Sermon Tone Analysis

\\ *The Purpose Driven Life – Part 1*

Rick Warren

Saddleback Church – Lake Forest, Calif.

September 28-29, 2002

 

*Sermon Outline Notes*

 

 

*LIFE’S 3 GREATEST QUESTIONS*

!!! 1.   QUESTION OF EXISTENCE: /WHY AM I ALIVE?/

 

      “/Why was I born?

Was it only to have trouble and sorrow,/

/      to end my life in disgrace?”

//Jer.

20:18 (TEV) /

     

/      “The Lord has made everything for His own purpose.”/

/                                                                                    //Prov.

16:4a (GW)/

 

      /“Long before He laid down earth's foundations, He had us in /

/      mind, and settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made /

/      whole and holy by His love.”                            //Eph.

1:4 (Msg)/

/ /

 

*            GOD: I WAS CREATED TO BE LOVED BY GOD.*

 

!!! 2.  QUESTION OF SIGNIFICANCE:  /DOES MY LIFE MATTER?/

/ /

/      “My work all seems so useless!

I have spent my strength for /

/      nothing and for no purpose at all.”                   //Isa.

49:4a (NLT) /

 

 

      /“I am your Creator.

You were in my care even before you were /

/      born.”

//Isa.

44:2 (CEV) /

 

    /  “You... scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe.

/

/      Every day was recorded in your book!”           //Ps.

139:16 (LB) /

 

/      //"His plans endure forever; his purposes last eternally."

/

/                                                                                    //Ps.

33:11 (GN)/

 

 

*            GOD: I WAS MADE TO LAST FOREVER.

*

 

      /“When this tent we live in—our body here on earth—is torn/

/      down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home /

/      he himself has made, which will last forever.”

//2 Cor.

5:1 (TEV)// /

 

      /“Leave your impoverished confusion and live!  Walk up the /

/      street to a life with meaning."

//Prov.

9:6 (Msg) /

 

!!! 3.   QUESTION OF INTENTION:/  WHAT IS MY PURPOSE?/           

      /“Why did you create us?

For nothing?”           //Ps.

89:47 (NCV)/

 

     

      /"Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding."/

/                                                                                    //Pr.

9:10b (LB)/

 

*            GOD: I FIND MY PURPOSE BY GETTING TO KNOW GOD.*

     

/      “For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible /

/      and invisible…everything got started in him and finds its /

/      purpose in him.”

//Col// 1:16 (Msg)/

 

      /“It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living /

/      for... part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything /

/      and everyone.”

/                                                /Eph.

1:11 (Msg)/

     

 

      / “It makes no difference who you are or where you're from—if /

/      you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open.”/

/                                                                                    //Acts 10:35 (Msg) /

 

\\ *Sermon Transcript*

 

Take out your outlines.

Welcome to 40 Days of Purpose.

We’re ready to start on this journey we’ve been planning for a long, long time.

Today we’re going to look at life’s three greatest questions:  1) The question of existence – why am I alive?

2)  the question of significance – does my life matter?

and 3) the question of intention – what is my purpose?

Now this first question, the “Question of Existence: Why am I alive?” is not exactly a new question.

It was asked thousands of years ago.

In fact, Jeremiah asked it in Jeremiah 20:18, it says this “/Why was I born?

Was it only to have trouble and sorrow, to end my life in disgrace?”

/  Now there’ve probably times in your life when you felt that way, too.

Was I born just to have a bunch of problems?

Was I put on this planet just to have heartache, grief and stress?

Arthur Ashley Brilliant says “my life is a superb cast, but I can’t figure out the plot.”

Jack Hanley wrote, “I hope life isn’t a joke, because I don’t get it.”

A guy named Dr.

Hugh Moorhead, who is the Chairman at the Department of Philosophy at the Northeastern University, once wrote to 250 well-known philosophers, scientists, writers and intellectuals of the world and asked them, “What is the purpose of Life.”

And then he published all of their responses in a book.

I read the book, and it was quite discouraging and depressing.

Some of these people offered their best guesses.

Some admitted they made up a purpose in life.

Some admitted they didn’t have any idea as to what the purpose of life was and if Dr. Moorhead knew, would be please let them know.

Carl Jung, the famous psychiatrist said, “I don’t know the meaning, the purpose of life, but it looks as if something were meant by it.”

Isaac Asimov wrote, “As far as I can see, there is no purpose.”

Joseph Taylor, the author of “I Have No Answers To The Meaning of Life And I No Longer Want to Search For Any.”

You know, those are tragic statements folks, because the life without purpose isn’t a life worth living.

It is no coincidence that the suicide rate in our society has gone up.

It’s now the No. 2 killer of teenage students.

You see, if you take God out of the equation, you don’t really have very many alternatives.

You can try the Mystical approach – the mystical approach says “look within and find your purpose within.”

You know if that really worked, all of us would know our purpose.

I’m sure you’ve tried that.

I have and I bet everyone else has, too.