Transcript By Glenn Kenadjian  What is the point of life? 这一切有何目的 ?  Why are we here? 我们因何存在?  i.e., What is.

By Glenn Kenadjian
 What is the point of life? 这一切有何目的 ?
 Why are we here? 我们因何存在?
 i.e., What is life’s purpose?
人生有何使命？
 Life has no purpose apart from God. 在上帝以外，人生并
无永恒目的
 Why? Analogy of a phone / coin flip 为甚麽？ 电话及掷
银的比喻
 Conclusion: If life has a purpose, it must come from God
and his purpose for making us. 结论：人生的意义必须来自
上帝及其创造万有背後的目的
 “No” #1: “Life doesn’t have or need a purpose”
第一种否定： “人生既没有目的，亦不需要有”
“‘What is the meaning of life?’ is a stupid question. Life just exists.
You say to yourself, ‘I can’t accept that I mean nothing so I have to find
the meaning of life so that I shouldn’t mean as little as I know I do.’ . . . I
see life as a dance. Does a dance have to have a meaning? You’re
dancing because you enjoy it.” – Jackie Mason
“探讨 ’人生的目的’ 是十分愚蠢的。生命只是一
种存在。你可能觉得自己太微不足道，以致要寻根
究底找出生命的意义… 其实生命就像跳一场舞。难
道跳舞需要有原因吗？只要你享受在其中就可以了。
- 杰克·美绅
“I can find meaning for my life apart from a
purpose for life.” 第二种否定： “就算人生完全是无目的的，
 “No” #2:
我也可以找到其意义”
 “Yes” #1:
If we were made for a purpose, we can expect
God will judge us according to the reason he made us.
第一种肯定：如果我们受造有其独特的目的，神会按这标准
来审判我们
“we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”
- Romans 14:10 “这样，你为甚麽批评你的弟兄呢？为甚麽
又轻看你的弟兄呢？我们都要站在 神的审判台前” 罗马书
14:10
 “Yes” #2:
When we live for what we want, satisfaction
often escapes us. 第二种肯定：当我们只为自己而活时，我
们并不满足
“Life has been good to me. I’ve had great success, many friends,
prestige, a great wife and a beautiful family. And yet sometimes I sit at
home in my mansion and get so lonely. I used to wonder why so many
rich people commit suicide—now I know.” - O. J. Simpson
“别人都羡慕我。我不但名成利就，有
很多朋友，更有一个好妻子与一个美
满的家庭。但有时候我坐在家中却感
到十分的孤独。我现在明白为何那麽
多富豪要自杀了。
 “Yes” #3:
We can make our own meaning for life, but it
will never be a lasting meaning. 我们可以自己界定人生的
目的，但这意义往往随着时间失去。
 Work, Sports, Sex, Etc. 工作丶运动丶性等等
Eventually can’t do 终有一天会过去
 “Yes” #3:
We can make our own meaning for life, but it
will never be a lasting meaning. 我们可以自己界定人生的
目的，但这意义往往随着时间失去。
 Family, Community, World’s People, Future Generations
家庭丶社会丶世界上其它人丶将来的世代
All will die some day 全都会退去
 “Yes” #3:
We can make our own meaning for life, but it
will never be a lasting meaning. 第三种肯定：我们可以自
己界定人生的意义，但这意义往往随着时间失去。
 To have a lasting meaning, we need God. 我们的生命需要有
神才能有永恒的意义
 My story我的故事
 Can we figure it out ourselves? 我们自己可以意识到吗？
 Only one reliable way I know － 只有一个可靠的来源
－
God tells us 神亲自告诉我们
 The Bible claims it is a record of God speaking to us.
What does it say? 圣经声称它记录了神的话语。它有何内
容？
 “everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory
whom I formed and made.”
- Isaiah 43:7
-就是所有按着我的名被召的
人，是我为自己的荣耀创造
的，是我所塑造，所作成的。
- 以赛亚书43:7
 “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the
glory of the Lord.” - Numbers 14:21 -但是，我指着我的永
生起誓，全地要被耶和华的荣耀充满。民数记14:21
 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to
the glory of God. - 1 Corinthians 10:31 所以，你们或吃喝，
或作甚麽，一切都要为 神的荣耀而行。哥林多前书10:31 (
新译本)
 The majority of the books of the Bible plainly state a
desire that God be glorified.圣经主要的书卷清楚描述一种
去荣耀神的渴求
Conclusion? 结论?
 “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him
forever.” – Westminster Shorter Catechism “人生终极的
意义在於荣耀神并永远享受於衪的同在。” - 威斯敏斯德
 The word, “glory”, contains the idea of greatness,
particularly recognized and honored greatness. “荣耀”, 这
个词有光荣的意思，特别是指被认可的无上的光荣，在圣经
中这个词是指神说的。
 E.g., “glory” of a country, 例如，国家的“荣耀,
 . . .sports team, 运动队
 . . .sunset. 黄昏
 People sometimes want to make something great that will
be their glory. 有的时候人们想造出来一些重要的事物来荣
耀自己
 Artist – painting 艺术家—绘画
 Architect – building 建筑师— 楼房
 People sometimes want to make something great that will
be their glory. 有的时候人们想造出来一些重要的事物来荣
耀自己
 Author – book 作家—著作
 Parent – child 父母—孩子
 Your glory reflects something about who you are.
你看作是荣耀的事反应出你是如何的一个人。
 Your glory reflects something about who you are.
你看作是荣耀的事反应出你是如何的一个人。
 God made people to be a great expression of who he is.
神通过创造人来大大的彰显他是如何的一位神
 God made us so that our lives would express his glory as
we trust in and follow him. 神创造了我们。凭着我们对他
的信靠和跟从，我们的生命就彰显了神的荣耀。
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and
so prove to be my disciples.” -John 15:8 “你们多结果子，我
父就因此得荣耀，你们也就是我的门徒了。” 约翰福音15章8节
 God made us to be living expressions of his glory!
神让我们要活出他的荣耀来！
 1. “God does not have any individual purposes for us”
1. “ 神对我们并没有什么特定的目的和安排”
 An example of God speaking about an Egyptian king:
可以拿神对法老所说的话作为例子
 “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my
power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”
(Exodus 9:16) “其实我叫你存立，是特要向你显我的大能，并要
使我的名传遍天下。 ” （《出埃及记》九章16节）
 God has specific purposes for particular individuals, groups
and even nations over different time periods. 神在不同的时
代对某个人，团体以至国家都有着他特定的目的。
 1. “God does not have any individual purposes for us”
1. “ 神对我们并没有什么特定的目的和安排”
 However, God’s overall purpose is most important.
但是，神总体的旨意是最为重要的。
 His individual plan for you depends on if you accept God’s
overall purpose or not. 神对你的个人的计划取决于你是否愿
意接受神总体的旨意。
 When you accept God’s overall purpose, His individual plan
involves bringing you in line with his overall purpose. 当你接受
神总的旨意，他会将对你的个人的计划纳入他总的计划和旨意中。
 When you reject God’s overall purpose, His individual plan is
either to turn you around or, knowing you won’t do that, use you
to advance his overall purpose in others. 当你拒绝神的总的旨意，
他对你的计划，一则是让你回转，接受他总的旨意；要么，当神知
道你不会那么做，他会按照他总的旨意把你放在他对别的人的计
划中。
 2. “God has no other purposes for humanity and for his
followers” 2. “神对人类和跟随他的人就没有其他的旨意了”
 Examples in the Bible: Do good works, manage the earth
well, relate with other believers as in a loving family…
圣经中的例子： 好好做工，好好的管理地球，和其他的信徒相
亲相爱如同一家……
 However, these are all to be done in order to fulfill an
ultimate overall purpose of expressing God’s glory.但是， 做
这些事情都是为了实现那个最终的总的旨意：彰显神的荣耀。
 When they are not done like this, disharmony and conflicts
result! 当做这些事情不是为了彰显神的荣耀，就会带来不和谐
和纷争的恶果！
 Life only has a purpose if we were made by God for a
purpose. 我们来谈论“人生的目的”这个问题的前提是：神
创造我们的确是有目的的。
 We can only know life’s purpose if God tells us what it is.
只有一个方法可以使我们真正明白“人生的目的”，就是由
神来告诉我们。
 According to the Bible, people were made for God’s glory.
This means being living expressions of his glory.
按着圣经的原则，人被造的目的使为了彰显神的荣耀。这是
说人要活出神的荣耀来。
 God has other purposes and plans for people, but they all
center on developing a people who will be his glory.
神对人有其他的旨意和计划，但那些都是为了将人塑造成
能够荣耀他名这一核心的目的而设立的。
 We have all turned to our own purposes, not caring about
God’s purpose for us 我们全部都只盯着自己的计划，不在
乎神对我们的旨意和计划
 We seek our own glory OR 我们追求自己的荣耀，或是
 We just want to be left alone to do our own things
我们只想不被打搅，去做自己想做的事情
 Our rebelling against God has corrupted us, and our lives
express brokenness and disharmony—not God’s glory
因着我们对神的悖逆，我们自己也被腐蚀了，在我们的生命
中展现出的只是破碎和不和谐——而不是神的荣耀
 “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.”
- Romans 3:23 “因 为 世 人 都 犯 了 罪 ， 亏 缺 了 神 的 荣
耀 。”—罗马书3章23节
 “Christ, who is the image of God.” - 2 Corinthians 4:4
“基 督 本 是 神 的 像 。”－哥林多后书4章4节
 “He is the radiance of the glory of God” – Hebrews 1:3
“他 是 神 荣 耀 所 发 的 光 辉”－希伯来书1章3节
 “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”
– 1 Timothy 1:15 “基 督 耶 稣 降 世 ， 为 要 拯 救 罪 人 。”
－提摩太前书1章15节
 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”
– Luke 19:10 “人 子 来 ， 为 要 寻 找 拯 救 失 丧 的 人 。”
－路加福音19章10节
 To save us is to forgive us and to work to change us so we
can fulfill life’s purpose. 救我们是要原谅我们并改变我们
使我们能去实现生命的目的。
 “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears
my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat
with him, and he with me.” - Revelation 3:20
“看 哪 ， 我 站 在 门 外 叩 门 。
若有听见我声音就开门的
，我要进到他那里去，我
与 他 ， 他 与 我 一 同 坐 席 。”
—启示录3章20节
As we receive him and follow him, he makes us more like
himself. We then increasingly express God’s glory through
our lives and actions—and we fulfill our purpose!
当我们接受基督并跟随他后，他会
使我们更加像他。 接着我们可以在
生活和行为中大大地彰显神地荣耀
——我们就实现了我们的意义。
1.
Why do you think people across the world think about
life’s purpose? 为什么全世界的人都思考生命的目的是
什么？
2.
Do you think this is an important concern? Why?
你认为这个问题重要吗？为什么？
3.
What do you think about this idea that life’s purpose is
to express God’s glory? Do you have any questions
about this? 对于“生命的目的在于彰显神的荣耀”这个观
点，你是怎么看的？你有什么问题吗？