What is the sentence of life?
Preaching by: Evangelist S. Voordewind
Beloved brothers, sisters and friends, it's so wonderful to be in a meeting in the name of Jesus Christ, The Name, above all names. As you can see, I've taken along a withered flower. Perhaps you will wonder yourself why I've done that, right? Because, it's fair to say that this belongs in the trash at home or in a rubbish dump and probably not on this nice pulpit. Everyone knows that this once was a tiny seed and became a beautiful flower. We can't say it anymore, it's withered and died. And it's also with the life of a human being, with yours and my life. There is a time of coming and a time of going. Life is so short. God promised us a lifetime of 70 years and for the strong ones 80 years. There are people who become more than 100 year.
The message which I bring out of mercy is called: What is the sentence of life. Let's look up God's bridal word in John 1:1-12. It's an so well known scripture, but oh so important.
Verse 1 says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself." PAY ATTENTION! The word for WORD is in Greek LOGOS! Logos means: sentence, significance, intention, useful sentence. We may also read according Rev.D.Voordewind: "IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS A FUNDAMENTAL INTENTION AND THIS WAS BY GOD AND WAS DIVINE."
Let me give you an example of vacuity. Image, a fourteen year old girl, whose parents is divorced, and sees that her life is miserable and depressing. At school she meets a wrong friend, who says to her: "I know the answer to your problems. Have some marijuana. She begins with a sticky and ends with addiction to heroin." So goes this with 95% of the drug addicts. In the U.S, thousands of teenagers are running away from home, without ever coming back. Many of them walk into the addiction to drugs. Let's go back to that girl. One day, she took the strongest drug: L.S.D. the Consequence is that she thought she can fly and jumps of 10 high downwards. Her life ended in a small box under de ground. Every person who finds there life is senselessness walks in darkness. If he doesn't get any help, it will end sad for him. Let me tell you this: that the suicidal attempts still increase in the world, especially in Holland.
How can you or I help someone if we haven't found the answer for our own lives? If you have no reply over what's the sentence of your life, than you choose unconsciously for senselessness. Dr. Jung discovered that one third of the patients are having problems about the sentence of life, and therefore have become neurotic or psychotic. If you don't know the meaning of these words, you can look it up calmly in the dictionary. If you think your life is meaningless, then there is still a bigger problem. "A sick person, who has lost the courage to live... will die from an ordinary flu." Bruno Betleheim sat in the Second World War in an extermination camp. He discovered that a large group of prisoners, THOSE WHO DIED FIRST had no believe, courage or sentence in life. Yes, all of this can be the consequence. If you're someone who also has a problem about the sentence of life, see from this moment of its seriousness. LEARNING FROM God's precious Bridal Word: WHAT IS THE SENTENCE OF YOUR LIFE.
WHAT IS THE SENTENCE OF YOUR LIFE?
If we want to know the sentence of life, then we must go back to the source of useful sentence. We must discover the truth about the meaning of life. The truth certainly can't be found in the world. You can live foolish in the world, be licentious, but that is temporarily. That is a temporary pleasure. Your life has to be useful (fruitful), today and for eternal. The Bible says in John 1:4: "In the Word was Life, and the life was the Light of men." Useful sentence has to do with the life. You have sentence in the life. God is the Source of life, of ETERNAL life. John 3:16: "That whosoever believeth in Jesus Christ, Son of God, should not perish, but have ETERNAL LIFE." God is the Source of Life, of useful sentence. We read in John 1:1 that Life comes from God. Why? For He is the Source of Life. He is the Creator of people, of yours and mine.
* LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. One night a criminal walked on the street in search for a "job". He walked along "our car" and read the Bible Scripture that was on it: "Come to Me, all who are tired and have burden." At that moment he's having problems about the sentence of life, came to visit us and gave his life to Christ. I'm thinking of the prostitute, of which it was said that she never would come to conversion, but who accepted Christ in her life on one evening. What these two persons have had in common was that they no longer see the sentence of life. WHAT WE LEARN FROM THIS IS THAT IT HAS SENTENCE TO LIVE. THE SENTENCE OF LIFE IS:
A: You are created in God's image, formed by God to enjoy LIFE, THE CREATION. THE ENTIRE CREATION HAS BEEN TURNED FOR PEOPLE, INTO HONOUR OF GOD'S NAME.
B: TO STUDY YOURSELF, WHO YOU ARE. YOU ARE CREATED BY GOD, AND MAY STUDY YOUR CREATION.
C: THE SENTENCE OF YOUR LIFE IS: THAT YOU, ABOVE ALL COME TO KNOW YOUR CREATOR, BUT NOT ONLY TO KNOW. THAT'S SO DISTANTLY. GOD wants you to have a relationship with Him. A live relation. For that you are also created.
In the Garden of Eden, The first humans had a living relation with the Creator. Those have been broken by the sin. But... the reason that Christ Jesus, God's Son has died for the sin and debt, you and I may experience the living relation again.
* I WILL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF THIS.
A father and son once lived in a conflict. They had quarreled with each other. The son was running away from home. One day the father arrived in the hospital and lay on die. The mother wrote a letter to her son, asking him to come to the hospital for visiting his father. As the son stood at the bed of his father, the mother took the hands of both and linked them together. The long-term quarrel was ended from that moment on. What this mother did, was what Jesus has done on Calvary for you and the Father. There He stretched out His pierced hands to you, me, the entire world and the Father. By Its sacrifice the debt has been paid and the relation repaired.
If you accept this sacrifice YOUR LIFE HAS EFFECTIVELY SENSE. YOU LIVE NO LONGER IN DARKNESS, BUT IN THE LIGHT AND CAN ENJOY YOUR LIFE. So, what you can learn from this powerful message is that a life without a relation with your Creator, the God of heaven and earth, is a useless life. Prof. W. Jurg once said that in a senseless life there is no reality, but where a truth is, there is also a meaningful life. Well, Jesus Christ said to us: "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE!"
These three words together form the meaning of what is useful sentence: It is LIFE, Life in freedom, eternal life... You live to enjoy your Life. The TRUTH. Perhaps you say: "Br. Voordewind, what is the truth? The truth is: The One, born out of the virgin Maria, died for our sin and debt and arises from the death. And then the last thing: Useful-sentence on THE WAY. If you walk on The Way, which lead you to eternal life, to the heavenly paradise, then there is no reason to worry about a dark future, but all the more A REASON IN order to LIVE.
If you are someone who says: "I have now received the answer what is the meaning of my life, but yet not having a relationship with your Creator, I invite you to come forwards to the altar. I should say: "Limp no longer on two thoughts- whether I should or shouldn't do it- but take your decision now! Also for people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs or any other addiction, bound on weaknesses, sins or diseases, I have GOOD NEWS for you. Oh, perhaps your chains are so stuck. But what do I hear as it were, A Voice between those chains that clank? It's as if I hear the Voice of Christ Who says: "IT IS ACCOMPLISHED!" He has Accomplished all your sins, diseases and weaknesses on that cross at Calvary. He paid the prices and you may live in victory. With pleasure I also like to pray for these needs and invite you to come to the altar.
Listen to this: Never ever forget that God loves you deeply and had done everything in order to live with a purpose and to have a sentence in life!
(Zeist, The Netherlands, 1986)
(Translated by: Winny Hallatu)
