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.

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We will now call upon our
brother Dennis Gillette to

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deliver the third class and his
series on Bible Men the way they

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were.
This class entitled Joash via

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Theon.
Crutches.

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Good morning, everyone.
The record.

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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

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Chronicles chapter 24 and 2nd
book of Kings, chapter 12, those

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are the two chapters where we
learn about.

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Jewish now I realise.
Brothers and sisters, that you.

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Will recall the life.
Of this man.

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Very well, because you’ve been
through it many times, but just

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by.
Way of.

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Recollection, I’m going to read
a few verses to you from two

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Chronicles 24, so.
That all you know about?

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Him will suddenly flood back.
Into your memory.

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Two chronicles. 20. 4.
Joash was seven years old when

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he began to reign.
And he reigned 40 years in

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Jerusalem, and his mother’s name
was Zebia of Beersheba.

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And Joash did that which was
right in the eyes of the Lord

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all the days of Jehardah the
priest.

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And Jehardah took for him two
wives.

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He begat sons and daughters.
And it came to pass.

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After this, Joash was minded to
restore the House of the Lord.

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And he gathered together the
priests and the Levites, and

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said to them, Go out unto the
cities of Judah, and gather of

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all Israel money to repair the
House of your God from year to

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year, and see that ye hastened
the matter, albeit the Levites

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hastened it.
Not and the king.

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Called for jihad the chief, and
said unto him, Why hast thou not

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required of the Levites to bring
it?

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In out of.
Judah and out of Jerusalem.

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The text of Moses, the servant
of the Lord, and of the

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congregation of Israel, for the
tent of the testimony For the

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sons of Athalaya that wicked
woman had broken up the House of

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God, and also all the dedicated
things of the House of the Lord

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did they bestow upon the Baalim.
So the king.

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Commanded they made a chest and
set it without.

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The gate of the Lord, and they
made a proclamation through

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Judah and Jerusalem.
To bring in the Lord.

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The tax that Moses, the servant
of God, laid upon Israel in the

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wilderness, and all the
Princess.

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And all the people rejoiced and
brought in and.

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Cast into the chest until.
They had made an end.

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And so on and so on.
Well, you will now remember.

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Well, who Joash was?
The first thing to remark about

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him is this, that he had a bad
start.

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His life began with tragedy.
His father was Ahaziah and he

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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

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of.
Ahab, I suppose Jehoram might

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have.
Done.

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Better if he had or I was going.
To say if he’d had a better

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wife.
He might have done better if

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he’d not had this wife, the
daughter of Jezebel’s household,

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because when he married her.
He got trouble her.

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Name was Apple Life.
You’ll remember Athalaya.

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She’s called here that wicked.
Woman.

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So you see, poor Joash had no.
Real father to begin with.

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He was only a baby.
When his father died and his

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grandmother, Athalaya was a
wicked woman.

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And you know what?
Happened as soon as her son

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Ahaziah died.
With fiendish cruelty, she

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destroyed all the royal children
so that she herself might sit

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securely on the throne.
Of Judah and rule.

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Over the House of Judah.
Well, I said that she destroyed

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all the royal children, but you
know that she missed.

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One and the one she missed.
Was.

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Joe.
He may have had a wicked

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grandfather, a wicked
grandmother.

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But.
He had a good auntie and her

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name was.
Jehoshiba.

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That’s how you say it.
The sister of Ahaz, she was the

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wife of Jihad of the priest.
And when Afterlaya was slaying

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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

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the care of the guidance of her
husband and his his uncle, Jihad

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of the priest, he was reared.
Now I know you remember the

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story well.
We just read when Joseph was

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seven years old.
When?

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Joash was seven years old.
He he began to reign.

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They they brought him forth.
They proclaimed him the rightful

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king of Judah.
And they.

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Crowned him in the temple, and
his wicked grandmother Athalaya

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was slain.
And so this boy became the.

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King of Judah and Jehovah the
Priest.

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His uncle carefully directed his
counsels, instructed him in the.

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Principles of good living.
Taught him.

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The principles of sound
government.

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And Joash responded.
He proved to be a good.

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Ruler.
And as the Bible says, he did

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that which was right in the
sight of the Lord.

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And you’ll notice in that
passage we read that he had a

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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

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duties to stir them up.
And you saw what he did and he.

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Held.
The Holy Scriptures in great

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esteem.
You can read in the second book

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of Kings, chapter 12 or I think
it’s Chapter 11 verse 12 at his

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coronation.
His uncle gave him a copy of the

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law, just as they did Queen
Elizabeth in London.

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When she was crowned, they gave
her the.

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Bible.
And Jewish Jewish loved the

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scriptures of God and he and he
sought to keep them.

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And he wasn’t the man who kept
his religion for the Sabbath

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day.
He put his religion into the

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everyday business of life.
He put his religion into the

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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

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willing to allow sweating in
government departments and and

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grinding.
In in the work.

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Of the state.
I mean, every tradesman was

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faithfully rewarded.
And faithfully treated the

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carpenters and the Masons and
the other artisans, they were

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all treated properly.
They all had their rightful

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wages.
I suppose it would be true to

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say that King Joash was the
first real trade unionist, and

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that is to say.
He secured for each.

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Man, the best.
Conditions and under his.

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Supervision the House of.
God was repaired.

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After the ravages which had been
made upon it by that wicked

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woman, Athalaya, and there was
continual.

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Worship in the House of God.
Said man with.

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Joy in the hearts.
Of the people.

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Though in fairness we must say
that some of the people still

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worshipped in the high places.
The Bible is careful to record,

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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.

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As it should be.
And consequently we are able to

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say that this king Joach was
upright in character, straight

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in conduct, religious in spirit.
Indeed, it must have rejoiced

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the heart of his uncle Jehoiade,
the priest to see the young

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King’s wisdom and the young
King’s piety.

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You know just how carefully the
Bible describes the piety of

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Jewish Can I bring you to Two
Kings 12 verse 22 Kings?

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12 verse.
Two.

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Notice what it says. 2 Kings 12
verse two says, And Joash did

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that which was right in the eyes
of the Lord.

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All his days were in jihad of
the priest instructed.

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Him.
Or you turn back to two

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Chronicles 24.
Please and Verse 2.

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Two Chronicles 24, Verse 2.
And Joash did that, which was

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right.
In the sight of the Lord.

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All the days of jihad, of the
priests, it’s a fine

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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,

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and there’s a wealth of
significance in the words.

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All the days of Jehoiad of the
priests.

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Let me just.
Show you what I mean.

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You see it at verse 19 of 2
Kings. 12 You will read this.

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And the rest of the acts of
Joash and all.

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That he did.
Are they not written in the?

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Book.
Of the Chronicles of the Kings

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of Judah.
Well, the answer.

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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

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the Kings of Judah.
Let’s just have a look.

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Two Chronicles 24 Again, yes,
they are written.

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Let’s begin reading almost where
we left off.

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But a little bit further on,
remember, it says.

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Joash did that which was right
in the sight of the Lord all the

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days of Jehoiada the priest.
Now let’s take up that idea in

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verse 15 two.
Chronicles 24 But.

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Jehoiada waxed old and was full
of days, and he died 130 years

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old when he died.
And they buried him in the city

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of David among the kings,
because he had done good in

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Israel and toward God and his
house.

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Now after the death of Jehoiada
came the.

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Princess of Judah and Made.
Obeisance.

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To the king and then the king.
Hearkened unto them, and they

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forsook the House of the Lord.
The God.

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Of their fathers, and served the
Ashurim and the idols.

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And wrath came upon Judah and
Jerusalem for this their

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guiltiness.
Yet he sent prophets to them to

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bring them again unto the Lord.
But they testified against them.

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But they would.
Not give here and the.

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Spirit of God came upon
Zechariah, the son of Jehoiah

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the priest.
And he stood above the people.

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And said unto them, thus saith.
God.

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Why transgress she the
commandments of the Lord?

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That she cannot prosper because
you have forsaken the Lord, He

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hath also forsaken you, and they
conspired against him, and

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stoned him with stones at the
commandment of the.

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King in the court.
Of the House of the Lord.

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Thus Joash the King remembered.
Not the kindness which Jehadah

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his uncle had done to him, but
slew his son.

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And when he died.
He said the Lord look upon it

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and require it.
They came to pass at the end of

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the year that the army of the
Syrians came against.

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Him And they came.
To Judah and Jerusalem and

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destroyed all the Princess of
the people.

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From among the people and.
Sent all the spoil of them under

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the king of Damascus, for the
army of the Syrians came with a

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small company of men.
And the Lord delivered very

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great hosts into their hand,
because they had forsaken.

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The Lord, the God of their.
Fathers, so they executed

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judgement.
Upon joy thus Jilash the.

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King remembered not the kindness
which Jehadah had done to.

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Him but slew his son.
Now what a tragedy, brethren and

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sisters.
This good man turned from God

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and slew the son of his best
friend.

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What a moral collapse.
From being earnestly religious,

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this man became degenerate and
profligate, and when the son of

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his uncle tried to save him from
his folly, he ordered him to be

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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

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circumspect and so devout.
Who would have thought?

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Now is there any explanation for
this change?

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Is there?
Is there any way of measuring

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this abject?
Failure well.

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To come to the point straight
away.

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There.
Is Joash.

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Was one of those persons.
Who have?

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No root in themselves.
He had goodness, but it was

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circumstantial goodness.
It depended for its existence

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upon circumstances outside of
himself, so long as Joash was.

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Under the control of the
guidance of his uncle Jehardah.

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He was a good man, but it was
goodness on crutches.

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00:16:38,840 –> 00:16:42,400
When his uncle died, Joash went
to pieces.

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00:16:43,520 –> 00:16:46,120
Now there are some men who
become like the company they

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00:16:46,120 –> 00:16:49,120
keep.
When they are with the good,

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00:16:49,400 –> 00:16:52,840
they are good.
When they are with the bad, they

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00:16:52,840 –> 00:16:55,640
forget their goodness, and so it
was with.

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00:16:55,720 –> 00:16:58,640
Joash.
Whilst he was with the good, he

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00:16:58,640 –> 00:17:01,880
went with them when he was with
the bad.

227
00:17:02,400 –> 00:17:08,440
He went with them.
He had no root in himself.

228
00:17:09,359 –> 00:17:12,720
He was all right whilst he was
in leading streams.

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00:17:13,440 –> 00:17:18,680
He leaned upon others.
In goodness and in wickedness,

230
00:17:18,920 –> 00:17:22,720
he leaned upon others.
Instead of mastering

231
00:17:22,720 –> 00:17:26,000
circumstances, he was mastered
by them.

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00:17:26,720 –> 00:17:30,880
He lacked independence, he
lacked courage, he lacked

233
00:17:30,880 –> 00:17:35,120
strength.
He had no salt in himself.

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00:17:36,400 –> 00:17:43,800
Now the weakness of joy has been
the curse of many alive since

235
00:17:43,800 –> 00:17:47,960
then.
Let me give you one example and

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00:17:47,960 –> 00:17:52,680
where a strange example of the
lack of independence in the

237
00:17:52,680 –> 00:17:54,720
character.
Of Jewish.

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00:17:55,040 –> 00:17:57,600
I bring you back to two
Chronicles 24.

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00:18:00,200 –> 00:18:02,480
Read with me a few verses
carefully.

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00:18:03,920 –> 00:18:10,440
Well, verse one.
Two Chronicles 24 Verse One.

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00:18:14,640 –> 00:18:18,920
Joash was seven years old when
he began to reign, and he

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00:18:18,920 –> 00:18:23,520
reigned 40 years in Jerusalem,
and his mother’s name was Zebia

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00:18:23,520 –> 00:18:27,080
of Beersheba.
And Joash did that which was

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00:18:27,080 –> 00:18:30,560
right in the eyes of the Lord.
All the days of jihad, and the

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00:18:30,560 –> 00:18:35,360
priests and jihad had took for
him two wives, and he begat sons

246
00:18:35,360 –> 00:18:41,760
and daughters.
Did you notice anything strange

247
00:18:41,760 –> 00:18:51,360
about that?
And Jehoiada took for him two

248
00:18:51,360 –> 00:18:54,400
wives, and he begat sons and
daughters.

249
00:18:55,080 –> 00:18:58,680
Now any man who allows his uncle
to do his courting is on the

250
00:18:58,680 –> 00:19:08,120
wrong Rd.
It’s right Jehoiada took for

251
00:19:08,120 –> 00:19:09,400
him.
Two wives.

252
00:19:14,000 –> 00:19:16,160
It’s a sign of his inward
weakness.

253
00:19:17,200 –> 00:19:21,480
Like a chameleon he he took on
the colour of his surroundings.

254
00:19:22,840 –> 00:19:26,480
If he could have been kept in a
glass case, perhaps he would

255
00:19:26,480 –> 00:19:30,080
have never been spoiled.
But that’s not the method of.

256
00:19:30,080 –> 00:19:34,080
God, God does not keep.
His men in glass cases.

257
00:19:37,480 –> 00:19:40,440
God is not looking for plaster
Saints, but men and women who

258
00:19:40,440 –> 00:19:44,360
have tested hearts and proven
spirits.

259
00:19:45,640 –> 00:19:49,360
Men and women who have lived in
hothouse conditions cannot stand

260
00:19:49,360 –> 00:19:51,600
against the crosscurrents of
life.

261
00:19:52,920 –> 00:19:56,120
Now don’t don’t get me wrong.
Don’t misunderstand me, brothers

262
00:19:56,120 –> 00:19:58,840
and sisters, I am not saying
that the friendship.

263
00:19:58,840 –> 00:20:00,720
Of Jehoiada was a bad.
Thing.

264
00:20:00,720 –> 00:20:03,960
Certainly not.
But it was turned to wrong

265
00:20:03,960 –> 00:20:06,480
causes because of Joashi’s
weakness.

266
00:20:07,840 –> 00:20:11,000
Of course the companionship of a
good uncle is better than the

267
00:20:11,000 –> 00:20:13,640
friendship of fools.
Of course it is.

268
00:20:14,840 –> 00:20:17,920
Of course a young man is much
safer in the hands of a man of

269
00:20:17,920 –> 00:20:20,560
God than in the synagogue of
Satan.

270
00:20:20,760 –> 00:20:24,560
Of course he is.
The House of prayer and devotion

271
00:20:24,560 –> 00:20:27,800
is a better place to live in
than the place of revelry and

272
00:20:27,800 –> 00:20:31,800
riot.
Of course, it makes all the

273
00:20:31,800 –> 00:20:35,520
difference whether you are with
sinners or with Saints.

274
00:20:36,240 –> 00:20:38,360
Whether you have one or the
other for your friends, of

275
00:20:38,360 –> 00:20:39,840
course, it makes all the
difference.

276
00:20:41,480 –> 00:20:45,000
Indeed, some people would say
that they could tell you a man’s

277
00:20:45,000 –> 00:20:47,480
character by watching the kind
of friends he has.

278
00:20:48,680 –> 00:20:51,160
That means that a man, to some
extent becomes one of the

279
00:20:51,160 –> 00:20:54,240
company that he keeps.
And that may be true.

280
00:20:55,920 –> 00:21:01,400
But you see in the case of Joash
and I wonder if I can interest

281
00:21:01,400 –> 00:21:03,280
you in this for a few minutes
please.

282
00:21:05,200 –> 00:21:10,680
In the case of Joash,
environment seems to be crucial.

283
00:21:11,680 –> 00:21:16,520
I said circumstantial goodness,
and that means that his

284
00:21:16,520 –> 00:21:19,440
environment in his case was a
crucial thing.

285
00:21:20,640 –> 00:21:23,800
Now we know this as a general
principle.

286
00:21:23,800 –> 00:21:25,720
We I think we know this to be
true.

287
00:21:26,080 –> 00:21:30,240
We cannot complain.
It’s true to some extent in

288
00:21:30,240 –> 00:21:33,520
everyone’s life.
We are all influenced by the

289
00:21:33,520 –> 00:21:37,000
friends we have.
By the work we do, by the place

290
00:21:37,000 –> 00:21:41,360
in which we live, and by the
books we read, we are influenced

291
00:21:41,360 –> 00:21:43,960
by these things.
If it were not true, then it

292
00:21:43,960 –> 00:21:46,440
would mean that the fellowship
of the brethren and sisters

293
00:21:46,440 –> 00:21:49,080
would be impotent.
The service of the truth would

294
00:21:49,080 –> 00:21:52,120
be sterile.
The the effect of the Word of

295
00:21:52,120 –> 00:21:55,480
God will be lost and dissipated
if that principle were not true.

296
00:21:56,280 –> 00:22:00,840
The principle of influence, If
you are in a bad profession, you

297
00:22:00,840 –> 00:22:02,280
will tend to become.
Bad.

298
00:22:03,840 –> 00:22:06,040
If you are in a brutal
profession, you will tend to

299
00:22:06,040 –> 00:22:08,800
become brutal.
Zacchaeus is a good.

300
00:22:08,800 –> 00:22:12,120
Example of the 1st, and the
Philippian jailer is a good

301
00:22:12,120 –> 00:22:16,080
example of the second.
Again, I think it is

302
00:22:16,080 –> 00:22:19,080
indisputable that the man can be
marred by the place of his

303
00:22:19,080 –> 00:22:21,680
living.
I mean, a man who lives in a

304
00:22:21,680 –> 00:22:27,040
tenement slum is more likely to.
Be different from a man who

305
00:22:27,040 –> 00:22:31,280
lives in a clean cottage on a
hillside with clustering roses

306
00:22:31,280 –> 00:22:36,880
and a rambling honey sample.
He is likely to be affected.

307
00:22:38,360 –> 00:22:40,000
Now you want to say, well, is it
fair?

308
00:22:40,000 –> 00:22:42,440
Of course it’s not fair, I know.
It’s not fair.

309
00:22:43,480 –> 00:22:47,040
I’m not concerned with whether
it’s fair or not, I’m only

310
00:22:47,040 –> 00:22:49,400
trying to stressing that it
makes a difference.

311
00:22:50,800 –> 00:22:55,400
I think all of you would agree
that character is moulded and

312
00:22:55,400 –> 00:23:00,960
fashioned by what a man reads.
Now this is a great principle

313
00:23:00,960 –> 00:23:04,320
which consequently compels us
to.

314
00:23:04,320 –> 00:23:07,360
Read the word of God regularly
and conscientiously.

315
00:23:09,360 –> 00:23:11,800
Rightly done, it can transform
us.

316
00:23:11,800 –> 00:23:16,040
We believe that it’s one of the
foundation beliefs of our faith,

317
00:23:18,920 –> 00:23:22,080
and if it’s not true, then we’ve
been grossly deceived and we’re

318
00:23:22,080 –> 00:23:25,640
following the wrong course, and
we’re on a fool’s own.

319
00:23:25,640 –> 00:23:28,360
If it’s not true, we know in our
deepest heart it is.

320
00:23:28,360 –> 00:23:34,120
True, and it works both ways,
you see, depending on what you

321
00:23:34,120 –> 00:23:37,240
read.
Literature which is properly and

322
00:23:37,240 –> 00:23:41,720
sensational and light tends to
produce a character which is

323
00:23:41,720 –> 00:23:43,880
frothly and sensational and
light.

324
00:23:45,360 –> 00:23:48,560
Now all I’m trying to do is to
remind you of something which

325
00:23:48,560 –> 00:23:52,360
emerges from the narrative.
About Jewish that all through

326
00:23:52,360 –> 00:23:58,520
life men are being influenced by
their surroundings and the vital

327
00:23:58,520 –> 00:24:03,720
thing is whether the power of
the environment is stronger than

328
00:24:03,720 –> 00:24:06,680
the power of the personality to
control it.

329
00:24:07,640 –> 00:24:11,800
You see, some well meaning
people have advanced a theory

330
00:24:11,800 –> 00:24:14,800
related.
To the startling effect of

331
00:24:14,800 –> 00:24:19,960
environment, which says if you
refashion the environment you

332
00:24:19,960 –> 00:24:22,240
will affect the transformation
of the man.

333
00:24:22,240 –> 00:24:26,240
This is a theory which has been
advanced many times, they say.

334
00:24:26,440 –> 00:24:31,160
Remove the man out of the slum.
Put him into a clean model

335
00:24:31,160 –> 00:24:34,320
dwelling.
In the country or in the suburbs

336
00:24:34,880 –> 00:24:36,360
and you will change his
character.

337
00:24:37,080 –> 00:24:41,560
Give him a new house, hang some
pictures on the wall, supply him

338
00:24:41,560 –> 00:24:44,040
with a shower, and you’ll get a
new man.

339
00:24:46,600 –> 00:24:50,160
Well, I am come to say that the
case of Joash proves the theory.

340
00:24:50,160 –> 00:24:55,080
Wrong.
Now it may be said, is that

341
00:24:55,080 –> 00:24:57,560
quite fair?
Is it fair to throw out the

342
00:24:57,560 –> 00:25:01,920
theory on the basis of 1
isolated failure recorded for us

343
00:25:01,920 –> 00:25:06,640
in the Old Testament?
Well, you see, Joash is an

344
00:25:06,640 –> 00:25:09,880
interesting case, but he is not
a unique example.

345
00:25:11,800 –> 00:25:18,840
I must remind you, brothers and
sisters, it was in a garden, in

346
00:25:18,920 –> 00:25:25,040
a perfect environment, with
congenial employment, and in the

347
00:25:25,040 –> 00:25:32,200
midst of unsullied, unsullied
surroundings, that man first

348
00:25:32,200 –> 00:25:36,520
went wrong.
Another good.

349
00:25:36,520 –> 00:25:43,720
Example in the Bible is Solomon.
Now, in a way, perhaps the

350
00:25:43,720 –> 00:25:48,200
circumstances of Solomon’s.
Life were more perfect than any

351
00:25:48,200 –> 00:25:51,880
other in the Old Testament.
What I mean is that he had his

352
00:25:51,880 –> 00:25:56,760
Kingdom prepared for him in a
way by the heroic exploits of

353
00:25:56,760 –> 00:26:00,520
his father King David.
He was a man who came to high

354
00:26:00,520 –> 00:26:02,840
endeavour of.
Building the House of God upon

355
00:26:02,840 –> 00:26:04,600
the calling.
Of high heaven.

356
00:26:04,880 –> 00:26:07,960
And upon the encouragement of
his Father’s aspirations and

357
00:26:08,000 –> 00:26:12,640
hopes, he was a man empowered
with divine wisdom, as no other

358
00:26:12,640 –> 00:26:14,720
man has ever been empowered, say
one.

359
00:26:17,560 –> 00:26:20,360
And here are all the forces
which make for the development

360
00:26:20,360 –> 00:26:24,760
of an outstanding personality.
Isn’t that true if we measured

361
00:26:24,760 –> 00:26:26,200
it by environment?
This.

362
00:26:26,200 –> 00:26:27,760
Man would have been the best man
in the.

363
00:26:27,760 –> 00:26:37,720
World at that time, bearing in
mind the the wonderful

364
00:26:37,720 –> 00:26:42,640
opportunities presented to
Solomon, he should have been.

365
00:26:44,040 –> 00:26:52,000
A good man.
And yet, here is a strange thing

366
00:26:54,560 –> 00:26:58,480
in the Bible.
He is probably one of the most

367
00:26:58,480 –> 00:27:03,440
miserable failures we meet.
Now I must just.

368
00:27:03,440 –> 00:27:07,360
Detain you for a moment, because
I want to say something about

369
00:27:07,360 –> 00:27:10,480
something to save you.
To save you.

370
00:27:10,480 –> 00:27:14,080
Coming to tell me afterwards,
let me do it in the Bible, as

371
00:27:14,080 –> 00:27:18,520
one of the most miserable
failures, I ought to say.

372
00:27:18,760 –> 00:27:21,520
There is also on my heart the
conviction that he will be.

373
00:27:21,520 –> 00:27:27,920
Saved that he is not lost and
this is the reason.

374
00:27:27,920 –> 00:27:30,240
No, I’m not really.
Concerned about going into

375
00:27:30,240 –> 00:27:31,960
Solomon ‘s life.
I’ve got enough to do with

376
00:27:31,960 –> 00:27:35,480
George.
I don’t want to go into Solomon.

377
00:27:35,480 –> 00:27:40,400
‘S life I’m just this is a
little digression Why I think

378
00:27:40,400 –> 00:27:44,000
Solomon will be in God’s.
Kingdom is that.

379
00:27:44,720 –> 00:27:47,720
It seems to me the book of
Ecclesiastes is written at the

380
00:27:47,720 –> 00:27:49,480
end of a man’s life.
This is not the.

381
00:27:49,800 –> 00:27:52,520
Record of a young man’s
experience This is the record of

382
00:27:52,520 –> 00:27:56,240
an old man experience who has
tasted life at all levels has

383
00:27:56,240 –> 00:28:02,760
come to the conviction.
That it is it is vanity and

384
00:28:02,760 –> 00:28:06,280
vexation.
Of spirit and gives this final

385
00:28:06,280 –> 00:28:08,760
judgement.
Heal God and keep His

386
00:28:08,760 –> 00:28:12,560
commandments, for this is the.
Wholeness of man, Now that is

387
00:28:12,720 –> 00:28:16,320
his wisdom at last established
in the right place, and

388
00:28:16,320 –> 00:28:18,720
therefore it bears upon me the
conviction.

389
00:28:18,720 –> 00:28:21,640
That at last he came to
Reformation.

390
00:28:22,400 –> 00:28:24,200
I leave it with you.
You may disagree with it

391
00:28:24,200 –> 00:28:27,040
profoundly.
But that’s just by the way that

392
00:28:27,040 –> 00:28:29,320
I’m not concerned with someone,
but I thought I’d better say

393
00:28:29,320 –> 00:28:33,920
that now because you may be
coming to tell me after now

394
00:28:33,920 –> 00:28:40,120
where were we?
We were saying that this was the

395
00:28:40,120 –> 00:28:42,000
case.
Of a man in almost perfect

396
00:28:42,000 –> 00:28:47,640
environment who failed, you may
be interested to know.

397
00:28:47,640 –> 00:28:52,200
It’s just possible you may be.
Interested to know that in in

398
00:28:52,200 –> 00:28:55,640
England in the last century when
the politicians and the.

399
00:28:55,640 –> 00:28:59,640
Leaders were thinking about
educating the masses, as they

400
00:28:59,640 –> 00:29:04,200
call them, the Duke of
Wellington, said one of his

401
00:29:05,880 –> 00:29:08,120
famous sentences after his keen
perception.

402
00:29:08,120 –> 00:29:11,480
Of human life, he said.
Gentlemen, if you are going to

403
00:29:11,480 –> 00:29:13,880
educate the.
Children then you are going to

404
00:29:13,880 –> 00:29:15,320
make them into.
Clever devils.

405
00:29:17,560 –> 00:29:20,720
And I suppose you may disagree.
With that for a family, but you

406
00:29:20,720 –> 00:29:26,560
can see what he meant that.
Perhaps men need something and

407
00:29:26,560 –> 00:29:28,440
just that now, whatever you may
think.

408
00:29:28,880 –> 00:29:33,360
We don’t want to draw on it.
Experience has taught us that

409
00:29:33,360 –> 00:29:36,680
environment is not enough to
save men from themselves.

410
00:29:38,120 –> 00:29:41,440
Man needs to be touched at the
centre of his being with some.

411
00:29:41,440 –> 00:29:46,200
Dynamic, dynamic, regenerative
force to change his character.

412
00:29:47,640 –> 00:29:50,200
Now we know that that force is
in the gospel.

413
00:29:50,960 –> 00:29:53,320
The force of faith provoked by
the word of God.

414
00:29:54,920 –> 00:29:59,560
See, in the Bible, the real
environment that changes men is

415
00:29:59,560 –> 00:30:04,760
revealed.
That in him we live, move and

416
00:30:04,760 –> 00:30:06,520
have our being.
That’s the really.

417
00:30:08,200 –> 00:30:10,800
That means that the man who
consciously lives in the will of

418
00:30:10,800 –> 00:30:14,560
God is superior to every other
environment and that comes

419
00:30:14,560 –> 00:30:19,200
against his life.
Human environment is capable of

420
00:30:19,600 –> 00:30:22,120
cursing a man, as we’ve seen in
the case of Joash.

421
00:30:22,120 –> 00:30:24,800
But.
He isn’t capable of saving him

422
00:30:26,120 –> 00:30:29,800
bad companions and.
Slum dwellings and hard

423
00:30:29,800 –> 00:30:36,040
professions and wrong books.
You can change these if you

424
00:30:36,040 –> 00:30:40,600
like, but sooner or later the
man will return to his old life.

425
00:30:40,600 –> 00:30:43,160
That’s the nature of.
Our humanity.

426
00:30:44,040 –> 00:30:46,600
The truth is you have to begin
with the man himself.

427
00:30:48,680 –> 00:30:51,560
He must in the true sense.
Live and move and have his being

428
00:30:51,560 –> 00:30:56,920
in God.
The law of environment still is

429
00:30:56,920 –> 00:31:00,480
true, but there is a higher law
of Environment, to which all the

430
00:31:00,480 –> 00:31:03,200
lower laws have to become
subservient.

431
00:31:04,120 –> 00:31:07,360
And so the very forces which,
standing by themselves, you see,

432
00:31:07,720 –> 00:31:11,480
are not sufficient somehow under
the influence of the power of

433
00:31:11,480 –> 00:31:16,160
the truth, contribute not to the
failure and defeat of humanity,

434
00:31:16,160 –> 00:31:18,920
but.
Remaking and redeeming those

435
00:31:18,920 –> 00:31:21,920
souls who are willing to submit
and be remade.

436
00:31:21,920 –> 00:31:28,920
This is what we believe.
So overriding houses and

437
00:31:28,920 –> 00:31:32,680
companions and books they’ve
won.

438
00:31:33,160 –> 00:31:36,200
And the power, the power of the
truth, is nearer than all the

439
00:31:36,600 –> 00:31:40,680
forces which.
Otherwise are impotent to change

440
00:31:41,200 –> 00:31:44,720
and to redeem.
Now That was rather a long

441
00:31:44,720 –> 00:31:48,480
digression, wasn’t it?
And I was provoked to it by

442
00:31:48,480 –> 00:31:51,200
thinking about the man who
started good and finished with

443
00:31:52,440 –> 00:31:54,640
because he had no salt in
himself.

444
00:31:55,480 –> 00:31:59,520
He was mastered by circumstances
instead of mastering

445
00:31:59,520 –> 00:32:05,200
circumstances.
And the next thing we have to do

446
00:32:05,200 –> 00:32:10,680
is to think about the parable of
the seller, because that in a

447
00:32:10,680 –> 00:32:13,160
way, explains the failure of
Joe.

448
00:32:15,160 –> 00:32:17,520
Now the one part of the
palatable of the sower that I

449
00:32:17,520 –> 00:32:20,520
want you to remember very
briefly is this.

450
00:32:21,360 –> 00:32:26,200
Think of the seed which fell
upon Stony ground.

451
00:32:28,160 –> 00:32:33,400
Now Stony ground sometimes means
soil in which there are many

452
00:32:33,400 –> 00:32:37,680
loose stones, but as you know,
that’s not its meaning in the

453
00:32:37,680 –> 00:32:42,600
palatable of the sower.
Stony ground in the palatable is

454
00:32:42,600 –> 00:32:50,560
a thin layer of soil.
On a bed of rock, shallow soil

455
00:32:50,560 –> 00:32:56,760
is like a superficial character.
There are people like it, and

456
00:32:56,760 –> 00:33:03,840
Joash was one, that is to say.
There is no depth in what they

457
00:33:03,840 –> 00:33:07,360
do is.
Done on the surface, the seeds

458
00:33:07,360 –> 00:33:10,720
sprang up quickly, the parable
says.

459
00:33:11,360 –> 00:33:15,560
And then withered away quickly
because it had no depth or root.

460
00:33:17,280 –> 00:33:21,880
Gilash was like this.
He was enthusiastic about wages,

461
00:33:22,840 –> 00:33:29,240
He was keen about condition.
He was anxious about repairs and

462
00:33:29,240 –> 00:33:33,160
renewals.
He responded heartily to the

463
00:33:33,160 –> 00:33:35,240
idea of married life.
I mean, what?

464
00:33:35,240 –> 00:33:37,720
Not one wife, but two and two
right away.

465
00:33:38,840 –> 00:33:48,320
Really keen.
May have regretted it so.

466
00:33:48,320 –> 00:33:56,000
Notice the quick, easily move,
susceptibility, every thought,

467
00:33:56,880 –> 00:33:59,600
every feeling playing upon the
surface.

468
00:34:00,200 –> 00:34:06,560
No shortage of words, perhaps.
Tears flowing easily, responses

469
00:34:06,560 –> 00:34:11,239
vehement.
Notice what it says.

470
00:34:11,239 –> 00:34:17,040
They receive the word with joy.
They receive the word with joy,

471
00:34:18,320 –> 00:34:20,480
and so long as the sun is
shining.

472
00:34:21,440 –> 00:34:26,880
The loyalty and the joy lasts so
long as there is happiness.

473
00:34:26,880 –> 00:34:34,719
The generous responses expand.
The emotions have fallen.

474
00:34:39,040 –> 00:34:42,960
Which you see, when the
circumstances change, so does

475
00:34:42,960 –> 00:34:47,800
the spirit.
Because they had no root, they

476
00:34:47,800 –> 00:34:51,880
withered away.
Now that is the story of Josh.

477
00:34:55,920 –> 00:34:58,840
And would you notice when we
were thinking about the parable

478
00:34:58,840 –> 00:35:04,360
1 Interesting thing.
The shallow soil had beneath it

479
00:35:05,480 –> 00:35:08,520
a bed of rock.
Hard Rock.

480
00:35:10,400 –> 00:35:15,640
And that is not without
significance, because very often

481
00:35:15,640 –> 00:35:22,360
you will find that slightness
and inconstancy are found

482
00:35:22,360 –> 00:35:25,520
together with hardness and
violence.

483
00:35:28,120 –> 00:35:29,960
And it was tragically true, you
see, in the.

484
00:35:29,960 –> 00:35:33,760
Case of Jarrah.
He was a man of amenable nature.

485
00:35:34,880 –> 00:35:40,360
He seems pliable and responsive
to the very best influences and

486
00:35:40,360 –> 00:35:43,720
then suddenly he is revealed as
a man whose heart is as hard as

487
00:35:43,720 –> 00:35:54,760
a nether millstone.
It’s a mystery outwardly, as I

488
00:35:54,760 –> 00:36:00,280
said.
Amenable, kind, responsive, full

489
00:36:00,280 –> 00:36:13,640
hearted, shallow.
And underneath rock hard, ready

490
00:36:13,640 –> 00:36:16,720
and glad you said to forget all
the blessed advice which was

491
00:36:16,720 –> 00:36:20,360
given him by his uncle, suddenly
become as hard as anything,

492
00:36:21,160 –> 00:36:24,680
ready and glad to cast aside all
the wise influences of those

493
00:36:24,680 –> 00:36:30,040
formative years, keen to shed
the leading streams he was.

494
00:36:32,120 –> 00:36:35,320
And then only to be fettered by
his own corrupt ideas and his

495
00:36:35,320 –> 00:36:40,600
own violent nature.
What a strange and what a tragic

496
00:36:40,600 –> 00:36:44,520
life.
That which began best ended

497
00:36:44,520 –> 00:36:48,000
worst.
After 23 years of faithfulness.

498
00:36:49,400 –> 00:36:54,000
He played the traitor,
introduced the worship of Baal

499
00:36:54,000 –> 00:36:59,240
and Ashtaroth, revive the very
worst practices.

500
00:37:00,040 –> 00:37:02,920
And then he ordered murder in
the court of the Lord’s house.

501
00:37:05,000 –> 00:37:09,920
That’s his tragedy.
And you know that he is

502
00:37:09,920 –> 00:37:14,640
mentioned in the New Testament,
right?

503
00:37:16,000 –> 00:37:18,240
Inferentially He.
Is mentioned in the New

504
00:37:18,240 –> 00:37:20,280
Testament.
I’ll read it to you.

505
00:37:21,080 –> 00:37:26,680
It’s in Matthew 23, verse 35,
the words of our Lord.

506
00:37:33,400 –> 00:37:45,880
Matthew 23, verse 35.
Speaking to those fallacies, he

507
00:37:45,880 –> 00:37:51,800
said that upon you may come all
the righteous blood dead upon

508
00:37:51,800 –> 00:37:56,800
the earth, from the blood of
righteous Abel onto the blood of

509
00:37:56,800 –> 00:38:04,560
Zechariah.
That was the son of Jehorid in

510
00:38:04,640 –> 00:38:10,320
Joash unto the blood of
Zepharius, the son of Baratheus,

511
00:38:10,920 –> 00:38:16,720
whom he slew between the temple
and the the reference therefore

512
00:38:16,720 –> 00:38:18,600
to this.
Man in the New Testament is a

513
00:38:18,600 –> 00:38:23,840
reference of infamy after a 40
years reign.

514
00:38:23,840 –> 00:38:29,320
He died in his bed.
Yes, he died in his bed.

515
00:38:30,760 –> 00:38:33,240
He was in bed because he was
sick.

516
00:38:35,720 –> 00:38:39,160
He was full of disease.
But he died by the hand of two

517
00:38:39,160 –> 00:38:45,560
of his servants, violently, and
he was not buried in the

518
00:38:45,560 –> 00:38:52,120
sepulchres of the kings.
Well, there we are.

519
00:38:53,680 –> 00:39:04,720
That’s that’s about Joash.
Now I suppose our next and final

520
00:39:04,720 –> 00:39:11,120
step is to see what lesson we
can draw from the life of judge.

521
00:39:14,960 –> 00:39:19,320
Well, let’s notice first of all
what the lesson is not.

522
00:39:20,480 –> 00:39:24,840
The lesson is not that we should
despise the guidance and the

523
00:39:24,840 –> 00:39:28,480
instruction of others.
Some men despise those who are

524
00:39:28,480 –> 00:39:29,880
in.
Leading strings, but we ought

525
00:39:29,880 –> 00:39:35,080
not to be ashamed.
The influence of a godly home is

526
00:39:35,080 –> 00:39:37,960
of great value.
There’s not much grit in a man,

527
00:39:37,960 –> 00:39:41,000
if he will hear.
His home ridiculed without

528
00:39:41,000 –> 00:39:45,080
protest.
It’s no mark of manliness to be

529
00:39:45,080 –> 00:39:50,440
ashamed of godly parentage.
It’s better to have a praying

530
00:39:50,440 –> 00:39:53,240
wash a woman for a mother than a
painted doll.

531
00:39:57,520 –> 00:40:01,840
Never despise the guidance and
the care and the instruction of

532
00:40:01,840 –> 00:40:02,840
others.
Never.

533
00:40:04,720 –> 00:40:09,080
But remember this.
God does not keep his men in

534
00:40:09,080 –> 00:40:14,200
cotton wool all the time.
Good homes have to be left.

535
00:40:14,760 –> 00:40:18,000
Holy relatives and pious friends
pass away.

536
00:40:18,760 –> 00:40:22,160
The devil is abroad.
And temptation has to be.

537
00:40:22,160 –> 00:40:26,520
Faced.
God does not keep his men in

538
00:40:26,520 –> 00:40:30,560
cotton wool all the time.
He takes away the props so that

539
00:40:30,560 –> 00:40:32,200
we may stand upon their own
feet.

540
00:40:32,200 –> 00:40:36,040
Don’t misunderstand.
I know men are not sufficient by

541
00:40:36,040 –> 00:40:37,800
themselves, but you know what I
mean.

542
00:40:38,280 –> 00:40:42,600
He takes away the props so that
men may stand upon their own

543
00:40:42,640 –> 00:40:45,640
feet.
That is to say, we must, we must

544
00:40:45,640 –> 00:40:49,200
have salt.
In ourselves, we cannot live

545
00:40:49,200 –> 00:40:51,800
forever on other people’s
goodness and other people’s

546
00:40:51,800 –> 00:40:56,600
faith.
You see, there are some people

547
00:40:56,600 –> 00:40:58,680
who take their opinions second
hand.

548
00:40:59,680 –> 00:41:02,760
They adopt a certain course
because somebody else is in a

549
00:41:02,760 –> 00:41:05,560
certain course.
They believe a certain thing

550
00:41:05,560 –> 00:41:07,800
because somebody else believes a
certain.

551
00:41:10,040 –> 00:41:13,440
Well, to some extent that may be
permissible, but.

552
00:41:13,960 –> 00:41:17,760
In the end, it never does,
because the faith that you have

553
00:41:17,760 –> 00:41:20,760
in your own in your heart’s got
to be your own faith.

554
00:41:21,040 –> 00:41:24,320
The conviction in your soul has
got to be your conviction.

555
00:41:26,280 –> 00:41:29,160
God’s grace for one man is not
sufficient for two.

556
00:41:29,160 –> 00:41:36,520
Men, you must get the real
thing, The genuine article, the

557
00:41:36,520 –> 00:41:42,120
truth.
Get it in here, be sure.

558
00:41:44,160 –> 00:41:47,840
And there’s a good reason,
because sooner or later you will

559
00:41:47,840 –> 00:41:53,040
come to the test like Joash did.
There are those, I said already.

560
00:41:53,040 –> 00:41:55,200
There are those who love the
truth while the truth is all

561
00:41:55,200 –> 00:41:57,120
happiness and while the sun is
shining.

562
00:41:58,000 –> 00:42:02,320
But when the sun is darkened and
the landscape is shadowed by a

563
00:42:02,320 –> 00:42:07,680
cross, and the happiness is
turned to hardness, then that’s

564
00:42:07,680 –> 00:42:13,600
the test.
People then sometimes fall away.

565
00:42:14,320 –> 00:42:17,360
They are like those in the
parable who receive the Word

566
00:42:17,360 –> 00:42:20,640
with joy.
But when tribulation persecution

567
00:42:20,640 –> 00:42:25,160
arose because of the Word, they
were offended means they stung

568
00:42:25,160 –> 00:42:28,440
and.
The parable gives us the

569
00:42:28,440 –> 00:42:31,280
explanation and at the risk of
wailing.

570
00:42:31,280 –> 00:42:34,080
You are set again.
They have no root in themselves

571
00:42:35,120 –> 00:42:37,560
now when the life of
discipleship is lived out.

572
00:42:37,560 –> 00:42:41,680
Faithfully it is, never is.
If anyone tells you that

573
00:42:41,680 –> 00:42:44,520
discipleship is easy, you can be
sure he’s never.

574
00:42:44,520 –> 00:42:46,720
Understood it.
He’s missed the genius of

575
00:42:46,720 –> 00:42:50,480
Christianity by its very.
Nature.

576
00:42:50,480 –> 00:42:55,680
It tests a character it’s
intended to, and if we face up

577
00:42:55,680 –> 00:42:58,000
to it properly, it calls for
Sterling.

578
00:42:58,000 –> 00:43:01,120
Qualities of character.
Of course.

579
00:43:01,120 –> 00:43:06,480
It’s possible to avoid the
challenges of the faith by

580
00:43:06,480 –> 00:43:08,600
avoiding the issues which it
presents.

581
00:43:08,600 –> 00:43:12,280
To us, of course it is.
You can so live your life as to

582
00:43:12,280 –> 00:43:15,920
avoid coming into conflict with
the the real issues.

583
00:43:15,920 –> 00:43:22,080
I know it.
We can be such a a milk and

584
00:43:22,080 –> 00:43:25,440
water disciple as never to feel
the real weight of the cross.

585
00:43:25,840 –> 00:43:29,240
We can be such a diligent
disciple, diligent disciple as

586
00:43:29,600 –> 00:43:32,040
as never really to to know its
meaning.

587
00:43:35,400 –> 00:43:41,440
But today we are.
In the presence of a man who

588
00:43:41,440 –> 00:43:48,520
failed, and when we think of his
failure, we are driven to think

589
00:43:49,200 –> 00:43:54,120
of the life of a man who was the
superlative, who who who

590
00:43:54,120 –> 00:43:56,160
manifested the superlative
triumph.

591
00:43:58,400 –> 00:44:05,920
This one lonely man of Nazareth,
who was our supreme example, He

592
00:44:05,920 –> 00:44:09,880
did not, as other men have done.
Adroitly wind his way through

593
00:44:09,880 –> 00:44:14,320
life, sidestepping the issues
and avoiding the dangerous forms

594
00:44:14,320 –> 00:44:18,280
of evil and and and dodging the
difficulties.

595
00:44:18,280 –> 00:44:22,760
He was never a man.
It’s possible to compromise, to

596
00:44:22,760 –> 00:44:27,240
escape the reproach of Christ.
But he was never like that.

597
00:44:27,240 –> 00:44:31,000
Because he was good and just and
truly, he awakened against

598
00:44:31,000 –> 00:44:35,240
himself the rage of injustice,
falsehood and hatred.

599
00:44:36,640 –> 00:44:39,880
Because he was purely awakened
against himself the rage of

600
00:44:39,880 –> 00:44:44,440
impurity.
And he came to stand at last at

601
00:44:44,440 –> 00:44:47,680
the place of execution, because
of his fidelity to the truth of

602
00:44:47,680 –> 00:44:52,200
God.
And when he steadfastly set his

603
00:44:52,720 –> 00:44:55,920
face to go to Jerusalem, a man
spoke to him on the way, and

604
00:44:55,920 –> 00:44:58,440
said, Lord, I will follow thee
Whithersoever though goeth.

605
00:44:59,880 –> 00:45:01,520
He meant well, but he didn’t
know.

606
00:45:01,520 –> 00:45:05,120
Where Jesus was going, did he?
If he’d known that, he might

607
00:45:05,120 –> 00:45:10,680
have checked his voice a bit.
I will politic whithersoever

608
00:45:10,680 –> 00:45:14,560
though going, And the man to
whom he said that was going to

609
00:45:14,560 –> 00:45:19,800
hardness and bitterness, and
spitting and death and pain.

610
00:45:24,440 –> 00:45:28,160
And Jesus’s reply is interesting
because it bears upon what we’re

611
00:45:28,160 –> 00:45:31,320
thinking about finally, his
reply.

612
00:45:31,320 –> 00:45:34,440
To that man was whosoever put it
his hand to the plough and look

613
00:45:34,440 –> 00:45:36,680
his back is not fit for the
Kingdom of God.

614
00:45:38,600 –> 00:45:42,320
Now too often we’ve interpreted
that saying of Jesus as meaning

615
00:45:43,200 –> 00:45:45,120
we’ve got to keep our eye in
front of us.

616
00:45:45,120 –> 00:45:47,880
We’ve got to look forward.
If we look back to see how the

617
00:45:47,880 –> 00:45:49,560
followers going we shall go
wrong.

618
00:45:51,840 –> 00:45:54,280
Well, that’s probably true that
we’ve got to keep our eye

619
00:45:54,280 –> 00:45:57,640
forward-looking unto Jesus, who
was the author and the final

620
00:45:57,640 –> 00:46:00,880
leader of their faith.
That’s true, but I doubt if

621
00:46:00,880 –> 00:46:06,320
that’s what Jesus meant here.
The solution to the saying if

622
00:46:06,320 –> 00:46:09,720
any man put his hand to the
plough looking back, he’s not

623
00:46:09,720 –> 00:46:13,920
fit for the Kingdom of God.
The solution, strangely enough,

624
00:46:13,920 –> 00:46:18,440
is in the book of Proverbs.
Now it’s Proverbs 20, verse

625
00:46:18,440 –> 00:46:21,360
four, and I just say it for you
quickly because you’ll remember

626
00:46:21,360 –> 00:46:23,800
it.
Proverbs 20, verse 4.

627
00:46:24,040 –> 00:46:27,160
The sluggard will not plough by
reason of the cold.

628
00:46:27,600 –> 00:46:30,160
Therefore he shall beg in
harvest and have nothing.

629
00:46:31,560 –> 00:46:36,320
Now in the days when Jesus
lived, the ploughing had to be

630
00:46:36,320 –> 00:46:39,200
done in the winter time, when it
was cold and unpleasant.

631
00:46:39,840 –> 00:46:42,040
Ploughing couldn’t be done in
the summertime, because the

632
00:46:42,040 –> 00:46:45,080
ground was too hard and the
wooden plough blade would not

633
00:46:45,080 –> 00:46:48,120
move the earth.
They had to wait till the earth

634
00:46:48,120 –> 00:46:50,920
was soft by the winter rains,
and then they could.

635
00:46:51,480 –> 00:46:55,160
So ploughing was always done in
winter time when conditions were

636
00:46:55,160 –> 00:47:00,200
unpleasant, cold and misery.
The sluggard will not fail by

637
00:47:00,200 –> 00:47:03,880
reason of the coal.
Therefore in harvest he should

638
00:47:03,880 –> 00:47:06,800
beg and have nothing so you can
see the idea.

639
00:47:07,200 –> 00:47:10,440
It’s not just turning back to
see how the furrow is.

640
00:47:11,560 –> 00:47:15,760
This isn’t looking back in that
sense, It’s.

641
00:47:15,760 –> 00:47:18,560
Turning back altogether, turning
back from the work.

642
00:47:18,840 –> 00:47:20,600
This man is quick.
He’s quick.

643
00:47:22,800 –> 00:47:24,600
He’s not ready to endure the
cold.

644
00:47:24,600 –> 00:47:27,080
He’s weary of the discipline.
He’s tired of the effort.

645
00:47:27,680 –> 00:47:31,680
This ploughman will never be
overtaken, or would rather this

646
00:47:31,720 –> 00:47:34,280
ploughman will never overtake
the Reaper, because there would

647
00:47:34,280 –> 00:47:38,480
be no reap in harvest.
He should beg and have nothing

648
00:47:39,840 –> 00:47:42,280
if he could plough in summer,
when things were pleasant.

649
00:47:46,880 –> 00:47:54,560
But the cold you see, the cold,
the man who has a wishbone where

650
00:47:54,560 –> 00:48:01,120
he ought to have a bath.
Sits by the warm fire in the

651
00:48:01,120 –> 00:48:06,960
front room, keeping his life.
And as he sits there, he’s

652
00:48:07,040 –> 00:48:09,960
losing his life.
He never knew him.

653
00:48:13,040 –> 00:48:16,520
You see, the true life of God
lived truly in this world is not

654
00:48:16,520 –> 00:48:20,680
easy.
It calls for quality, for the

655
00:48:20,680 –> 00:48:24,840
quality of endurance.
And a man has to stand on his

656
00:48:24,840 –> 00:48:29,760
own feet with God.
Circumstantial goodness is no

657
00:48:29,760 –> 00:48:33,080
good.
See, at one time in the ministry

658
00:48:33,080 –> 00:48:36,360
of the King, you remember he was
he was always amongst crowds.

659
00:48:36,680 –> 00:48:39,840
They followed him.
Everywhere they they’re hanging

660
00:48:39,840 –> 00:48:42,280
upon his words.
They they throng to see his

661
00:48:42,280 –> 00:48:44,600
deeds.
And then one day, one day, you

662
00:48:44,600 –> 00:48:47,520
realise suddenly that the crowds
are gone.

663
00:48:48,160 –> 00:48:51,000
In majestic isolation.
He stands there on the.

664
00:48:51,000 –> 00:48:54,840
Wayside at Caesarea Philippi.
And proclaims that he will

665
00:48:54,840 –> 00:48:56,800
build.
His Ecclesia and the Clouds,

666
00:48:56,800 –> 00:49:00,960
Clouds are all gone.
Now is there any explanation?

667
00:49:01,320 –> 00:49:04,640
Well, there is.
When the sun was shining they

668
00:49:04,640 –> 00:49:08,320
were all there when the real
test came.

669
00:49:08,320 –> 00:49:14,040
They melted away when he
challenged them with such words

670
00:49:14,040 –> 00:49:19,160
as unless the man hate, father,
mother, lands and houses cannot

671
00:49:19,160 –> 00:49:25,000
be my disciple.
He is seeking those who will

672
00:49:25,000 –> 00:49:32,960
endure, those who will through
his power, but will stand firm

673
00:49:32,960 –> 00:49:37,200
when the real test comes.
But let’s understand it.

674
00:49:37,920 –> 00:49:41,840
The calling is never miserable.
We we must draw a distinction

675
00:49:41,840 –> 00:49:47,480
between happiness and joy.
Happiness is a human thing,

676
00:49:47,920 –> 00:49:54,320
depending upon its existence for
circumstances, favourites like

677
00:49:54,320 –> 00:49:58,800
the life of jealousy.
But joy is a divine thing.

678
00:49:59,240 –> 00:50:02,920
It can exist when circumstances
are unfavourable.

679
00:50:04,400 –> 00:50:07,480
It enables men to sing when they
are in prison, when their backs

680
00:50:07,480 –> 00:50:08,880
are torn with scourges, and when
their.

681
00:50:08,880 –> 00:50:13,280
Feet are in the stocks.
It enables a man to keep a

682
00:50:13,320 –> 00:50:18,160
fleshly thorn.
And would not be without it.

683
00:50:19,400 –> 00:50:22,520
It enables men in the presence
of.

684
00:50:22,520 –> 00:50:27,040
Penury to possess all things.
A song in the heart, a listener

685
00:50:27,040 –> 00:50:30,480
step.
We’re not dragging ourselves

686
00:50:30,480 –> 00:50:32,280
after him and thinking that
somehow in the.

687
00:50:32,280 –> 00:50:34,200
Misery.
We should get some reward.

688
00:50:36,960 –> 00:50:44,040
Not that the life is compelled
by them.

689
00:50:45,120 –> 00:50:48,160
The compulsion of love drives us
to.

690
00:50:48,160 –> 00:50:52,360
Follow the man who called us to
his Kingdom.

691
00:50:54,440 –> 00:50:56,960
So that’s perhaps the supreme
lesson we can live.

692
00:51:00,880 –> 00:51:05,880
That’s the supreme lesson we can
live from the life of the man

693
00:51:06,720 –> 00:51:08,840
who had pilot unclutches.