Ecclesiastes 12:9-14
The Conclusion of the Matter
9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.
Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.
13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
Matthew 22:34-40
The Greatest Commandment
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
John 3:16-21
God LOVES Us, and Sent His Son to Save Us
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
John 14:6-7
Jesus is Truth
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
John 15:1-17 (NIV)
Jesus on Telling His Disciples to Remain in Him
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
John 17:3
Now this is Eternal Life
3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
The meaning and purpose of life is a very difficult question, and the question has been around since man has been on earth...
When we look for meaning in this modern world, it is sometimes hard to see any purpose of life...It was even hard for Solomon to see years ago when he wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes, and was looking for life's meaning...He looked at many things and what people had done in their lives on earth and what made them happy, but soon they were gone...Solomon was a very wise man and came to the conclusion that it was not wisdom that gave the meaning to life, and that the gaining of knowledge does not take us to or give us purpose of life...Wisdom, even with pleasures of this earth were temporary and left us empty...The conclusion that Solomon came to was that it is God that gives life meaning...He says in his conclusion to fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind...For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil...
If Anyone would know about the Meaning of Life, it would be God's Son...And as we study Jesus in the gospels, we read that He comes to a similar conclusion as Solomon...But Jesus goes much further with His teachings than Solomon's conclusion of the matter, in that being God is the purpose of life...Jesus has this special relationship with God...Once one gets to know Jesus, then we have seen and know God...Jesus taught about God and love throughout the four gospels...In His very first sermon, His Sermon on the Mount it is much about God and love for one's neighbor, no matter who our neighbor is or what condition our neighbor is in or his circumstances...His lessons speak of the injustice of the oppressed neighbor...Jesus' Sermon on the Mount starts with the poor in spirit, the meek, those who mourn, and the persecuted...He even talks about how we should love our enemies...All these people, the meek, the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the persecuted, and even our enemies are helped by love -and they are our neighbors...Each of them and us have a better life, when love is involved...Jesus taught love throughout the gospels...One of Jesus last commands to His Disciples was to love one another...He stated that there is no greater love than for One give His life for others...And that is what He did...He would be crucified and die for mankind's sins...So Jesus adds a LOVE connection when He tells us that the two Greatest Commandments are to love God and to love our neighbors...Love, God and neighbor give life great meaning both in this world and the next world that Jesus taught about...Our current world is our earthly world...Loving our neighbors in this world helps us, and the eternal love for God and His Son helps us in the Kingdom of Heaven...This next world is the Kingdom of God...So Loving God and loving neighbor are forever and eternally connected...Loving neighbor helps us live a more abundant life on earth...
When Jesus died on the cross, He returned for others to see Him...Some five hundred men saw Him...And He returned to His Disciples after His resurrected and gave them further instructions for forty days, and then He sent them the Holy Spirit...And this Holy Spirit indwells in His His Disciples and in us...So we have this indwelt Holy Spirit, that makes us curious about God, and His Son, and makes us wonder about God...The Holy Spirit makes us wonder about God, to seek Him, and to reach out to Him, and to find Him through faith...
And Jesus often compared fruit to people and He wants us to go and bear more fruit, to make disciples of all nations and go to the ends of the earth to find more people -to be followers of His, to be Christians...
The way to our purpose of life is to have this loving relationship with God and His Son and neighbor...God LOVES the world and gave his One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life with Him and His Father...For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him, by dying on the cross for each of our sins...So our sins are forgiven by Jesus our Savior...Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life...The only Way to God is through Him...So whoever believes in Him is not condemned and has a Savior and Mediator to God, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the Name of God’s One and Only Son....So knowing and loving God and His Son, and having Jesus live in us with the Holy Spirit, gives us not only a better life on earth, but eternal life...