WEBVTT

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 Thank you, Jen, and thank you for bearing with us.

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 It's a joy to worship with you.

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 It is a little tight in here, but what's great about that is I can hear all of you sing really well.

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 And it's such a privilege and a joy to worship together.

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 Please turn with me in your Bibles to Ecclesiastes chapter 2.

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 We started this sermon series in this wonderful book in the Old Testament two weeks ago.

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 Three weeks ago.

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 We are in chapter 2, verses 12 to 26 this morning.

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 Let me pray now for the reading and preaching of God's Word.

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 Heavenly Father, we come to your Word again.

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 We are weak, but you are strong.

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 Our words are sometimes filled with untruths, but your Word is truth.

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 And your Word gives life.

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 We ask that you would make alive spiritually by your power every single soul here this morning as we listen to your Word.

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 Lord, we pray that you would humble us again.

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 Remind us of our finiteness, our creatureliness, our mortality, so that we might know the end of our days and live with wisdom and humility.

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 And point us to the good news of Jesus Christ.

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 Exalt His name, the most precious gift you've given us.

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 So that His name is exalted and trusted in.

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 Amen.

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 On every lip and by every heart here in this room.

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 Help us now in Jesus' name we pray.

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 Amen.

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 If you are able, please stand.

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 And for the reading of God's Word, we'd like to stand to honor God as we read His Word.

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 And I will read it out loud for us.

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 Ecclesiastes chapter 2, verses 12 to 26.

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 So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly.

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 For what can the man do who comes after the king?

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 Only what has already been done.

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 Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly,

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 as there is more gain in light than in darkness.

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 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness.

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 And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them.

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 Then I said in my heart,

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 What happens to the fool will happen to me also.

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 Why then have I been so very wise?

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 And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

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 For of the wise as of the fool, there is no enduring remembrance,

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 seeing that in the days to come, all will have been long forgotten.

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 How the wise dies just like the fool.

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 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me,

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 for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

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 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun,

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 seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me.

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 And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool.

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 Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun.

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 This also is vanity.

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 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun,

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 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill

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 must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it.

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 This also is vanity and a great evil.

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 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?

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 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation.

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 Even in the night his heart does not rest.

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 This also is vanity.

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 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.

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 This also, I saw, is from the hand of God.

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 For apart from him, who can eat or who can have enjoyment?

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 For to the one who pleases him, God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy.

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 But to the sinner, he has given the business of gathering and collecting,

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 only to give to one who pleases God.

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 This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

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 This is God's holy and authoritative word.

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 You may be seated.

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 As I mentioned, we started our new sermon series three weeks ago,

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 and the first week of the sermon, which introduced the entire series in this book of Ecclesiastes,

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 we talked about how our life is but a breath.

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 That we are fleeting.

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 That we are never filled as human beings.

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 And that we will all eventually be forgotten.

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 That's the reality of life in this fallen world as we work this cursed ground.

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 However, that might prompt some people to respond in a hedonistic way.

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 Saying, well, if that's the case, and it's all futile and fleeting,

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 then I'm just going to live a maximally pleasurable life and indulge myself in everything.

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 Well, that's what we saw in last week's passage.

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 And the preacher of Ecclesiastes concluded that even after indulging in every conceivable pleasure

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 and denying himself no pleasure that his eyes can see and desire,

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 he concluded that even pleasure is but a breath.

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 No pleasure on earth can ultimately satisfy.

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 It gives us diminishing returns and leaves us ultimately empty.

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 Now, that reality then might prompt some people to respond,

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 instead turning toward work.

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 Trying to do something meaningful.

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 Trying to make something of their own lives.

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 And to leave a legacy.

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 I'm going to be successful and I'm going to leave a mark on this earth.

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 That's where we are headed this morning in this morning's passage in Ecclesiastes 2.12-26.

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 But the author of Ecclesiastes quickly bursts that bubble also.

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 And he tells us that work and all that we stand to gain from our work and our hard work

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 are also heavy, a puff of breath.

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 A passing wind.

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 Striving after wind.

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 But then, he tells us something that he hasn't told us yet up to this point.

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 And this is really the first light that we see,

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 the light of hope that shines onto this darkness of Ecclesiastes,

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 the despair that we've seen so far.

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 And it's just knowing that our work and what we gain from our work are but a breath,

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 we should enjoy our work as a gift from God.

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 And that's the amazing insight and wisdom we gain from this word.

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 And how do we actually do that?

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 How do we enjoy that work?

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 That's what we're going to talk about.

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 But first, before we get there, we're going to talk about how we will all be forgotten.

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 The author of Ecclesiastes likes to remind us of that and keep us in our place.

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 And then he will tell us that we must leave it all behind.

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 And then he tells us that we should enjoy our work.

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 The preacher once again turns to assessing the merits of these three approaches to life,

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 wisdom, madness, and folly in verse 12.

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 And he asks, does it matter at all whether you live as a wise man or a madman or a fool?

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 And he begins the exploration with this question.

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 For what can the man do who comes after the king?

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 As I've mentioned in the previous weeks, I think most likely the character of this book,

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 the preacher, is King Solomon, who compiled some of these wise sayings.

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 And so I think he is thinking hypothetically about what his successor might do.

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 And Solomon knows the answer, and he gives it.

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 Only what has already been done.

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 What can the man do who comes after the king?

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 Only what has already been done.

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 Here he is echoing what he said early in chapter 1, verses 9 to 10.

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 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done.

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 And there is nothing new under the sun.

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 Is there a thing of which it is said, see, this is new?

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 It has been already in the ages before us.

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 Nothing we do is ever truly, in an absolute sense, novel.

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 It's something like it has already been done before.

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 Look at the things that Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are campaigning on.

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 What can the man do who comes after the king?

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 Let's see what they promise.

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 Harris promises to curb the emission of greenhouse gases and control climate change.

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 That sounds a lot like Joe Biden before her,

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 who provided hundreds of billions of dollars toward clean energy.

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 That sounds a lot like Barack Obama before him,

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 who helped negotiate the Paris Climate Accords.

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 That sounds a lot like Bill Clinton before him,

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 who negotiated the Kyoto Protocol,

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 in which developed countries promised to cut their carbon emissions.

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 And that sounds a lot like what George H.W. Bush negotiated and signed,

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 the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

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 And that sounds a lot like what Ronald Reagan,

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 who signed the Global Climate Protection Act of 1987.

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 So what Harris is promising to do is nothing new.

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 For what can the man do who comes after the king?

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 Only what has already been done.

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 Democratic and Republican presidents in past years

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 have all tried to solve this issue to no avail.

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 Similarly, Donald Trump promises that he will end the Russia-Ukraine war

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 as soon as he becomes president.

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 And that he will restore peace through strength

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 and prevent World War III.

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 Once again, campaign promises like that are nothing new.

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 In 1916, Woodrow Wilson campaigned for re-election with this slogan,

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 He kept us out of war.

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 Just 29 days after he was sworn in for his second term,

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 U.S. declared war against Germany, joining World War I.

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 After him, in 1940, Franklin D. Roosevelt promised during his campaign,

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 Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars.

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 But a year later, after Pearl Harbor was bombed,

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 U.S. declared war on Japan and entered World War II.

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 After him, 1964, Lyndon Johnson said during his campaign

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 he would not send American boys 9 or 10,000 miles away from home

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 to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves.

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 But later that year, he dramatically increased U.S. military presence in Vietnam,

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 in the Vietnam War.

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 After him, in 1968, Richard Nixon promised that he would end the Vietnam War

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 and make peace with honor.

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 But he never did manage to end the Vietnam War.

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 After him, in 2000, George W. Bush campaigned,

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 saying that he would stop extending our troops all around the world

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 in nation-building missions.

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 But in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks,

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 he started new wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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 After him, in 2008, Barack Obama pledged to end the war in Afghanistan,

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 only to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan year after year

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 in both his first and second terms.

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 After him, Joe Biden promised that he would end the forever wars.

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 But now there are two more wars going on,

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 in Ukraine and in Gaza, Israel.

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 Sure, Israel isn't directly involved,

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 but we've spent hundreds of billions of dollars

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 and some U.S. soldiers have died,

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 killed by Iran-backed terrorist groups.

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 So what Trump is promising to do is nothing new.

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 For what can the man do who comes after the king?

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 Only what has already been done.

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 The Democratic and Republican presidents in the past

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 have all tried to end wars,

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 but the warring nations pay no heed to such campaign promises.

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 And the sinful nature of humanity does not change,

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 apart from the saving work of Jesus Christ.

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 Now, this doesn't mean that there is no point in trying to gain wisdom at all

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 or trying to conduct ourselves with wisdom

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 or to elect wiser rulers.

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 Of course, there is a point in all that.

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 It's still better to be wise than to be foolish.

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 And that's what the preacher says in verses 13 to 14.

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 Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly,

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 as there is more gain in light than in darkness.

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 The wise person has his eyes in his head,

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 but the fool walks in darkness.

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 The wise person lives in light,

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 and the foolish person lives in darkness.

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 The wise person knows how to navigate life with wisdom,

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 and he knows how to avoid the pitfalls of life.

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 But the foolish person is ignorant and just stumbles through life,

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 which is better.

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 Of course, wisdom is better.

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 The preacher does not deny the superiority of wisdom in an ultimate sense,

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 and this is consistent with the teaching of Proverbs.

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 But here's the kicker at the end of verse 14.

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 And yet I perceive that the same event happens to them all.

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 What is this same event?

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 That happens to them all.

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 It's death.

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 The preacher continues in verses 15 to 17.

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 Then I said in my heart,

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 What happens to the fool will happen to me also.

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 Why then have I been so very wise?

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 And I said in my heart that this also is vanity,

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 for of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance,

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 seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten,

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 how the wise dies just like the fool.

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 So I hated life because what is done under the sun was grievous to me,

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 for all is vanity and is striving after wind.

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 Think about it this way.

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 There are two drivers,

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 and they're both going to die in a car accident today.

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 But one of them is a very competent and careful driver.

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 He slows down before the speed bumps.

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 He checks the rear view mirror and the side mirrors as he is driving.

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 He hovers very close to the speed limit,

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 and he doesn't speed.

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 He stops at all the lights.

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 And if you are in his car,

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 you feel like this is the smoothest and safest ride you've ever been on.

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 And then there's the second driver.

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 This is a reckless and foolish driver.

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 When he is driving through the speed bumps,

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 the car basically gets airtime.

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 Now, he never checks any of the mirrors,

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 and the cars are honking all over the place.

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 Oops, there goes a red light that I just ran.

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 Now, which way of driving is better?

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 Clearly, the wise way of driving is better,

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 but they're both going to die today in a car accident.

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 So what's the point?

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 That's the philosophical question

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 that the preacher of Ecclesiastes is driving at.

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 Do you feel the futility of it all?

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 The wise person who works diligently

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 and saves gradually and invests prudently

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 and grows his or her wealth,

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 and the foolish person who is lazy

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 and then squanders her wealth

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 and then becomes homeless,

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 both of those people are going to die one day.

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 And they'll have to leave it all behind.

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 Death, as people say, is the great equalizer.

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 And who is going to remember them?

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 No one.

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 For of the wise as of the fool,

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 there is no enduring remembrance,

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 seeing that in the days to come,

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 all will have been long forgotten.

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 Even if you make something,

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 an enduring contribution to the world,

00:16:14.340 --> 00:16:17.660
 and you are memorialized or immortalized

00:16:17.660 --> 00:16:21.340
 with a statue or a bust somewhere

00:16:21.340 --> 00:16:23.020
 or a building named after you,

00:16:24.020 --> 00:16:26.460
 one day someone's going to raise that building

00:16:26.460 --> 00:16:27.920
 to make room for a new one,

00:16:27.960 --> 00:16:29.140
 and they'll name it after someone else.

00:16:29.680 --> 00:16:31.900
 One day they will topple that statue

00:16:31.900 --> 00:16:33.700
 because the values have changed,

00:16:33.900 --> 00:16:35.400
 and someone else will be put up.

00:16:35.399 --> 00:16:38.159
 Earlier this month,

00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:40.100
 I saw an article

00:16:40.100 --> 00:16:43.459
 about how the Chicago Bears legend,

00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:46.240
 I don't know how many of you guys know this legend,

00:16:46.539 --> 00:16:47.279
 Steve McMichael.

00:16:47.899 --> 00:16:48.720
 You guys know who this is?

00:16:49.500 --> 00:16:50.699
 Not a single person.

00:16:53.019 --> 00:16:54.299
 Chicago Bears legend,

00:16:54.620 --> 00:16:55.399
 Steve McMichael,

00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:57.720
 was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

00:16:57.720 --> 00:16:58.620
 earlier this month.

00:16:59.100 --> 00:17:00.039
 And you know what's sad?

00:17:00.220 --> 00:17:02.939
 I saw a picture of the induction

00:17:02.940 --> 00:17:04.900
 because he couldn't attend the ceremony in person.

00:17:05.779 --> 00:17:06.220
 All his,

00:17:06.460 --> 00:17:06.980
 in the picture,

00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:09.920
 the man is bedridden in hospital

00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:12.779
 because he's dying from ALS.

00:17:14.059 --> 00:17:16.160
 While his wife and friends are surrounding him,

00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:16.840
 they're smiling,

00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:18.000
 and they're beaming with pride,

00:17:18.120 --> 00:17:20.860
 and the wife is holding this bronze bust of him.

00:17:21.400 --> 00:17:21.779
 Of course,

00:17:21.840 --> 00:17:23.539
 it's modeled after when he was still young

00:17:23.539 --> 00:17:25.680
 and handsome and athletic and muscular.

00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:28.380
 And he is a shell of himself now,

00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:29.600
 just lying there in bed.

00:17:29.599 --> 00:17:31.959
 And she's beaming at the bust and says,

00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:33.339
 hey, look, this is you.

00:17:33.959 --> 00:17:34.639
 This is you.

00:17:34.939 --> 00:17:35.899
 This is you.

00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:37.799
 Forever.

00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:40.899
 That's you forever.

00:17:41.019 --> 00:17:41.659
 Isn't it beautiful?

00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:42.839
 That's what the wife says.

00:17:44.179 --> 00:17:46.000
 The scene is thick with irony.

00:17:48.019 --> 00:17:50.439
 No, that bust is clearly not him.

00:17:50.959 --> 00:17:52.219
 Looks nothing like him now.

00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:53.539
 And surely,

00:17:53.719 --> 00:17:54.819
 it's not him forever.

00:17:57.219 --> 00:17:59.179
 That recognition does not last forever.

00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:00.299
 In fact,

00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:02.419
 he's already in the process of being forgotten,

00:18:02.659 --> 00:18:03.359
 as you can see.

00:18:06.179 --> 00:18:07.219
 He can't talk.

00:18:07.339 --> 00:18:08.039
 He can't smile.

00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:09.359
 He can't even turn to look at the bust.

00:18:09.399 --> 00:18:10.539
 His wife has to grab his head

00:18:10.539 --> 00:18:11.599
 and turn his head toward it.

00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:14.779
 Do you really think the man in that situation cares

00:18:14.779 --> 00:18:17.599
 that he just got into the Proof Football Hall of Fame?

00:18:22.819 --> 00:18:24.359
 Whether you are rich or poor,

00:18:24.839 --> 00:18:26.459
 famous or anonymous,

00:18:27.199 --> 00:18:28.740
 a success or a failure,

00:18:28.740 --> 00:18:31.400
 there is no enduring remembrance,

00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:32.900
 seeing that in the days to come,

00:18:32.980 --> 00:18:35.059
 all will have been long forgotten.

00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:39.660
 That's the brutal reality of life in this fallen world.

00:18:40.859 --> 00:18:42.660
 Maybe you're trying to invent something

00:18:42.660 --> 00:18:44.820
 or start a new business

00:18:44.820 --> 00:18:46.340
 that will be the next Amazon

00:18:46.340 --> 00:18:47.120
 or Microsoft

00:18:47.120 --> 00:18:47.700
 or Google

00:18:47.700 --> 00:18:48.180
 or Apple.

00:18:48.180 --> 00:18:50.340
 Maybe you want to make a break,

00:18:50.560 --> 00:18:52.120
 make some breakthroughs in AI

00:18:52.120 --> 00:18:54.180
 or make some other lasting contribution

00:18:54.180 --> 00:18:55.800
 to your academic field.

00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:58.180
 Maybe you want to write a best-selling book.

00:18:58.519 --> 00:19:00.300
 But no matter what we accomplish,

00:19:00.900 --> 00:19:02.680
 the inescapable reality

00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:04.100
 is that we will all be forgotten.

00:19:05.580 --> 00:19:07.680
 There is futility to our work

00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:10.140
 that is woven into the very fabric

00:19:10.140 --> 00:19:11.380
 of this fallen world.

00:19:11.800 --> 00:19:13.460
 It's all a striving after wind.

00:19:14.600 --> 00:19:16.960
 And if you keep chasing after that wind,

00:19:17.520 --> 00:19:20.220
 seeking some sort of ultimate gain

00:19:20.220 --> 00:19:22.200
 from the work that you do,

00:19:22.420 --> 00:19:24.560
 then you will end up hating life,

00:19:25.080 --> 00:19:26.200
 as the preacher says here.

00:19:26.200 --> 00:19:27.880
 And you will conclude

00:19:27.880 --> 00:19:29.799
 that life under the sun is grievous.

00:19:31.220 --> 00:19:31.740
 However,

00:19:32.620 --> 00:19:35.420
 if we recognize this humbling truth

00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:39.460
 and lean into the freedom of insignificance,

00:19:40.120 --> 00:19:42.299
 the freedom of mortality,

00:19:43.420 --> 00:19:45.200
 then instead of treating our work

00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:47.000
 and what we stand to gain from work

00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:48.059
 as a God,

00:19:49.059 --> 00:19:51.279
 we can do our work

00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:52.460
 and receive the gain

00:19:52.460 --> 00:19:53.660
 from our blessings of our work

00:19:53.660 --> 00:19:54.640
 as a gift.

00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:57.120
 And that's the difference.

00:19:57.980 --> 00:19:59.420
 The preacher of Ecclesiastes

00:19:59.420 --> 00:20:01.220
 will elaborate on this a little later.

00:20:01.800 --> 00:20:02.680
 But before we get to that,

00:20:02.740 --> 00:20:03.820
 there's another sobering truth

00:20:03.820 --> 00:20:05.160
 in verses 18 to 23.

00:20:05.740 --> 00:20:07.680
 Not only will we ourselves be forgotten,

00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:09.380
 our life's work

00:20:09.380 --> 00:20:10.900
 and all the wealth we've gained,

00:20:11.140 --> 00:20:12.440
 we must leave it all behind.

00:20:13.100 --> 00:20:14.900
 The preacher says in verses 18 to 19,

00:20:15.020 --> 00:20:16.120
 I hated all my toil

00:20:16.120 --> 00:20:17.540
 in which I toil under the sun,

00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:19.100
 seeing that I must leave it

00:20:19.100 --> 00:20:20.440
 to the man who will come after me.

00:20:20.780 --> 00:20:21.460
 And who knows

00:20:21.460 --> 00:20:23.160
 whether he will be wise or a fool,

00:20:23.160 --> 00:20:25.160
 yet he will be master of all

00:20:25.160 --> 00:20:26.120
 for which I toiled

00:20:26.120 --> 00:20:27.560
 and used my wisdom under the sun.

00:20:27.960 --> 00:20:29.700
 This also is vanity.

00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:32.759
 The certainty of death means

00:20:32.759 --> 00:20:34.040
 that sooner or later,

00:20:34.519 --> 00:20:36.560
 we must leave all our accomplishments

00:20:36.560 --> 00:20:38.480
 and possessions behind.

00:20:39.220 --> 00:20:40.620
 But there is no guarantee

00:20:40.620 --> 00:20:43.440
 that our successor will be wise,

00:20:44.279 --> 00:20:47.380
 wise stewards of what we have passed down.

00:20:47.380 --> 00:20:50.580
 Now, I think the preacher of Ecclesiastes,

00:20:50.780 --> 00:20:52.500
 which I think is most likely King Solomon,

00:20:52.740 --> 00:20:55.220
 was prescient in his realization

00:20:55.220 --> 00:20:57.240
 because if you recall what happens

00:20:57.240 --> 00:20:58.700
 right after King Solomon's death,

00:20:59.360 --> 00:21:01.940
 his son Rehoboam takes over the throne

00:21:01.940 --> 00:21:04.680
 and then people come and petition him

00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:06.680
 to lighten their workload.

00:21:07.180 --> 00:21:09.120
 And Rehoboam, instead of listening

00:21:09.120 --> 00:21:10.820
 to the wise counselors,

00:21:11.060 --> 00:21:12.840
 the old man who used to serve

00:21:12.840 --> 00:21:14.440
 in Solomon, his father's court,

00:21:14.440 --> 00:21:17.160
 instead he spurns their counsel

00:21:17.160 --> 00:21:19.460
 and then listens to the foolish young men

00:21:19.460 --> 00:21:20.920
 who grew up with him

00:21:20.920 --> 00:21:22.799
 and were standing now in his court.

00:21:23.420 --> 00:21:24.200
 And because of that,

00:21:24.360 --> 00:21:25.660
 the kingdom is split now,

00:21:26.580 --> 00:21:28.299
 divided into northern kingdom of Israel

00:21:28.299 --> 00:21:29.340
 and southern kingdom of Judah,

00:21:29.700 --> 00:21:32.259
 and then it begins its downward spiral

00:21:32.259 --> 00:21:33.019
 from there.

00:21:33.480 --> 00:21:35.500
 And the zenith of the kingdom of Israel,

00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:37.140
 which Solomon enjoyed,

00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:38.900
 is no longer to be found.

00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:43.860
 Similarly, Clint Murchison Jr.

00:21:44.220 --> 00:21:46.460
 Murchison Jr. was the son of an oil tycoon

00:21:46.460 --> 00:21:48.900
 who inherited $200 million

00:21:48.900 --> 00:21:51.960
 after his father's passing in the late 1960s,

00:21:52.420 --> 00:21:53.420
 adjusted for inflation

00:21:53.420 --> 00:21:55.519
 that would be worth over $400 million today.

00:21:56.160 --> 00:21:57.220
 But unlike his father,

00:21:57.300 --> 00:21:58.560
 who invested his money wisely,

00:21:58.920 --> 00:22:00.880
 Murchison Jr. frittered away his money

00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:03.240
 on passion projects and failed ventures,

00:22:03.720 --> 00:22:05.700
 and by 1985, he had filed for bankruptcy.

00:22:05.700 --> 00:22:08.759
 He liquidated all of his assets to repay his debt,

00:22:08.980 --> 00:22:10.819
 and he died two years later penniless.

00:22:12.700 --> 00:22:14.900
 Both him and Rehoboam destroyed

00:22:14.900 --> 00:22:16.860
 their wiser father's legacies.

00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:20.539
 All of us, as mortals,

00:22:20.860 --> 00:22:22.279
 face this predicament.

00:22:23.779 --> 00:22:25.940
 Perhaps you work hard to get a PhD,

00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:27.559
 and then a postdoc,

00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:30.059
 and then you gain a tenured professorship

00:22:30.059 --> 00:22:31.920
 at an esteemed research university,

00:22:32.140 --> 00:22:34.160
 and then you get a lab named after you.

00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:38.519
 But what happens to all of it after you die?

00:22:39.720 --> 00:22:41.279
 Someone will take over your lab.

00:22:41.620 --> 00:22:42.820
 The lab will be renamed.

00:22:43.279 --> 00:22:44.940
 And who knows whether your successor

00:22:44.940 --> 00:22:46.759
 will be wise or foolish,

00:22:47.140 --> 00:22:48.700
 whether they will see any value

00:22:48.700 --> 00:22:50.259
 in the research you are doing at all.

00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:52.560
 Maybe they decide to scrap it all.

00:22:53.019 --> 00:22:54.300
 We're going to go in a different direction.

00:22:56.340 --> 00:22:57.460
 What's the point, then,

00:22:57.500 --> 00:22:58.660
 of all your hard work,

00:22:59.060 --> 00:23:00.080
 all your worries,

00:23:00.420 --> 00:23:01.380
 and late nights?

00:23:01.380 --> 00:23:04.420
 He says in verses 22 to 23,

00:23:04.780 --> 00:23:06.660
 What has a man from all the toil

00:23:06.660 --> 00:23:07.560
 and striving of heart

00:23:07.560 --> 00:23:09.260
 with which he toils beneath the sun?

00:23:09.660 --> 00:23:11.720
 For all his days are full of sorrow,

00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:13.260
 and his work is a vexation.

00:23:13.880 --> 00:23:14.700
 Even in the night,

00:23:14.760 --> 00:23:15.960
 his heart does not rest.

00:23:16.100 --> 00:23:17.560
 This also is vanity.

00:23:18.540 --> 00:23:20.800
 What is there for us to gain

00:23:20.800 --> 00:23:22.240
 in all the work that we do?

00:23:22.620 --> 00:23:23.880
 Why do we stress out

00:23:23.880 --> 00:23:25.180
 and endure sleepless nights

00:23:25.180 --> 00:23:26.360
 for the sake of our work?

00:23:27.320 --> 00:23:28.920
 It's no wonder that the preacher says

00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:29.560
 in verse 20,

00:23:29.779 --> 00:23:30.680
 So I turned about

00:23:30.680 --> 00:23:32.560
 and gave my heart up to despair.

00:23:33.519 --> 00:23:34.980
 Despair over all the toil

00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:36.240
 of my labors under the sun.

00:23:36.279 --> 00:23:37.380
 This is the only place

00:23:37.380 --> 00:23:38.440
 in the book of Ecclesiastes

00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:40.340
 where we find the word despair.

00:23:41.840 --> 00:23:42.960
 And note the repetition

00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:44.600
 of this phrase,

00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:45.600
 under the sun.

00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:47.660
 It occurs four times

00:23:47.660 --> 00:23:49.120
 from verses 17 to 20,

00:23:49.380 --> 00:23:50.700
 and all in the context

00:23:50.700 --> 00:23:52.120
 of the most despairing,

00:23:52.220 --> 00:23:52.980
 hopeless statements

00:23:52.980 --> 00:23:53.640
 of the preacher.

00:23:54.019 --> 00:23:55.019
 And this is no accident.

00:23:55.560 --> 00:23:56.840
 Life under the sun,

00:23:56.839 --> 00:23:58.879
 life here in this fallen world

00:23:58.879 --> 00:24:00.679
 is but the merest breath.

00:24:01.079 --> 00:24:02.000
 It is fleeting,

00:24:02.159 --> 00:24:03.220
 and it is futile.

00:24:03.220 --> 00:24:05.439
 That is the inescapable condition

00:24:05.439 --> 00:24:06.879
 of this cursed ground,

00:24:07.059 --> 00:24:09.399
 which we have been consigned to work.

00:24:10.599 --> 00:24:12.459
 And Christians and non-Christians alike

00:24:12.459 --> 00:24:14.279
 must grapple with the reality

00:24:14.279 --> 00:24:15.159
 of this fallen world

00:24:15.159 --> 00:24:16.699
 every single day.

00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:18.740
 And the preacher's reaction

00:24:18.740 --> 00:24:19.559
 to this futility

00:24:19.559 --> 00:24:20.779
 is very strong.

00:24:20.919 --> 00:24:21.419
 Twice,

00:24:21.779 --> 00:24:24.019
 he says he hates this kind of life.

00:24:24.579 --> 00:24:25.579
 He says in verse 17,

00:24:25.579 --> 00:24:26.799
 so I hated life

00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:28.179
 because what is done

00:24:28.179 --> 00:24:28.740
 under the sun

00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:29.579
 was grievous to me.

00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:30.639
 And again in verse 18,

00:24:30.779 --> 00:24:30.879
 he says,

00:24:30.919 --> 00:24:32.419
 I hated all my toil

00:24:32.419 --> 00:24:34.019
 in which I toil under the sun.

00:24:34.439 --> 00:24:35.740
 These are the only two places

00:24:35.740 --> 00:24:36.899
 in the book of Ecclesiastes

00:24:36.899 --> 00:24:37.899
 where the preacher says

00:24:37.899 --> 00:24:39.919
 he hated his life and work.

00:24:41.019 --> 00:24:42.699
 But this most desperate

00:24:42.699 --> 00:24:43.799
 and dark

00:24:43.799 --> 00:24:45.179
 and despairing passage

00:24:45.179 --> 00:24:46.799
 occurs immediately before

00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:48.460
 the first light

00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:49.839
 of Ecclesiastes,

00:24:50.039 --> 00:24:50.799
 which shines through

00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:52.539
 in this next few verses.

00:24:52.539 --> 00:24:54.720
 And here's that first light

00:24:54.720 --> 00:24:56.279
 in verse 24 and verse 25.

00:24:57.139 --> 00:24:58.180
 There is nothing better

00:24:58.180 --> 00:24:58.879
 for a person

00:24:58.879 --> 00:25:00.379
 than that he should eat and drink

00:25:00.379 --> 00:25:02.079
 and find enjoyment in his toil.

00:25:02.619 --> 00:25:04.059
 This also I saw

00:25:04.059 --> 00:25:05.639
 is from the hand of God

00:25:05.639 --> 00:25:07.159
 for apart from him

00:25:07.159 --> 00:25:07.839
 who can eat

00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:09.359
 or who can have enjoyment.

00:25:10.299 --> 00:25:11.460
 This is the first

00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:13.279
 of what is known as

00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:15.599
 five Carpe Diem passages.

00:25:15.779 --> 00:25:16.259
 You guys have heard

00:25:16.259 --> 00:25:17.420
 the phrase Carpe Diem,

00:25:17.619 --> 00:25:17.720
 right?

00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:18.539
 C is the day

00:25:18.539 --> 00:25:19.599
 from Latin.

00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:22.659
 And there's five such passages

00:25:22.659 --> 00:25:24.099
 in the book of Ecclesiastes.

00:25:24.319 --> 00:25:25.519
 And it's an exhortation

00:25:25.519 --> 00:25:26.899
 to take advantage

00:25:26.899 --> 00:25:28.859
 of your present opportunities

00:25:28.859 --> 00:25:31.399
 and to enjoy life today

00:25:31.399 --> 00:25:32.859
 while it still lasts

00:25:32.859 --> 00:25:35.139
 rather than counting on tomorrow

00:25:35.139 --> 00:25:36.319
 which may never come.

00:25:37.319 --> 00:25:39.539
 This is different from hedonism

00:25:39.539 --> 00:25:41.339
 which pursues pleasure

00:25:41.339 --> 00:25:42.679
 as the highest good.

00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:44.819
 We saw the programmatic end

00:25:44.819 --> 00:25:45.379
 of hedonism

00:25:45.379 --> 00:25:46.659
 in last week's passage

00:25:46.659 --> 00:25:47.879
 where Solomon recounts

00:25:47.880 --> 00:25:49.100
 his foray into the pleasures

00:25:49.100 --> 00:25:50.160
 and self-indulgence.

00:25:50.980 --> 00:25:52.500
 He says he kept his heart

00:25:52.500 --> 00:25:53.260
 from no pleasure

00:25:53.260 --> 00:25:54.160
 and indulged in all

00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:55.120
 that his eyes desired.

00:25:55.240 --> 00:25:56.720
 Alcohol, gardens, parks,

00:25:56.900 --> 00:25:57.660
 pools, possessions,

00:25:58.140 --> 00:25:58.960
 jewelry, treasures,

00:25:59.140 --> 00:25:59.860
 music, sex.

00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:01.040
 He tried them all

00:26:01.040 --> 00:26:02.880
 and he still concluded

00:26:02.880 --> 00:26:03.740
 it's all vanity

00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:05.160
 and there is nothing

00:26:05.160 --> 00:26:06.100
 to be gained in them.

00:26:06.880 --> 00:26:08.180
 The pleasures of this world

00:26:08.180 --> 00:26:09.060
 cannot ultimately

00:26:09.060 --> 00:26:10.400
 fail or satisfy us.

00:26:10.440 --> 00:26:11.480
 The preacher already knows this

00:26:11.480 --> 00:26:12.160
 so this is not

00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:13.740
 a hedonistic despair.

00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:15.240
 But he's saying

00:26:15.240 --> 00:26:16.000
 something different

00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:16.460
 when he says

00:26:16.460 --> 00:26:17.600
 there is nothing better

00:26:17.600 --> 00:26:18.160
 for a person

00:26:18.160 --> 00:26:19.079
 than that he should eat

00:26:19.079 --> 00:26:19.600
 and drink

00:26:19.600 --> 00:26:20.680
 and find enjoyment

00:26:20.680 --> 00:26:21.559
 in his toil.

00:26:22.340 --> 00:26:23.200
 The word toil

00:26:23.200 --> 00:26:24.740
 is a key word in this book.

00:26:25.160 --> 00:26:26.460
 It occurs almost 30 times

00:26:26.460 --> 00:26:26.900
 in the book

00:26:26.900 --> 00:26:28.160
 and it captures

00:26:28.160 --> 00:26:29.480
 the fallen condition

00:26:29.480 --> 00:26:30.039
 of humanity

00:26:30.039 --> 00:26:30.860
 in the world.

00:26:31.740 --> 00:26:32.900
 Our work in this world

00:26:32.900 --> 00:26:34.420
 is toil and hardship

00:26:34.420 --> 00:26:35.799
 because of Adam's sin.

00:26:35.880 --> 00:26:36.660
 Remember what happened

00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:37.600
 after Adam sinned

00:26:37.600 --> 00:26:38.519
 in the Garden of Eden.

00:26:38.900 --> 00:26:40.000
 Now you must work the ground

00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:41.019
 with the sweat of your brow

00:26:41.019 --> 00:26:42.120
 and it will yield to you

00:26:42.120 --> 00:26:43.360
 thorns and thistles.

00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:46.279
 That's what toil looks like.

00:26:46.419 --> 00:26:47.359
 You till the ground

00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:48.519
 and you sow the seeds

00:26:48.519 --> 00:26:49.399
 by the sweat of your brow

00:26:49.399 --> 00:26:50.240
 but it still yields

00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:51.259
 thorns and thistles.

00:26:51.359 --> 00:26:52.119
 There is a pain

00:26:52.119 --> 00:26:53.559
 and there is a futility

00:26:53.559 --> 00:26:54.959
 in all of our labors

00:26:54.959 --> 00:26:55.939
 under the sun.

00:26:56.339 --> 00:26:57.279
 And for that reason

00:26:57.279 --> 00:26:58.339
 the very first

00:26:58.339 --> 00:26:59.659
 real philosophical question

00:26:59.659 --> 00:27:00.899
 of the book of Ecclesiastes

00:27:00.899 --> 00:27:01.439
 was this

00:27:01.439 --> 00:27:02.599
 in chapter 1 verse 3.

00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:04.099
 What does man gain

00:27:04.099 --> 00:27:05.139
 by all the toil

00:27:05.139 --> 00:27:06.219
 at which he toils

00:27:06.219 --> 00:27:07.139
 under the sun?

00:27:07.639 --> 00:27:09.159
 What do we have to gain

00:27:09.159 --> 00:27:09.879
 from this?

00:27:10.419 --> 00:27:11.399
 And the word gain

00:27:11.400 --> 00:27:12.640
 is a translation

00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:13.500
 of a Hebrew word

00:27:13.500 --> 00:27:14.560
 that means profit.

00:27:14.680 --> 00:27:15.880
 It's an economical term.

00:27:16.259 --> 00:27:17.500
 Profit or advantage.

00:27:18.180 --> 00:27:19.800
 It conveys the human desire

00:27:19.800 --> 00:27:20.820
 to make a profit.

00:27:21.320 --> 00:27:22.540
 To leave a surplus.

00:27:23.420 --> 00:27:25.320
 To get to the bottom line

00:27:25.320 --> 00:27:25.840
 of the ledger

00:27:25.840 --> 00:27:27.320
 and to have a black number there

00:27:27.320 --> 00:27:28.360
 instead of a red one.

00:27:29.980 --> 00:27:31.380
 But because we live

00:27:31.380 --> 00:27:32.740
 in a world that is hevel,

00:27:33.259 --> 00:27:34.259
 that is mere breath,

00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:35.560
 there is actually

00:27:35.560 --> 00:27:36.600
 nothing to be gained.

00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:38.780
 So the preacher says instead

00:27:38.779 --> 00:27:40.279
 there is nothing better

00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:40.980
 for a person

00:27:40.980 --> 00:27:41.879
 than that he should eat

00:27:41.879 --> 00:27:42.440
 and drink

00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:43.519
 and find enjoyment

00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:44.519
 in his toil.

00:27:45.759 --> 00:27:46.879
 What does that look like?

00:27:47.799 --> 00:27:50.039
 We tend to treat life

00:27:50.039 --> 00:27:50.859
 as a means

00:27:50.859 --> 00:27:52.240
 to gain control.

00:27:54.099 --> 00:27:55.079
 As a means

00:27:55.079 --> 00:27:55.960
 to get ahead.

00:27:57.000 --> 00:27:58.279
 We tend to use

00:27:58.279 --> 00:27:59.519
 the world around us

00:27:59.519 --> 00:28:00.619
 as leverage

00:28:00.619 --> 00:28:01.819
 for attaining

00:28:01.819 --> 00:28:02.759
 our own goals.

00:28:03.619 --> 00:28:04.980
 We see our relationships

00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:06.240
 and our degrees

00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:07.420
 and our internships

00:28:07.420 --> 00:28:08.299
 and jobs

00:28:08.299 --> 00:28:09.779
 all as stepping stones

00:28:09.779 --> 00:28:11.079
 for the next thing

00:28:11.079 --> 00:28:13.279
 to the greater things.

00:28:14.380 --> 00:28:15.120
 But what if

00:28:15.120 --> 00:28:16.859
 God gives us

00:28:16.859 --> 00:28:17.579
 these things

00:28:17.579 --> 00:28:19.259
 not to be used

00:28:19.259 --> 00:28:21.059
 or mastered

00:28:21.059 --> 00:28:23.079
 but simply

00:28:23.079 --> 00:28:23.859
 to be enjoyed?

00:28:26.500 --> 00:28:28.579
 What is our work

00:28:28.579 --> 00:28:29.559
 and indeed

00:28:29.559 --> 00:28:30.480
 life itself

00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:32.599
 if it's not

00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:33.460
 a means of gain

00:28:33.460 --> 00:28:34.180
 but a gift

00:28:34.180 --> 00:28:35.180
 to be enjoyed?

00:28:35.180 --> 00:28:36.880
 That's the meaning

00:28:36.880 --> 00:28:37.660
 of verses 24

00:28:37.660 --> 00:28:38.320
 and 25.

00:28:39.480 --> 00:28:40.380
 This also I saw

00:28:40.380 --> 00:28:41.600
 is from the hand

00:28:41.600 --> 00:28:42.360
 of God

00:28:42.360 --> 00:28:44.080
 for apart from him

00:28:44.080 --> 00:28:44.820
 who can eat

00:28:44.820 --> 00:28:45.660
 or who can have

00:28:45.660 --> 00:28:46.299
 enjoyment?

00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:47.640
 Our toil

00:28:47.640 --> 00:28:48.860
 and all our eating

00:28:48.860 --> 00:28:49.279
 and drinking

00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:50.600
 come from the hand

00:28:50.600 --> 00:28:51.320
 of God.

00:28:51.900 --> 00:28:53.120
 In the despairing

00:28:53.120 --> 00:28:54.539
 passages of chapter 2

00:28:54.539 --> 00:28:56.080
 there's not a single

00:28:56.080 --> 00:28:57.240
 mention of God

00:28:57.240 --> 00:28:58.120
 at all.

00:28:58.640 --> 00:28:59.200
 But here

00:28:59.200 --> 00:29:00.060
 in verses 24

00:29:00.060 --> 00:29:00.560
 to 26

00:29:00.560 --> 00:29:01.400
 God is mentioned

00:29:01.400 --> 00:29:02.220
 three times

00:29:02.220 --> 00:29:03.700
 in quick succession.

00:29:03.700 --> 00:29:05.240
 and it's the

00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:06.400
 presence of God

00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:07.580
 that transforms

00:29:07.580 --> 00:29:08.779
 our entire perspective

00:29:08.779 --> 00:29:09.620
 on life

00:29:09.620 --> 00:29:10.680
 and enables

00:29:10.680 --> 00:29:11.860
 to enjoy

00:29:11.860 --> 00:29:12.660
 these things

00:29:12.660 --> 00:29:13.519
 as gifts

00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:14.420
 rather than

00:29:14.420 --> 00:29:15.500
 employing them

00:29:15.500 --> 00:29:17.480
 for personal gain.

00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:19.319
 In fact

00:29:19.319 --> 00:29:19.880
 two other

00:29:19.880 --> 00:29:21.000
 Carpe Diem passages

00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:22.600
 3.13 and 5.19

00:29:22.600 --> 00:29:23.620
 explicitly use

00:29:23.620 --> 00:29:24.539
 the word gift

00:29:24.539 --> 00:29:25.500
 as a contrast

00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:26.660
 to the word gain.

00:29:27.460 --> 00:29:27.799
 It says

00:29:27.799 --> 00:29:28.420
 that everyone

00:29:28.420 --> 00:29:28.960
 should eat

00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:29.480
 and drink

00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:30.220
 and take pleasure

00:29:30.220 --> 00:29:31.140
 in all his toil.

00:29:31.140 --> 00:29:32.920
 this is God's

00:29:32.920 --> 00:29:33.540
 gift

00:29:33.540 --> 00:29:34.500
 to man.

00:29:35.520 --> 00:29:36.820
 This is the main point

00:29:36.820 --> 00:29:38.020
 of the book

00:29:38.020 --> 00:29:38.700
 of Ecclesiastes

00:29:38.700 --> 00:29:39.600
 and if you get it

00:29:39.600 --> 00:29:40.400
 it is profound.

00:29:41.840 --> 00:29:43.060
 If you see life

00:29:43.060 --> 00:29:44.180
 as the marketplace

00:29:44.180 --> 00:29:45.660
 or the trading floor

00:29:45.660 --> 00:29:46.560
 for gain

00:29:46.560 --> 00:29:48.200
 then we will live

00:29:48.200 --> 00:29:49.080
 consumed

00:29:49.080 --> 00:29:50.440
 and acquisitive lives

00:29:50.440 --> 00:29:51.460
 that are never satisfied.

00:29:52.820 --> 00:29:54.640
 But if we receive life

00:29:54.640 --> 00:29:56.180
 along with all its toils

00:29:56.180 --> 00:29:58.259
 along with all the joys

00:29:58.259 --> 00:29:58.880
 and woes

00:29:58.880 --> 00:29:59.500
 and the highs

00:29:59.500 --> 00:30:00.000
 and lows

00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:01.000
 as a gift

00:30:01.000 --> 00:30:02.420
 then we will be able

00:30:02.420 --> 00:30:03.599
 to enjoy life

00:30:03.599 --> 00:30:04.259
 and laugh

00:30:04.259 --> 00:30:05.119
 along the way.

00:30:06.700 --> 00:30:07.359
 This life

00:30:07.359 --> 00:30:08.480
 is still only a breath.

00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:10.380
 As pastor and professor

00:30:10.380 --> 00:30:11.579
 Ian Proven puts it

00:30:11.579 --> 00:30:11.980
 quote

00:30:11.980 --> 00:30:13.000
 the gift of God

00:30:13.000 --> 00:30:13.839
 does not make

00:30:13.839 --> 00:30:14.680
 this meaninglessness

00:30:14.680 --> 00:30:15.500
 go away.

00:30:16.859 --> 00:30:18.019
 We do have purpose

00:30:18.019 --> 00:30:18.460
 and meaning

00:30:18.460 --> 00:30:19.319
 but in the sense

00:30:19.319 --> 00:30:20.559
 that the fallen world

00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:21.279
 the condition

00:30:21.279 --> 00:30:21.980
 of this fallen world

00:30:21.980 --> 00:30:22.900
 doesn't change

00:30:22.900 --> 00:30:25.460
 until the renewal

00:30:25.460 --> 00:30:26.059
 of the new heavens

00:30:26.059 --> 00:30:26.599
 and the new earth.

00:30:27.259 --> 00:30:28.319
 So the meaninglessness

00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:29.159
 of this life

00:30:29.159 --> 00:30:30.200
 doesn't go away

00:30:30.200 --> 00:30:30.799
 the gift of God

00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:31.659
 does not make it go away

00:30:31.659 --> 00:30:32.519
 but the gift of God

00:30:32.519 --> 00:30:33.720
 makes this vanity

00:30:33.720 --> 00:30:34.759
 enjoyable.

00:30:36.759 --> 00:30:37.579
 When we let

00:30:37.579 --> 00:30:38.799
 the certainty of death

00:30:38.799 --> 00:30:39.759
 and the consequent

00:30:39.759 --> 00:30:40.639
 futility of life

00:30:40.639 --> 00:30:41.419
 instill in us

00:30:41.419 --> 00:30:42.579
 the wisdom of humility

00:30:42.579 --> 00:30:43.799
 and the freedom

00:30:43.799 --> 00:30:45.119
 of insignificance

00:30:45.119 --> 00:30:47.500
 then we can enjoy

00:30:47.500 --> 00:30:47.960
 our work

00:30:47.960 --> 00:30:48.519
 as a gift

00:30:48.519 --> 00:30:49.159
 from God.

00:30:49.879 --> 00:30:51.299
 We stop seeing

00:30:51.299 --> 00:30:52.200
 our children

00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:54.000
 as a means

00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:54.599
 for gain

00:30:54.599 --> 00:30:56.279
 as a way

00:30:56.279 --> 00:30:57.319
 for proving

00:30:57.319 --> 00:30:58.380
 our superiority

00:30:58.380 --> 00:30:59.700
 or gaining

00:30:59.700 --> 00:31:00.700
 social standing

00:31:00.700 --> 00:31:01.400
 or as a way

00:31:01.400 --> 00:31:02.299
 of lifting ourselves

00:31:02.299 --> 00:31:03.420
 up above others.

00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:04.279
 Oh

00:31:04.279 --> 00:31:05.859
 your baby started

00:31:05.859 --> 00:31:06.960
 walking at seven months?

00:31:07.819 --> 00:31:09.160
 Mine started walking

00:31:09.160 --> 00:31:09.759
 and swimming

00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:10.539
 at five months.

00:31:12.039 --> 00:31:12.660
 Oh

00:31:12.660 --> 00:31:13.180
 your daughter

00:31:13.180 --> 00:31:13.779
 went to UMass

00:31:13.779 --> 00:31:14.460
 with a scholarship?

00:31:15.440 --> 00:31:15.940
 My daughter

00:31:15.940 --> 00:31:16.920
 skipped two grades

00:31:16.920 --> 00:31:17.579
 and went to Harvard

00:31:17.579 --> 00:31:19.000
 at 15, 16.

00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:23.420
 Then instead of

00:31:23.420 --> 00:31:25.000
 running the rat race

00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:26.819
 this rat race

00:31:26.819 --> 00:31:27.259
 of life

00:31:27.259 --> 00:31:28.259
 and driving

00:31:28.259 --> 00:31:28.940
 our kids

00:31:28.940 --> 00:31:29.500
 mad

00:31:29.500 --> 00:31:30.180
 by our own

00:31:30.180 --> 00:31:30.960
 insatiable

00:31:30.960 --> 00:31:32.119
 lust for success

00:31:32.119 --> 00:31:33.380
 and pushing them

00:31:33.380 --> 00:31:33.980
 to be kids

00:31:33.980 --> 00:31:35.099
 that we want

00:31:35.099 --> 00:31:35.720
 them to be

00:31:35.720 --> 00:31:36.299
 instead of

00:31:36.299 --> 00:31:37.500
 receiving them

00:31:37.500 --> 00:31:38.160
 as gifts

00:31:38.160 --> 00:31:38.839
 that God

00:31:38.839 --> 00:31:39.480
 has given

00:31:39.480 --> 00:31:41.079
 as they are

00:31:41.079 --> 00:31:45.299
 with all their

00:31:45.299 --> 00:31:46.180
 idiosyncrasies

00:31:46.180 --> 00:31:46.740
 and quirks

00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:48.539
 in all their

00:31:48.539 --> 00:31:48.859
 strengths

00:31:48.859 --> 00:31:49.359
 and weaknesses.

00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:53.059
 That's the difference.

00:31:55.019 --> 00:31:56.019
 When we stop

00:31:56.019 --> 00:31:57.079
 seeing our work

00:31:57.079 --> 00:31:58.200
 as a means

00:31:58.200 --> 00:31:58.799
 for gain

00:31:58.799 --> 00:32:00.259
 as a way

00:32:00.259 --> 00:32:01.039
 of making

00:32:01.039 --> 00:32:01.599
 something

00:32:01.599 --> 00:32:02.379
 of yourself

00:32:02.379 --> 00:32:03.440
 to prove

00:32:03.440 --> 00:32:03.819
 yourself

00:32:03.819 --> 00:32:04.579
 to leave

00:32:04.579 --> 00:32:05.180
 a lasting

00:32:05.180 --> 00:32:05.839
 legacy

00:32:05.839 --> 00:32:06.920
 then instead

00:32:06.920 --> 00:32:07.599
 of relating

00:32:07.599 --> 00:32:08.759
 if we were

00:32:08.759 --> 00:32:09.759
 to give up

00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:10.460
 that perspective

00:32:10.460 --> 00:32:11.139
 instead of

00:32:11.139 --> 00:32:11.619
 receive it

00:32:11.619 --> 00:32:12.319
 as a gift

00:32:12.319 --> 00:32:13.359
 then instead

00:32:13.359 --> 00:32:13.920
 of relating

00:32:13.920 --> 00:32:14.599
 to our

00:32:14.599 --> 00:32:15.359
 colleagues

00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:15.940
 and fellow

00:32:15.940 --> 00:32:16.420
 students

00:32:16.420 --> 00:32:17.440
 as competitors

00:32:17.440 --> 00:32:18.180
 to beat

00:32:18.180 --> 00:32:19.500
 we can relate

00:32:19.500 --> 00:32:19.820
 to them

00:32:19.820 --> 00:32:20.519
 as neighbors

00:32:20.519 --> 00:32:21.080
 to love.

00:32:23.240 --> 00:32:24.039
 Instead of

00:32:24.039 --> 00:32:24.779
 working ourselves

00:32:24.779 --> 00:32:25.440
 to death

00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:26.400
 for this

00:32:26.400 --> 00:32:27.640
 ephemeral

00:32:27.640 --> 00:32:28.220
 gain

00:32:28.220 --> 00:32:29.880
 we can

00:32:29.880 --> 00:32:30.160
 actually

00:32:30.160 --> 00:32:30.860
 enjoy

00:32:30.860 --> 00:32:31.480
 our work

00:32:31.480 --> 00:32:32.160
 along the way.

00:32:35.279 --> 00:32:36.060
 Most of the

00:32:36.060 --> 00:32:36.480
 musicians

00:32:36.480 --> 00:32:37.460
 who were popular

00:32:37.460 --> 00:32:38.120
 in the 80s

00:32:38.120 --> 00:32:38.460
 have long

00:32:38.460 --> 00:32:39.180
 stopped performing.

00:32:39.820 --> 00:32:40.360
 Many of them

00:32:40.360 --> 00:32:40.680
 have been

00:32:40.680 --> 00:32:41.259
 long forgotten.

00:32:41.460 --> 00:32:41.799
 Some of them

00:32:41.799 --> 00:32:42.460
 are already dead.

00:32:42.460 --> 00:32:43.440
 but there

00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:43.940
 is a musician

00:32:43.940 --> 00:32:44.360
 who is still

00:32:44.360 --> 00:32:44.840
 performing

00:32:44.840 --> 00:32:45.279
 and making

00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:45.840
 headlines

00:32:45.840 --> 00:32:46.500
 dubbed

00:32:46.500 --> 00:32:46.900
 the Queen

00:32:46.900 --> 00:32:47.440
 of Pop

00:32:47.440 --> 00:32:48.220
 Madonna

00:32:48.220 --> 00:32:50.220
 with sales

00:32:50.220 --> 00:32:50.799
 of over

00:32:50.799 --> 00:32:51.799
 400 million

00:32:51.799 --> 00:32:52.860
 records worldwide

00:32:52.860 --> 00:32:53.400
 that's almost

00:32:53.400 --> 00:32:54.319
 four times as much

00:32:54.319 --> 00:32:55.079
 as Taylor Swift.

00:32:55.200 --> 00:32:55.620
 Can you imagine

00:32:55.620 --> 00:32:55.840
 that?

00:32:56.460 --> 00:32:57.039
 She's a best

00:32:57.039 --> 00:32:57.720
 selling female

00:32:57.720 --> 00:32:58.420
 recording artist

00:32:58.420 --> 00:32:59.120
 of all time.

00:32:59.360 --> 00:32:59.779
 She's the most

00:32:59.779 --> 00:33:00.660
 successful solo

00:33:00.660 --> 00:33:01.559
 artist in history

00:33:01.559 --> 00:33:02.380
 for the U.S.

00:33:02.480 --> 00:33:02.840
 Billboard

00:33:02.840 --> 00:33:03.799
 100 chart

00:33:03.799 --> 00:33:04.519
 with 44

00:33:04.519 --> 00:33:05.140
 number one

00:33:05.140 --> 00:33:05.539
 singles.

00:33:05.920 --> 00:33:06.519
 She's the first

00:33:06.519 --> 00:33:07.079
 woman to

00:33:07.079 --> 00:33:07.420
 accumulate

00:33:07.420 --> 00:33:08.059
 one billion

00:33:08.059 --> 00:33:08.680
 dollars in

00:33:08.680 --> 00:33:09.480
 concert revenue.

00:33:09.480 --> 00:33:10.420
 She was named

00:33:10.420 --> 00:33:10.920
 by Forbes

00:33:10.920 --> 00:33:11.420
 the highest

00:33:11.420 --> 00:33:11.960
 paid female

00:33:11.960 --> 00:33:12.420
 musician

00:33:12.420 --> 00:33:12.860
 a record

00:33:12.860 --> 00:33:13.620
 11 times

00:33:13.620 --> 00:33:14.440
 across four

00:33:14.440 --> 00:33:15.400
 different

00:33:15.400 --> 00:33:16.779
 separate decades.

00:33:17.120 --> 00:33:17.839
 She was inducted

00:33:17.839 --> 00:33:18.519
 into the Rock and Roll

00:33:18.519 --> 00:33:19.099
 Hall of Fame

00:33:19.099 --> 00:33:19.799
 in 2008.

00:33:19.900 --> 00:33:20.460
 She has even won

00:33:20.460 --> 00:33:21.160
 a Golden Globe

00:33:21.160 --> 00:33:21.519
 Award for

00:33:21.519 --> 00:33:22.799
 Best Actress.

00:33:23.539 --> 00:33:24.360
 But she's still

00:33:24.360 --> 00:33:24.900
 not done.

00:33:25.880 --> 00:33:26.400
 An article

00:33:26.400 --> 00:33:27.039
 from October

00:33:27.039 --> 00:33:27.480
 14,

00:33:27.579 --> 00:33:28.019
 2023

00:33:28.019 --> 00:33:28.680
 is entitled

00:33:28.680 --> 00:33:29.019
 Madonna

00:33:29.019 --> 00:33:29.579
 Celebrates

00:33:29.579 --> 00:33:30.259
 Four Decades

00:33:30.259 --> 00:33:30.640
 of Hits

00:33:30.640 --> 00:33:31.220
 with Career

00:33:31.220 --> 00:33:31.799
 Spanning

00:33:31.799 --> 00:33:32.500
 Spectacle.

00:33:33.220 --> 00:33:33.599
 An article

00:33:33.599 --> 00:33:34.059
 from May

00:33:34.059 --> 00:33:34.539
 16,

00:33:34.640 --> 00:33:35.180
 2024

00:33:35.180 --> 00:33:35.940
 is entitled

00:33:35.940 --> 00:33:36.620
 The Nerve

00:33:36.620 --> 00:33:37.200
 of Madonna

00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:37.640
 to Pull

00:33:37.640 --> 00:33:38.059
 It Off

00:33:38.059 --> 00:33:38.579
 Again.

00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:40.779
 She's 66

00:33:40.779 --> 00:33:41.559
 years old.

00:33:42.599 --> 00:33:43.299
 Why does

00:33:43.299 --> 00:33:43.660
 she keep

00:33:43.660 --> 00:33:44.039
 going?

00:33:46.200 --> 00:33:47.019
 An interview

00:33:47.019 --> 00:33:47.860
 she gave

00:33:47.860 --> 00:33:48.319
 to Vanity

00:33:48.319 --> 00:33:48.700
 Fair

00:33:48.700 --> 00:33:49.700
 in 1991

00:33:49.700 --> 00:33:50.779
 gives us

00:33:50.779 --> 00:33:51.279
 some clues.

00:33:52.240 --> 00:33:52.819
 Don't worry,

00:33:52.880 --> 00:33:53.259
 I don't read

00:33:53.259 --> 00:33:53.799
 Vanity Fair.

00:33:53.900 --> 00:33:54.279
 I found this

00:33:54.279 --> 00:33:54.579
 in another

00:33:54.579 --> 00:33:55.120
 book I read.

00:33:57.500 --> 00:33:58.299
 This is what

00:33:58.299 --> 00:33:58.920
 Madonna said

00:33:58.920 --> 00:33:59.519
 then.

00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:01.000
 I have

00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:01.480
 an iron

00:34:01.480 --> 00:34:01.880
 will

00:34:01.880 --> 00:34:02.880
 and all

00:34:02.880 --> 00:34:03.180
 of my

00:34:03.180 --> 00:34:03.480
 will

00:34:03.480 --> 00:34:04.079
 has always

00:34:04.079 --> 00:34:04.500
 been to

00:34:04.500 --> 00:34:04.819
 conquer

00:34:04.819 --> 00:34:05.440
 some horrible

00:34:05.440 --> 00:34:05.860
 feeling

00:34:05.860 --> 00:34:06.640
 of inadequacy.

00:34:07.440 --> 00:34:07.819
 I push

00:34:07.819 --> 00:34:08.440
 past one

00:34:08.440 --> 00:34:09.000
 spell of it

00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:09.460
 and discover

00:34:09.460 --> 00:34:10.059
 myself as

00:34:10.059 --> 00:34:10.480
 a special

00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:11.159
 human being

00:34:11.159 --> 00:34:11.800
 and then I

00:34:11.800 --> 00:34:12.300
 get to another

00:34:12.300 --> 00:34:13.079
 stage and think

00:34:13.079 --> 00:34:13.739
 I'm mediocre

00:34:13.739 --> 00:34:14.820
 and uninteresting.

00:34:15.699 --> 00:34:16.099
 Again

00:34:16.099 --> 00:34:17.139
 and again

00:34:17.139 --> 00:34:18.619
 my drive

00:34:18.619 --> 00:34:19.119
 in life

00:34:19.119 --> 00:34:19.500
 is from

00:34:19.500 --> 00:34:20.119
 this horrible

00:34:20.119 --> 00:34:21.019
 fear of

00:34:21.019 --> 00:34:21.659
 being mediocre

00:34:21.659 --> 00:34:22.840
 and that's

00:34:22.840 --> 00:34:23.639
 always pushing

00:34:23.639 --> 00:34:23.940
 me,

00:34:24.199 --> 00:34:24.800
 pushing me

00:34:24.800 --> 00:34:25.619
 because even

00:34:25.619 --> 00:34:25.940
 though I

00:34:25.940 --> 00:34:27.039
 become somebody

00:34:27.039 --> 00:34:27.960
 I still have

00:34:27.960 --> 00:34:28.619
 to prove

00:34:28.619 --> 00:34:29.019
 that I'm

00:34:29.019 --> 00:34:29.460
 somebody.

00:34:30.139 --> 00:34:30.800
 My struggle

00:34:30.800 --> 00:34:31.400
 has never

00:34:31.400 --> 00:34:31.739
 ended

00:34:31.739 --> 00:34:32.599
 and it

00:34:32.599 --> 00:34:33.099
 probably

00:34:33.099 --> 00:34:34.320
 never will.

00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:36.639
 1991

00:34:36.639 --> 00:34:38.019
 still going

00:34:38.019 --> 00:34:38.839
 in 2024.

00:34:42.460 --> 00:34:43.440
 If anybody

00:34:43.440 --> 00:34:44.119
 has made

00:34:44.119 --> 00:34:44.799
 it by our

00:34:44.799 --> 00:34:45.440
 society and

00:34:45.440 --> 00:34:46.099
 culture standards

00:34:46.099 --> 00:34:46.339
 it's

00:34:46.339 --> 00:34:46.639
 Madonna.

00:34:48.259 --> 00:34:49.039
 Yet she

00:34:49.039 --> 00:34:49.659
 feels that she

00:34:49.659 --> 00:34:50.199
 is mediocre

00:34:50.199 --> 00:34:51.000
 and uninteresting

00:34:51.000 --> 00:34:51.859
 and inadequate.

00:34:52.960 --> 00:34:53.719
 That's the

00:34:53.719 --> 00:34:54.599
 sad picture

00:34:54.599 --> 00:34:55.199
 of what it

00:34:55.199 --> 00:34:55.739
 looks like

00:34:55.739 --> 00:34:56.179
 to make

00:34:56.179 --> 00:34:56.940
 your work

00:34:56.940 --> 00:34:57.779
 your idol.

00:34:59.339 --> 00:34:59.859
 Working,

00:35:00.039 --> 00:35:00.719
 making your work

00:35:00.719 --> 00:35:01.460
 your God

00:35:01.460 --> 00:35:02.039
 instead of

00:35:02.039 --> 00:35:02.599
 receiving it

00:35:02.599 --> 00:35:03.239
 as a gift.

00:35:03.239 --> 00:35:04.859
 I can

00:35:04.859 --> 00:35:05.419
 assure you

00:35:05.419 --> 00:35:05.899
 that Madonna

00:35:05.899 --> 00:35:06.399
 is not

00:35:06.399 --> 00:35:07.159
 enjoying

00:35:07.159 --> 00:35:07.959
 her toil

00:35:07.959 --> 00:35:08.779
 as a gift.

00:35:09.539 --> 00:35:10.000
 To her

00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:10.899
 it's a cruel

00:35:10.899 --> 00:35:11.579
 necessity

00:35:11.579 --> 00:35:12.459
 and an

00:35:12.459 --> 00:35:12.939
 obsession.

00:35:14.899 --> 00:35:15.419
 There's

00:35:15.419 --> 00:35:16.019
 nothing better

00:35:16.019 --> 00:35:16.719
 for a person

00:35:16.719 --> 00:35:17.199
 than that he

00:35:17.199 --> 00:35:17.779
 should eat

00:35:17.779 --> 00:35:18.419
 and drink

00:35:18.419 --> 00:35:18.959
 and find

00:35:18.959 --> 00:35:19.559
 enjoyment

00:35:19.559 --> 00:35:20.059
 in his

00:35:20.059 --> 00:35:20.339
 toil.

00:35:21.779 --> 00:35:22.439
 I recall

00:35:22.439 --> 00:35:23.179
 seeing an ad

00:35:23.179 --> 00:35:23.739
 recently for

00:35:23.739 --> 00:35:24.759
 prepared meal

00:35:24.759 --> 00:35:25.799
 delivery services.

00:35:26.399 --> 00:35:26.659
 I don't know

00:35:26.659 --> 00:35:26.959
 if you guys

00:35:26.959 --> 00:35:27.279
 do this.

00:35:27.579 --> 00:35:27.859
 It went

00:35:27.859 --> 00:35:28.339
 something like

00:35:28.339 --> 00:35:28.619
 this.

00:35:28.859 --> 00:35:29.119
 Well you

00:35:29.119 --> 00:35:29.459
 don't want

00:35:29.459 --> 00:35:29.719
 to eat

00:35:29.719 --> 00:35:30.259
 unhealthy

00:35:30.259 --> 00:35:31.039
 fast food

00:35:31.039 --> 00:35:31.719
 and you

00:35:31.719 --> 00:35:32.059
 don't have

00:35:32.059 --> 00:35:32.619
 the time

00:35:32.619 --> 00:35:32.859
 and the

00:35:32.859 --> 00:35:33.059
 energy

00:35:33.059 --> 00:35:33.339
 to go

00:35:33.339 --> 00:35:33.440
 out

00:35:33.440 --> 00:35:33.559
 with

00:35:33.559 --> 00:35:33.679
 your

00:35:33.679 --> 00:35:34.119
 friends

00:35:34.119 --> 00:35:34.400
 to a

00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:34.759
 restaurant

00:35:34.759 --> 00:35:35.739
 so use

00:35:35.739 --> 00:35:36.000
 this

00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:36.420
 prepared

00:35:36.420 --> 00:35:36.719
 meal

00:35:36.719 --> 00:35:37.420
 service

00:35:37.420 --> 00:35:37.859
 and have

00:35:37.859 --> 00:35:37.980
 it

00:35:37.980 --> 00:35:38.339
 delivered

00:35:38.339 --> 00:35:38.659
 to your

00:35:38.659 --> 00:35:38.920
 door.

00:35:39.279 --> 00:35:39.500
 That was

00:35:39.500 --> 00:35:40.539
 the logic

00:35:40.539 --> 00:35:40.819
 of the

00:35:40.819 --> 00:35:41.259
 advertisement.

00:35:41.779 --> 00:35:42.119
 Now I don't

00:35:42.119 --> 00:35:42.659
 want to condemn

00:35:42.659 --> 00:35:43.179
 you if you've

00:35:43.179 --> 00:35:43.799
 used services

00:35:43.799 --> 00:35:44.319
 like this.

00:35:45.940 --> 00:35:46.699
 I've gotten

00:35:46.699 --> 00:35:47.159
 some free

00:35:47.159 --> 00:35:47.900
 samples myself

00:35:47.900 --> 00:35:48.460
 in the past.

00:35:49.259 --> 00:35:49.960
 But we all

00:35:49.960 --> 00:35:50.420
 lead busy

00:35:50.420 --> 00:35:50.719
 lives.

00:35:50.900 --> 00:35:51.380
 But what

00:35:51.380 --> 00:35:52.139
 if we didn't

00:35:52.139 --> 00:35:53.079
 see food

00:35:53.079 --> 00:35:53.900
 and drinks

00:35:53.900 --> 00:35:54.940
 as a means

00:35:54.940 --> 00:35:55.819
 for gain

00:35:55.819 --> 00:35:57.900
 as necessary

00:35:57.900 --> 00:35:58.579
 fuel

00:35:58.579 --> 00:35:59.139
 so that we

00:35:59.139 --> 00:35:59.699
 can continue

00:35:59.699 --> 00:36:00.339
 working

00:36:00.339 --> 00:36:01.639
 but instead

00:36:01.639 --> 00:36:02.440
 we receive

00:36:02.440 --> 00:36:03.039
 them as

00:36:03.039 --> 00:36:03.719
 gifts

00:36:03.719 --> 00:36:04.480
 in and of

00:36:04.480 --> 00:36:04.920
 themselves

00:36:04.920 --> 00:36:05.460
 to be

00:36:05.460 --> 00:36:05.839
 enjoyed.

00:36:08.440 --> 00:36:09.319
 1 Corinthians

00:36:09.319 --> 00:36:10.019
 10 31

00:36:10.019 --> 00:36:10.539
 does not

00:36:10.539 --> 00:36:11.019
 say

00:36:11.019 --> 00:36:11.920
 eat and

00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:12.179
 drink

00:36:12.179 --> 00:36:12.659
 so that

00:36:12.659 --> 00:36:12.920
 you can

00:36:12.920 --> 00:36:13.119
 do

00:36:13.119 --> 00:36:13.519
 something

00:36:13.519 --> 00:36:13.839
 for the

00:36:13.839 --> 00:36:14.019
 glory

00:36:14.019 --> 00:36:14.400
 of God.

00:36:14.940 --> 00:36:15.239
 No it

00:36:15.239 --> 00:36:15.659
 says so

00:36:15.659 --> 00:36:16.059
 whether

00:36:16.059 --> 00:36:16.599
 you eat

00:36:16.599 --> 00:36:17.199
 or drink

00:36:17.199 --> 00:36:17.859
 or whatever

00:36:17.859 --> 00:36:18.460
 you do

00:36:18.460 --> 00:36:19.279
 do all

00:36:19.279 --> 00:36:19.699
 to the

00:36:19.699 --> 00:36:20.019
 glory

00:36:20.019 --> 00:36:20.779
 of God.

00:36:21.279 --> 00:36:21.819
 We're even

00:36:21.819 --> 00:36:22.400
 supposed to

00:36:22.400 --> 00:36:23.019
 eat and

00:36:23.019 --> 00:36:23.579
 drink

00:36:23.579 --> 00:36:24.099
 to the

00:36:24.099 --> 00:36:24.319
 glory

00:36:24.319 --> 00:36:24.779
 of God.

00:36:25.599 --> 00:36:25.940
 Note that

00:36:25.940 --> 00:36:26.239
 this is

00:36:26.239 --> 00:36:26.699
 not the

00:36:26.699 --> 00:36:27.059
 same as

00:36:27.059 --> 00:36:27.879
 the fatalistic

00:36:27.879 --> 00:36:28.519
 hedonistic

00:36:28.519 --> 00:36:29.019
 perspective

00:36:29.019 --> 00:36:29.480
 that is

00:36:29.480 --> 00:36:30.059
 critiqued

00:36:30.059 --> 00:36:30.779
 in 1 Corinthians

00:36:30.779 --> 00:36:31.460
 15 32

00:36:31.460 --> 00:36:31.840
 let us

00:36:31.840 --> 00:36:32.119
 eat and

00:36:32.119 --> 00:36:32.279
 drink

00:36:32.279 --> 00:36:32.719
 for tomorrow

00:36:32.719 --> 00:36:33.119
 we die.

00:36:33.539 --> 00:36:33.940
 That's not

00:36:33.940 --> 00:36:34.219
 a biblical

00:36:34.219 --> 00:36:34.739
 perspective.

00:36:35.420 --> 00:36:35.840
 We don't

00:36:35.840 --> 00:36:36.139
 eat and

00:36:36.139 --> 00:36:36.320
 drink

00:36:36.320 --> 00:36:36.559
 because

00:36:36.559 --> 00:36:36.739
 there's

00:36:36.739 --> 00:36:36.940
 nothing

00:36:36.940 --> 00:36:37.219
 better

00:36:37.219 --> 00:36:37.619
 to do.

00:36:38.019 --> 00:36:38.539
 We eat

00:36:38.539 --> 00:36:38.980
 and drink

00:36:38.980 --> 00:36:39.400
 because

00:36:39.400 --> 00:36:39.719
 they are

00:36:39.719 --> 00:36:40.119
 gifts

00:36:40.119 --> 00:36:40.860
 from God

00:36:40.860 --> 00:36:41.460
 for us

00:36:41.460 --> 00:36:42.199
 to enjoy.

00:36:44.279 --> 00:36:44.820
 What if

00:36:44.820 --> 00:36:45.259
 you decide

00:36:45.259 --> 00:36:45.840
 for yourself

00:36:45.840 --> 00:36:46.860
 one day

00:36:46.860 --> 00:36:47.500
 that instead

00:36:47.500 --> 00:36:48.199
 of choosing

00:36:48.199 --> 00:36:48.719
 from a menu

00:36:48.719 --> 00:36:49.079
 that someone

00:36:49.079 --> 00:36:49.559
 else has

00:36:49.559 --> 00:36:50.159
 curated for

00:36:50.159 --> 00:36:50.400
 you,

00:36:50.820 --> 00:36:51.340
 you choose

00:36:51.340 --> 00:36:51.759
 for yourself

00:36:51.759 --> 00:36:52.179
 what you're

00:36:52.179 --> 00:36:52.480
 going to

00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:52.840
 make that

00:36:52.840 --> 00:36:53.019
 day?

00:36:53.799 --> 00:36:54.320
 What if

00:36:54.320 --> 00:36:54.759
 instead of

00:36:54.759 --> 00:36:55.279
 just buying

00:36:55.279 --> 00:36:55.679
 food

00:36:55.679 --> 00:36:56.480
 that someone

00:36:56.480 --> 00:36:56.820
 else has

00:36:56.820 --> 00:36:57.059
 made,

00:36:57.239 --> 00:36:57.440
 what if

00:36:57.440 --> 00:36:57.860
 you decided

00:36:57.860 --> 00:36:58.199
 one day

00:36:58.199 --> 00:36:58.639
 to cook

00:36:58.639 --> 00:36:59.079
 your food?

00:37:00.279 --> 00:37:00.819
 What if

00:37:00.819 --> 00:37:01.199
 you slowed

00:37:01.199 --> 00:37:01.799
 down enough

00:37:01.799 --> 00:37:02.139
 one day

00:37:02.139 --> 00:37:02.659
 to actually

00:37:02.659 --> 00:37:03.219
 enjoy the

00:37:03.219 --> 00:37:03.539
 food you

00:37:03.539 --> 00:37:04.319
 made instead

00:37:04.319 --> 00:37:04.900
 of scarfing

00:37:04.900 --> 00:37:05.219
 it down

00:37:05.219 --> 00:37:05.719
 and run

00:37:05.719 --> 00:37:06.000
 to your

00:37:06.000 --> 00:37:06.179
 next

00:37:06.179 --> 00:37:06.500
 appointment?

00:37:10.299 --> 00:37:10.940
 What if

00:37:10.940 --> 00:37:11.400
 you took

00:37:11.400 --> 00:37:11.659
 it even

00:37:11.659 --> 00:37:12.159
 one step

00:37:12.159 --> 00:37:12.500
 further?

00:37:13.719 --> 00:37:14.400
 You took

00:37:14.400 --> 00:37:15.019
 after Lance

00:37:15.019 --> 00:37:15.400
 and Shelley

00:37:15.400 --> 00:37:16.000
 and grew

00:37:16.000 --> 00:37:16.400
 your own

00:37:16.400 --> 00:37:16.940
 food and

00:37:16.940 --> 00:37:17.259
 raised your

00:37:17.259 --> 00:37:17.659
 own chicken?

00:37:22.219 --> 00:37:23.019
 Award winning

00:37:23.019 --> 00:37:23.539
 novelist,

00:37:23.679 --> 00:37:23.900
 poet,

00:37:24.000 --> 00:37:24.440
 and cultural

00:37:24.440 --> 00:37:25.079
 critic Wendell

00:37:25.079 --> 00:37:25.659
 Berry writes

00:37:25.659 --> 00:37:26.460
 this in a

00:37:26.460 --> 00:37:27.279
 chapter entitled

00:37:27.280 --> 00:37:27.920
 Pleasures of

00:37:27.920 --> 00:37:28.460
 Eating in

00:37:28.460 --> 00:37:28.940
 his book

00:37:28.940 --> 00:37:29.420
 What Are

00:37:29.420 --> 00:37:30.120
 People For?

00:37:30.760 --> 00:37:31.160
 He says

00:37:31.160 --> 00:37:31.380
 this,

00:37:31.440 --> 00:37:31.900
 eating with

00:37:31.900 --> 00:37:32.440
 the fullest

00:37:32.440 --> 00:37:33.019
 pleasure,

00:37:33.460 --> 00:37:34.260
 pleasure that

00:37:34.260 --> 00:37:34.960
 does not

00:37:34.960 --> 00:37:35.519
 depend on

00:37:35.519 --> 00:37:36.060
 ignorance,

00:37:36.640 --> 00:37:37.120
 is perhaps

00:37:37.120 --> 00:37:38.060
 the profoundest

00:37:38.060 --> 00:37:38.740
 enactment of

00:37:38.740 --> 00:37:39.260
 our connection

00:37:39.260 --> 00:37:39.640
 with the

00:37:39.640 --> 00:37:39.920
 world.

00:37:40.720 --> 00:37:41.180
 In this

00:37:41.180 --> 00:37:41.740
 pleasure we

00:37:41.740 --> 00:37:42.600
 experience and

00:37:42.600 --> 00:37:43.180
 celebrate our

00:37:43.180 --> 00:37:43.900
 dependence and

00:37:43.900 --> 00:37:44.500
 our gratitude

00:37:44.500 --> 00:37:45.320
 for we are

00:37:45.320 --> 00:37:45.880
 living from

00:37:45.880 --> 00:37:46.420
 mystery,

00:37:46.940 --> 00:37:47.480
 from creatures

00:37:47.480 --> 00:37:48.040
 we did not

00:37:48.040 --> 00:37:48.519
 make and

00:37:48.519 --> 00:37:49.120
 powers we

00:37:49.120 --> 00:37:50.080
 cannot comprehend.

00:37:51.780 --> 00:37:52.480
 I haven't

00:37:52.480 --> 00:37:53.060
 gone fishing

00:37:53.060 --> 00:37:53.960
 in 20 years,

00:37:54.280 --> 00:37:54.840
 that's sad,

00:37:55.340 --> 00:37:56.120
 but somebody,

00:37:56.119 --> 00:37:57.400
 somebody somewhere

00:37:57.400 --> 00:37:57.920
 caught the

00:37:57.920 --> 00:37:58.480
 tuna that I

00:37:58.480 --> 00:37:59.039
 had yesterday,

00:37:59.739 --> 00:38:01.880
 and God

00:38:01.880 --> 00:38:02.579
 ultimately put

00:38:02.579 --> 00:38:03.119
 that tuna

00:38:03.119 --> 00:38:03.759
 there in the

00:38:03.759 --> 00:38:04.440
 seas so that

00:38:04.440 --> 00:38:04.920
 that fisherman

00:38:04.920 --> 00:38:05.639
 can catch it,

00:38:06.400 --> 00:38:07.159
 and tuna

00:38:07.159 --> 00:38:07.920
 tastes pretty

00:38:07.920 --> 00:38:08.679
 bland and

00:38:08.679 --> 00:38:09.259
 squishy by

00:38:09.259 --> 00:38:09.699
 itself,

00:38:10.400 --> 00:38:11.659
 but you put

00:38:11.659 --> 00:38:12.259
 it over a

00:38:12.259 --> 00:38:12.759
 little bit of

00:38:12.759 --> 00:38:13.839
 rice,

00:38:14.380 --> 00:38:15.819
 and you dip

00:38:15.819 --> 00:38:16.659
 that thing in

00:38:16.659 --> 00:38:17.139
 a little bit of

00:38:17.139 --> 00:38:17.699
 soy sauce,

00:38:18.039 --> 00:38:18.619
 and you eat

00:38:18.619 --> 00:38:19.179
 that with some

00:38:19.179 --> 00:38:20.119
 pickled ginger

00:38:20.119 --> 00:38:21.500
 and wasabi,

00:38:21.900 --> 00:38:22.779
 oh my goodness,

00:38:23.119 --> 00:38:23.880
 that's a

00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:24.659
 delicious sushi.

00:38:26.119 --> 00:38:26.940
 Or kale.

00:38:27.500 --> 00:38:28.779
 Kale tastes like

00:38:28.779 --> 00:38:29.739
 tough grass

00:38:29.739 --> 00:38:30.719
 by itself,

00:38:30.920 --> 00:38:32.819
 but you drizzle

00:38:32.819 --> 00:38:33.500
 some olive oil

00:38:33.500 --> 00:38:34.059
 on that thing,

00:38:34.719 --> 00:38:35.539
 and sprinkle some

00:38:35.539 --> 00:38:36.059
 salt on it,

00:38:36.079 --> 00:38:36.440
 and you put it

00:38:36.440 --> 00:38:36.960
 in the oven for

00:38:36.960 --> 00:38:37.339
 a little bit,

00:38:37.619 --> 00:38:38.420
 oh, that tastes

00:38:38.420 --> 00:38:39.019
 better than any

00:38:39.019 --> 00:38:39.639
 chip you can buy

00:38:39.639 --> 00:38:40.019
 in the grocery

00:38:40.019 --> 00:38:40.339
 store.

00:38:43.440 --> 00:38:44.380
 Who said no?

00:38:46.460 --> 00:38:47.639
 God created

00:38:47.639 --> 00:38:49.259
 this vast world

00:38:49.259 --> 00:38:50.480
 and filled it

00:38:50.480 --> 00:38:51.319
 to the brim

00:38:51.319 --> 00:38:52.239
 with things we

00:38:52.239 --> 00:38:53.099
 can eat and

00:38:53.099 --> 00:38:53.559
 drink,

00:38:53.559 --> 00:38:54.420
 and then he

00:38:54.420 --> 00:38:55.259
 gave us up

00:38:55.259 --> 00:38:56.320
 to 10,000

00:38:56.320 --> 00:38:57.000
 taste buds

00:38:57.000 --> 00:38:57.440
 so that we

00:38:57.440 --> 00:38:57.920
 can enjoy

00:38:57.920 --> 00:38:58.239
 them.

00:39:00.779 --> 00:39:01.619
 Only if we

00:39:01.619 --> 00:39:01.980
 humbly

00:39:01.980 --> 00:39:02.799
 acknowledge our

00:39:02.799 --> 00:39:04.199
 mortality and

00:39:04.199 --> 00:39:04.960
 slow down

00:39:04.960 --> 00:39:05.920
 enough to

00:39:05.920 --> 00:39:06.299
 savor.

00:39:09.259 --> 00:39:10.079
 On February

00:39:10.079 --> 00:39:11.340
 1st, 2021,

00:39:11.820 --> 00:39:12.539
 Pastor Tim Keller

00:39:12.539 --> 00:39:13.299
 came on Kevin

00:39:13.299 --> 00:39:14.299
 DeYoung's podcast,

00:39:14.500 --> 00:39:15.059
 Life and Books

00:39:15.059 --> 00:39:15.480
 and Everything,

00:39:15.599 --> 00:39:16.199
 to talk about

00:39:16.199 --> 00:39:16.639
 a number of

00:39:16.639 --> 00:39:16.900
 things,

00:39:17.299 --> 00:39:17.820
 and at one

00:39:17.820 --> 00:39:18.079
 point,

00:39:18.179 --> 00:39:18.799
 Keller reflects

00:39:18.799 --> 00:39:19.259
 on being

00:39:19.259 --> 00:39:20.000
 diagnosed with

00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:20.619
 pancreatic

00:39:20.619 --> 00:39:21.000
 cancer.

00:39:21.000 --> 00:39:22.739
 He would

00:39:22.739 --> 00:39:23.260
 actually claim

00:39:23.260 --> 00:39:23.739
 his life a

00:39:23.739 --> 00:39:24.079
 few years

00:39:24.079 --> 00:39:24.559
 later after

00:39:24.559 --> 00:39:25.159
 this interview.

00:39:26.860 --> 00:39:27.280
 And then he

00:39:27.280 --> 00:39:27.860
 talks about how

00:39:27.860 --> 00:39:28.820
 pancreatic cancer

00:39:28.820 --> 00:39:29.619
 diagnosis completely

00:39:29.619 --> 00:39:30.599
 changed his and

00:39:30.599 --> 00:39:31.119
 his wife's

00:39:31.119 --> 00:39:31.840
 perspective on

00:39:31.840 --> 00:39:32.480
 life and the

00:39:32.480 --> 00:39:33.239
 way they orient

00:39:33.239 --> 00:39:33.679
 themselves.

00:39:34.239 --> 00:39:35.119
 He confesses

00:39:35.119 --> 00:39:35.320
 this.

00:39:35.420 --> 00:39:35.679
 He says,

00:39:36.079 --> 00:39:37.300
 I always rested

00:39:37.300 --> 00:39:38.000
 my heart,

00:39:38.179 --> 00:39:38.539
 frankly,

00:39:38.719 --> 00:39:39.320
 in ministry

00:39:39.320 --> 00:39:39.980
 accomplishments,

00:39:40.659 --> 00:39:41.400
 ministry goals.

00:39:42.380 --> 00:39:43.059
 Hey, we've

00:39:43.059 --> 00:39:43.579
 done this.

00:39:43.659 --> 00:39:44.320
 We got this

00:39:44.320 --> 00:39:44.639
 started.

00:39:44.739 --> 00:39:45.420
 We moved to

00:39:45.420 --> 00:39:45.760
 that.

00:39:46.420 --> 00:39:47.079
 In other words,

00:39:47.079 --> 00:39:47.980
 I really tried

00:39:47.980 --> 00:39:48.780
 to turn this

00:39:48.780 --> 00:39:49.420
 world into

00:39:49.420 --> 00:39:49.699
 heaven.

00:39:49.699 --> 00:39:51.199
 I was trying

00:39:51.199 --> 00:39:51.619
 to make

00:39:51.619 --> 00:39:52.480
 heaven out

00:39:52.480 --> 00:39:52.919
 of the

00:39:52.919 --> 00:39:53.199
 earth.

00:39:53.679 --> 00:39:54.199
 And as a

00:39:54.199 --> 00:39:54.699
 result of

00:39:54.699 --> 00:39:54.879
 that,

00:39:54.939 --> 00:39:55.579
 I was always

00:39:55.579 --> 00:39:56.239
 unhappy.

00:39:57.299 --> 00:39:58.179
 I was never

00:39:58.179 --> 00:39:59.099
 enjoying my

00:39:59.099 --> 00:40:00.179
 day because

00:40:00.179 --> 00:40:00.759
 I was always

00:40:00.759 --> 00:40:01.460
 thinking about

00:40:01.460 --> 00:40:02.559
 tomorrow and

00:40:02.559 --> 00:40:03.159
 all the stuff

00:40:03.159 --> 00:40:03.699
 I have to get

00:40:03.699 --> 00:40:04.339
 done and how

00:40:04.339 --> 00:40:04.899
 I'm behind.

00:40:05.759 --> 00:40:06.559
 And what's

00:40:06.559 --> 00:40:07.059
 happened with

00:40:07.059 --> 00:40:08.239
 the cancer is

00:40:08.239 --> 00:40:09.679
 that suddenly we

00:40:09.679 --> 00:40:10.699
 can't make a

00:40:10.699 --> 00:40:11.319
 heaven out of

00:40:11.319 --> 00:40:12.859
 this earth because

00:40:12.859 --> 00:40:13.460
 it's going to be

00:40:13.460 --> 00:40:14.199
 taken away from

00:40:14.199 --> 00:40:14.480
 us.

00:40:15.159 --> 00:40:16.279
 It just jolts you

00:40:16.279 --> 00:40:17.339
 so much that you

00:40:17.339 --> 00:40:18.279
 say, I got to

00:40:18.279 --> 00:40:19.159
 make heaven my

00:40:19.159 --> 00:40:19.500
 heaven.

00:40:20.699 --> 00:40:21.519
 I got to make

00:40:21.519 --> 00:40:22.199
 God my

00:40:22.199 --> 00:40:22.460
 heaven.

00:40:23.699 --> 00:40:24.399
 And here's

00:40:24.399 --> 00:40:24.819
 what's really

00:40:24.819 --> 00:40:25.159
 weird.

00:40:25.259 --> 00:40:25.480
 When you

00:40:25.480 --> 00:40:26.079
 actually make

00:40:26.079 --> 00:40:26.899
 heaven heaven,

00:40:27.239 --> 00:40:28.139
 the joys of

00:40:28.139 --> 00:40:28.639
 the earth are

00:40:28.639 --> 00:40:29.279
 more poignant

00:40:29.279 --> 00:40:29.859
 than they used

00:40:29.859 --> 00:40:30.199
 to be.

00:40:30.719 --> 00:40:31.359
 That's what's

00:40:31.359 --> 00:40:32.000
 so strange.

00:40:32.480 --> 00:40:33.419
 We enjoy our

00:40:33.419 --> 00:40:34.259
 day more than

00:40:34.259 --> 00:40:35.059
 we ever did.

00:40:35.500 --> 00:40:36.259
 We look out on

00:40:36.259 --> 00:40:37.239
 the water here,

00:40:37.699 --> 00:40:38.399
 the East River

00:40:38.399 --> 00:40:38.980
 for example.

00:40:39.519 --> 00:40:40.139
 There's a whole

00:40:40.139 --> 00:40:41.239
 lot of things that

00:40:41.239 --> 00:40:41.980
 we never really

00:40:41.980 --> 00:40:43.159
 enjoy that much.

00:40:43.579 --> 00:40:44.279
 The more we

00:40:44.279 --> 00:40:45.099
 make heaven out

00:40:45.099 --> 00:40:45.659
 of the real

00:40:45.659 --> 00:40:46.239
 heaven, this

00:40:46.239 --> 00:40:46.859
 world becomes

00:40:46.859 --> 00:40:47.379
 something we're

00:40:47.379 --> 00:40:48.199
 actually enjoying

00:40:48.199 --> 00:40:49.460
 for its own

00:40:49.460 --> 00:40:51.219
 sake instead of

00:40:51.219 --> 00:40:52.199
 trying to make

00:40:52.199 --> 00:40:53.299
 it give us more

00:40:53.299 --> 00:40:53.960
 than it really

00:40:53.960 --> 00:40:54.460
 can.

00:40:55.559 --> 00:40:56.599
 So oddly enough,

00:40:56.759 --> 00:40:57.460
 we've never been

00:40:57.460 --> 00:40:57.859
 happier.

00:40:58.579 --> 00:40:59.639
 Day to day, we've

00:40:59.639 --> 00:41:00.379
 never enjoyed our

00:41:00.379 --> 00:41:01.019
 days more.

00:41:01.199 --> 00:41:01.899
 We've never enjoyed

00:41:01.899 --> 00:41:02.699
 hugs more.

00:41:02.960 --> 00:41:03.779
 We've never enjoyed

00:41:03.779 --> 00:41:04.619
 food more.

00:41:04.859 --> 00:41:05.599
 She'll say, this

00:41:05.599 --> 00:41:06.319
 would be great to

00:41:06.319 --> 00:41:06.539
 make.

00:41:07.199 --> 00:41:08.199
 We've never enjoyed

00:41:08.199 --> 00:41:09.079
 walks more.

00:41:09.259 --> 00:41:10.000
 We've never enjoyed

00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:10.819
 the actual things.

00:41:10.899 --> 00:41:11.659
 We see, touch,

00:41:11.779 --> 00:41:12.399
 taste, hear, and

00:41:12.399 --> 00:41:13.119
 smell around us

00:41:13.119 --> 00:41:13.379
 more.

00:41:13.799 --> 00:41:14.579
 It's almost like,

00:41:14.679 --> 00:41:14.960
 why?

00:41:15.139 --> 00:41:15.940
 What's the matter

00:41:15.940 --> 00:41:16.539
 with us?

00:41:17.119 --> 00:41:17.739
 And the answer

00:41:17.739 --> 00:41:18.539
 is, we got our

00:41:18.539 --> 00:41:19.480
 hearts off of

00:41:19.480 --> 00:41:20.699
 those things, so

00:41:20.699 --> 00:41:21.719
 weirdly enough, we

00:41:21.719 --> 00:41:22.860
 enjoy them more.

00:41:25.719 --> 00:41:26.559
 That's the wisdom

00:41:26.559 --> 00:41:27.360
 of Ecclesiastes.

00:41:28.440 --> 00:41:29.480
 Helen Lemel's

00:41:29.480 --> 00:41:30.340
 wonderful hymn is

00:41:30.340 --> 00:41:31.019
 still true.

00:41:31.779 --> 00:41:32.460
 Turn your eyes

00:41:32.460 --> 00:41:33.299
 upon Jesus, look

00:41:33.299 --> 00:41:33.960
 full in His

00:41:33.960 --> 00:41:34.860
 wonderful grace,

00:41:35.059 --> 00:41:35.679
 and the things

00:41:35.679 --> 00:41:36.659
 of earth will

00:41:36.659 --> 00:41:37.619
 grow strangely

00:41:37.619 --> 00:41:38.719
 dim in the

00:41:38.719 --> 00:41:39.199
 light of His

00:41:39.199 --> 00:41:39.799
 glory and grace.

00:41:39.840 --> 00:41:40.539
 That is true.

00:41:40.960 --> 00:41:41.699
 When we come to

00:41:41.699 --> 00:41:42.559
 grips with our

00:41:42.559 --> 00:41:43.599
 mortality and stop

00:41:43.599 --> 00:41:44.799
 making idols and

00:41:44.799 --> 00:41:45.539
 gods of the

00:41:45.539 --> 00:41:46.400
 things of earth,

00:41:46.519 --> 00:41:47.179
 when we stop

00:41:47.179 --> 00:41:47.739
 trying to make

00:41:47.739 --> 00:41:48.480
 the good things

00:41:48.480 --> 00:41:49.219
 that God has

00:41:49.219 --> 00:41:49.679
 given us,

00:41:49.819 --> 00:41:52.000
 God things that

00:41:52.000 --> 00:41:52.880
 rule our lives,

00:41:53.699 --> 00:41:54.420
 lo and behold,

00:41:55.299 --> 00:41:55.920
 not only do the

00:41:55.920 --> 00:41:57.119
 things of earth

00:41:57.119 --> 00:41:57.779
 grow dimmer,

00:41:58.380 --> 00:41:59.159
 we also get to

00:41:59.159 --> 00:41:59.960
 enjoy the things

00:41:59.960 --> 00:42:00.440
 of earth that

00:42:00.440 --> 00:42:01.000
 God's given to

00:42:01.000 --> 00:42:01.639
 us as gifts.

00:42:04.079 --> 00:42:05.159
 And God loves

00:42:05.159 --> 00:42:05.819
 to lavish His

00:42:05.819 --> 00:42:06.460
 good gifts to

00:42:06.460 --> 00:42:07.000
 us, doesn't He?

00:42:07.440 --> 00:42:08.599
 That is His

00:42:08.599 --> 00:42:09.759
 mode of operation.

00:42:10.900 --> 00:42:11.679
 In fact, even

00:42:11.679 --> 00:42:13.380
 our salvation is

00:42:13.380 --> 00:42:13.880
 a gift.

00:42:15.559 --> 00:42:16.840
 The default mode

00:42:16.840 --> 00:42:17.260
 of the human

00:42:17.260 --> 00:42:18.099
 heart, unfortunately,

00:42:18.360 --> 00:42:20.500
 is to grind, is

00:42:20.500 --> 00:42:21.420
 to earn our

00:42:21.420 --> 00:42:22.400
 salvation as our

00:42:22.400 --> 00:42:23.599
 keep, rather than

00:42:23.599 --> 00:42:24.720
 receiving it freely

00:42:24.720 --> 00:42:25.559
 as a gift.

00:42:26.300 --> 00:42:27.820
 In 1510, Martin

00:42:27.820 --> 00:42:28.860
 Luther climbed the

00:42:28.860 --> 00:42:29.840
 marble steps of

00:42:29.840 --> 00:42:30.840
 the Scala Sancta

00:42:30.840 --> 00:42:31.240
 in Rome.

00:42:31.640 --> 00:42:32.420
 He climbed the

00:42:32.420 --> 00:42:33.960
 28 steps on his

00:42:33.960 --> 00:42:36.079
 knees, on each

00:42:36.079 --> 00:42:37.200
 step reciting the

00:42:37.200 --> 00:42:37.840
 Lord's Prayer,

00:42:38.240 --> 00:42:39.260
 because he wrongly

00:42:39.260 --> 00:42:40.500
 believed that if he

00:42:40.500 --> 00:42:41.720
 were sincere enough

00:42:41.719 --> 00:42:42.579
 and if he were

00:42:42.579 --> 00:42:43.519
 devoted enough and

00:42:43.519 --> 00:42:44.559
 if he climbed that

00:42:44.559 --> 00:42:46.059
 stairs enough times

00:42:46.059 --> 00:42:47.239
 by his act of

00:42:47.239 --> 00:42:47.959
 devotion that he

00:42:47.959 --> 00:42:48.639
 might be able to

00:42:48.639 --> 00:42:49.579
 redeem a soul from

00:42:49.579 --> 00:42:50.019
 purgatory.

00:42:51.959 --> 00:42:52.779
 Later in life,

00:42:52.859 --> 00:42:53.639
 Luther learned not

00:42:53.639 --> 00:42:54.179
 only that there is

00:42:54.179 --> 00:42:54.919
 no such thing as a

00:42:54.919 --> 00:42:56.000
 purgatory, but that

00:42:56.000 --> 00:42:57.079
 that is not how God

00:42:57.079 --> 00:42:58.079
 saves His people.

00:43:00.059 --> 00:43:01.379
 Not by doing some

00:43:01.379 --> 00:43:02.739
 great works of

00:43:02.739 --> 00:43:03.679
 piety like climbing

00:43:03.679 --> 00:43:04.699
 the Scala Sancta,

00:43:05.019 --> 00:43:06.279
 but by the grace of

00:43:06.279 --> 00:43:07.779
 God, salvation is

00:43:07.779 --> 00:43:09.099
 received as a gift

00:43:09.099 --> 00:43:10.599
 through simple

00:43:10.599 --> 00:43:11.799
 faith in the

00:43:11.799 --> 00:43:12.559
 person and work

00:43:12.559 --> 00:43:13.500
 of Jesus Christ.

00:43:14.139 --> 00:43:14.739
 And that's why

00:43:14.739 --> 00:43:16.219
 Jesus never instituted

00:43:16.219 --> 00:43:17.239
 the Scala Sancta

00:43:17.239 --> 00:43:18.079
 as a sacrament

00:43:18.079 --> 00:43:18.819
 that we should

00:43:18.819 --> 00:43:19.199
 observe.

00:43:19.880 --> 00:43:20.920
 He instituted

00:43:20.920 --> 00:43:22.059
 instead the Lord's

00:43:22.059 --> 00:43:22.880
 Supper as the

00:43:22.880 --> 00:43:23.639
 sacrament, and in

00:43:23.639 --> 00:43:24.199
 doing so, He

00:43:24.199 --> 00:43:25.139
 dignified the

00:43:25.139 --> 00:43:26.019
 simple and regular

00:43:26.019 --> 00:43:26.839
 act of eating

00:43:26.839 --> 00:43:27.659
 and drinking.

00:43:28.480 --> 00:43:29.219
 This is what He

00:43:29.219 --> 00:43:30.179
 said in Matthew

00:43:30.179 --> 00:43:31.779
 26, 26-28.

00:43:32.500 --> 00:43:33.699
 Jesus took bread

00:43:33.699 --> 00:43:34.799
 and after blessing

00:43:34.799 --> 00:43:35.699
 it, broke it and

00:43:35.699 --> 00:43:36.380
 gave it to the

00:43:36.380 --> 00:43:37.259
 disciples and said,

00:43:37.260 --> 00:43:39.340
 take, eat, this

00:43:39.340 --> 00:43:40.020
 is my body.

00:43:40.660 --> 00:43:41.500
 And He took a

00:43:41.500 --> 00:43:42.160
 cup and when He

00:43:42.160 --> 00:43:42.680
 had given thanks,

00:43:42.720 --> 00:43:43.180
 He gave it to

00:43:43.180 --> 00:43:43.580
 them saying,

00:43:43.800 --> 00:43:45.100
 drink of it, all

00:43:45.100 --> 00:43:45.960
 of you, for this

00:43:45.960 --> 00:43:46.860
 is my blood of

00:43:46.860 --> 00:43:47.760
 the covenant, which

00:43:47.760 --> 00:43:48.540
 is poured out for

00:43:48.540 --> 00:43:49.060
 many for the

00:43:49.060 --> 00:43:49.800
 forgiveness of

00:43:49.800 --> 00:43:50.160
 sins.

00:43:51.420 --> 00:43:52.640
 In the same way

00:43:52.640 --> 00:43:53.300
 that the foods

00:43:53.300 --> 00:43:54.060
 that we eat and

00:43:54.060 --> 00:43:54.800
 the drinks that we

00:43:54.800 --> 00:43:55.680
 drink are gifts

00:43:55.680 --> 00:43:56.760
 from God for us

00:43:56.760 --> 00:43:57.980
 to enjoy, so the

00:43:57.980 --> 00:43:58.980
 body and blood

00:43:58.980 --> 00:44:00.260
 of Christ, body

00:44:00.260 --> 00:44:01.180
 broken for us, the

00:44:01.180 --> 00:44:02.060
 blood shed for us,

00:44:02.120 --> 00:44:03.500
 are gifts for us

00:44:03.500 --> 00:44:05.080
 to receive freely

00:44:05.079 --> 00:44:07.000
 for our eternal

00:44:07.000 --> 00:44:07.460
 joy.

00:44:09.039 --> 00:44:10.099
 It's not our own

00:44:10.099 --> 00:44:10.960
 sacrifice that

00:44:10.960 --> 00:44:11.599
 saves us, but the

00:44:11.599 --> 00:44:12.679
 sacrifice of Christ.

00:44:13.199 --> 00:44:13.980
 It's not our own

00:44:13.980 --> 00:44:14.920
 body and blood that

00:44:14.920 --> 00:44:15.579
 saves us, but the

00:44:15.579 --> 00:44:16.519
 body and blood of

00:44:16.519 --> 00:44:17.279
 Jesus Christ.

00:44:17.819 --> 00:44:18.840
 If you think of

00:44:18.840 --> 00:44:19.819
 your salvation as

00:44:19.819 --> 00:44:22.059
 gain instead of

00:44:22.059 --> 00:44:23.380
 as a gift, if you

00:44:23.380 --> 00:44:24.039
 live in order to

00:44:24.039 --> 00:44:25.840
 justify yourself, to

00:44:25.840 --> 00:44:27.079
 obey enough and to

00:44:27.079 --> 00:44:28.159
 be righteous enough

00:44:28.159 --> 00:44:29.239
 to earn your keep,

00:44:29.679 --> 00:44:30.679
 then you will end

00:44:30.679 --> 00:44:31.659
 up despairing.

00:44:32.400 --> 00:44:33.559
 All is vanity and

00:44:33.559 --> 00:44:34.299
 a striving after

00:44:34.299 --> 00:44:34.579
 wind.

00:44:35.079 --> 00:44:36.719
 Because you can

00:44:36.719 --> 00:44:37.420
 never do quite

00:44:37.420 --> 00:44:37.759
 enough.

00:44:38.900 --> 00:44:40.259
 But if you trust

00:44:40.259 --> 00:44:41.840
 in Jesus alone for

00:44:41.840 --> 00:44:43.340
 your salvation, that

00:44:43.340 --> 00:44:44.319
 he died on the

00:44:44.319 --> 00:44:44.900
 cross for the

00:44:44.900 --> 00:44:45.719
 forgiveness of your

00:44:45.719 --> 00:44:46.440
 sins and that he

00:44:46.440 --> 00:44:47.739
 was raised from the

00:44:47.739 --> 00:44:50.199
 dead, you can

00:44:50.199 --> 00:44:51.360
 receive salvation as

00:44:51.360 --> 00:44:52.579
 a gift from God.

00:44:54.000 --> 00:44:55.980
 Then, the

00:44:55.980 --> 00:44:56.940
 sacraments, the

00:44:56.940 --> 00:44:57.779
 eating the bread

00:44:57.779 --> 00:44:58.420
 and drinking the

00:44:58.420 --> 00:44:59.319
 blood, the

00:44:59.319 --> 00:45:00.199
 spiritual disciplines,

00:45:00.519 --> 00:45:01.599
 prayer, scripture

00:45:01.599 --> 00:45:03.119
 reading, corporate

00:45:03.119 --> 00:45:04.860
 worship, fellowship,

00:45:04.860 --> 00:45:05.780
 and participation in

00:45:05.780 --> 00:45:06.360
 the community of

00:45:06.360 --> 00:45:07.660
 God's people, these

00:45:07.660 --> 00:45:09.980
 things no longer feel

00:45:09.980 --> 00:45:13.760
 like a drudgery or an

00:45:13.760 --> 00:45:14.900
 onerous burden that

00:45:14.900 --> 00:45:15.539
 you must bear.

00:45:16.180 --> 00:45:17.320
 Rather, they become

00:45:17.320 --> 00:45:19.579
 gifts that you can

00:45:19.579 --> 00:45:21.460
 enjoy, that gives life

00:45:21.460 --> 00:45:22.640
 and freedom.

00:45:22.639 --> 00:45:28.779
 God has given his only

00:45:28.779 --> 00:45:30.239
 son to us.

00:45:31.239 --> 00:45:32.099
 What more can

00:45:32.099 --> 00:45:32.920
 heaven give?

00:45:34.659 --> 00:45:36.359
 So let's enjoy these

00:45:36.359 --> 00:45:37.659
 gifts today.

00:45:37.779 --> 00:45:38.259
 Let me pray.

00:45:38.260 --> 00:45:53.180
 Father, we confess that

00:45:53.180 --> 00:45:54.200
 we so often think that

00:45:54.200 --> 00:45:54.940
 we know better than

00:45:54.940 --> 00:45:55.140
 you.

00:45:57.480 --> 00:45:58.940
 We drive ourselves

00:45:58.940 --> 00:46:00.680
 seeking satisfaction

00:46:00.680 --> 00:46:01.460
 and fulfillment,

00:46:02.660 --> 00:46:05.340
 thinking, oh, we have

00:46:05.340 --> 00:46:06.260
 no time to lose.

00:46:06.260 --> 00:46:08.100
 this is the only way,

00:46:08.320 --> 00:46:09.160
 and I know the way.

00:46:10.580 --> 00:46:11.940
 But Lord, your ways are

00:46:11.940 --> 00:46:12.720
 always higher than

00:46:12.720 --> 00:46:13.020
 ours.

00:46:14.660 --> 00:46:15.980
 So humble us, oh,

00:46:16.000 --> 00:46:20.240
 Lord God, to know our

00:46:20.240 --> 00:46:23.200
 own impending death, and

00:46:23.200 --> 00:46:24.800
 even more importantly, to

00:46:24.800 --> 00:46:26.420
 know the death of Jesus

00:46:26.420 --> 00:46:27.600
 Christ on our behalf.

00:46:28.240 --> 00:46:29.780
 So we can truly say that

00:46:29.780 --> 00:46:31.680
 for us, to live is Christ,

00:46:31.679 --> 00:46:33.440
 and to die is gain.

00:46:37.059 --> 00:46:37.619
 Help us.

00:46:37.679 --> 00:46:38.679
 In Jesus' name we pray.

00:46:39.139 --> 00:46:39.460
 Amen.

00:46:39.460 --> 00:46:40.460
 Okay.