WEBVTT 00:00:03.829 --> 00:00:06.769 Imagine if one night you're sleeping in your 00:00:06.769 --> 00:00:09.109 bed, you're sound asleep, and you're nudged awake 00:00:09.109 --> 00:00:13.609 by the God of heaven. And he leans over to you 00:00:13.609 --> 00:00:16.269 and he says, what would you like to have? You 00:00:16.269 --> 00:00:19.789 name it. He comes with a blank check from Almighty 00:00:19.789 --> 00:00:23.870 God. Ask whatever you want, and I'll give it 00:00:23.870 --> 00:00:27.530 to you. That's exactly what 2 Chronicles 1 -7 00:00:27.530 --> 00:00:31.710 says. Well, Solomon was asked this question. 00:00:32.590 --> 00:00:35.009 And you know what he asked for? He didn't ask 00:00:35.009 --> 00:00:38.289 for riches. He didn't ask for wealth. He didn't 00:00:38.289 --> 00:00:40.310 ask for honor. He didn't ask for the death of 00:00:40.310 --> 00:00:44.130 his enemies. He asked for wisdom and knowledge 00:00:44.130 --> 00:00:49.789 that he might lead God's people. And God said, 00:00:49.950 --> 00:00:52.950 okay, wisdom and knowledge will be given you. 00:00:53.469 --> 00:00:58.609 But he didn't stop there. He also gave Solomon 00:00:58.609 --> 00:01:02.560 wealth and riches and honor. such as no king 00:01:02.560 --> 00:01:06.519 had ever had before him. In fact, verse 14 says 00:01:06.519 --> 00:01:11.819 that Solomon accumulated 1 ,400 chariots. That's 00:01:11.819 --> 00:01:16.079 a lot of cars in the garage. And 12 ,000 horses. 00:01:16.980 --> 00:01:21.599 That's a lot of horsepower. And verse 15 says, 00:01:21.780 --> 00:01:25.019 King Solomon made silver and gold as common as 00:01:25.019 --> 00:01:30.540 the stones on the ground. Solomon had everything 00:01:30.540 --> 00:01:33.180 going for him as far as this world is concerned. 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:36.099 The chapters that follow in 2 Chronicles indicate 00:01:36.099 --> 00:01:39.359 that Solomon's reign went from glory to glory, 00:01:39.459 --> 00:01:42.879 culminating in the building and dedication of 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:44.920 the temple, that temple that his father David 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:47.879 had wanted to build. This was Israel's grandest 00:01:47.879 --> 00:01:51.359 moment. And to top it off, Solomon was considered 00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:56.140 to be the wisest man who ever lived. And his 00:01:56.140 --> 00:02:01.590 wisdom was a gift from God. But listen very carefully. 00:02:02.629 --> 00:02:08.110 Even divinely given wisdom cannot counteract 00:02:08.110 --> 00:02:12.050 the folly of a man who will not deny himself. 00:02:12.490 --> 00:02:15.270 In other words, without self -control, even the 00:02:15.270 --> 00:02:17.530 wisdom of God is powerless to keep a man or woman 00:02:17.530 --> 00:02:21.210 from making a fool of him or herself. For some 00:02:21.210 --> 00:02:23.710 reason, Solomon wasn't satisfied with having 00:02:23.710 --> 00:02:26.909 it all. All the blessings of God just weren't 00:02:26.909 --> 00:02:30.680 enough. And so Solomon decided to go on a hunting 00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:34.500 expedition. He stopped looking with eyes of faith. 00:02:34.900 --> 00:02:38.520 He started grasping for the here and now. He 00:02:38.520 --> 00:02:40.800 took his eyes off God and started grasping for 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:44.099 the temporary things that bring superficial happiness. 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:49.300 More, more, more became Solomon's motto. The 00:02:49.300 --> 00:02:51.740 story of his hunting expedition is told in the 00:02:51.740 --> 00:02:54.300 book of Ecclesiastes, so we're going to go and 00:02:54.300 --> 00:02:59.169 pick it up there in chapter 2. Verse 1, he said, 00:02:59.210 --> 00:03:02.650 I thought in my heart, come now, I will test 00:03:02.650 --> 00:03:07.009 you with pleasure to find out what is good. But 00:03:07.009 --> 00:03:10.150 that proved to be meaningless, or the King James 00:03:10.150 --> 00:03:14.270 says, vanity. I tried cheering myself with wine 00:03:14.270 --> 00:03:17.629 and embracing folly. I wanted to see what was 00:03:17.629 --> 00:03:19.710 worthwhile for men to do under heaven during 00:03:19.710 --> 00:03:23.090 the few days of their lives. I undertook great 00:03:23.090 --> 00:03:27.479 projects. I built houses for myself. and I planted 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:30.340 vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted 00:03:30.340 --> 00:03:33.000 all kinds of fruit trees in them. I also owned 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:36.360 more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:40.259 before me. Solomon goes on to list a bunch of 00:03:40.259 --> 00:03:42.360 things he accomplished. If you keep reading the 00:03:42.360 --> 00:03:44.439 chapter, a bunch of things he accomplished and 00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:47.919 accumulated. Solomon's hunting expedition took 00:03:47.919 --> 00:03:51.680 him first into the world of wealth and material 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:54.780 things. Solomon accomplished and accumulated 00:03:54.780 --> 00:03:57.689 a lot of things. But you know, meaning is not 00:03:57.689 --> 00:04:01.710 in things. Jesus himself said a man's life does 00:04:01.710 --> 00:04:04.729 not consist in the abundance of the things he 00:04:04.729 --> 00:04:08.330 possesses. Having been a hospital chaplain for 00:04:08.330 --> 00:04:12.729 about half of my years of ministry, I was with 00:04:12.729 --> 00:04:14.750 many patients as they lay on their deathbed. 00:04:15.509 --> 00:04:18.230 I've never seen one of them take it all with 00:04:18.230 --> 00:04:21.990 them. I've never seen one of them pile up their 00:04:21.990 --> 00:04:24.350 money, pile up their jewels, pile up their... 00:04:24.750 --> 00:04:27.149 pile up their portfolio, their barabonds, their 00:04:27.149 --> 00:04:30.509 whatever possessions there at their bed as they 00:04:30.509 --> 00:04:33.769 breathe their last. What I saw that did bring 00:04:33.769 --> 00:04:38.990 comfort to those breathing their last was relationships, 00:04:39.449 --> 00:04:43.209 their relationship with God, their relationship 00:04:43.209 --> 00:04:49.949 with their family. But notice instead how Solomon's 00:04:49.949 --> 00:04:54.009 diary continues in Ecclesiastes 2, verse 8. I 00:04:54.009 --> 00:04:56.230 amassed silver and gold for myself and the treasure 00:04:56.230 --> 00:05:00.470 of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women 00:05:00.470 --> 00:05:02.509 singers. You see, there was no stereo system 00:05:02.509 --> 00:05:05.889 back then, and so King David could have this 00:05:05.889 --> 00:05:07.790 group of singers. I guess they'd be slumbering 00:05:07.790 --> 00:05:10.129 in between their performances whenever he got 00:05:10.129 --> 00:05:11.949 feeling down a little bit. Come on over and send 00:05:11.949 --> 00:05:14.189 me a song. I guess that's what was going on there. 00:05:14.269 --> 00:05:17.209 He acquired men and women singers, but look what 00:05:17.209 --> 00:05:20.449 the rest of the verse says. He also amassed a 00:05:20.449 --> 00:05:25.420 harem as well. Are you kidding me, Solomon? You're 00:05:25.420 --> 00:05:29.519 the king of God's people, and you've got a harem? 00:05:30.019 --> 00:05:33.959 It reminds me of the cartoon where the kindergarten 00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:37.720 child is asking the preacher, how many porcupines 00:05:37.720 --> 00:05:42.839 did Solomon have? You get it. Porcupines, concubines. 00:05:43.459 --> 00:05:46.959 In fact, let's see how many he had here. He had 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:53.180 700 wives and princesses and 300 what? Concubines. 00:05:53.399 --> 00:05:57.620 And what did those wives and all this adultery 00:05:57.620 --> 00:06:02.480 do for Solomon? And his wives turned his heart 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:12.879 away from the Lord. Wow. How did the wisest man 00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:16.420 who ever lived go so wrong? By not practicing 00:06:16.420 --> 00:06:21.680 self -control. By living for self. By taking 00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:24.839 his eyes off God and focusing on himself. You 00:06:24.839 --> 00:06:26.740 know, that's really what the great controversy 00:06:26.740 --> 00:06:30.699 is all about. Self is why the whole sin problem 00:06:30.699 --> 00:06:34.600 got started to begin with. But Solomon's hunting 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:37.879 expedition wasn't over yet. Solomon said in verse 00:06:37.879 --> 00:06:41.000 9, I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:44.420 before me. Talk about keeping up with the Joneses. 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:49.899 He said, I denied myself nothing my eyes desired. 00:06:50.459 --> 00:06:56.180 I refused my heart no pleasure. Remember this 00:06:56.180 --> 00:06:58.980 key statement here. Even divinely given wisdom 00:06:58.980 --> 00:07:01.459 cannot counteract the folly of a man who will 00:07:01.459 --> 00:07:05.800 not deny himself. Without self -control, even 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:07.939 the wisdom of God is powerless to keep a man 00:07:07.939 --> 00:07:10.180 or woman from making a fool of him or herself. 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:13.899 Let's look at Solomon's own conclusion in verse 00:07:13.899 --> 00:07:17.399 11. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had 00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:21.419 done and what I had toiled to achieve, Everything 00:07:21.419 --> 00:07:27.279 was meaningless or vanity, a chasing after the 00:07:27.279 --> 00:07:31.079 wind. When I was a child growing up in New Orleans, 00:07:31.180 --> 00:07:33.420 we would have these storms that would blow in 00:07:33.420 --> 00:07:36.180 off the Gulf. I mean, almost without notice, 00:07:36.180 --> 00:07:38.879 they would show up. Of course, I wasn't paying 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:40.480 attention to the weather when I was six years 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:42.939 old, but when I would see that wind start blowing, 00:07:43.139 --> 00:07:45.730 I knew the rain was coming. along with the lightning, 00:07:45.810 --> 00:07:48.050 but I would get permission from my mother to 00:07:48.050 --> 00:07:51.410 go out and run and chase the wind. It was something 00:07:51.410 --> 00:07:53.569 I did when I was a child. It was silly, but I 00:07:53.569 --> 00:07:56.509 was a child. That's what children do, silly things. 00:07:56.670 --> 00:07:59.850 That's what growing up is all about. But as soon 00:07:59.850 --> 00:08:01.910 as that lightning came along, mother said, get 00:08:01.910 --> 00:08:04.889 in here. And so I had to get out of the wind 00:08:04.889 --> 00:08:07.750 because the rain and the lightning was hitting. 00:08:08.550 --> 00:08:12.220 It is silly or chasing after the wind. to put 00:08:12.220 --> 00:08:14.899 a higher value on the things we achieve or accumulate 00:08:14.899 --> 00:08:18.439 than we do our relationship with God and with 00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:21.360 others. Christian maturity should lead us to 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:23.500 seek the more important things in life, like 00:08:23.500 --> 00:08:27.079 fulfilling God's will for our lives. We don't 00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:29.540 get to bring our trophies, we don't get to bring 00:08:29.540 --> 00:08:32.299 our antique collections or our video games or 00:08:32.299 --> 00:08:34.960 our bank accounts with us, just the souls we've 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:37.840 helped to win to Jesus and our characters that 00:08:37.840 --> 00:08:41.519 have begun to reflect Christ's character. That's 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:45.320 what we get to bring with us. Over 100 years 00:08:45.320 --> 00:08:49.799 ago, this man named Andrew Carnegie, he was the 00:08:49.799 --> 00:08:51.639 richest man in the world. He's being interviewed 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:54.039 by this young reporter. Now, just to give you 00:08:54.039 --> 00:08:56.759 a taste of how rich Carnegie was, in today's 00:08:56.759 --> 00:09:01.000 money, he would be worth $350 billion, with a 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:05.179 B. That's twice as much as Bill Gates and Warren 00:09:05.179 --> 00:09:09.529 Buffett combined, their wealth. Well, this young 00:09:09.529 --> 00:09:11.870 reporter kind of broke down in his interview 00:09:11.870 --> 00:09:15.210 and said, Mr. Carnegie, I envy you your wealth. 00:09:15.710 --> 00:09:17.629 You know what Carnegie said to him? He said, 00:09:17.710 --> 00:09:21.409 young man, I am not to be envied. How can my 00:09:21.409 --> 00:09:24.649 wealth help me? I am now in my 60s. My health 00:09:24.649 --> 00:09:26.929 is beginning to slip away. I would give all my 00:09:26.929 --> 00:09:29.429 wealth, I'm reading from his statement here, 00:09:29.509 --> 00:09:32.009 if I could just to have my youth back again. 00:09:32.110 --> 00:09:33.769 In fact, I would make you a deal, young man. 00:09:33.809 --> 00:09:37.210 If we could change places, I would give you all 00:09:37.210 --> 00:09:41.500 I have. to be able to live my life over again. 00:09:41.980 --> 00:09:45.879 The point is, wealth does not satisfy. And that's 00:09:45.879 --> 00:09:49.500 the conclusion that Solomon comes to when in 00:09:49.500 --> 00:09:53.100 Ecclesiastes he says, whoever loves money never 00:09:53.100 --> 00:09:55.980 has money enough. Whoever loves wealth is never 00:09:55.980 --> 00:10:00.539 satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless 00:10:00.539 --> 00:10:04.940 or vanity. As goods increase, so do those who 00:10:04.940 --> 00:10:07.220 consume them. and what benefit are they to the 00:10:07.220 --> 00:10:11.080 owner except to feast his eyes on them? A number 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:12.860 of years ago, I was pastoring a church not far 00:10:12.860 --> 00:10:14.980 from here, and one of my church members invited 00:10:14.980 --> 00:10:18.080 me to his home, and as we're sitting there in 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:20.700 the living room, I just looked over and noticed 00:10:20.700 --> 00:10:24.720 this old comic strip laying there in a plastic 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:29.039 sleeve. I didn't think too much until my church 00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:31.100 member said, how much do you think that's worth? 00:10:31.299 --> 00:10:34.509 It was an old Superman comic strip. And it had 00:10:34.509 --> 00:10:37.470 10 cents on it. I said, well, it says 10 cents. 00:10:37.610 --> 00:10:41.029 He said, be careful, Pastor. He said, that comic 00:10:41.029 --> 00:10:46.629 strip magazine is worth $100 ,000. You know what 00:10:46.629 --> 00:10:48.590 my immediate thought was? I had the presence 00:10:48.590 --> 00:10:50.789 of mind to not say it out loud, but I said, to 00:10:50.789 --> 00:10:55.450 who? I wouldn't give 10 cents for it. It's an 00:10:55.450 --> 00:10:59.230 outdated, old magazine. And someone would give 00:10:59.230 --> 00:11:06.000 $100 ,000 for that? Are you kidding me? What 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:09.659 benefit are they, Solomon said, to the owner 00:11:09.659 --> 00:11:12.440 except to feast his eyes on them and maybe to 00:11:12.440 --> 00:11:17.620 impress others with their possessions? The sleep 00:11:17.620 --> 00:11:20.440 of a laborer is sweet, Solomon said, whether 00:11:20.440 --> 00:11:22.899 he eats little or much, but the abundance of 00:11:22.899 --> 00:11:27.419 a rich man permits him no sleep. He's too afraid 00:11:27.419 --> 00:11:29.000 somebody's going to break in and steal that. 00:11:30.590 --> 00:11:33.490 comic magazine. He's too afraid the stock market's 00:11:33.490 --> 00:11:35.750 going to crash. He's too afraid that the banks 00:11:35.750 --> 00:11:37.470 are going to close. He's too afraid a burglar's 00:11:37.470 --> 00:11:43.830 going to come breaking through the doors. And 00:11:43.830 --> 00:11:47.350 this syndrome that Solomon became entangled in 00:11:47.350 --> 00:11:50.149 is not exclusive just to the rich, by the way. 00:11:50.350 --> 00:11:53.029 The wannabe rich can also get entangled and infected. 00:11:53.610 --> 00:11:56.850 Why do you think millions used to gather around 00:11:56.850 --> 00:12:00.700 their television sets? to watch Lifestyles of 00:12:00.700 --> 00:12:03.799 the Rich and Famous by Robin Leach. If I asked 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:05.519 for a hand raise, I'd probably see a few hands 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:08.720 go up. That used to be a popular television program. 00:12:10.779 --> 00:12:13.500 Tell me something. Who buys lottery tickets? 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:17.460 Trillions of dollars are spent by people who 00:12:17.460 --> 00:12:19.620 can't afford it, and that's usually the ones 00:12:19.620 --> 00:12:23.679 who buy it, wanting to get rich quick, thinking 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:25.240 that will solve all their problems when actually 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:27.399 it would bring a whole lot of problems with it. 00:12:28.430 --> 00:12:31.110 And when the cash prize gets into the billions 00:12:31.110 --> 00:12:34.789 of dollars, people line up to buy lots of lottery 00:12:34.789 --> 00:12:36.889 tickets. That's an actual picture of a line of 00:12:36.889 --> 00:12:40.450 people ready to buy this multi -billion dollar 00:12:40.450 --> 00:12:43.909 lottery ticket. It could have saved them a lot 00:12:43.909 --> 00:12:45.450 of time if they just passed the trash can. Put 00:12:45.450 --> 00:12:47.570 your money here and just go on home, save your 00:12:47.570 --> 00:12:50.909 time, because you're not going to win, and if 00:12:50.909 --> 00:12:57.429 you did, it'll ruin your life. But Solomon didn't 00:12:57.429 --> 00:13:01.159 find. meaning in wealth and material things. 00:13:02.179 --> 00:13:06.399 And so he continued his hunting expedition next 00:13:06.399 --> 00:13:09.299 into the area of sensual pleasure, you know, 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:13.379 the porcupines I was talking about earlier. Once 00:13:13.379 --> 00:13:17.399 there was a very, very successful business executive 00:13:17.399 --> 00:13:20.440 who had more money than he knew what to do with 00:13:20.440 --> 00:13:27.220 and a little condo on the beach. And he... slept 00:13:27.220 --> 00:13:29.340 with a different beautiful girl every night. 00:13:30.179 --> 00:13:32.960 One day he asked for a minister to come and visit 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:36.700 him, and he asked that pastor, why am I so miserable? 00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:39.980 I have it all, but something just seems to be 00:13:39.980 --> 00:13:42.200 missing. You bet there was something missing. 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:45.960 That man and you and I are part of this TV generation 00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:49.259 where pleasure is touted as the highest good. 00:13:50.279 --> 00:13:55.559 From soap operas to prime time and from surfing. 00:13:56.600 --> 00:14:01.120 To gaming, life has become one hectic, trivial 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:06.840 pursuit. A hundred years ago, Edna St. Vincent 00:14:06.840 --> 00:14:09.919 Millay was blessed with the gift of poetry, having 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:12.779 a score of books to her credit, and so she was 00:14:12.779 --> 00:14:15.460 a very wealthy person, but she lived an immoral 00:14:15.460 --> 00:14:18.759 life, sleeping with a different man almost every 00:14:18.759 --> 00:14:21.559 week. And I want you to notice how she felt about 00:14:21.559 --> 00:14:24.500 her own life one rainy evening. Listen to her 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:28.990 own words. She said, what lips my lips have kissed 00:14:28.990 --> 00:14:32.409 and where and why I have forgotten. What arms 00:14:32.409 --> 00:14:36.330 have lain under my head till morning, but in 00:14:36.330 --> 00:14:40.529 my heart there stirs a pain. For I am that tree 00:14:40.529 --> 00:14:44.230 that stands alone in winter. I cannot say what 00:14:44.230 --> 00:14:48.429 loves have come and gone. I only know that summer 00:14:48.429 --> 00:14:51.769 came and sang in me a little while, but sings 00:14:51.769 --> 00:14:57.409 in me no more. The apostle Paul agrees with her 00:14:57.409 --> 00:14:59.669 when he said, the woman who lives for pleasure 00:14:59.669 --> 00:15:03.830 is dead even while she lives. Of course, men 00:15:03.830 --> 00:15:06.750 are included in that as well. Well, Solomon didn't 00:15:06.750 --> 00:15:09.330 stop his hunting expedition in the area of wealth 00:15:09.330 --> 00:15:11.470 and material things and in the area of sensual 00:15:11.470 --> 00:15:15.169 pleasure. And so he continued searching for meaning 00:15:15.169 --> 00:15:20.490 through knowledge and philosophy. Verse 12, then 00:15:20.490 --> 00:15:24.059 I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom. and 00:15:24.059 --> 00:15:27.620 also madness and folly. What more can the king's 00:15:27.620 --> 00:15:29.919 successor do than what has already been done? 00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:33.080 In other words, been there, done that. Solomon 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:35.000 wanted to know it all. He wanted to be it all. 00:15:36.100 --> 00:15:38.860 He wanted to do it all. He wasn't content with 00:15:38.860 --> 00:15:41.399 the knowledge of the scriptures that were available 00:15:41.399 --> 00:15:45.419 to him in his day. And so he cast his net far 00:15:45.419 --> 00:15:47.600 and wide. He was up on the great literature and 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:50.179 philosophy of the time that he was living in, 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:54.909 and somehow it began to infect. with its fatalistic 00:15:54.909 --> 00:15:58.090 humanistic tendencies that we find reflected 00:15:58.090 --> 00:16:02.009 in this book we call Ecclesiastes, almost like 00:16:02.009 --> 00:16:06.429 a diary. Large portions of this book are quite 00:16:06.429 --> 00:16:11.389 depressing. I mean, when you read Ecclesiastes, 00:16:11.490 --> 00:16:14.929 you always have a tissue nearby. But I believe 00:16:14.929 --> 00:16:17.570 God permitted all this to be recorded to show 00:16:17.570 --> 00:16:20.309 us what can happen when our eyes are off of him. 00:16:21.580 --> 00:16:25.519 So first it was materialism, then sex, then knowledge, 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:27.740 comparative philosophy, and none of that satisfied. 00:16:27.840 --> 00:16:30.320 So then it was on to the thrills of the dark 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:35.100 powers, the occult. Solomon, the king of God's 00:16:35.100 --> 00:16:37.419 people, built temples for other gods with a small 00:16:37.419 --> 00:16:40.200 g. We talked about that in Sabbath school when 00:16:40.200 --> 00:16:42.039 we went through the Ten Commandments together 00:16:42.039 --> 00:16:46.179 in our class time. Gods with a small g that demanded 00:16:46.179 --> 00:16:51.519 the sacrifice of human babies. Solomon became 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:53.820 involved in the occult. Remember all those wives 00:16:53.820 --> 00:16:57.299 he had that came from other nations and they 00:16:57.299 --> 00:17:00.960 brought their idolatry and occult with them and 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:04.859 that influenced Solomon. We still have societies 00:17:04.859 --> 00:17:08.180 today that claim to have secret knowledge that 00:17:08.180 --> 00:17:11.519 came to them from the temples of Solomon. Well, 00:17:11.660 --> 00:17:15.619 eventually Solomon discovered that none of these 00:17:15.619 --> 00:17:20.460 diversions could satisfy. Reading again. from 00:17:20.460 --> 00:17:25.119 Solomon's own diary in verse 17. So I hated life 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:28.039 because the work that is done under the sun was 00:17:28.039 --> 00:17:31.099 grievous to me. Can you feel the depression just 00:17:31.099 --> 00:17:34.279 dripping from those words? All of it is meaningless, 00:17:35.099 --> 00:17:37.640 he said, a chasing after the wind. You're repeating 00:17:37.640 --> 00:17:40.640 yourself, Solomon. I hated all the things I had 00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:42.859 toiled for under the sun because I must leave 00:17:42.859 --> 00:17:46.119 them to the one who comes after me. You truly 00:17:46.119 --> 00:17:49.609 can't take it with you. So my heart began to 00:17:49.609 --> 00:17:51.930 despair over all my toilsome labor under the 00:17:51.930 --> 00:17:57.990 sun. Depression, pessimism began to set in. Now, 00:17:58.029 --> 00:18:02.089 if only Solomon had lived by the advice that 00:18:02.089 --> 00:18:04.109 we heard read to us beautifully in our scripture 00:18:04.109 --> 00:18:07.769 reading, we find it at the end of his diary in 00:18:07.769 --> 00:18:10.369 the last chapter of Ecclesiastes. If only he 00:18:10.369 --> 00:18:13.289 had lived by that throughout his life, we'd be 00:18:13.289 --> 00:18:16.509 reading a different diary today. We come to the 00:18:16.509 --> 00:18:19.029 conclusion of his diary found in the last chapter 00:18:19.029 --> 00:18:22.349 of Ecclesiastes when he says, now all has been 00:18:22.349 --> 00:18:25.910 heard. Here is the conclusion of the matter. 00:18:26.089 --> 00:18:29.049 Fear God and keep his commandments, for this 00:18:29.049 --> 00:18:33.549 is the whole duty of man. If Solomon only had 00:18:33.549 --> 00:18:37.319 heeded this counsel. We should be reading a different 00:18:37.319 --> 00:18:40.019 diary today. I can just hear younger Solomon 00:18:40.019 --> 00:18:43.079 saying, don't fence me in with your rules and 00:18:43.079 --> 00:18:45.380 restrictions. I want to live. Real happiness 00:18:45.380 --> 00:18:49.140 is freedom, man. But tell me, have you ever played 00:18:49.140 --> 00:18:53.279 a game where there was no rules or where you 00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:56.000 made up the rules as you went along or you changed 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:58.420 the rules when you didn't like how it was favoring 00:18:58.420 --> 00:19:01.539 you or not favoring you in the game? The game 00:19:01.539 --> 00:19:04.450 loses its meaning, doesn't it? when you don't 00:19:04.450 --> 00:19:07.509 have rules to play by. Can you imagine driving 00:19:07.509 --> 00:19:12.130 in that kind of craziness where there's no signal 00:19:12.130 --> 00:19:15.789 lights, no street signs? I was in India most 00:19:15.789 --> 00:19:18.650 of February, and it's like that there. It's every 00:19:18.650 --> 00:19:20.890 man for themselves. They stay on their horns, 00:19:21.009 --> 00:19:23.609 and I'm just amazed that they don't have accidents 00:19:23.609 --> 00:19:26.190 every five seconds. I was traumatized and glad 00:19:26.190 --> 00:19:28.450 I didn't have to drive, but I'd close my eyes 00:19:28.450 --> 00:19:30.839 and just pray a prayer. I said, Lord, if we make 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:33.220 it through, then I'll preach tonight at that 00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:36.240 evangelistic meeting because it was scary just 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:41.059 like that. So rules are actually a good thing. 00:19:41.299 --> 00:19:44.339 But Solomon's life had become vanity or meaningless 00:19:44.339 --> 00:19:46.819 because he ignored the rules and the limitations. 00:19:47.059 --> 00:19:49.700 And those who will not limit their behavior now 00:19:49.700 --> 00:19:53.420 are surely limiting their behavior later. Think 00:19:53.420 --> 00:19:56.019 about it. Take, for example, participating in 00:19:56.019 --> 00:19:59.569 intimate acts before marriage. Not only has a 00:19:59.569 --> 00:20:03.049 whole host of STDs come along to spoil the fun, 00:20:03.210 --> 00:20:06.529 but there's study after study that shows that 00:20:06.529 --> 00:20:10.769 when you have that intimate relationship before 00:20:10.769 --> 00:20:14.230 marriage, that it affects your ability to have 00:20:14.230 --> 00:20:18.150 a meaningful relationship with anyone in marriage 00:20:18.150 --> 00:20:20.690 once you do get to the place of marriage. It 00:20:20.690 --> 00:20:23.349 can affect you the rest of your life. Abstinence 00:20:23.349 --> 00:20:26.400 is God's plan. We find it in Galatians, we find 00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:28.039 it in Corinthians, we find it in the Ten Commandments, 00:20:28.059 --> 00:20:30.839 we find it all through Scripture. Absence is 00:20:30.839 --> 00:20:34.119 God's plan, not condoms, not pills, not killing 00:20:34.119 --> 00:20:37.299 unborn babies through abortion. When kids want 00:20:37.299 --> 00:20:39.240 to grow up too fast, they're borrowing happiness 00:20:39.240 --> 00:20:42.359 from their future and maybe cutting out their 00:20:42.359 --> 00:20:45.880 chance of eternal happiness. Our Heavenly Father 00:20:45.880 --> 00:20:50.559 knows best. To live free from rules now is to 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:53.460 live in the strictest of bondage later. Take 00:20:53.460 --> 00:20:58.089 another example. Drugs, alcohol, bending the 00:20:58.089 --> 00:21:01.630 law, telling lies. It all leads to destruction 00:21:01.630 --> 00:21:09.230 in the end. Life is all about choices and consequences. 00:21:09.950 --> 00:21:13.490 Adam and Eve made a choice. They got kicked out 00:21:13.490 --> 00:21:16.190 of the garden. Consequences. Now all consequences 00:21:16.190 --> 00:21:18.250 don't have to be bad if we make good choices. 00:21:18.940 --> 00:21:20.779 And it's true that we live in a world of sin 00:21:20.779 --> 00:21:22.900 so that sometimes we make the good choices and 00:21:22.900 --> 00:21:24.940 bad things still happen to us. Life is not fair 00:21:24.940 --> 00:21:26.740 this side of heaven, but there's a life to come 00:21:26.740 --> 00:21:29.200 where God will more than make up for it. But 00:21:29.200 --> 00:21:31.960 generally speaking, we reap what we sow. The 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:35.779 choice is ours. Are you suffering from this Solomon 00:21:35.779 --> 00:21:39.119 syndrome? The choice we make in the days of our 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:42.000 youth can either rob us of our peace and future 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:46.240 security or they can secure for us a future of 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:49.420 peace and eternal happiness. God knocks at the 00:21:49.420 --> 00:21:51.819 door of our heart, but he lets us make that choice. 00:21:53.180 --> 00:21:57.500 So what choices are you making? This Solomon 00:21:57.500 --> 00:22:01.619 syndrome is quite pandemic in our world. Our 00:22:01.619 --> 00:22:03.759 society is certainly infected by it, and we're 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:06.180 in contact with it everywhere we go. Even driving 00:22:06.180 --> 00:22:10.519 home from church, you'll be infected, or you 00:22:10.519 --> 00:22:12.400 have the potential of being infected by it just 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:15.900 looking at billboards. It used to be that only 00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:17.920 a few people were subject to the Solomon syndrome. 00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:21.859 But today, in this TV generation, the vast majority 00:22:21.859 --> 00:22:24.579 are exposed to it with all the shows that parade 00:22:24.579 --> 00:22:26.779 through television that are all about sex and 00:22:26.779 --> 00:22:29.420 greed and idolatry and materialism and me, me, 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:33.220 me. By overexposure to excitement and pleasure, 00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:36.680 a person can permanently raise his or her threshold 00:22:36.680 --> 00:22:38.839 of pleasure. In other words, it takes more to 00:22:38.839 --> 00:22:41.970 make that person happy. And so I've heard many 00:22:41.970 --> 00:22:43.750 a young person say, I'm bored, and I'm thinking, 00:22:43.809 --> 00:22:45.750 they've got ten times more things to do than 00:22:45.750 --> 00:22:48.349 I did at their age. How could they be bored with 00:22:48.349 --> 00:22:51.809 life with all they have to do? The threshold 00:22:51.809 --> 00:22:54.710 has gotten pushed to a point where constant overload 00:22:54.710 --> 00:22:57.230 of the sensory is required just to kind of reach 00:22:57.230 --> 00:23:00.190 a level of satisfaction. Children are especially 00:23:00.190 --> 00:23:02.710 vulnerable. when they're allowed to watch emotionally 00:23:02.710 --> 00:23:05.549 packed traumatic scenes in one television program 00:23:05.549 --> 00:23:07.950 that you might not see in real life in a lifetime, 00:23:08.309 --> 00:23:10.589 and you can see it in 30 minutes or 60 minutes, 00:23:10.809 --> 00:23:14.710 well, that person is becoming permanently desensitized. 00:23:15.069 --> 00:23:17.809 You can send only so much electricity through 00:23:17.809 --> 00:23:21.710 a small wire before it burns out. Well, Solomon, 00:23:21.829 --> 00:23:24.150 with all his wealth, wanted to do it all. He 00:23:24.150 --> 00:23:26.670 wanted to have it all. But Jesus said it would 00:23:26.670 --> 00:23:31.259 be hard for a rich man to enter heaven. That's 00:23:31.259 --> 00:23:34.140 because rich folks can sometimes be insulated 00:23:34.140 --> 00:23:35.900 from the hard knocks of life. But hard knocks 00:23:35.900 --> 00:23:40.920 are kind of a good thing for the most part. Solomon's 00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:43.220 basic problem was this. He forgot the ultimate 00:23:43.220 --> 00:23:47.779 secret to happiness, which is living for Jesus 00:23:47.779 --> 00:23:53.539 first, others second, and ourselves last. Much 00:23:53.539 --> 00:23:55.519 of Solomon's life was consumed in living for 00:23:55.519 --> 00:23:59.140 self, me, me, me. And that is the way it is today. 00:23:59.799 --> 00:24:03.779 Billboards and advertisements tell us you owe 00:24:03.779 --> 00:24:06.900 it to yourself to do this. Reward yourself. Pamper 00:24:06.900 --> 00:24:12.880 yourself. You've earned it. So enjoy it. And 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:15.839 remember, Solomon did achieve many great things, 00:24:15.940 --> 00:24:18.839 good things even. But for what purpose did he 00:24:18.839 --> 00:24:21.960 do it? For who are we achieving? For ourselves? 00:24:22.259 --> 00:24:24.160 For the glory of being recognized by others? 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:26.819 Speaking of achievement, have you ever heard 00:24:26.819 --> 00:24:31.779 of... Yukimio Ashima, this Japanese young man, 00:24:31.940 --> 00:24:34.720 was a spectacular example of what ambition coupled 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:37.960 with fierce determination can accomplish. You 00:24:37.960 --> 00:24:41.900 see, Yukimio was literally a 97 -pound weakling 00:24:41.900 --> 00:24:45.319 as a youth, frail and sickly. But by disciplining 00:24:45.319 --> 00:24:47.759 himself and through grueling weightlifting, Ashima 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:50.279 transformed his frail body into an atlas -like 00:24:50.279 --> 00:24:53.680 physique. In fact, the Japanese encyclopedia 00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:56.559 used him as their example to illustrate bodybuilding. 00:24:56.859 --> 00:24:59.079 And so first it was bodybuilding that he became 00:24:59.079 --> 00:25:01.460 a master at, and then he took up swordsmanship 00:25:01.460 --> 00:25:04.680 and became a master swordsman, and then he distinguished 00:25:04.680 --> 00:25:08.259 himself as a novelist, a playwright, a stage 00:25:08.259 --> 00:25:12.349 director, a movie actor, a journalist. In two 00:25:12.349 --> 00:25:15.750 and a half decades, he wrote 40 novels, 18 plays, 00:25:16.049 --> 00:25:18.309 20 collections of short stories, countless articles 00:25:18.309 --> 00:25:20.930 and essays. On top of all that, he was a political 00:25:20.930 --> 00:25:24.069 figure and a renowned speaker and an international 00:25:24.069 --> 00:25:27.910 celebrity who could talk to you in six different... 00:25:28.650 --> 00:25:30.450 That's what a polygon is, someone who speaks 00:25:30.450 --> 00:25:33.490 multiple languages. On top of all this, Ashima 00:25:33.490 --> 00:25:36.470 had piloted a commercial jet and conducted a 00:25:36.470 --> 00:25:38.609 symphony orchestra, traveled around the world 00:25:38.609 --> 00:25:41.029 seven times, and on three separate occasions 00:25:41.029 --> 00:25:43.369 been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm 00:25:43.369 --> 00:25:46.829 tired just reading his list, this partial list 00:25:46.829 --> 00:25:49.930 of what he did. And yet by his own admission, 00:25:50.170 --> 00:25:56.589 Ashima said that he was devoid of meaning. He 00:25:56.589 --> 00:25:59.930 was a homosexual. who had a morbid preoccupation 00:25:59.930 --> 00:26:03.529 with death, and at the age of 45, he took his 00:26:03.529 --> 00:26:09.730 life. Jesus said, what will it profit a man if 00:26:09.730 --> 00:26:13.230 he gains the whole world and yet loses his own 00:26:13.230 --> 00:26:18.470 soul? Clarence Darrell was a person who would 00:26:18.470 --> 00:26:21.960 have understood both Ashima and Solomon. He was 00:26:21.960 --> 00:26:23.920 one of the greatest lawyers of his time, and 00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:26.839 of any time. We're kind of getting too far removed 00:26:26.839 --> 00:26:29.259 from his time when he was a lawyer, but he could 00:26:29.259 --> 00:26:32.759 demand a six -figure salary or fee back in his 00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:35.380 day for the work that he would do. And yet one 00:26:35.380 --> 00:26:37.799 day he asked for a minister to come and visit 00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:40.880 him. And he said, you know, Pastor, I've done 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:43.559 a lot of things. I'm the envy of a lot of people, 00:26:43.619 --> 00:26:46.240 but I realize I'm old enough now, I'm wise enough 00:26:46.240 --> 00:26:49.319 to realize that that isn't life. He told his 00:26:49.319 --> 00:26:52.279 minister that he had found the epitaph for his 00:26:52.279 --> 00:26:55.160 life in one of the gospels where Jesus told the 00:26:55.160 --> 00:26:57.039 disciples to let down their nets for a catch. 00:26:57.460 --> 00:26:59.839 The answer of one of his disciples described 00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:03.819 his life, Darrell said. Master, we've toiled 00:27:03.819 --> 00:27:08.920 all night and have taken nothing. You see, it's 00:27:08.920 --> 00:27:11.799 not enough to achieve, to be a success if it's 00:27:11.799 --> 00:27:13.779 done for self. There's a much greater cause than 00:27:13.779 --> 00:27:16.819 the cause of self. Jesus said whoever saves his 00:27:16.819 --> 00:27:20.220 life. We'll lose it. But whoever loses his life 00:27:20.220 --> 00:27:23.180 for me will save it. And that's the profound 00:27:23.180 --> 00:27:27.539 secret of joy. But maybe you question that. Or 00:27:27.539 --> 00:27:32.119 maybe you're struggling with all the other folks 00:27:32.119 --> 00:27:34.680 around you who just, you know, not just on Black 00:27:34.680 --> 00:27:36.640 Friday, but whenever there's some great sale, 00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:38.460 just run over everybody to get to it. Looking 00:27:38.460 --> 00:27:41.400 out for number one. Me, me, me. That's what I've 00:27:41.400 --> 00:27:43.400 got to take care of. Who else is going to take 00:27:43.400 --> 00:27:45.220 care of me if I don't take care of me? Maybe 00:27:45.220 --> 00:27:49.440 God. Or maybe you've seen others who weren't 00:27:49.440 --> 00:27:51.660 going by the rules and they seem to be just going 00:27:51.660 --> 00:27:53.460 along just fine and yet you're trying to live 00:27:53.460 --> 00:27:56.720 by God's word and it just doesn't seem like things 00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:59.059 go your way. There was a fellow by the name of 00:27:59.059 --> 00:28:02.079 Asaph who struggled with all of this himself. 00:28:02.380 --> 00:28:06.460 He actually wrote the 73rd Psalm. Only half the 00:28:06.460 --> 00:28:08.200 Psalms were written by David. He collected the 00:28:08.200 --> 00:28:10.859 rest and did a good job of it. In fact, this 00:28:10.859 --> 00:28:13.019 one definitely was a good one to include because 00:28:13.019 --> 00:28:16.329 in this Psalm, Asaph questions whether it was 00:28:16.329 --> 00:28:19.609 worth it to be good. He envied the wealth and 00:28:19.609 --> 00:28:21.470 success of others who were not living a moral 00:28:21.470 --> 00:28:24.329 upright life. Listen to what he had to say. He 00:28:24.329 --> 00:28:26.529 said, this is what the wicked are like. Always 00:28:26.529 --> 00:28:29.470 carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in 00:28:29.470 --> 00:28:32.730 vain have I kept my heart pure. In vain have 00:28:32.730 --> 00:28:35.690 I washed my hands in innocence. All day long 00:28:35.690 --> 00:28:38.190 I have been plagued. I have been punished every 00:28:38.190 --> 00:28:40.950 morning. When I tried to understand all this, 00:28:41.029 --> 00:28:45.240 it was oppressive to me. Till. You know something 00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:48.740 good's coming now. And he says, till, till I 00:28:48.740 --> 00:28:52.680 entered the sanctuary of God, then I understood 00:28:52.680 --> 00:28:57.839 their end, their final destiny. Did you hear 00:28:57.839 --> 00:29:02.019 what Asaph said? Did you catch it? See, until 00:29:02.019 --> 00:29:03.619 he started looking with spiritual eyes, until 00:29:03.619 --> 00:29:06.779 he started looking at the big picture, it was 00:29:06.779 --> 00:29:09.039 frustrating to him. But once he looked at the 00:29:09.039 --> 00:29:11.380 big picture, the eternal picture, he could now 00:29:11.380 --> 00:29:14.900 make sense of it all. And so, If you want to 00:29:14.900 --> 00:29:17.000 know something of the ultimate values of life, 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:18.960 you don't look at the beginning of a person's 00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:20.579 life. You don't look at the middle of a person's 00:29:20.579 --> 00:29:23.819 life. You look at the end of their life. You 00:29:23.819 --> 00:29:27.000 seek to understand their end, their final destiny. 00:29:27.200 --> 00:29:29.900 Ask a man who's at the brink of death. Ask the 00:29:29.900 --> 00:29:32.880 man who has lived his life for himself and is 00:29:32.880 --> 00:29:34.539 now at the end of his life what his thoughts 00:29:34.539 --> 00:29:37.240 are. Go ahead. Go ahead. Ask him. Ask Voltaire, 00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:40.720 one of the most noted infidel writers of all 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:44.259 time. who once called Christ a wretch. He said, 00:29:44.299 --> 00:29:47.220 curse the wretch. He tried to wipe out Christianity 00:29:47.220 --> 00:29:50.579 in Europe. But shortly after his death, his house 00:29:50.579 --> 00:29:54.279 became a depot for the Geneva Bible Society. 00:29:55.119 --> 00:29:58.319 They stored Bibles to give to people in his house. 00:29:58.400 --> 00:30:00.420 But the nurse who tended to Voltaire said, for 00:30:00.420 --> 00:30:02.519 all the wealth in Europe, I will never see another 00:30:02.519 --> 00:30:05.440 infidel die. She heard this Christless person 00:30:05.440 --> 00:30:09.069 cry out. I'm abandoned by God and man. I'll give 00:30:09.069 --> 00:30:11.329 you half my possessions if you give me six months 00:30:11.329 --> 00:30:14.769 of life, nurse. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Christ. Oh, Jesus. 00:30:15.450 --> 00:30:18.329 Or ask William Pope, a leader of a company of 00:30:18.329 --> 00:30:20.789 atheists who ridiculed everything that had to 00:30:20.789 --> 00:30:23.029 do with Jesus and Christianity. One of their 00:30:23.029 --> 00:30:26.609 exercises, this was in the late 1700s when Bibles 00:30:26.609 --> 00:30:28.029 were very expensive, but at the beginning of 00:30:28.029 --> 00:30:30.529 each of their group meetings, they would take 00:30:30.529 --> 00:30:32.829 a Bible and kick it around the floor and tear 00:30:32.829 --> 00:30:35.109 it up before they would go ahead and have their 00:30:35.109 --> 00:30:37.829 meeting. Friends who were present at his death 00:30:37.829 --> 00:30:42.109 in 1797 spoke of it as a scene of terror as he 00:30:42.109 --> 00:30:45.230 died crying, I have no contrition. I cannot repent. 00:30:45.430 --> 00:30:48.710 I know the day of grace has passed me. I am damned 00:30:48.710 --> 00:30:52.490 forever. Oh, eternity. Nothing for eternity but 00:30:52.490 --> 00:30:56.109 hell. While Pope didn't have his theology right 00:30:56.109 --> 00:30:59.250 when it comes to how long hell will last, you 00:30:59.250 --> 00:31:02.289 can feel the hopeless outlook that his prior 00:31:02.289 --> 00:31:06.230 decisions had led him to. And don't forget to 00:31:06.230 --> 00:31:09.190 ask Thomas Paine, a renowned American author 00:31:09.190 --> 00:31:12.230 and atheist who exerted his influence against 00:31:12.230 --> 00:31:14.789 Christianity. He came to his final moments in 00:31:14.789 --> 00:31:18.390 1809 and said, I would give worlds if I had them 00:31:18.390 --> 00:31:21.029 if my book Age of Reason had not been published. 00:31:21.529 --> 00:31:24.450 Oh, Lord, help me. Christ, help me. Oh, God, 00:31:24.490 --> 00:31:27.470 what have I done to suffer so much? But there 00:31:27.470 --> 00:31:32.509 is no God. But if there should be, what will 00:31:32.509 --> 00:31:34.849 become of me hereafter? Stay with me, nurse, 00:31:35.009 --> 00:31:38.329 for God's sake. Send even a child to stay with 00:31:38.329 --> 00:31:41.730 me, for it is hell to be alone. If ever the devil 00:31:41.730 --> 00:31:45.509 had an agent, I am he. How would you like those 00:31:45.509 --> 00:31:47.910 to be your last words? Or ask Queen Elizabeth 00:31:47.910 --> 00:31:51.309 I of England, a haughty, self -centered woman 00:31:51.309 --> 00:31:55.269 who died in 1603 with 2 ,000 expensive dresses. 00:31:55.589 --> 00:31:59.170 Take a look at that dress. She had 2 ,000 like 00:31:59.170 --> 00:32:02.650 that. And what did she say? All my possessions. 00:32:03.390 --> 00:32:07.410 for a moment of time. Ask Stephen Gardner, a 00:32:07.410 --> 00:32:10.930 Catholic bishop who worked to stamp out Protestantism 00:32:10.930 --> 00:32:13.569 in England. Gardner's hands were stained with 00:32:13.569 --> 00:32:16.190 the blood of many a martyr. His last words in 00:32:16.190 --> 00:32:19.950 1555 were these, I have sinned like Peter, but 00:32:19.950 --> 00:32:23.289 I have not repented like him. Ask these Christless 00:32:23.289 --> 00:32:26.410 souls what their life had accomplished and now, 00:32:26.569 --> 00:32:29.569 and how their future looked, but now turn back 00:32:29.569 --> 00:32:34.180 from them. And I want you to... to now listen 00:32:34.180 --> 00:32:36.859 to some of the words of individuals who love 00:32:36.859 --> 00:32:39.339 their Savior. Listen to their final words. Listen 00:32:39.339 --> 00:32:42.599 to James Robertson, a Scottish merchant, who 00:32:42.599 --> 00:32:46.259 refused to take a false oath. And for that, he 00:32:46.259 --> 00:32:50.099 was sentenced to be hanged. Just before he was 00:32:50.099 --> 00:32:52.640 hanged, he had this testimony. He said, I rejoice 00:32:52.640 --> 00:32:55.039 in my lot, for it has fallen to me in pleasant 00:32:55.039 --> 00:32:58.359 places. and I have a godly inheritance, and I 00:32:58.359 --> 00:33:00.299 will not exchange it with the greatest of earthly 00:33:00.299 --> 00:33:04.400 monarchs. Let heaven and earth praise him. Let 00:33:04.400 --> 00:33:06.859 all creation praise him throughout eternity. 00:33:07.420 --> 00:33:12.160 Goodbye, fair friends of mine. Or ask Charles 00:33:12.160 --> 00:33:15.079 Wesley, who by his pen sought to bring ever greater 00:33:15.079 --> 00:33:18.279 glory to God. Nineteen of the hymns in our hymnal 00:33:18.279 --> 00:33:20.900 were written by Charles Wesley hundreds of years 00:33:20.900 --> 00:33:23.019 later, but shortly before his death he said, 00:33:23.119 --> 00:33:25.880 Come, precious Jesus. What manner of love is 00:33:25.880 --> 00:33:29.799 this to a poor worm such as I? I cannot express 00:33:29.799 --> 00:33:31.799 the praise due thee, but Lord, help me to give 00:33:31.799 --> 00:33:35.619 thee my all. I will die praising thee and rejoice 00:33:35.619 --> 00:33:37.859 that others can praise thee better. I will be 00:33:37.859 --> 00:33:42.059 satisfied with thy likeness. Satisfied. Satisfied. 00:33:42.059 --> 00:33:45.740 Oh, my dearest Jesus. Then there is the artist 00:33:45.740 --> 00:33:49.019 John Bacon, who died in 1799. Before he died, 00:33:49.180 --> 00:33:52.039 he had his tombstone made, which was a custom 00:33:52.039 --> 00:33:54.500 back then. Before he died, he had it made, and 00:33:54.500 --> 00:33:57.940 he wrote on it these words. While I lived, what 00:33:57.940 --> 00:34:00.420 I did as an artist seemed very important to me. 00:34:00.759 --> 00:34:03.039 But now what I really am as a believer in Jesus 00:34:03.039 --> 00:34:08.119 Christ is the only thing of importance. Ask Ellen 00:34:08.119 --> 00:34:11.480 G. White, who was used by God to help raise up 00:34:11.480 --> 00:34:13.920 this last day movement. Ask her for her final 00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:17.780 words as she breathed her last in 1915. She said, 00:34:17.820 --> 00:34:21.079 I know in whom I have believed. God is love. 00:34:21.869 --> 00:34:25.610 He gives his beloved sleep. And did you know 00:34:25.610 --> 00:34:27.929 that Solomon's father's last words are recorded 00:34:27.929 --> 00:34:31.349 in the Bible? King David's words are found in 00:34:31.349 --> 00:34:35.150 2 Samuel 23. Is not my house right with God? 00:34:35.530 --> 00:34:39.269 Has he not made an everlasting covenant, arranged 00:34:39.269 --> 00:34:41.690 and secured in every part? Will he not bring 00:34:41.690 --> 00:34:44.329 to fruition my salvation and grant me my every 00:34:44.329 --> 00:34:47.190 desire? Can you hear the assurance of salvation 00:34:47.190 --> 00:34:49.989 he had? This was a murderer and an adulterer. 00:34:50.250 --> 00:34:52.849 who had confessed his sins, received forgiveness, 00:34:53.090 --> 00:34:56.110 and he had that assurance. And listen to the 00:34:56.110 --> 00:34:58.929 Apostle Paul. His words come as he's on death 00:34:58.929 --> 00:35:02.789 row, about to have his head chopped off. And 00:35:02.789 --> 00:35:05.849 he said, For I am now ready to be offered, and 00:35:05.849 --> 00:35:08.889 the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought 00:35:08.889 --> 00:35:11.769 a good fight, I have finished my course, I have 00:35:11.769 --> 00:35:14.090 kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for 00:35:14.090 --> 00:35:16.050 me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, 00:35:16.110 --> 00:35:17.929 the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, 00:35:17.989 --> 00:35:21.829 and not to me only. but to all those who love 00:35:21.829 --> 00:35:26.250 his appearing. You know, if you want real success, 00:35:26.570 --> 00:35:32.489 success of enduring value, success of eternal 00:35:32.489 --> 00:35:35.849 worth, success that has no regret, then don't 00:35:35.849 --> 00:35:38.690 go chasing after the wind like Solomon, making 00:35:38.690 --> 00:35:40.909 the same mistakes he made. Choose a worthy goal, 00:35:41.090 --> 00:35:42.969 work on it with all your might, but remember 00:35:42.969 --> 00:35:45.909 that the man or woman who lives for the glorification 00:35:45.909 --> 00:35:50.440 of self will lose everything in the end. Instead, 00:35:50.559 --> 00:35:53.320 if you will lose all for Christ, live for God 00:35:53.320 --> 00:35:55.460 first, others second, yourself last, if you'll 00:35:55.460 --> 00:35:57.880 choose for your work something for the upliftment 00:35:57.880 --> 00:36:01.360 of humanity, if you'll choose to serve, then 00:36:01.360 --> 00:36:03.420 in the end, as you look back over your life, 00:36:03.639 --> 00:36:07.559 you'll see that it was a full one. The life worth 00:36:07.559 --> 00:36:11.860 living is a life lived for others. One of the 00:36:11.860 --> 00:36:14.659 craziest stories I ever read was the one where 00:36:14.659 --> 00:36:18.369 a farmer decided to sell everything he had, except 00:36:18.369 --> 00:36:20.150 he was going to keep his house and maybe a couple 00:36:20.150 --> 00:36:22.989 acres around it there, but sold hundreds of acres. 00:36:23.769 --> 00:36:25.869 Think of South America or Africa. I'm trying 00:36:25.869 --> 00:36:28.530 to remember what country. But he sold everything 00:36:28.530 --> 00:36:30.210 because he wanted to go hunting for diamonds. 00:36:31.050 --> 00:36:35.030 He wanted to discover diamonds. He spent every 00:36:35.030 --> 00:36:38.989 penny. He came back to his home penniless, and 00:36:38.989 --> 00:36:41.809 he sat on his porch while he watched a mining 00:36:41.809 --> 00:36:45.130 company on the land he had sold uncover. the 00:36:45.130 --> 00:36:48.469 richest vein of diamonds that had ever been discovered. 00:36:51.869 --> 00:36:54.090 Solomon had tasted all the sweets the world had 00:36:54.090 --> 00:36:57.210 to offer and it became bitter in his mouth. He 00:36:57.210 --> 00:36:59.809 made choices that turned into dead ends. But 00:36:59.809 --> 00:37:02.510 after he had squandered much of his life in self 00:37:02.510 --> 00:37:05.030 -centeredness and riotous living, he came to 00:37:05.030 --> 00:37:07.230 his senses. He turned back to the God of his 00:37:07.230 --> 00:37:11.329 fathers and our loving God accepted him. And 00:37:11.329 --> 00:37:13.989 so we must read his conclusion one more time. 00:37:14.409 --> 00:37:18.710 In Ecclesiastes 12. Now all has been heard. Here 00:37:18.710 --> 00:37:22.329 is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and 00:37:22.329 --> 00:37:24.949 keep his commandments, for this is the whole 00:37:24.949 --> 00:37:29.909 duty of man. Now some of you are or will be wise, 00:37:30.130 --> 00:37:34.090 strong, or rich. But please heed the words of 00:37:34.090 --> 00:37:37.829 the Lord found in Jeremiah 9. Let not the wise 00:37:37.829 --> 00:37:42.309 man boast of his wisdom, or the strong man boast 00:37:42.309 --> 00:37:58.019 of his strength. Hear that wise man one more 00:37:58.019 --> 00:38:00.260 time from that last chapter of Ecclesiastes. 00:38:00.519 --> 00:38:02.400 He's not just speaking to the young people, but 00:38:02.400 --> 00:38:04.320 also us young at heart when he says, remember 00:38:04.320 --> 00:38:07.099 your creator in the days of your youth before 00:38:07.099 --> 00:38:09.360 the days of trouble come and the years approach 00:38:09.360 --> 00:38:12.219 when you'll say, I find no pleasure in them. 00:38:13.289 --> 00:38:17.769 Then I hear a wiser man speaking, another son 00:38:17.769 --> 00:38:20.510 of David, whose ancient paths have crossed our 00:38:20.510 --> 00:38:23.590 paths today. Can you hear him saying, have you 00:38:23.590 --> 00:38:26.590 the faintest idea what I have to offer? You're 00:38:26.590 --> 00:38:28.230 playing in your puddles when you might have the 00:38:28.230 --> 00:38:30.989 ocean. You flit about with your candle when you 00:38:30.989 --> 00:38:34.389 might have the sun. You talk about planning for 00:38:34.389 --> 00:38:39.570 years when you could have eons. Jesus said, A 00:38:39.570 --> 00:38:41.730 thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 00:38:42.789 --> 00:38:45.869 But I have come that they may have life and have 00:38:45.869 --> 00:38:50.030 it in all its fullness. Jesus says, I am the 00:38:50.030 --> 00:38:54.510 way, the truth, and the life. Follow me. Lose 00:38:54.510 --> 00:38:57.590 yourself in me, and I'll give you more skies 00:38:57.590 --> 00:39:01.050 than you can see, more seas than you can sail, 00:39:01.190 --> 00:39:03.989 more sun than you can bear the watch, more stars 00:39:03.989 --> 00:39:05.809 than you can scale, more breath than you can 00:39:05.809 --> 00:39:07.610 breathe, more yield than you can sow, more... 00:39:07.929 --> 00:39:11.530 grace than you can understand, more love than 00:39:11.530 --> 00:39:15.769 you can know. In closing, I'd like you to sing 00:39:15.769 --> 00:39:18.610 with me a little chorus, a cappella. It's like 00:39:18.610 --> 00:39:23.050 a prayer, and it's entitled, Yes, Lord. And if 00:39:23.050 --> 00:39:26.590 this prayer says what's in your heart right now, 00:39:26.730 --> 00:39:30.530 that you want to give all to him anew, and you 00:39:30.530 --> 00:39:32.949 want him to fill your heart and live in your 00:39:32.949 --> 00:39:35.110 life, then I'd like you to stand with me as we 00:39:35.110 --> 00:39:38.230 just sing this little chorus a cappella. Yes, 00:39:38.230 --> 00:39:41.429 Lord, I give my heart to you. If that's your 00:39:41.429 --> 00:39:49.409 decision, stand with me today. Yes, Lord, I give 00:39:49.409 --> 00:39:59.750 my heart to you. Yes, Lord, my will I yield anew. 00:40:00.570 --> 00:40:11.519 Love me, guide me, fill me. my soul. Yes, Lord, 00:40:11.619 --> 00:40:20.280 take full control. Lord, that's our prayer. Thank 00:40:20.280 --> 00:40:23.340 you for your mercy. Thank you for your long suffering. 00:40:24.260 --> 00:40:26.599 Thank you that you were long suffering with Solomon 00:40:26.599 --> 00:40:30.760 and you're patient and merciful with us. We need 00:40:30.760 --> 00:40:34.559 you, Lord. Take full control. We pray in Jesus' 00:40:34.719 --> 00:40:36.380 name. Amen.