No Guarantees in Life
October 18, 2020
27:29
The Winning Walk is the international teaching ministry of Dr. Ed Young.
Closed captions
No Guarantees in Life
Show timecode
Hide timecode
- ♪♪♪
- 00:00:01.113 --> 00:00:11.123
- Dr. Ed Young: We're studyinga book of sheer philosophy.
- 00:00:21.767 --> 00:00:30.209
- Somebody would say, "Well, Icame here to study the Bible and
- 00:00:30.242 --> 00:00:37.349
- you mean to tell me we're goingto study a book that contains
- 00:00:37.382 --> 00:00:41.787
- sheer philosophy?"
- 00:00:41.820 --> 00:00:46.225
- Absolutely, there's nothing moreconfusing than to have a lot of
- 00:00:46.258 --> 00:00:51.597
- answers without any questions.
- 00:00:51.630 --> 00:00:56.268
- The Book of Ecclesiastes asksthe questions the rest of the
- 00:00:56.301 --> 00:01:02.941
- Bible answers.
- 00:01:02.975 --> 00:01:06.378
- The Book of Ecclesiastes,we need to remember,
- 00:01:06.411 --> 00:01:09.681
- is the only book in the canonthat pictures life without God.
- 00:01:09.715 --> 00:01:17.389
- Solomon, in his twilight yearswrites his autobiography and we
- 00:01:17.422 --> 00:01:24.363
- see how far he hasdeclined from his early
- 00:01:24.396 --> 00:01:28.367
- years as king of Israel.
- 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:31.336
- You remember he built a temple.
- 00:01:31.370 --> 00:01:33.539
- You remember in a dreamhe asks God for wisdom.
- 00:01:33.572 --> 00:01:36.942
- You remember how hestarted off with humility,
- 00:01:36.975 --> 00:01:40.779
- a worshiper, someonewho obeyed and sought
- 00:01:40.812 --> 00:01:44.016
- to please the living God.
- 00:01:44.049 --> 00:01:45.884
- But something happened to him.
- 00:01:45.918 --> 00:01:50.055
- So, he writes the end of life,this thing about philosophy.
- 00:01:50.088 --> 00:01:54.359
- And he tell us the thesis of thebook with two giant parenthesis.
- 00:01:54.393 --> 00:02:00.933
- Chapter 1 of Ecclesiastesverse 2 he says about life,
- 00:02:00.966 --> 00:02:05.904
- "Vanity ofvanity, all is vanity."
- 00:02:05.938 --> 00:02:09.107
- That's really apoor translation.
- 00:02:09.141 --> 00:02:11.677
- It should say,"Meaninglessness and
- 00:02:11.710 --> 00:02:15.781
- meaninglessnesses,all is meaningless."
- 00:02:15.814 --> 00:02:21.386
- When you see a singularattached to a plural, you
- 00:02:21.420 --> 00:02:28.327
- have a superlative.
- 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:31.063
- In other words, Lord oflords would say there's
- 00:02:31.096 --> 00:02:35.267
- no lord above this Lord.
- 00:02:35.300 --> 00:02:37.970
- Servant of servants,you have no servant
- 00:02:38.003 --> 00:02:41.373
- superior to this servant.
- 00:02:41.406 --> 00:02:43.475
- Holy of holies, there's noplace more holy than this place.
- 00:02:43.508 --> 00:02:49.314
- And see, we have meaninglessnessand meaninglessnesses.
- 00:02:49.348 --> 00:02:54.620
- In other words, life is a void.
- 00:02:54.653 --> 00:02:57.055
- Life is smoke.
- 00:02:57.089 --> 00:02:58.490
- Life has no rhyme, noreason, has no significance,
- 00:02:58.523 --> 00:03:02.527
- no value andtherefore Solomon said,
- 00:03:02.561 --> 00:03:04.997
- "You don't have anypurpose in your life."
- 00:03:05.030 --> 00:03:08.567
- He says this in chapter 1, verse2 and all the way to end of
- 00:03:08.600 --> 00:03:13.105
- Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse 8he repeats the very same phrase.
- 00:03:13.138 --> 00:03:18.343
- So, there is a parenthesissaying life doesn't make sense
- 00:03:18.377 --> 00:03:24.182
- and you can'tmake sense of life.
- 00:03:24.216 --> 00:03:29.688
- Well, I'm surethat made your day.
- 00:03:29.721 --> 00:03:35.560
- But we proceed how Solomondeveloped this and we understand
- 00:03:35.594 --> 00:03:42.567
- that in this bookof sheer philosophy,
- 00:03:42.601 --> 00:03:47.973
- he forces us to answer the bigquestions of life that the rest
- 00:03:48.006 --> 00:03:55.647
- of the Bible clearly answers.
- 00:03:55.681 --> 00:04:01.486
- I want you to pretend with mefor a minute that you got a call
- 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:07.192
- from your banker say lastThursday afternoon about 4
- 00:04:07.225 --> 00:04:11.797
- o'clock and you pick up thephone and your banker says,
- 00:04:11.830 --> 00:04:15.100
- "I've got good news for you.
- 00:04:15.133 --> 00:04:19.104
- Someone who loves you verymuch is gonna to deposit in your
- 00:04:19.137 --> 00:04:24.776
- account 86.400pennies every day.
- 00:04:24.810 --> 00:04:34.186
- Quick math, $846 aday, and that's good.
- 00:04:34.219 --> 00:04:42.394
- Quick math, about$315.000 a year,
- 00:04:42.427 --> 00:04:47.499
- that's real good.
- 00:04:47.532 --> 00:04:49.468
- "And that's gonnabe the deposited in
- 00:04:49.501 --> 00:04:51.203
- my account every day?"
- 00:04:51.236 --> 00:04:52.504
- "Yes."
- 00:04:52.537 --> 00:04:54.239
- The banker says,"There's one catch to this,
- 00:04:54.272 --> 00:04:57.509
- this person who loves you verymuch says you must spend all of
- 00:04:57.542 --> 00:05:01.546
- that amount every day.
- 00:05:01.580 --> 00:05:04.249
- Any that you do notspend, goes back to the bank."
- 00:05:04.282 --> 00:05:09.588
- It didn't take youlong to figure out,
- 00:05:09.621 --> 00:05:11.089
- "I think I can spend $846 a day.
- 00:05:11.123 --> 00:05:15.460
- I'll have notrouble doing that."
- 00:05:15.494 --> 00:05:18.730
- Now, let's get serious.That was pretend.
- 00:05:18.764 --> 00:05:24.936
- The truth is that someone wholoves you and loves me very much
- 00:05:24.970 --> 00:05:29.875
- deposits every day in our
- 00:05:29.908 --> 00:05:32.444
- bank of time 86.400 seconds.
- 00:05:32.477 --> 00:05:41.853
- Now, the interesting thing aboutthis deposit of time in your
- 00:05:41.887 --> 00:05:45.323
- life and in my life isthat we can't accumulate it.
- 00:05:45.357 --> 00:05:52.230
- We can't say, "I'm notgonna use this time today.
- 00:05:52.264 --> 00:05:54.699
- I'm gonna save itfor another moment."
- 00:05:54.733 --> 00:05:56.735
- Time is like a coin when youspend it, you can't recall it.
- 00:05:56.768 --> 00:06:01.573
- You can't get it back.
- 00:06:01.606 --> 00:06:04.075
- So, how we use that gift thatGod gives us who loves us very
- 00:06:04.109 --> 00:06:08.413
- much is exceedingly important.
- 00:06:08.447 --> 00:06:11.550
- Time.By the way, what is time?
- 00:06:11.583 --> 00:06:18.089
- You get a lot ofsquirrely definitions to that.
- 00:06:18.123 --> 00:06:21.827
- A simple one, I think, it isa measurement of a period.
- 00:06:21.860 --> 00:06:28.333
- That's time.
- 00:06:28.366 --> 00:06:29.701
- Time is somethingthat man has created.
- 00:06:29.734 --> 00:06:34.039
- We create it where that greattimepiece that we find in the
- 00:06:34.072 --> 00:06:38.376
- heavens, theplanets, the sun, the moon,
- 00:06:38.410 --> 00:06:41.279
- we want to check the true andaccurate time we can look to
- 00:06:41.313 --> 00:06:45.150
- that and seeexactly what time it is.
- 00:06:45.183 --> 00:06:48.320
- But when all the planet ceaseand the moon and the stars go
- 00:06:48.353 --> 00:06:51.957
- away, there is no more timeand we move into timelessness.
- 00:06:51.990 --> 00:06:59.297
- Some of us remember the gospelsong it has a little phrase in
- 00:06:59.331 --> 00:07:02.767
- it, "And time shall be no more."
- 00:07:02.801 --> 00:07:06.938
- When we leave this planetand move into eternity,
- 00:07:06.972 --> 00:07:11.376
- there's no more time.
- 00:07:11.409 --> 00:07:14.613
- We move from thefinite to the infinite.
- 00:07:14.646 --> 00:07:17.782
- We move from thisearth into the heavens.
- 00:07:17.816 --> 00:07:22.454
- And therefore we, in this life,are interested in time and we
- 00:07:22.487 --> 00:07:26.358
- want to maximize the timethat we have on this earth.
- 00:07:26.391 --> 00:07:30.729
- And we use this element,this word "time" all the time.
- 00:07:30.762 --> 00:07:35.233
- "Do we have time to do that?It's time to go."
- 00:07:35.267 --> 00:07:39.471
- Time and timingis very important.
- 00:07:39.504 --> 00:07:42.641
- There's a time to buy stock andthere's a time to sell stock,
- 00:07:42.674 --> 00:07:47.379
- not that I do either one.
- 00:07:47.412 --> 00:07:49.514
- Years ago, I had alittle bit of money,
- 00:07:49.548 --> 00:07:51.516
- couple of thousand dollarsand I bought high and sold low.
- 00:07:51.550 --> 00:07:57.622
- I never again went to the LasVegas that's called the market.
- 00:07:57.656 --> 00:08:03.662
- So, time is everything.
- 00:08:03.695 --> 00:08:05.096
- When your company is in trouble,don't go to your boss and say,
- 00:08:05.130 --> 00:08:08.667
- "I need a raise."
- 00:08:08.700 --> 00:08:10.835
- Poor timing.There's a time that we invest.
- 00:08:10.869 --> 00:08:17.842
- There's a time that we useand time involves timing.
- 00:08:17.876 --> 00:08:21.613
- It means everything.
- 00:08:21.646 --> 00:08:23.348
- We're sick and wedon't go to the doctor.
- 00:08:23.381 --> 00:08:25.450
- If we'd gone, we'dgot a diagnosis,
- 00:08:25.483 --> 00:08:27.619
- we'd got well a lot sooner.
- 00:08:27.652 --> 00:08:30.755
- You see, time and timingand this whole section,
- 00:08:30.789 --> 00:08:34.626
- whole section of Ecclesiastesabout time, this third chapter.
- 00:08:34.659 --> 00:08:40.932
- We've already lookedat the first chapter,
- 00:08:40.966 --> 00:08:42.601
- if you've missed that,Ecclesiastes starts off with
- 00:08:42.634 --> 00:08:47.205
- great pessimism and he says,"Everything repeats itself.
- 00:08:47.238 --> 00:08:51.876
- Life is circular,thesis, antithesis,
- 00:08:51.910 --> 00:08:55.246
- synthesis, thesis,antithesis, synthesis,
- 00:08:55.280 --> 00:08:59.718
- everything just repeats itself.
- 00:08:59.751 --> 00:09:02.387
- And in chapter 2Solomon says, "Well,
- 00:09:02.420 --> 00:09:05.090
- time and life ismeaninglessness.
- 00:09:05.123 --> 00:09:07.592
- It has no meaning but," hesays, "I've tried everything."
- 00:09:07.626 --> 00:09:11.930
- How many people who've everlived could stand up and say,
- 00:09:11.963 --> 00:09:14.966
- "I've tried everything you couldtry to make sense out of life"?
- 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:18.837
- Not many people have thecapacity or the ability to do
- 00:09:18.870 --> 00:09:22.140
- that but Solomon did and finallyhe comes to the same conclusion.
- 00:09:22.173 --> 00:09:27.712
- He came to 35 different timesin the Book of Ecclesiastes life
- 00:09:27.746 --> 00:09:32.117
- makes no sense.
- 00:09:32.150 --> 00:09:33.818
- It is without meaning.It is without significance.
- 00:09:33.852 --> 00:09:38.023
- It's without value.
- 00:09:38.056 --> 00:09:40.892
- Chapter 1, chapter 2, now wecome to chapter 3 and here he
- 00:09:40.925 --> 00:09:48.333
- begins with thisinteresting, interesting verse,
- 00:09:48.366 --> 00:09:51.836
- verse 1, he says, "There's anappointed time for everything.
- 00:09:51.870 --> 00:09:57.008
- And there is a time forevery event under the sun."
- 00:09:57.042 --> 00:10:01.379
- He brings us back to time andtimeliness and then through
- 00:10:01.413 --> 00:10:06.151
- verse 8, he gives us aphilosophy of time, T-I-M-E.
- 00:10:06.184 --> 00:10:14.592
- Now understand something,Solomon is looking at this world
- 00:10:14.626 --> 00:10:19.397
- from a fat land perspective.
- 00:10:19.431 --> 00:10:22.901
- He's looking at thisworld only under the sun.
- 00:10:22.934 --> 00:10:27.772
- He's looking at this worldonly to sense what you can see,
- 00:10:27.806 --> 00:10:31.776
- and feel, andtouch, and understand.
- 00:10:31.810 --> 00:10:34.446
- He's looking at a flat world.
- 00:10:34.479 --> 00:10:37.215
- In his survey, hedoesn't look above the sun.
- 00:10:37.248 --> 00:10:43.288
- Ladies and gentlemen, live outyour life under the sun with no
- 00:10:43.321 --> 00:10:48.893
- sense of a transcendentGod and I'll tell you,
- 00:10:48.927 --> 00:10:52.430
- you'll come up, sooner orlater according to capacity,
- 00:10:52.464 --> 00:10:56.134
- to the sameconclusion that Solomon had,
- 00:10:56.167 --> 00:10:58.870
- there's no meaning.
- 00:10:58.903 --> 00:11:01.473
- There's no value.It doesn't last.
- 00:11:01.506 --> 00:11:04.609
- You're just a pebble onthe seashore of history.
- 00:11:04.642 --> 00:11:10.648
- But then he gives us the versesthat we all remember and he has
- 00:11:10.682 --> 00:11:14.819
- these 14 couplets of contrast.
- 00:11:14.853 --> 00:11:20.225
- Time to be born, a timeto die, a time to speak,
- 00:11:20.258 --> 00:11:23.361
- a time to be silent.
- 00:11:23.394 --> 00:11:24.662
- Boy, I wish I knew when tospeak, when to be silent.
- 00:11:24.696 --> 00:11:27.732
- But there's all these seasonsand he takes us through these
- 00:11:27.766 --> 00:11:31.136
- 14 different couplets.
- 00:11:31.169 --> 00:11:33.037
- The first four ifyou look at them,
- 00:11:33.071 --> 00:11:36.508
- they deal with a body.
- 00:11:36.541 --> 00:11:37.776
- The next four deal with a soul.The last six deal with a spirit.
- 00:11:37.809 --> 00:11:41.546
- Listen to them, it'sa philosophy of time.
- 00:11:41.579 --> 00:11:45.950
- He said there's, "Atime to give birth,
- 00:11:45.984 --> 00:11:48.319
- a time to die; A time toplant, a time to uproot
- 00:11:48.353 --> 00:11:52.457
- what is planted.
- 00:11:52.490 --> 00:11:54.125
- A time to kill, a time toheal; A time to tear down,
- 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:58.129
- a time to build up.
- 00:11:58.163 --> 00:11:59.964
- A time to weep anda time to laugh;
- 00:11:59.998 --> 00:12:02.534
- A time to mournand a time to dance.
- 00:12:02.567 --> 00:12:04.836
- A time to throw stones anda time to gather stones;
- 00:12:04.869 --> 00:12:07.872
- A time to embrace and atime to shun embracing.
- 00:12:07.906 --> 00:12:12.410
- A time to search and atime to give up as lost;
- 00:12:12.443 --> 00:12:16.114
- A time to keep and atime to throw away.
- 00:12:16.147 --> 00:12:18.716
- A time to tear apart anda time to sew together;
- 00:12:18.750 --> 00:12:21.820
- A time to besilent, a time to speak.
- 00:12:21.853 --> 00:12:24.422
- A time to loveand a time to hate;
- 00:12:24.455 --> 00:12:26.724
- A time for war anda time for peace."
- 00:12:26.758 --> 00:12:30.495
- We're familiar with those words,they're the most--that's the
- 00:12:30.528 --> 00:12:33.464
- most familiar passage in allof the Book of Ecclesiastes and
- 00:12:33.498 --> 00:12:37.468
- he's saying howimportant it is time,
- 00:12:37.502 --> 00:12:40.572
- and timing and even now Solomonbegins to get some sense.
- 00:12:40.605 --> 00:12:45.743
- Look what he says in verse 11.
- 00:12:45.777 --> 00:12:48.680
- He says, "He has made,"he's talking about God now.
- 00:12:48.713 --> 00:12:53.051
- "He has made everythingbeautiful in its time.
- 00:12:53.084 --> 00:12:55.987
- He's also saideternity in their heart."
- 00:12:56.020 --> 00:12:58.756
- Verse 12 he says, "I know thatthere's nothing better for to us
- 00:12:58.790 --> 00:13:02.360
- do than to rejoice."
- 00:13:02.393 --> 00:13:04.629
- In verse 13 he says,"It is a gift of God."
- 00:13:04.662 --> 00:13:07.799
- Verse 14 he says, "Fearhim," that means to worship him.
- 00:13:07.832 --> 00:13:12.570
- So now, Solomon, who'sbeen so pessimistic,
- 00:13:12.604 --> 00:13:15.874
- sort of looks a little bitabout God and is not a clear
- 00:13:15.907 --> 00:13:20.245
- understanding of God.
- 00:13:20.278 --> 00:13:23.214
- Somehow he hadcompromised everything.
- 00:13:23.248 --> 00:13:26.484
- He had sort of a Godthat was a hybrid God,
- 00:13:26.517 --> 00:13:30.321
- not Jehovah, notYahweh, not Elohim.
- 00:13:30.355 --> 00:13:33.258
- He had lost that.How'd he lose it?
- 00:13:33.291 --> 00:13:35.927
- I think all thewoman he married,
- 00:13:35.960 --> 00:13:38.363
- oh yeah, because theybrought their pagan
- 00:13:38.396 --> 00:13:40.965
- religions into the land.
- 00:13:40.999 --> 00:13:42.567
- They built altars on top ofall those hills and Solomon,
- 00:13:42.600 --> 00:13:46.204
- in order to keep them happy,would go up and worship them,
- 00:13:46.237 --> 00:13:50.041
- all the gods and goddesses andtherefore he gradually moved
- 00:13:50.074 --> 00:13:53.745
- away from generally worshipingthe true and living God.
- 00:13:53.778 --> 00:13:58.516
- That's whensomebody says, "Well,
- 00:13:58.549 --> 00:13:59.984
- at least theyworship Allah God."
- 00:14:00.018 --> 00:14:02.987
- No, Allah is a million milesfrom the God we know in Jesus
- 00:14:03.021 --> 00:14:06.724
- Christ, make nomistake about it.
- 00:14:06.758 --> 00:14:10.061
- And that's exactly what thesegods are even with Solomon.
- 00:14:10.094 --> 00:14:13.598
- He just went away.
- 00:14:13.631 --> 00:14:15.199
- He moved away, notconsciously or rationally.
- 00:14:15.233 --> 00:14:18.736
- When I was a freshman,University of Alabama,
- 00:14:18.770 --> 00:14:21.639
- my first Sunday I went to Sundayschool in church as a freshman.
- 00:14:21.673 --> 00:14:26.077
- I'd done it all mylife, that's what I did.
- 00:14:26.110 --> 00:14:29.714
- The next Sunday, youknow, I was tired,
- 00:14:29.747 --> 00:14:32.150
- I had a hard week andI just went to church.
- 00:14:32.183 --> 00:14:35.720
- The next Sunday, you know, Iwent to church but I got there
- 00:14:35.753 --> 00:14:39.090
- late just in time for themsinging the invitational hymn,
- 00:14:39.123 --> 00:14:42.460
- "Just As I Am."
- 00:14:42.493 --> 00:14:45.363
- Next Sunday I didn't go.Next Sunday I didn't go.
- 00:14:45.396 --> 00:14:49.033
- The third Sunday I felt guiltyand I went just to church,
- 00:14:49.067 --> 00:14:53.304
- and then I justquit going to church.
- 00:14:53.338 --> 00:14:57.976
- That's what happens, isn't it?
- 00:14:58.009 --> 00:14:59.844
- Just sort ofgradually we move out,
- 00:14:59.877 --> 00:15:02.280
- we move away and that'swhat happened to Solomon.
- 00:15:02.313 --> 00:15:05.883
- He picked up all theseother gods and goddesses,
- 00:15:05.917 --> 00:15:08.987
- began to worship, trying toplease all these wives to keep
- 00:15:09.020 --> 00:15:12.123
- international relations intact.
- 00:15:12.156 --> 00:15:14.993
- All of a sudden, he'd wonderedaway from the true and living
- 00:15:15.026 --> 00:15:16.928
- God but now he seeslife is without meaning,
- 00:15:16.961 --> 00:15:20.231
- but there is little hope becausea semblance of the true God just
- 00:15:20.264 --> 00:15:25.269
- kind of reaches downfrom heaven and he said,
- 00:15:25.303 --> 00:15:27.638
- "I want you to know eventhough life's without meaning,
- 00:15:27.672 --> 00:15:30.041
- boy, there's beauty in life.
- 00:15:30.074 --> 00:15:33.511
- And I want you to knowthat life is a gift of God.
- 00:15:33.544 --> 00:15:37.949
- And I want you toknow we are to fear him,
- 00:15:37.982 --> 00:15:40.218
- and that means weare to worship him."
- 00:15:40.251 --> 00:15:42.587
- Remember human beings are theonly animals that worship God.
- 00:15:42.620 --> 00:15:47.158
- I love my dog Winstonbut food, affection,
- 00:15:47.191 --> 00:15:50.795
- and play, that'sas far as he goes.
- 00:15:50.828 --> 00:15:55.066
- He has no semblance of worship.He has no semblance of death.
- 00:15:55.099 --> 00:16:00.338
- He just food, play,affection, that's it.
- 00:16:00.371 --> 00:16:08.046
- You see, we aredistinctive as human beings.
- 00:16:08.079 --> 00:16:12.250
- We're made in the image of Godand somehow Solomon had lost and
- 00:16:12.283 --> 00:16:16.487
- blurred that image out but hehas little glimpses here of a
- 00:16:16.521 --> 00:16:21.726
- life that has meaning andhe shares all this with us.
- 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:25.296
- You can look at it.
- 00:16:25.329 --> 00:16:26.831
- He talks about,"I know, I know."
- 00:16:26.864 --> 00:16:28.800
- You see in verse 13, Iknow, verse 14, "I know."
- 00:16:28.833 --> 00:16:32.236
- Verse 10 he says, "I have seen."
- 00:16:32.270 --> 00:16:35.840
- He says in verse16, "I have seen."
- 00:16:35.873 --> 00:16:39.010
- In 17 he says, "Isaid to myself."
- 00:16:39.043 --> 00:16:41.646
- Eighteen he said,"I said to myself."
- 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:44.182
- Twenty-two hesays, "I have seen."
- 00:16:44.215 --> 00:16:46.017
- What's he doing?
- 00:16:46.050 --> 00:16:47.185
- He is saying, "Here's allof the philosophy of time,
- 00:16:47.218 --> 00:16:50.254
- a time for this, a timefor that," and he says,
- 00:16:50.288 --> 00:16:52.723
- "that's the sovereignty of God."
- 00:16:52.757 --> 00:16:55.426
- In other words, this is howGod operates life in this world
- 00:16:55.460 --> 00:17:00.164
- under the sun but thenhe has little glimpses
- 00:17:00.198 --> 00:17:04.602
- that God's a part of this.
- 00:17:04.635 --> 00:17:06.237
- Everything'sbeautiful in its own way.
- 00:17:06.270 --> 00:17:08.539
- And then that tremendousverse, "God has planted
- 00:17:08.573 --> 00:17:12.009
- eternity in our hearts."
- 00:17:12.043 --> 00:17:14.445
- Everybody here, whoever you are,God has planted eternity in your
- 00:17:14.479 --> 00:17:20.218
- heart, and Solomon sees thatuntil finally he comes to the
- 00:17:20.251 --> 00:17:24.589
- end of the chapter and heasks a question and it's such
- 00:17:24.622 --> 00:17:29.293
- an important question.
- 00:17:29.327 --> 00:17:30.595
- He says the lastphrase, he said,
- 00:17:30.628 --> 00:17:33.831
- "I have seen that nothing isbetter than that man should be
- 00:17:33.865 --> 00:17:36.868
- happy in his activities,for that is his lot."
- 00:17:36.901 --> 00:17:40.671
- Here's the question, "Forwho will bring him to see
- 00:17:40.705 --> 00:17:44.108
- what will occur after him?"
- 00:17:44.142 --> 00:17:46.677
- In other words, after all issaid and done and we leave this
- 00:17:46.711 --> 00:17:50.047
- life, who knows whatwill happen after that?
- 00:17:50.081 --> 00:17:55.887
- Big question, is itnot, ladies and gentlemen?
- 00:17:55.920 --> 00:18:00.391
- Big, big question.
- 00:18:00.424 --> 00:18:03.928
- Zack Parrish,brought up in our church,
- 00:18:03.961 --> 00:18:08.232
- tremendous teenager,parents sold out to Christ,
- 00:18:08.266 --> 00:18:13.204
- finished school,went to college,
- 00:18:13.237 --> 00:18:16.340
- got married, hadtwo little girls,
- 00:18:16.374 --> 00:18:19.243
- was a banker inDenver, Colorado.
- 00:18:19.277 --> 00:18:22.547
- Didn't like banking.
- 00:18:22.580 --> 00:18:24.448
- He felt he was called to make adifference in law enforcement.
- 00:18:24.482 --> 00:18:28.553
- He went and trained and becamea policeman on the staff of the
- 00:18:28.586 --> 00:18:34.058
- police departmentthere in Denver, Colorado.
- 00:18:34.091 --> 00:18:37.995
- And it was on December the 31 Igot a call early in the morning
- 00:18:38.029 --> 00:18:43.467
- that broke my heart.
- 00:18:43.501 --> 00:18:45.603
- Zack had been killedwhile investigating what was
- 00:18:45.636 --> 00:18:50.141
- supposedly a domestic violencecall with his team of policemen,
- 00:18:50.174 --> 00:18:55.680
- but it was a setup.
- 00:18:55.713 --> 00:18:58.516
- They were ambushed.
- 00:18:58.549 --> 00:19:00.851
- The call camethere through tears,
- 00:19:00.885 --> 00:19:03.254
- my tears were added to it,that Zack had been killed.
- 00:19:03.287 --> 00:19:09.093
- I talked to mother and dad asthey were driving up there.
- 00:19:09.126 --> 00:19:14.298
- They were devastated.
- 00:19:14.332 --> 00:19:16.400
- They had his funeral, which wasput online all across America.
- 00:19:16.434 --> 00:19:21.672
- You probably read it inthe newspaper about it.
- 00:19:21.706 --> 00:19:24.642
- It went online around the world.
- 00:19:24.675 --> 00:19:27.979
- In that funeral, they gavea clear witness of what a
- 00:19:28.012 --> 00:19:30.648
- tremendous Christian thisyoung police officer was,
- 00:19:30.681 --> 00:19:34.352
- what a dynamic life, and theyexplained how the gospel says to
- 00:19:34.385 --> 00:19:38.222
- be absent from the bodyhere is to be present with
- 00:19:38.256 --> 00:19:41.726
- the Lord there.
- 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:43.027
- And it came throughtears, and celebration,
- 00:19:43.060 --> 00:19:45.596
- and a presentationto the gospel.
- 00:19:45.630 --> 00:19:47.298
- Present in that funeral servicewas an atheist who had a room
- 00:19:47.331 --> 00:19:53.204
- above the little apartment whereZack had been killed and he
- 00:19:53.237 --> 00:19:57.708
- said, "As an atheist, I wentjust sort of out of respect."
- 00:19:57.742 --> 00:20:02.046
- And he said, "Butin that service,
- 00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:05.416
- I understood," hesaid, "for the first time,
- 00:20:05.449 --> 00:20:08.185
- that there is aGod, that he loves us,
- 00:20:08.219 --> 00:20:10.388
- that his Son died so I may beforgiven and have new life."
- 00:20:10.421 --> 00:20:13.624
- And he became a gloriousborn-again Christian in a
- 00:20:13.658 --> 00:20:17.261
- memorial service for Zack.
- 00:20:17.295 --> 00:20:20.931
- More than that, hismother, who is on my team,
- 00:20:20.965 --> 00:20:26.003
- his mother and dad said theyreceived hundreds of all kind,
- 00:20:26.037 --> 00:20:30.941
- emails, correspondence frompeople all over America and all
- 00:20:30.975 --> 00:20:34.612
- around the world that observedthat funeral and said they
- 00:20:34.645 --> 00:20:37.548
- understood what it means toreally live with Jesus Christ.
- 00:20:37.581 --> 00:20:42.153
- So, they said, youknow, this is their words,
- 00:20:42.186 --> 00:20:46.991
- "Jesus Christ gave his only Son.
- 00:20:47.024 --> 00:20:50.227
- Everybody thoughtthe devil had won,
- 00:20:50.261 --> 00:20:53.364
- evil had conquered on the cross,but he took the cross and evil
- 00:20:53.397 --> 00:20:59.136
- and turned it into the powerfor salvation for the world,
- 00:20:59.170 --> 00:21:02.540
- but it cost him his only Son."
- 00:21:02.573 --> 00:21:04.542
- And they said, "This hascost us our only son Zack,
- 00:21:04.575 --> 00:21:09.847
- and it was doneabsolutely by evil
- 00:21:09.880 --> 00:21:11.882
- people with evil intentions."
- 00:21:11.916 --> 00:21:13.918
- But he said, "If that's whatit takes for these dozens,
- 00:21:13.951 --> 00:21:17.688
- hundreds that cometo know Jesus Christ,
- 00:21:17.722 --> 00:21:20.057
- I understand it."That's from his parents.
- 00:21:20.091 --> 00:21:26.530
- Now, I want you tonotice something,
- 00:21:26.564 --> 00:21:29.967
- the 11th verse in thischapter it talks about
- 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:32.770
- what has will be again.
- 00:21:32.803 --> 00:21:35.940
- It says simply, God does notleave anything unfinished.
- 00:21:35.973 --> 00:21:40.444
- If a life is shortened, there'llbe a time in which that time
- 00:21:40.478 --> 00:21:44.248
- will be fulfilled in heaven.
- 00:21:44.281 --> 00:21:46.550
- Anything that's brokenhere, he will heal there.
- 00:21:46.584 --> 00:21:50.121
- The Garden of Eden willcome back into existence,
- 00:21:50.154 --> 00:21:53.057
- there'll be a newheaven and a new earth.
- 00:21:53.090 --> 00:21:56.093
- And by the way, what is science?
- 00:21:56.127 --> 00:21:59.597
- Science is simplymemories of the past,
- 00:21:59.630 --> 00:22:03.434
- write that down.
- 00:22:03.467 --> 00:22:05.035
- Science is memories of the past.
- 00:22:05.069 --> 00:22:07.938
- You say, "Well, Idon't understand that."
- 00:22:07.972 --> 00:22:10.975
- Geology is simply amemory of the earth.
- 00:22:11.008 --> 00:22:21.218
- Astronomy is simply amemory of the universe.
- 00:22:21.252 --> 00:22:27.324
- History is simply amemory of the human race.
- 00:22:27.358 --> 00:22:31.295
- Everything ever that has takenplace is written down on heaven,
- 00:22:31.328 --> 00:22:36.867
- on earth, in themind and heart of God,
- 00:22:36.901 --> 00:22:39.570
- and it will all be restoredfully and completely in that way
- 00:22:39.603 --> 00:22:43.974
- when God comes and revisitsearth in the Second Coming of
- 00:22:44.008 --> 00:22:47.945
- Jesus Christ.
- 00:22:47.978 --> 00:22:49.280
- God doesn't have anyunfinished symphonies.
- 00:22:49.313 --> 00:22:52.149
- He doesn't have anything thatstarted and didn't seek it all
- 00:22:52.183 --> 00:22:55.853
- the way into completion.
- 00:22:55.886 --> 00:22:57.421
- He completes all this and I'lltell you the brevity of Zack's
- 00:22:57.455 --> 00:23:01.792
- life will be totallycompleted and it will all go.
- 00:23:01.826 --> 00:23:04.728
- And the moral here is we useour platform because whatever
- 00:23:04.762 --> 00:23:08.098
- happens, let'sanswer this question,
- 00:23:08.132 --> 00:23:12.036
- "Well, who knows," asksSolomon," what's gonna
- 00:23:12.069 --> 00:23:14.605
- happen in all of this?"
- 00:23:14.638 --> 00:23:16.407
- I'm gonna give you the answer tothat the Apostle Paul gave and
- 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:19.710
- God gives us in the latterpart of Romans chapter 8,
- 00:23:19.743 --> 00:23:23.347
- and Romans 8 undoubtedly isone of the greatest books in
- 00:23:23.380 --> 00:23:27.017
- all the Bible.
- 00:23:27.051 --> 00:23:28.219
- Let me give youan answer to that.
- 00:23:28.252 --> 00:23:30.421
- He says, "What then shallwe say to these things?
- 00:23:30.454 --> 00:23:34.859
- If God is with us, who orwhat can be against us?
- 00:23:34.892 --> 00:23:41.632
- He who did notspare His own Son,
- 00:23:41.665 --> 00:23:44.835
- but delivered Himover for us all,
- 00:23:44.869 --> 00:23:48.873
- how will He not also withHim freely give us all things?
- 00:23:48.906 --> 00:23:55.713
- Who will separate usfrom the love of Christ?"
- 00:23:55.746 --> 00:23:58.482
- That's the question he asks.
- 00:23:58.516 --> 00:24:00.985
- "Will tribulation,distress, persecution,
- 00:24:01.018 --> 00:24:07.758
- famine, nakedness,peril, or sword?
- 00:24:07.791 --> 00:24:12.129
- Just as it is written, For Yoursake we are being put to death
- 00:24:12.162 --> 00:24:16.100
- all day long; We were consideredas sheep to be slaughtered.
- 00:24:16.133 --> 00:24:20.204
- But in all these things weoverwhelmingly conquer through
- 00:24:20.237 --> 00:24:25.809
- Him who loved us.
- 00:24:25.843 --> 00:24:27.511
- For I am convincedthat neither death,
- 00:24:27.545 --> 00:24:32.082
- nor life, nor angels,nor principalities,
- 00:24:32.116 --> 00:24:36.687
- nor things present,nor things to come,
- 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:39.290
- nor powers, norheight, nor depth,
- 00:24:39.323 --> 00:24:41.825
- nor any other created thing,will be able to separate us from
- 00:24:41.859 --> 00:24:45.296
- the love of God, which isin Christ Jesus our Lord."
- 00:24:45.329 --> 00:24:50.334
- Ed: As pastors,in addition to preaching--
- 00:24:51.902 --> 00:24:54.171
- it's great part of our job--
- 00:24:54.204 --> 00:24:55.940
- is also lead people throughmajor life challenges and storm.
- 00:24:55.973 --> 00:25:00.444
- But what do you dowhen these storms
- 00:25:00.477 --> 00:25:02.012
- come crashing into your life?
- 00:25:02.046 --> 00:25:04.148
- Ben Young: As a few years ago,as you know, Dad, I experienced
- 00:25:04.181 --> 00:25:06.517
- my own storm, and I found mylife and family was falling
- 00:25:06.550 --> 00:25:09.587
- apart, and I didn't know how Iwas gonna make it through those
- 00:25:09.620 --> 00:25:12.356
- very dark days.
- 00:25:12.389 --> 00:25:14.625
- With the support of family andfriends and some really godly
- 00:25:14.658 --> 00:25:17.061
- therapists, I was able toovercome the storm I was in.
- 00:25:17.094 --> 00:25:20.798
- That's why I wrote the book"Survive the Day."
- 00:25:20.831 --> 00:25:22.833
- I wanted to share practicalsteps on how you can move
- 00:25:22.866 --> 00:25:25.569
- forward throughyour own life's storm.
- 00:25:25.603 --> 00:25:27.938
- Ed: Listen, if someone you loveis going through one of these
- 00:25:27.972 --> 00:25:30.441
- life storms, this book can helpmake you stronger and wiser,
- 00:25:30.474 --> 00:25:35.546
- and you'll get someclear answers.
- 00:25:35.579 --> 00:25:38.349
- male announcer: To get a copy of"Survive the Day" for yourself
- 00:25:38.382 --> 00:25:40.551
- or someone you love, call thenumber on your screen, or go
- 00:25:40.584 --> 00:25:43.454
- online at winningwalk.org.
- 00:25:43.487 --> 00:25:45.489
- Dr. Young: Howlong is your shadow?
- 00:25:49.560 --> 00:25:53.163
- The closer you get to Jesus,the longer and wider your
- 00:25:53.197 --> 00:25:56.934
- shadow will become.
- 00:25:56.967 --> 00:25:58.636
- As we learned in today's study,our lives gained significance
- 00:25:58.669 --> 00:26:02.673
- when we use our influenceto be a blessing to others.
- 00:26:02.706 --> 00:26:06.310
- In other words, we use theplatform God has given us to
- 00:26:06.343 --> 00:26:09.647
- stand for him and makehim known in your family,
- 00:26:09.680 --> 00:26:13.617
- in your business,among your friends,
- 00:26:13.651 --> 00:26:15.552
- while you're doingrecreation or recreation.
- 00:26:15.586 --> 00:26:18.722
- That's when our shadowbegins to express itself.
- 00:26:18.756 --> 00:26:22.359
- While we cannot know how longour time will be on this earth,
- 00:26:22.393 --> 00:26:25.963
- we can use each day wisely.
- 00:26:25.996 --> 00:26:29.667
- When you and I liveeach day for him,
- 00:26:29.700 --> 00:26:32.036
- our shadow grows wider andlonger and as we influence
- 00:26:32.069 --> 00:26:37.107
- people in ways that glorify him.
- 00:26:37.141 --> 00:26:39.810
- Do you need prayer today?Call the number on your screen.
- 00:26:39.843 --> 00:26:43.714
- We're willing to prayer with youand share with you how you can
- 00:26:43.747 --> 00:26:46.850
- have a life that counts for Godand when you do that in ways you
- 00:26:46.884 --> 00:26:50.521
- can't even imagine, yourshadow will go in directions,
- 00:26:50.554 --> 00:26:53.824
- "Boy, I didn't knowI touched that life,
- 00:26:53.857 --> 00:26:56.093
- I influenced that person.
- 00:26:56.126 --> 00:26:57.594
- I made a difference there."
- 00:26:57.628 --> 00:26:59.697
- With Christ in youand Christ in me,
- 00:26:59.730 --> 00:27:01.598
- that shadow just haspower now and power forever.
- 00:27:01.632 --> 00:27:06.136
- Be sure to join me again nextweek right here on "The Winning
- 00:27:06.170 --> 00:27:09.373
- Walk" as we discover our walkcasts a very influential shadow.
- 00:27:09.406 --> 00:27:16.413
- ♪♪♪
- 00:27:17.881 --> 00:27:23.754
- CC by Aberdeen Captioning1-800-688-6621www.abercap.com
- 00:27:23.787 --> 00:27:27.791
- ...
- 00:27:29.927 --> 00:27:29.999