Man's search for meaning


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11.2.14 Genesis: Mini-series part 2 O. Intro: * Victor Frankl (fraunkel) "Man's search for meaning" "Saying yes to life in spite of everything" English translation *Called one of the 10 most influential books in the US *The first part of the book is his experience in a German death camp, the second part is his "theory of psychotherapy" that that emerged from his experience. *He approvingly quotes the words of Nietzsche: “He who has a Why to live for can bear almost any How.” *He believed that...Man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life...and that finding meaning is transformational. *He told of men who had had lost any sense of hope..."we knew they would be dead in 48 hours." *So Dr. Frankl believed that "meaning" was key and I agree...here is where we disagree... "...the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment." *So meaning is man's primary drive/need, but meaning is relative not absolute...one thing for you, another for me. *I found his conclusion that meaning was situational to be at odds with his own narrative. *He talked about people who escaped the camps by holding on to their own form of meaning...a personal dream...then they were destroyed when those dreams did not come to pass. "Woe to him who, when the day of his dreams finally came, found it so different from all he had longed for! Perhaps he boarded a trolley, traveled out to the home which he had seen for years in his mind, and only in his mind, and pressed the bell, just as he has longed to do in thousands of dreams, only to find that the person who should open the door was not there, and would never be there again." *So it seems to me that what is most important is to find the meaning we were created for rather than to create a meaning for ourselves. *I don't critic this great man's life or motive...he turned incredible suffering into a life of service for others. *But from a Biblical perspective...If I assign meaning or purpose to my life, my suffering, my success...but in the end, God disagrees with my assessment...what does that say of my life? *I do agree with him that humans suffer widely from a meaning vacuum.

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*He coined the term...“Sunday neurosis,” that kind of depression which afflicts people who become aware of the lack of content in their lives when the rush of the busy week is over and the void within themselves becomes manifest." *In our culture we fill that vacuum with noise, media. *Many Americans answer to the "Sunday neurosis" is...Sunday football...but that just put off the depression. *So the solution...years ago...Monday night football...depressed with the last Sunday game is over...never fear, we will be back tomorrow. *But then it was a long time between Monday and Saturday (college football)...so Thursday night football. *I'm not kidding...there is huge burst of contentment, excitement, energy, meaning...among football fans from August to Feb. *Add in fantasy football...and millions need not suffer at all from a "meaning vacuum" -ESPN has filled that void. *I'm not anti-football...its just an example of what people dump into the hole that is crying for meaning. *The same kind of things are at work in pornography. *Porn addiction is another way men and women deal with a meaning vacuum...it is another illusion of meaning, a fake oasis in a desert of meaninglessness. *This meaning vacuum and the search for a personalized meaning drives all kinds of foolish human behavior... *Terrorists killing people because they have found meaning in their extremism...they have purpose now..."Change the world through killing or being killed." *I'm not comparing NFL football fans to ISIS...but my point is many humans suffer from a meaning deficit. *Futher more, meaning is given by God, it is not something we individually invent for ourselves. *Meaning is derived from the one who designed us to run on meaning...he built the engines of our lives...he determines what makes the engine run. *We don't buy a car and then decide to put whatever we want in the fuel tank..."I like Pepsi, tastes better than gasoline" "I like water, cheaper than gasoline." *In the same way...you and I cannot assign meaning to our lives...we were built within God's specifications. *We were made for meaning...God has revealed what that meaning is. *We talked about it last week...we are going to go there again this week.

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*Mini-series within the larger Genesis series that we began the first of May. *So let's look at the Joseph narrative again, this week from the perspective of his brother Judah. *37: Joseph is sold into slavery. *Two of the brothers attempt to rescue him, one, Judah is successful. -He talks his brothers into selling him rather than leaving him to die. *38: interrupts the Joseph narrative and the strange "jump" indicates that we need to pay attention to its role in the overall storyline. *It looks a bit out of place but it is there on purpose and is designed to draw our attention to it. *When you see something that seems strange in a movie, or reads strange in a book...the scene or words did not accidently appear in the work...they are there because of the writer's desire to make an important point...to draw our attention. *This chapter pops into the narrative rather abruptly...not so we would say "Okay, that was weird...let's get back to Joseph." -But so we would say, "What a minute...I better pay close attention here." 38: 1. Judah left his brothers and went and married a Canaanite woman. -This was not something he should have done. 2. He had three sons: 3. Er married a woman named Tamar...but he died because he did something wicked. -The wickedness is unspecified but the cause of death is specific...the Lord put him to death. *What follows is a custom (still alive today) by which a man is obliged to marry his brother's widow to maintain the family line. *It was to ensure a dead man's family line would not die off. 4. Judah told his next son to "marry" Tamar. *Onan slept with her but he came up a physical scheme to keep her from becoming pregnant. *If you read the account you will see...he didn't hesitate to get self-gratification from her but refused to do what was right by her. *He knew any offspring that came through her would further his dead brother's line and not his own. *Finally he was put to death by the Lord as well. *Is it troublesome that the Bible says that God "puts people to death?"

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-He has the rights of capital punishment...whatever you believe about the rights of men and woman to put other men and women to death. *Sin has placed all under the curse of death...for some that curse comes very directly...like here. *The reality of the curse of death and God's right of capital punishment make the gospel even more beautiful... *The same God who put these men to death, gave his son to die for sinful men and women...a substitutionary death. *So when anyone becomes bothered by this language...."God put them to death" *Remind them, that this is the very same God "Who so loved the world that he gave his only son that we would not perish but have life." 5. Judah sent Tamar away to live with her father *He tells her that she is to go away until his remaining son is old enough to marry her...but we find out he is really thinking... *"Get this woman out of her, I don't want another son to die...she is dangerous." *In fact, she was not a threat to his son's health...their own sins were. *A better strategy would been to try and ensure his third son did not become as wicked and foolish as his older brothers were. 6. A long time passes and Judah's wife dies *After his time of mourning has passed he traveled to see about his flocks. *The younger son was now grown up and Tamar realizes she has been put away to not cause trouble...Judah has no intention of doing the right thing by her...giving her his son. *When she hears Judah is coming that way, she disguises herself as a "temple prostitute" -Part of the Canaanite religion was ritualized sex. *Judah spots Tamar in disguise and sleeps with her...not knowing who she is. *He makes a pledge to pay her from his flocks but gives some personal items as surety that he will keep that pledge. *When Judah's man shows up later to pay her, he finds out there was no temple prostitute in the area all...embarrassed...Judah just decides to try and keep the whole thing private. *Be careful to not judge Tamar by NT Christian standards...she was not a Christian and she was operating under recognized legal and moral standards of her time. *Judah on the other hand...was not keeping any standards except his own self-serving ones.

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7. Three months later the hypocrite learns his daughter-in-law is accused of prostitution. *She is pregnant out of wedlock. *Judah says, "Bring her out and have her burned to death." *What a sham, what a concoction of hypocrisy on every front. *Judah is probably thinking..."I can finally get her out of my family and off my conscience once and for all." *But them comes the stunner... Gen. 38:25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are." 26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again. *He is shamed into admitting his guilt. *Not the guilt of sleeping with a prostitute...which would have been acceptable...(even though a woman could have been stoned for the offense) *But the guilt of not allowing Tamar to continue her family line. *Tamar gives birth to twins...whose births paint a picture of their grandfather's struggle with his twin. 39: Now the story jumps back into Joseph's life, we walked through that narrative last week. *Let's pick up the story from Judah's perspective and see the role he plays...then we can see how the pieces fit together. *37: He is not in favor of killing Joseph and talks his brother's out of that plan. -He is both responsible for protecting him and humanly speaking, for Joseph getting into Egypt. *38: We discover that Judah left his brothers and his fathers...moved away (Tamar saga occurred) -Was he disgusted with his brothers? -Was he unable to look his dad in the eyes knowing what had happened? *Whatever was on his mind his strategy certainly didn't work did it? *He was another in the long line of those who believed they could find the good apart from God...running rather than repenting. *What did he find...two sons dead, public humiliation. *Let me say this again: Genesis and human history could be summed up like this: 1. People attempting to find the good apart from God...and never finding it.

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-In the insanity of our sin we continue to believe that we will accomplish what has never been accomplished in the history of the world...find real and lasting meaning apart from God. *I told a friend last year that was contemplating continuing on a journey of rebellion against God. -"I am not prophet but if you go this way your future is not in question...it is as clear as if it had already happened...you will not find happiness on this path, you will find misery." 2. God continuing to bring his good purposes to pass in spite of the folly of people. -This does not mean that each individual character in history finds that their bad choices turned into their personal good...they don't...ask Judah's sons. *It does mean that God works everything for his own good purposes. 39-41: Joseph's improbable rise to power is outlined. 42: We are taken back to Canaan where Jacob and his sons are planning to go Egypt to obtain food to survive. *There before Joseph, who has become second in command al all Egypt, who they do not recognize, they are tested and accused of being spies... *Then their guilt pours out...(talking in their native language without knowing Joseph understands every word) Gen. 42:21 They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.” 22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” *What do we see happening here? *All those years of guilt, remorse has been festering inside them...now when they encounter this lifethreatening situation...they are afraid that judgment has befallen them...it has, they have been found out. *Let's contemplate their lives the past 30 or so years...based on what we know from our own hearts and minds...do you think this is the first time they have felt and thought this way? *Namely..."our sins have found us out." *I doubt it. *I bet every bad thing that happened, every illness, every day of anxiety, every wrong look from their father...they thought "My sins have found me out." *When we are living in unrepentant rebellion to God...every trouble, every problem, every bad day, the future itself (potential trouble)...looks and feels like judgment. *We are never at peace when we are running from God.

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*Prov. 28:1 The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. *What does this mean...the unrepentant sinner is always running from his own guilt...running when no one is even chasing. *The forgiven are bold in their position of grace...they are not living in fear and guilt...trouble and hardship may come...but they are able to live courageously. *It is hard to overstate the power of a free conscience...or the despair of a guilty one. *How sad that these brothers did not come clean and confessed to their father what they had done. *Instead they have lived all these years under the shadow of guilt. *Are you living? *Do you know you don't have to? *There is no need to live like this...and it doesn’t' matter what you have done. *Because of the gospel you can be declared righteous by God. *If you repent...turn from sin and turn to Jesus...you can be forgiven. *We have seen that relationship with God does not spare us from difficulty but it does spare us from judgment. *You don't have to wonder if every trouble, every difficulty, ever thing you fear is the judgment of God...you can live free and forgiven. *Christian living a life apart from God's will ands ways...confess and live your birthright...do the math...is your guilt, your shame, your fear worth what you think you gain from holding on to your sins? -Is what you hold on to...really your friend? It is taking your life from you but telling you that it is giving you life. *Sin is a liar...do you see that? *Is maintaining an image worth the fear, the pain, the secret shame, the inevitable..."my sins have found me out"? *If you have not trusted Christ...you can...confess, receive and be forgiven. *If you are living with secret shame and guilt...the first step into freedom is confession...you will never hide your way into life. *Back to Judah...

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*They believe their sins have found them out...they are more right than they know...there stands Joseph in front of them. *The brothers return to their land and their father minus Simeon who is held as a hostage to ensure the brothers will return to Egypt and bring back their young brother as Joseph has demanded. *When they tell Jacob what has happened and that in order to get more food they must take his beloved Benjamin back, he is beside himself... 42:36 “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” *He now believes he has lost Joseph and Simeon...he will not risk losing Benjamin. *Finally the situation grows so desperate they have no choice... Gen. 43:8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. 9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. 10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.” *Judah, taking leadership says..."Dad, if we don't go now...you will lose everyone...we will starve." *Upon returning to Egypt, Joseph tests them and it looks like they may have to leave Benjamin behind and return to their father without him. *Now Judah is beside himself...he cannot bear the thought of seeing his father's heart break in two yet again...in fact he is willing to sacrifice himself to ensure that will not happen. *Look at Judah now...ready to sacrifice himself. -People change -People are complicated...a mix of good and bad choices Gen. 44:33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father.” *This display of character, of love, sacrifice...was all Joseph could take...he revealed himself. Gen. 45:1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. *Now finally it was over...the test was complete...Joseph and his family were restored.

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*If you were writing this story who would you choose to be the one through whom the lineage of Abraham would continue and conclude in the Savior of the world, Jesus.? *Joseph of course...he is the one who does the right thing over and over. -He shows stellar character. -He has the coolest story. *But Jesus comes from the line of Judah...not Joseph *Judah the son of Leah *Leah, -The one who tricked Jacob into becoming her husband -Leah the unloved, and unlovely. *Judah, the one who threatens the family line by marrying into the Canaanites -Then sleeps with what he believes to be a prostitute who turns out to be his daughter-in-law. *The line of the Savior goes through Tamar...the Canaanite who prostituted herself to ensure her family line would continue. *Jump to the NT...the genealogy of Jesus...there we find Tamar as one of 5 women mentioned. Matt. 1:3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, *God made the promise, God kept the promise...he used the good and bad choices of humans to accomplish his will. APPLICATION: *Meaning, purpose is mankind's primary drive...it drives you, it drives me. *When we can't see it (meaning) in our lives or in an event...we search for it, or despair its absence, or find something to substitute for it. *God's purpose in creation is clear. Col. 1:16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. *We were made by him and for him. *How does that work out for us individually...God's wildly important goal for our lives? Rom. 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. *Our purpose now, the way we bring him glory...is to be conformed to the likeneess of his son.

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*To live like Jesus...giving away our lives. *There is no meaning deficit in a believer's life *"But Terry, I sometimes feel that way." *I understand, I didn't say there are no feelings of meaninglessness in a believer...I said there is no deficit of meaning for the believer. *We don't have to feel like our lives have meaning, or that all things are working for our good in order for it to be true. *Subjectively...there can be a lack of meaning...we can be living beneath our birthright in our day to day experience.... *We can have an experiential meaning deficit...life, circumstances, emotions, everything around...can feel random, purposeless. *Suffering, loss...can seem to be without meaning. *Joy, and gain...can seem to be without meaning as well. *But regardless...Christ followers always have meaning...they just don't always live or feel it. *Is there a way we can more consistently connect the reality of God's purposes for lives with our everyday experience? *That is the point of spending time in the book of Genesis since May 4...studying God's will and ways in the lives of long dead people? 1Cor. 10:11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. (ESV) *We worship together, we immerse ourselves in the Word of God...To be instructed...to gain and maintain perspective...over the long haul...because perspective leaks from...we need a continual supply *We look at the lives of real people in biblical history...people who made terrible decisions, and then make great ones. *They get it and then seem to not get it all...people who live like they have purpose, then live like they have lost their minds. *Then we see that it is these people...that God used and God uses. *Then we see...these people are like us. *We are, I am, you are...the kind of people God uses.

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*That what feels abnormal...is not. *What feels abnormal? 1. Struggle with sin that just won't quit: 1Cor. 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. *We see this in these narratives 2. My messed up past. Rom. 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. *We see this in these narratives. 3. My struggle to keep perspective. Heb. 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. *We see this in these narratives. 4. My suffering. 1Pet. 4:12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. *We see this in these narratives... *I determined along time ago that it would be more helpful to keep saying "true things over and over" rather than to looking for "new things to say." *So let me say it again..."Fighting is normal, and fighting is winning" *We feel..."It should not be this hard to live a life of faith." *It is normal to need to continually fight to get back in your heart and mind to the reality of God's purpose in your life. *The meaning is there...always...no matter whether we are realizing it or not...feeling it or not. *A child can "feel" like their father does not love them...but that feeling does not change the fact of their father's love.

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*You may feel like there is a meaning deficit in your life...if you are believer...your feeling does not affect the fact...you have meaning. *Because the meaning of your life as believer, the ultimate purpose...is set by the fixed promises of God in your life. *That being said...let's do the ongoing good work to experience that reality in our day-to-day lives. *Don't be dismayed that perspective requires ongoing effort...just do the work! *When it’s my turn to be discouraged, dismayed...that's why I have others around me...they pour courage into me. *When others are discouraged...its my turn to encourage...to pour courage into them...to point them back to perspective. *This is life together...the life God has given us in his church. * Heb. 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. *Wow...now that is encouraging...I need daily encouragement or I will get off track...good to know! *Rejoice that on those days that life seems to lack purpose...because of the Gospel of Grace...it doesn't lack purpose. *Pay more attention to his promise than to your feelings at those times. *God purposes for your life are bigger than your feelings...thanks be to God. *To live by more than your feelings...make sure you are not going alone. *Want to go fast, go alone...want to go far, go together. *I have been convinced of this for many years...I have never been more convinced than I am today. *If I live another year...I think I will be even more convinced when I get there. *God's purpose is clear. *God people in your life...will help keep his purposes clear in your life.

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"Saying('yes'(to(Life(in( Spite(of(Everything"(

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Gen.(42:36(“You(have(deprived(me( of(my(children.(Joseph(is(no(more( and(Simeon(is(no(more,(and(now( you(want(to(take(Benjamin.( Everything(is(against(me!”!

Gen.(43:8(Then(Judah(said(to(Israel(his( father,(“Send(the(boy(along(with(me(and(we( will(go(at(once,(so(that(we(and(you(and(our( children(may(live(and(not(die.((9(I(myself(will( guarantee(his(safety;(you(can(hold(me( personally(responsible(for(him.(If(I(do(not( bring(him(back(to(you(and(set(him(here( before(you,(I(will(bear(the(blame(before(you( all(my(life.((10(As(it(is,(if(we(had(not(delayed,( we(could(have(gone(and(returned(twice.”!

Gen.(44:33(“Now(then,(please(let( your(servant(remain(here(as(my( lord’s(slave(in(place(of(the(boy,(and( let(the(boy(return(with(his(brothers.(( 34(How(can(I(go(back(to(my(father(if( the(boy(is(not(with(me?(No!(Do(not( let(me(see(the(misery(that(would( come(upon(my(father.”!

Gen.(45:1(Then(Joseph(could(no( longer(control(himself(before(all(his( abendants,(and(he(cried(out,(“Have( everyone(leave(my(presence!”(So( there(was(no(one(with(Joseph(when( he(made(himself(known(to(his( brothers.((2(And(he(wept(so(loudly( that(the(EgypTans(heard(him,(and( Pharaoh’s(household(heard(about(it.!

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