{"id":28190,"date":"2020-12-04T15:49:55","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T21:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=28190"},"modified":"2020-12-20T14:51:40","modified_gmt":"2020-12-20T20:51:40","slug":"the-meaning-of-life-where-did-you-come-from","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-meaning-of-life-where-did-you-come-from\/","title":{"rendered":"The Meaning of Life: Where Did You Come From?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Meaning-of-Life-Where-Did-You-Come-From.mp3\" \/><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-28190-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Meaning-of-Life-Where-Did-You-Come-From.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Meaning-of-Life-Where-Did-You-Come-From.mp3\">https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/The-Meaning-of-Life-Where-Did-You-Come-From.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\t<p>by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t<p>Text: Romans 11:25-36<\/p>\n<p>&#160;<\/p>\n<p>I.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The age-old question: Why are we here?<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;To answer the question well, we first need to consider how did we get to &#8220;here.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;To do so begins to answer why we are &#8220;here.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>II.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The prevalent answer today is to claim that it just happened<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Life is said to evolve from lower life, which in turn evolved from non-life.<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;All of it is seen as merely an accident &#8211; there was no purpose or intent in what\nhappened.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Yet the world is filled with interdependent systems where multiple\nsubunits must be in place to create the overall. Any one missing piece\ncreates a non-working, and often harmful, unit.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Think how many parts must come together just to create an eye or an ear.<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Random accidents don&#8217;t produce complex systems. You don&#8217;t blow up a\njunkyard and get a Rolls-Royce.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;What is interesting is that science contradicts this claim<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The Law of Biogenesis states that life only comes from life. It does not\nspontaneously rise from non-life.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A &#8220;law&#8221; means that it is solidly proven and no known contradictory\nevidence exists.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Yet for evolution to be true, it requires this law to be broken<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Like always produces like. There are variations with a species, but never a\ndifferent form of life arising from another form of life.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Fish always produce fish. Corn always produce corn.<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;You don&#8217;t get corn from soybeans or wheat.<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;For decades people have looked for missing links to claim that like doesn&#8217;t\nalways produce like. None has ever been found.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;E.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;None of this begins to address why people are different from the animals<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Why do we appreciate art, music, and poetry? Why are we creative and\nanimals are not?\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Why do we have a sense of right and wrong? Why do we feel guilty over\ndoing things we know are wrong, even when we are not caught?\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Do animals even wrestle with the question of where do we come from?<\/p>\n<p>III.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The Bible&#8217;s answer is that we have been purposely made<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Genesis 1:1-2, 11-12, 24-28<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Life came about by design<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Life came from life &#8211; I Corinthians 8:6<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Man is different because he is made in the image of God<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Everything was made by God &#8211; Psalms 102:25-27; Acts 17:24-28<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;This explanation fits what we observe and know &#8211; Hebrews 3:4; Romans 1:18-21<\/p>\n<p>IV.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The purpose of the creation<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;It belongs to God &#8211; Ezekiel 18:4<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;It was made for Him &#8211; Colossians 1:16-17; Romans 11:36<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Even the wicked still belong to God  &#8211; Proverbs 16:4<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Nothing exists without him &#8211; John 1:1-3<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;It is by His choice that we are saved &#8211; Hebrews 2:10<\/p>\n<p>V.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;What God requires of us<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;To serve Him &#8211; Deuteronomy 6:2<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;To keep his commandments &#8211; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Not to make our lives miserable, but to be a blessing to us &#8211; I John 5:3<\/p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-meaning-of-life-2\/\" target=\"_self\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Meaning of Life\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 11:25-36 &#160; I.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The age-old question: Why are we here? &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;To answer the question well, we first need to consider how did we get to &#8220;here.&#8221; &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;To do so begins to answer why we are &#8220;here.&#8221; II.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The prevalent answer today is to claim that it just happened &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Life is said&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[302,41,941],"class_list":["post-28190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-creation","tag-life","tag-purpose"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":28740,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-meaning-of-life-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":28190,"position":0},"title":"The Meaning of Life (Series)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Where Did You Come From? Why Are You Here? Where Are You Going?","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/contemplation-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52934,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-paul-say-i-say-not-the-lord\/","url_meta":{"origin":28190,"position":1},"title":"Why did Paul say, &#8220;I say, not the Lord&#8221;?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I Corinthians 7:12: \"But I (not the Lord)...\" I studied this years ago, and I realize Paul is capping his statement from verse ten. But Why? Is this not from the Lord? Answer: In I Corinthians 7:10-11, Paul addresses a command that is based on the Lord's authority, given\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":91672,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/searching-for-meaning-in-life-start-here\/","url_meta":{"origin":28190,"position":2},"title":"Searching for Meaning in Life? Start Here","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Erik Borlaug So many people are searching for meaning and purpose in life. Success, fun, family, and even good causes often leave us still feeling empty. In this video, we look at what Jesus meant when He said, \"If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink\" (John\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Video&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Video","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/video\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41064,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-whites-and-blacks-worship-separately-in-south-africa\/","url_meta":{"origin":28190,"position":3},"title":"Why do whites and blacks worship separately in South Africa?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Who was the first black person in the world? Why did God choose to make people of different races? Is a black person a product of a curse? You can give verses to refer to, I would appreciate it. I'm sorry to ask this type of question. Answer: See:\u00a0How\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37359,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/we-say-a-creed-at-every-service-is-this-vain-repetition\/","url_meta":{"origin":28190,"position":4},"title":"We say a creed at every service. Is this vain repetition?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, My question to you today is concerning a creed that a church I've been attending quotes during every service, and I would like to know your thoughts on it. I have recently come to terms with my abusive use of alcohol and the demeaning and shameful things I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43183,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/isnt-it-wrong-to-use-passages-from-the-kings-to-help-define-a-word-in-job\/","url_meta":{"origin":28190,"position":5},"title":"Isn&#8217;t it wrong to use passages from the Kings to help define a word in Job?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear sir, I happened onto your website in search of a definition of the intent of the word \"curse\" as used in Job. I do have a question for you. If the book of Job was written before the Levitical priesthood was established, which would explain why Job, himself,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28190\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}