WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.719 We're going to turn today to the book of Ecclesiastes. 00:00:06.100 --> 00:00:07.140 ! 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.480 So you may have heard this before, but I'm here kind of last minute to stand in for Paul. 00:00:36.380 --> 00:00:41.399 But I think it's a passage worth looking at again. 00:00:42.359 --> 00:00:47.719 So the writer deals with adversity in this chapter, 00:00:47.900 --> 00:00:52.939 and I'm going to read the first eight verses of chapter 7 of Ecclesiastes. 00:00:52.939 --> 00:00:56.439 It should be on page 556. 00:00:57.240 --> 00:00:57.740 Is that right? 00:00:58.460 --> 00:00:58.820 Great. 00:00:59.179 --> 00:00:59.359 Okay. 00:01:00.659 --> 00:01:02.359 So beginning at verse 1. 00:01:04.540 --> 00:01:08.019 A good name is better than precious ointment, 00:01:08.780 --> 00:01:12.219 and the day of death than the day of birth. 00:01:13.319 --> 00:01:19.599 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, 00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:24.579 for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:28.299 Sorrow is better than laughter, 00:01:28.299 --> 00:01:32.719 for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. 00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:40.579 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 00:01:40.579 --> 00:01:45.000 It is better for a man to hear the song of fools. 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:47.140 than to hear the song of fools. 00:01:47.140 --> 00:01:53.040 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools. 00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:54.960 This also is vanity. 00:01:54.960 --> 00:02:01.799 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart. 00:02:01.799 --> 00:02:11.180 Better is the end of the wise, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. 00:02:11.180 --> 00:02:16.900 Let's pray, shall we, and ask for God's help as we look at this together. 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:24.240 Gracious Heavenly Father, we're so grateful that you've revealed yourself to us, 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:30.819 that you've revealed the truth about life in this world as it is. 00:02:30.819 --> 00:02:38.199 And we pray that you will train our hearts with wisdom to come to you in times of adversity. 00:02:38.199 --> 00:02:42.680 We pray for your help now, in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:45.159 Amen. 00:02:45.159 --> 00:02:51.859 So, in this passage, the writer deals, I think, with the subject of adversity, 00:02:51.860 --> 00:03:02.600 and he gives a very alternative view of adversity, of suffering, of difficulty, of problems in life. 00:03:04.060 --> 00:03:09.120 We're all experiencing a little bit of that, aren't we, in various degrees at the moment, adversity. 00:03:10.420 --> 00:03:12.840 And if you're not familiar with the book of Ecclesiastes, 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:18.960 the writer takes a look at the world and shows us that things that we experience 00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:22.480 aren't always what they seem on the surface. 00:03:23.300 --> 00:03:27.840 Earlier, before chapter 7, he deals with affluence. 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:31.840 And he says affluence, the opposite of adversity in our minds, 00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:36.200 isn't always necessarily a good thing in life. 00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:42.100 And he says here that adversity is not always a bad thing. 00:03:43.020 --> 00:03:48.420 He takes a really unique view on adversity, on difficulty. 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:52.280 And he talks about it in a very strange way. 00:03:52.379 --> 00:03:58.100 He says, amazingly, sometimes adversity is better. 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:03.140 Did you hear that word being repeated throughout the passage? 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:10.040 Sadness, mourning, receiving rebukes, 00:04:10.039 --> 00:04:14.699 even the day of death, he says, over and over and over again, 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:19.439 is better, or it can be better than the alternatives. 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:22.839 Laughter, singing, feasting, or a birthday. 00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:27.180 Seems as if he's being quite morbid, doesn't it? 00:04:27.420 --> 00:04:30.319 He takes us around on this kind of tour of life, 00:04:30.420 --> 00:04:34.019 of different experiences, different places. 00:04:35.159 --> 00:04:36.759 Seems like he's being a bit miserable. 00:04:36.759 --> 00:04:38.980 He takes us to a crematorium. 00:04:40.180 --> 00:04:43.139 And he says, in some ways, it's better to be here 00:04:43.139 --> 00:04:45.439 than in the birthing suite. 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:49.920 He takes us to a house where there is crying and mourning. 00:04:50.579 --> 00:04:52.939 And he says, in some ways, it's better to be here 00:04:52.939 --> 00:04:56.620 than laughing our heads off in the comedy lounge. 00:04:56.620 --> 00:05:01.959 He wants us to know there is a unique opportunity 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:06.759 to be had in those places that normally we run from 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:07.780 and want to avoid. 00:05:10.579 --> 00:05:17.459 Bitter, he says, can sometimes be better for us. 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:20.860 For a person who wants to live wisely, 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:22.600 to see things rightly, 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:25.620 adversity can bring a great opportunity. 00:05:25.620 --> 00:05:27.139 Now, how can he say that? 00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:28.040 It's odd, isn't it? 00:05:28.600 --> 00:05:30.959 Well, listen again to verse 2, 00:05:31.040 --> 00:05:32.660 which I think unlocks this passage. 00:05:32.899 --> 00:05:33.720 Look again there. 00:05:34.259 --> 00:05:36.780 He says, it's better to go to the house of mourning 00:05:36.780 --> 00:05:39.420 than to go to the house of feasting, 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:44.720 because for this is the end of all mankind, 00:05:45.939 --> 00:05:49.899 and the living will lay it to heart, he says. 00:05:51.040 --> 00:05:53.680 Do you see what his concern is here? 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:56.620 His concern isn't how you're doing on the surface, 00:05:56.879 --> 00:05:58.040 what everyone can see. 00:05:59.300 --> 00:06:02.680 His concern is about what is going on in your heart, 00:06:03.180 --> 00:06:05.379 what you're thinking of there, 00:06:05.540 --> 00:06:07.639 what is going on deep within you. 00:06:08.939 --> 00:06:12.100 He wants us to refuse to live life 00:06:12.100 --> 00:06:13.879 on a kind of superficial level, 00:06:13.879 --> 00:06:17.959 and the dark moments of adversity 00:06:17.959 --> 00:06:23.000 can be a better training ground for your heart. 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:27.600 Moments of adversity can be laid on your heart. 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:32.420 So I want you to show you his kind of upside down thinking 00:06:32.420 --> 00:06:34.719 with three comparisons that he makes. 00:06:35.459 --> 00:06:36.639 First of all, he says, 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:41.360 the day of death can be better than the day of birth. 00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:43.360 That's what he says in verse one, isn't it? 00:06:44.180 --> 00:06:45.840 And just think about that for a moment. 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:50.960 What's the difference between a birthday and a dying day? 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:54.139 They're worlds apart in so many ways. 00:06:55.500 --> 00:06:58.460 But think again, he is speaking, isn't he, 00:06:58.500 --> 00:07:01.379 of their ability to train our hearts. 00:07:02.780 --> 00:07:05.340 So come with me to the birth suite, he says, 00:07:05.400 --> 00:07:07.819 or come to the christening or the baby shower. 00:07:07.819 --> 00:07:10.439 What is it like there on a birthday? 00:07:11.219 --> 00:07:15.399 Well, a birthday is filled with optimism and new life. 00:07:16.139 --> 00:07:18.199 The mood is exciting, isn't it? 00:07:18.920 --> 00:07:20.719 There's a feeling of potential, 00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:24.819 of imagining what this new life will come to 00:07:24.819 --> 00:07:25.920 and become and achieve. 00:07:26.659 --> 00:07:28.300 The world is their oyster. 00:07:29.259 --> 00:07:32.800 At the day of birth, hopes run high, don't they? 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:37.879 It's not a time perhaps to dwell on human brevity or limitation. 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:39.240 It's a time to say, 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:42.180 you have got the whole of your life ahead of you. 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:43.340 The world is your oyster. 00:07:43.860 --> 00:07:44.720 Go and grab it. 00:07:46.620 --> 00:07:48.699 But then come to the crematorium. 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:52.800 And it's a very different place altogether, isn't it? 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:56.000 He's not wanting us to think morbidly. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:58.959 He wants us to think deeply 00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:03.920 because the day of death brings a unique opportunity. 00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:06.819 It brings a certain clarity 00:08:06.819 --> 00:08:11.300 where the cold facts of our ultimate destiny, 00:08:11.939 --> 00:08:15.060 of our real condition are laid before us. 00:08:16.620 --> 00:08:20.579 And in that sense, the day of death is better than the day of birth. 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:22.360 Not because death is better. 00:08:22.620 --> 00:08:23.379 Of course it isn't. 00:08:23.379 --> 00:08:26.540 But because death, the day of death, 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:30.180 can be a better teacher of our hearts than the day of birth. 00:08:31.800 --> 00:08:34.480 You know, there's one place that I've heard 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:37.419 as many prayers said in church, 00:08:37.559 --> 00:08:40.399 maybe even more prayers said than in church 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:41.720 that I've been to recently, 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:43.139 in hospital. 00:08:43.620 --> 00:08:44.559 I'm much better now. 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:46.559 But it did strike me 00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:48.840 how many prayers were said 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:50.500 in hospital 00:08:50.500 --> 00:08:53.679 with people who were very ill. 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:57.580 More prayers even than in church were said. 00:08:58.580 --> 00:08:59.919 God's name mentioned 00:08:59.919 --> 00:09:01.220 more 00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:02.659 in hospital. 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:05.620 I'd be willing to bet that actually 00:09:05.620 --> 00:09:07.860 more people have become Christians 00:09:07.860 --> 00:09:09.379 in hospital 00:09:09.379 --> 00:09:11.980 or at funerals 00:09:11.980 --> 00:09:16.240 or at the bedside of a dying loved one 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:17.440 than at a christening 00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:19.899 or a birth shower. 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:22.879 Because the day of death 00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:25.220 can be a better preacher 00:09:25.220 --> 00:09:27.740 of the things that we must learn here 00:09:27.740 --> 00:09:28.620 and do here. 00:09:28.620 --> 00:09:31.620 Of the reality about who we are 00:09:31.620 --> 00:09:33.159 in relationship with God. 00:09:34.060 --> 00:09:35.200 That we're not God 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:37.620 and we desperately need Him 00:09:37.620 --> 00:09:40.000 and the life that He gives 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:43.120 and we need resurrection hope 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:44.379 in Jesus Christ. 00:09:46.040 --> 00:09:48.900 The last place anyone wants to be 00:09:48.900 --> 00:09:51.780 is in a palliative care ward 00:09:51.780 --> 00:09:54.000 or standing at a graveside, isn't it? 00:09:54.040 --> 00:09:55.759 Or to even think about those things. 00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:57.180 To even think about death. 00:09:58.180 --> 00:09:59.580 To ponder it. 00:10:00.560 --> 00:10:02.460 We don't want to think about those things, 00:10:02.540 --> 00:10:02.980 do we? 00:10:02.980 --> 00:10:04.960 Blaise Pascal, 00:10:05.659 --> 00:10:06.519 the philosopher, 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:08.620 said that despite his afflictions, 00:10:08.759 --> 00:10:09.980 man wants to be happy. 00:10:10.539 --> 00:10:12.240 But how shall he go about it? 00:10:12.659 --> 00:10:14.680 The best thing would be to do 00:10:14.680 --> 00:10:16.639 to make himself immortal. 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:18.700 To get rid of death altogether. 00:10:19.620 --> 00:10:21.600 But as he can't do that, 00:10:21.680 --> 00:10:22.080 he said, 00:10:22.120 --> 00:10:23.580 he's decided simply 00:10:23.580 --> 00:10:25.840 to stop thinking about it. 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:28.840 Just don't think about it 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:29.840 the day of death. 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:31.060 Just blank it out. 00:10:31.180 --> 00:10:31.879 Blot it out. 00:10:32.980 --> 00:10:35.100 But if you are doing that, 00:10:35.180 --> 00:10:36.460 the preacher is saying here, 00:10:36.560 --> 00:10:37.200 hang on, 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:39.200 you might be missing out 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:40.740 on some real clarity. 00:10:41.580 --> 00:10:43.159 On some lucidity 00:10:43.159 --> 00:10:45.039 to bring you to your senses. 00:10:47.139 --> 00:10:48.980 As strange as it sounds, 00:10:49.340 --> 00:10:53.320 coffins can be better sermon illustrations 00:10:53.320 --> 00:10:55.700 than cots in some ways. 00:10:56.720 --> 00:10:58.620 Funerals are sobering moments. 00:10:59.399 --> 00:11:00.980 People are stopped in their tracks, 00:11:00.980 --> 00:11:01.320 aren't they, 00:11:01.379 --> 00:11:02.480 but by the day of death 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:03.700 and the reality of death. 00:11:04.519 --> 00:11:05.759 And it puts us in a place 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:07.740 to consider things very carefully. 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:11.259 And for a wise person, 00:11:12.180 --> 00:11:12.960 in a sense, 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:14.360 they are a godsend 00:11:14.360 --> 00:11:16.680 because they focus 00:11:16.680 --> 00:11:17.940 and train the heart 00:11:17.940 --> 00:11:19.019 on what really matters. 00:11:20.019 --> 00:11:21.980 They keep us from drowning ourselves 00:11:21.980 --> 00:11:23.240 in frivolity, 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:24.259 in triviality. 00:11:24.259 --> 00:11:26.500 And I just wonder 00:11:26.500 --> 00:11:27.340 whether the Lord 00:11:27.340 --> 00:11:28.919 is doing that 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:30.159 with us at the moment. 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:33.240 Doing that with our nation 00:11:33.240 --> 00:11:34.559 and with our world. 00:11:36.779 --> 00:11:38.600 The day of death 00:11:38.600 --> 00:11:40.600 may for many 00:11:40.600 --> 00:11:42.039 even prove 00:11:42.039 --> 00:11:44.299 to be a godsend 00:11:44.299 --> 00:11:44.860 at the moment 00:11:44.860 --> 00:11:47.820 as we are faced 00:11:47.820 --> 00:11:49.139 with the reality 00:11:49.139 --> 00:11:50.340 of our need for God 00:11:50.340 --> 00:11:51.300 and through that 00:11:51.300 --> 00:11:52.820 we are brought to life 00:11:52.820 --> 00:11:54.860 as we trust in Him. 00:11:56.139 --> 00:11:58.519 And if that happens for us, 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:00.419 then the bitter things 00:12:00.419 --> 00:12:01.899 will truly end up 00:12:01.899 --> 00:12:03.220 to be better for us 00:12:03.220 --> 00:12:04.019 in the long run. 00:12:05.320 --> 00:12:06.620 It's a really alternative view 00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:07.779 of adversity, isn't it? 00:12:08.060 --> 00:12:08.840 But let me show you 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:09.759 another comparison 00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:10.519 that he makes. 00:12:10.519 --> 00:12:11.720 The day of death 00:12:11.720 --> 00:12:12.939 better than the day of birth 00:12:12.939 --> 00:12:13.799 but secondly, 00:12:14.079 --> 00:12:15.500 sorrow better than laughter. 00:12:15.699 --> 00:12:16.740 Look at verse 3. 00:12:17.779 --> 00:12:19.500 For by sadness of face 00:12:19.500 --> 00:12:22.240 the heart is made glad. 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:23.539 And again, 00:12:23.639 --> 00:12:24.299 we want to ask him, 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:25.100 well what on earth 00:12:25.100 --> 00:12:26.179 are you talking about? 00:12:27.899 --> 00:12:29.539 But do you see his priority? 00:12:31.179 --> 00:12:32.419 His concern isn't 00:12:32.419 --> 00:12:34.000 whether you're all smiles 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:35.039 on the surface. 00:12:35.939 --> 00:12:37.600 That doesn't mean a lot, 00:12:37.699 --> 00:12:38.079 does it? 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:40.100 You can be deeply depressed, 00:12:40.100 --> 00:12:41.019 deep down. 00:12:41.139 --> 00:12:42.259 You can be utterly hopeless 00:12:42.259 --> 00:12:43.040 in your heart 00:12:43.040 --> 00:12:44.420 and have a smile on your face. 00:12:44.800 --> 00:12:45.860 His concern is 00:12:45.860 --> 00:12:46.700 what is going on 00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:47.460 in your heart? 00:12:49.040 --> 00:12:49.480 And again, 00:12:49.540 --> 00:12:50.720 it seems upside down. 00:12:50.820 --> 00:12:51.820 He says sorrow 00:12:51.820 --> 00:12:54.320 can be better than laughter 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:55.060 and we think, 00:12:55.159 --> 00:12:56.399 well why are you being 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:57.279 so serious? 00:12:58.700 --> 00:12:59.720 Just lighten up 00:12:59.720 --> 00:13:00.379 a little bit. 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:03.680 But I think that response 00:13:03.680 --> 00:13:05.560 is part of this myth 00:13:05.560 --> 00:13:08.080 that we have come to believe 00:13:08.080 --> 00:13:10.680 where we think that 00:13:10.680 --> 00:13:12.200 true gladness 00:13:12.200 --> 00:13:13.759 and true joy 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:14.480 and happiness 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:15.520 in life 00:13:15.520 --> 00:13:17.860 comes when we live 00:13:17.860 --> 00:13:19.520 an unexamined 00:13:19.520 --> 00:13:21.800 and frivolous life. 00:13:22.460 --> 00:13:24.400 That is free and easy. 00:13:25.080 --> 00:13:26.520 Where we don't take things 00:13:26.520 --> 00:13:28.040 too seriously at all. 00:13:28.520 --> 00:13:30.400 Where we look for relief 00:13:30.400 --> 00:13:32.040 in comic relief. 00:13:33.040 --> 00:13:34.080 And we just smile. 00:13:34.080 --> 00:13:36.379 But like he says 00:13:36.379 --> 00:13:37.120 in verse 6, 00:13:37.220 --> 00:13:38.259 that doesn't last. 00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:40.320 The laughter of fools 00:13:40.320 --> 00:13:41.740 can be like 00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:42.980 crackling thorns 00:13:42.980 --> 00:13:44.200 under a cooking pot. 00:13:44.700 --> 00:13:45.879 A few cackles 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:48.139 and the joy disappears. 00:13:48.520 --> 00:13:49.480 It's just frivolous. 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:51.480 One writer said, 00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:53.000 I'm always having fun 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:55.000 but I'm never happy. 00:13:56.160 --> 00:13:57.660 The world says though, 00:13:57.700 --> 00:13:58.100 doesn't it, 00:13:58.100 --> 00:13:59.600 it is better 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:01.120 to be in your house 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:01.879 at home 00:14:01.879 --> 00:14:04.360 watching Michael McIntyre 00:14:04.360 --> 00:14:05.560 or your favourite comedian 00:14:05.560 --> 00:14:06.320 on TV 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:08.100 than in the house of mourning. 00:14:09.740 --> 00:14:10.860 But he's saying no, 00:14:10.980 --> 00:14:12.500 don't miss the opportunities 00:14:12.500 --> 00:14:13.980 that can come 00:14:13.980 --> 00:14:15.960 in moments of sadness 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:16.960 to listen 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:18.120 and to grow 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:19.120 in wisdom. 00:14:21.080 --> 00:14:22.639 People try to spend 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:23.540 their whole lives 00:14:23.540 --> 00:14:24.960 laughing things off 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:26.879 and singing. 00:14:28.100 --> 00:14:29.820 But missing out 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:31.740 on a strange gladness, 00:14:31.920 --> 00:14:33.860 a deep profound gladness 00:14:33.860 --> 00:14:35.200 that can come 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:37.759 as we draw closer to God 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:39.240 in moments of pain. 00:14:40.680 --> 00:14:42.940 Tears can sometimes 00:14:42.940 --> 00:14:43.680 accompany 00:14:43.680 --> 00:14:46.159 moments of deep gladness. 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:48.879 One writer, 00:14:49.259 --> 00:14:50.139 Gerald Sitzer, 00:14:50.279 --> 00:14:51.200 tells the story 00:14:51.200 --> 00:14:54.460 in his book, 00:14:54.560 --> 00:14:56.160 A Grace Disguised, 00:14:56.159 --> 00:14:57.980 when tragedy 00:14:57.980 --> 00:14:59.679 came into his life. 00:14:59.779 --> 00:15:00.500 He was driving 00:15:00.500 --> 00:15:01.259 on a road 00:15:01.259 --> 00:15:02.439 and a drunk driver 00:15:02.439 --> 00:15:04.179 smashed into his car 00:15:04.179 --> 00:15:06.100 and in that moment 00:15:06.100 --> 00:15:06.799 his world 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:07.980 was turned upside down. 00:15:08.139 --> 00:15:09.259 He lost his wife, 00:15:10.199 --> 00:15:10.919 a child, 00:15:11.839 --> 00:15:12.500 and his mother 00:15:12.500 --> 00:15:13.439 who were in the car. 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:15.419 He wrote about 00:15:15.419 --> 00:15:16.539 the agonies 00:15:16.539 --> 00:15:18.659 that he and his children 00:15:18.659 --> 00:15:19.679 who were left behind 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:21.539 faced 00:15:21.539 --> 00:15:22.179 as they tried 00:15:22.179 --> 00:15:23.539 to piece their lives together. 00:15:23.539 --> 00:15:25.059 He says, 00:15:25.199 --> 00:15:26.039 I was dizzy 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:27.299 and nauseous 00:15:27.299 --> 00:15:29.019 with the vertigo 00:15:29.019 --> 00:15:29.659 of grief 00:15:29.659 --> 00:15:30.839 that overwhelmed me. 00:15:32.459 --> 00:15:33.279 A few years 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:34.139 after he published 00:15:34.139 --> 00:15:34.639 that book, 00:15:34.699 --> 00:15:35.659 A Grace Disguised, 00:15:35.740 --> 00:15:37.179 he kind of republished 00:15:37.179 --> 00:15:38.839 and changed 00:15:38.839 --> 00:15:39.759 the preface 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:40.599 at the beginning 00:15:40.599 --> 00:15:41.240 of the book 00:15:41.240 --> 00:15:42.980 a few years later. 00:15:43.980 --> 00:15:44.899 He said 00:15:44.899 --> 00:15:46.799 in that revised preface, 00:15:47.319 --> 00:15:47.939 rawness 00:15:47.939 --> 00:15:49.679 and utter bewilderment 00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:51.479 have strangely 00:15:51.479 --> 00:15:52.479 given way 00:15:52.479 --> 00:15:53.959 to contentment 00:15:53.959 --> 00:15:55.699 and deep gratitude. 00:15:57.319 --> 00:15:58.479 He described 00:15:58.479 --> 00:15:59.319 the bitterness 00:15:59.319 --> 00:16:01.500 turning out 00:16:01.500 --> 00:16:03.120 to be redemptive 00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:03.919 for him 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:05.559 and his children 00:16:05.559 --> 00:16:06.579 and many other people 00:16:06.579 --> 00:16:07.339 around him. 00:16:08.079 --> 00:16:08.599 And he closes 00:16:08.599 --> 00:16:09.339 with this line, 00:16:09.339 --> 00:16:10.339 as strange 00:16:10.339 --> 00:16:11.359 as it might sound 00:16:11.359 --> 00:16:12.019 to you, 00:16:12.919 --> 00:16:13.699 though without 00:16:13.699 --> 00:16:14.479 the suffering 00:16:14.479 --> 00:16:15.500 that I've gone through, 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:16.279 I wish 00:16:16.279 --> 00:16:17.659 that every man 00:16:17.659 --> 00:16:19.360 could experience 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:21.079 what I now have. 00:16:22.699 --> 00:16:24.339 Sounds so strange, 00:16:24.419 --> 00:16:24.980 doesn't it? 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:26.139 But perhaps 00:16:26.139 --> 00:16:27.039 only somebody 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:27.819 who has been 00:16:27.819 --> 00:16:28.659 through suffering 00:16:28.659 --> 00:16:29.439 like that 00:16:29.439 --> 00:16:31.139 and who has gotten 00:16:31.139 --> 00:16:32.339 closer to God 00:16:32.339 --> 00:16:33.519 can really say 00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:34.399 those things 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:36.339 and can really 00:16:36.339 --> 00:16:38.299 get Ecclesiastes 7. 00:16:39.879 --> 00:16:41.100 God had provided 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:43.100 an unexplained 00:16:43.100 --> 00:16:44.139 gladness 00:16:44.139 --> 00:16:46.240 in his sadness. 00:16:47.659 --> 00:16:48.819 He realized 00:16:48.819 --> 00:16:50.039 that somehow 00:16:50.039 --> 00:16:51.939 by God's grace 00:16:51.939 --> 00:16:53.100 later sorrow 00:16:53.100 --> 00:16:55.059 was better 00:16:55.059 --> 00:16:55.740 for him 00:16:55.740 --> 00:16:56.620 in the long run 00:16:56.620 --> 00:16:58.339 than laughter. 00:17:00.039 --> 00:17:00.600 The preacher 00:17:00.600 --> 00:17:01.120 says 00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:02.079 it is possible 00:17:02.079 --> 00:17:03.379 to have a sad face 00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:03.939 in the mirror, 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:05.220 to have tears 00:17:05.220 --> 00:17:05.720 coming down 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:06.420 your face 00:17:06.420 --> 00:17:07.180 but still 00:17:07.180 --> 00:17:07.980 have a strange 00:17:07.980 --> 00:17:08.559 gladness 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:09.319 within you. 00:17:10.659 --> 00:17:11.579 He's not being 00:17:11.579 --> 00:17:12.200 morbid. 00:17:12.460 --> 00:17:12.899 He's saying 00:17:12.899 --> 00:17:13.420 sadness 00:17:13.420 --> 00:17:14.519 can be a trainer 00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:15.319 of the heart 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:16.980 where there comes 00:17:16.980 --> 00:17:17.640 clarity 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:19.960 and in those 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:21.000 moments of sadness 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:22.360 comes an experience 00:17:22.360 --> 00:17:24.799 of greater insight 00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:26.000 into God's love, 00:17:27.140 --> 00:17:28.240 of how deep 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:28.860 God's love 00:17:28.860 --> 00:17:29.480 goes. 00:17:30.740 --> 00:17:31.360 Moments of 00:17:31.360 --> 00:17:32.400 truer 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:33.279 resting in him, 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:33.940 moments where 00:17:33.940 --> 00:17:35.039 we pray like 00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:36.120 we've never 00:17:36.120 --> 00:17:36.880 prayed before 00:17:36.880 --> 00:17:37.980 and we lean on him 00:17:37.980 --> 00:17:38.940 like never before. 00:17:39.339 --> 00:17:40.640 Learning what it means 00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:41.559 to be a child 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:42.140 of God 00:17:42.140 --> 00:17:43.240 in a much more 00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:44.200 profound way. 00:17:44.200 --> 00:17:46.700 learning reliance 00:17:46.700 --> 00:17:47.360 on him 00:17:47.360 --> 00:17:49.000 in the pain 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:50.840 experiencing 00:17:50.840 --> 00:17:51.600 God's 00:17:51.600 --> 00:17:52.259 sufficiency 00:17:52.259 --> 00:17:53.460 and grace. 00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:56.100 And we know 00:17:56.100 --> 00:17:56.360 this, 00:17:56.460 --> 00:17:56.720 don't we? 00:17:56.779 --> 00:17:57.299 Many of us 00:17:57.299 --> 00:17:57.819 know this, 00:17:57.880 --> 00:17:58.340 that God 00:17:58.340 --> 00:17:59.500 sometimes calls 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:00.360 out to us 00:18:00.360 --> 00:18:01.660 in suffering 00:18:01.660 --> 00:18:02.580 that he might 00:18:02.580 --> 00:18:03.819 prepare for us 00:18:03.819 --> 00:18:05.000 a deeper joy 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:06.440 and a deeper 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:07.100 gladness 00:18:07.100 --> 00:18:08.160 in the heart, 00:18:08.660 --> 00:18:10.140 not just on the face. 00:18:10.140 --> 00:18:12.880 His whole thing 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:13.640 is seeing why 00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:14.700 adversity isn't 00:18:14.700 --> 00:18:15.460 always something 00:18:15.460 --> 00:18:16.020 that we should 00:18:16.020 --> 00:18:16.660 run from 00:18:16.660 --> 00:18:17.520 or be embarrassed 00:18:17.520 --> 00:18:17.940 about, 00:18:18.940 --> 00:18:20.160 but the wise 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:20.700 person, 00:18:20.820 --> 00:18:21.360 the godly 00:18:21.360 --> 00:18:22.060 person, 00:18:22.759 --> 00:18:23.880 need not fear 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:24.540 adversity. 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:26.900 Bitter, 00:18:27.100 --> 00:18:27.920 in this strange 00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:28.180 way, 00:18:28.280 --> 00:18:29.140 can be better. 00:18:29.820 --> 00:18:30.600 He's not saying 00:18:30.600 --> 00:18:31.380 it's easy, 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:33.020 that as Christians 00:18:33.020 --> 00:18:33.820 we just go, 00:18:34.140 --> 00:18:34.140 00:18:34.200 --> 00:18:34.820 I'm a Christian, 00:18:35.820 --> 00:18:36.440 suffering doesn't 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:37.020 really matter. 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:37.440 No, 00:18:37.560 --> 00:18:38.080 the suffering 00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:38.839 is real. 00:18:40.299 --> 00:18:40.779 He says, 00:18:40.859 --> 00:18:41.259 doesn't he, 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:42.740 the rebuke 00:18:42.740 --> 00:18:43.679 of the wise 00:18:43.679 --> 00:18:44.899 in verse 5 00:18:44.899 --> 00:18:47.240 is better 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:47.939 for us 00:18:47.939 --> 00:18:48.539 even though 00:18:48.539 --> 00:18:49.079 it's less 00:18:49.079 --> 00:18:49.639 pleasant 00:18:49.639 --> 00:18:51.019 than the 00:18:51.019 --> 00:18:51.559 compliments 00:18:51.559 --> 00:18:52.099 than the 00:18:52.099 --> 00:18:53.059 songs of fools. 00:18:53.240 --> 00:18:53.859 Some things 00:18:53.859 --> 00:18:55.039 feel harder 00:18:55.039 --> 00:18:56.379 genuinely, 00:18:57.419 --> 00:18:58.500 but the 00:18:58.500 --> 00:18:59.759 harder things, 00:18:59.919 --> 00:19:00.500 the less 00:19:00.500 --> 00:19:01.159 comfortable 00:19:01.159 --> 00:19:02.279 things in life 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:03.460 often are the 00:19:03.460 --> 00:19:03.899 things that 00:19:03.899 --> 00:19:04.980 yield better 00:19:04.980 --> 00:19:05.839 results in the 00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:06.379 long run. 00:19:06.380 --> 00:19:08.060 often the 00:19:08.060 --> 00:19:08.580 things that 00:19:08.580 --> 00:19:09.400 yield a 00:19:09.400 --> 00:19:10.600 greater focus 00:19:10.600 --> 00:19:11.780 and a 00:19:11.780 --> 00:19:12.100 greater 00:19:12.100 --> 00:19:12.860 understanding 00:19:12.860 --> 00:19:13.440 of God's 00:19:13.440 --> 00:19:13.720 goodness. 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:15.140 So the 00:19:15.140 --> 00:19:15.980 day of death 00:19:15.980 --> 00:19:16.400 better than 00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:16.820 the day of 00:19:16.820 --> 00:19:17.120 birth, 00:19:17.300 --> 00:19:17.880 sorrow better 00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:18.420 than laughter 00:19:18.420 --> 00:19:19.020 sometimes, 00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:19.600 and thirdly 00:19:19.600 --> 00:19:20.100 and lastly, 00:19:20.840 --> 00:19:21.880 the end 00:19:21.880 --> 00:19:23.260 can be better 00:19:23.260 --> 00:19:23.620 than the 00:19:23.620 --> 00:19:24.000 beginning. 00:19:25.280 --> 00:19:25.740 Look at 00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:26.240 verse 8 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:27.380 as we close. 00:19:28.420 --> 00:19:28.860 He says, 00:19:29.320 --> 00:19:30.120 better is the 00:19:30.120 --> 00:19:30.760 end of a 00:19:30.760 --> 00:19:31.140 thing than 00:19:31.140 --> 00:19:31.660 its beginning, 00:19:32.780 --> 00:19:33.080 and the 00:19:33.080 --> 00:19:33.760 patient in 00:19:33.760 --> 00:19:34.980 spirit is 00:19:34.980 --> 00:19:35.420 better than 00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:35.880 the proud 00:19:35.880 --> 00:19:36.380 in spirit. 00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:39.180 So he's 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:39.860 already hinted 00:19:39.860 --> 00:19:40.220 at this, 00:19:40.259 --> 00:19:40.519 hasn't he, 00:19:40.579 --> 00:19:40.839 really? 00:19:41.660 --> 00:19:42.339 Because of 00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:43.000 course the 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:43.740 end of all 00:19:43.740 --> 00:19:44.259 things, 00:19:44.420 --> 00:19:44.860 for you and 00:19:44.860 --> 00:19:45.339 for me, 00:19:45.980 --> 00:19:47.140 is death. 00:19:48.420 --> 00:19:48.860 And our 00:19:48.860 --> 00:19:51.220 end is a 00:19:51.220 --> 00:19:52.140 much better 00:19:52.140 --> 00:19:52.740 preacher, 00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:53.259 it is a 00:19:53.259 --> 00:19:53.700 much better 00:19:53.700 --> 00:19:54.360 trainer, 00:19:55.079 --> 00:19:55.759 a much better 00:19:55.759 --> 00:19:56.519 teacher of 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:57.200 what matters 00:19:57.200 --> 00:19:58.220 in life than 00:19:58.220 --> 00:19:58.860 the beginning 00:19:58.860 --> 00:19:59.380 is. 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:01.120 And that 00:20:01.120 --> 00:20:01.660 makes sense, 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:02.019 doesn't it? 00:20:02.019 --> 00:20:02.900 Because how 00:20:02.900 --> 00:20:03.639 something is 00:20:03.639 --> 00:20:05.099 finished means 00:20:05.099 --> 00:20:06.379 something more, 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:06.879 doesn't it, 00:20:06.940 --> 00:20:07.220 somehow, 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:08.180 than the 00:20:08.180 --> 00:20:09.099 intentions we 00:20:09.099 --> 00:20:10.980 had when 00:20:10.980 --> 00:20:11.519 we began 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:12.039 something. 00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:12.960 That goes 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:13.720 for life in 00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:14.099 general. 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:15.819 And what is 00:20:15.819 --> 00:20:16.660 said about 00:20:16.660 --> 00:20:17.680 us at the 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:18.460 end, 00:20:19.059 --> 00:20:19.819 or after the 00:20:19.819 --> 00:20:20.279 end, 00:20:20.440 --> 00:20:21.240 holds much 00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:22.099 more value, 00:20:22.200 --> 00:20:22.799 doesn't it, 00:20:23.019 --> 00:20:23.660 than what is 00:20:23.660 --> 00:20:24.379 said at the 00:20:24.379 --> 00:20:24.920 beginning of 00:20:24.920 --> 00:20:25.559 our lives. 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:27.079 And the 00:20:27.079 --> 00:20:27.680 preacher wants 00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:28.299 us to see 00:20:28.299 --> 00:20:28.680 that. 00:20:29.059 --> 00:20:29.740 How you 00:20:29.740 --> 00:20:30.559 leave the 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:31.160 world, 00:20:31.160 --> 00:20:32.880 is far 00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:33.740 more important 00:20:33.740 --> 00:20:34.200 than how 00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:34.720 you come 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:35.400 into the 00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:35.880 world. 00:20:37.400 --> 00:20:38.040 The wise 00:20:38.040 --> 00:20:38.640 person is 00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:39.160 someone who 00:20:39.160 --> 00:20:39.740 takes the 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:40.540 long view, 00:20:40.900 --> 00:20:41.440 who actually 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:42.120 takes the 00:20:42.120 --> 00:20:43.060 end view 00:20:43.060 --> 00:20:44.120 in life. 00:20:45.220 --> 00:20:45.800 That's why 00:20:45.800 --> 00:20:46.500 he mentions 00:20:46.500 --> 00:20:47.340 in verse 00:20:47.340 --> 00:20:47.880 one, 00:20:48.440 --> 00:20:49.160 a good 00:20:49.160 --> 00:20:51.120 name being 00:20:51.120 --> 00:20:51.840 better than 00:20:51.840 --> 00:20:52.360 precious 00:20:52.360 --> 00:20:52.980 ointment. 00:20:53.180 --> 00:20:53.680 That is a 00:20:53.680 --> 00:20:54.540 reference there 00:20:54.540 --> 00:20:55.880 to a 00:20:55.880 --> 00:20:56.660 good name 00:20:56.660 --> 00:20:57.620 of a 00:20:57.620 --> 00:20:58.220 person when 00:20:58.220 --> 00:20:58.900 they die 00:20:58.900 --> 00:20:59.240 and they 00:20:59.240 --> 00:20:59.759 end, 00:20:59.940 --> 00:21:00.740 and ointment 00:21:00.740 --> 00:21:01.460 on a 00:21:01.460 --> 00:21:01.859 birthday. 00:21:03.059 --> 00:21:03.579 You can 00:21:03.579 --> 00:21:04.200 smell of 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:04.620 roses, 00:21:04.859 --> 00:21:05.120 you can 00:21:05.120 --> 00:21:06.259 be fantastic 00:21:06.259 --> 00:21:07.120 in everybody's 00:21:07.120 --> 00:21:07.559 eyes when 00:21:07.559 --> 00:21:07.920 you're covered 00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:08.400 in baby 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:09.460 oil on 00:21:09.460 --> 00:21:10.039 your birthday, 00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:12.000 but what 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:12.440 is said 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:12.940 about you 00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:13.259 at the 00:21:13.259 --> 00:21:13.819 end and 00:21:13.819 --> 00:21:14.440 your name 00:21:14.440 --> 00:21:14.759 at the 00:21:14.759 --> 00:21:15.460 end matters 00:21:15.460 --> 00:21:16.099 much more, 00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:16.640 doesn't it? 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:19.180 The end 00:21:19.180 --> 00:21:19.559 is not 00:21:19.559 --> 00:21:20.220 something that 00:21:20.220 --> 00:21:20.859 we want to 00:21:20.859 --> 00:21:21.180 face, 00:21:21.259 --> 00:21:21.500 though. 00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:23.220 But listen 00:21:23.220 --> 00:21:23.819 again to 00:21:23.819 --> 00:21:24.819 the training 00:21:24.819 --> 00:21:25.380 the end 00:21:25.380 --> 00:21:25.759 can give 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:26.240 our hearts 00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:26.640 now. 00:21:27.019 --> 00:21:27.559 The end 00:21:27.559 --> 00:21:27.919 of our 00:21:27.919 --> 00:21:28.539 lives 00:21:28.539 --> 00:21:29.759 can be 00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:29.960 the 00:21:29.960 --> 00:21:30.399 friend 00:21:30.399 --> 00:21:30.839 of our 00:21:30.839 --> 00:21:31.299 lives 00:21:31.299 --> 00:21:31.779 now. 00:21:33.460 --> 00:21:33.980 To 00:21:33.980 --> 00:21:34.639 preach to 00:21:34.639 --> 00:21:35.000 us that 00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:35.720 we're not 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:36.039 going to 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:36.659 live forever 00:21:36.659 --> 00:21:37.579 and we 00:21:37.579 --> 00:21:38.119 need to 00:21:38.119 --> 00:21:38.859 be wise 00:21:38.859 --> 00:21:39.480 about what 00:21:39.480 --> 00:21:40.079 we do 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:40.539 with our 00:21:40.539 --> 00:21:40.940 lives 00:21:40.940 --> 00:21:41.440 now. 00:21:42.019 --> 00:21:42.720 And to 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:43.200 sober up 00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:43.500 and to 00:21:43.500 --> 00:21:43.960 come to 00:21:43.960 --> 00:21:44.419 God 00:21:44.419 --> 00:21:45.700 who gives 00:21:45.700 --> 00:21:46.079 us that 00:21:46.079 --> 00:21:46.519 life. 00:21:48.159 --> 00:21:48.440 He's 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:48.819 saying if 00:21:48.819 --> 00:21:49.220 we can 00:21:49.220 --> 00:21:49.960 think for 00:21:49.960 --> 00:21:50.419 a moment 00:21:50.419 --> 00:21:50.960 about the 00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:51.240 end, 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:51.659 if we 00:21:51.659 --> 00:21:52.359 can sense 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:53.159 the 00:21:53.159 --> 00:21:53.940 inevitability 00:21:53.940 --> 00:21:54.480 of it, 00:21:54.580 --> 00:21:54.900 we can 00:21:54.900 --> 00:21:55.299 sense 00:21:55.299 --> 00:21:55.640 the 00:21:55.640 --> 00:21:56.039 ache 00:21:56.039 --> 00:21:56.539 of it, 00:21:57.740 --> 00:21:58.100 well if 00:21:58.100 --> 00:21:58.620 you can 00:21:58.620 --> 00:21:59.039 do that 00:21:59.039 --> 00:21:59.299 he's 00:21:59.299 --> 00:22:00.180 saying now 00:22:00.180 --> 00:22:00.539 is your 00:22:00.539 --> 00:22:01.080 chance. 00:22:02.500 --> 00:22:02.820 Strike 00:22:02.820 --> 00:22:03.299 while the 00:22:03.299 --> 00:22:03.740 iron's 00:22:03.740 --> 00:22:04.059 hot, 00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:04.820 lay these 00:22:04.820 --> 00:22:05.320 things to 00:22:05.320 --> 00:22:06.080 heart and 00:22:06.080 --> 00:22:06.940 get right 00:22:06.940 --> 00:22:07.740 with God. 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:09.380 Come to 00:22:09.380 --> 00:22:09.759 the Lord 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:10.100 Jesus, 00:22:10.320 --> 00:22:10.880 trust in 00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:11.320 him. 00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:13.500 The end 00:22:13.500 --> 00:22:14.299 calls us 00:22:14.299 --> 00:22:14.860 to humble 00:22:14.860 --> 00:22:15.420 ourselves 00:22:15.420 --> 00:22:16.360 before God 00:22:16.360 --> 00:22:17.480 and receive 00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:18.360 his love 00:22:18.360 --> 00:22:19.920 and peace 00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:21.480 before the 00:22:21.480 --> 00:22:21.900 end. 00:22:23.940 --> 00:22:24.759 You may 00:22:24.759 --> 00:22:25.320 have messed 00:22:25.320 --> 00:22:25.779 up your 00:22:25.779 --> 00:22:26.420 life at 00:22:26.420 --> 00:22:26.920 the beginning 00:22:26.920 --> 00:22:27.340 and you 00:22:27.340 --> 00:22:27.620 may have 00:22:27.620 --> 00:22:28.200 come into 00:22:28.200 --> 00:22:28.960 this world 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:29.860 in a right 00:22:29.860 --> 00:22:31.640 mess and 00:22:31.640 --> 00:22:32.180 your life 00:22:32.180 --> 00:22:32.460 at the 00:22:32.460 --> 00:22:32.880 beginning 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:34.400 may have 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:34.740 been a 00:22:34.740 --> 00:22:35.080 terrible 00:22:35.080 --> 00:22:35.620 life, 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:36.059 I don't 00:22:36.059 --> 00:22:36.360 know. 00:22:37.140 --> 00:22:37.680 You may 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:38.059 have messed 00:22:38.059 --> 00:22:38.519 up in the 00:22:38.519 --> 00:22:38.900 middle of 00:22:38.900 --> 00:22:39.519 your life 00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:41.200 and to be 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:42.080 honest you 00:22:42.080 --> 00:22:42.539 might want 00:22:42.539 --> 00:22:42.880 to say 00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:43.460 actually I'm 00:22:43.460 --> 00:22:43.759 a mess 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:44.480 right now. 00:22:46.340 --> 00:22:47.039 But what 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:47.539 he's saying 00:22:47.539 --> 00:22:47.980 here is that 00:22:47.980 --> 00:22:48.400 the old 00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:48.980 saying is 00:22:48.980 --> 00:22:49.779 true that 00:22:49.779 --> 00:22:51.580 all's well 00:22:51.580 --> 00:22:52.279 that ends 00:22:52.279 --> 00:22:52.740 well. 00:22:53.940 --> 00:22:54.519 if we are 00:22:54.519 --> 00:22:55.320 trusting in 00:22:55.320 --> 00:22:55.860 Jesus and 00:22:55.860 --> 00:22:56.180 we have 00:22:56.180 --> 00:22:57.360 gone to 00:22:57.360 --> 00:22:59.220 God by 00:22:59.220 --> 00:22:59.820 the end 00:22:59.820 --> 00:23:00.840 of our 00:23:00.840 --> 00:23:01.299 lives. 00:23:03.500 --> 00:23:04.400 In the 00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:05.700 lucidity of 00:23:05.700 --> 00:23:06.680 this pandemic 00:23:06.680 --> 00:23:07.620 and perhaps 00:23:07.620 --> 00:23:08.720 we're contemplating 00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:09.180 aren't we 00:23:09.180 --> 00:23:10.240 much more 00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:11.059 the end 00:23:11.059 --> 00:23:12.279 of our 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:12.720 lives 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:13.559 much more 00:23:13.559 --> 00:23:13.980 clearly 00:23:13.980 --> 00:23:16.080 but bitter 00:23:16.080 --> 00:23:17.039 times like 00:23:17.039 --> 00:23:17.700 this 00:23:17.700 --> 00:23:19.620 can be 00:23:19.620 --> 00:23:20.299 better for 00:23:20.299 --> 00:23:20.720 us. 00:23:20.720 --> 00:23:22.539 if we 00:23:22.539 --> 00:23:23.000 can open 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:23.259 our 00:23:23.259 --> 00:23:23.900 hearts 00:23:23.900 --> 00:23:26.220 we are 00:23:26.220 --> 00:23:27.059 urged not 00:23:27.059 --> 00:23:27.660 to focus 00:23:27.660 --> 00:23:28.079 on the 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:28.400 negative 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:29.019 things for 00:23:29.019 --> 00:23:29.759 too long. 00:23:30.120 --> 00:23:30.600 If death 00:23:30.600 --> 00:23:31.400 confronts 00:23:31.400 --> 00:23:31.940 you just 00:23:31.940 --> 00:23:33.700 say a 00:23:33.700 --> 00:23:34.160 joke, 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:35.279 get a 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:35.680 glass of 00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:36.059 wine, 00:23:36.420 --> 00:23:36.860 smile. 00:23:38.180 --> 00:23:38.720 But we 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:39.120 are being 00:23:39.120 --> 00:23:40.019 forced to 00:23:40.019 --> 00:23:40.860 stare at 00:23:40.860 --> 00:23:42.460 death in 00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:43.120 the face 00:23:43.120 --> 00:23:43.480 at the 00:23:43.480 --> 00:23:43.720 moment 00:23:43.720 --> 00:23:44.120 aren't we 00:23:44.120 --> 00:23:44.700 and not 00:23:44.700 --> 00:23:45.339 being allowed 00:23:45.339 --> 00:23:45.799 to take 00:23:45.799 --> 00:23:46.319 our eyes 00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:46.660 off it 00:23:46.660 --> 00:23:46.960 and it's 00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:47.299 really 00:23:47.299 --> 00:23:47.880 uncomfortable. 00:23:47.880 --> 00:23:50.220 But the 00:23:50.220 --> 00:23:50.640 truth is 00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:51.120 it's always 00:23:51.120 --> 00:23:51.660 been there 00:23:51.660 --> 00:23:52.100 hasn't it? 00:23:52.200 --> 00:23:52.720 That's not 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:53.120 different. 00:23:54.080 --> 00:23:54.960 This virus 00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:55.900 has merely 00:23:55.900 --> 00:23:56.640 opened our 00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:57.360 eyes to it 00:23:57.360 --> 00:23:57.720 in a 00:23:57.720 --> 00:23:58.460 different way 00:23:58.460 --> 00:23:59.980 and the 00:23:59.980 --> 00:24:00.580 preacher is 00:24:00.580 --> 00:24:01.660 saying folks 00:24:01.660 --> 00:24:02.640 that is a 00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:03.080 gift 00:24:03.080 --> 00:24:04.880 in some 00:24:04.880 --> 00:24:05.360 ways. 00:24:06.420 --> 00:24:07.140 In adversity 00:24:07.140 --> 00:24:08.040 comes this 00:24:08.040 --> 00:24:08.780 opportunity 00:24:08.780 --> 00:24:09.400 where we 00:24:09.400 --> 00:24:10.420 can seriously 00:24:10.420 --> 00:24:11.540 contemplate 00:24:11.540 --> 00:24:13.040 the important 00:24:13.040 --> 00:24:13.760 things of 00:24:13.760 --> 00:24:14.180 life 00:24:14.180 --> 00:24:15.700 and we 00:24:15.700 --> 00:24:16.780 can contemplate 00:24:16.779 --> 00:24:17.740 the lives 00:24:17.740 --> 00:24:18.119 that we've 00:24:18.119 --> 00:24:18.500 lived, 00:24:18.619 --> 00:24:19.019 maybe our 00:24:19.019 --> 00:24:19.599 regrets 00:24:19.599 --> 00:24:20.879 and our 00:24:20.879 --> 00:24:21.339 sins and 00:24:21.339 --> 00:24:21.940 our failures 00:24:21.940 --> 00:24:22.859 before God, 00:24:23.059 --> 00:24:24.000 our pride, 00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:25.740 that we 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:26.500 might run 00:24:26.500 --> 00:24:27.480 to God 00:24:27.480 --> 00:24:28.899 and find 00:24:28.899 --> 00:24:29.480 a deeper 00:24:29.480 --> 00:24:30.399 gladness 00:24:30.399 --> 00:24:31.859 that we 00:24:31.859 --> 00:24:32.559 can only 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:33.119 have by 00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:33.759 turning to 00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:34.160 him, 00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:35.500 that he 00:24:35.500 --> 00:24:36.059 might keep 00:24:36.059 --> 00:24:36.440 us from 00:24:36.440 --> 00:24:37.599 just drowning 00:24:37.599 --> 00:24:38.379 ourselves in 00:24:38.379 --> 00:24:39.399 frivolity 00:24:39.399 --> 00:24:41.539 and to be 00:24:41.539 --> 00:24:41.980 able to 00:24:41.980 --> 00:24:42.539 then look 00:24:42.539 --> 00:24:43.180 back on 00:24:43.180 --> 00:24:43.920 days of 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:44.519 suffering that 00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:44.899 we have 00:24:44.899 --> 00:24:45.720 gone through 00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:46.860 and to 00:24:46.860 --> 00:24:47.339 lay them 00:24:47.339 --> 00:24:47.740 to heart 00:24:47.740 --> 00:24:48.039 and to 00:24:48.039 --> 00:24:48.640 be trained 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:49.079 by them 00:24:49.079 --> 00:24:49.319 and to 00:24:49.319 --> 00:24:49.900 be wiser 00:24:49.900 --> 00:24:50.400 because of 00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:50.720 them. 00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:54.039 I'm coming 00:24:54.039 --> 00:24:54.759 to a greater 00:24:54.759 --> 00:24:55.720 knowledge and 00:24:55.720 --> 00:24:56.600 understanding of 00:24:56.600 --> 00:24:57.579 my need for 00:24:57.579 --> 00:24:58.500 Jesus Christ 00:24:58.500 --> 00:24:59.900 and his love 00:24:59.900 --> 00:25:00.240 and his 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:00.640 forgiveness. 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:03.019 And we 00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:03.839 will one 00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:04.079 day, 00:25:04.180 --> 00:25:04.559 won't we, 00:25:04.620 --> 00:25:05.339 be able to 00:25:05.339 --> 00:25:06.319 look back 00:25:06.319 --> 00:25:07.880 at days like 00:25:07.880 --> 00:25:08.640 today and 00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:09.279 times like 00:25:09.279 --> 00:25:09.819 this and 00:25:09.819 --> 00:25:10.740 back over all 00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:11.019 of the 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:11.660 sufferings of 00:25:11.660 --> 00:25:12.200 our lives, 00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:12.620 no matter 00:25:12.620 --> 00:25:14.180 how hard 00:25:14.180 --> 00:25:14.799 it's been, 00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:15.299 to be able 00:25:15.299 --> 00:25:15.840 to look 00:25:15.840 --> 00:25:16.420 back, 00:25:17.259 --> 00:25:18.100 being loved 00:25:18.100 --> 00:25:18.960 by Jesus 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:19.680 in his 00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:20.480 presence 00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:22.539 forever and 00:25:22.539 --> 00:25:23.060 ever, 00:25:24.019 --> 00:25:24.900 even after 00:25:24.900 --> 00:25:25.539 death, 00:25:25.740 --> 00:25:26.400 even after 00:25:26.400 --> 00:25:26.900 the end, 00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:27.340 and to be 00:25:27.340 --> 00:25:27.779 able to 00:25:27.779 --> 00:25:28.039 say, 00:25:28.560 --> 00:25:29.039 now I 00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:29.660 can see 00:25:29.660 --> 00:25:30.279 clearly 00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:32.420 that in 00:25:32.420 --> 00:25:32.860 God's 00:25:32.860 --> 00:25:33.640 kindness and 00:25:33.640 --> 00:25:34.380 his wisdom 00:25:34.380 --> 00:25:35.240 for me, 00:25:35.600 --> 00:25:36.400 that time 00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:37.140 of bitterness 00:25:37.140 --> 00:25:40.060 was better 00:25:40.060 --> 00:25:40.940 for me 00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:42.840 because it 00:25:42.840 --> 00:25:44.000 led me to 00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:46.160 Christ and 00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:46.660 to this 00:25:46.660 --> 00:25:47.420 moment of 00:25:47.420 --> 00:25:48.019 peace and 00:25:48.019 --> 00:25:49.519 of joy and 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:50.200 of life in 00:25:50.200 --> 00:25:50.519 him. 00:25:51.980 --> 00:25:52.759 So let's 00:25:52.759 --> 00:25:53.779 pray that we 00:25:53.779 --> 00:25:54.279 can do that 00:25:54.279 --> 00:25:54.500 now. 00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:55.039 Let's pray.