Dennis Gillett - Bible Men The Way They Were - Class 3 - Joash - Piety on Cruches

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   Brothers and sisters, we are now ready to begin our first class. We will now call upon our brother Dennis Gillette to deliver the third class and his series on Bible Men the way they were. This class entitled Joash via Theon. Crutches. Good morning, everyone. The record. Of the life of King Joash, of Judah is to be discovered.

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   In two passages in the Old Testament, the second book of Chronicles chapter 24 and 2nd book of Kings, chapter 12, those are the two chapters where we learn about. Jewish now I realise. Brothers and sisters, that you. Will recall the life. Of this man. Very well, because you’ve been through it many times, but just by. Way of.

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   Recollection, I’m going to read a few verses to you from two Chronicles 24, so. That all you know about? Him will suddenly flood back. Into your memory.

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   Two chronicles. 20. 4. Joash was seven years old when he began to reign. And he reigned 40 years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Zebia of Beersheba. And Joash did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehardah the priest. And Jehardah took for him two wives.

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   He begat sons and daughters. And it came to pass. After this, Joash was minded to restore the House of the Lord. And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the House of your God from year to year, and see that ye hastened the matter, albeit the Levites hastened it. Not and the king.

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   Called for jihad the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring it? In out of. Judah and out of Jerusalem. The text of Moses, the servant of the Lord, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tent of the testimony For the sons of Athalaya that wicked woman had broken up the House of God, and also all the dedicated things of the House of the Lord did they bestow upon the Baalim. So the king.

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   Commanded they made a chest and set it without. The gate of the Lord, and they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem. To bring in the Lord. The tax that Moses, the servant of God, laid upon Israel in the wilderness, and all the Princess. And all the people rejoiced and brought in and.

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   Cast into the chest until. They had made an end. And so on and so on. Well, you will now remember. Well, who Joash was? The first thing to remark about him is this, that he had a bad start. His life began with tragedy. His father was Ahaziah and he was king for only a year. And this king Ahaziah was.

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   The son of a daredevil. Pair Jehoram and the daughter of. Ahab, I suppose Jehoram might have. Done. Better if he had or I was going. To say if he’d had a better wife. He might have done better if he’d not had this wife, the daughter of Jezebel’s household, because when he married her. He got trouble her.

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    Name was Apple Life. You’ll remember Athalaya. She’s called here that wicked. Woman. So you see, poor Joash had no. Real father to begin with. He was only a baby. When his father died and his grandmother, Athalaya was a wicked woman. And you know what? Happened as soon as her son Ahaziah died. With fiendish cruelty, she destroyed all the royal children so that she herself might sit securely on the throne. Of Judah and rule.

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    Over the House of Judah. Well, I said that she destroyed all the royal children, but you know that she missed. One and the one she missed. Was. Joe. He may have had a wicked grandfather, a wicked grandmother. But. He had a good auntie and her name was. Jehoshiba. That’s how you say it. The sister of Ahaz, she was the wife of Jihad of the priest. And when Afterlaya was slaying the royal children, Jehoshiba did Joash and he escaped.

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    And he was brought up in secret in his auntie’s house and under the care of the guidance of her husband and his his uncle, Jihad of the priest, he was reared. Now I know you remember the story well. We just read when Joseph was seven years old. When? Joash was seven years old. He he began to reign.

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    They they brought him forth. They proclaimed him the rightful king of Judah. And they. Crowned him in the temple, and his wicked grandmother Athalaya was slain. And so this boy became the. King of Judah and Jehovah the Priest. His uncle carefully directed his counsels, instructed him in the. Principles of good living. Taught him.

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    The principles of sound government. And Joash responded. He proved to be a good. Ruler. And as the Bible says, he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. And you’ll notice in that passage we read that he had a great zeal for the House of God, the slackness of the priests.

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    With something which troubled him, and he made it one of his duties to stir them up. And you saw what he did and he. Held. The Holy Scriptures in great esteem. You can read in the second book of Kings, chapter 12 or I think it’s Chapter 11 verse 12 at his coronation. His uncle gave him a copy of the law, just as they did Queen Elizabeth in London.

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    When she was crowned, they gave her the. Bible. And Jewish Jewish loved the scriptures of God and he and he sought to keep them. And he wasn’t the man who kept his religion for the Sabbath day. He put his religion into the everyday business of life. He put his religion into the business of the state. In two chronicles 24.

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    You when you read it carefully, you can see that he he wasn’t willing to allow sweating in government departments and and grinding. In in the work. Of the state. I mean, every tradesman was faithfully rewarded. And faithfully treated the carpenters and the Masons and the other artisans, they were all treated properly. They all had their rightful wages. I suppose it would be true to say that King Joash was the first real trade unionist, and that is to say. He secured for each.

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    Man, the best. Conditions and under his. Supervision the House of. God was repaired. After the ravages which had been made upon it by that wicked woman, Athalaya, and there was continual. Worship in the House of God. Said man with. Joy in the hearts. Of the people. Though in fairness we must say that some of the people still worshipped in the high places. The Bible is careful to record, but there was a restoration on the Joash of the House of God.

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    Of reverence for God’s word. And of worship of God. As it should be. And consequently we are able to say that this king Joach was upright in character, straight in conduct, religious in spirit. Indeed, it must have rejoiced the heart of his uncle Jehoiade, the priest to see the young King’s wisdom and the young King’s piety.

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    You know just how carefully the Bible describes the piety of Jewish Can I bring you to Two Kings 12 verse 22 Kings? 12 verse. Two. Notice what it says. 2 Kings 12 verse two says, And Joash did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. All his days were in jihad of the priest instructed.

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    Him. Or you turn back to two Chronicles 24. Please and Verse 2. Two Chronicles 24, Verse 2. And Joash did that, which was right. In the sight of the Lord. All the days of jihad, of the priests, it’s a fine commendation when you think of it, a fine commendation.

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    But as I’ve said before, in the Bible, every word is important, and there’s a wealth of significance in the words. All the days of Jehoiad of the priests.

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    Let me just. Show you what I mean. You see it at verse 19 of 2 Kings. 12 You will read this. And the rest of the acts of Joash and all. That he did. Are they not written in the? Book. Of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. Well, the answer. If that’s a rhetorical question, the answer is indeed they are.

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    Yes, indeed they are written in the books of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. Let’s just have a look. Two Chronicles 24 Again, yes, they are written. Let’s begin reading almost where we left off. But a little bit further on, remember, it says. Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. Now let’s take up that idea in verse 15 two. Chronicles 24 But.

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    Jehoiada waxed old and was full of days, and he died 130 years old when he died. And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel and toward God and his house. Now after the death of Jehoiada came the. Princess of Judah and Made. Obeisance.

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    To the king and then the king. Hearkened unto them, and they forsook the House of the Lord. The God. Of their fathers, and served the Ashurim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guiltiness. Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again unto the Lord. But they testified against them.

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    But they would. Not give here and the. Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, the son of Jehoiah the priest. And he stood above the people. And said unto them, thus saith. God. Why transgress she the commandments of the Lord? That she cannot prosper because you have forsaken the Lord, He hath also forsaken you, and they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the.

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    King in the court. Of the House of the Lord. Thus Joash the King remembered. Not the kindness which Jehadah his uncle had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died. He said the Lord look upon it and require it. They came to pass at the end of the year that the army of the Syrians came against.

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    Him And they came. To Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the Princess of the people. From among the people and. Sent all the spoil of them under the king of Damascus, for the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men. And the Lord delivered very great hosts into their hand, because they had forsaken.

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    The Lord, the God of their. Fathers, so they executed judgement. Upon joy thus Jilash the. King remembered not the kindness which Jehadah had done to. Him but slew his son. Now what a tragedy, brethren and sisters. This good man turned from God and slew the son of his best friend. What a moral collapse. From being earnestly religious, this man became degenerate and profligate, and when the son of his uncle tried to save him from his folly, he ordered him to be stoned to death. Who would have believed that?

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    That that so much wickedness lay in the heart of a man who was so circumspect and so devout. Who would have thought? Now is there any explanation for this change? Is there? Is there any way of measuring this abject? Failure well. To come to the point straight away. There. Is Joash. Was one of those persons. Who have?

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    No root in themselves. He had goodness, but it was circumstantial goodness. It depended for its existence upon circumstances outside of himself, so long as Joash was. Under the control of the guidance of his uncle Jehardah. He was a good man, but it was goodness on crutches. When his uncle died, Joash went to pieces.

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    Now there are some men who become like the company they keep. When they are with the good, they are good. When they are with the bad, they forget their goodness, and so it was with. Joash. Whilst he was with the good, he went with them when he was with the bad. He went with them. He had no root in himself.

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    He was all right whilst he was in leading streams. He leaned upon others. In goodness and in wickedness, he leaned upon others. Instead of mastering circumstances, he was mastered by them. He lacked independence, he lacked courage, he lacked strength. He had no salt in himself. Now the weakness of joy has been the curse of many alive since then. Let me give you one example and where a strange example of the lack of independence in the character. Of Jewish.

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    I bring you back to two Chronicles 24. Read with me a few verses carefully. Well, verse one. Two Chronicles 24 Verse One. Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 40 years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Zebia of Beersheba. And Joash did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. All the days of jihad, and the priests and jihad had took for him two wives, and he begat sons and daughters. Did you notice anything strange about that? And Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he begat sons and daughters.

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    Now any man who allows his uncle to do his courting is on the wrong Rd. It’s right Jehoiada took for him. Two wives. It’s a sign of his inward weakness. Like a chameleon he he took on the colour of his surroundings. If he could have been kept in a glass case, perhaps he would have never been spoiled. But that’s not the method of.

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    God, God does not keep. His men in glass cases. God is not looking for plaster Saints, but men and women who have tested hearts and proven spirits. Men and women who have lived in hothouse conditions cannot stand against the crosscurrents of life. Now don’t don’t get me wrong. Don’t misunderstand me, brothers and sisters, I am not saying that the friendship.

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    Of Jehoiada was a bad. Thing. Certainly not. But it was turned to wrong causes because of Joashi’s weakness. Of course the companionship of a good uncle is better than the friendship of fools. Of course it is. Of course a young man is much safer in the hands of a man of God than in the synagogue of Satan.

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    Of course he is. The House of prayer and devotion is a better place to live in than the place of revelry and riot. Of course, it makes all the difference whether you are with sinners or with Saints. Whether you have one or the other for your friends, of course, it makes all the difference.

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    Indeed, some people would say that they could tell you a man’s character by watching the kind of friends he has. That means that a man, to some extent becomes one of the company that he keeps. And that may be true. But you see in the case of Joash and I wonder if I can interest you in this for a few minutes please.

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    In the case of Joash, environment seems to be crucial. I said circumstantial goodness, and that means that his environment in his case was a crucial thing. Now we know this as a general principle. We I think we know this to be true. We cannot complain. It’s true to some extent in everyone’s life. We are all influenced by the friends we have. By the work we do, by the place in which we live, and by the books we read, we are influenced by these things. If it were not true, then it would mean that the fellowship of the brethren and sisters would be impotent. The service of the truth would be sterile. The the effect of the Word of God will be lost and dissipated if that principle were not true.

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    The principle of influence, If you are in a bad profession, you will tend to become. Bad. If you are in a brutal profession, you will tend to become brutal. Zacchaeus is a good. Example of the 1st, and the Philippian jailer is a good example of the second. Again, I think it is indisputable that the man can be marred by the place of his living. I mean, a man who lives in a tenement slum is more likely to. Be different from a man who lives in a clean cottage on a hillside with clustering roses and a rambling honey sample. He is likely to be affected.

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    Now you want to say, well, is it fair? Of course it’s not fair, I know. It’s not fair. I’m not concerned with whether it’s fair or not, I’m only trying to stressing that it makes a difference. I think all of you would agree that character is moulded and fashioned by what a man reads. Now this is a great principle which consequently compels us to.

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    Read the word of God regularly and conscientiously. Rightly done, it can transform us. We believe that it’s one of the foundation beliefs of our faith,

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    and if it’s not true, then we’ve been grossly deceived and we’re following the wrong course, and we’re on a fool’s own. If it’s not true, we know in our deepest heart it is. True, and it works both ways, you see, depending on what you read. Literature which is properly and sensational and light tends to produce a character which is frothly and sensational and light.

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    Now all I’m trying to do is to remind you of something which emerges from the narrative. About Jewish that all through life men are being influenced by their surroundings and the vital thing is whether the power of the environment is stronger than the power of the personality to control it. You see, some well meaning people have advanced a theory related. To the startling effect of environment, which says if you refashion the environment you will affect the transformation of the man.

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    This is a theory which has been advanced many times, they say. Remove the man out of the slum. Put him into a clean model dwelling. In the country or in the suburbs and you will change his character. Give him a new house, hang some pictures on the wall, supply him with a shower, and you’ll get a new man.

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    Well, I am come to say that the case of Joash proves the theory. Wrong. Now it may be said, is that quite fair? Is it fair to throw out the theory on the basis of 1 isolated failure recorded for us in the Old Testament? Well, you see, Joash is an interesting case, but he is not a unique example.

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    I must remind you, brothers and sisters, it was in a garden, in a perfect environment, with congenial employment, and in the midst of unsullied, unsullied surroundings, that man first went wrong. Another good. Example in the Bible is Solomon. Now, in a way, perhaps the circumstances of Solomon’s. Life were more perfect than any other in the Old Testament. What I mean is that he had his Kingdom prepared for him in a way by the heroic exploits of his father King David. He was a man who came to high endeavour of. Building the House of God upon the calling. Of high heaven.

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    And upon the encouragement of his Father’s aspirations and hopes, he was a man empowered with divine wisdom, as no other man has ever been empowered, say one.

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    And here are all the forces which make for the development of an outstanding personality. Isn’t that true if we measured it by environment? This. Man would have been the best man in the. World at that time, bearing in mind the the wonderful opportunities presented to Solomon, he should have been. A good man. And yet, here is a strange thing

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    in the Bible. He is probably one of the most miserable failures we meet. Now I must just. Detain you for a moment, because I want to say something about something to save you. To save you. Coming to tell me afterwards, let me do it in the Bible, as one of the most miserable failures, I ought to say.

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    There is also on my heart the conviction that he will be. Saved that he is not lost and this is the reason. No, I’m not really. Concerned about going into Solomon ‘s life. I’ve got enough to do with George. I don’t want to go into Solomon. ‘S life I’m just this is a little digression Why I think Solomon will be in God’s. Kingdom is that.

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    It seems to me the book of Ecclesiastes is written at the end of a man’s life. This is not the. Record of a young man’s experience This is the record of an old man experience who has tasted life at all levels has come to the conviction. That it is it is vanity and vexation. Of spirit and gives this final judgement. Heal God and keep His commandments, for this is the. Wholeness of man, Now that is his wisdom at last established in the right place, and therefore it bears upon me the conviction.

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    That at last he came to Reformation. I leave it with you. You may disagree with it profoundly. But that’s just by the way that I’m not concerned with someone, but I thought I’d better say that now because you may be coming to tell me after now where were we? We were saying that this was the case. Of a man in almost perfect environment who failed, you may be interested to know.

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    It’s just possible you may be. Interested to know that in in England in the last century when the politicians and the. Leaders were thinking about educating the masses, as they call them, the Duke of Wellington, said one of his famous sentences after his keen perception. Of human life, he said. Gentlemen, if you are going to educate the. Children then you are going to make them into. Clever devils.

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    And I suppose you may disagree. With that for a family, but you can see what he meant that. Perhaps men need something and just that now, whatever you may think. We don’t want to draw on it. Experience has taught us that environment is not enough to save men from themselves. Man needs to be touched at the centre of his being with some.

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    Dynamic, dynamic, regenerative force to change his character. Now we know that that force is in the gospel. The force of faith provoked by the word of God. See, in the Bible, the real environment that changes men is revealed. That in him we live, move and have our being. That’s the really. That means that the man who consciously lives in the will of God is superior to every other environment and that comes against his life. Human environment is capable of cursing a man, as we’ve seen in the case of Joash.

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    But. He isn’t capable of saving him bad companions and. Slum dwellings and hard professions and wrong books. You can change these if you like, but sooner or later the man will return to his old life. That’s the nature of. Our humanity. The truth is you have to begin with the man himself.

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    He must in the true sense. Live and move and have his being in God. The law of environment still is true, but there is a higher law of Environment, to which all the lower laws have to become subservient. And so the very forces which, standing by themselves, you see, are not sufficient somehow under the influence of the power of the truth, contribute not to the failure and defeat of humanity, but. Remaking and redeeming those souls who are willing to submit and be remade.

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    This is what we believe. So overriding houses and companions and books they’ve won. And the power, the power of the truth, is nearer than all the forces which. Otherwise are impotent to change and to redeem. Now That was rather a long digression, wasn’t it? And I was provoked to it by thinking about the man who started good and finished with because he had no salt in himself.

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    He was mastered by circumstances instead of mastering circumstances. And the next thing we have to do is to think about the parable of the seller, because that in a way, explains the failure of Joe.

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    Now the one part of the palatable of the sower that I want you to remember very briefly is this. Think of the seed which fell upon Stony ground. Now Stony ground sometimes means soil in which there are many loose stones, but as you know, that’s not its meaning in the palatable of the sower. Stony ground in the palatable is a thin layer of soil. On a bed of rock, shallow soil is like a superficial character. There are people like it, and Joash was one, that is to say. There is no depth in what they do is. Done on the surface, the seeds sprang up quickly, the parable says.

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    And then withered away quickly because it had no depth or root. Gilash was like this. He was enthusiastic about wages, He was keen about condition. He was anxious about repairs and renewals. He responded heartily to the idea of married life. I mean, what? Not one wife, but two and two right away. Really keen. May have regretted it so.

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    Notice the quick, easily move, susceptibility, every thought, every feeling playing upon the surface. No shortage of words, perhaps. Tears flowing easily, responses vehement. Notice what it says. They receive the word with joy. They receive the word with joy, and so long as the sun is shining. The loyalty and the joy lasts so long as there is happiness.

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    The generous responses expand. The emotions have fallen. Which you see, when the circumstances change, so does the spirit. Because they had no root, they withered away. Now that is the story of Josh.

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    And would you notice when we were thinking about the parable 1 Interesting thing. The shallow soil had beneath it a bed of rock. Hard Rock. And that is not without significance, because very often you will find that slightness and inconstancy are found together with hardness and violence.

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    And it was tragically true, you see, in the. Case of Jarrah. He was a man of amenable nature. He seems pliable and responsive to the very best influences and then suddenly he is revealed as a man whose heart is as hard as a nether millstone. It’s a mystery outwardly, as I said. Amenable, kind, responsive, full hearted, shallow. And underneath rock hard, ready and glad you said to forget all the blessed advice which was given him by his uncle, suddenly become as hard as anything, ready and glad to cast aside all the wise influences of those formative years, keen to shed the leading streams he was.

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    And then only to be fettered by his own corrupt ideas and his own violent nature. What a strange and what a tragic life. That which began best ended worst. After 23 years of faithfulness. He played the traitor, introduced the worship of Baal and Ashtaroth, revive the very worst practices. And then he ordered murder in the court of the Lord’s house.

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    That’s his tragedy. And you know that he is mentioned in the New Testament, right? Inferentially He. Is mentioned in the New Testament. I’ll read it to you. It’s in Matthew 23, verse 35, the words of our Lord.

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    Matthew 23, verse 35. Speaking to those fallacies, he said that upon you may come all the righteous blood dead upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel onto the blood of Zechariah. That was the son of Jehorid in Joash unto the blood of Zepharius, the son of Baratheus, whom he slew between the temple and the the reference therefore to this. Man in the New Testament is a reference of infamy after a 40 years reign.

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    He died in his bed. Yes, he died in his bed. He was in bed because he was sick. He was full of disease. But he died by the hand of two of his servants, violently, and he was not buried in the sepulchres of the kings. Well, there we are. That’s that’s about Joash. Now I suppose our next and final step is to see what lesson we can draw from the life of judge.

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    Well, let’s notice first of all what the lesson is not. The lesson is not that we should despise the guidance and the instruction of others. Some men despise those who are in. Leading strings, but we ought not to be ashamed. The influence of a godly home is of great value. There’s not much grit in a man, if he will hear. His home ridiculed without protest. It’s no mark of manliness to be ashamed of godly parentage. It’s better to have a praying wash a woman for a mother than a painted doll.

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    Never despise the guidance and the care and the instruction of others. Never. But remember this. God does not keep his men in cotton wool all the time. Good homes have to be left. Holy relatives and pious friends pass away. The devil is abroad. And temptation has to be. Faced. God does not keep his men in cotton wool all the time. He takes away the props so that we may stand upon their own feet.

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    Don’t misunderstand. I know men are not sufficient by themselves, but you know what I mean. He takes away the props so that men may stand upon their own feet. That is to say, we must, we must have salt. In ourselves, we cannot live forever on other people’s goodness and other people’s faith. You see, there are some people who take their opinions second hand.

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    They adopt a certain course because somebody else is in a certain course. They believe a certain thing because somebody else believes a certain. Well, to some extent that may be permissible, but. In the end, it never does, because the faith that you have in your own in your heart’s got to be your own faith.

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    The conviction in your soul has got to be your conviction. God’s grace for one man is not sufficient for two. Men, you must get the real thing, The genuine article, the truth. Get it in here, be sure.

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    And there’s a good reason, because sooner or later you will come to the test like Joash did. There are those, I said already. There are those who love the truth while the truth is all happiness and while the sun is shining. But when the sun is darkened and the landscape is shadowed by a cross, and the happiness is turned to hardness, then that’s the test. People then sometimes fall away.

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    They are like those in the parable who receive the Word with joy. But when tribulation persecution arose because of the Word, they were offended means they stung and. The parable gives us the explanation and at the risk of wailing. You are set again. They have no root in themselves now when the life of discipleship is lived out.

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    Faithfully it is, never is. If anyone tells you that discipleship is easy, you can be sure he’s never. Understood it. He’s missed the genius of Christianity by its very. Nature. It tests a character it’s intended to, and if we face up to it properly, it calls for Sterling. Qualities of character. Of course.

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    It’s possible to avoid the challenges of the faith by avoiding the issues which it presents. To us, of course it is. You can so live your life as to avoid coming into conflict with the the real issues. I know it. We can be such a a milk and water disciple as never to feel the real weight of the cross.

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    We can be such a diligent disciple, diligent disciple as as never really to to know its meaning. But today we are. In the presence of a man who failed, and when we think of his failure, we are driven to think of the life of a man who was the superlative, who who who manifested the superlative triumph.

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    This one lonely man of Nazareth, who was our supreme example, He did not, as other men have done. Adroitly wind his way through life, sidestepping the issues and avoiding the dangerous forms of evil and and and dodging the difficulties. He was never a man. It’s possible to compromise, to escape the reproach of Christ. But he was never like that.

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    Because he was good and just and truly, he awakened against himself the rage of injustice, falsehood and hatred. Because he was purely awakened against himself the rage of impurity. And he came to stand at last at the place of execution, because of his fidelity to the truth of God. And when he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, a man spoke to him on the way, and said, Lord, I will follow thee Whithersoever though goeth.

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    He meant well, but he didn’t know. Where Jesus was going, did he? If he’d known that, he might have checked his voice a bit. I will politic whithersoever though going, And the man to whom he said that was going to hardness and bitterness, and spitting and death and pain.

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    And Jesus’s reply is interesting because it bears upon what we’re thinking about finally, his reply. To that man was whosoever put it his hand to the plough and look his back is not fit for the Kingdom of God. Now too often we’ve interpreted that saying of Jesus as meaning we’ve got to keep our eye in front of us.

87. 45:45

    We’ve got to look forward. If we look back to see how the followers going we shall go wrong. Well, that’s probably true that we’ve got to keep our eye forward-looking unto Jesus, who was the author and the final leader of their faith. That’s true, but I doubt if that’s what Jesus meant here. The solution to the saying if any man put his hand to the plough looking back, he’s not fit for the Kingdom of God. The solution, strangely enough, is in the book of Proverbs. Now it’s Proverbs 20, verse four, and I just say it for you quickly because you’ll remember it. Proverbs 20, verse 4.

88. 46:24

    The sluggard will not plough by reason of the cold. Therefore he shall beg in harvest and have nothing. Now in the days when Jesus lived, the ploughing had to be done in the winter time, when it was cold and unpleasant. Ploughing couldn’t be done in the summertime, because the ground was too hard and the wooden plough blade would not move the earth. They had to wait till the earth was soft by the winter rains, and then they could.

89. 46:51

    So ploughing was always done in winter time when conditions were unpleasant, cold and misery. The sluggard will not fail by reason of the coal. Therefore in harvest he should beg and have nothing so you can see the idea. It’s not just turning back to see how the furrow is. This isn’t looking back in that sense, It’s.

90. 47:15

    Turning back altogether, turning back from the work. This man is quick. He’s quick. He’s not ready to endure the cold. He’s weary of the discipline. He’s tired of the effort. This ploughman will never be overtaken, or would rather this ploughman will never overtake the Reaper, because there would be no reap in harvest. He should beg and have nothing if he could plough in summer, when things were pleasant.

91. 47:46

    But the cold you see, the cold, the man who has a wishbone where he ought to have a bath. Sits by the warm fire in the front room, keeping his life. And as he sits there, he’s losing his life. He never knew him.

92. 48:13

    You see, the true life of God lived truly in this world is not easy. It calls for quality, for the quality of endurance. And a man has to stand on his own feet with God. Circumstantial goodness is no good. See, at one time in the ministry of the King, you remember he was he was always amongst crowds.

93. 48:36

    They followed him. Everywhere they they’re hanging upon his words. They they throng to see his deeds. And then one day, one day, you realise suddenly that the crowds are gone. In majestic isolation. He stands there on the. Wayside at Caesarea Philippi. And proclaims that he will build. His Ecclesia and the Clouds, Clouds are all gone. Now is there any explanation?

94. 49:01

    Well, there is. When the sun was shining they were all there when the real test came. They melted away when he challenged them with such words as unless the man hate, father, mother, lands and houses cannot be my disciple. He is seeking those who will endure, those who will through his power, but will stand firm when the real test comes. But let’s understand it.

95. 49:37

    The calling is never miserable. We we must draw a distinction between happiness and joy. Happiness is a human thing, depending upon its existence for circumstances, favourites like the life of jealousy. But joy is a divine thing. It can exist when circumstances are unfavourable. It enables men to sing when they are in prison, when their backs are torn with scourges, and when their.

96. 50:08

    Feet are in the stocks. It enables a man to keep a fleshly thorn. And would not be without it. It enables men in the presence of. Penury to possess all things. A song in the heart, a listener step. We’re not dragging ourselves after him and thinking that somehow in the. Misery. We should get some reward.

97. 50:36

    Not that the life is compelled by them. The compulsion of love drives us to. Follow the man who called us to his Kingdom. So that’s perhaps the supreme lesson we can live.

98. 51:00

    That’s the supreme lesson we can live from the life of the man who had pilot unclutches.