(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Okay, so I'm continuing the series on the perfect man. And I had told you last week that I personally believe it's the most important series that I've ever preached. I'm not saying it's the most important sermon of all time. I'm saying from my teaching, from the things that I can get from God's word, I personally believe it's the most important series I've ever preached. And within this series, I believe this sermon is the most important sermon within the series. The title for the sermon is The Meaning of Life. The Meaning of Life. When I first prepared this sermon, I tried to look up what people think of the meaning of life. What is it that generally the world thinks is the meaning of life? Does anyone have any thoughts of what the world thinks the meaning of life is? What do you reckon? Amongst your ungodly friends, have they said anything about what the meaning of life is? Live fast, die young. Live fast, die young. I've never heard that one. What were you going to say? A guy on Ray Kilbert's thing said, get drunk and have a blue mohawk. Get drunk and have a mohawk? Okay, yeah, a meaning of life. Yeah, but you know, actually, if you look this up, really nobody knows. Honestly, just for a minute, from a godless perspective, nobody knows what the meaning of life is. And you know what's strange? Even within Christians, many Christians don't even know what the meaning of life is. And it's not difficult. It's very straightforward. It's very straightforward. And look, we are on this earth, aren't we? We're here for a good 70, 80 years, 90 years, 100 years, if you're lucky. Who knows, maybe your life gets cut short. We don't exactly know the length of time. But the point is, we're here for a long time, overall. We're here for a long time. You know, what kind of life is it that if we could go through life and never figure out what the meaning of life really was? Like, we went through the motions, we matured, we got older, then we passed away, and we just never got to the bottom of what the whole purpose of this life was. That's a pretty sad state to be in. And yet, when it comes to Christianity, it is very straightforward what the meaning of life is. You know, the world thinks of it as a complicated question, but it's actually one of the easiest questions we can answer. If you look at Colossians 1, verse 16. Colossians 1, verse 16. For by Him, for by Jesus that is, were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him. Brethren, you were created for Jesus. All things were created for Jesus. You know, the nation of Australia was created for Jesus. All powers, all authorities, whatever it is, whether they identify themselves as Christians or whether they don't, all things were created for Jesus. Every creature, every animal, all the scenic places, you know, anywhere you can be in this world, all those things were created for Jesus. You were created for Jesus. That is the meaning of life. It's for Jesus. Your life is for Jesus. Okay? Everything, every part of your life is for Jesus. Verse number 17. And He is before all things. And by Him, all things consist of... He is before all things. So the most important thing is Jesus. Okay? The most important thing in this church is Jesus. The most important thing in your family is Jesus. The most important thing in your workplace is Jesus. Okay? When you go and decide to buy a car, the most important thing even before you make that decision is Jesus. Say, Jesus, what do you want me to do? What decision do you want me to make? Whatever it is, brethren. You know what? It's all for Jesus Christ. That is the meaning of life. And you know what's going to give you the greatest joy is when you fulfill that meaning. Okay? When you fulfill that meaning, that's going to give you the greatest joy. When you understand that all areas of my life, whether it's my education, children growing up, you know, maybe being homeschooled, you know, the meaning is Jesus. I'm learning for Jesus. When you go to the job, instead of being cast down, oh, man, I'm dead on the job. I don't like my boss. I don't like my work. Just do it for Jesus. And it will change your perspective on things. This sermon is so important because it's all about having the right perspective in life. Okay? And our meaning, our perspective ought to be Jesus Christ. Verse number 18. And He's the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things, He might have the preeminence, brethren, all things, especially at church. All right? And you know, when I tell the preachers, hey, there's not many of us on a night when you're preaching. It doesn't matter. We're doing it for Jesus. You know, you preach to 10 people as though you're going to preach to 100 people. It doesn't matter because we do it for Jesus. He comes first. All right? Listen, I'm in church. I came from Queensland today for Jesus. Okay? And if you do it for Jesus first, then everything else is going to fall into place. If I seek to be a blessing to Jesus, to bless my Christ, then I'm automatically going to bless this church. All right? If in my family, I seek to bless Christ first and foremost, put Him first, then automatically that's going to fix my marriage. That's automatically going to fix my parenting skills. When I go to work and I'm that lazy employee that can't wait to get home, if I just put Jesus first, it's going to make me a better employee. It's going to give me meaning and purpose because I'm not there just to do a work for a man. I'm doing it for Jesus Christ. It changes everything, having the right perspective. So important. And again, from my own personal experience and from observing people, those that have the greatest joy in life, they know what their meaning is. They know what their purpose is. It's for Jesus. Okay? It's the greatest motivation to keep you going because man lets you down. Reverend, I'm going to let you down one day as a pastor and you're going to let me down one day as my church members. Okay? But if we put Jesus first, it doesn't matter what man does. We continue moving forward because we've always put Christ first. We're doing it for Him. Christ will never let us down. He'll never betray us. Christ will never speak behind our backs. So we just do it for Him. We love Him, don't we? That's the meaning of life. You put Him first, having the right perspective. Those that put Jesus first, they're the ones that are able to take a negative experience in life, a major problem, a major tribulation, and see the positive side of things because they say, Well, Jesus allowed me to go for this problem. There must be something that Jesus Christ is teaching me. You know, maybe Jesus wants to give me comfort right now in this terrible situation. But again, because they put Jesus first, they can see Christ even in the midst of their problems. Alright? Instead of thinking God must have deserted me in these problems, no. Hold on, Jesus Christ, I know He's with me. I know He's going to get me through this time of trial and difficulty. It's going to give you the greatest joy. It's going to give you purpose. When you fulfill your meaning, which is to put Christ first, you are going to enjoy life. You're going to enjoy life. Now, this sermon is important because I remember just as a child I would read the script. It's not just me as a child because I've seen this in other Christians, like carnal, not carnal. I should say babes in Christ, people that are new to the faith. You know, usually the first kind of books that you, you know, when you're recently saved, I guess the first kind of books that you read, well, probably Revelation, the first book anyone reads, right? But really, I mean, people are more excited about Christ and His story, right? The gospels, and they read about Christ and what He went through, and they see how, you know, Christ went and He got disciples after Him, and, you know, there were times when He got the fishermen to quit their jobs, the tax collector, Matthew's quit his job to come and follow after Christ, and they think, well, that's what it is. That's what life is all about. Like, just giving up everything in life, giving up my job and walking away from my family, you know, and just becoming this full-blown disciple because they see that happening in the book of the gospels, all right? And they lose sight of, like, everything else in life. Like, they think the only way I can put Christ first is if I give up everything, literally become a monk in a sense, right? And it's just going to take care of itself. I'm going to put Jesus. That's not what it means. You say, why did they do that when Christ was walking this earth? It's easy because Christ was walking the earth. That's why they did that. His ministry was three years long, okay? Well, it wasn't even long. Three years short, really, all right? I mean, if you're going to get taught by the greatest teacher on the earth, the God-man, Jesus Christ, then, yeah, you had to literally give up everything because you don't know if Christ was going to be in that same town tomorrow. Christ was on the move. He was moving, preaching the gospel, okay? And people had to give things up, all right, to go and follow Christ. Otherwise, he'd be gone the next day, potentially, okay? But that was a period of time. That was a time when Christ was walking this earth. But sometimes people look at those stories and go, well, maybe that's what I need to do. Yes, you put Christ first. That doesn't mean you have to give everything up. It means that everything you've got, you put Christ first in everything you've got, okay? That is really how you receive or how you understand the meaning of life. Can you please keep your finger there and turn with me to Ecclesiastes? Ecclesiastes chapter one, Ecclesiastes chapter number one. And the book of Ecclesiastes is a book where King Solomon is seeking the meaning of life. Now, we know that he was a godly man. We know that he was a godly man when he first took the throne, okay? But eventually, later in his life, he kind of lost purpose. He, you know, started to set up idols for the false gods of his, you know, many wives that he married. You know, his heart was turned away from the Lord. And, you know, he went on this downward spiral. And King Solomon, with all his wealth and possessions, started, he lost sight of God for a moment and started to look for meaning in his possessions, in his wealth, in carnal, earthly things, all right? And so, and you've got to be careful with the book of Ecclesiastes. You've got to understand that the book of Ecclesiastes is a journey, okay? Everything in the book is true, but it's true in that journey, meaning that when it gets to the end of his journey and he realizes that everything is about Christ, that is actually the full truth of the matter. Everything else is true about a man trying to find meaning in possessions and in wealth, but then he finds meaning in his Lord God. But look at Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse number 14. And this is where Christians kind of struggle sometimes. Ecclesiastes 1.14, Solomon says, I have seen all the works that are done under the sun and behold all his vanity and vexation of spirits. Okay? So it says, look, everything I've seen under the sun, all of its vanity, all of its empty, all of its worthless and vexation, of spirit meaning like everything just brings me low. Everything just, ah, it's just more labor. It's just more distressing. It's just not worth it. All these possessions, when I look at it, you know, it's all vexation of spirit. It's all vanity. And again, sometimes babies in Christ, they look at this and they go, well, therefore everything in my life is vanity, right? My relationships are all vain. You know, my car is vain. My house is vain. My bank account is vain. My job is vain. Everything is vain. And so I just might as well just give it all up and become a disciple like, you know, when Jesus Christ walked this earth and now I've got meaning in life. No. It's true at this point in his journey. Okay? That is a true statement of Solomon at this point in his journey. Okay? Everything is vain. Everything is vexation of spirit because it's trying to find meaning and purpose in his earthly possessions. All right? So is everything on this earth vain, empty and pointless? Yes and no. As I said to you earlier, it's all about your perspective. It's where you are at in life right now. Let me give you an example. Brother Les, could you serve as an example? I need you to come up here. All right, Brother Les. And Brother Brett, could I use you as an example as well? I need one of you guys to stand on my right side here. It doesn't matter which one. You can stand here, brother. And brother, you stand here. All right? So are they all right on the camera? Can any people? Come in a little bit, bro. All right, all right. So we've got two men here. All right? We've got two men. Let's say they're the same age. It doesn't matter, all right? Let's say they've gone to the same school. They've got the same education. You know, when they come out of school, they work for the same employer. All right? They earn the same money. They go off and they buy the same car. All right? They end up buying the same house or rent the same or whatever it is, right? They both find a wife and they get married and they both have, you know, four children each, Lord willing, right? I mean, like, pretty much their life is identical here, right? They've got exactly the same earthly possessions. Now, Les, you're going to be the wicked one. You're not going to be the wicked one. You're just going to be the earthly one. You're going to be the one that says, you know what? I think the meaning of life is to get as much possession and, you know, my qualifications. Let's say you're both engineers. You know, I'm an engineer. I've studied. I've got the qualifications. This makes me what I am. And look at my bank account. I've got a million dollars in the bank account. And my property's gone up to five million dollars. And look at me go, man. It's all about, you know, yeah, this is what I am, right? Look what I've achieved. And, you know, yes, you know, this is what life is all about. That's Les. All right? Now, brother, you've done the same thing. You've had exactly the same experiences, right? Your property's gone up to five million. You've got a million dollars. Your property's gone to five million. All right? I mean, you've got the same education. You've got the same possessions. You've got a family that's very similar, wife and kids. All right? But you say, you know what? I put Jesus Christ first in every part of my life. Okay? In my job, I've put Jesus Christ first. The way I've managed my finances, I've been a good steward and I've saved up and I've put, you know, investments in the right place. But I've done it for Jesus so I can take care of my family. I can take care of what God has given me. Right? And we say, Lord, you know, I've become an engineer. Lord, I know you said for a man to labour and to work and provide for his family, so I went and got myself the qualifications. I did it for you, Lord, so one day I can take care of a family but I did it for Jesus first. Brethren, they're exactly the same in life. You can't tell from the outward that they're any different but Les did it for himself. Les did it for the carnal wealth and possessions. All right? And Brett did it for Jesus Christ. Okay? Now, which of these two do you think is actually going to be truly happy? You know, it's going to be Brett. It's going to be Brett that is rejoicing, who's put Jesus Christ first even though he's got the exact same things that this man over here has, that Les has. You see, some Christians think, well, I see what Les has, therefore I must, I need to give it all up so I can be right with God. You're wrong. You don't understand what life is about. God gives us many things. God blesses us. If you're in Australia, you've been blessed. You live in one of the best countries in this world. All right? Even when you complain about everything, how bad it gets, even then, we're in one of the better countries that you could possibly be, you know, you can be working a low-income job and you can still put food on the table, you can still take care of yourself in comparison to other places on this earth where they just can't even put food on the table. We've been blessed. We have an abundance. All right? God has blessed us. But if you put Christ first, you know, your hope and your trust is on Jesus Christ. The meaning of life, you know, is on Jesus Christ. And the things that you've received as a byproduct of putting Christ first, you can rejoice in because you're rejoicing in Christ. You've got the same thing, but you're just rejoicing yourself. You're rejoicing your possessions. You're going to pass away one day and those possessions aren't going to go with you. Okay? But it's exactly the same situation. You both sit down. Thank you. Thank you for that. All right? So that's the example of two men, right, working a similar job, earning similar wages, married with children. They enjoy the labor of their hands. They've got the opportunities to go on holidays, relax a little bit, have some fun. All right? But one day, Les is going to look back in life and say, you know what? It was all vexation. It was all vanity. Okay? Especially if you die without Jesus Christ. Especially if you die without Jesus Christ. What was it all for? And the other one, Brett, says, you know what? I've done it for Jesus. I've put him first in my life. He's blessed me. You know what? This wasn't about acquiring wealth, but God has blessed me in my journey as I've put Christ first in my life. That's the difference. Okay? So, you know, the meaning of life and getting to understand this, having this mental change, you know, is not about just giving everything up. Again, babes in Christ don't really understand this. They think you have to literally become a monk. Okay? And just, you know, become a full-time soul winner or something like that. No, you've missed the point. Okay? You put Christ first in all areas of your life. You're there in Ecclesiastes. Please come to Ecclesiastes chapter 2. Ecclesiastes chapter 2 and verse number 1. Ecclesiastes chapter 2 verse number 1. We're looking at Solomon once again. He says, I said in my heart, go to now. I will prove thee with mirth. Therefore enjoy pleasure and behold, this also is vanity. He thought maybe the meaning of life is just to enjoy life, just to have fun. Right? Party, mirth. You know, just go out and have good fun because this is vanity. Instead of laughter, it is mad and of mirth, what doeth it? I saw in my heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquire in my heart with wisdom and to lay hold and folly. He goes, maybe the meaning of life is just to be foolish, folly. Maybe it's just to muck around and be silly and get drunk and like, you know, just do what other people do in this world. Till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. He says, I've made me great works. I've builded me houses. I've planted me vineyards. I've got the house. I've got the vineyard, right? Houses, vineyards. He goes, man, I'm going to be this investor. I'm going to have 30 properties, right? Verse number 5. I made me gardens and orchids and planted trees in them. Of all kinds of fruits, maybe a great garden. Maybe that's what's going to give me meaning. I made me pools of water to water with the wood that bring forth trees. So in a time of drought, he's got water to water his garden. Maybe, you know, having the best garden when it's, you know, in the time of drought, maybe that's what life is all about. I got me servants and maidens. He goes, I became an employer. I got people working for me. Maybe that's what it is. Maybe it's about starting a business, having workers under my authority, right? I had servants born in my house. Also, I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me. Because, man, I've got the cattle. I've got it all, man. I've got, you know, everything you could possibly want. Verse number 8. I gathered me also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of kings and of provinces. I got me men singers and women singers and the delights of the sons of men as musical instruments and that of all sorts. So he's got even musicians that live in his household, right? They put on the music and, yeah, man, maybe it's all about the music, right? Maybe it's enjoying the arts. Verse number 9. So I was great and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem. Also, my wisdom remained with me. Verse number 10. And whatsoever mine eyes desired, I kept not from them. I withheld not my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor and this was my portion for all my labor. Because whatever I look at, whatever I want, I just take. I see the Ferrari, I just buy the Ferrari, right? Just whatever. I see the mansion, I just go and buy the mansion. Whatever my eyes look upon. He took a thousand wives. 700 wives, 300 concubines. Oh, that girl looks pretty, I'm going to marry her. Whatever it was, whatever it was that he behold his lies upon, he took it for himself. Verse number 11. I mean, and look, isn't this what the world looks for? Isn't this what the world tries to find meaning in life? It tries to find meaning in life about? Investments, property, sleeping around, getting drunk, just listening to music and, you know, getting into the arts and just whatever you want, man. Just people are trying to find meaning in possessions and wealth. Okay? And again, look, before I read the next verse, there are things in this list that aren't sinful. Like listening to a musician, as long as they're not, you know, worldly, carnal, lustful songs or whatever, there's nothing wrong with music in of itself, right? There's nothing wrong with having a vineyard or a garden that you look after or there's nothing wrong with having a house and there's nothing wrong with these things in of themselves. Many of these things are in of themselves. But you see, Solomon is trying to find purpose within these things. He's trying to find meaning within these things. Then he gets to verse number 11. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought and the labour that I had labour to do and behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirits and there was no profit under the sun. Because it's all vanity. It's all worthless. Solomon's got it all. Anything under the sun that he could possibly want, what do you want in life? Are there carnal things, things that, you know, your heart desires that you want? You know, you might get it. It might give you pleasure for a brief period. At some point you're going to turn around and say, it's all vanity. It's all vexation of spirit. You know, I remember being a child. When I was in my teenage years, basketball, especially Michael Jordan, that was a big thing. I remember just collecting the basketball cards. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Collecting basketball cards? I don't think it happens to anyone. But anyway, you know, just collecting the cards and one day I got a full set of something. You collect because you want the full set. Anyway, I had a full set at one point. I don't know if it was a full set of the Chicago Bulls or if it was the full set of that series. I can't remember. But, you know, once I got it, I was like, oh. I was like, well, is that it? You know, it was like the excitement was trying to get it all, but once I had it, it was like, who cares? You try to find value in these things. Oh, really? Okay, I've done it. I guess the excitement was the collecting, but once I have it, it's vexation of spirit. It's vanity. It just means nothing. Now I've got, what am I going to do with it now? That doesn't mean anything. How much money did I spend on this thing? That's not a waste of money. Who cares? It's just the cards with people's names on it and pictures. That's kind of the little example that I've had when I've come to something like that. But the point is this. When you try to find meaning of life in earthly pleasures, it'll all be for vanity. You'll get to a point and it's just not going to give you joy because you did not do it for Jesus. That's the point. You did not put God first. That's the point. All right? If you can please come with me to Luke, chapter 12. Come with me to Luke, chapter 12, verse number 15. And this sermon is still a bit of an introduction to this series, The Perfect Man. Luke, chapter 12. Because, brethren, if you want to become the perfect man, you have to understand your meaning. You have to understand your purpose. You have to understand why you exist. You have to understand why you're living for today. Why did God give you breath today? You have to understand why God's going to give you breath tomorrow should you wake up. If you want to be the perfect man, if you want to be complete and entire, you need to understand why you exist. All right? You're not just an accident. You're not just a random choice of human beings and out of genes you came out. You were fearfully and wonderfully made by God. You're important. Luke, chapter 12, verse number 15. These are the words of Jesus. And he said unto them, Take heed, pay attention, listen, and beware of covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Okay? Look, your life is not just about what you possess. But again, that's what the world thinks. That's what an unbiblical lifestyle is, right? Some people have a view, well, you are your education. And I'm not against education. In fact, get educated. I strongly encourage education. I strongly encourage study and learning. God's given us a brain so we can learn and be more effective. But if you think that's what makes you who you are, that's your purpose and that's your meaning, because you've got a diploma, because you've got a doctorate, because you've gone to a certain level and you look down at others, oh, they haven't got what I've got. Your life is more than education, okay? Your life is not your financial position. You might have billions of dollars in the bank. You might be the richest man in Australia. I don't know. Your life is more than that, all right? Some people think life is about how many countries? Oh, I don't want to get married just yet because I want to travel to Europe and I want to travel to Asia, travel to the US. And whatever it is, I just want to be tied down. I just want to experience life and be cultured. I want to learn all the different cultures and I want to understand, look, is there anything wrong with that in of itself? Is it wrong to go and visit other countries and to appreciate other cultures? In fact, one of the reasons I greatly appreciate Australia is because I've gone to other countries, because I've gone to South America, Chile, because I've gone to Thailand, I've gone to places where there's poverty, where people aren't sure if they're going to eat tomorrow, and then I can come back to this country and truly appreciate what we have here. There's nothing sinful with that in of itself, okay? But I'm not here trying to tell you, look at all the countries I've travelled, look how cultured I am, look what I've achieved in life. That's not your purpose and your meaning of life. Though it's not sinful in of itself, that's what I need you to understand, all right? Your life is not your political affiliation, okay? I mean, look, it's politics. It's politics wrong in of itself, no. It's just a bunch of people trying to govern a nation, hopefully they're trying to do the right thing, though they won't, okay? If they're without the Lord, they're obviously not going to pass the right laws, but is politics in of itself sinful or wrong? No, because God, what did we see? That Christ created all things, powers, okay? Authorities, governments, these things are created for Christ, okay? But again, is having a political mindset and having certain preferences as to how a country ought to operate, is that sinful in of itself? No, it's not sinful. But if you're trying to find meaning and purpose and identity in these things, then you're losing sight of what life is all about. You're losing sight of the meaning of life. Now look, I'm very political, very political, okay? I'm going to vote 100% for Jesus Christ when he comes to this earth for 1,000 years to rule upon this earth, man, I'm going to be right into politics right there, okay, 100% politics. And I'm getting ready right now. I'm trying to learn my Bible so I know when Christ comes how he's going to run this world and I can be a help to him, all right? So I'm very political in that sense, all right? But again, Christ is first, isn't he? That he put Christ first and your perspective will be right. Drop down to verse number 22, Luke 12, 22. And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I assign to you, take no thought for your life, for what you shall eat, neither for the body, what you shall put on. For life is more than meat and the body is more than raiment. Now again, is food sinful? No, you've got to eat. Is clothing sinful? You better put your clothing on, all right? Or then you will be in sin, all right? But life is more than that, all right? I remember, again, in high school, right? You were kind of the cool kid if you had mics. You had the Reebok Pumps. Remember Reebok Pumps in the 80s? Yeah, look at me, you know? And I remember getting my pumas and going, oh man, I wish I had Reebok Pumps, all right? Some people think meat. Some people think, oh man, I went to this restaurant. I've gone to that restaurant. We haven't gone to that restaurant yet? They think that's some achievement. Look at me, man. I've eaten all these kinds of foods. I mean, food is not sinful. I mean, different foods is not sinful. But again, that's not the meaning of life. There's no value in these things. Yeah, all right, enjoy it. People that put value in these things, again, they're going to become like Solomon at one point and go, man, it was all worthless. I mean, I ate. Yeah, okay, sustain me, but I could have eaten a couple of Weet-Bix and I would have been just fine. I could have saved 100 bucks instead of going to that fancy restaurant. Put it towards something more important potentially, okay? And again, I want you to have the right perspective. I don't want you to have, because I feel like I talk to a lot of Christians. I do. Whether they're my church members or even non, in fact, I probably talk on the phone or email more so people that aren't even in my church, okay? And when I do, I realise that people's perspectives are twisted, all right? It's sort of, it's almost, it's strange. And look, because there's like zeal, right? Like people that aren't in church or they're trying to find a church and want to get, you know, they want to grow. They've got this zeal. They think if I just give everything up, like kind of like everything is sinful, like everything is wrong and they're on fire and I don't want to zap that zeal. I want them to use that zeal, but it's not all wrong. Or like they've got these family that aren't saved, these friends that are not saved. And look, if those friends are not being a negative influence in your life, look, stay as friends. You might be able to give them the gospel. Leave the doors open. You don't have to just burn all your bridges and go, now that's all about Jesus. It should always have been about Jesus. Everything in life. Doesn't matter, right? I mean, look, you can't change yesterday. Forget about yesterday. It's done. It's over. You can't change what happened yesterday. Today, where are you today in life, okay? Your family, your friendships, your jobs, all right? This church, where are you in life? Your possessions. What's in your bank account today? Just where am I today? Just make a mental note of where are you today. So now what do you do? You say, well, Christ, I'm going to put you first in all areas of my life. It's not about just get rid of it all now. No, no. Keep those things, if you can keep them. If they're not sinful, keep them. But put Christ first in those things. That's what life is about. Otherwise, you're going to be this weirdo. You're going to be like this cult member, monk-type person that just, you know, you're going to be ineffective. You're going to think I'm just sold out for Jesus. Everyone's going to look at you and go, man, what a weirdo. Because you've lost meaning. You've lost purpose, okay? In fact, what you need to do is look at where you are today and say, you know what, Jesus, I'm going to put you first in all areas of my life right now, today. When you wake up tomorrow, you say, Lord Jesus, I'm going to put you first in all areas of my life tomorrow when I wake up. But life is more than meat. The body is more than raiment. Okay? Now, having the right perspective is important. Let's drop down to verse number 30. Verse number 30. It says, for all these things, do the nations of the world seek after? So, yeah, you know, the world, the unbelieving world, they seek for food, clothing, for the things that they need to get through life. We understand that, okay? And again, you might say, well, I need to give up these things. It must be wrong. It must be sinful. No, hold on, hold on. And your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. See, the things we need in life, the Father knows you need these things. It's wrong or sinful to have these things, okay? Just because you have some things that the ungodly world has doesn't mean those things are sinful or wrong or anything like that, okay? The Father knows you need these things. But look at verse number 31. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you. So God's not saying, hey, get rid of those things. God is saying, look, just put me first, put the kingdom of God first, and then all these things will be given to you. You see, our possessions, our families, our jobs, whatever it is that you are in life, it's all been given to you by the Father, okay? But you just have to put the kingdom of God first, okay? Your meaning, your purpose is the kingdom of God, not those possessions, not your raiment, not your meats, not all the other things that we've listed, not all those other things that Solomon was chasing for trying to find meaning and purpose in those things. No, find meaning and purpose in the God that created you. And God knows what you need, and by a byproduct of all of that, God will then give you the things that the whole world seeks after because you need it in life, you need to operate in life. We need possessions, we need money, we need to function in society. How can you be a blessing, how can you be generous if you've got nothing to give? You know, what's wonderful about having things is not only can you take care of yourself, but when you have an abundance, God's given it to you so you can be a blessing to other people. But you become a monk, you have no possessions, I'm just living for Jesus, then how are you going to be effective for anybody else when the time comes? It's all about the right perspective. And I know I've used these examples before, but it's so important to me, it's so... These are lessons that I've had to learn early in my life. And again, I talk to Christians, they think they're in a dead-end job. And well, let me... I'll give you some... You know, in Australia, and I'm sure America's like this, probably Canada's the same, brother, potentially. You know, you've got this sort of dream, right? The Australian dream. To be a homeowner, to own your own house. Again, is there anything wrong with that in of itself, having a house? Of course there's nothing sinful in of itself, but there is that pressure that society puts on people. And one reason I delayed getting married is because I was trying to just get my education to a certain level where I could get a job to a certain level so then I could afford a house. I had to make a decision and say, you know what, Christina, we're just going to get married now. You know, we're just going to get married and then let it just happen, whatever happens, happens. And I remember just driving sometimes, you know, after I'd spent, you know, gone on a date with Christina, you know, and I'd be driving home, just look at all the houses as I'm driving past, go, man, it'd be nice to have one of these. So many houses, God, can't you just give me one? I mean, you know, I need a place to live, Lord. I want to get married, I want to have family, et cetera, et cetera. It's not like I'm trying to, you know, back then, it wasn't about, you know, investments and prices going up. It wasn't even that mindset, it's just, I just needed a place to live. Trust didn't take the faith. Exactly. Anyway, I got married and this was a burden on my mind. You know, vexation of spirit, as Solomon said. It was a vexation of spirit. I'd be like, man, you know, I'm on this like low income, all right, I'm in a dead-end job, so I thought, you know, how am I going to ever get to this house? And it was just a burden that was upon me. At some point, I just said, you know what, Lord? I'm healthy, I'm married, I'm having the best years of my life, actually, being married now with my wife. Who cares about the house? Like, if Jesus Christ did not have a place to rest his head, then who am I to ask God for something more than what Jesus Christ even had? Jesus Christ did not have a house. Who am I? And I said, Lord, I'm sorry. Lord, if you want me to be rent for the rest of my life, then so be I. Who cares? Lord, if that's my life, I don't care. Lord, that's up to you. And then what? The burden's gone. No longer vexation of spirit, right? Because it's no longer about the possession, where I'm trying to find meaning and purpose. It's about, Lord, what do you want, Lord? What's your will? Maybe your will is that I rent for the rest of my life. So be it then, Lord, if that's the case, that I know you're going to take care of it. I'm sure you're going to make sure that I've got what I need to make sure that I can pay rent for the rest of my life. And the burden was over. Guess what happens after that? You put His kingdom first. A month later, I got enough to put a deposit down and buy a house. But at that point, I learned the lesson already. It wasn't about the house. It was about putting God first. God, what is your will? It's like you have to learn that lesson, and then God gives you what you need, like we saw here. The Father knows what we need. The Father knew we're going to have a bunch of kids, and that renting with a whole bunch of kids is literally impossible with 11 kids. God knows what we needed in life, and He took care of it. Same thing with my wife. Before we got married, she was told, you're never going to be able to have children. Right? The female, productive side, it's not working. No children. When my wife, she was upset about it. I was alright. You're young. You're not really thinking about kids so much. You're just thinking about yourself. I was alright with that. But it was a burden for Christina. We were married, and several months later, some ladies get pregnant straight away. She didn't get pregnant for several months. I guess every month that was going by, she was getting a little bit more and more worried and frustrated and desire to have kids. Is there anything sinful about having kids? Is there anything wrong with that? Okay? But I'll never forget. Christina came up to me and said, you know what, if God wants me to be barren for the rest of my life, I'm okay with that. If that's God's will in my life to not have any children, she said, I'm okay with that. I think a week later, she'd test positive as pregnant. It's the same teaching. It's the same lesson. Is there anything wrong with children? I don't know. But if you're trying to put your meaning and purpose in motherhood, you've got to put God first. Say, God, what is your will? If your will is for me to be a mother, then so be it. Lord, if it's your will that I'm going to remain barren, then so be it. And then once you realize, once you come to that truth and you understand, then God gives you those things. But you have to put God first. You have to find the meaning of life first, you put him first and he'll take care of it. I think there are a lot of things that we want that aren't sinful, that God wants to give us, but he just wants us to make that transition. It's not about the possession or that desire. Lord, it's about what you want in my life. Lord, I'm going to set my heart on you first. You're going to be pre-eminent in my life, in this area of my life. And then God goes, finally, you've learned the lesson. Here you go. Here's what you wanted. I think there's a lot of times that happens where God just wants to give us something but our heart's not right. Our perspective is not right just yet. I'm sharing with you things that I've gone through. I think other Christians will share similar things with you as well. Can you please turn with me to Mark 12. The next thing I want you to understand about life and being the perfect man is, and this one's really important, especially for Christians, don't compare yourself to others. Don't compare yourself to others. Brethren, I've got 11 kids. Please don't desire 11 kids. You say, Lord, I'll have as many kids as you want to give me. It's one. Praise God. If it's none, praise God. You put God first. Don't compare yourself to others. Please, we're all different. I've got strengths. I've got weaknesses. You've got other strengths. You've got other weaknesses. And we're all at different places. I've got the blessing of growing up in a Christian home and living a relatively clean life, not making major mistakes in life, getting married relatively young. I guess my life is okay in many areas of life. And then I talk to other believers and they've had hardships. It breaks my heart when I hear about the problems that people go through. Sometimes when there are many mistakes, many major issues in life, or maybe they're dealing with the consequences of sin in the past, they just think, man, I just don't measure up. I just can't reach. I just can't do what God wants me to do. I've just messed up my life too much. I said to you earlier, you can't change the past. The past is the past. If you've committed grave sins, just go to God. God, forgive me for what I've done. God's already forgiven you. All your sins have been already paid for in Jesus Christ. Yesterday's done. What are you going to do today? That's what matters. What are you going to do today? Don't compare yourself to others. Look at Mark 12, verse 41. Mark 12 and verse 41. And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and behold, how the people cast money into the treasury. And many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. I don't know what two mites, two cents, let's say. I don't know, whatever it is. She doesn't have a husband. The breadwinner's passed away. She's poor. All she'd go is two mites. Now look, if you were the religious leader there, and you were driven by money, you might not even look down on her, but you'd appreciate, you're going to prefer the rich that are cast in much if your heart's about money. Let's say this is a church setting, right? Let's say there's someone that can do and give to churches two mites, and then someone else in church is able to give $10,000 every month or something, right? You know what the most wicked thing I could possibly do is prefer that person that puts in $10,000 over the one that can only afford two mites. Because the one that puts in $10,000 might be making a million dollars a month. I'm just using silly numbers. The one that has two mites, that might be all that they have. They've given everything they've got. Man looks at things differently to how Jesus Christ looks at things. What does Jesus Christ say when he looks at this woman? Verse 43 More? What? Than all they which have cast into the treasury. She's put in more than all of the others and thousands of dollars all combined she's put in more than they says Jesus Christ. But look if this widow she could maybe compare herself to others man look how much they put into the treasury look how they give that's all I can give. You know what she doesn't do that right? She goes you know what this is all I can give I'm just going to give it to Jesus. She knows the meaning of life. She says I'm going to put Jesus first that's all I've got. Jesus you come first. Lord you come first. Maybe those that have put in the thousands of dollars they probably put themselves first and these might be the leftovers. They're putting themselves first and their pleasures first these are the leftovers even though it's more than what the widow has but Christ can see the intent of her heart. All she got is two mites. Verse number 44 In all that she had even all her living she goes Christ this is all I can give but I'm going to give it all to you. You know and this is not teaching alright empty out your bank accounts guys we're going to have a special offering today just empty out all your bank accounts and give it all to Jesus that's not what we're teaching today but you understand her desire her desire is her Lord she goes Lord I'm putting you first Lord if I give you these two mites I know you're going to take care of my needs. Isn't that amazing? If you can compare her to others she's doing nothing and yet I'm sure she's going to be the richest in heaven compared to all those others that were putting money into the treasury. You think she's going to be a poor beggar in heaven this woman when she gave everything to Jesus Christ? Brethren this is not teaching give all your money to church and now you're right with Christ you know what you need to do but my point is give your whole life to Christ put him first in everything in your two mites in your family in your job at church in your soul winning efforts the time that you take and pick up that Bible to read in your friendships in the times Christmas coming up you might spend time with extended family and friends but put Jesus first in all areas of your life put him first and you would give much more in abundance you know some of you might have been saved later in life, I gave you my example I've got a pretty clean life Christian family and some of you got saved late, maybe you've made major mistakes in life, I've messed up my life pastor don't compare yourself to me in fact you could be richer in heaven than I am because I've got abundance I've been abundantly rich blessed by the Lord but maybe I'm not giving all of it to Jesus you might have very little you might have been saved in your 70 and the Lord's going to take you home when you're 71 but if you give that one year to the Lord Jesus Christ you put him first you've given everything you've got so there's no point in comparing ourselves one to another someone gets all those salvations praise God for that person say man I've been going soul winning for two months I get no salvations don't compare yourself to anybody else when you go soul winning even if no one opens the door no one wants to hear you preach the gospel if you put Jesus first I'm going for you it doesn't matter how successful I was because you are always going to be successful when you do it for Jesus Christ if you do it for the praise of men you're not going to be successful sometimes but if you do it for Jesus you're going to be successful when you go soul winning don't compare yourself to other people that's so important we're all at different stages in life doesn't matter how much you've messed up your life say Lord today I'm going to give everything to you tomorrow I'm going to give everything to you man this changes your life this is the biggest game changer I'm telling you this is the most important sermon like I've ever preached I'm serious because it changed my life it changed my life stuck in that dead end job I'll tell you that example once again I was working a job, data entry just sit down on the computer type type type another document I'm literally doing that 8 hours a day 5 days a week sometimes overtime eventually my eyes are on the computer I get glasses suddenly get carpal tunnel from the mouse and the keyboard I'm there for 3 years I think I was there for 3 years but you know the difference is I'm married at this point I can't just be like dead end job I'm going to quit let's find something else when you've got responsibilities you've got a choice that's a good thing that's part of growing up and I'm just going man what a lousy job I'm not going anywhere sometimes I get frustrated where am I going I come home frustrated probably not being the best husband and then at some point again this thought clicked it's like well in fact turn with me go to Colossians chapter 3 come to Colossians chapter 3 let me just show you the passage this is the biggest game changer in life because you see, understanding the meaning of life is not complicated like I said it's not complicated, it's all for Jesus but applying it in life is hard because we're all selfish we all automatically just want to do things and see success in our eyes, whatever that might look like and sometimes we're too impatient for the Lord to come through right? so it's the application that's the hard part the doctrine is easy you already knew that before I told you that life is about Jesus Christ but applying the doctrine is the hardest thing Colossians chapter 3 verses 22 servants obey in all things your masters according to the flesh that's employer-employee relationship ok brethren, do you work for someone? do you have a job? alright, then obey in all things ok, your masters according to the flesh not with eye service as men pleases don't do it for men but in singleness of hearts fearing God look at verse 23 and whatsoever you do do it heartedly as to the Lord and not unto men and that's when it clicked to me and I go, man, this isn't a dead-end job because my employer is Jesus Jesus gave me this job Jesus gives me my paycheck so that I can take that paycheck and provide for the family that Jesus gave me it's all about Jesus and once it clicked oh, this is not about career progression this is not about just serving and pleasing a boss you know what happened? that dead-end job I became even more productive I started to care more about my employment, not just my job I started to care about the company that I worked for because I decided, you know what, this company belongs to Jesus and then I started to go and help other departments that have nothing to do with me and then a lot of other people reach their targets they're getting the bonuses, I'm not getting the bonuses but I'm going out of my way to help them because this company belongs to Jesus all of a sudden, brethren, I'm doing the same job but it's no longer a dead-end job because the reward is eternal the one that rewards me is an eternal God if I put Jesus first He's going to reward me there is no dead-end job in Jesus Christ it's just a job that God's given you it's not for that it's what He wants you to have so I become more productive in my job and then what happens? pay rise promotions why? people think I'm trying to suck up to the boss I'm working for Jesus they don't know that that's the ungodly word, they don't get that I'm just doing it for Jesus and then what happens when Jesus once you put Him first look, this is not a prosperity gospel message I'm just telling you the truth I'm giving you real-life examples that I've gone through that others have gone through now I get the promotions now I get the pay increases now I get the positions that I'm not even qualified for but I guess Jesus Christ says you're qualified because you're serving me first things happened it was never about the career it was never about climbing the career ladder is anything wrong and sinful climbing the career ladder? no, but it was not about that it was about Jesus and guess what happened when I put Jesus first? I started climbing the career ladder it's not something I sought for though I'm not even applying for jobs people are giving me pay rises they're giving me promotions after that dead-end job I think I had seven promotions within eight years or something like that just one thing after another one thing after another I'm not doing it for myself, I'm not doing it for a pay rise I'm not doing it to suck up to some man or some boss or to be some hero in the workplace I just said, you know what Jesus, you come first, even in my workplace this is why and let's keep going there, look at verse number 24 Colossians 3, 24, then you get to finish it knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ at your job, you serve the Lord Christ look, he's going to reward you number one, ye get rewarded your paycheck but you're going to get rewarded in eternity for putting him first even in your workplace it's a game changer it changes your life completely when you understand your meaning your purpose and again, I talk to Christians, I want to become a pastor I want to serve Christ full time one day you don't have to serve Christ full time one day you don't have to become a pastor to serve Christ full time you serve Christ full time right now today with what he's given you you can be a full time worker for Jesus today don't you think that's going to fix your marriage? don't you think that's going to fix your marriage? I'm going to treat my wife because Christ has given me this wife Christ has given her for me to look after Christ has given her for me to look after to love and to lead and the wife says the same thing about her husband Lord, you've given my husband I'm going to be submissive and obedient to him because you've put him to be the leader because you've put him to be the leader and the head of my home don't you think that's going to fix marriages? because you've put Jesus Christ first it's not just I just happen to choose one person out of 8 billion people on this planet so no, that person was given to me by Christ so I'm going to love them I'm going to take care of them because it's something special that Christ has given me it's going to fix everything in your life your relationships it's going to fix your testimony, your reputation it's a game changer I'm telling you the truth, brethren it's the biggest change that I had in my life when I finally realized, man, it's all about Jesus and when you put Jesus first he just gives you all those other things that you were kind of seeking for but now it's not even about that anymore it's not about those possessions it's not about that career growth it's not about that house it's not about having a larger family it's always about Jesus and then he's given me these things as a blessing, as a reward for finally growing up and realizing man, life is not about me it's about Jesus come with me to 1 Kings 3 look, if I'm preaching and I get a little bit emotional you know that it's important to me it's close to my heart there are some things that I preach and I preach because it's in the Bible it needs to be heard, whatever there are some things that I've really experienced and I want you guys to experience I really want you guys to really understand this just get this understand it your life is not a waste your relationships are not hopeless but you've just got to put Jesus first you know it you know what you have to do but it's the application of time, isn't it but it's the application of time, isn't it because we're stubborn, we're selfish we have our own will we want things done quickly we want things done in our time we don't wait for the Lord when you put Jesus first and say Lord in your time, whatever it is whatever it is Lord in your time, let it happen anyway we're talking about Solomon and we saw how Solomon was trying to find meaning and purpose but when he first became king he was a different man obviously when you get power and prestige and possessions and great wealth that can change the heart of a man if you're not careful but Solomon did not start that way in verse number 3, 1 Kings 3 it says Solomon loved the Lord Reverend, do you love the Lord? walking in the statutes of David his father only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places and the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there for that was the great high place, a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon the altar I mean Solomon does everything in thousands doesn't he? Verse number 5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night and God said ask what I shall give thee what would you ask if you were the king? you're going to be the king of a whole nation you're going to take over Australia, you're going to become the king the prime minister plus more what are you going to ask? what do you want? say well I want a house Lord because that's where I was at that one point my wife would say well I want my children Lord back in that point in life Lord maybe I just want a job that's not a dead end job again are these wrong things? you could ask anything really Lord what do you want? what do you want? what's Solomon going to ask? verse number 6 Solomon said thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great mercy according as he walked before thee in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with thee and thou hast kept him this great kindness that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day and now O Lord my God thou hast made thy servant king I want you to notice that you have made thy servant Solomon says Lord I'm your servant I'm under you Lord I'm serving you, I'm your servant you've made thy servant king instead of David my father and I am but a little child I know not how to go out or come in because man I don't even know how to do this for God I don't know how to be a king I'm just a child I'm not mature enough for this job I'm not big enough for this job but I love how he speaks about himself Lord I'm your servant, Lord you're the boss Lord I'm going to put you first and thy servant in the midst of thy people he goes Lord this isn't even my people this isn't even my kingdom Lord this is your people and I'm your servant which thou hast chosen a great people that cannot be numbered nor counter for multitude give therefore thy servant look how many times it says thy servant Lord I'm under your authority I'm under your authority, you're the boss you're the boss, you're the boss I don't know what I'm doing Lord I'm a child this nation's too great for me I'm just a little child I'm your servant Lord but I don't know what to do give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people what's saying God I just want to do the best job I can to serve your people you know what I do when I get up to preach I'm always praying before I preach I say Lord help me to preach the best that I can tonight because these are your people you know these are your children Lord let me do the best I can for your children because I can't do it on my own I can't preach on my own this church is not my church bless it up, it's your church Jesus just help me do the best I can Verse number 9 give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people I may discern between good and bad for who is able to judge this thy so great a people again your people are great Lord Verse number 10 and the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing and God said unto him because thou has asked this thing and has not asked for thyself long life is there anything wrong with long life well Solomon did not ask for that neither has thou asked riches for thyself nor nor has asked the life of thine enemies but has asked for thyself understanding to discern judgments behold I have done according to thy words lo I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee what a blessing God's given him the wisdom to judge this nation to be a great king say wow he answered the prayer of Solomon I want you to know what did Solomon do? He put Christ first he put his Lord first said Lord I'm your servant is God done there? No after he puts the kingdom of God first after he puts the things of God first God then says to him in verse number 13 and I have also given thee that which thou has not asked both riches and honour so there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days God says I'm going to give you the riches Solomon I'm going to give you everything else it's amazing but he had to put God first alright verse number 14 and if that will work in my ways and to keep my statutes and my commandments as thy father did walk then I will lengthen thy days you can even have a long life Solomon if you walk in the paths of David your father if you walk with me everyone we saw last week was it last week that I preached from the perfect man in order to be a perfect man we must walk with the Lord that's what the Lord is asking of Solomon walk with me and I will also give you length of days and Solomon did not ask for these things he just said Lord you come first how can I serve you I just need a wiser and understanding heart to judge you're so great people and then God gives him everything else that he needs to be a powerful you know king to be a powerful king turn with me to Ecclesiastes chapter 12 Ecclesiastes chapter 12 we started looking at Ecclesiastes earlier we're looking at Solomon how he started alright then when we get to the book of Ecclesiastes he's kind of lost his ways he's trying to find meaning and purpose in his possessions because again it's not normal for a man to be excessively wealthy like it's not you know you know I've had someone say to me you know pastor if I had millions of dollars I'd give it to you because you know you're a good man and I know you'll do the right thing I don't know I don't think so money has a way to corrupt the hearts of men even a great man like Solomon great wealth great it's not normal for man to have so much wealth and so much power okay because it's easy to corrupt the heart of man alright but then as Solomon sought to acquire these things and try to find meaning in these things again he said that it's all vain it's all vexational spirit so he gets to the end of the book of Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse number 13 and he says let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter so he gets to the end of it all once he's kind of looked at life trying to find the meaning of life to everything now he gets to the conclusion of the whole matter he says fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man Solomon man he goes man I always knew this from the beginning I knew when I first started to be the king that I'm just God's servant and then his heart got corrupted by his power and his riches and then he gets to this later in his life and go man I knew this already but I've come to understand it once again that the whole matter the whole matter is to fear God and to keep his commandments the whole duty of man is to put God first the whole duty the meaning of life is to put Jesus first that's why you've been created brethren that's a challenge for you tonight sounds easy but it's not really it's an easy doctrine it's an easy doctrine I'm sure you've heard many sermons about putting Christ first but it is hard to apply because we have a wicked sinful selfish flesh that we battle with every single day that doesn't want to do the things it doesn't want to put God first it wants to put you first okay that same sinful flesh that wants to check Facebook first thing in the morning instead of picking up God's word okay this is the battle we've got now put God first hey why don't you give him the first minutes of your day when you wake up say Lord I've got a whole day I've got 24 hours ahead of me so let me just start my day with you I want to walk with you Lord I'm going to put you first even the first minutes of my morning I'm going to give it to you pick up your Bible, spend time in prayer with the Lord it doesn't have to be long everything you've got I think that will put you in a good standing that will put you in a good habit of always making sure you put Christ first in all areas of your life so brethren the meaning of life is that you exist for Jesus okay and if you start to live for anything else possessions or even for yourself you're going to lose the joy in life you're going to lose meaning you're going to find things to be vain empty worthless fixation of spirits but you don't have to be that way you know if you put Christ first He blesses you and brethren you're going to have great joy great meaning, great purpose in life and truly you can become the perfect man alright let's pray