WEBVTT 00:00:00.490 --> 00:00:03.810 You know, sometimes I think this generation knows 00:00:03.810 --> 00:00:13.330 all about life and they do not know how to live 00:00:13.330 --> 00:00:20.850 it. Life is vitally important. Your life is vitally 00:00:20.850 --> 00:00:27.750 important, as is mine. And each of us must answer 00:00:27.750 --> 00:00:32.969 this question. Jesus reminds us that he has a 00:00:32.969 --> 00:00:39.590 plan for every life. Whether one is humble or 00:00:39.590 --> 00:00:44.729 brave, large or small. For the scripture says, 00:00:44.909 --> 00:00:50.429 to every man his work. Not to every man a work. 00:00:50.609 --> 00:00:53.950 Not to every man some work. But to every man 00:00:53.950 --> 00:01:00.409 his work. To every woman her work. Have you found 00:01:00.409 --> 00:01:03.770 the plan that God has for you? God has a plan 00:01:03.770 --> 00:01:08.890 for you. God has a plan for every life. It's 00:01:08.890 --> 00:01:14.010 not a matter of chance or of accident that you're 00:01:14.010 --> 00:01:19.409 here. And I still do not believe in luck. We 00:01:19.409 --> 00:01:23.829 use that word so loosely sometimes. I do not 00:01:23.829 --> 00:01:29.159 believe that there is such a thing as luck. God 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:32.760 made you and put you here. For what purpose? 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:40.799 For what purpose is the eternally important question? 00:01:42.260 --> 00:01:47.079 Have you found out what that is? Have you found 00:01:47.079 --> 00:01:51.560 out what niche God would have you feel? He has 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:54.260 one for you. Have you found out the work that 00:01:54.260 --> 00:01:57.900 God would have you to do? Here's a definite work. 00:01:58.459 --> 00:02:01.299 for you to do. And the great important matter 00:02:01.299 --> 00:02:08.500 is your attitude toward life. Today I would like 00:02:08.500 --> 00:02:12.719 for us to think about the attitude toward life 00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:18.939 of two outstanding men. And the Bible speaks 00:02:18.939 --> 00:02:23.560 of these two men. Solomon in the Old Testament, 00:02:23.740 --> 00:02:28.800 Paul in the New Testament. Through the years, 00:02:28.819 --> 00:02:33.159 Solomon made disastrous abuse of life and became 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:36.240 one of the most cynical pessimists the world 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:40.159 has ever known. Although finally, he was recovered 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:46.400 out of it before his day was done. But for many, 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:50.659 many years, his life was wretched beyond words. 00:02:51.180 --> 00:02:56.759 Read it. It's in the Old Testament. Oh, how wretched 00:02:56.759 --> 00:03:01.300 his life was for years and years. Listen to his 00:03:01.300 --> 00:03:05.319 own words. Then I looked on all the works that 00:03:05.319 --> 00:03:08.240 my hands had wrought and on the labor that I 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:13.159 had labored to do. And behold, all was vanity 00:03:13.159 --> 00:03:18.039 and vexation of spirit. And there was no profit 00:03:18.039 --> 00:03:27.289 under the sun. He was right. He was absolutely 00:03:27.289 --> 00:03:32.689 right. They revealed his spirit, his attitude 00:03:32.689 --> 00:03:37.889 toward life during those years. And every man 00:03:37.889 --> 00:03:44.590 living, who is living without a purpose, if he 00:03:44.590 --> 00:03:47.110 was dead honest with himself, would cry the same 00:03:47.110 --> 00:03:51.689 cry. On the other hand, look how different was 00:03:51.689 --> 00:03:54.830 the attitude of Paul. as he looked out upon the 00:03:54.830 --> 00:03:57.889 vast beyond toward which we are all traveling 00:03:57.889 --> 00:04:01.389 paul said with triumph which we can feel in the 00:04:01.389 --> 00:04:04.150 very words this very hour even as we read them 00:04:04.150 --> 00:04:08.509 from the holy word the time of my departure is 00:04:08.509 --> 00:04:13.449 at hand i have fought a good fight i have finished 00:04:13.449 --> 00:04:19.209 my course i have kept the faith henceforth there 00:04:19.209 --> 00:04:21.610 is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which 00:04:21.610 --> 00:04:25.379 the lord the righteous judge shall give me at 00:04:25.379 --> 00:04:30.279 that day and not to me only but to all them also 00:04:30.279 --> 00:04:36.439 that love his appearing oh what a contrast between 00:04:36.439 --> 00:04:41.199 the life of solomon and the life of paul what 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:47.540 a contrast between these two men between their 00:04:47.540 --> 00:04:51.850 two lives And so for very few minutes, we're 00:04:51.850 --> 00:04:55.930 going to compare these men, even in the light 00:04:55.930 --> 00:05:01.110 of the life that one lives today. For a season, 00:05:01.250 --> 00:05:05.449 and quite a long season, Solomon was in a group 00:05:05.449 --> 00:05:11.910 of pessimism. He was cynical, sarcastic, and 00:05:11.910 --> 00:05:18.459 dark despair in his outlook on life. And when 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:24.360 it came to immortality, it never entered his 00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:30.060 mind. He was living for today, and only today. 00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:36.319 You are a citizen of this world, maybe for 50 00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:40.040 years, maybe 60, 70, 80 years, more or less. 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:43.620 And then you shall go to be a citizen of that 00:05:43.620 --> 00:05:48.110 other world forever and ever. The doctrine of 00:05:48.110 --> 00:05:51.529 immortality is not a dead doctrine. You cannot 00:05:51.529 --> 00:05:53.629 close your mind to it. You cannot close your 00:05:53.629 --> 00:05:56.709 ears to it. You cannot close your eyes to the 00:05:56.709 --> 00:06:00.870 doctrine of immortality. For as surely as there's 00:06:00.870 --> 00:06:05.029 life, there is also death. Solomon tried to close 00:06:05.029 --> 00:06:07.529 his mind to immortality, but it didn't work. 00:06:08.470 --> 00:06:13.290 The doctrine of immortality is not a dead doctrine. 00:06:15.019 --> 00:06:19.379 It's not simply some vague philosophy, some abstract 00:06:19.379 --> 00:06:25.180 proposition, some misty dream. The doctrine of 00:06:25.180 --> 00:06:29.860 immortality is a great, a moral dynamic which 00:06:29.860 --> 00:06:32.600 lifts life to a high level and drives it to great 00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:39.560 ends. What is your attitude toward life today? 00:06:41.879 --> 00:06:46.959 Let me ask you. Step from the stage of action 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:51.720 before the week is over with, before the midnight 00:06:51.720 --> 00:06:56.459 hour, and be somewhere else, or before tomorrow's 00:06:56.459 --> 00:07:00.180 sun shall rise. We may be in the great beyond. 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:04.360 We have no guarantee of another tomorrow. We 00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:07.439 have no guarantee for the next beat of the heart. 00:07:09.860 --> 00:07:12.560 You and I are absolutely dependent on Almighty 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:15.649 God. for the next breath that we take into our 00:07:15.649 --> 00:07:22.850 bodies. What is your attitude toward life? We're 00:07:22.850 --> 00:07:27.470 here for a few fast, fleeting years, and then 00:07:27.470 --> 00:07:30.170 we step from the stage here to be somewhere else 00:07:30.170 --> 00:07:36.709 forever and ever. What is your attitude toward 00:07:36.709 --> 00:07:40.589 life? Oh, for years and years, Solomon was utterly 00:07:40.589 --> 00:07:43.889 self -centered in his life. It would seem as 00:07:43.889 --> 00:07:47.769 we'd read his story in the Old Testament, his 00:07:47.769 --> 00:07:51.470 unfolding and remarkable story, that he was probably 00:07:51.470 --> 00:07:54.189 the most self -centered man in all the world 00:07:54.189 --> 00:07:58.170 of his day. Probably there was never a more self 00:07:58.170 --> 00:08:01.910 -centered man in the world from that day to this. 00:08:02.870 --> 00:08:08.129 He began, he built, he carried forward, he planned, 00:08:08.329 --> 00:08:11.629 he acted with an eye to his own pleasure, his 00:08:11.629 --> 00:08:16.079 own honor, his own ease, go and read the book 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:21.360 of the Ecclesiastes. Read it. It's the most pessimistic 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:25.379 book in the Bible. Turn to it and read of Solomon's 00:08:25.379 --> 00:08:29.459 awful plight and then his final recovery and 00:08:29.459 --> 00:08:38.940 then his wise conclusion. At the end, at the 00:08:38.940 --> 00:08:45.610 last of his life, he said, Let us hear the conclusion 00:08:45.610 --> 00:08:52.129 of the whole matter. Fear God and keep his commandments. 00:08:53.009 --> 00:09:00.250 For this is the whole duty of man. This is the 00:09:00.250 --> 00:09:05.710 whole of man. This is what man lives for. Fear 00:09:05.710 --> 00:09:10.509 God reverently. Keep his commandments. Promptly 00:09:10.509 --> 00:09:14.850 and faithfully. Look at Solomon's personal life 00:09:14.850 --> 00:09:20.690 for a while. He tried everything. He said, I 00:09:20.690 --> 00:09:25.269 have tried all of it. A learned man. Called the 00:09:25.269 --> 00:09:28.649 wisest man of his day. He was an author. He searched 00:09:28.649 --> 00:09:31.870 near and far. Delved into all the sources to 00:09:31.870 --> 00:09:36.129 get information. Ransacked all the avenues of 00:09:36.129 --> 00:09:40.389 learning. But he came back and said it was all 00:09:40.389 --> 00:09:47.450 weariness of the flesh. All is vanity and vexation 00:09:47.450 --> 00:09:54.049 of the spirit. I have read those words scores 00:09:54.049 --> 00:10:01.529 of times. All is vanity and vexation of the spirit. 00:10:02.649 --> 00:10:05.450 And then he devoted himself to pleasure. Read 00:10:05.450 --> 00:10:11.620 his story. See how he spent his life. He gave 00:10:11.620 --> 00:10:15.379 full reign to his eye. Looked on all the evils, 00:10:15.379 --> 00:10:17.940 pleasures that man can know in the world. He 00:10:17.940 --> 00:10:21.000 gave full reign to his five physical senses. 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:26.340 Full reign. He turned to the dissipation of the 00:10:26.340 --> 00:10:29.360 body. He turned to drink. Look at his writing 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:32.480 and you'll see where he says, Wine is a mocker. 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:38.870 Strong drink is raging. and whosoever is deceived 00:10:38.870 --> 00:10:46.350 thereby is not wise and in so saying he uttered 00:10:46.350 --> 00:10:54.870 a great truth what folly there is in drink what 00:10:54.870 --> 00:11:01.450 madness America needs to wake up on that matter 00:11:01.450 --> 00:11:05.090 before the currents of evil carry us much further 00:11:05.090 --> 00:11:08.470 down the stream than we are now. And heaven knows 00:11:08.470 --> 00:11:14.529 we're far enough down now. He followed all the 00:11:14.529 --> 00:11:16.450 pleasures you could think of. He had his house 00:11:16.450 --> 00:11:19.029 full of wives of all kinds, from all the lands, 00:11:19.090 --> 00:11:21.870 of all faiths. And he came back and said, all 00:11:21.870 --> 00:11:29.399 is vanity and fixation of spirit. And then he 00:11:29.399 --> 00:11:34.159 tried power of all kinds. He gathered wealth 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:36.860 from all the end of the great kingdom. He built 00:11:36.860 --> 00:11:40.860 up the outstanding kingdom of his day, a powerful 00:11:40.860 --> 00:11:46.700 army, a vast retinue of servants. A mighty company 00:11:46.700 --> 00:11:49.500 thronged about him and gave him applause and 00:11:49.500 --> 00:11:52.139 praise and approbation and bowed before him. 00:11:53.419 --> 00:11:57.919 He tried power in all of its form, wealth, rulership. 00:11:59.139 --> 00:12:01.759 kingship, and yet he came back from it all and 00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:09.000 said, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. His 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:18.899 reaction to it all was, I hate life. I hate life. 00:12:19.320 --> 00:12:25.720 It were better never to have been born. He loathed 00:12:25.720 --> 00:12:30.200 himself. He loathed life. He loathed all the 00:12:30.200 --> 00:12:33.580 things to which he had clung. He loathed all 00:12:33.580 --> 00:12:35.639 the power with which he had surrounded himself. 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:39.960 And he looked back on his life and said, I hate 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:47.259 life. Oh, how this man of ability, of tremendous 00:12:47.259 --> 00:12:52.679 power and of wisdom, in a worldly sense, had 00:12:52.679 --> 00:12:56.639 missed the whole conception of the meaning and 00:12:56.639 --> 00:13:01.590 the mission. of life. There are millions living 00:13:01.590 --> 00:13:08.389 today who can cry the same cry. We've cried everything. 00:13:09.070 --> 00:13:11.850 We've tasted of power. We've tasted of pleasure. 00:13:14.049 --> 00:13:21.429 But in the end, it's vanity. It's empty. There's 00:13:21.429 --> 00:13:24.230 no real happiness. There's no real satisfaction. 00:13:27.789 --> 00:13:32.570 Better that we had never been born. Mm -hmm. 00:13:34.370 --> 00:13:39.049 But in his old age, Solomon became conscious 00:13:39.049 --> 00:13:43.429 of the fact that he was a citizen of two worlds. 00:13:44.450 --> 00:13:49.750 And it was then that he said, Let us hear the 00:13:49.750 --> 00:13:55.690 conclusion of the whole matter. Beer, golf... 00:13:55.769 --> 00:14:01.090 and keep his commandments. For this is the whole 00:14:01.090 --> 00:14:09.669 duty of man. Oh, what profound words. Would to 00:14:09.669 --> 00:14:13.629 God I could stand on the highest mountain top 00:14:13.629 --> 00:14:19.009 and proclaim it to the whole world again. Let 00:14:19.009 --> 00:14:28.049 us fear God. and keep his commandments. For this 00:14:28.049 --> 00:14:36.049 is the whole duty of man. And he was recovered 00:14:36.049 --> 00:14:39.590 by the might of God before his day was done. 00:14:40.450 --> 00:14:44.490 And he gave that great counsel before his son 00:14:44.490 --> 00:14:50.769 was sent. Now turn for just a moment and look 00:14:50.769 --> 00:14:57.159 to the second man. Paul. Paul, who was the mightiest 00:14:57.159 --> 00:15:00.399 man of the New Testament, the greatest single 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:04.200 credential that Christianity has had from the 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:08.419 first Christian until this very hour. His attitude 00:15:08.419 --> 00:15:11.840 toward life was as far different from that of 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:19.940 Solomon as the East is from the West. Just as 00:15:19.940 --> 00:15:23.960 different, just as far removed, The one from 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:29.980 the other. I doubt not that the most joyful man 00:15:29.980 --> 00:15:35.379 who ever lived was this man, Paul. The most joyful. 00:15:36.580 --> 00:15:40.000 All his tribulations were overwhelming. He did 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:43.159 not have an easy life. But turn, if you will, 00:15:43.179 --> 00:15:45.000 please, to the second letter to the Corinthians, 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:47.460 and there in the eleventh chapter he tells of 00:15:47.460 --> 00:15:49.960 his tribulation. He'd been beaten five times. 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:54.500 with forty stripes save one. He'd been shipwrecked 00:15:54.500 --> 00:15:59.519 time and time again. He'd been imprisoned time 00:15:59.519 --> 00:16:04.799 and time again. He'd been scorned, despised without 00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:09.500 number. He'd been hungry. He'd been in fastings. 00:16:09.539 --> 00:16:13.899 He'd been betrayed. He'd been through it all, 00:16:13.960 --> 00:16:17.379 and yet he had always come out victoriously. 00:16:19.690 --> 00:16:25.629 I am more than conqueror, he said. Oh, those 00:16:25.629 --> 00:16:33.970 words of Paul thrill me. I am more than conqueror. 00:16:34.409 --> 00:16:37.230 And he said those words with such confidence. 00:16:37.690 --> 00:16:42.210 He was so secure. Why? Because he was secure 00:16:42.210 --> 00:16:45.929 in Christ Jesus. He knew from whom he was getting 00:16:45.929 --> 00:16:49.590 his strength. He was not defeated on a single 00:16:49.590 --> 00:16:54.450 score. He had the right attitude regarding life. 00:16:54.769 --> 00:16:57.730 Again and again, Paul was able to write the words, 00:16:57.830 --> 00:17:04.230 Rejoice! Rejoice! And again I say, Rejoice evermore! 00:17:06.309 --> 00:17:11.450 Irrepressible! Unconquerable! He was the most 00:17:11.450 --> 00:17:15.329 joyful man that ever lived. A man who lived a 00:17:15.329 --> 00:17:17.740 full life. because he had a real purpose for 00:17:17.740 --> 00:17:25.019 living. Solomon said, I hate life. Paul said, 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:33.019 I rejoice in Christ. Solomon had a long season 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:44.680 of a life without Christ. But oh, beloved, Paul... 00:17:44.809 --> 00:17:51.029 had a full life that was yielded to God's perfect 00:17:51.029 --> 00:17:57.769 will. How vastly important your attitude toward 00:17:57.769 --> 00:18:06.789 life. You and I are eternity bound. What are 00:18:06.789 --> 00:18:13.029 you living for? Paul, what are you living for? 00:18:13.960 --> 00:18:19.599 And Paul says, I'm living to pay a debt. And 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:25.039 what is your debt? I owe every kind of service 00:18:25.039 --> 00:18:30.980 that I can give to everybody. I owe everybody. 00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:35.359 I am a Jew, but I owe a debt to the Gentiles. 00:18:36.220 --> 00:18:40.180 If I am a wise man, I owe a debt to the ignorant 00:18:40.180 --> 00:18:44.940 masses. I am a poor man. But I owe a debt not 00:18:44.940 --> 00:18:48.420 only to the poor, but to the wealthy, the ease 00:18:48.420 --> 00:18:52.779 -loving, the God -forgiving. I owe myself to 00:18:52.779 --> 00:18:57.660 humanity. And while I am here, I must live to 00:18:57.660 --> 00:19:03.599 pay this debt. I must do all the good that I 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:09.700 can to all the people I can, just as long as 00:19:09.700 --> 00:19:18.789 ever I can. My friend, I pass this way but once. 00:19:19.589 --> 00:19:26.829 I have but one life to live. I give my life to 00:19:26.829 --> 00:19:32.650 God first. Then following in his footsteps and 00:19:32.650 --> 00:19:38.769 following his example, I give my life to humanity. 00:19:40.430 --> 00:19:43.069 To you.