Sermon Central
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Narnia: The Journey Of Life
Contributed by Brad Rigney on Dec 10, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon explores 4 characteristics you must have to succeed in our Journey of life for truth and life. It contrast these characteristics with Narnia, the Magi and ourselves.
Narnia: The Journey of Life
Intro.:
A. How would you define life?
Some perhaps might say that life is happiness, success, family, longevity, etc. But those are really Goals in life.
What is life?
- Ecc. 3:2; there is a time to be born and a time to die.
- We know that there is a definite goal to life – to continue to live.
- Scripture reveals this contrast in life:
• Death – eternal life
• Perish – everlasting life
• Mortality – Immortality
• Everlasting Destruction - Eternal Paradise
- Luke 9:25; What would it profit a man if he were to gain the whole world, yet lose his soul.
So we know that there is a great goal in life – to LIVE. But What is Life?
Perhaps the best explanation is that Life is a Journey!
And we Journey through Life seeking MEANING, PURPOSE, SIGNIFICANCE, AND ULTIMATELY IMMORTALITY!
B. The Movie Narnia that opened this Friday is a great movie about such a Journey of life.
In the setting of WWII, 2 boys; Peter and Edmund and 2 girls; Susan and Lucy Journey through the door of a Wardrobe Closet into Narnia.
They bark on a great Adventure to become who they were meant to be – to find MEANING, PURPOSE, SIGNIFICANCE, AND LIFE IN PARADISE!
Narnia is a great story full of Eternal Truths related to such things as Jesus Christ – as Aslan; Redemption, the Sacrificial Atonement, Ultimate Victory in a world much like ours, in conflict: between evil and Holiness/Righteousness; good and bad; enslavement to sin and Freedom!
C. But, Our passage today is not a story but a Record of the Journey of the Magi as they seek to find MEANING, PURPOSE, SIGNIFICANCE AND BE PART OF THE LIFE CHANGING VICTORY FOR HUMANKIND.
Read Matt. 2:1-12
Like Narnia, this first century time when Jesus was born was filled with conflict – lines were being drawn to the allegiance of God and His prophecies for the birth of the Messiah or allegiance to the rulers of darkness and self esteemed Power, like Herod.
Herod would do anything to keep his power – The Witch Jadis would do anything to keep her power.
It is in a such a world that the Magi come – even as Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan come to Narnia.
D. As we look to this Journey of Life by the Magi, let us learn what it takes to truly Find MEANING, PURPOSE, SIGNIFICANCE, AND ULTIMATE VICTORY FOR LIFE!
As we learn from the Magi we will find 4 characteristics necessary in this Journey of life!
Body:
A. In this Journey of life we need DESIRE.
- We need the Desire for Truth, a Desire to find the ultimate answers to life!
- The Magi had such a Desire!
• You can see it in their willingness to travel from afar. Travel at those times were not safe at times.
• You can see it in their seeking the Prophecies for the birth of the King, even though they lived in a land uphold the Scriptures.
- Narnia, you can see the Desire of the 4 kids, even at times wrestling with the Desire: should we turn around and go back or stay.
- You can see it in their willingness to do learn more Truth, to help others and to help one another as brothers and sisters.
- Yet, most people have this DESIRE for Truth, this Desire for Ultimate Answers to life. Instead, most people seek safety; settle in life; go with the flow of things; misbelieve that life is nothing more than making do in the Now!
- Life truly is more than now. Narnia demonstrates it; the Magi live it – But if you and I are going to truly find Success in the Journey of Life – we must have the DESIRE!
B. In this Journey of life we need COMMITMENT.
Commitment is the Follow Through of our Desire.
- The Magi had a such a Commitment!
- Commitment to traveling for the Journey
- Commitment to the Words of God that proclaimed the birth of Jesus and where, vs. 5-6
- Commitment to the TRUTH of the King of kings being born in Bethlehem.
- Commitment to Worship Jesus, the born king – Messiah.
Narnia reflects the commitment of Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan.
- Commitment to continue even when as Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve, they met up with some unusual creatures that were often scary.
- Commitment to Discover the TRUTH of Narnia – and the promised restoration of the land; the truth about Aslan, as well as the Truth about who they really were.
Do you and I have such Commitment?
- Commitment to God’s Word, to Worship the King of kings and Lord of lords?