The Answer to the Biggest Questions of Life
In 2019, the Sun newspaper published an article with the headline,
“Nine in Ten young Brits believe their life lacks purpose according to shocking new study”
This survey showed that 89% of 16-29 year olds lacked purpose or meaning in their lives. Across all ages 80% said their lives lacked purpose and 36% said they would like to be able to start again.
Augustine was born in North Africa in 354 AD. He had a Christian mother but he himself was a little wild and independent. He got a girlfriend pregnant. However he then became a Christian and it was he who helped the church of his day rediscover the Jesus of the Bible and what faith really meant. He discovered about God:
“You have made us for yourself and we are restless until we find our rest in you.”
Today many people, if honest, are restless and anxious because their lives lack a clear foundation and purpose, they have not learned what life is for.
Some years ago I was talking with a hospital consultant and he said he was interested in finding answers to life’s big questions so I asked him,
“Where have you been looking?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about these things.”
“Interesting, because we cannot find answers to the big questions by searching in our minds. We have to look where God has revealed the answers to these spiritual questions.”
‘Where is that?” he asked.
The whole of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation is all about how God has given us the answers to these big questions of life. The Old Testament, the Jewish Scriptures, teach us that God was going to reveal himself to us through a baby who will become God’s Messiah, God’s Chosen King. This person will be a descendent of King David, will be born in Bethlehem, will perform miracles and be a teacher. He would come whilst the temple was still standing, he will be hated, will die by being crucified, but will rise from the dead after three days and will then return to heaven to sit alongside God the Father. The New Testament describes how God fulfilled these promises by sending his one and only Son who would save a people from their sins and enable them to serve the living God. Those closest to Jesus affirmed that Jesus was this Son of God, they described his teaching in detail, gave details of his birth and life, emphasising his death by crucifixion. They were all witnesses to his resurrection and became empowered to spend the rest of their lives telling people the facts about Jesus. Eleven out of the twelve were killed doing this - they were certain the accounts about Jesus, his death and resurrection were really true.
Jesus’ claim
On one occasion Jesus, in the presence of many people, prayed these words:
“At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.” Matthew 11:25-26
When reading this passage with an astute young man I was asked,
“What are these things that have been hidden from the wise and learned?”
The previous paragraph describes the miracles and teaching that Jesus had done in their towns but these had had no impact on the people. They had witnessed the very presence of God and yet they had rejected him, they had not repented and turned back to God. Jesus is stressing that academic knowledge and intelligence are not what God is looking for, but he wants individuals who will repent, rethink the way their lives are going, and turn back to God. Even children and uneducated people can understand that living without God at the centre of our lives is a sure way to face his wrath. However there is a way by which all people can return to be part of God’s family.
Jesus is God’s only Son
Jesus continued to explain how ordinary men and women can understand this good news and experience a new relationship with God:
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Matthew 11:27
This verse is astounding. Jesus claims he is the only Son of God and that he is the only person who knows God and his mind. There is no-one else who knows God as he does. Elsewhere he says,
“I and the Father are one.” John 10:30
“I am the way, the truth and the life, no-one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
But notice what Jesus then adds:
“. . . and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
This must primarily refer to the disciples who went on to be his apostles. These men disclosed who Jesus is and what he taught. We have their writings in the books of the New Testament. The Bible is clear, the only way for us mortals, in every generation, to come to know God is to have a personal relationship with Jesus, God’s Son.
Some try to numb the problems of life through busyness, other distractions or through religion. Religion, trying to ‘re-ligate’ or tie ourselves back to God by the good way we live can never put us right with God. The Pharisees thought that keeping religious laws would somehow put them in God’s good books but Jesus vehemently opposed such a view. No-one can ever be good enough for God. The Bible teaches
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
When the apostles, Peter and John, were arraigned before the Sanhedrin, for spreading the news about Jesus, they were not at all apologetic. Their defence was, and always is, that the accounts about Jesus that they teach, his life, death, resurrection and continued rule are all true. They were bold enough to say to their accusers:
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
This has always been the claim of Jesus Christ. He is unique. He is the only way to get right with God because he alone is God. We cannot get to God on our own - we desperately need him. It is God who created us and he gives us the answers to the big questions we have such as ‘Why are we here?’, ‘How should we live?’, “What happens when we die?”. Without Jesus we cannot know whether the answers we come up with are true.
Jesus understands our problems
All of us repeatedly face problems during life yet there is meaning behind all of these. There really is ‘good news’ or ‘gospel’. The God of the Bible is full of love and he longs for people to recognise this. Those who persist in living apart from God, our creator, will eventually face his wrath but he does long for us, like the Prodigal Son, to return home. God even allows us to face disease, family and financial problems and a multitude of other issues in our short lives. He does this in order that we should recognise our need of him. We do get weary, we are burdened down with many problems, including guilt, but our Lord uses these to draw us back to himself.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28
Those who have a lot in this life so easily become self-satisfied and consequently do not recognise their need for God. Having burdens does have advantages! Jesus himself said:
“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:24
The riches mentioned here are not just financial, they include prowess in any field. Affluence and abilities can make us self-satisfied and think we can be fulfilled by these activities even though we are living independently of God.
Jesus offers us hope
When we are weak we are more likely to look around to see where hope can be found. The only permanent answer lies with God himself. He offers us a hope that lasts into eternity.
Jesus uses the illustration of a yoke to explain how we can be aligned with God. A yoke is the implement that joins two oxen together so that together they can pull a plough or other farming implement.
We are offered the privilege of being linked to God himself. To receive the status of being God’s children we have to agree to align ourselves with the Lord Jesus.
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me., for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
In a marriage, we desire our life’s partner to be gentle and not dominating, who can work alongside us. Jesus is such an ideal companion. Some are afraid to become permanently involved with him as they are unsure what the future would hold. Such people forget what sort of Saviour we are talking about. He really loves us.
If we want to find a long-lasting peace that overcomes all the problems that life, illness and even death throw at us, there is no-one who compares. He offers us a total forgiveness of all we have done wrong but the condition is that we must team up with him. He will take most of the strain as he is far stronger. He knows the way we should go and he will lead. He knows where sustenance is to be found and will lead us there. He loves us. He says to each of us:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Matthew 11:28-29
Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in a Muslim home in Somalia. Her family moved to Nairobi where she joined the Muslim brotherhood with its strict rules. When a forced marriage was imminent, she fled to the Netherlands as a refugee and became a domestic maid. She had lost faith in Islam and helped produce a film critical of this religion. There was a violent reaction, the producer of the film was murdered and she needed police protection. She was then elected to be a Member of Parliament in Holland but later had to move to the United States. By this time she was a convinced atheist and joined Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris in promoting the New Atheism around universities. However she then became very depressed and even suicidal and nothing seemed to help. A counsellor then suggested that her problem could be a spiritual vacuum and she recognised this to be the likely diagnosis. She turned to God through Jesus, asked for his help and became a Christian. The emptiness of atheism was a major cause of her turning to Christ and she said:
“I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable, indeed very nearly self destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question, ‘What is the meaning of life?’
Like Ayaan we all have a choice to make. Jesus says to each of us,
“Come to me, Take my yoke upon you.”
Yoked to Christ will result in changes
A commitment to being married and living closely with someone will involve radical changes so as to please your partner. In a similar way, being yoked to Jesus will result in taking on his attitudes and ambitions. The apostle Paul wrote about the effect that a commitment to Christ will have:
“. . . a knowledge of the truth that leads to righteousness.” Titus 1:1
Those ‘yoked to Christ’ now live for him. Bad habits such as alcohol abuse, drug abuse, anger, loose talk, and laziness will fade as we live for Christ. We will want others to know how they can be included in God’s family because that is what Jesus came for.
We all have to make a decision, a decision that has eternal consequences. A refusal to accept Jesus’ leadership in this life is a refusal to accept his offer of eternal life. There is a judgment to come. We must determine to go God’s way. Not replying to his offer is both rude and in reality it is a refusal.
“Come to me” remains his offer. How have you responded?We have to make a decision that has eternal consequences. A refusal to accept his leadership in this life is a refusal to accept his offer of eternal life with him. We must choose to go God’s way, not replying to his offer is both rude and in reality a refusal.
“Come to me” remains God’s offer.
BVP
This article has been posted on the website www.bvpalmer.com where there are many other helpful articles and videos.
Christchurch Baldock is a Bible teaching, gospel centred, local church. More details can be found on its website. It meets every Sunday morning at 10.30 am in Knights Templar School, Baldock
Bernard can be contacted by e-mail on berniepalmer1@sky.com
