351: Bob Carlson - Exhortation: Signal vs. Noise

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:03

   Welcome to good Chris Delphian talks. I’m Levi. I’m Chris. I’m Jason. And I’m Brian, thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one talk a week to help us get the Bible in our Daily News feed. Each week. We post a talk. That we previewed from suggestions sent in by listeners from around the world. Then we record a short intro beforehand as a personalized recommendation to you on why we are sharing the talk. And now let’s talk more about this week’s talk. Hello, This is brother Chris Atwood back with a new talk for you to enjoy this week.

2. 0:50

   For this week, we’re listening to an exhortation that was given earlier this year in Southern California by brother Bob Carlson. The title of the exhortation is Signal versus Noise and the exhortation itself, the theme I thought fit very well to the overall goal and objective of the Good Christadelphian Talks podcast, which is the goal is to try to get the Bible into your news feed to reduce the amount of noise in your life and instead focus on the signal.

3. 1:23

   Now Brother Bob is a sound engineer and has taught and has helped in many ways both in our ecclesia and other ecclesia in Southern California to set up sound systems and all sorts of other things related to sound. So he is an expert in the subject when he is talking about it. But one of the areas that Brother Bob and many other brothers over the years have helped in is preserving and helping to do the audio at Bible schools and Bible weekends over the years. So I thought it was appropriate, given that I’m sharing this expectation right on the eve of the North American Bible School season, to especially thank all those brothers and sisters that have faithfully over the years helped to set up the sound so that everyone can be able to hear and understand the work that all the speakers put into putting out those talks and also those that.

4. 2:17

   Over the years. We’re responsible for tape replication so that we have the tapes that I’ve been working to digitize to preserve the talks from many, many years ago. And we’re able to still listen and enjoy and in many cases sounds just as good as if it was recorded today. So if you are out at a Bible school this summer, one, if it happens to have a spectacular talk, please make sure to send it in as a suggestion. But also be sure to thank whoever is doing the audio behind the scenes.

5. 2:46

   Cause doing sound at an event like a Bible school or a weekend is the type of job that nobody knows that the someone is doing it unless it is going wrong. So if it is going well and you don’t know who they are, that’s probably because they’re doing an excellent job. Be sure to thank them for what they’re doing. That allows you to be able to sit and listen and enjoy the work of whoever is up on the platform speaking at that given moment.

6. 3:14

   So with that, I’m going to turn it over to brother Bob Carlson for his expectation. That was entitled Signal Verse Noise. Good morning, brothers and sisters. As I start out the new year, I, like many of you, kind of take a review of what I’ve done and I then go through my files and see what I need for taxes coming on up at the beginning of this year.

7. 3:39

   Yeah, great stuff. And then I also then start new files. I start the files for 2025. Of course, this always requires me to make some space because everything’s already full from everything. That’s over the course of the past few years and my filing cabinets get full and I need an exodus of some of these older files. And this year required me to throw out quite a few older files no longer in use.

8. 4:10

   My wife’s treadmill has took enough space of one of the filing cabinets, so I needed even more room. Among those older files were some of my school lecture materials from my educational days where I taught at a local Community College. I kind of find it hard to dispose of some of them because they’re knowledge based but but not like I’m going to go back into teaching anymore.

9. 4:33

   They were just taking up far too much space there in the files. But as I was going through them and throwing them away, I came across one of my lexer sessions that was titled Gain Structure Signal to Noise. And I thought, aha, I think I’ve found something. This can be my next exhortation.

10. 4:54

    Yeah. OK. And I, and I know before you think I’ve totally gone off my rocker, at least more than I already am. Let me get into the subject a little bit before you think me totally crazy. In the world of audio and music, we are always trying to have the music and all audio programming free from any distractions that would take us away from that audio programming or the music. And what happens is, is that any type of distortion to the original music or audio programming is totally unwanted. Any introduction of something that was not in the original music or audio is also unwanted.

11. 5:33

    In short, anything that is not part of the original audio or music is considered to be noise. In contrast, we want the music to be totally easily heard. We want it to be presented accurately. It’s gain level should be well above the presence of any possible noise. There’s a measurement for this and it is called signal to noise. Nearly all audio electronics.

12. 6:02

    This has this measurement of signal noise listed in its specifications. The higher the measurement differential, the better the audio electronics are. What does this mean? In reality, the level of music is far above any perception of noise that might be there. In fact, the music would even mask any possible noise because it’s much higher in its loudness level.

13. 6:29

    An experienced audio engineer knows his job is to turn up the signal, get rid of the noise. Now some of you more experienced audio engineers and Bible students can see where I’m going with this exhortation. And you may already know where I’m going with this comparison of how signal to noise may play a role in our spiritual walk in this world that we live in today. So let’s leave the college classroom and its materials for a moment and turn to the Bible for its commentary on the subject.

14. 7:02

    So in doing that, I guess the first thing we need to do explore what is the Bible’s perception of noise. To my surprise, both the Greek and Hebrew words for noise are contained within the Bible, and not just a few times, but a lot of times. Many times. What is translated noise just means sound.

15. 7:26

    Examples of this would be in Naham 3 and 2, the noise of a whip and the noise of a rattling wheel, or of galloping horses over clattering Chariots. Or another example would be from Joshua 610. Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth until the day I say to you shout, then you shall shout.

16. 7:57

    So many times the word noise is not translated in a positive sense. Matter of fact, many times it’s not translated positively. It’ll come up as confused noise, loud noise. Pass away with a great noise, tumult, or commotion. After the uproar ceased, riotous persons, both Jesus and the apostle Paul, were confronted with noise. Sometimes translated as clamorous or excited multitude trying to drown out God’s message. Paul in more than one occasion set the city on an uproar. However, sometimes we’ll see the translation of noise in a favorable way.

17. 8:45

    Not as many, but it’ll come up as make a joyful shout, make a joyful noise, make a joyful sound to the Lord. An example would be like a verse I really like from Psalms 89 at 15. Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound. They walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance. So from a Bible’s translated sense, you can make a joyful noise or sound to the Lord, or you can make a confused tumult or commotion that is not joyful to the Lord. In fact, we see many times God’s contrast the loud sounds of confusion with the small voice or near silence of God asking us to be silent before Him.

18. 9:33

    Just like in the hymn that we just sang. The Word of God throughout the Scriptures makes an interesting contrast between loud noise of the wicked in the quiet of the innocent or the righteous. I would like to turn to the book in Prophecy of Amos, the 5th chapter. In this 5th chapter of Amos, Amos prophesied during the reign of Uzziah over Judah and over Jeroboam over Israel.

19. 10:07

    It is it is call from God to both Judah and Israel for repentance and putting in at verse 12 of Amos 5. For I know how many of how many are your offenses, and how great are your sins. There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil.

20. 10:38

    Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good, maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. So here in this passage, the Lord God is calling for justice and righteousness from His people.

21. 11:09

    Things had gotten so bad that even the courts of those days were evil, taking bribes and oppressing the innocent. And Amos would declare the times are evil. So he wants us to seek good, not evil. So in keeping with our subject of the positive signal and message of God over the unpleasing noise that can drown out that message with noise, how do we turn up the signal and get rid of the noise? What noise and unwanted confusion can we remove from our lives?

22. 11:48

    And in contrast, what positive signals can we turn up in our lives? So let us take a moment to look through and read some of God’s Scripture and see what might help us as to turning up the signal and getting rid of the noise. Now all of these Bible passages I’ll be reading will be taken from the New King James Version, and there’s going to be quite a number of them.

23. 12:11

    So don’t feel necessary to turn them all up as I read them. Our first reading will come from the first chapter of Isaiah at verse 17. Learn to do good, seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. Here the Lord through Isaiah is pleading for the children of Israel to put away evil doings. Just like the reading we just had in Amos, there’s a plea, a legal plea to seek justice and defend the innocent. And in the following verses it says, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though though they are red like Crimson, they shall be as wool if you’re, if you are willing and obedient. So the message here is learn to do good. King David would say in the Psalms, Psalms 3414, depart from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it. And in Psalms 37, depart from evil and do good, and dwell forevermore.

24. 13:29

    Now King David was just echoing what was instructed to the children of Israel back in Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy 6 and 18, you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your father’s. And King David’s son Solomon would say in Ecclesiastes the third chapter where he’s a where he’s talking about there’s a time and a place where everything and starting at verse 11 for continuity.

25. 14:03

    He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart. Yet no one can fathom what God has done from the beginning to end. I know that there’s nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. But years later, Jeremiah would write the Lord’s at the Lord’s direction at Jeremiah 422 For my people are foolish. They have not known me.

26. 14:36

    They are silly children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. So this theme to do good didn’t end with the children of Israel. We have only to turn to the New Testament writers to see this message continue through the time of Jesus and beyond.

27. 15:01

    All of the following scripture verses are addressed to the 1st century believers, both Jews and Gentiles, to to the believers in Galatia. He would say, And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are in the household of faith, and to the church at the Thessalonians. 313 But as you grow, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. And to the Romans in the 12th chapter, verse 21, Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. In Hebrews the 13th chapter, verse 16. But do not forget to do good, and to share for what such sacrifices God is well pleased.

28. 16:07

    In first Timothy 6 at verse 18. Let them do good, that they may be rich in good works, ready to give willingly to share. And in John three, the first chapter at verse 11, behold, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. For he who does good is of God, and he who does evil has not seen God. And in first Peter 311 let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. In Psalms 36 that I read from this platform 2 weeks ago, King David would write an Oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked.

29. 17:00

    There is No Fear of God before his eyes, for he flatters himself in his own eyes when he finds out his iniquity, and when he hates. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit. He has ceased to be wise and to do good. He devises wickedness on his bed. He sets himself in a way that is not good. He does not abhor evil.

30. 17:31

    And now lastly, in our flurry of verses in James 417. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it to him it is sin. So from these pages of scripture we are seen and compelled by God to do good. Yes, we may have to learn to do good, we may have to bring to remembrance good, or increase our ability to do good.

31. 18:03

    But to do good is of God, and not to do good is a sin. So we are to turn away from evil and any form of wickedness. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, 5/19 he would write. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are idolatry, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, evil, murders, drunkenness, rivalries and the like, of which I tell you before, just as I told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

32. 18:59

    These are the works of the flesh, the ever increasing noise of the world that is around us. So what is the good message in the signal of our Heavenly Father? We are encouraged to do good. But what might that be? Jesus in Matthew 25 would say. Then the king will say to those on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom, Prepare for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. I was naked and you clothed me.

33. 19:45

    I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. And again Jesus in another parable of the good shepherds, would actually say, do good and rent your aid to those even outside the brotherhood. Love your neighbor as yourself. This is to do good to both those inside the Brotherhood. Your fellow brothers and sisters and those outside the household of God.

34. 20:16

    Now as we come to this memorial table, we come here to remember Jesus and we look to Him to be our supreme and perfect example. He was the stone that was rejected by the scribes and Pharisees and the people of that day. He has become the chief cornerstone. Jesus would ask the scribes and Pharisees which is lawful on the Sabbath, to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it. Throughout his ministry he would come to do good, and by his actions he would save life.

35. 20:58

    And at the end he would remain quiet in front of his accusers. With their loud voice they would cry, crucify him. It had to be a deafening, riotous uproar, so much so that Pilate would yield and give Jesus over to be crucified. And Jesus, the one that did good throughout his life, remained quiet, allowing God’s plan to be fulfilled.

36. 21:27

    A poem. It is very sad the way things go when our spiritual fight starts to fall. And in that fuzzy picture, God’s writing stands out on the wall so clearly. On the wall, send out the signals, deep and loud. And in this place, can you reassure me with a touch, a smile? While the cradle is burning, while the world around us is turning to noise, the more that it surrounds us, the more it destroys. Turn up the signal, wipe out the noise. Is mankind losing sound and sight of all those who can tell me wrong from right when all things beautiful and bright sink in the night?

37. 22:20

    Yet there is something in my heart that can find a way to make a start. Turn up the signal, wipe out the noise. As remembering him now, brothers and sisters in this memorial, let us live our lives and turn up the signal and wipe out the noise.

38. 22:53

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39. 23:22

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40. 23:38

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