WEBVTT 00:00:01.759 --> 00:00:06.559 David said in Psalm 23, Yea, though I walk through 00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:09.800 the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with 00:00:09.800 --> 00:00:16.179 me. I have not walked through the valley of the 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:21.780 shadow of death, but I have walked in it, and 00:00:21.780 --> 00:00:26.559 he is there. And many of you have experienced 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:32.250 the same thing. He is there. I want to thank 00:00:32.250 --> 00:00:37.310 you for the scores and scores of cards that you 00:00:37.310 --> 00:00:40.350 have sent and for so many hundreds of you praying 00:00:40.350 --> 00:00:46.710 for us during these last difficult weeks. Your 00:00:46.710 --> 00:00:52.270 support has been keenly felt, and I cannot tell 00:00:52.270 --> 00:00:55.270 you how much that means to me, to my family. 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:01.039 My mother's home going was quite sudden and unexpected. 00:01:01.820 --> 00:01:04.620 Only two days before she had received word from 00:01:04.620 --> 00:01:07.480 the cardiologist that she was not a candidate 00:01:07.480 --> 00:01:11.980 for a heart attack. And as sometimes happened, 00:01:12.060 --> 00:01:14.519 as much as we know now, it was a heart attack 00:01:14.519 --> 00:01:18.680 that took her quite suddenly. She had been talking 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:23.540 with a friend of hers on the telephone and made 00:01:23.540 --> 00:01:27.540 some kind of a sound. that her friend could not 00:01:27.540 --> 00:01:30.159 quite discern, and then said quickly, I have 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:35.040 to go, and hung up. And as best as we can piece 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:37.459 it together, she took about two steps from the 00:01:37.459 --> 00:01:40.579 telephone and stepped right out of her body. 00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:46.060 And before her body hit the floor, she was gone 00:01:46.060 --> 00:01:49.500 into the Lord's presence. What a beautiful way 00:01:49.500 --> 00:01:53.319 for her to go. It's a tough thing for those of 00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:56.239 us who are left behind. From the standpoint that 00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:58.439 we do not get our last goodbyes, and again, some 00:01:58.439 --> 00:02:01.500 of you can identify with that, that's not a unique 00:02:01.500 --> 00:02:07.379 experience to me. The Lord has been so good through 00:02:07.379 --> 00:02:15.460 this. Of course, many tears have been shed. But 00:02:15.460 --> 00:02:19.500 I have to share one thing the Lord did that in 00:02:19.500 --> 00:02:23.020 some ways is rather minute, but is very precious. 00:02:26.150 --> 00:02:29.250 Apparently several weeks ago, perhaps months 00:02:29.250 --> 00:02:33.710 ago, there was an egg that hatched somewhere 00:02:33.710 --> 00:02:36.750 down in southern Minnesota. And out of that egg 00:02:36.750 --> 00:02:39.169 that hatched, a little caterpillar came forth 00:02:39.169 --> 00:02:43.409 and crawled around and ate whatever caterpillars 00:02:43.409 --> 00:02:47.930 eat. And eventually, I guess when he got full, 00:02:48.050 --> 00:02:50.610 he climbed up onto a plant or maybe it was a 00:02:50.610 --> 00:02:54.689 post along a fence somewhere on a tree. He found 00:02:54.689 --> 00:02:57.270 a place to attach himself and began to weave 00:02:57.270 --> 00:03:00.229 his cocoon, and in there went through the process 00:03:00.229 --> 00:03:06.229 of metamorphosis, of change. And in a few days 00:03:06.229 --> 00:03:08.909 came forth from that chrysalis as a beautiful 00:03:08.909 --> 00:03:15.430 monarch butterfly. And the Lord had that butterfly 00:03:15.430 --> 00:03:20.990 fly around southern Minnesota until that Friday 00:03:20.990 --> 00:03:23.469 afternoon as we were driving through. And the 00:03:23.469 --> 00:03:25.449 Lord sent him out into the middle of the interstate 00:03:25.449 --> 00:03:29.129 and had that butterfly position himself in such 00:03:29.129 --> 00:03:32.909 a way that he caught perfectly balanced on our 00:03:32.909 --> 00:03:37.990 antenna, on our car. Now, you imagine that. I've 00:03:37.990 --> 00:03:41.990 hit a lot of bugs in my time, but I've never 00:03:41.990 --> 00:03:46.110 had that happen before. And we noticed the butterfly 00:03:46.110 --> 00:03:51.180 that was on the antenna. That was like a message 00:03:51.180 --> 00:03:53.340 from the Lord that in the midst of our sorrow, 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:56.020 as we grieve for our loved one who had died, 00:03:56.259 --> 00:04:00.639 that it was not the end, but that there was going 00:04:00.639 --> 00:04:04.960 to be a new body come forth, a changed body, 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:08.280 a glorious body, and that we would see Mom again. 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:12.400 You know, that butterfly stayed there through 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:17.279 a rainstorm in Iowa, through the 65 -mile -an 00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:21.019 -hour winds, no faster. as we drove down the 00:04:21.019 --> 00:04:24.680 interstate all the way to Kansas so that we were 00:04:24.680 --> 00:04:28.939 able to share that with my stepfather through 00:04:28.939 --> 00:04:31.980 the whole funeral process of several days and 00:04:31.980 --> 00:04:35.720 then until we arrived in Kentucky and could share 00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:38.180 it there with Jeanette's parents. I have the 00:04:38.180 --> 00:04:41.639 butterfly or what remains of it. But that was 00:04:41.639 --> 00:04:45.680 a very special sign to us from the Lord of the 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:50.779 Resurrection. I struggled a great deal, as many 00:04:50.779 --> 00:04:52.699 of you have struggled in similar circumstances. 00:04:54.740 --> 00:04:58.300 Obviously, it was the will of God that my mother 00:04:58.300 --> 00:05:00.480 should be taken home at that particular time. 00:05:02.279 --> 00:05:08.779 It was too soon as far as I was concerned. For 00:05:08.779 --> 00:05:12.160 the first two days, I struggled a great deal. 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:16.459 I have stood beside many caskets, and I have 00:05:16.459 --> 00:05:19.889 said to families, you know if we had the power 00:05:19.889 --> 00:05:22.370 to call your loved one back, we wouldn't be selfish 00:05:22.370 --> 00:05:25.569 enough to do it, would we? But I want you to 00:05:25.569 --> 00:05:27.449 know for those first two days, I was selfish 00:05:27.449 --> 00:05:34.730 enough to do it if I'd have had the power. But 00:05:34.730 --> 00:05:37.610 finally on Sunday evening, three weeks ago today, 00:05:37.829 --> 00:05:48.050 I went for a walk by myself. on the farm where 00:05:48.050 --> 00:05:55.370 I was raised and had a time of prayer. And at 00:05:55.370 --> 00:06:02.449 that time I gave my mother to the Lord. Now, 00:06:02.470 --> 00:06:07.790 not that she was mine to keep, you see, for as 00:06:07.790 --> 00:06:12.569 surely as we were gifts to her, so she was a 00:06:12.569 --> 00:06:16.910 gift to her children and to her family. But I 00:06:16.910 --> 00:06:23.350 was able at that time to release her into the 00:06:23.350 --> 00:06:28.290 Lord's hands. And I want to testify to you from 00:06:28.290 --> 00:06:32.470 that time on, there was a grace and a peace that 00:06:32.470 --> 00:06:36.430 bathed our hearts that is beyond anything I've 00:06:36.430 --> 00:06:42.529 ever experienced. And so when I say that I have 00:06:42.529 --> 00:06:44.790 walked in the valley of the shadow of the death 00:06:44.790 --> 00:06:49.939 and he is there, I mean it. The Lord is there. 00:06:51.459 --> 00:06:54.220 And even those events in our lives that we fear 00:06:54.220 --> 00:07:00.439 and dread, and I have dreaded her death since 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:06.100 the death of my father 34 years ago. Even those 00:07:06.100 --> 00:07:11.160 events, God is in control of. And he does not 00:07:11.160 --> 00:07:15.920 leave us in those times. I have preached the 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:18.220 promises of God and His Word, and I have, to 00:07:18.220 --> 00:07:21.740 some extent in my life, experienced them. And 00:07:21.740 --> 00:07:28.079 now in a new dimension, I have experienced them 00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:34.120 again. I have known heartache in my life. I have 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:36.120 never known heartache like I have experienced 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:39.339 in the last three weeks. And many of you have 00:07:39.339 --> 00:07:42.420 experienced the same thing. And I know that if 00:07:42.420 --> 00:07:44.279 you could stand here today as a child of God, 00:07:44.360 --> 00:07:46.600 you would testify the same thing that I am saying. 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:51.439 That the Lord is not only sufficient, He is abundant 00:07:51.439 --> 00:08:01.060 in His grace. We cannot always understand why 00:08:01.060 --> 00:08:05.360 God does what He does. We don't understand God's 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:14.889 timing. God's goodness and God's wisdom in those 00:08:14.889 --> 00:08:21.129 events. I'd like for you to turn with me in your 00:08:21.129 --> 00:08:24.310 Bible to Ephesians chapter 5 as we talk today 00:08:24.310 --> 00:08:28.410 about the will of the Lord. I have just spoken 00:08:28.410 --> 00:08:31.750 about my own experience and the will of the Lord 00:08:31.750 --> 00:08:36.730 in a certain respect. But our text today brings 00:08:36.730 --> 00:08:39.649 us into another aspect of the will of the Lord. 00:08:40.779 --> 00:08:43.899 And I will begin reading in verse 15 of Ephesians 00:08:43.899 --> 00:08:49.139 chapter 5. Therefore be careful how you walk, 00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:54.879 not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:59.419 of your time, because the days are evil. So then 00:08:59.419 --> 00:09:02.159 do not be foolish, but understand what the will 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:06.120 of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, 00:09:06.379 --> 00:09:10.669 for that is dissipation. but be filled with the 00:09:10.669 --> 00:09:14.409 Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and 00:09:14.409 --> 00:09:18.070 hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making 00:09:18.070 --> 00:09:21.909 melody with your heart to the Lord, always giving 00:09:21.909 --> 00:09:24.970 thanks for all things in the name of our Lord 00:09:24.970 --> 00:09:29.190 Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father, and be 00:09:29.190 --> 00:09:31.370 subject to one another in the fear of Christ. 00:09:33.830 --> 00:09:38.230 Every Christian from time to time ponders this 00:09:38.230 --> 00:09:43.409 matter of God's will for him or for her. It may 00:09:43.409 --> 00:09:47.970 be God's will regarding marriage or God's will 00:09:47.970 --> 00:09:52.809 regarding a job. Perhaps it is seeking God's 00:09:52.809 --> 00:09:56.309 will concerning having a family or what college 00:09:56.309 --> 00:09:59.870 to attend or whether to continue a certain relationship. 00:10:02.120 --> 00:10:04.480 In my experience with the will of God, I have 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:06.679 found that it is not something which we must 00:10:06.679 --> 00:10:12.820 so much find as that which we must obey. For 00:10:12.820 --> 00:10:19.539 as we obey what we know God wants us to do, those 00:10:19.539 --> 00:10:23.340 other less certain questions will become more 00:10:23.340 --> 00:10:28.759 clear to us. Our study focuses today on some 00:10:28.759 --> 00:10:31.580 aspects of the will of the Lord for His children. 00:10:32.779 --> 00:10:35.580 I want you to notice that it says in verse 17, 00:10:35.700 --> 00:10:40.620 God wants us to understand His will. God does 00:10:40.620 --> 00:10:43.320 not play hide -and -seek with us regarding His 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:48.019 will for our lives. But He says here, do not 00:10:48.019 --> 00:10:52.580 be foolish, but understand what the will of the 00:10:52.580 --> 00:10:57.330 Lord is. This is an imperative. It is a command 00:10:57.330 --> 00:11:02.330 to us. We are ordered here to keep on understanding 00:11:02.330 --> 00:11:06.950 the will of God. Therefore, God is not going 00:11:06.950 --> 00:11:10.529 to make it difficult for us to know what His 00:11:10.529 --> 00:11:15.509 will is in this respect. He desires for us to 00:11:15.509 --> 00:11:21.000 intellectually comprehend God's will. The word 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:24.559 here means, according to Barclay, to wisely discriminate 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:30.519 and evaluate, to understand. It means to gain 00:11:30.519 --> 00:11:34.340 insight as a result of our putting together the 00:11:34.340 --> 00:11:39.399 facts. God does not want us to be foolish or 00:11:39.399 --> 00:11:44.100 senseless, that is, imprudent. Rather, he wants 00:11:44.100 --> 00:11:48.379 us to use our heads as well as our hearts. But 00:11:48.379 --> 00:11:50.700 the emphasis here is upon our heads, that gray 00:11:50.700 --> 00:11:53.620 matter that God has put inside of our skulls. 00:11:54.340 --> 00:11:58.120 He says, understand, comprehend what God's will 00:11:58.120 --> 00:12:05.539 is. Perhaps what our need today is, is that we 00:12:05.539 --> 00:12:09.120 take the will of God out of the vague, shadowy 00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:13.919 realm of our feelings and take a hard look at 00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:18.299 the will of God in the light of definitive, clear 00:12:18.299 --> 00:12:24.659 revelation. God has explicitly stated in His 00:12:24.659 --> 00:12:28.919 Holy Word exactly what His will is for each of 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:34.120 us. In our text there are three commands that 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:36.480 tell us what the will of God is that we are to 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:39.879 understand. These are not merely opportunities. 00:12:40.700 --> 00:12:43.840 These are not privileges. These are not just 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:48.120 possibilities. These are not merely suggestions, 00:12:48.200 --> 00:12:52.679 but we are given commands, imperatives in the 00:12:52.679 --> 00:12:57.519 word of God, which if we obey, we will be doing 00:12:57.519 --> 00:13:03.159 the will of the Lord. The first command is, be 00:13:03.159 --> 00:13:08.840 careful how you walk, verse 15. The second command 00:13:08.840 --> 00:13:15.179 is, do not get drunk with wine, verse 18. And 00:13:15.179 --> 00:13:18.019 the third command, be filled with the Spirit, 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:22.200 again in verse 18. We're not going to have time 00:13:22.200 --> 00:13:24.960 to look at all of that, but we will get started 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:28.259 today and then pick it up later. Let's look first 00:13:28.259 --> 00:13:31.320 at the command, be careful how you walk, in verse 00:13:31.320 --> 00:13:35.840 15. The Phillips translation puts it this way, 00:13:35.899 --> 00:13:40.100 live life with a due sense of responsibility. 00:13:42.029 --> 00:13:45.490 live life with a due sense of responsibility. 00:13:46.429 --> 00:13:49.629 In other words, as one who has been called by 00:13:49.629 --> 00:13:53.769 God out of darkness to become a child of light, 00:13:53.970 --> 00:13:59.690 as one who has been intended by God to be different, 00:13:59.830 --> 00:14:04.149 to live separately from the pagan society around 00:14:04.149 --> 00:14:09.250 us, as one who has been called by God to conduct 00:14:09.250 --> 00:14:17.320 himself Distinctively, be careful. Be careful 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:21.899 how you walk. Our choice of activities, commitments, 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:28.240 entertainments, involvements, assignments, responsibilities, 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:33.659 pleasures, whatever else entails the use of our 00:14:33.659 --> 00:14:38.299 life's energy and resources, those choices are 00:14:38.299 --> 00:14:45.529 to be under the lordship of Jesus Christ. Our 00:14:45.529 --> 00:14:48.330 lives are not to be divided into the sacred and 00:14:48.330 --> 00:14:51.950 the secular so that we give to the Lord that 00:14:51.950 --> 00:14:54.549 which is sacred and we retain rights to what 00:14:54.549 --> 00:15:00.509 is secular. That is a false division. All of 00:15:00.509 --> 00:15:04.460 life is sacred for the child of God. And what 00:15:04.460 --> 00:15:06.779 he says to us is that we are to be sure that 00:15:06.779 --> 00:15:09.440 all of it is under the lordship of Jesus Christ. 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:13.080 Be careful how you conduct yourself, he says. 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:17.100 In other words, our behavior is to be evaluated 00:15:17.100 --> 00:15:22.320 with care, precision, with discernment that is 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:27.600 given to us from this book. That allows the Holy 00:15:27.600 --> 00:15:32.720 Spirit to approve or to disapprove. to direct 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:37.840 or to convict. But he says, examine your walk. 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:43.379 Be careful how you behave yourself. Give thought 00:15:43.379 --> 00:15:48.720 to it. Even the pagan philosopher Socrates said, 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:56.120 the unexamined life is not worth living. Now 00:15:56.120 --> 00:16:00.620 if a heathen, unsaved philosopher would have 00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:02.700 that kind of insight. How much more should the 00:16:02.700 --> 00:16:05.539 child of God understand the importance of the 00:16:05.539 --> 00:16:10.000 examined life? That's why the apostle says to 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:12.899 the Corinthians several times, examine yourselves. 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:17.519 Indeed, he tells them as they come together for 00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:20.600 the Lord's Supper that they are to examine themselves 00:16:20.600 --> 00:16:25.340 and then eat of that bread and drink of that 00:16:25.340 --> 00:16:30.419 cup. Lest they should do so, in an unworthy manner. 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:36.159 Examine yourself, says the Apostle. The point 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:38.860 that he's making is this, that God's will for 00:16:38.860 --> 00:16:43.720 us, each of us, is that we live with a proper 00:16:43.720 --> 00:16:48.120 and balanced self -examination, scrutinizing 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:51.179 the choices of our lives in the light of His 00:16:51.179 --> 00:16:55.679 Holy Word. Now, why are we to do that? He explains 00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:58.899 it to us. There are two reasons. The first one 00:16:58.899 --> 00:17:00.980 in this phrase, making the most of your time. 00:17:02.460 --> 00:17:05.480 The second reason, because the days are evil. 00:17:07.619 --> 00:17:10.240 First he tells us that we are to examine our 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:13.839 conduct because of life's privileges and opportunities. 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:19.180 They quickly pass. I believe it was last Sunday 00:17:19.180 --> 00:17:21.420 that you looked at a verse in Colossians chapter 00:17:21.420 --> 00:17:25.039 4. May I remind you of that text which says, 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:29.700 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, 00:17:29.980 --> 00:17:34.819 making the most of the opportunity. And that's 00:17:34.819 --> 00:17:38.799 what he says here to us. Making the most of your 00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:44.319 time. Literally, he says, buy this up at the 00:17:44.319 --> 00:17:48.000 marketplace. In other words, he means to seize 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:52.240 the opportunities that come to us. The Expositor's 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:55.099 Bible Commentary says, Make the best possible 00:17:55.099 --> 00:18:00.880 use of all circumstances like prudent merchants. 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:09.019 Be like a wise merchant in the use of your time. 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:13.220 Buy up the opportunities. Do you realize that 00:18:13.220 --> 00:18:16.720 for every choice you make, you are paying a price? 00:18:19.690 --> 00:18:24.410 You are laying down on the line time, the most 00:18:24.410 --> 00:18:31.410 precious commodity that you have. I learned that 00:18:31.410 --> 00:18:36.549 keenly in the last three weeks. What I would 00:18:36.549 --> 00:18:40.450 have given for five more minutes to say some 00:18:40.450 --> 00:18:43.289 things to my mother, but there was no time for 00:18:43.289 --> 00:18:50.880 that. Time is precious, my friend. And the interesting 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:53.079 part of it is that we don't know how much we 00:18:53.079 --> 00:19:00.119 have. All of us assume that it's unlimited in 00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:03.299 its supply for us, maybe not for the other guy. 00:19:06.740 --> 00:19:09.640 That's why the apostle says, examine your life. 00:19:11.400 --> 00:19:14.740 Be careful in your conduct because of life's 00:19:14.740 --> 00:19:18.140 opportunities. Life is too precious to waste, 00:19:18.380 --> 00:19:23.250 he says. And then he says a second reason is 00:19:23.250 --> 00:19:27.269 because of the present evil. The days or the 00:19:27.269 --> 00:19:32.109 time in which we live is dominated by moral evil 00:19:32.109 --> 00:19:37.170 and will be so increasingly as the age plays 00:19:37.170 --> 00:19:44.509 out. The word evil here is the word panaros in 00:19:44.509 --> 00:19:48.730 the original language, which refers to a deliberate 00:19:48.730 --> 00:19:55.240 defiance. of the moral law for personal gain, 00:19:55.599 --> 00:20:00.099 without regard to the pain or suffering brought 00:20:00.099 --> 00:20:03.960 to others. Is there a better word to describe 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:10.500 our time these days than this word evil? It is 00:20:10.500 --> 00:20:16.740 the defiance of moral law for selfish gain, without 00:20:16.740 --> 00:20:19.039 regard to the pain or the suffering brought to 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:23.559 others. It is the active outworking of an evil 00:20:23.559 --> 00:20:27.880 nature. The apostle says that you and I live 00:20:27.880 --> 00:20:32.160 in a time like that. Our society is dominated 00:20:32.160 --> 00:20:37.920 by evil. He says to us, children of God, those 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:42.180 who are called children of light, take care how 00:20:42.180 --> 00:20:45.400 you conduct yourself, lest you be sucked into 00:20:45.400 --> 00:20:50.400 the same system that controls the world. Lest 00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:55.740 the same motives, the same goals, dominate you, 00:20:55.940 --> 00:21:01.000 that dominate those you live around. Be careful 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:05.559 how you conduct yourself, he says. This self 00:21:05.559 --> 00:21:09.000 -watch, this discipline that he speaks of, will 00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:13.940 make one wise. Otherwise, one is foolish, he 00:21:13.940 --> 00:21:20.099 says. We are to be sensible, not senseless. Therefore, 00:21:20.359 --> 00:21:24.579 we are to examine ourselves. Be careful how you 00:21:24.579 --> 00:21:29.599 walk, how you spend your money, how you use your 00:21:29.599 --> 00:21:35.119 time, how you treat others. Each of us today, 00:21:35.319 --> 00:21:38.200 if we want to do the will of God, must stop and 00:21:38.200 --> 00:21:42.519 take account and ask ourselves, will my behavior 00:21:42.519 --> 00:21:50.259 pass God's test? Do I treat others in a way that 00:21:50.259 --> 00:21:54.619 God is pleased with? My wife, my husband, my 00:21:54.619 --> 00:22:00.180 roommate, my co -workers, my neighbors, my children, 00:22:00.420 --> 00:22:06.559 my parents. Do I treat others in a way that God 00:22:06.559 --> 00:22:09.200 can give his blessing to me because of that? 00:22:10.259 --> 00:22:17.779 How do I spend my money? Do I go through it quickly, 00:22:17.960 --> 00:22:25.119 thoughtlessly, or do I carefully plan it? So 00:22:25.119 --> 00:22:28.859 often we give to God what is left over at the 00:22:28.859 --> 00:22:33.559 end of our pay period. How tragic. Is God only 00:22:33.559 --> 00:22:37.859 worth the leftovers? That's why he says in Proverbs 00:22:37.859 --> 00:22:39.819 that we're to bring to the Lord the first fruits 00:22:39.819 --> 00:22:44.200 of our increase. We're to plan our money so that 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:47.500 we give to God his, right out of the front end, 00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:53.579 not the back end? Do we use our money for our 00:22:53.579 --> 00:23:03.000 own wasteful purposes? Can God give us blessing 00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:07.559 to us in the way that we use our money? Or do 00:23:07.559 --> 00:23:10.559 we live like the world does? Are we intent on 00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:13.200 spending it on things and accumulating riches? 00:23:15.789 --> 00:23:18.289 My mother never accumulated a great deal in this 00:23:18.289 --> 00:23:24.369 life. I am left a rich inheritance, but it's 00:23:24.369 --> 00:23:28.009 not in material things. But I'll tell you this 00:23:28.009 --> 00:23:32.930 much. What she accumulated, all of it she left 00:23:32.930 --> 00:23:40.309 behind. She didn't take anything with her. Why 00:23:40.309 --> 00:23:42.769 then do we spend money for things that will never 00:23:42.769 --> 00:23:47.769 last beyond this life? Should they last 50 years? 00:23:47.910 --> 00:23:51.210 So what? They don't last beyond that. Now, there 00:23:51.210 --> 00:23:55.329 are some things we need, of course. But I fear 00:23:55.329 --> 00:23:59.369 that we live in an age that is so used to lavishing 00:23:59.369 --> 00:24:04.930 money upon its greed that somehow we easily lose 00:24:04.930 --> 00:24:10.289 perspective in that ourselves. Take heed how 00:24:10.289 --> 00:24:12.250 you conduct yourself with regard to your money. 00:24:15.619 --> 00:24:25.200 The one thing that lasts is people. The souls 00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:30.500 of people. That's it. You're never going to see 00:24:30.500 --> 00:24:35.279 that stereo system in heaven. You're never going 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:37.859 to see that boat there. Now, there's a wonderful 00:24:37.859 --> 00:24:39.700 river of life, but there's not going to be your 00:24:39.700 --> 00:24:48.460 motorboat on it. Those things that we accumulate, 00:24:48.579 --> 00:24:51.119 they're going to stay behind. But the one thing 00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:53.900 that we can see in heaven that we invest in in 00:24:53.900 --> 00:24:59.319 earth is people, ministry. Seeing people, one, 00:24:59.420 --> 00:25:03.539 to Jesus Christ, whether it be here in this mission 00:25:03.539 --> 00:25:05.960 field of the Twin Cities or in the mission field 00:25:05.960 --> 00:25:14.339 of India or Africa or Europe or Japan, people, 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:19.220 that's what counts. How wise we are when we invest 00:25:19.220 --> 00:25:25.920 large sums of our money in that direction. God's 00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:31.039 work. Because that money is never wasted. That's 00:25:31.039 --> 00:25:39.380 truly wise investment. He says, take heed how 00:25:39.380 --> 00:25:44.140 you live. Because life's opportunities quickly 00:25:44.140 --> 00:25:51.319 pass. And once they're past, they're past. Take 00:25:51.319 --> 00:25:53.799 heed how you live because the day in which you 00:25:53.799 --> 00:25:56.299 live is evil and it puts tremendous pressure 00:25:56.299 --> 00:26:01.980 upon you. So don't be conformed to this world, 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:05.460 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 00:26:05.500 --> 00:26:09.400 He says, think right about your time, your money, 00:26:09.559 --> 00:26:12.319 your relationships, and use them for the glory 00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:19.200 of God. There's a second command that we need 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:21.299 to look at so that we can know the will of God 00:26:21.299 --> 00:26:25.359 and do it. It's found in verse 18 where he says, 00:26:25.500 --> 00:26:29.920 Do not get drunk. Literally, be not drunk with 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:35.140 wine. Now there are some people that look at 00:26:35.140 --> 00:26:37.279 that and they seem to have a hard time understanding 00:26:37.279 --> 00:26:39.180 what the Apostle is saying. And they ask, what 00:26:39.180 --> 00:26:42.299 does he really mean? Well, what he really means 00:26:42.299 --> 00:26:46.730 is, do not get drunk with wine. There's nothing 00:26:46.730 --> 00:26:52.349 mystical here. The Ephesians, by the way, would 00:26:52.349 --> 00:26:54.349 have quickly understood what he was saying because 00:26:54.349 --> 00:26:57.670 they were familiar with the Bacchus festivals 00:26:57.670 --> 00:27:06.589 in the worship of their god Dionysius. The linguistic 00:27:06.589 --> 00:27:09.809 key to the Greek New Testament says, the excesses 00:27:09.809 --> 00:27:12.369 and the flagrant and senseless activities connected 00:27:12.369 --> 00:27:15.049 with the religious celebrations to Dionysus. 00:27:15.950 --> 00:27:18.809 were well known to the ancient world. The worshipers 00:27:18.809 --> 00:27:22.430 felt that they were united, indwelled, and controlled 00:27:22.430 --> 00:27:26.170 by Dionysius, who gave them special powers and 00:27:26.170 --> 00:27:28.609 abilities. You say, what's that got to do with 00:27:28.609 --> 00:27:32.049 being drunk? John MacArthur has an interesting 00:27:32.049 --> 00:27:36.009 insight to this in his study guide. Let me read 00:27:36.009 --> 00:27:38.950 you a couple of paragraphs. Paul's main thrust 00:27:38.950 --> 00:27:43.549 here is religious. He is contrasting paganism 00:27:43.549 --> 00:27:47.099 with Christianity. The pagans believed that to 00:27:47.099 --> 00:27:49.299 commune with the gods you had to put yourself 00:27:49.299 --> 00:27:53.339 in a drunken stupor in order to come to the highest 00:27:53.339 --> 00:27:57.259 level of communion. This was called the mystery 00:27:57.259 --> 00:27:59.859 religion and was the root of the Greek and Roman 00:27:59.859 --> 00:28:04.519 mythological religious systems. Even today, people 00:28:04.519 --> 00:28:07.380 are saying that if you get high on drugs or alcohol, 00:28:07.700 --> 00:28:10.420 you will reach a greater level of consciousness 00:28:10.420 --> 00:28:14.279 and can commune in a religious way at a higher 00:28:14.279 --> 00:28:18.329 level. Eastern mysticism, occultism, and all 00:28:18.329 --> 00:28:21.750 kinds of mystical religions advocate this. None 00:28:21.750 --> 00:28:23.750 of it's new. It's right out of the history of 00:28:23.750 --> 00:28:27.430 paganism. Now, to better understand the culture 00:28:27.430 --> 00:28:29.910 of the Ephesian church to which Paul was writing, 00:28:30.049 --> 00:28:33.109 we will take a brief look, he says, at the Greek 00:28:33.109 --> 00:28:38.430 mythological system. Here's what he says. The 00:28:38.430 --> 00:28:42.329 great god of Greek mythology was a god named 00:28:42.329 --> 00:28:49.019 Zeus. He gave birth to a son, Dionysius, who 00:28:49.019 --> 00:28:54.079 became the god in control of the earth. As Dionysius 00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:56.700 was in control of the earth, he began to develop 00:28:56.700 --> 00:29:00.160 a religion called the religion of ascendancy. 00:29:01.099 --> 00:29:03.839 This religion taught that a human being could 00:29:03.839 --> 00:29:07.539 arise to a level of divine consciousness brought 00:29:07.539 --> 00:29:11.579 about by ecstasy and emotion. It was a religion 00:29:11.579 --> 00:29:15.230 characterized by wild music, dancing madness, 00:29:15.650 --> 00:29:20.470 ecstasies, and sexual perversions, all induced 00:29:20.470 --> 00:29:25.490 by drunkenness. And so Dionysius became known 00:29:25.490 --> 00:29:30.049 as the god of wine. His Roman name was Bacchus. 00:29:30.670 --> 00:29:33.490 The core of the whole concept of drunkenness 00:29:33.490 --> 00:29:37.970 is a vile, pagan counterfeit of a true religion. 00:29:38.829 --> 00:29:43.289 So when Paul speaks, look... don't be drunk with 00:29:43.289 --> 00:29:47.269 wine, he's not merely dealing with a social problem, 00:29:47.430 --> 00:29:51.329 he's dealing with a theological one. He is saying 00:29:51.329 --> 00:29:54.730 to these Ephesians, your background was a place 00:29:54.730 --> 00:29:57.509 where you communed with the gods through drunkenness. 00:29:57.589 --> 00:30:00.470 But I am saying to you, if you want to really 00:30:00.470 --> 00:30:03.930 communicate with God, be filled with his spirit. 00:30:05.930 --> 00:30:09.009 Now those words from Dr. MacArthur help put into 00:30:09.009 --> 00:30:12.039 context what the apostle is saying. when he says, 00:30:12.079 --> 00:30:17.299 do not get drunk with wine. It is sociological, 00:30:17.299 --> 00:30:23.859 but it's theological in its main emphasis. Now 00:30:23.859 --> 00:30:26.460 today we are not used to the theological side 00:30:26.460 --> 00:30:30.400 of it, because very few people still worship 00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:36.920 Dionysius, knowingly. So what is the application 00:30:36.920 --> 00:30:40.460 to us in the 20th century? Well, there are probably 00:30:40.460 --> 00:30:44.779 several. But before we go, I want to bring one 00:30:44.779 --> 00:30:48.740 in particular home. And that is that God's will 00:30:48.740 --> 00:30:54.279 for His children. Understand this. God's will 00:30:54.279 --> 00:30:59.299 for His children is that we be sober or sensible 00:30:59.299 --> 00:31:08.190 and not controlled or falsely stimulated. by 00:31:08.190 --> 00:31:15.150 substances like strong drink and drugs. Now there 00:31:15.150 --> 00:31:17.230 are some Christians who look at this command 00:31:17.230 --> 00:31:19.829 and they say, well, what the apostle says here 00:31:19.829 --> 00:31:23.970 is that we shouldn't get drunk. All I do is socially 00:31:23.970 --> 00:31:29.730 drink. I don't get drunk. I don't lose my senses. 00:31:31.029 --> 00:31:33.569 And so we ask the question, should a Christian 00:31:33.569 --> 00:31:38.000 drink? The argument often is there's no command 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:41.539 against it in the Bible. And after all, didn't 00:31:41.539 --> 00:31:43.940 Jesus turn water into wine at the wedding feast 00:31:43.940 --> 00:31:47.460 of Cana? Didn't he drink wine? So why can't I 00:31:47.460 --> 00:31:51.539 have a social drink now and then? At least in 00:31:51.539 --> 00:31:54.480 the privacy of my own home, shouldn't I have 00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:59.279 that Christian liberty? Let's think about that 00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:01.720 for a moment, because that is a relevant question. 00:32:04.970 --> 00:32:07.029 It's important to understand that the common 00:32:07.029 --> 00:32:10.529 wine which people drank in the New Testament 00:32:10.529 --> 00:32:16.809 was not a wine that was high in alcoholic content 00:32:16.809 --> 00:32:23.529 because it was diluted. In fact, there is some 00:32:23.529 --> 00:32:25.930 indication that it was diluted by as much as 00:32:25.930 --> 00:32:31.170 20 parts of water to one part of a wine concentrate. 00:32:37.160 --> 00:32:40.460 So when one thinks of wine drinking in the New 00:32:40.460 --> 00:32:43.640 Testament, he must understand that those people 00:32:43.640 --> 00:32:47.380 did not go down to the liquor store and pick 00:32:47.380 --> 00:32:53.480 up a bottle of wine for their supper. It was 00:32:53.480 --> 00:32:57.319 a common drink of the New Testament which helped 00:32:57.319 --> 00:33:02.079 to purify the water and give it some flavor, 00:33:02.240 --> 00:33:07.349 but the alcoholic content of it was zero. In 00:33:07.349 --> 00:33:14.150 essence. In fact, there is a paragraph in the 00:33:14.150 --> 00:33:18.130 Word of God that strongly speaks to those who 00:33:18.130 --> 00:33:23.089 wish to drink alcoholic beverages. Would you 00:33:23.089 --> 00:33:25.089 turn in your Bible, please, to Proverbs chapter 00:33:25.089 --> 00:33:37.160 23. Some of the description here is actually 00:33:37.160 --> 00:33:43.099 humorous if it weren't so serious. But the writer 00:33:43.099 --> 00:33:47.539 says in chapter 23, beginning in verse 29, Who 00:33:47.539 --> 00:33:53.019 has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? 00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:57.460 That is, fights and arguments. Who has complaining? 00:34:00.099 --> 00:34:05.150 Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness 00:34:05.150 --> 00:34:09.829 of eyes? Does any of that describe anything to 00:34:09.829 --> 00:34:15.449 you? He answers the questions. Those who linger 00:34:15.449 --> 00:34:19.969 long over wine, those who go to taste mixed wine. 00:34:21.530 --> 00:34:24.909 He says, do not look on the wine when it is red, 00:34:25.070 --> 00:34:29.570 when it sparkles in the cup. A picture of the 00:34:29.570 --> 00:34:32.309 fermentation of wine, the alcohol being a part 00:34:32.309 --> 00:34:37.599 of it. When it goes down smoothly at last, it 00:34:37.599 --> 00:34:42.579 bites like a serpent and stings like a viper. 00:34:44.599 --> 00:34:47.880 What happens when one drinks this kind of stuff? 00:34:48.119 --> 00:34:53.519 Your eyes will see strange things. Your mind 00:34:53.519 --> 00:34:58.500 will utter perverse things. How many people? 00:34:59.570 --> 00:35:02.170 having sobered up, have said, Honey, I'm sorry, 00:35:02.269 --> 00:35:09.389 I didn't mean to say those things. And you will 00:35:09.389 --> 00:35:12.289 be like one who lies down in the middle of the 00:35:12.289 --> 00:35:16.929 sea, or like one who lies down on the top of 00:35:16.929 --> 00:35:21.050 a mast. Now, can you imagine being on a sailboat 00:35:21.050 --> 00:35:25.090 at the top of the mast in the sea? That's where 00:35:25.090 --> 00:35:30.420 all the action is, you see. If you want to get 00:35:30.420 --> 00:35:34.380 sick to your stomach real quick, go up to a mast. 00:35:36.480 --> 00:35:43.840 You'll be nauseous, stupefied. They struck me 00:35:43.840 --> 00:35:48.460 down, says the drinker. They struck me down, 00:35:48.559 --> 00:35:50.960 but I did not become ill. They beat me, but I 00:35:50.960 --> 00:35:56.780 did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek 00:35:56.780 --> 00:36:04.050 another drink. It's a pathetic picture. I mean, 00:36:04.070 --> 00:36:07.969 it's really a sad picture of a human being who 00:36:07.969 --> 00:36:15.570 drinks. I know what I speak of because of some 00:36:15.570 --> 00:36:19.670 of my extended family who, because they were 00:36:19.670 --> 00:36:27.670 in the military, began to socially drink. They 00:36:27.670 --> 00:36:30.389 are not Christians. Even to this day, although 00:36:30.389 --> 00:36:33.710 what's happened in the last three weeks has brought 00:36:33.710 --> 00:36:35.929 them closer to facing that issue than anything 00:36:35.929 --> 00:36:42.429 that ever has, I'm praying for them. But after 00:36:42.429 --> 00:36:45.949 years of socially drinking at functions in the 00:36:45.949 --> 00:36:51.050 military, they were confirmed alcoholics. And 00:36:51.050 --> 00:36:53.769 I remember when, as a young boy, I heard that 00:36:53.769 --> 00:36:56.769 they had laid unconscious in their home for a 00:36:56.769 --> 00:37:03.829 full week. no one even having missed them before 00:37:03.829 --> 00:37:12.090 they were found, almost dead. I can tell you 00:37:12.090 --> 00:37:16.289 from personal experience the heartache of drinking. 00:37:18.110 --> 00:37:23.590 Should a Christian drink? How foolish to be involved 00:37:23.590 --> 00:37:25.909 in something that is described by God in the 00:37:25.909 --> 00:37:31.489 terms of Proverbs chapter 23. But somebody says, 00:37:31.590 --> 00:37:34.829 I've got freedom to do that. Turn with me to 00:37:34.829 --> 00:37:42.630 the New Testament, to 1 Corinthians 6. Of course, 00:37:42.630 --> 00:37:45.530 what I'm saying about alcohol can be applied 00:37:45.530 --> 00:37:49.369 to many different things, including non -medicinal 00:37:49.369 --> 00:37:53.849 drugs or the abuse of medicine. 1 Corinthians 00:37:53.849 --> 00:37:58.929 6 .12. All things are lawful for me. The Apostle 00:37:58.929 --> 00:38:01.690 Paul is here quoting some libertines in Corinth 00:38:01.690 --> 00:38:04.010 who were saying, don't tell me what to do. I've 00:38:04.010 --> 00:38:07.389 got a right to choose my own lifestyle. All things 00:38:07.389 --> 00:38:11.090 are lawful for me as a Christian. So the Apostle 00:38:11.090 --> 00:38:14.369 quotes them a little sarcastically. And he says, 00:38:14.389 --> 00:38:20.449 all things are lawful for me, but not all things 00:38:20.449 --> 00:38:27.190 are profitable. All things are lawful for me, 00:38:27.250 --> 00:38:32.570 says Paul, but I will not be mastered by anything. 00:38:35.769 --> 00:38:38.969 We cannot use Christian liberty as an excuse 00:38:38.969 --> 00:38:43.650 for this sin, for the Apostle gives us here two 00:38:43.650 --> 00:38:48.389 very clear limiting expressions on our Christian 00:38:48.389 --> 00:38:53.659 liberty. It seems to me that the wise decision 00:38:53.659 --> 00:38:57.599 is to totally abstain from anything to do with 00:38:57.599 --> 00:39:00.280 alcohol, drug abuse, anything in that direction. 00:39:00.440 --> 00:39:05.980 Of course, alcohol is a drug, the most abused 00:39:05.980 --> 00:39:12.139 drug in our society. And I think we need to understand 00:39:12.139 --> 00:39:18.440 that alcoholism is not a disease, folks. Some 00:39:18.440 --> 00:39:21.889 of you will disagree with me on that. The Bible 00:39:21.889 --> 00:39:24.269 never calls it a disease. It calls it a sin. 00:39:25.210 --> 00:39:28.889 It is an expression of sin. It is true that there 00:39:28.889 --> 00:39:34.389 are some disease -like symptoms of alcoholism. 00:39:35.190 --> 00:39:42.449 But at its core, drunkenness or alcoholism is 00:39:42.449 --> 00:39:47.309 an expression of sin, of the emptiness of the 00:39:47.309 --> 00:39:53.670 heart. Why then should a Christian imbibe in 00:39:53.670 --> 00:39:57.949 such a thing? Why should a Christian partake 00:39:57.949 --> 00:40:00.590 of that which destroys the temple of God? For 00:40:00.590 --> 00:40:03.610 it says right in this chapter in verse 19, Do 00:40:03.610 --> 00:40:06.230 you not know that your body is a temple of the 00:40:06.230 --> 00:40:10.070 Holy Spirit who is in you? He says in verse 20, 00:40:10.130 --> 00:40:12.750 You have been bought with a price. Therefore 00:40:12.750 --> 00:40:16.869 glorify God in your body. Should I partake of 00:40:16.869 --> 00:40:19.530 a substance that is going to destroy my mind? 00:40:21.000 --> 00:40:24.079 and every ounce of alcohol destroys a certain 00:40:24.079 --> 00:40:29.019 number of brain cells. Should I partake of that 00:40:29.019 --> 00:40:31.559 which is going to wrack my body with disease 00:40:31.559 --> 00:40:36.000 and dissipation? Should I partake in something 00:40:36.000 --> 00:40:41.320 that is going to cause others to stumble? He 00:40:41.320 --> 00:40:44.119 warns about that in 1 Corinthians 10, verses 00:40:44.119 --> 00:40:49.960 23 to 33. Here is my point. It is tragic to pour 00:40:49.960 --> 00:40:57.019 out one's life with such a thing. For it counts 00:40:57.019 --> 00:40:59.659 for nothing. It is dissipation. It is waste. 00:41:03.679 --> 00:41:06.179 I heard this fellow from Texas, what's his name 00:41:06.179 --> 00:41:09.099 who was at the fair, talking about getting in 00:41:09.099 --> 00:41:13.880 the whiskey river in one of his songs. We were 00:41:13.880 --> 00:41:16.380 playing it on the news last night. What a sad 00:41:16.380 --> 00:41:20.860 commentary on the way he lives. The whiskey river 00:41:20.860 --> 00:41:27.159 leads to hell. It's waste. And he warns us about 00:41:27.159 --> 00:41:30.440 that in our text in Ephesians chapter 5. He says, 00:41:30.599 --> 00:41:34.739 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation. 00:41:35.159 --> 00:41:38.260 In other words, it leads to excess and to the 00:41:38.260 --> 00:41:42.340 squandering of one's means, of one's resources, 00:41:42.519 --> 00:41:46.440 one's life. Don't waste your life on that which 00:41:46.440 --> 00:41:49.579 may enslave you and which amounts to nothing 00:41:49.579 --> 00:41:55.699 but waste and profligacy and dissipation. What 00:41:55.699 --> 00:41:57.699 he's really saying is that the child of God does 00:41:57.699 --> 00:42:03.079 not find his joy in the bottom of a bottle. He 00:42:03.079 --> 00:42:06.760 finds it in the Holy Spirit. Be filled with the 00:42:06.760 --> 00:42:12.059 Spirit. We'll talk about that next week. While 00:42:12.059 --> 00:42:15.579 we were in Kentucky, we drove one afternoon to 00:42:15.579 --> 00:42:17.719 Bardstown. I don't know if you've ever been to 00:42:17.719 --> 00:42:20.519 that beautiful part of Kentucky, south of Louisville 00:42:20.519 --> 00:42:24.179 and around Lexington. The bluegrass, it is called. 00:42:24.940 --> 00:42:27.980 Lovely bluegrass there. I remember how disappointed 00:42:27.980 --> 00:42:30.360 I was when I first went there and saw green grass. 00:42:33.860 --> 00:42:36.699 We went to a place just outside of Bardstown 00:42:36.699 --> 00:42:43.329 called Federal Hill. Rowan family established 00:42:43.329 --> 00:42:49.110 a plantation back in the late 1700s, early 1800s. 00:42:50.210 --> 00:42:54.190 We toured the house there and then that evening 00:42:54.190 --> 00:42:56.869 attended what is called the Stephen Foster story, 00:42:57.090 --> 00:42:59.570 which we attended several times when we lived 00:42:59.570 --> 00:43:03.070 in Kentucky. It is the story of Stephen Foster, 00:43:03.150 --> 00:43:05.369 who was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 50 00:43:05.369 --> 00:43:08.010 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence. 00:43:11.280 --> 00:43:14.719 Stephen Foster demonstrated music talent early 00:43:14.719 --> 00:43:19.119 in his life. He was only 18 years of age when 00:43:19.119 --> 00:43:21.699 he had his first song published. It was entitled 00:43:21.699 --> 00:43:25.320 Love Song, entitled Open Thy Lattice, Love. It 00:43:25.320 --> 00:43:28.900 hasn't been in the top 40s lately, but it was 00:43:28.900 --> 00:43:33.940 in that day. From the time that he was 24 years 00:43:33.940 --> 00:43:38.090 of age until he was 34, Many of his best songs 00:43:38.090 --> 00:43:41.349 were written and published, including The Camptown 00:43:41.349 --> 00:43:44.989 Races, Old Folks at Home, My Old Kentucky Home, 00:43:45.170 --> 00:43:48.789 which is written regarding that place there, 00:43:48.869 --> 00:43:53.170 the Rowan Plantation, Genie with the Light Brown 00:43:53.170 --> 00:43:55.769 Hair, Old Black Joe, and the list goes on and 00:43:55.769 --> 00:44:00.789 on with his famous and well -known songs. Despite 00:44:00.789 --> 00:44:05.119 his considerable income, Because of his songs, 00:44:05.340 --> 00:44:10.739 he died on January 13, 1864, at 37 years of age, 00:44:10.860 --> 00:44:15.639 in a charity ward in Bellevue Hospital in New 00:44:15.639 --> 00:44:19.260 York City of pneumonia. It was brought on by 00:44:19.260 --> 00:44:25.780 drunkenness. The last years of his life were 00:44:25.780 --> 00:44:31.199 spent alone and in poverty. Despite his fame 00:44:31.199 --> 00:44:36.000 and the money, that he earned by his songs. All 00:44:36.000 --> 00:44:39.659 of it because he poured out his life for that 00:44:39.659 --> 00:44:45.900 which counts for nothing. My friend, whoever 00:44:45.900 --> 00:44:49.380 you are here today, may I tell you that life 00:44:49.380 --> 00:44:53.800 only really begins when Jesus Christ is received 00:44:53.800 --> 00:45:00.840 as your Savior. That's the beginning point. And 00:45:00.840 --> 00:45:05.539 it's only truly lived Life is only truly lived, 00:45:05.679 --> 00:45:09.000 it's only truly meaningful when he is obeyed 00:45:09.000 --> 00:45:14.360 as Lord of one's life. If you have never trusted 00:45:14.360 --> 00:45:19.320 Jesus Christ as your Savior, I want to appeal 00:45:19.320 --> 00:45:23.619 to you today to receive him who died for your 00:45:23.619 --> 00:45:26.739 sins and rose again and who loves you desperately. 00:45:28.260 --> 00:45:31.280 And if you are a child of light, then I urge 00:45:31.280 --> 00:45:39.110 you, to understand the will of God for you, and 00:45:39.110 --> 00:45:42.769 to obey it and make Jesus Christ the Lord of 00:45:42.769 --> 00:45:46.829 every day and every opportunity. Let's pray. 00:45:51.750 --> 00:45:54.389 With our heads bowed and our eyes shut, I wonder 00:45:54.389 --> 00:46:45.980 how many children of God... We'll be here today, 00:46:46.119 --> 00:46:48.760 how many Christians, those who have trusted the 00:46:48.760 --> 00:46:49.039 Lord.