This week we are listening to the 3rd class in the series “The Whole Duty Of Man” by Brother Dev Ramcharan given this year (2022) at the Palm Springs Bible School in California. The link to the full class series is right here ( Class Series ) and will be added to the GCT Extended Podcast.
We hope this strengthens your Faith and brightens your day!
Thank you for listening, God bless, and talk to you next week.
Send talk suggestions or comments to: [email protected]
For Show Notes, visit our website: Anchor.fm/GCT
Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
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Welcome to good Chris Selfian
Talks.
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I’m Levi.
And I’m Chris.
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And I’m Brian.
Thank you for joining us this
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week on this podcast.
We select One Talk a week to
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help us get the Bible in our
Daily News feed.
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We post a new episode at the
start of each week.
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With a short intro beforehand to
kind of set the stage for the
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talk you’re about to listen to.
And now let’s talk more about
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this week’s talk.
Welcome to the good Chris
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Adelphian Talks podcast.
This is Brother Brian.
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This week’s talk is a class.
In the middle of a series on
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Ecclesiastes that was given by
brother Dave Ramsrand at the
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Palm Springs Bible School
earlier this year, 2022.
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The official series title is The
Whole Duty of Man and we’ll be
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listening to the third class
entitled Coping in a Fallen
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World.
But I’d strongly suggest you
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listen to the whole week’s worth
because every class is solid.
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Breaking down.
You know, like chapter by
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chapter, the mindset of Solomon,
the preacher in Ecclesiastes,
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and how we can, like, just
reconcile the vast differences
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in the statements that are made
and perhaps where the lessons
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were learned along the way.
But really, the signature of
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this series is Brother Dave’s
personal commentary, which is
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interwoven throughout each
verse.
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Turning side comments to stories
that take on life of their own
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and become so deeply personal
and intimate.
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And if you’ve ever been in the
audience for one of his talks,
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it feels at times like he’s
speaking at you 6 inches from
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your face and just that you and
that you have nowhere to hide.
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And it’s because he’s got such a
gift in speaking in the real
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list of terms and oftentimes
saying what needs to be said
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when and where others won’t.
Now I say that in the most
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complimentary way because
Brother Dave is such a diligent
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Bible student, but I would say
any class I’ve listened to an
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expectation, any series.
It doesn’t matter what the
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subject is at the end of each
class.
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It almost feels more like you’re
walking out of a therapy session
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and that you just need some time
to just sit and process what he
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may have stirred up in your
heart.
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He cares, and I say all that
because.
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This particular series and the
audience he was speaking to hits
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close to home at the moment.
The Palm Springs Bible School in
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California typically is not a
Young people’s Family Bible
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school, but pretty much one for
those who are about to be
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retired or long since retired,
if I could put it kindly.
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And the subject matter of
Ecclesiastes as an end of life
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reflection.
Is just addressed so poignantly
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that even the young chap, as
myself was deeply moved by his
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exposition.
So for Class 3 it jumps us right
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in the middle.
It’s not great for continuity,
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but I chose this one because I
think it had the most consistent
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and compelling side comments and
stories that have really meant a
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lot to me.
Just this morning one of our
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elder sisters in our meeting at
Moorestown fell asleep in the
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Lord and I was thinking about a
comment in this class that
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Brother Dave makes and his
explanation of this comment
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alone.
I think it’s worth posting the
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entire class.
So what he said was start
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working on having a good death.
And you’ll want to stop what
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you’re doing and listen a few
times over when he gets to
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making that point and what he
says about it.
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So I apologize for the overly
long intro.
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The link to the rest of the
classes is going to be in the
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description as well as it’ll
soon be on the GCT extended
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podcast.
Once again, this series is
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called The Whole Duty of Man and
this will be the third class of
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five.
So as always.
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We hope this strengthens your
faith and brightens your day.
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Brother Dave Ramsrand coping in
a fallen world Good morning,
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brothers and sisters.
Did you all have a good night’s
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sleep?
Well, I don’t believe you
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because at your age that’s an
impossibility or a rarity.
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A rarity at least.
So if you did have a good
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night’s sleep, that’s a
wonderful blessing.
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So we’re going to look now.
At Ecclesiastes 6 and then work
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our way forward.
Now let me just remind you a
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little bit about how things are
put together in this book.
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They are the thoughts of a
brother who has made some big
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mistakes in his life.
He’s had a lot more than most
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people that he has ruled over
have ever experienced.
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It didn’t make him happy.
There was always something he
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was searching for and searching
for and searching for.
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So money, power, women,
opportunities just didn’t fill
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the void.
And he noticed.
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He noticed that life had an
inherent hole in it.
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He looked at the world and the
way things work, and he saw
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unfairness in so many different
ways.
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He also saw an unpredictability.
He realized that you could be a
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good person or a righteous
person or a God fearing person.
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We know no one is good.
Christ said that but a God
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fearing person and still have a
really tough, difficult painful
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life.
You could be a wicked individual
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and have a trouble free life and
so there wasn’t a predictability
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he saw based on how you behaved
in this world.
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What he realizes and fits and
starts, it seems, through the
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course of the writing of the
book and the capturing of these
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alternating thoughts, that in
the end, a life of faith is the
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life that we need to subscribe
to, that we need to hold on to.
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And that going and making our
life in this world all about
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parties and laughter and
merriment is ultimately an empty
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life.
The life of a believer, which in
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in in involves endurance,
patience, and choosing to
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believe and have faith in God,
is something that we should all
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be trying to do.
Am I the only one who’s hearing
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bells, or is this a problem
then?
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In my head, alright, sounds like
some kind of tinkling, jingling
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that’s going on.
So when we go through these
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chapters, sometimes he writes
from the point of view of a man
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of faith.
Other time he writes from the
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point of view of the darkening
view towards the end of life, of
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a man of this world, at an uncle
like that.
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Made a very, very big success of
his.
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His life dragged himself up out
of poverty.
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My dad’s brother was very kind
to all of his brothers and
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sisters and their kids often had
young families who were nephews
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and nieces living free of charge
in houses that that he owned,
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just free because it was who he
was.
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He had a terribly hot temper
when he got going.
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And he would lose his temper.
And then it was over, except for
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the person with whom he had lost
his temper, that they had to go
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and get repaired somewhere
after.
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But as his life went on, fewer
and fewer people came and
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visited him.
Fewer and fewer people
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remembered to come say thank you
to him for all of his kindness,
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everything that he had done.
Even found this time goes that
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went by, that the people that
were closest to him didn’t come
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to see him.
Now part of that was because of
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his temper and his critical
nature, and so it tended to
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alienate people.
The problem was the people
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closest to him weren’t there for
him as he was dying.
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And so all the money, all the
power, all the influence, all
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the adulation, all the hangers
on, all the people who
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benefited.
None of that mattered at the end
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of his life, because what he
experienced is what this man is
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describing in the Book of
Ecclesiastes.
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He’s describing the fact that in
spite of everything that you get
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and everything you can have
apart from God, if your life is
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only about what is under the sun
on this earth, it winds up being
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an altogether empty life.
That’s the point he’s making
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now.
This is Solomon.
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I believe it is Solomon, and
he’s speaking to the
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congregation.
Maybe not in one connected talk,
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but he would give pieces of this
message.
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He was talking to a culture that
was all about materialism.
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Yes, they believed in Yahweh,
the God of Israel, but they were
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all about the accumulation of
wealth.
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And we see evidence of that
because of the abundance of gold
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and silver as it’s described
during the period of Solomon.
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And also the attitude of the men
that grew up with Rehoboam who
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said no, no, no, you’re not
going to go out to these people
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and tell them that you’re going
to ease up on the tax burden.
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You’re going to tell them you
think it was hard under my dad.
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It’s going to be twice as hard
under me because I’m tougher,
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stronger.
And I’m going to require more of
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you than he ever asked.
Not, not in whose interest was
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that?
Not the people’s, but in their
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personal interest, the
accumulation of material wealth
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as rapidly as possible.
And of course, it split the
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nation, because a man named
Jeraboam, who had fled for his
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life and then had come back into
the country at the death of
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Solomon.
Who had grown up the son of a
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widow, and we’re told that
deliberately for a reason.
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It meant that he was a man who
knew what poverty and hard times
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were like.
He could have a sense of fellow
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feeling with people who
struggled to pay their taxes,
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who often had to sell their kids
into slavery so that they could
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pay the debts that were incurred
as a result of the hardship.
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Of the system of taxation that
was in place under Solomon, He
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could relate to those who felt
as if they’d been bruised by and
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alienated from the leadership of
the country.
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And so he could speak to their
hearts in a way that Rehoboam,
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who’d grown up in the lap of
luxury with his friends, could
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never hope to be able to speak
to the people.
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It is no wonder that he was able
to take.
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The majority of the nation away
with him because he could speak
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to their sense of grievance,
their sense of having been taken
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advantage of by the rich and
powerful, their sense of the
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fact that the leaders did not
give a hoot about them and they
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had to look after themselves.
It’s why they say those words
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while you look after yourself,
Judah, and they go their own
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way.
But this society under Solomon
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is afflicted with great
materialism, and we can relate
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to that, can’t we?
We can relate to that both for
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ourselves, having grown old in
the society, in times of
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prosperity, without war.
That’s why this war is so
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shocking to us, because there
has not been a war like this in
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Europe.
Since the Second World War, I
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know there was the the conflict
in Yugoslavia that occurred, but
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a major power attacking another
country in Europe has not
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happened since the Germans did
it, Czechoslovakia, Poland,
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France, and so on and so forth.
So this is a, this is a this is
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almost an echo coming back from
some of your childhoods.
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When you look back and you
remember that the times when
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people had to tighten their
belts because of the war
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necessity and the way that
provisions were really hard to
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get a hold of and there wasn’t a
huge amount of food.
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Obesity was not a problem at
that time because nobody had a
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lot or a lot to eat.
So Solomon is talking to the
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hearts of people.
Who ultimately didn’t listen.
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But his words continue to move
us today because we can see an
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alignment between what he is
talking about and our own
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struggles in the faith.
So what does that mean then?
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Believers have doubts.
Doubt is a part of our life in
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the truth.
Yes, it.
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Is Yes, we do.
There are times when we have
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doubts.
There are times when we struggle
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to make sense of what’s
happening, what God seems to be
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allowing or doing in our lives,
or the lives of those that we
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see around us or even distant
from us.
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You think of that brother and
his little boy in the Ukraine
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that Mark showed us in that
wonderful session last night.
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Our hearts bleed for them.
Imagine what that must be like.
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And we we see our children,
sometimes your children in their
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00:15:57,470 –> 00:16:03,550
30s, forties, 50s or even 60s
and 70s, who have been so deeply
215
00:16:03,550 –> 00:16:08,070
affected by the materialism of
this age as I have and my
216
00:16:08,070 –> 00:16:10,950
generation.
And you look at that and you
217
00:16:10,950 –> 00:16:15,550
realize, how do you live that?
And live the truth at the same
218
00:16:15,550 –> 00:16:17,990
time.
And it’s hard.
219
00:16:18,830 –> 00:16:23,190
It’s hard for us to serve both
God and mammon, isn’t it?
220
00:16:25,590 –> 00:16:30,470
But doubts?
Doubt is a part of faith.
221
00:16:31,230 –> 00:16:34,350
What does that mean?
We are going to have our
222
00:16:34,350 –> 00:16:38,470
struggles and then make our
decision in our struggle.
223
00:16:38,470 –> 00:16:41,910
To say I may not understand
that.
224
00:16:43,450 –> 00:16:47,250
I may not have the answer I’m
looking for for this, but I’m
225
00:16:47,250 –> 00:16:52,170
going to make a choice and I
choose to believe God and I
226
00:16:52,170 –> 00:16:55,330
choose to have faith in him.
Though I can’t workout
227
00:16:55,330 –> 00:16:58,490
everything and get the answers
I’m looking for for this, that
228
00:16:58,490 –> 00:17:01,530
or the other issue, problem or
situation.
229
00:17:03,050 –> 00:17:07,490
I choose God.
He’s never let me down till now
230
00:17:09,450 –> 00:17:11,050
and I will continue to believe
in him.
231
00:17:12,740 –> 00:17:17,780
And so when our kids come to us
with their doubts, sometimes we
232
00:17:18,740 –> 00:17:23,660
we we we we don’t tell them
about our own struggles in the
233
00:17:23,660 –> 00:17:29,060
face, but we have our struggles
in the face and we come back and
234
00:17:29,060 –> 00:17:35,460
we keep holding on.
So this this book is filled with
235
00:17:35,460 –> 00:17:40,620
a man’s struggles in the faith
as he wrestles with materialism
236
00:17:41,180 –> 00:17:44,290
as he.
Experiments with the pleasures
237
00:17:44,650 –> 00:17:51,690
and the prosperity of his age
while at the same time observing
238
00:17:51,690 –> 00:17:56,010
himself and those things that
are associated with what is
239
00:17:56,010 –> 00:18:02,410
eternal beyond death, beyond
what we see and feel today.
240
00:18:03,850 –> 00:18:09,610
It have only to do with things
we have faith in and trust God
241
00:18:10,090 –> 00:18:14,070
that he will accomplish.
So the the book is so modern.
242
00:18:14,070 –> 00:18:20,110
In fact, many philosophers today
see this as a book that aligns
243
00:18:20,110 –> 00:18:23,070
with 20th century philosophy, a
kind of philosophy that was
244
00:18:23,350 –> 00:18:28,270
called existentialism, that
talks about the fact that all we
245
00:18:28,270 –> 00:18:32,990
have here, all we see here,
that’s all there is, and the
246
00:18:32,990 –> 00:18:39,630
life of humanity is altogether
dark and ends and ends with
247
00:18:39,630 –> 00:18:44,590
nothingness.
Puts us into a void with nothing
248
00:18:44,590 –> 00:18:48,390
beyond.
And so philosophers of an
249
00:18:48,390 –> 00:18:53,230
existential bent look at this
book and say, oh boy, this is an
250
00:18:53,230 –> 00:18:56,030
ancient book that aligns with
what we believe.
251
00:18:56,710 –> 00:19:00,990
And they ignore all the bits
that talk about faith and God
252
00:19:01,790 –> 00:19:06,790
and holding on to God.
So it’s very modern, but it’s
253
00:19:06,790 –> 00:19:11,550
also very truthful.
And it’s something that we can
254
00:19:11,550 –> 00:19:16,310
look at and relate to.
In parts of it, there seems to
255
00:19:16,310 –> 00:19:20,670
be a connected sequence of
thoughts, and you can identify
256
00:19:20,670 –> 00:19:22,710
that sequence of thoughts in
others.
257
00:19:23,070 –> 00:19:26,870
In other parts of the book, it’s
a collection of sayings, and at
258
00:19:26,870 –> 00:19:30,830
the end of the book it’ll say
that the preacher collected
259
00:19:30,830 –> 00:19:35,150
Proverbs.
And of course, if Solomon wrote
260
00:19:35,150 –> 00:19:37,350
the proverbs, which I also
believe he did.
261
00:19:38,060 –> 00:19:41,060
Well, it’s a collection of
things that he put together as
262
00:19:41,060 –> 00:19:43,580
pieces of wisdom.
Sometimes they look like they’re
263
00:19:43,580 –> 00:19:46,860
in conflict with each other.
And what what is intended for us
264
00:19:46,860 –> 00:19:51,420
to do is to say to ourselves, it
depends on the situation.
265
00:19:52,620 –> 00:19:57,380
And we interpret each of these
based on circumstances to
266
00:19:57,380 –> 00:20:02,620
understand how one thing could
be sent in one way at a certain
267
00:20:02,620 –> 00:20:06,020
point in the book and then in an
opposite way at another part of
268
00:20:06,020 –> 00:20:09,310
the book.
So let’s jump back into chapter
269
00:20:09,310 –> 00:20:12,230
6.
Then There is an evil which I’ve
270
00:20:12,230 –> 00:20:15,950
seen where under the sun on the
earth in this earthly life.
271
00:20:16,790 –> 00:20:21,350
And it is common among men.
A man to whom God has given
272
00:20:21,350 –> 00:20:28,110
riches, wealth and honor so that
he doesn’t lack anything and he
273
00:20:28,110 –> 00:20:31,830
has everything he could want and
yet he doesn’t have the power to
274
00:20:31,830 –> 00:20:35,270
eat thereof, but someone else
eats it for him.
275
00:20:37,480 –> 00:20:39,600
And that can happen in this
world.
276
00:20:40,280 –> 00:20:43,800
Work, work, work, work, work,
work, work, and not enjoy what
277
00:20:43,800 –> 00:20:48,360
you’ve worked for and what
you’ve been able to acquire as a
278
00:20:48,360 –> 00:20:50,800
result.
And then you hand it off to
279
00:20:50,800 –> 00:20:55,480
someone who enjoys it all and
fritters it away with zero work
280
00:20:55,480 –> 00:20:58,480
whatsoever.
Now Solomon seems to have this
281
00:20:58,480 –> 00:21:00,280
coming up in his mind all the
time.
282
00:21:00,640 –> 00:21:03,920
He’s worried about rehoboam and
what’s going to happen.
283
00:21:04,460 –> 00:21:07,180
To the Kingdom, to his
possessions, to the accumulation
284
00:21:07,180 –> 00:21:11,540
of wealth that has given him the
power that he has to pay armies,
285
00:21:11,820 –> 00:21:16,220
etc, etc.
What’s this boy, this man going
286
00:21:16,220 –> 00:21:19,860
to do when I’m gone?
So he’s reflecting on these
287
00:21:19,860 –> 00:21:22,820
kinds of things and he says,
look if you if you have 100
288
00:21:23,060 –> 00:21:29,660
children, so that the days of
your years be many, but your
289
00:21:29,660 –> 00:21:35,200
soul is not filled with good.
And in the end nobody even gives
290
00:21:35,200 –> 00:21:41,600
you a decent burial.
Then he says, Somebody who is an
291
00:21:41,600 –> 00:21:43,760
untimely birth is better than
he.
292
00:21:45,040 –> 00:21:50,840
But he comes in with vanity, and
he departs in darkness, that his
293
00:21:50,840 –> 00:21:52,640
name shall be covered with
darkness.
294
00:21:54,040 –> 00:21:59,480
Moreover, he hath not seen the
sun, nor known anything.
295
00:22:00,160 –> 00:22:01,840
This hath more rest than the
other.
296
00:22:03,320 –> 00:22:07,400
A miscarried baby is better off
than a man who had all this
297
00:22:07,400 –> 00:22:11,760
wealth, never enjoyed it, and
handed it off to someone else to
298
00:22:11,800 –> 00:22:14,680
enjoy.
That’s what he’s saying.
299
00:22:15,800 –> 00:22:17,080
It’s a pretty dark view, isn’t
it?
300
00:22:18,080 –> 00:22:21,400
So it must mean to some degree,
for all of Solomon’s wisdom and
301
00:22:21,400 –> 00:22:24,600
all of his possessions and all
of his might, you had a hard
302
00:22:24,600 –> 00:22:27,480
time really enjoying what he
had.
303
00:22:29,320 –> 00:22:33,930
We’re going to drop down now.
Nine better is the sight of the
304
00:22:33,970 –> 00:22:37,810
eyes then the wandering of the
desire.
305
00:22:37,850 –> 00:22:39,690
Now what could that possibly
mean?
306
00:22:41,450 –> 00:22:46,330
This is what it means.
It’s better to want what you
307
00:22:46,330 –> 00:22:56,850
have than to have what you want,
to see what you already have and
308
00:22:56,850 –> 00:22:59,210
desire it and be grateful for
it.
309
00:23:00,220 –> 00:23:04,780
Meant to be continually wanting
more and more and more and more
310
00:23:04,940 –> 00:23:09,780
and more and more and the way
everything is set up today.
311
00:23:09,780 –> 00:23:13,380
You know, Amazon, eBay, etc etc
etc.
312
00:23:14,340 –> 00:23:16,260
These things just promote the
wanting more.
313
00:23:16,260 –> 00:23:17,900
I know because I’m affected by
that.
314
00:23:17,900 –> 00:23:22,580
You must be too.
For those of you who like
315
00:23:22,580 –> 00:23:25,340
technology, well it’s both a
curse and a blessing, isn’t it?
316
00:23:27,420 –> 00:23:30,020
How many of you have felt that
you really do need to get that
317
00:23:30,020 –> 00:23:34,300
new iPhone every two years?
I’m talking about you kids in
318
00:23:34,300 –> 00:23:41,020
your 50s and 60s, right?
You lads and lasses.
319
00:23:42,140 –> 00:23:44,260
And they’ve even built the thing
so that they start to
320
00:23:44,260 –> 00:23:46,900
malfunction at year two when
they could in fact last you for
321
00:23:46,900 –> 00:23:52,020
10 years.
But they made it so that things
322
00:23:52,020 –> 00:23:56,590
become obsolete quickly.
So you continue really have to
323
00:23:56,590 –> 00:23:59,230
buy something new and buy
something new, buy something new
324
00:23:59,230 –> 00:24:02,230
and buy something new.
It’s just the way things have
325
00:24:02,230 –> 00:24:05,590
been set up for us.
Better is the sight of the eyes,
326
00:24:05,590 –> 00:24:08,910
what you can see and what you
have than the continual
327
00:24:08,910 –> 00:24:13,310
wandering of the desire for more
and more and more this is this
328
00:24:13,310 –> 00:24:15,830
look.
This also is, is is emptiness
329
00:24:15,870 –> 00:24:19,790
and and a striving after wind.
So what are we striving after?
330
00:24:20,590 –> 00:24:24,350
You know that feeling
youngsters, when your Amazon box
331
00:24:24,350 –> 00:24:27,650
arrives.
And you bring it in, and there
332
00:24:27,650 –> 00:24:31,170
are even on YouTube videos of
what they call unboxing.
333
00:24:31,170 –> 00:24:36,570
How stupid is that?
A person films 15 minutes of
334
00:24:36,570 –> 00:24:39,410
himself opening the box.
He hasn’t even seen the thing in
335
00:24:39,410 –> 00:24:42,890
it yet.
Now I take a knife when I’m as
336
00:24:42,970 –> 00:24:44,370
you can see, I’m cutting the
box.
337
00:24:44,370 –> 00:24:46,730
Gee, they have good tape on
these boxes.
338
00:24:49,510 –> 00:24:52,990
It’s the lunacy of this age.
What is the wind we’re chasing?
339
00:24:52,990 –> 00:24:56,270
Happiness.
You feel happy and then it’s
340
00:24:56,270 –> 00:24:58,350
unboxed.
Use it once and you laid aside
341
00:24:58,950 –> 00:25:03,190
whatever The thing is, right?
Whatever The thing is.
342
00:25:04,190 –> 00:25:07,390
I like music and I like
something that’s really old.
343
00:25:07,390 –> 00:25:10,950
It’s called a CD, right?
It’s old today.
344
00:25:11,750 –> 00:25:14,110
Now, it used to be that if you
had to buy the kind of music I
345
00:25:14,110 –> 00:25:15,990
like.
So I I know I’ve told you about
346
00:25:15,990 –> 00:25:18,470
this, Rolling Stones.
And that’s the stuff I grew up
347
00:25:18,470 –> 00:25:20,660
with.
The Stones, The Beatles, Led
348
00:25:20,660 –> 00:25:21,540
Zeppelin.
You remember it?
349
00:25:21,580 –> 00:25:23,220
I don’t know.
You may not know any of those
350
00:25:23,740 –> 00:25:26,580
punk rock groups with
inappropriate names and so on
351
00:25:26,580 –> 00:25:30,660
and so forth.
But I learned all about and
352
00:25:30,660 –> 00:25:32,940
learn to love classical music
and jazz.
353
00:25:34,540 –> 00:25:36,940
Now what would happen is you’d
buy one jazz CD.
354
00:25:36,940 –> 00:25:43,020
It might cost you $15.
Today you can get 150 Jazz C D’s
355
00:25:43,020 –> 00:25:48,540
in one box for $100.
So what we paid for those things
356
00:25:48,540 –> 00:25:52,860
25 years ago, 30 years ago, 40
years ago is is like nothing
357
00:25:52,860 –> 00:25:55,220
today.
So what do you think that’s
358
00:25:55,220 –> 00:25:58,820
going to do to somebody like me?
Oh no, I won’t do that.
359
00:25:58,820 –> 00:26:01,220
That’s that’s greedy and
inappropriate.
360
00:26:01,900 –> 00:26:04,980
There’s a room I have you can
barely walk into because of
361
00:26:04,980 –> 00:26:09,340
boxes of CD’s I do not have
enough time in my lifetime to
362
00:26:09,340 –> 00:26:14,150
listen to.
But the the the, the urge to
363
00:26:14,150 –> 00:26:16,950
accumulate.
I can get the complete works of
364
00:26:16,950 –> 00:26:20,350
Lozart for $150.00.
Yes, I’m getting that.
365
00:26:20,830 –> 00:26:25,910
It’s still in its plastic in
that room because that’s what
366
00:26:25,990 –> 00:26:28,630
our materialistic age is doing
to us.
367
00:26:28,910 –> 00:26:32,070
It knows our weakness.
It knows our frailty.
368
00:26:32,390 –> 00:26:35,950
Marketers know how to hook us
and pull us in.
369
00:26:36,870 –> 00:26:39,070
And so the accumulation and
accumulation.
370
00:26:39,490 –> 00:26:46,090
Is all about a fitful desire to
find happiness through things,
371
00:26:47,170 –> 00:26:51,770
and we might get a momentary
bump up, but then it Peters out.
372
00:26:51,810 –> 00:26:54,850
It it it it it just it just goes
away.
373
00:26:55,650 –> 00:26:59,530
And I know my daughters will
throw every CD I own into the
374
00:26:59,530 –> 00:27:02,650
garbage dump.
Everyone of them.
375
00:27:02,650 –> 00:27:07,970
Not one single CD will be left
right.
376
00:27:09,250 –> 00:27:12,050
So an actual fact, the true
worth of those things, they will
377
00:27:12,050 –> 00:27:17,130
demonstrate, right?
Those things that made me so
378
00:27:17,170 –> 00:27:19,170
happy, you know?
And for every brother and
379
00:27:19,170 –> 00:27:22,450
sister, it’s a different thing.
Might be sewing supplies for the
380
00:27:22,450 –> 00:27:26,170
thing you will never ever get
around to sewing, right?
381
00:27:26,170 –> 00:27:28,850
But boy, do you have the best
thread.
382
00:27:28,850 –> 00:27:32,250
Or if you’re a nitter, the best
yarn a person could possibly
383
00:27:32,250 –> 00:27:35,650
have all the way from Turkey,
from sheep that were hunted down
384
00:27:35,650 –> 00:27:39,530
on the whatever, right?
Right.
385
00:27:39,610 –> 00:27:42,410
And Cars Brothers and their
cars, right?
386
00:27:42,490 –> 00:27:45,210
Yes.
Like, think about it this way.
387
00:27:45,850 –> 00:27:49,850
Everybody’s thing that they have
that you don’t have is a
388
00:27:49,850 –> 00:27:53,570
ridiculous and silly obsession.
They have those people over
389
00:27:53,570 –> 00:27:57,930
there in that thing.
But mine’s a serious collection
390
00:27:57,930 –> 00:28:03,170
thing with meaning and
importance, even if it’s like
391
00:28:03,610 –> 00:28:06,330
Marvel comic books from the
1960s.
392
00:28:07,380 –> 00:28:08,140
Right.
Oh, sorry.
393
00:28:08,140 –> 00:28:12,060
I think I must have touched a
nerve for a couple of couple of
394
00:28:12,060 –> 00:28:13,660
the youngsters in the back
there.
395
00:28:15,140 –> 00:28:22,580
Captain America, Absolutely.
So let’s drop down then to
396
00:28:22,580 –> 00:28:27,180
chapter seven, he says.
Look, a good name, a good
397
00:28:27,180 –> 00:28:33,660
reputation, a good character is
better than precious ointment.
398
00:28:34,460 –> 00:28:35,260
Now what?
Why would he?
399
00:28:36,200 –> 00:28:38,720
How do you put those those two
two things together?
400
00:28:40,040 –> 00:28:44,720
Because when a woman is in your
presence and has that kind of
401
00:28:44,720 –> 00:28:47,600
great character, you won’t know
it right off the bat.
402
00:28:48,800 –> 00:28:51,360
But if she has a precious
ointment on, you will know it
403
00:28:51,360 –> 00:28:53,960
from yards away from her before
you even reach there.
404
00:28:55,200 –> 00:28:59,560
And So what are you saying is
the showy outward things, the
405
00:28:59,560 –> 00:29:05,720
luxurious whatever of our of our
life today is empty.
406
00:29:06,170 –> 00:29:09,530
What is more important is
character.
407
00:29:10,930 –> 00:29:13,650
It’s been well said for our
kids, and I know you’re all
408
00:29:13,650 –> 00:29:15,810
thinking along these lines too.
What are you going to leave your
409
00:29:15,810 –> 00:29:17,770
kids?
What is what?
410
00:29:17,770 –> 00:29:22,370
What is more important than what
you leave for your kids is what
411
00:29:22,370 –> 00:29:28,330
you leave in your kids, what you
live in in your kids, what
412
00:29:28,330 –> 00:29:31,970
you’ve taught them, how you
raise them, the character that
413
00:29:31,970 –> 00:29:35,330
they’ve developed, what what?
What you, what you.
414
00:29:35,830 –> 00:29:39,030
Taught them was most important,
even if for now they look like
415
00:29:39,030 –> 00:29:44,190
they’ve walked away from it.
What you’ve left in them is more
416
00:29:44,190 –> 00:29:46,830
important than anything you
could leave them to spend or
417
00:29:46,830 –> 00:29:51,590
live in or or hold on to.
Because all those things will
418
00:29:51,990 –> 00:29:56,910
drift away into the ether when
what you’ve left in them will
419
00:29:56,950 –> 00:30:03,190
always be in them, Even a child
that walks away from our faith.
420
00:30:04,540 –> 00:30:07,820
Will have in them things that we
raised them with.
421
00:30:08,260 –> 00:30:16,620
Hard work, dedication, honesty,
integrity that marks them as
422
00:30:16,620 –> 00:30:18,300
different to the people in this
world.
423
00:30:18,300 –> 00:30:22,900
And don’t mourn about your kids
having left the truth or not in
424
00:30:22,900 –> 00:30:24,380
the truth.
Because where there is life,
425
00:30:24,380 –> 00:30:29,100
there is hope.
There’s a woman who came back to
426
00:30:29,100 –> 00:30:32,340
the meeting in her 80s in
Toronto.
427
00:30:34,290 –> 00:30:39,530
We were doing a a a campaign and
going out and inviting people
428
00:30:39,530 –> 00:30:42,530
who had been to the Learn to
read the Bible seminar series
429
00:30:42,530 –> 00:30:47,290
and stop coming.
So a couple of us were were
430
00:30:47,290 –> 00:30:52,130
paired up and knocked on a house
and and a woman came out who was
431
00:30:52,130 –> 00:30:56,690
in her 80s and we said look we
we’re we’re inviting you to to a
432
00:30:56,930 –> 00:31:01,010
special lecture for people who
at some point in time have come
433
00:31:01,010 –> 00:31:03,130
to the seminar series and we’d
like to invite you.
434
00:31:04,030 –> 00:31:06,990
She said the strangest thing.
She said, well you don’t usually
435
00:31:06,990 –> 00:31:09,990
do that.
Please come in.
436
00:31:10,910 –> 00:31:17,310
She made us a pot of tea and and
we had some cookies and and
437
00:31:17,310 –> 00:31:19,270
sometime into the cookies, she
said.
438
00:31:20,190 –> 00:31:23,830
Actually I am the daughter of
the recording brother of the
439
00:31:23,830 –> 00:31:28,870
church St.
Ecclesia and in the 1940s when I
440
00:31:28,870 –> 00:31:33,010
married outside of the truth.
The arranging board, the
441
00:31:33,010 –> 00:31:38,810
arranging brethren sent me a
blistering letter and I left the
442
00:31:38,810 –> 00:31:42,930
truth.
I used to bring my daughters to
443
00:31:43,210 –> 00:31:47,530
the CYC, but after a while,
because their mom and dad
444
00:31:47,530 –> 00:31:50,930
weren’t in the truth, the kids
really didn’t treat them all
445
00:31:50,930 –> 00:31:52,810
that well, so they stopped
coming too.
446
00:31:55,130 –> 00:31:57,730
Now this sister’s name was
Marguerite Kempthorne.
447
00:31:58,890 –> 00:32:04,320
Marguerite came back in.
In her 80s, made a special trip
448
00:32:04,320 –> 00:32:06,680
down to Church St.
Ecclesia so she could visit the
449
00:32:06,680 –> 00:32:11,880
hall with those brethren and
their children long dead, so
450
00:32:11,880 –> 00:32:15,640
that she could just go there and
and forgive what had been done.
451
00:32:17,040 –> 00:32:21,120
And she has to worry what is
going to happen to my little
452
00:32:21,120 –> 00:32:26,200
girls.
And they were 60s going into 70.
453
00:32:27,760 –> 00:32:31,940
She died in her 90s.
And directly after her death,
454
00:32:32,140 –> 00:32:37,260
one of her girls was baptized in
her 70s, in her 70s.
455
00:32:38,380 –> 00:32:41,340
So you might think, what’s going
to happen to my kids?
456
00:32:41,340 –> 00:32:43,580
I’ve lost everything.
I wish I’d raised them
457
00:32:43,580 –> 00:32:46,300
differently.
I wish I was there more, all the
458
00:32:46,300 –> 00:32:48,900
things that parents torture
themselves with.
459
00:32:48,900 –> 00:32:53,740
But there isn’t a mistake your
child makes as a full grown art
460
00:32:53,780 –> 00:32:57,620
adult that you don’t blame
yourself for, for some degree.
461
00:32:58,320 –> 00:33:01,080
If I’d raised him differently,
if I’d given him more love, less
462
00:33:01,080 –> 00:33:03,840
discipline, more this, more
that, we’ll all do that.
463
00:33:03,840 –> 00:33:10,520
It’s what we do as parents.
But remember, though he may not
464
00:33:10,520 –> 00:33:14,560
have chosen God, or may have
walked away from God, God
465
00:33:14,560 –> 00:33:16,200
brought that child into the
world.
466
00:33:17,720 –> 00:33:19,320
God is still working in his
life.
467
00:33:20,560 –> 00:33:24,720
And where there is life, there’s
always the hope that through
468
00:33:25,160 –> 00:33:29,250
tragedy.
Through the advent of common
469
00:33:29,250 –> 00:33:33,010
sense, Through a yearning for
something that’s more
470
00:33:33,010 –> 00:33:34,930
meaningful.
When he looks at the emptiness
471
00:33:34,930 –> 00:33:37,050
of life.
When you have everything you
472
00:33:37,050 –> 00:33:42,450
ever wanted and realize you have
nothing but somehow God will
473
00:33:42,450 –> 00:33:45,890
bring him around back into His
truth.
474
00:33:46,970 –> 00:33:50,050
Pray for that.
I know we should be looking at
475
00:33:50,050 –> 00:33:52,010
these chapters, but there’s one
more thing I just want to
476
00:33:52,570 –> 00:33:57,290
mention to you.
Start working.
477
00:33:57,850 –> 00:34:04,050
On having a good death, what do
I mean by that?
478
00:34:05,970 –> 00:34:08,610
Model for your children.
Forgiveness.
479
00:34:10,889 –> 00:34:16,889
Model for your children.
Faith and trust in God.
480
00:34:18,610 –> 00:34:21,969
Model for your children.
The recognition that this life
481
00:34:21,969 –> 00:34:25,290
that we have, even with all the
pain and suffering that comes at
482
00:34:25,290 –> 00:34:29,040
the end of this.
At the end of it, this is not
483
00:34:29,120 –> 00:34:34,080
all we have, that there’s
something better, there’s
484
00:34:34,080 –> 00:34:37,679
something coming.
And that when I close my eyes, I
485
00:34:37,800 –> 00:34:42,480
open them almost instantaneously
and I’m standing at somebody’s
486
00:34:42,480 –> 00:34:47,159
feet.
And that you may have to live
487
00:34:47,159 –> 00:34:52,280
your life, son, for another
30-40 fifty years, but I will be
488
00:34:52,280 –> 00:34:56,560
right at his feet, hoping for
his mercy.
489
00:34:58,060 –> 00:35:02,060
And His Grace, an entry into His
Kingdom.
490
00:35:04,540 –> 00:35:08,020
Let this stage of your life as
you go towards and use as you
491
00:35:08,020 –> 00:35:12,940
get to those last days, not be
about disappointment or
492
00:35:12,940 –> 00:35:18,980
bitterness or hurts and wrongs
that you still feel that all
493
00:35:18,980 –> 00:35:23,820
that stuff go, let it go and
have a good death.
494
00:35:25,320 –> 00:35:31,400
Because how you die will teach
your child about what was most
495
00:35:31,480 –> 00:35:38,440
important to you and could draw
their minds back into the
496
00:35:38,440 –> 00:35:41,480
future, into what’s most
important.
497
00:35:43,400 –> 00:35:49,040
Where they might think, you
know, Mom was in so much pain I
498
00:35:49,040 –> 00:35:52,320
could barely look at what she
was going through.
499
00:35:54,420 –> 00:35:55,860
But she kept on talking about
God.
500
00:35:57,820 –> 00:35:59,980
She kept on talking about the
Kingdom.
501
00:36:01,700 –> 00:36:08,020
She kept on telling me, son, you
have to forgive your sister and
502
00:36:08,020 –> 00:36:13,420
make peace, because that’s what
God would want you to do.
503
00:36:14,940 –> 00:36:18,140
And if there’s a last wish I
have that I want you to honor,
504
00:36:19,780 –> 00:36:21,780
it’s to make peace with your
siblings.
505
00:36:24,500 –> 00:36:30,940
I have let go everything that
was in my mind, creating a
506
00:36:30,940 –> 00:36:35,860
problem for me.
All the hurts, everything that
507
00:36:35,860 –> 00:36:39,460
offended me.
What this one or that one did to
508
00:36:39,460 –> 00:36:42,980
me, what I could have had and
didn’t have.
509
00:36:44,460 –> 00:36:49,660
I let it all go because I want
to be like Christ.
510
00:36:51,030 –> 00:36:54,350
Because I know that the happiest
condition I can be in, in all
511
00:36:54,350 –> 00:37:03,630
this pain is with a kind of
thinking that is about grace and
512
00:37:03,630 –> 00:37:08,630
hope and the future that I know
is coming with all my being.
513
00:37:09,470 –> 00:37:10,830
I’ve got to get through this
pain.
514
00:37:10,830 –> 00:37:17,550
I have to close my eyes one day.
But I want you to think about
515
00:37:17,550 –> 00:37:20,740
these things.
So you might think, what have
516
00:37:20,740 –> 00:37:22,260
you got to give your kids at
this stage?
517
00:37:22,260 –> 00:37:31,100
You can give them a good death
and it it means those things so
518
00:37:31,100 –> 00:37:33,780
that they know what was most
important.
519
00:37:33,780 –> 00:37:41,540
It’s the last preaching campaign
you will be on and it could save
520
00:37:41,540 –> 00:37:45,980
someone’s life that you love.
Now Marguerite is going to stand
521
00:37:45,980 –> 00:37:47,900
up at the judgment seat and look
over.
522
00:37:49,280 –> 00:37:51,880
And see someone she didn’t
expect would be there.
523
00:37:53,880 –> 00:37:55,600
Can you imagine the joy of that
moment?
524
00:37:57,840 –> 00:38:02,840
All right, then.
Back into Chapter 7, verse four.
525
00:38:03,680 –> 00:38:10,080
The heart of the wise is in the
House of mourning, not in the
526
00:38:10,080 –> 00:38:15,680
House of delight, of partying,
of noise, of festivity.
527
00:38:15,680 –> 00:38:21,380
The heart of the wise.
Is in the House of mourning Does
528
00:38:21,460 –> 00:38:24,020
Does that mean that we’re death
obsessed?
529
00:38:24,100 –> 00:38:29,820
No.
But it means that when we are at
530
00:38:29,820 –> 00:38:36,980
a funeral, we’re in a time of
deep reflection, looking within
531
00:38:36,980 –> 00:38:42,740
and thinking through where we
are, taking stock of where our
532
00:38:42,740 –> 00:38:46,660
heart is located, what our mind
is focused on.
533
00:38:47,900 –> 00:38:52,060
Where we need to be now, you
might look at it that way and
534
00:38:52,060 –> 00:38:55,500
say, OK, this is talking about
other people’s funerals, yes,
535
00:38:57,260 –> 00:39:02,500
but think about the House of
Mourning being the memorial
536
00:39:02,500 –> 00:39:08,100
meeting you and I are in every
every week where we reflect on
537
00:39:08,100 –> 00:39:15,460
the man who gave his life for
us, we think about the love.
538
00:39:17,790 –> 00:39:29,310
The obedience, the suffering,
the compassion, the empathy, the
539
00:39:29,310 –> 00:39:37,910
deep rapport between a man who
had nothing but his faith and
540
00:39:37,910 –> 00:39:44,270
his belief in God and his love
for him and his love for people
541
00:39:44,270 –> 00:39:47,430
he had not even ever met during
his lifetime.
542
00:39:49,510 –> 00:39:55,550
We think and we we in that House
of mourning, remember His
543
00:39:55,550 –> 00:40:02,190
example that He set for us.
And then we have the uplift of
544
00:40:02,190 –> 00:40:06,990
remembering in that House of
mourning, that it was the
545
00:40:06,990 –> 00:40:11,110
pathway that led to eternal life
for Him.
546
00:40:13,750 –> 00:40:18,150
So his suffering had meaning.
What he went through, what he
547
00:40:18,150 –> 00:40:23,510
endured, had purpose in it.
And it’s the same for you.
548
00:40:23,510 –> 00:40:31,670
What we go through, what we
suffer, is not meaningless stuff
549
00:40:31,670 –> 00:40:35,590
that happens to us by chance,
randomly.
550
00:40:37,230 –> 00:40:41,870
God is at work.
Verse 14 of chapter seven, he
551
00:40:41,870 –> 00:40:44,230
says.
In the day of prosperity.
552
00:40:44,230 –> 00:40:48,070
Be joyful.
But in the day of adversity,
553
00:40:48,790 –> 00:40:57,870
consider God hath even made the
one side by side with the other
554
00:40:58,790 –> 00:41:02,670
to the end.
That man should not find out
555
00:41:02,750 –> 00:41:05,230
anything that shall be after
him.
556
00:41:05,590 –> 00:41:11,150
What does that mean?
God has deliberately put happy
557
00:41:11,150 –> 00:41:18,040
days and sad days into our life.
So that we have no choice but to
558
00:41:18,040 –> 00:41:22,320
reach out to him in hope so that
we can’t predict.
559
00:41:22,320 –> 00:41:25,040
We don’t always know how things
are going to go.
560
00:41:25,440 –> 00:41:32,160
That’s in his hands.
Our responsibility is to trust
561
00:41:32,160 –> 00:41:34,960
in him.
And when things are going well,
562
00:41:35,480 –> 00:41:37,840
that’s the last time we’re
reaching out to the Almighty
563
00:41:38,680 –> 00:41:43,440
because things are going well.
But our aches, our pains, our
564
00:41:43,440 –> 00:41:47,320
troubles, our heart breaks.
They drive us to God.
565
00:41:49,160 –> 00:41:55,480
They drive us to cry out to Him,
to get close to Him, to draw him
566
00:41:55,480 –> 00:41:59,880
close to us.
That that’s what this is saying
567
00:42:00,680 –> 00:42:05,800
in those good days.
Rejoice, but no, that God has
568
00:42:05,800 –> 00:42:10,690
spliced into our lives.
Those darker threads that come
569
00:42:10,690 –> 00:42:20,570
up and out into the tapestry?
Tragedy, trauma, loss, grief,
570
00:42:21,290 –> 00:42:25,450
betrayal, disappointment,
heartache.
571
00:42:26,970 –> 00:42:32,010
He’s allowed, and sometimes put
those things there to drive us
572
00:42:32,010 –> 00:42:37,090
to him and to keep him in our
minds and in our hearts.
573
00:42:38,950 –> 00:42:43,070
He goes on, and we read in verse
19.
574
00:42:43,950 –> 00:42:49,670
Wisdom strengthens the wise more
than 10 mighty men which are in
575
00:42:49,670 –> 00:42:53,070
the city.
For there’s not a just man upon
576
00:42:53,070 –> 00:42:58,990
earth that doeth good and sins.
Not so for people that believe
577
00:42:59,190 –> 00:43:03,470
outside that it is possible to
live a life without sin.
578
00:43:04,670 –> 00:43:05,990
Well, God doesn’t agree with
you.
579
00:43:07,800 –> 00:43:11,840
Because God inspired Solomon to
write this in the same way as
580
00:43:11,840 –> 00:43:15,960
God inspired the Lord to say
there is none good, not one.
581
00:43:16,200 –> 00:43:17,720
Why?
Why are you calling me good?
582
00:43:19,520 –> 00:43:21,320
And he was the Lord Jesus
Christ.
583
00:43:22,320 –> 00:43:28,080
So sin, sin is part and parcel
of our life and the experience
584
00:43:28,160 –> 00:43:30,520
of it.
Verse 23.
585
00:43:30,760 –> 00:43:32,520
All this have I proved by
wisdom.
586
00:43:32,520 –> 00:43:36,320
I said I will be wise.
It was far from me.
587
00:43:37,690 –> 00:43:41,010
It was far that which is far off
and exceeding deep.
588
00:43:41,290 –> 00:43:45,290
Who can find it out?
I cannot figure God out.
589
00:43:45,610 –> 00:43:48,530
I’ve tried and I’ve tried.
I can’t figure him out.
590
00:43:49,570 –> 00:43:53,370
That’s deliberate.
God does not want to be figured
591
00:43:53,370 –> 00:43:57,250
out by you.
God wants you to trust Him and
592
00:43:58,690 –> 00:44:06,170
believe in him and have
confidence in Him, it says.
593
00:44:06,410 –> 00:44:09,970
Verse 27.
Look, this is something I found
594
00:44:13,850 –> 00:44:17,090
counting things up 1 by 1 to
figure things out and how they
595
00:44:17,090 –> 00:44:22,890
work, he says.
I’ve looked all around.
596
00:44:23,810 –> 00:44:33,410
I have not found one wise man
among 1000 and then sisters.
597
00:44:33,410 –> 00:44:39,360
Fasten your seatbelts OK?
Please do not elbow the poor man
598
00:44:39,360 –> 00:44:43,000
beside you.
That sharp elbow of yours.
599
00:44:44,000 –> 00:44:46,400
But a woman among all those have
I not found.
600
00:44:46,400 –> 00:44:51,400
Now stop, stop, stop, stop.
I know Sister Tony is ready to
601
00:44:51,400 –> 00:44:54,400
throw her hymn book right up to
the front right now.
602
00:44:56,840 –> 00:45:01,480
What he’s saying is this.
Wise people are exceedingly
603
00:45:01,480 –> 00:45:03,400
difficult.
I’ve found so few of them.
604
00:45:04,440 –> 00:45:07,120
Did he not believe that there
were women who were wise?
605
00:45:07,480 –> 00:45:12,120
Well, he wrote Proverbs 31 all
about the virtuous woman.
606
00:45:14,360 –> 00:45:17,520
It could be that the kind of
women he surrounded himself with
607
00:45:18,600 –> 00:45:29,280
700 wives, 300 concubines.
That’s girls you play around
608
00:45:29,280 –> 00:45:33,950
with and don’t have a close
relationship with. 1000 He
609
00:45:33,950 –> 00:45:37,910
collected them like stamps and
just like stamps.
610
00:45:37,950 –> 00:45:39,990
Oh, that’s a good one there.
Yeah.
611
00:45:40,030 –> 00:45:44,390
Let’s look at the next page.
No relationship.
612
00:45:44,510 –> 00:45:47,070
This was an altogether lonely
man.
613
00:45:49,070 –> 00:45:53,590
He found very few wise people.
And of the women he accumulated,
614
00:45:53,590 –> 00:45:56,150
well, wisdom was not an
attribute he was looking for.
615
00:45:56,910 –> 00:46:01,430
No wonder he couldn’t find one.
But he knew that they were out
616
00:46:01,430 –> 00:46:04,200
there.
Throughout Scripture, we have
617
00:46:04,200 –> 00:46:11,600
wonderful, wise women, starting
with Eve and all the way through
618
00:46:11,600 –> 00:46:16,080
to our sisters here in this
room, right beside you, brother,
619
00:46:17,200 –> 00:46:22,600
right beside you.
Now, some stupid Christadelphian
620
00:46:22,600 –> 00:46:27,720
interpreters have taken that to
mean that men are naturally more
621
00:46:27,720 –> 00:46:32,330
wise than women and wisdom.
Wisdom is lacking in sisters.
622
00:46:34,290 –> 00:46:37,930
That is an altogether idiotic
man who wrote that.
623
00:46:38,970 –> 00:46:42,050
I will not dignify that with
anything other than that he’s
624
00:46:42,530 –> 00:46:49,050
he’s just a fool and it betrays
A mindset towards women that
625
00:46:49,050 –> 00:46:52,370
will then play itself out.
And how he treats his wife, his
626
00:46:52,370 –> 00:46:56,170
daughters, his mother, his
sisters and the women in the
627
00:46:56,170 –> 00:47:00,270
ecclesia.
We could not make it without our
628
00:47:00,270 –> 00:47:03,910
sisters.
Sisters are like nurses in the
629
00:47:03,910 –> 00:47:07,950
healthcare system.
It isn’t the fancy surgeons and
630
00:47:07,950 –> 00:47:11,350
their big fat Eagles who hold
the healthcare system together.
631
00:47:12,150 –> 00:47:16,110
It is the nurses.
And it’s the same with our
632
00:47:16,110 –> 00:47:21,830
sisters and our ecclesias and in
our families and in our lives.
633
00:47:23,030 –> 00:47:26,270
And so whatever, he may have
written in that moment of pique.
634
00:47:27,280 –> 00:47:30,440
Remember, he wrote it as a
flawed individual, and God lets
635
00:47:30,440 –> 00:47:34,560
it stay right in the text.
It’s right there for us to see.
636
00:47:36,200 –> 00:47:39,440
We are surrounded by wise women
and men.
637
00:47:40,560 –> 00:47:44,400
We need to be grateful for them.
We need to honor them.
638
00:47:45,960 –> 00:47:50,240
We need to seek their counsel,
their advice, their feedback,
639
00:47:50,800 –> 00:47:53,520
their input.
Yes, the buck stops with us.
640
00:47:53,880 –> 00:47:56,960
We cannot throw that yolk off
our necks.
641
00:47:58,480 –> 00:48:03,240
But we need to treat our sisters
as partners in our ecclesias.
642
00:48:04,840 –> 00:48:08,400
They have much to offer, much
wisdom to share.
643
00:48:09,760 –> 00:48:12,360
Solomon didn’t have any like
that around him.
644
00:48:13,560 –> 00:48:16,280
Every ecclesia is filled with
women like that.
645
00:48:29,880 –> 00:48:32,160
Thank you for listening to the
good Christadelphian Talks
646
00:48:32,160 –> 00:48:35,000
Podcast.
We hope this talk helped you in
647
00:48:35,000 –> 00:48:37,160
your walk.
If you would like to hear more,
648
00:48:37,400 –> 00:48:39,920
please subscribe for new
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