Ascending beyond the hills Rocky, Sisyphus, secular humanism, objectivism, and atheism + Reason for living by Timothy Keller

Transcription

1 Study materials while preparing for this seminar: Gospel according to John Sermon Reason for Living by Timothy Keller Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis Short History of Nearly Everything Bill Bryson A Confession - Leo Tolstoy The Myth of Sisyphus - Albert Camus (Kev note: Threw this book against the wall 4X while reading) The Letters of Ayn Rand Ayn Rand (Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum) Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand (Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum) Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari Homo Deus Yuval Noah Harari Page 1

2 John 1 New International Version (NIV) The Word Became Flesh 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Page 2

3 Small Group Study Question: In his book A Confession by Leo Tolstoy, he writes that we (all of us) are too intoxicated (busy) with life and never fully assess the human condition and ask the important questions: What will become of my life and my work? What is the purpose of my life? What is my reason for living? Leo Tolstoy at age 20, 1848 A giant of Russian literature; works include War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Hadji Murad and The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Page 3

4 ... Do not lose your knowledge that man s (and women s) proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-atall. Do not let the hero of your soul perish, in the lonely frustration for the life you deserved but never have been able to reach.... Fight with the radiant certainty and the absolute rectitude of the knowing that yours is the Morality of life and that yours is the battle for any achievement, any value, any grandeur, any goodness, any joy that has ever existed on this earth. This is John Gault speaking Atlas Shrugged Founder of Objectivism Alisa Rosenbaum (Ayn Rand) Page 4

5 The atheists world view Doctrine of Rocky, absolute freedom, or The Doctrine of Nothing-ness (as best that I understand it) The universe and all organic activity originated out of nothing (a rather bold assumption and Psalm 19:1 and Act 4:24 are wrong) We live to be independent, free, and happy Page 5

6 Interesting Facts about our universe: Our solar system resides in the Milky Way Galaxy The Andromeda Galaxy will collide with the Milky Way Galaxy in about 4 billion years. By the time the two galaxies collide, the surface of the Earth will have already become far too hot to support all terrestrial life - in about 1.4 billion - due to the gradually increasing luminosity of the Sun. Page 6

7 The atheists world view Doctrine of Rocky, absolute freedom, or The Doctrine of Nothing-ness (as best that I understand it) The universe and all organic activity originated out of nothing (a rather bold assumption since Aristotle defines nothing = what rocks dream about) We live to be independent, free, and happy I see man (and women) as above all, a creature of free will Ayn Rand We do the best that we can with the tools we were given by The goal is perfection in our secular life Yes the goal is perfection, but not the perfection of the world or of others; only the perfection of that which lay within his (her) power of himself and his work Ayn Rand We die and then we rot We become worm food Page 7

8 The atheists world view Doctrine of absolute freedom or The Doctrine of Nothing-ness (as best that I understand it) From Dr. Timothy Keller: If you embrace absolute freedom and the doctrine of nothing-ness: you then must conclude that life is meaningless There is only one model that works Page 8

9 Hello: I am a Rock. Aristotle says that nothing is what rocks dream about. (No disrespect to brother Paul s comment about rocks crying out). Anyway I believe in the doctrine of meaninglessness and the doctrine of nothing-ness. A.k.a: The doctrine of Rocky Page 9

10 Stephen Jay Gould American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science We are here because one odd group of fishes had a peculiar anatomy that could transform their legs and thus form terrestrial creatures. And we are here because comets struck the earth killing off dinosaurs and giving mammals a chance that they would not have otherwise so thank you lucky stars in a literal sense. Because the earth never froze entirely during an ice age, you are here. Because a small and tenuous species rising out of Africa one quarter of a million years ago has managed to survive by hook and especially by crook, you are here. We may yearn for higher answers but none exist. This explanation, although superficially troubling, if not terrifying, is ultimately liberating... Since we must construct our meaning of life based on our wisdom and ethical sense. There is no other way. Page 10

11 The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus 2 nd Youngest person ever to win the Nobel Price for Literature Carrying and re-carrying a rock up a hill for all eternity Page 11

12 Point #1: If you embrace the doctrine of rocky, there is only one model that works. The Myth of Sisyphus:... The workman of today (in a universe without a master) works every day in his life at the same task and his fate is no less absurd. Albert Camus Page 12

13 Hell is having to engage in a pointless act from which nothing ever comes, except for the need to do it again. Dr. Timothy Keller Page 13

14 Point number #2: If you embrace the doctrine meaninglessness, by what standard can one tell right from wrong? Page 14

15 Wisdom from Dr. Timothy Keller: The doctrine of Nothing-ness creates collisions within yourself when trying to make sense of right and wrong. If murder ok? Is rape ok? if you are on the Titanic and everyone is about to die (the duration of a human life relative to the oceans of time the come before and after a human life), does it matter if you go down hugging or mugging? Page 15

16 Thoughts regarding the doctrine of Rocky: If there are no answers and no creator, there is nothing that is really true. When you are in love, you must remember that merely a chemical reaction in your brain is happening. There is no such thing as true love. You may enjoy music, but you have to realize that it is only a biological reaction. Meanness, ugliness and cruelty are totally subjective and not real. C. S. Lewis You may still believing in the sense in having a good time but just in so far until it becomes a very good time. Yet in so for as to push you out from cold and pure sensuality to into real warmth and enthusiasm and joy. To that extent you will be forced to feel the hopeless disharmony between your own emotions and universe in which you really live. Page 16

17 Point number #3: If you embrace the doctrine of nothing-ness, the lack of meaning and clarity bothers us. Page 17

18 Voltaire (1694 to 1778): French Enlightenment historian and philosopher famous for his attacks on the Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state. The doctrine of meaninglessness does not work: All beings suffer like me. And like me they die, however, what is the verdict of the vast-est mind... Man is a stranger to his own research, he knows not when he comes or weather he goes... Tormented atoms in a bed of mud, devoured by death, a mockery of fate. Page 18

19 Word = Logos = The reason for life John 1 New International Version (NIV) The Word Became Flesh 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Page 19

20 The basic Point If I am going to die, and all there that you have is this life, eventually you will be forgotten If you want to live your life in absolute freedom (with no belief in God), you have got to admit that your life is utterly meaningless. If you life is meaningless, nothing you do makes any difference. This type of thought stops all thought Dr. Timothy Keller Nobody can live that way Both freedom and meeting are found in Jesus Christ Page 20

21 I want absolute freedom I am happy with the illusion of control I want my own pre-packaged God that I can manage I am the center of my universe. All truth is relative Page 21

22 Point number #4: When you understand the logos of something, you realize its full potential. Page 22

23 total freedom = lack of meaning and significance What if we found the reason for life? Why we were created? Why we were designed? And conformed to that and then honored that? Dr. Timothy Keller If there is a design, there is a designer. And if there is a designer, the logos has come. Not some abstract philosophical principle. It is a person. The designer has punched a hole into the world and he has descended. And you were built not to just honor some philosophical principle. But you were built to know and love this divine person. When you know him and when you serve him and you find out what he built you for, when you comply with it and submit yourself to him, you find out who you are. And you are now able to reach your potential. Page 23

24 If we start out with a premise of nothingness and meaninglessness: There is no God and there is no God that you can know You have to conclude there is no such thing as evil, when you know there is evil. You have to conclude there is no such thing as love when you know there is such a thing called love. You have to conclude that human beings are no different than rocks when you know that is not true. Dr. Timothy Keller If you come to a premise and you come to false conclusions, why the heck won t you conclude the premise was wrong. Why not think about the premise? Page 24

25 Authentic Christianity by Timothy Keller: Blaise Pascal ) A great intellect of history. A Christian with a lot of skeptical friends in Paris, France. He authored what is now called the Pascal wager Person X: Believes there is a God, a judgment day, and an afterlife where he is either saved or lost. Putting his faith in God. Person Y: Does not believe in God. No potential to be either lost or saved. Can not prove there is a God or differentiated afterlife. Page 25

26 Authentic Christianity by Timothy Keller: Blaise Pascal ) A Christian with a lot of skeptical friends in Paris, France. He authored what is now called the Pascal wager Person X: Believes there is a God, a judgment day, and an afterlife where he is either saved or lost. Putting his faith in God. Person Y: Does not believe in God. No potential to be either lost or saved. Can not prove there is a God or differentiated afterlife. Both are waging their lives on their belief system. Most things that have beauty and meaning can t be proven or disproven. If you do not believe in Christianity, that is a gamble. You owe it to yourself to thoroughly investigate them matter. Page 26

27 The right hill Why the doctrine of Rocky or meaninglessness does not work: 1. The Myth of Sisyphus is the only model that works 2. By what standard do we define right and wrong? Is murder ok? 3. We are bothered by a life with a lack of meaning. 4. When we understand the logos, we then realize our full potential. Page 27

28 After the Storm by Mumford and Sons And after the storm, I run and run as the rains come And I look up, I look up, on my knees and out of luck, I look up. Night has always pushed up day You must know life to see decay But I won't rot, I won't rot Not this mind and not this heart, I won't rot. And I took you by the hand And we stood tall, And remembered our own land, What we lived for. And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears. And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears. Get over your hill and see what you find there, With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair. Page 28