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Ecclesiastes 2:3 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
Chapter 2, beginning in verse 1.
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I said in my heart,
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Come now, I will test you with pleasure.
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! Enjoy yourself.
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But behold, this also was vanity.
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I said of laughter it is mad,
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and of pleasure what use is it?
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I searched my heart how to cheer my body with wine,
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my heart still guiding me with wisdom,
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and how to lay hold on folly
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till I might see what was good for the children of man
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to do under heaven during the few days of their life.
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I made great works.
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I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
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I made myself gardens and parks
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and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.
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I made myself pools from which to water
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the forest of growing trees.
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I bought male and female slaves
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and had slaves who were born in my house.
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I had also great possessions of herds and flocks
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more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.
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I also gathered for myself silver and gold
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and the treasure of kings and provinces.
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I got singers, both men and women,
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and many concubines the delight of the sons of man.
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So I became great and surpassed
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all who were before me in Jerusalem.
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Also my wisdom remained with me.
1:17
And whatever my eyes desired,
1:19
I did not keep from them.
1:20
I kept my heart from no pleasure,
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for my heart found pleasure in all my toil,
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and this was my reward for all my toil.
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Then I considered all that my hands had done
1:31
and the toil I had expended in doing it.
1:33
And behold, all was vanity
1:36
and a striving after wind,
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and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
1:42
This is God's Word to us.
1:45
It was written for His glory and for our good.
1:49
And we would all do well to listen to it
1:51
in order to believe its promises
1:53
and obey its commands.
1:57
Now this morning our focus is going to be
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just on verse 3.
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And we'll probably speed to the end of verse 11
2:04
in the coming weeks,
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but this morning I want to look at verse 3.
2:07
And let me read just that verse to you again.
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I searched with my heart
2:11
how to cheer my body with wine,
2:13
my heart still guiding me with wisdom,
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and how to lay hold on folly or silliness
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till I might see what was good
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for the children of man to do under heaven
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during the few days of their life.
2:27
Note first in the text
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the brevity of life.
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How very brief life is.
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If you splice verse 3
2:36
and put it back together,
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you could read,
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I searched with my heart
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till I might see what was good
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for the children of man to do under heaven
2:42
during the few days of their life.
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James writes in James 4.14,
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What is your life?
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For you are a mist that appears
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for a little time
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and then vanishes.
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If we don't understand
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how very brief our lives are,
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we will not understand
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how insignificant
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what we can accomplish
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under the sun
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truly is.
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Our perspective will be horribly inadequate
3:13
if we do not consider
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the measure of our days
3:16
in the scope of eternity.
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You are just a man.
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You are just a woman.
3:24
And your life here and now
3:27
is fleeting.
3:28
It's vanishing.
3:29
It's like a vapor in the wind.
3:31
It will go so rapidly
3:34
in comparison to eternity.
3:38
David in Psalm 39, 4-7
3:40
prays this,
3:42
O Lord,
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make me know my end
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and what is the measure of my days.
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Let me know how fleeting I am.
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His prayer is,
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he cries out to God
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that he would understand
3:55
that very thing.
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How brief his life is.
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Verse 5,
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Behold, you have made my days
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a few handbreadths
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and my lifetime
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is as nothing before you.
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Surely all mankind
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stands as a mere breath.
4:12
Surely a man goes about
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as a shadow.
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Surely for nothing
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they are in turmoil.
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Man heaps up wealth
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and does not know
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who will gather.
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And now, O Lord,
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for what do I wait?
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So here's the result
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of him understanding
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the brevity of his life.
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My hope is in you.
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As he looks at eternity,
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as he steps back away
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and he sees how very brief
4:37
his life is
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and understands the scope
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of the rest of it,
4:41
the beyond under the sun,
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he sees the weighty matter
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that's before him
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and he knows
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that he must hope in God.
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Remember the conclusion
4:52
of our preacher,
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Ecclesiastes 12.13.
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After he's weighed
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all of this out
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in all of the preceding chapters,
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he says,
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the end of the matter
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all has been heard.
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Fear God
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and keep His commandments.
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For this is the whole duty
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of man.
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Beloved,
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we spend far too much time
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acting as if this life
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has great weight
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in what we can accomplish
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under the sun.
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So many of us,
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particularly those of you
5:28
who are young,
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live as if you're invincible
5:31
and that what's happening here
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and now
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is of the greatest
5:36
and ultimate value.
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And it's not.
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We need to rightly have
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our minds and hearts
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put in proper perspective.
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Seeing that we serve
5:47
an eternal God
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who has an eternal purpose
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and plan
5:51
and we should live
5:52
for that
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now.
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So the beginning of verse 3
5:58
presents
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a joy,
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a self-indulgent pleasure,
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a thing that the king
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sought after,
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trying to understand,
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if this is a thing
6:10
worth finding value in,
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worth finding gain in.
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We know already
6:16
his conclusion,
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but it's still right and proper
6:19
that we look at
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the why.
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Why does he still come
6:23
to that conclusion?
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First,
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the beginning of verse 3
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presents some challenges
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for us in interpretation.
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It's structured
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very interestingly.
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We have to ask the question
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and kind of waffle between
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is the preacher
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talking about
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partying
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or is the preacher
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talking about
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appreciating.
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He says,
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I search with my heart
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how to cheer my body
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with wine.
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But then we get this insertion,
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my heart
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still guiding me
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with wisdom
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and how to lay hold
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on folly.
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So it's interesting
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and scholars,
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commentators,
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kind of line up
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in different places
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on the text.
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Is he talking about
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inebriation
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or is he talking about
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sophistication?
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Some suggest
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that he's simply
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partying
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until he drops
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and then he's
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later assessing
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the value of that.
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His heart's still guiding him
7:29
with wisdom.
7:29
He goes through the experience,
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he sees
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what is the end
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of this
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temporal pleasure
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and then he stops
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and weighs it out
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and considers
7:37
was this something
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to be gained
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under the sun
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and then he does it again.
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I can see why.
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I can understand that.
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I think there's probably
7:47
at least a part of that
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happening here
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for the preacher.
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The reason I would say
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is because beyond
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that insertion
7:54
it says
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in how to lay hold
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on folly.
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Right?
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In the pursuit
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of cheering his body
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with wine
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he also wants
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to lay hold
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on folly
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or foolishness
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or silliness
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is the type
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of partying
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that comes
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with inebriation
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of value.
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I also can see
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the sophistication
8:18
argument.
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This insertion,
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my heart's still
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guiding me
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with wisdom.
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That he
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was appreciating
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the brewing process
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and what could be
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produced from it.
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That he was
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sampling
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the various
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notes
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and flavor
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that could be found
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in wine.
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That he was becoming
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a connoisseur
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of this thing.
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That he was pursuing
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it as a hobby.
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And I think
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probably both
8:50
are true.
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Ecclesiastes 1.13
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read it to you
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just a moment ago
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says,
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And I applied my heart
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to seek
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and to search out
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by wisdom
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all that is done
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under heaven.
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And so I think
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he explores
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both sides
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of what
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wine has
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to offer
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humanity.
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And so we'll
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look at it
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in that way
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in those two ways.
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The vanity
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of inebriation
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as well as
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the vanity
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of sophistication.
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So the
9:21
vanity
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of
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inebriation.
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I searched
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with my heart
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how to cheer
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my body
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with wine
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and if you
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delete the insertion
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and how to
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lay hold
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on folly.
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Now beloved,
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the Bible gives
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many strong
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warnings
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against the
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foolishness
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of out of
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proportion
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drinking.
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Listen to a few.
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Proverbs 21
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wine
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is a mocker,
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strong drink
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a brawler
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and whoever
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is led astray
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by it
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is not
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wise.
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Isaiah 5
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22
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and I really
10:01
like this one.
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Isaiah says,
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woe to those
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who are heroes
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at drinking
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wine
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and valiant
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men
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in mixing
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strong drink.
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Proverbs 23
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23.
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Turn here
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with me
10:15
to verse
10:15
29.
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Proverbs 23
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29-35
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who has
10:32
woe?
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Who has
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sorrow?
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Who has
10:35
strife?
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Who has
10:37
complaining?
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Who has
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wounds without
10:40
cause?
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Who has
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redness
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of eyes?
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And then here
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verse 30
10:45
and on is the
10:45
answer to
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those questions.
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Those who
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tarry long
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over wine.
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Those who
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go to try
10:53
mixed wine.
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Do not look
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at wine
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when it is
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red,
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when it sparkles
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in the cup
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and goes down
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smoothly.
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In the end
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it bites
11:02
like a serpent
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and stings
11:03
like an
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adder.
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Your eyes
11:06
will see
11:06
strange things
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and your
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heart
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utter
11:08
perverse
11:09
things.
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You will
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be like
11:10
one who
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lies down
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in the
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midst
11:12
of the
11:13
sea,
11:13
like one
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who lies
11:14
on the
11:15
top
11:15
of a
11:16
mast.
11:17
They
11:17
struck
11:17
me,
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you will
11:18
say,
11:19
but I
11:19
was not
11:20
hurt.
11:20
They
11:21
beat me,
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but I
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did not
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feel it.
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So there's
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this abuse
11:25
happening to
11:26
the drinker,
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right,
11:28
to the person
11:28
who's abusing
11:29
alcohol.
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But their
11:31
logic is
11:31
perverted.
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That's what
11:32
he's saying,
11:33
right?
11:33
They struck
11:33
me,
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I wasn't
11:34
hurt.
11:35
They beat
11:36
me,
11:36
I didn't
11:37
feel it.
11:38
When shall
11:38
I awake?
11:39
I must
11:40
have another
11:40
drink.
11:42
There's this
11:43
unending
11:43
cycle of
11:45
sorrow for
11:45
those who
11:46
drown their
11:48
sorrow in
11:49
addiction.
11:50
And it's a
11:50
great problem.
11:52
The addict
11:52
medicates to
11:54
ease the
11:55
woes of
11:56
life.
11:56
But their
11:57
endless
11:58
medicating
11:59
heaps up
12:00
for them
12:00
more
12:01
woes.
12:03
Strong
12:04
drink and
12:05
the abuse
12:05
of it is
12:06
a great
12:07
danger.
12:08
A great
12:08
danger.
12:09
The Scripture
12:09
is clear on
12:10
this for
12:11
us.
12:13
Further,
12:14
Christian
12:15
people,
12:16
those who
12:17
profess to
12:17
follow Christ
12:18
are not
12:19
to be
12:20
drunkards.
12:22
1 Corinthians
12:23
5, 11-13,
12:25
Paul writes,
12:26
But now I
12:27
am writing
12:27
to you not
12:29
to associate
12:30
with anyone
12:31
who bears
12:31
the name of
12:32
brother if
12:34
he is guilty
12:34
of sexual
12:35
morality or
12:36
greed or
12:36
is an
12:37
idolater,
12:38
reviler,
12:39
drunkard,
12:40
or swindler,
12:41
not even to
12:42
eat with
12:43
such a one.
12:45
For what
12:45
have I to
12:46
do with
12:46
judging
12:46
outsiders?
12:48
Is it not
12:48
those inside
12:49
the church
12:50
whom you
12:50
are to
12:51
judge?
12:52
God judges
12:53
those outside.
12:54
Purge the
12:55
evil person
12:56
from among
12:57
you.
12:59
And Paul is
12:59
not saying
13:00
that if we
13:00
fail at any
13:01
of these
13:02
points,
13:03
that if you
13:04
know someone
13:04
who claims
13:05
to follow
13:05
Christ,
13:06
who at
13:06
one time
13:07
got drunk,
13:08
that you're
13:08
to have
13:08
nothing to
13:09
do with
13:09
them,
13:09
that the
13:10
church should
13:10
judge them,
13:11
that there
13:11
should be
13:11
discipline
13:12
placed upon
13:13
them.
13:13
But what
13:13
he's saying
13:14
is those
13:14
who are
13:15
unrepentant
13:15
in these
13:16
things,
13:16
those who
13:17
pick up
13:17
these things
13:18
as habits,
13:19
are giving
13:19
evidence that
13:21
they're not
13:21
found,
13:22
in Christ.
13:23
And it is
13:23
the job
13:24
of the
13:24
church to
13:24
not associate
13:25
with them
13:26
as the
13:26
church.
13:27
Not that we
13:28
don't love
13:29
and wrap our
13:30
arms around
13:30
those people,
13:31
but we
13:31
don't endorse
13:33
their sin
13:33
in so doing.
13:35
Christians are
13:35
not to be
13:36
drunkards.
13:39
So can the
13:40
Christian drink?
13:42
Are you
13:42
young people?
13:44
If you're
13:44
under 21,
13:45
no.
13:46
I cannot
13:49
tell you
13:50
how many
13:50
stupid
13:50
conversations
13:51
I've
13:51
been in
13:51
with
13:51
people
13:52
under
13:52
21
13:52
about
13:52
drinking.
13:54
No,
13:54
it's
13:54
illegal.
13:55
You
13:55
cannot.
13:56
If you
13:56
are 21
13:56
or older,
13:58
yes,
13:59
the answer
14:00
is yes.
14:01
I could get
14:01
myself in
14:02
all kinds
14:02
of trouble
14:02
as a
14:03
Southern
14:03
Baptist
14:04
preacher.
14:05
I'm saying
14:06
that,
14:06
but some
14:07
stances
14:07
made by
14:08
denominations
14:09
are wrong.
14:11
Some gray
14:12
areas,
14:12
people have
14:13
tried to make
14:13
black and
14:14
white,
14:14
and it's
14:15
not okay.
14:17
Jesus'
14:18
first miracle
14:19
was to
14:21
turn water
14:22
into wine.
14:24
And don't
14:25
come at me
14:25
with Greek
14:25
arguments about
14:26
what he
14:26
turned it
14:27
into.
14:27
He didn't
14:27
turn it
14:28
into grape
14:28
juice.
14:28
He turned
14:29
it into
14:29
wine.
14:30
It was
14:30
actually said
14:31
that it
14:31
was the
14:31
best wine,
14:33
which meant
14:33
it was the
14:33
strong wine
14:34
that he
14:35
turned it
14:35
into.
14:35
In fact,
14:36
he turned
14:37
it into
14:37
120 to
14:38
180 gallons
14:40
of wine.
14:42
It was a
14:43
party.
14:44
Paul commends
14:46
to Timothy
14:47
the drinking
14:47
of wine
14:48
for his
14:48
health.
14:49
1 Timothy
14:50
5.23
14:51
It's a
14:51
parenthetical
14:51
in our
14:52
English text.
14:53
No longer
14:54
drink only
14:54
water,
14:55
but use
14:55
a little
14:56
wine for
14:56
the sake
14:57
of your
14:57
stomach
14:57
and your
14:58
frequent
14:59
ailments.
15:01
The Scripture
15:01
nowhere forbids
15:03
the drinking,
15:04
but don't
15:04
forget the
15:05
strong case
15:07
made against
15:07
the danger
15:08
of it.
15:08
Please don't
15:09
set that
15:09
apart in
15:10
your mind,
15:10
young people.
15:12
There's strong
15:13
warning given
15:13
in the Scripture.
15:14
About what
15:15
drink can
15:16
do.
15:17
But drinking
15:18
in moderation
15:18
is okay.
15:23
I hear the
15:24
argument often
15:24
on the other
15:25
side of the
15:25
coin.
15:26
Those who
15:26
want to be
15:28
licentious in
15:29
their drinking,
15:30
who are
15:30
Christians,
15:31
say for those
15:32
of us who
15:33
choose not to
15:33
drink,
15:34
that we're not
15:34
practicing our
15:35
liberty,
15:35
that we have
15:36
somehow denied
15:37
the freeness we
15:39
have in the
15:40
Gospel,
15:41
which is
15:41
total hogwash.
15:42
I can
15:44
choose not
15:45
to drink,
15:45
which I
15:46
do,
15:46
just to
15:46
clear that
15:47
up for
15:47
you.
15:48
For
15:48
myself,
15:49
I choose
15:49
not to
15:50
drink,
15:50
which is
15:51
a practicing
15:52
of my
15:52
liberty in
15:53
Christ.
15:54
It's not
15:55
a law
15:55
placed upon
15:56
me by
15:57
my
15:57
denomination,
15:59
but it's
16:00
rather something
16:00
that I
16:00
freely choose
16:01
to do
16:02
in Christ.
16:03
It is a
16:03
practicing
16:04
of my
16:05
liberty.
16:05
Don't
16:05
think that
16:05
if you
16:06
decide not
16:06
to drink
16:06
that you're
16:07
denying
16:07
the freedom
16:08
you have
16:08
in the
16:09
Gospel.
16:11
Romans
16:11
chapter 14.
16:14
In light
16:14
of much
16:15
debate in
16:16
that day
16:17
over the
16:17
consumption
16:17
of food
16:18
offered to
16:19
idols,
16:20
as well
16:21
as the
16:21
consumption
16:22
of foods
16:22
prohibited
16:23
by Old
16:24
Testament
16:24
ceremonial
16:25
law,
16:25
there was
16:26
lots of
16:26
hubbub
16:27
about food
16:27
and drink
16:28
in the
16:28
day in
16:29
the early
16:29
church.
16:30
And Paul
16:30
writes,
16:31
beginning in
16:31
verse 20
16:31
of Romans
16:32
14,
16:32
do not
16:34
for the
16:34
sake of
16:35
food
16:35
destroy
16:37
the work
16:38
of God.
16:39
Everything
16:40
is indeed
16:41
clean,
16:42
but it is
16:43
wrong for
16:43
anyone to
16:43
make another
16:44
stumble by
16:45
what he
16:45
eats.
16:47
It is
16:47
good not
16:48
to eat
16:48
meat
16:49
or drink
16:50
wine
16:50
or do
16:51
anything
16:51
that causes
16:52
your brother
16:52
to stumble.
16:54
The faith
16:55
that you
16:55
have,
16:55
keep between
16:56
yourself
16:56
and God.
16:57
Blessed
16:57
is the
16:58
one who
16:58
has no
16:59
reason to
16:59
pass judgment
17:00
on himself
17:01
for what
17:02
he approves.
17:03
But whoever
17:04
has doubts
17:05
is condemned
17:06
if he
17:07
eats,
17:07
because the
17:08
eating is
17:08
not from
17:08
faith,
17:09
for whatever
17:10
does not
17:10
proceed from
17:11
faith is
17:13
sin.
17:14
And I
17:14
bring that
17:15
text to
17:15
you to
17:16
say that
17:16
in the
17:17
culture in
17:17
which we
17:17
live,
17:18
which is
17:19
very split
17:21
on the
17:21
issue of
17:22
alcohol,
17:23
we should
17:23
be very
17:24
wise in
17:25
our day.
17:26
In fact,
17:26
I would
17:27
say to
17:27
you,
17:28
as you
17:28
consider
17:29
your freedom
17:30
in Christ,
17:31
as you
17:32
consider the
17:32
gray area
17:33
here,
17:34
that if
17:35
you have
17:35
doubt in
17:35
your mind,
17:36
don't.
17:38
If you're
17:38
in a given
17:39
situation and
17:39
you're just
17:40
not sure,
17:41
if you're
17:41
just considering
17:42
the issue
17:42
altogether and
17:43
you're just
17:44
not sure,
17:45
don't.
17:47
The text
17:47
says,
17:48
verse 23,
17:48
but whoever
17:49
has doubts
17:50
is condemned
17:50
if he eats
17:51
because the
17:51
eating is
17:52
not from
17:53
faith.
17:55
I believe
17:56
we have
17:56
much reason
17:57
to doubt.
17:59
Not making
18:00
a case that
18:00
you can't.
18:01
I'm just
18:02
making a
18:02
case that
18:03
maybe you
18:04
shouldn't.
18:06
So hear
18:06
that.
18:07
Hear the
18:07
freedom in
18:08
it, but
18:08
hear the
18:09
strong warning
18:09
as well.
18:11
We're
18:11
to be a
18:12
people set
18:13
apart.
18:14
There is
18:14
a vanity
18:15
in over
18:17
consumption of
18:19
alcohol, to
18:20
be sure.
18:21
There's also
18:22
a vanity in
18:23
sophistication of
18:25
it.
18:25
we know,
18:27
many of us
18:28
here know,
18:30
many people,
18:31
I believe,
18:31
at least I
18:32
know that I
18:32
do, who
18:33
really have
18:34
taken up
18:35
craft beer
18:35
as their
18:36
thing.
18:38
They're going
18:39
to try them
18:40
all and
18:40
know them
18:41
all and
18:41
very proud
18:42
that they
18:43
know them
18:44
all.
18:45
And I'm
18:46
not saying
18:46
that they
18:46
can't do
18:47
this thing,
18:47
but there's
18:47
no real
18:48
value found
18:49
in it.
18:51
This little
18:51
phrase in
18:52
the middle
18:52
of verse
18:53
3,
18:53
my heart
18:53
still guiding
18:54
me with
18:55
wisdom.
18:56
And as I
18:56
said, I
18:56
think both
18:57
things are
18:57
going on.
18:58
I think he
18:59
probably at
19:00
times was
19:00
becoming drunk
19:01
and seeing
19:01
the vanity
19:02
of that,
19:02
and at
19:02
times he
19:03
was not
19:03
becoming
19:04
drunk,
19:05
but rather
19:05
drinking in
19:06
moderation and
19:07
then soberly
19:08
and thoughtfully
19:09
accessing his
19:10
experience.
19:11
Is this one
19:12
good?
19:13
Is this one
19:13
lend to joy?
19:15
What is the
19:17
strength?
19:17
What is the
19:18
particular alcohol
19:19
content that I
19:19
appreciate and
19:21
enjoy?
19:21
So whether
19:23
in sophistication
19:24
or in
19:25
inebriation,
19:26
there is no
19:27
gain.
19:28
Neither the
19:29
connoisseur nor
19:30
the drunkard can
19:31
find true gain
19:33
at the bottom
19:34
of a glass.
19:37
Now the thought
19:38
that the preacher
19:39
possibly pursued
19:41
gain in his
19:42
sophistication in
19:43
wine leads me
19:46
to consider,
19:46
to go a little
19:47
bit beyond the
19:48
idea of just
19:50
alcohol,
19:51
just wine,
19:53
just the
19:53
vanity of
19:54
hobbies.
19:56
Now many of
19:57
us may not
19:57
endeavor to be
19:58
connoisseurs of
19:59
wine or craft
20:01
beer or anything
20:02
else of fine
20:04
cheeses.
20:06
You ever seen
20:07
at Ingalls the
20:08
olive bar at
20:10
Ingalls?
20:11
Who in our
20:12
culture eats that
20:13
many different
20:13
kinds of olives
20:14
and shops at
20:15
Ingalls?
20:16
I don't
20:19
understand.
20:19
Twelve different
20:20
types of
20:20
olives at
20:22
Ingalls.
20:25
Maybe there
20:26
are some
20:26
connoisseurs of
20:27
olives amongst
20:28
us, maybe even
20:29
today.
20:30
Those of you not
20:30
laughing, maybe.
20:33
We can have any
20:34
number of various
20:35
hobbies, things
20:37
that we pursue,
20:38
things that we
20:38
seek to become
20:39
experts in.
20:42
And beloved,
20:42
there's not
20:43
ultimate value
20:44
in these things
20:45
either.
20:46
Now hear me, I'm
20:47
saying ultimate
20:47
value, there can
20:48
be some value,
20:49
there's some
20:49
value in
20:50
enjoyment,
20:51
there's some
20:51
value in
20:52
disconnecting,
20:53
in creating.
20:55
My wife is a
20:55
wonderful painter,
20:56
I'm so thankful
20:57
for the production
20:59
of beauty that
21:00
she creates in
21:01
our home from
21:01
the paintings
21:02
that she does.
21:04
For me, not
21:05
so much now,
21:06
but, oh gosh,
21:08
over a decade
21:09
ago now, the
21:11
hobbies that I
21:13
pursued in an
21:14
unhealthy manner
21:15
that I looked
21:16
for gain in
21:17
were rock
21:19
climbing and
21:20
whitewater kayaking.
21:22
And I know
21:22
there's some
21:22
people in our
21:23
congregation that
21:24
like to do
21:25
both of these
21:26
things.
21:27
I loved it.
21:30
And in fact, I
21:30
loved it to the
21:31
degree that I
21:32
sought to find
21:33
all of my
21:33
identity in it.
21:35
I was Nathan
21:36
who was firstly
21:37
a rock climber
21:38
and a whitewater
21:39
kayaker.
21:41
I can remember
21:41
going to have
21:42
an injury
21:43
assessed by a
21:45
doctor who
21:45
asked me how
21:46
I got the
21:47
injury.
21:47
He was a
21:48
surgeon.
21:49
I didn't get a
21:49
surgery, but we
21:50
were considering
21:50
it.
21:51
And he started
21:53
to share with
21:53
me how much
21:54
he had climbed
21:54
in college.
21:55
He'd done some
21:56
amazing things.
21:56
He'd gotten to
21:57
go some wonderful
21:57
places and do
21:58
some rather
21:59
advanced rock
22:00
climbing.
22:01
And I said,
22:02
do you still
22:02
climb?
22:03
And he said,
22:04
oh no,
22:05
insurance premiums
22:06
are just way
22:06
too high now.
22:08
And I can
22:09
remember at the
22:09
time just thinking
22:10
what a betrayer
22:12
of his own
22:13
identity he
22:14
was.
22:18
But he rightly
22:19
saw it as a
22:19
hobby.
22:20
He rightly
22:20
saw it as a
22:21
thing he enjoyed
22:22
doing one day.
22:23
And he was able
22:24
to put it back
22:24
down at another
22:25
time.
22:27
For those of
22:28
you who are
22:29
climbers amongst
22:30
us, those of you
22:31
who aren't,
22:31
this will make
22:32
no sense.
22:33
Not that I was
22:34
the best of
22:35
climbers, but I
22:36
bouldered V8.
22:38
I was leading
22:38
sport 511,
22:39
looking to
22:40
push into
22:40
12s.
22:41
I loved to
22:43
climb.
22:44
I was really
22:45
disappointed if I
22:46
didn't climb at
22:46
least three times
22:47
a week.
22:48
And I wanted at
22:48
least two of
22:49
those times to
22:49
be outdoors.
22:51
Ask some people
22:51
who were close
22:52
to me in those
22:52
days, if I was
22:53
gone, it was
22:54
where I was
22:55
at.
22:55
I was usually
22:56
climbing somewhere.
22:59
There was always
23:00
someone better
23:00
than me.
23:02
There was always
23:02
another grade,
23:04
another level to
23:05
achieve.
23:07
There would be
23:07
all of the
23:08
passion and
23:08
pursuit of
23:09
being able to
23:10
accomplish
23:10
something.
23:10
And when I
23:11
accomplished it,
23:12
there was a
23:13
brief moment of
23:13
joy and then
23:14
another turning
23:16
to another
23:16
goal and
23:17
another endeavor.
23:20
I started
23:21
getting into
23:21
whitewater kayaking
23:22
because I had
23:22
nothing to do
23:23
on days that
23:24
it rained.
23:26
I needed to
23:27
go pursue
23:28
adrenaline in
23:29
another way.
23:30
I empowered
23:31
class 5
23:31
whitewater.
23:32
I became
23:33
an American
23:33
Canoe Association
23:34
whitewater kayak
23:35
instructor.
23:35
I heavily
23:38
invested myself
23:39
into these
23:40
things.
23:41
Spent
23:41
countless
23:42
hours
23:43
pursuing
23:44
these
23:45
activities.
23:47
And it
23:47
had no
23:48
ultimate
23:49
value.
23:50
Pull some
23:51
things out of
23:52
it.
23:52
Some things,
23:53
some little
23:53
things to
23:54
grasp onto,
23:54
but no
23:55
ultimate
23:55
value.
23:57
Not saying
23:58
that you
23:58
can't have
23:59
hobbies,
23:59
what I am
24:00
saying is
24:01
that your
24:01
hobby ought
24:03
not be
24:03
your God.
24:05
And you
24:05
need to
24:05
really carefully
24:06
assess if
24:07
the stuff
24:07
that you
24:08
pursue to
24:09
be sophisticated
24:10
in, to
24:11
be the
24:11
expert in,
24:12
grab your
24:13
attention in
24:14
a way that
24:14
it diverts
24:15
it from
24:15
God.
24:18
Praise God
24:19
through a
24:20
number of
24:20
injuries and
24:21
through a
24:24
decade plus
24:24
of chronic
24:25
pain.
24:25
I don't
24:26
really get to
24:26
do these
24:26
things anymore.
24:27
And sometimes
24:28
I'm jealous.
24:29
I want to.
24:29
I see you
24:30
guys going
24:30
and having
24:30
fun.
24:31
I really
24:31
want to get
24:32
in the
24:32
middle of
24:32
that.
24:33
But one
24:34
of the
24:34
goods,
24:35
and I
24:35
believe there
24:35
are many,
24:36
but one
24:36
of the
24:36
great goods
24:37
in that is
24:38
that God
24:38
exposed my
24:39
heart as
24:40
He took
24:40
something away
24:41
from me that
24:41
I worshipped.
24:44
And beloved,
24:45
there is
24:45
greater joy
24:48
than anything
24:49
in this world
24:49
that you could
24:49
possibly throw
24:50
your energy
24:51
into and
24:51
endeavor to be.
24:52
I could have
24:53
been the best
24:54
rock climber
24:54
in the world.
24:56
I could have
24:56
been going off
24:57
the highest
24:58
waterfalls
24:59
better than
25:00
anyone else,
25:01
setting world
25:01
records,
25:02
having all
25:03
of the
25:03
acclaim in
25:05
every magazine,
25:07
the star of
25:07
all the
25:08
videos,
25:09
and yet it
25:11
would have been
25:11
meaningless.
25:13
There's greater
25:14
joy,
25:15
and that joy is
25:16
found in
25:17
Christ.
25:19
In Nehemiah
25:20
chapter 8,
25:21
the people of
25:21
God are
25:22
urged to
25:23
eat the
25:24
fat and
25:25
drink sweet
25:26
rind to
25:26
celebrate the
25:27
holiness of
25:28
the day.
25:29
But then it
25:30
reminds them
25:31
that true
25:32
strength is
25:32
found in
25:33
the joy of
25:35
the Lord,
25:35
a deep and
25:36
an abiding
25:37
joy, a joy
25:38
that's not
25:38
based on
25:39
circumstance
25:40
that cannot
25:41
be taken
25:42
from you
25:42
ever,
25:44
is found
25:44
in Christ.
25:45
That's why
25:46
the prophet
25:46
Isaiah cries
25:47
out to us
25:47
in chapter
25:48
55,
25:49
verses 1 and
25:50
2,
25:50
Come,
25:51
everyone who
25:52
thirsts,
25:53
come to the
25:53
waters,
25:54
and he who
25:54
has no money,
25:55
come,
25:56
buy and
25:57
eat.
25:58
Come,
25:58
buy wine and
25:59
milk without
26:00
money and
26:00
without price.
26:02
Why do you
26:02
spend your
26:03
money for
26:03
that which
26:04
is not bread
26:04
and your
26:05
labor for
26:05
that which
26:06
does not
26:06
satisfy?
26:08
Listen
26:08
diligently to
26:09
me and
26:10
eat what
26:10
is good and
26:11
delight yourselves
26:12
in rich
26:13
food.
26:15
There is a
26:15
food,
26:16
and a
26:17
drink that
26:17
comes from
26:18
God and
26:19
ultimately
26:20
satisfies.
26:22
Jesus says to
26:23
a Samaritan
26:23
woman at
26:24
a well in
26:25
John 4,
26:26
13-14,
26:28
Everyone who
26:28
drinks of
26:29
this water
26:29
will be
26:30
thirsty again.
26:31
Whoever
26:31
drinks of
26:32
the water
26:33
that I
26:33
will give
26:33
him will
26:34
never be
26:34
thirsty again.
26:35
The water
26:36
that I
26:36
will give
26:36
him will
26:37
become in
26:37
him a
26:38
spring of
26:38
water
26:39
welling up
26:39
to eternal
26:40
life.
26:41
Jesus stands
26:42
up in the
26:42
midst of a
26:43
great feast
26:44
and says in
26:45
John 7,
26:45
37,
26:46
If anyone
26:47
thirsts,
26:48
let him
26:48
come to
26:49
me and
26:50
drink.
26:52
If you
26:52
are in
26:52
Christ,
26:53
Christ is
26:55
to be your
26:55
supreme
26:56
satisfaction.
26:57
He is
26:58
our gain.
26:59
He gives
27:00
life meaning.
27:03
To be a
27:04
disciple of
27:05
Jesus Christ
27:06
is to fear
27:07
God and to
27:08
keep His
27:09
commandments.
27:11
If you're
27:12
not in
27:12
Christ,
27:13
you're chasing
27:14
around trying
27:15
to find joy
27:16
and satisfaction
27:16
and meaning
27:17
in this
27:17
world,
27:18
you're going
27:18
to come
27:19
up dry.
27:20
You will
27:20
not find
27:21
the answer
27:22
apart from
27:23
Christ.
27:24
You will
27:24
not understand
27:25
the proper
27:25
and right
27:26
created order.
27:27
We have a
27:28
good and
27:28
loving kind
27:29
creator that
27:30
you have made
27:30
your enemy
27:31
by your
27:32
activity and
27:33
you need
27:34
reconciliation
27:34
in Christ.
27:37
To pull
27:37
back in my
27:38
kayaking days
27:39
and an
27:40
analogy for
27:40
you,
27:41
there's a
27:42
river that's
27:43
on the
27:43
border of
27:43
Georgia and
27:44
South Carolina
27:44
called the
27:45
Chattooga and
27:46
there's a
27:47
section of the
27:47
Chattooga called
27:48
the Five Falls
27:49
and it is what
27:51
it sounds like,
27:51
a series of
27:52
rapids back to
27:53
back to back
27:53
which are so
27:55
much fun.
27:56
It makes me
27:57
want to be there
27:57
right now just
27:58
thinking about
27:59
doing the Five
28:00
Falls.
28:01
In the middle
28:01
of one of
28:02
those rapids
28:02
there's this
28:03
eddy that you
28:04
can catch,
28:06
which an
28:06
eddy is a
28:06
spot you stop
28:07
on the river.
28:07
Boy, I just
28:08
stepped out ahead
28:09
of some of you.
28:09
But below
28:12
that eddy is
28:12
what we call
28:13
a sieve where
28:13
all the water
28:14
drains through a
28:15
hole and usually
28:15
there's all kinds
28:16
of logs and
28:17
all kinds of
28:17
junk in a
28:18
sieve and you
28:18
do not want
28:19
to be in
28:20
that spot.
28:21
People drown
28:22
and die going
28:23
into sieves.
28:24
And if you
28:24
pull into this
28:26
eddy you have
28:26
to do what's
28:27
called the
28:27
hairy fairy.
28:30
Am I
28:30
remembering this
28:31
rapid correctly
28:31
Wes?
28:32
Okay, I am.
28:33
And it's called
28:34
the hairy fairy
28:34
because you have
28:35
to go above
28:35
that sieve and
28:37
a fairy is when
28:38
you're pointing
28:38
upstream and
28:39
you're moving
28:39
across the
28:39
river.
28:40
Okay, the
28:42
sieve's behind
28:42
you when you're
28:43
in the middle
28:43
of this rapid
28:43
doing this
28:44
thing and it
28:45
is a real
28:46
danger.
28:47
It is there
28:49
and you have
28:49
to be aware
28:50
of it.
28:51
You don't
28:51
take somebody
28:52
through the
28:52
five falls
28:53
that's never
28:53
been through
28:53
the five
28:54
falls and
28:54
not explain
28:54
these types
28:55
of things
28:55
to them.
28:57
You don't
28:57
say, hey,
28:58
follow me
28:58
into this
28:59
place and
29:00
not have
29:00
them realize
29:01
what will
29:01
happen if
29:02
they don't
29:03
do the
29:03
hairy fairy
29:04
properly,
29:04
if they
29:05
don't stay
29:05
upstream of
29:07
that sieve.
29:07
It's not a
29:08
place you
29:10
want to be.
29:11
If you're not
29:12
found in Christ,
29:13
hear me say
29:14
this to you,
29:15
there is a
29:15
danger at the
29:16
end of your
29:16
brief life and
29:18
it is eternal
29:18
damnation.
29:20
It is bearing
29:21
the weight of
29:22
God's wrath
29:23
forever because
29:24
you're his enemy.
29:26
That's where we
29:27
are on the river.
29:28
the rescue,
29:31
the way around
29:32
is Christ.
29:35
If you are
29:36
in Christ,
29:37
you must
29:39
treasure him
29:40
up the way
29:41
he deserves
29:43
to be
29:43
treasured,
29:44
the way he
29:45
ought to be
29:46
treasured because
29:46
it's for your
29:48
good and it's
29:49
for the good
29:49
of the world.
29:51
The vision
29:52
statement for
29:53
our church
29:53
is that we
29:54
exist,
29:55
Christ Family
29:55
Church exists
29:56
to glorify
29:57
God,
29:57
to bring a
29:58
claim to
29:58
his name
29:59
by experiencing,
30:01
proclaiming,
30:02
and displaying
30:02
the supremacy
30:03
of Jesus
30:05
Christ in
30:06
all things
30:07
to all
30:08
peoples.
30:10
Wes and I
30:10
at the beginning
30:11
of this
30:11
semester
30:12
got the joy
30:14
of receiving
30:14
a rather
30:15
scathing email
30:17
from a young
30:18
lady who just
30:19
really didn't
30:19
enjoy our
30:20
worship service.
30:23
And it was
30:24
shocking to me
30:24
for two reasons.
30:25
Firstly,
30:25
that she had
30:26
the audacity
30:26
as an 18-year-old
30:27
to speak to
30:28
the leadership
30:29
of a church
30:29
the way that
30:30
she did.
30:31
Shame on her
30:32
father for not
30:33
raising her
30:33
better.
30:35
But also that
30:36
she so
30:37
misunderstood
30:38
so much
30:40
of what we
30:40
did together.
30:42
And she was
30:43
very upset
30:43
about the
30:44
vision statement
30:44
of our
30:45
church.
30:47
Just didn't
30:48
wrap her mind
30:48
around it
30:49
at all.
30:50
And so let
30:50
me help you
30:51
this morning
30:52
by saying to
30:53
you that if
30:54
you're in
30:55
Christ,
30:56
there should
30:56
be a real
30:57
and a day-to-day
30:58
experience of
31:00
the supremacy,
31:01
the great value
31:02
of Jesus Christ.
31:04
It should be
31:05
something that we
31:05
experience.
31:06
It should be a
31:07
real thing for
31:08
us.
31:08
Not a
31:08
philosophical
31:09
idea that's
31:10
out there.
31:11
But that we
31:12
are walking
31:13
with him day
31:14
by day
31:15
by day.
31:16
That we are
31:16
experiencing this
31:17
supremacy.
31:17
And out of that
31:18
comes proclamation
31:19
that we will say
31:21
things that are
31:22
true of who he
31:23
is.
31:24
The things that
31:24
we enjoy,
31:25
that we like to
31:26
talk most about.
31:27
Jesus will be on
31:28
our lips.
31:29
And we'll display
31:30
him in the way
31:31
that we live our
31:32
lives.
31:32
We'll orient
31:33
ourselves differently
31:34
because he is
31:36
our treasure.
31:37
Because he is
31:38
supreme to us.
31:39
And this will be
31:40
the case in all
31:40
things.
31:41
And it will be
31:41
the case to
31:42
all peoples.
31:45
This is meant
31:45
to be the
31:46
practice experience
31:47
of the Christian
31:47
life.
31:48
And I think
31:48
that the challenge
31:49
for so many of
31:50
us is that we
31:51
don't experience
31:52
the supremacy
31:52
of Christ
31:53
in the day
31:54
to day
31:54
because we
31:55
don't engage
31:55
ourselves in
31:56
the activities
31:57
of a Christian
31:57
in the day
31:58
to day.
32:00
You don't know
32:01
how you encounter
32:02
Jesus today
32:03
and tomorrow
32:04
and all of the
32:05
days that follow?
32:07
In four ways.
32:09
Read the
32:10
scripture.
32:12
This attests
32:13
as the word of
32:14
God to the
32:15
word of God
32:16
who is Christ.
32:17
You see and
32:18
you behold him
32:18
here.
32:20
This is where
32:20
he speaks
32:21
to us.
32:23
You communicate
32:24
to him in
32:25
prayer.
32:26
You lay down
32:27
the burden
32:27
of your day.
32:28
You give back
32:29
to him what is
32:30
due him in
32:30
praise in
32:31
prayer.
32:32
You say to
32:33
him, I am
32:33
just a man
32:34
and I am
32:35
nothing without
32:36
prayer.
32:39
You fellowship
32:40
with the church.
32:41
And I don't
32:42
just mean showing
32:43
up and consuming
32:43
an event.
32:45
I mean
32:46
fellowship.
32:46
You live in
32:47
life, in the
32:48
day to day, in
32:49
the going and
32:49
coming of the
32:50
life of a
32:51
congregation.
32:53
In all the
32:53
varying ways
32:54
that that
32:54
happens, you
32:55
fellowship with
32:56
the church.
32:58
And thirdly,
32:59
you obey.
33:01
You do all
33:02
those other
33:03
things that
33:03
we're meant
33:04
to be doing
33:04
and obedience
33:05
necessarily leads
33:08
to suffering.
33:10
And you meet
33:10
Christ in
33:11
suffering.
33:12
Our king,
33:14
our lord,
33:14
came to this
33:15
earth and was
33:16
hated.
33:16
He was
33:17
despised and
33:18
he was
33:18
murdered.
33:18
This is the
33:20
way the
33:21
world should
33:21
perceive us.
33:23
Not a,
33:25
well, we're
33:25
American kind
33:26
of a way of
33:27
suffering.
33:27
But no, the
33:28
world should
33:28
really despise
33:29
us.
33:30
The world
33:31
really should
33:31
look at
33:31
Christians here
33:32
and say,
33:33
what an
33:34
unsavory
33:34
people.
33:35
How much
33:36
we don't
33:37
enjoy them.
33:37
And you
33:38
know why?
33:38
Because we
33:39
tell them
33:39
that they're
33:40
wrong.
33:41
In the way
33:42
that we
33:42
live and
33:43
in what we
33:43
say.
33:45
We call
33:46
evil,
33:46
evil.
33:49
We point
33:50
it out.
33:51
Not because
33:51
we're self-righteous
33:52
and we're
33:53
judgmental,
33:54
but because we
33:54
care.
33:55
Because we
33:56
know of the
33:57
danger to
33:57
come.
33:58
It's been
33:58
shown to
33:59
us and
33:59
we've been
33:59
rescued from
34:00
it.
34:01
And so we
34:01
share this
34:02
with people.
34:03
We live for
34:04
righteousness and
34:04
we call
34:05
evil,
34:07
evil.
34:09
People are
34:09
not going to
34:10
like that.
34:11
Our Christian
34:12
culture will
34:13
not like
34:13
that.
34:14
If you
34:14
can tell
34:15
people who
34:15
follow,
34:16
say they
34:16
follow Christ,
34:17
that they're
34:17
not really
34:18
following Christ,
34:20
you won't
34:20
be popular.
34:22
Is that
34:23
okay?
34:25
Do you
34:25
want Jesus
34:26
to that
34:27
degree?
34:28
That you're
34:28
willing to
34:28
follow Him
34:29
into whatever
34:29
storm He
34:31
takes you
34:31
into?
34:32
For His
34:33
glory and
34:34
for the
34:34
good of
34:35
all people.
34:38
I'm going
34:38
to read to
34:38
you in
34:38
closing from
34:39
Pilgrim's
34:39
Progress.
34:40
I told you
34:41
it was
34:41
coming out.
34:44
If you're
34:44
a guest
34:44
today,
34:45
you're not
34:45
familiar,
34:45
I haven't
34:46
talked to
34:46
you at
34:46
all.
34:47
Pilgrim's
34:48
Progress was
34:48
written by
34:48
a man named
34:49
John Bunyan.
34:50
It's an
34:50
allegory.
34:51
It's told as
34:51
a dream,
34:52
a dream of
34:52
a man named
34:54
Christian who's
34:54
making a
34:55
journey to
34:55
the celestial
34:56
city.
34:57
At this
34:58
point in
34:58
our story,
34:58
he's picked
34:59
up a
34:59
traveler whose
35:00
name is
35:00
Faithful.
35:02
And they've
35:03
gone through
35:03
a town,
35:05
through a
35:05
portion of
35:05
a town
35:06
called
35:07
Vanity
35:08
Fair.
35:10
So you
35:10
get the
35:11
tie-in to
35:11
Ecclesiastes.
35:13
Vanity Fair.
35:14
And I
35:15
read,
35:16
Now these
35:17
pilgrims,
35:17
as I said,
35:19
must needs
35:19
go through
35:20
this fair.
35:21
Well,
35:22
so they
35:22
did,
35:22
but behold,
35:23
even as they
35:24
entered into
35:24
the fair,
35:25
all the
35:25
people in
35:25
the fair
35:26
were moved
35:27
and the
35:28
town itself,
35:28
as it were,
35:29
in a hubbub
35:30
about them,
35:31
and that
35:32
for several
35:33
reasons.
35:34
For first,
35:35
the pilgrims
35:36
were clothed
35:37
with such
35:37
kind of
35:37
raiment as
35:38
was diverse
35:39
from the
35:40
raiment of
35:40
any that
35:41
traded in
35:42
that fair.
35:42
They looked
35:43
different.
35:44
The people,
35:44
therefore,
35:45
of the fair
35:45
made a
35:46
great gazing
35:47
upon them.
35:48
Some said
35:48
they were
35:48
fools,
35:49
some they
35:50
were bedlems,
35:51
and some
35:51
they were
35:52
outlandish
35:53
men.
35:54
Second,
35:55
as they
35:55
wondered at
35:57
their apparel,
35:58
so they
35:58
did likewise
35:59
at their
36:00
speech.
36:01
For few
36:02
could understand
36:02
what they
36:03
said.
36:04
They naturally
36:04
spoke the
36:05
language of
36:05
Canaan,
36:06
but they
36:06
that kept
36:07
the fair
36:07
were the
36:08
men of
36:08
this world,
36:10
so that
36:10
from one
36:10
end of the
36:11
fair to
36:11
the other
36:12
they seemed
36:13
barbarians
36:13
each to
36:15
each other.
36:16
Third,
36:17
but that
36:18
which did
36:18
not a
36:19
little amuse
36:20
the
36:20
merchandisers
36:21
was that
36:22
these pilgrims
36:23
set very
36:23
light by
36:25
all their
36:25
wares.
36:26
They cared
36:27
not so much
36:28
as to look
36:28
upon them,
36:29
and if they
36:30
called upon
36:30
them to buy,
36:31
they would
36:31
put their
36:32
fingers in
36:33
their ears
36:33
and cry,
36:34
turn away
36:35
mine eyes
36:36
from beholding
36:37
vanity,
36:39
and look
36:39
upward,
36:40
signifying that
36:40
their trade
36:41
and traffic
36:42
was in
36:43
heaven.
36:45
One
36:45
chants
36:46
mockingly,
36:47
beholding the
36:47
carriage of
36:48
the men to
36:48
say unto
36:49
them,
36:50
what will
36:50
ye buy?
36:51
But they,
36:52
looking gravely
36:53
upon him,
36:54
said,
36:54
we buy
36:55
the truth.
36:57
At that
36:58
there was
36:58
an occasion
36:59
taken to
36:59
despise the
37:00
men the
37:00
more,
37:01
some mocking,
37:02
some taunting,
37:03
some speaking
37:04
reproachfully,
37:05
and some
37:05
calling upon
37:06
others to
37:06
smite them.
37:07
At last
37:08
things came
37:09
to a hubbub,
37:09
and great
37:10
stir in
37:11
the fair,
37:11
insomuch
37:12
that all
37:13
order was
37:13
confounded.
37:15
Now was
37:15
word presently
37:16
brought to
37:16
the great
37:17
one of the
37:17
fair,
37:17
who quickly
37:18
came down
37:18
and deputed
37:19
some of his
37:20
most trusty
37:21
friends to
37:21
take these
37:22
men into
37:23
examination,
37:24
about whom
37:25
the fair
37:25
was almost
37:26
overturned.
37:27
So they
37:27
disrupt the
37:28
fair,
37:29
and they're
37:29
subsequently
37:29
arrested.
37:31
And there
37:31
is a
37:32
caging of
37:33
them,
37:34
an imprisonment,
37:35
there's a
37:36
trial,
37:36
which I'm
37:36
going to
37:36
skip over
37:37
the top of,
37:37
but it's so
37:38
good,
37:38
and you
37:38
really,
37:39
really need
37:39
to read
37:40
it.
37:41
And then we
37:42
pick up
37:42
here.
37:45
The judge
37:46
says,
37:48
Thou
37:48
runegate,
37:49
heretic,
37:50
and traitor,
37:51
hast thou
37:51
heard what
37:52
these honest
37:53
gentlemen
37:53
have witnessed
37:55
against thee?
37:56
This is the
37:56
trial of
37:57
faithful.
37:58
Faithful
37:58
says,
37:59
May I
37:59
speak a
38:00
few words
38:00
in my
38:01
own
38:01
defense?
38:02
The judge
38:02
replies,
38:03
thou
38:03
deservest
38:04
to live
38:05
no longer,
38:06
but to
38:06
be slain
38:07
immediately
38:07
upon the
38:08
place.
38:09
Yet that
38:09
all men
38:10
may see
38:11
our
38:11
gentleness
38:12
towards thee,
38:12
let us
38:13
hear what
38:14
thou
38:14
hast to
38:14
say.
38:16
Faithful
38:16
says,
38:17
I say
38:18
then,
38:18
in an
38:19
answer to
38:19
what Mr.
38:20
Envy
38:20
has spoken,
38:21
there's great
38:21
character names
38:22
in all
38:23
this,
38:23
to what
38:23
Mr.
38:24
Envy
38:24
has spoken,
38:25
I never
38:26
said
38:26
aught
38:27
but
38:27
this,
38:28
that what
38:28
rule or
38:29
laws or
38:30
customs or
38:31
people were
38:32
flat against
38:33
the word of
38:34
God are
38:34
diametrically
38:36
opposed to
38:37
Christianity.
38:38
If I have
38:39
said amiss in
38:39
this,
38:40
convince me of
38:40
my error,
38:41
and I am
38:41
ready before
38:42
you to
38:42
make my
38:43
recantation.
38:44
As to
38:45
the second,
38:46
to wit,
38:46
Mr.
38:47
Superstition,
38:48
and his
38:49
charge against
38:49
me,
38:50
I said
38:50
only this,
38:52
that in the
38:52
worship of
38:53
God there is
38:54
required a
38:54
divine
38:55
faith,
38:56
but there
38:56
can be no
38:57
divine faith
38:58
without a
38:58
divine revelation
38:59
of the
39:00
will of
39:00
God.
39:01
Therefore,
39:03
whatever is
39:03
thrust into
39:04
the worship
39:05
of God
39:05
that is not
39:06
agreeable to
39:07
divine revelation
39:08
cannot be
39:09
done but
39:10
by a human
39:11
faith,
39:12
which faith
39:13
will not
39:13
be profitable
39:13
to eternal
39:14
life.
39:16
As to
39:17
what Mr.
39:17
Pick
39:18
think,
39:19
hath
39:19
said,
39:20
I say,
39:21
avoiding
39:22
terms as
39:22
that I am
39:23
said to
39:23
rail and
39:24
the like,
39:25
that the
39:25
prince of
39:26
this town
39:27
with all
39:27
the
39:28
rabblement,
39:29
his
39:29
attendance
39:29
by this
39:30
gentleman
39:30
named,
39:31
are more
39:31
fit for
39:32
a being
39:33
in hell
39:33
than in
39:34
this town
39:34
and country,
39:35
and so
39:36
the Lord
39:36
have mercy
39:38
on me.
39:38
You see the
39:39
things that he
39:39
responds to
39:41
them,
39:42
that those
39:43
things of the
39:43
world are
39:44
diametrically
39:44
opposed to
39:45
the things
39:45
of Christ,
39:47
that those
39:48
things that
39:48
have made
39:48
themselves into
39:49
the worship
39:49
of God
39:50
that are not
39:50
given to us
39:51
by the
39:51
regulative
39:51
principle
39:52
of
39:52
scripture
39:52
are of
39:53
man's
39:54
faith
39:54
and not
39:55
of faith
39:55
in God,
39:57
and that
39:58
those who
39:58
rejoice in
39:59
these things
40:00
are more
40:00
suitable for
40:01
hell
40:02
and for
40:02
the kingdom.
40:03
These are
40:04
the charges
40:04
he brings
40:05
against these
40:06
men.
40:08
And then we
40:08
see the
40:09
judge's
40:10
charge.
40:11
Then the
40:12
judge called
40:12
to the jury
40:13
who all
40:14
this while
40:15
stood by
40:15
to hear
40:16
and observe.
40:18
Gentlemen
40:18
of the jury,
40:20
you see this
40:21
man about
40:21
whom so
40:21
great an
40:22
uproar
40:22
have been
40:22
made in
40:23
this town.
40:24
You have
40:24
also heard
40:25
what these
40:25
worthy gentlemen
40:26
have witnessed
40:27
against him.
40:28
Also you have
40:29
heard his
40:29
reply and
40:30
confession.
40:31
It lieth
40:31
now in
40:32
your breast
40:33
to hang
40:33
him or
40:34
save his
40:35
life,
40:35
but yet I
40:36
think meet
40:37
to instruct
40:37
you in
40:38
our law.
40:40
There was
40:40
an act
40:40
made in
40:41
the days
40:42
of Pharaoh
40:42
the great,
40:43
servant
40:43
to our
40:44
prince,
40:45
that lest
40:45
those of
40:46
a contrary
40:47
religion
40:47
should
40:47
multiply
40:48
and grow
40:49
too strong
40:49
for him,
40:50
their males
40:51
should be
40:51
thrown into
40:52
the river.
40:53
There was
40:54
also an
40:54
act made
40:54
in the days
40:55
of Nebuchadnezzar
40:56
the great,
40:57
another of
40:57
his servants,
40:58
that whomever
40:59
would not
40:59
fall down
41:00
and worship
41:00
his golden
41:01
image should
41:02
be thrown
41:02
into a
41:03
fiery furnace.
41:05
There was
41:05
also an
41:06
act made
41:06
in the days
41:07
of Darius,
41:08
that whoso
41:08
for some
41:09
time called
41:10
upon any
41:11
god but
41:11
him should
41:12
be cast
41:13
into the
41:13
lion's
41:13
den.
41:14
Now the
41:15
substance
41:15
of these
41:16
laws
41:16
this rebel
41:17
has broken,
41:18
not only
41:19
in thought
41:20
but also
41:21
in word
41:21
and deed,
41:22
which must
41:23
therefore
41:23
needs be
41:24
intolerable.
41:27
For that of
41:27
Pharaoh,
41:28
his law
41:28
was made
41:29
upon a
41:29
supposition
41:30
to prevent
41:30
mischief,
41:31
no crime
41:32
being yet
41:32
apparent,
41:33
but here
41:34
is a crime
41:34
apparent.
41:35
For the
41:36
second and
41:36
third,
41:37
you see,
41:38
he disputeth
41:38
against our
41:39
religion,
41:40
and for the
41:40
treason that
41:41
he hath
41:42
confessed,
41:42
he deserveth
41:44
to die
41:45
the death.
41:47
So there's
41:48
some discourse
41:49
amongst the
41:49
jury,
41:50
which is
41:50
fantastic,
41:51
and then we
41:52
read of
41:52
Faithful's
41:54
martyrdom.
41:55
They therefore
41:56
brought him
41:57
out to do
41:57
with him
41:58
according to
41:58
their law.
41:59
First they
42:00
scourged him,
42:01
then they
42:01
buffeted him,
42:02
then they
42:03
lanced his
42:03
flesh with
42:04
knives.
42:05
After that
42:05
they stoned
42:06
him with
42:06
stones,
42:07
then pricked
42:07
him with
42:08
their swords.
42:09
Last of all,
42:09
they burned
42:10
him to ashes
42:11
at the stake.
42:12
Thus came
42:13
Faithful to
42:14
his end.
42:16
Now I saw
42:16
that there
42:17
stood behind
42:17
him,
42:18
behind the
42:19
multitude,
42:19
a chariot
42:20
and a
42:20
couple of
42:21
horses,
42:22
waiting for
42:22
Faithful,
42:23
who,
42:24
so soon as
42:25
his adversaries
42:25
had dispatched
42:26
him,
42:26
was taken up
42:27
into it,
42:28
and straight
42:28
away was
42:29
carried up
42:30
through the
42:30
clouds with
42:30
the sound
42:31
of trumpet,
42:32
the nearest
42:33
way to the
42:34
celestial gate.
42:36
But as
42:36
for Christian,
42:37
he had some
42:38
respite and
42:38
was remanded
42:39
back to
42:40
prison,
42:40
so he there
42:41
remained for
42:41
space.
42:43
But he
42:43
who overrules
42:44
all things,
42:45
having the
42:45
power of
42:46
their rage
42:47
in his
42:47
own hand,
42:49
so rotted
42:49
about that
42:50
Christian for
42:50
that time
42:51
escaped them
42:52
and went
42:53
his way.
42:54
And as
42:54
he went,
42:55
he sang,
42:56
sang,
42:57
Well,
42:58
faithful,
42:59
thou hast
43:00
faithfully
43:00
professed unto
43:02
the Lord with
43:03
whom thou
43:04
shalt be
43:04
blessed.
43:05
When
43:06
faithless
43:06
ones with
43:07
all their
43:08
vain delights
43:09
are crying
43:10
out under
43:11
their hellish
43:12
plights,
43:13
sing,
43:13
faithful sing,
43:15
and let
43:15
thy name
43:16
survive,
43:17
for though
43:17
they kill
43:18
thee,
43:19
thou art
43:20
yet
43:20
alive.
43:22
Let's pray
43:23
together.
43:23
Let's pray
43:23
Let's pray
43:24
together.
43:23
Let's pray
43:24
together.
43:23
Let's pray
43:24
together.
43:23
Let's pray
43:24
Let's pray