don't serve the company name you don't serve that manager you serve the lord christ you know what if that if you just switch make that switch in your brain and not just in your workplace every aspect of your life every aspect okay your family say lord you've given me this family lord you've given me this wife you've given me this husband lord you've given me these kids you've done it lord and when i serve my family lord i'm going to do it as though i'm serving you lord how do you think that's going to change your family life don't you think you're going to want to spend more time with your wife don't you think you're going to want to spend more time with your kids don't you think you're going to want your kids to grow up in a nurture and admonition of the lord even more than they currently do when you change your mindset i found when i applied this to my workplace my dead-end job that i thought he was i found that i loved working he changed i loved to work i found that i pushed myself to achieve more because i'm doing it to serve jesus i want to achieve for jesus i sought to improve the overall business because it was no longer just me and my solo and my work i just thought this whole business belongs to jesus how can i help every department how can i help everybody that i come across if i can and i was willing to do the jobs that no one wanted i was willing to be like okay that job gets no recognition that job nobody wants to do you know what i'm doing it for jesus i'll do it and i didn't care if men saw me or not because i know jesus saw me and i know that jesus is going to reward me jesus is going to bless me i'm going to please my lord jesus christ no matter what and when i started to do that when my mindset changed i got out of the dead-end job i was offered the promotions i was offered the pay rises why because i became a model employee and they thought i was doing it for the career growth i wasn't doing it for the career growth i was doing it for jesus there's no meaning in the career growth the meaning is to serve jesus and as a byproduct i get the career growth praise god it's a blessing i get to enjoy that as well it's all about perspective it's all about finding meaning the right meaning for your life you know i'm wary of people that come up to me and say you know i want to become a pastor now that's great you want to become a pastor praise god don't let me discourage anybody but i've become weary when people say i want to become a pastor to serve god full time i want to be like you pastor kevin i want to serve god full time in my life you know what that person that says those things he's not ready to be a pastor he doesn't understand that you can serve god full time right now whatever job you have you ought to be serving god full time right now not that you can serve god full time you ought to be doing it right now you go to work you serve god full time ladies you raise your family your children that's serving god full time when you man you whatever goes grocery shopping you go to serve the family you serve in the lord jesus christ you go full time when you pay your bills okay you serve the lord with that lord you've given me this bill i'm going to serve you lord you serve the lord in every capacity you have every moment you have whatever situation you find yourself in brethren you do it unto the lord and you are serving the lord full time you don't have to become a pastor to serve god full time you've you've lost it you've missed the point you've missed the point of life if that's what you think it's all about you know what i did not become a pastor to serve god full time i was already serving god full time i was already serving god full time and then as a byproduct i became a pastor you know what it was i i don't i i don't think being a pastor that gives me purpose and identity in my life that's who i am that's not that's not it okay i became a pastor because there was a need you know what i just put god first and everything else god showed me the need the need on the sunshine coast eventually the need in sydney you know and you know we need churches we need soul winning churches we need churches that love the lord that love doctrine and you know the lord saw fit to enable me to meet those needs okay but again it's not about me that's not it's not i think i'm so great you know i get embarrassed when people want to give me gifts as past as a pastor you know and people want to you know just do nice things for me because i'm thinking but you know it's for jesus and i know they're doing me nice things for jesus as well i hope so you know hope it's not to you know flatter a man or anything like that we don't do it for man we do it for jesus christ amen but this changed everything for me reverend once i understood this i was probably in my mid-20s once it kind of clicked that everything i do is for the lord jesus christ i can't change the past i can't change the things when i didn't serve the lord christ but now i can from today forward i can and i don't care if you have two mites from today forward you can use those two mites to give it unto the lord to serve the lord jesus christ find meaning in life serve god full time today and tomorrow and every day moving forward please go to first kings chapter three first kings chapter three first kings chapter three please now we're going to be looking at solomon when solomon took on the office we look at solomon in the book of ecclesiastes trying to find meaning in life and i want you to remember what solomon said to the lord when he became a king in first kings chapter three verse number three i want you to notice where solomon's heart is okay it says in verse number three first kings three three and solomon loved the lord walking in the statutes of david his father we look at the perfect man the perfect man has to walk all right walk with the lord walk in the statutes of david his father only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places and the king went to gibeon to sacrifice there and there was the great high place look at this a thousand burnt offerings did solomon offer upon that altar solomon just loved the lord right what can i do for lord you know i've got all these offerings i've got a thousand i'm gonna offer a thousand offerings to the lord solomon right you can see his heart was in the right place he knew his meaning was to love the lord and to serve the lord it says in verse number five and gibeon so in gibeon the lord appeared to solomon in a dream by night and god asked what shall i give thee and solomon said they have showed unto thy servant david my father great mercy according as he walked before thee in truth and in righteousness and uprightness of heart with thee and thou has kept for him his great kindness that thou has given him a son to sit on his throne and it is this day and now oh lord my god thou look at this thou has made thy servant you have made your servants see he's not what what king instead of david my father solomon did not find purpose and meaning as a king he says i am a king as a by-product because i'm your servant lord it's your will you've made me this king i did not make myself a king i'm not this great man it's all you lord i'm prioritizing you and as a by-product i've become this king okay instead of david my father and i am but a little child i know not how to go out or come in look at this and thy servant i'm your servant lord in the midst of thy people this nation it's not my people it's not my nation i'm not in charge of it all it's your people god i'm your servant these are your people okay he's what what his mindset is in the right place he knows the meaning of life at this point in his life he's remembered okay i'm here to serve god all right which thou has chosen a great people that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude verse number nine give therefore thy servants and understanding heart to judge thy people that i may discern between good and bad for who is able to judge this thy so great a people this great nation is not my great nation god it's your great nation god verse number 10 and the speech pleased the lord that solomon had asked this thing and god said unto him because thou has asked this thing and has not asked for thyself long life neither has asked riches for thyself nor has asked the life of thine enemies but has asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment behold i have done according to thy words lo i have given thee a wise and understanding heart so that there is none likely before thee neither after thee shall arise like unto thee look at verse number 13 and i have also given thee that which thou has not asked both riches and honor so that there shall be so sorry so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days and if thou will work in my ways and keep my statutes and my commandments as thy father david did walk then i will lengthen thy days boy you notice solomon got it all he got all his wealth he got all his power he got all the honor all the things that the godless looked for he wasn't looking for that though that wasn't his meaning that wasn't his purpose for life his purpose was just to please god and to the best job that he possibly could in his employment as king and god says boy you know what if you want that great wisdom god is so surprised and so pleased by what solomon had asked for god then gives him everything else okay now we know he lost his way in his life okay i think for any man it's difficult to manage great wealth great power great authority like that okay we get to the song of solomon and he's back to that point of struggling and what we can learn that this is what we can learn is this right now you know you may have or maybe even the past you may have discovered what the meaning of life is i'm here to serve god but as you get through life and you continue every single day of your life you can kind of forget and maybe even start to think you've accomplished look at me and you start looking at the things you've gained and the works that you've done and you identify with that your heart begins to settle on those earthly things you can start to lose sight of the meaning of life you can start losing sight that you're here to serve jesus christ okay and so let this be a reminder and you know this isn't a one-time change for me it was a big one-time change but then as you live life you kind of sometimes forget you need to be reminded i'm here for the lord jesus christ whatever i have is because god has blessed me with these things it's not about me it's about my lord god can you please just turn to ecclesiastes chapter 12 now we started with ecclesiastes pretty much so let's go to ecclesiastes chapter 12 in verse number 13 ecclesiastes 12 13 the kings of the earth they look for power and money and honor but they're going to turn out and say hey it's all vexation it's all vain solomon got all of that but his purpose was the lord god right and we see at the end of ecclesiastes 12 verse number 13 very famous verse he wraps it all up you know once he's gone through his journey of looking for the meaning of life he says in verse number 13 let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter fear god and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man that verse you all know okay but once again what did he do he rediscovered the meaning of life it's all about the lord it's about fearing him it's about keeping his commandments it's about walking with my lord god it's our point is will first in my life you know everything else if we don't have that in place everything else is vain it's vexation of spirit it's pointless but it shouldn't be we can have many great things in life you have many great things in life okay but don't forget your priority is the lord you walk in his ways you do the things that he instructs us to do you prioritize his will his kingdom above your own kingdom and god will give you everything that you need in life and you're going to find yourself extremely happy extremely pleased motivated satisfied feeling that you live the abundant life knowing that you have a purpose knowing that every day that i live every opportunity that i have every job that i do anything that i do values for eternity as long as i do it for the lord jesus christ okay let's pray