1 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,320 So great to see you. We are completing, if you are 2 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:09,320 visiting, we are completing our series on Ecclesiastes, an 3 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:14,600 amazing, amazing series and I'm really trusting as we close. 4 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,040 Last week we had my mum up here with one foot in the grave and 5 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:21,120 one out the grave. If you heard her under her 6 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:23,800 breasts, he said are you waiting for me to put both feet in the 7 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:27,200 coffin? I think she will outlive us all. 8 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:30,880 But today we're going to look at what happens when you put both 9 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,240 feet in the coffin. So it's both feet in the coffin 10 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:37,720 today. So it's what does it mean when 11 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:41,280 we die and how do we actually live knowing that we are going 12 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:44,240 to die? And we're, we're my Nigerian 13 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:45,480 friends. We've got some guys here from 14 00:00:45,480 --> 00:00:46,520 Nigeria. Where are they? 15 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,400 We're the Nigerian guys. Why don't you stand? 16 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:54,040 Why don't you stand? Let's give them a very warm 17 00:00:54,040 --> 00:01:03,000 welcome from Nigeria. Nice to have you with us. 18 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:08,080 So some of the great phrases of, of the world come from this book 19 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:10,600 2 is better than one. The three stranded chord is not 20 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,520 easily broken. God has set eternity in our 21 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,160 hearts. Yeh Sol Yokhutsin, they all 22 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,440 come. All these amazing sayings come 23 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:21,280 from the book of Ekizi. You didn't know that, eh? 24 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:23,760 I thought you Afrikaan is something that you never knew. 25 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:26,960 And now we're going to read Chapter 12 and in its entirety. 26 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,080 And then we're going to make a few points. 27 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:34,080 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth. 28 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:37,960 Just to go over it again, it doesn't say remember your 29 00:01:37,960 --> 00:01:40,840 Savior. It doesn't say remember your 30 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:44,760 king. It says remember your Creator in 31 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:49,800 the days of your youth. Because the Creator is the one 32 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:53,040 who made the Garden of Eden. The Creator is the one who made 33 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:56,880 us perfect. Sin is what distorted the world, 34 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:02,000 and so it's better to remember God in his sinless perfection 35 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:06,680 when we are young, before the effects of sin grip our hearts, 36 00:02:08,199 --> 00:02:11,520 because otherwise we just So he created light. 37 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:13,760 The Bible says they were naked and unashamed. 38 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,200 We know from that day on, all sin or most of sin is done in 39 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:23,920 the it's done in the dark. So when we remember our Creator, 40 00:02:23,920 --> 00:02:26,840 we realize that actually we can do things under light and have 41 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:30,400 freedom and enjoyment while we are still young. 42 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,360 I want to speak to some of you young guys because I want to 43 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:36,000 tell you where alcoholism starts. 44 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:42,680 Alcoholism doesn't start at 45. Alcohol starts at 15 or 14 where 45 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,000 you can't help go out with your mates and in order to be cool, 46 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:47,640 you start drinking with them. That's why. 47 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:52,760 And 95% of you won't become Alcoholics, but 5% of you will. 48 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:57,080 And it starts when you're young, starts when you're young and 49 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,480 somebody has to talk to you and say, actually, young people 50 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:02,000 think of your creator. Think of what perfection looks 51 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,400 like before you actually get into imperfection. 52 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:07,920 And just because you grew up an alcoholic home doesn't mean you 53 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:12,360 need to recur that problem. You can actually stop it dead in 54 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,440 its track if you just think and think how did God order things? 55 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:18,640 And inside of the garden there was space, there was place, 56 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,680 there was enjoyment, there was freedom, there was fruit, there 57 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,400 was life, there was fun, there was adventure. 58 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,520 And somehow we allow the darkness to creep into our 59 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:32,840 hearts from young ages. So by the time we 45, we are 60 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:38,280 completely gripped by sin. Pornography doesn't start at 45. 61 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:44,640 Pornography normally starts at 11 or 12 when just with a group 62 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,280 of friends you start to Google. And I want to say to young 63 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:52,920 people, this book is written to say to us, remember your creator 64 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,600 while you are young. Amen. 65 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:04,360 Before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you 66 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:06,920 will say I find no pleasure in them. 67 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:11,200 Before, say before four times in the scripture it says before so, 68 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,760 so before actually stuff happens, you've got to think 69 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:18,560 about God. We're, we're about to do a 70 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:20,560 funeral. We've done 3 funerals this week 71 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:23,800 in the life of the church. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 72 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,000 Friday next week we do the funeral of Rudy. 73 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,880 Frowling. Geraldine is sitting there and 74 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:32,000 his daughter Tehila, their son is overseas. 75 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:36,000 Other daughters here, but Rudy and Geraldine were founders of 76 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,520 this church when when Ashley and Nadine got up and said we're 77 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:42,240 going to plant in Pretoria, Rudy and Geraldine decided that they 78 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:44,720 would relocate from Durban and come and plant the church. 79 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:47,520 Last week on Friday, Rudy passed away. 80 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,640 He was an incredible man. He was an athlete who won a 81 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:54,360 scholarship to America to go and compete in athletics and in one 82 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:56,600 of the major universities in America. 83 00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:00,680 He was a musician, LED a band called 12 Drummers drumming, was 84 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:04,360 one of our worship leaders. And actually Geraldine and her 85 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:06,440 children are about to think. I had to speak to his 20 year 86 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:08,680 old daughter. She's had to prepare because he 87 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:11,920 had a brain aneurysm many years ago and another one when she was 88 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:14,200 still a young girl. And so she's had to think 89 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:18,400 through the process of watching her dad die and and and trying 90 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,600 to help her dad look after him, give him food for how many 91 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:25,240 years, 15 years now to Healy, I think almost 10 or 12 years 92 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,960 taking him through the process. Geraldine said this to me. 93 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:34,440 She said, I've never had nine months, which is literally had 94 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:38,400 to change her husband's nappies. She said, well, I've had to show 95 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:42,920 my children that actually marriage is worth it even when 96 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:46,560 it's difficult. Her son was on the screen. 97 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:50,320 We were on a Zoom call to America, and her son is sitting 98 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:54,240 there and he's looking at a mum who for nine months has changed 99 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,160 their own husband's nappies and he's newly married. 100 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,920 And her mum is saying to you, you know what I've thought about 101 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:01,960 God. I've thought a lot about God, 102 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:06,360 and I believe it's worth it. I believe God is worth it. 103 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:10,000 I believe his ways are worth it. And I don't know if you're 104 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,120 relieved now or you're paying now, but sitting in this family 105 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:16,040 is a relief that he's gone home, but the pain that he's not here. 106 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:18,840 And so we have to argue with these things, things that we 107 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:26,720 don't really think about much. Three weeks ago, this strong 108 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:30,160 strapping man walked into our church just like that. 109 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:35,200 Big muscles with both eyes. And then he looked in the mirror 110 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:37,920 and his one eye was blurry. And he went for, he thought it 111 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:39,680 was just a cataract. And he found cancer. 112 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:41,440 And in 10 minutes, he had to make a decision. 113 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:43,840 Do I have my eye out? Do I keep my eye in? 114 00:06:43,840 --> 00:06:45,400 And the doctor said you have to have your eye out. 115 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:47,200 Three weeks ago, he sat here with two eyes. 116 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:50,920 Now he sits with one eye. And that's what Ecclesiastes 117 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,200 about saying, do we? Do we actually, and now you 118 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:56,280 think, but what about the other? Do you protect it? 119 00:06:56,280 --> 00:06:58,520 Do you prepare for it? Can it spread? 120 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:00,480 Is it going to stop? I don't know all of those 121 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:04,320 things, but but let's think about God and all of these 122 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:05,720 things. Let's come up with a solution 123 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:08,520 before the hard times come because when the hard times 124 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,400 come, you're going to Chuck your toys out the cot and think this 125 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:17,560 is not God. How many days your dad been in 126 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:24,520 ICU, Vilma? 110 days, 110 Have you been to 127 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:26,000 the hospital to visit in the hospital? 128 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,120 It is exhausting. It is, it is, it is exhausting. 129 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:32,920 I've seen family members lose marriages because of hospital 130 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:39,360 visitation. 110 days, every day, two to three times a day, every 131 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,000 day goes to hospital to visit her dad. 132 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:46,200 But actually I remember the day that this man, her husband 133 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:48,800 walked into this church. His name is Carl. 134 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:51,440 Never forget, we went and attended us this way. 135 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:54,640 It was about 3/4 back on the left hand side in the aisle. 136 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:57,000 Is that right, Carl? He had not been to church for 20 137 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:00,080 years, 10 years not been to church. 138 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:05,680 And God gripped him and God did something inside of him, deep 139 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:08,840 inside of him. And you must see this guys. 140 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:11,760 What's their profile pictures? It's all about his family, all 141 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:15,280 about his wife, all about his children, and has supported his 142 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:19,720 wife through 110 days of hospital visits, 330 hospital 143 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:21,920 visits, you see. But when the pressure hits, if 144 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:24,880 we haven't made the decision already, it becomes too tough, 145 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:29,560 becomes too tough. And that's what this book is 146 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:30,960 about. It's about wrestling with the 147 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,240 deep things of God so that this God who we don't understand 148 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:36,960 because ways are higher than our ways, we don't give up on. 149 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:44,720 And when it doesn't go according to us, beautiful before the sun 150 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:48,080 and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark and the 151 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:52,680 clouds return after the rain, all of us have got some lights 152 00:08:52,680 --> 00:08:55,560 in our lives. She's a light in my life. 153 00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:00,600 He is a light in my life. They are lights in my life. 154 00:09:01,560 --> 00:09:05,360 She is a light in my life. And so we've all got sun, all 155 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:09,520 got moon, all got stars. But little bit by little bit, 156 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:12,880 over time, they start extinguishing themselves. 157 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:17,160 They pass away. And then the clouds come. 158 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:20,200 And we know when we're young that the clouds will go again 159 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,000 and we'll see the light again. But there comes a time when 160 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,200 actually the lights in our life start to extinguish. 161 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:29,320 My dad was a light in my life whenever I was in trouble at 162 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:30,680 university. Hey, Dad. 163 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:33,360 It's raw. What have you done, boy? 164 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:36,600 I cheated at an exam. It's OK. 165 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:38,200 We'll fix it. Why did you cheat? 166 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:41,720 I wasn't feeling well, Dad. And that light would come down 167 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:44,720 and he would sign and he would redirect my life towards north. 168 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:46,800 And then that light extinguished. 169 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,640 And I had another light too, was one of my teachers at school. 170 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:54,280 And then that light was extinguished. 171 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:57,440 And eventually the lights extinguished and just clouds 172 00:09:57,440 --> 00:09:59,240 come over. And Afrikaans, we call it 173 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:03,000 Badompa. It's a bit stuffy, a little bit 174 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,200 humid, where we can't see light anymore. 175 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:10,160 It says you've got to make some decisions before the light goes. 176 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:12,280 That even when the clouds are there, you can keep your 177 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:15,880 direction. You with me. 178 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:25,140 Amen. When the keepers of the house 179 00:10:25,140 --> 00:10:28,500 trembled, There's an incredible picture of a house crumbling. 180 00:10:29,340 --> 00:10:33,020 Who keeps the house? Who keeps the house clean? 181 00:10:35,740 --> 00:10:39,780 Don't say you're made. Who keeps your house clean? 182 00:10:40,560 --> 00:10:42,480 You keep your house clean. How do you do it? 183 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:45,920 Yeah, but how? With what? 184 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:48,400 With your hands. Exactly. 185 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:56,600 When the keepers of the house start to tremble, the things 186 00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:00,520 that used to bring order in your life start to tremble. 187 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,360 You must make a decision for God before your hands start to 188 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:06,520 tremble. I've got an on beautiful lady, 189 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:10,760 88 years old, still drives, but her hands are like this and she 190 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:14,360 constantly holds their hands. All of us, friends, it doesn't 191 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:15,720 matter. All of you, surgeons, you 192 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:19,600 surgeons ensure your hands because your hands are the 193 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:21,320 greatest value. I know your brain and all those 194 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:24,920 things, but the ability to make an incision inside of a brain or 195 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:27,680 an eye or a spine is what makes you your money. 196 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:32,920 But one day, whether you're 65 or 75, they're going to start 197 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:41,680 trembling. And before they start trembling, 198 00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:44,760 you need to make some decisions about God. 199 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:50,720 You know, my hands won't tremble of what's my my handwriting's 200 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,840 got worse and it worries me. I look and I think I kind of, I 201 00:11:53,840 --> 00:12:04,380 look like a doctor. When the keepers of the house 202 00:12:04,380 --> 00:12:06,780 start trembling and the strong men stoop. 203 00:12:07,420 --> 00:12:12,180 The strong men are your legs. The strong men stoop. 204 00:12:13,620 --> 00:12:15,500 Why did you sit down and worship Real? 205 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:19,760 Because of leg problems, because your knees are so how old are 206 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:24,200 you now, 69? You see eventually, friends, as 207 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:26,600 you look around the auditorium, you'll see the all the 208 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,560 youngsters standing and you'll see the people over 60 start to 209 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:34,320 sit down saying flip, worship is long in this church. 210 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:40,280 Now your legs are getting weak. It's just we have to face it. 211 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:43,960 We have to face the fact. And when you sit down, you must 212 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:47,120 think about your life, you must think about what's important, 213 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:50,600 you must think about your Creator, you must think about 214 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:53,000 order. Because when your hands start 215 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:56,120 going and your legs start going, all of the rest is going to 216 00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:00,200 start going too. You OK? 217 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:08,240 You with me? How we doing when the grinders 218 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:19,800 cease because they are few? How's it, man? 219 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:38,840 Like a man you like, but you can drink my milk soap my 220 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:42,400 mechanician. Like a colony, but now it's, 221 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:45,760 we've got people here who make a living in teeth. 222 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:49,120 But I want to tell you this, your teeth are going to crack 223 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:51,000 and they're going to fall and you have an implant. 224 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:53,840 And just when you think it's done, the next one's going to 225 00:13:53,840 --> 00:14:05,570 crack. And those looking through the 226 00:14:05,570 --> 00:14:22,280 windows grow dim. All you like is you've got no 227 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:23,880 glass. You think I'll never? 228 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:27,240 Don't say never. It never belongs to 229 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:33,000 Ecclesiastes. So think about God before your 230 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:35,480 eyes get dimmed, before you get distorted vision. 231 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:42,160 Think clearly about God. Think clearly about God before 232 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:45,360 all the experiences of your life, disappointment and unmet 233 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:50,200 expectation and loss and death and accidents, before those 234 00:14:50,200 --> 00:15:00,030 things affect you. Think clearly about God when the 235 00:15:00,030 --> 00:15:03,990 doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades, 236 00:15:04,230 --> 00:15:07,830 When men rise up at the sound of birds but all their songs grow 237 00:15:07,830 --> 00:15:09,790 faint. These are the doors. 238 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:15,320 What's the greatest complaint in three CR? 239 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:19,520 The music's too loud. It's so that some of you all 240 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:24,960 those can hear, but now we just actually want to. 241 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:29,760 But eventually the doors are going to shut and you start 242 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:33,080 speaking louder now. It's so nice to see you. 243 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:34,600 Oaks. Open the doors. 244 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:41,760 Close the doors. I've had an ear infection for 245 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:45,000 about 6 weeks. I went in ENT but antibiotics on 246 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:48,120 the outside didn't work. Tried cortisone from the inside. 247 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:50,760 Then I got the report. You need to see an audiologist. 248 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:57,640 I said I'm not deaf. 57 years old. 249 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:02,600 The hands start to tremble, the knees get weak, the eyes start 250 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:06,880 to fade and the ears are not as sharp as they used to be. 251 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:10,080 And before that, you need to think clearly about God, 252 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:15,520 otherwise you're going to become very grumpy. 253 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:18,880 The clouds are going to come and you're going to be grumpy. 254 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:22,840 Old man, you were young and strong, and we said you must 255 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:24,600 have fun. Then you're going to age as you 256 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,520 prepare for a new body. But while you age, you must 257 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:38,280 represent God well when men are afraid of heights. 258 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:46,800 Remember my dad, big, strong, successful entrepreneur, changed 259 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:48,880 the world. Go into business meetings. 260 00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:51,800 I remember going into a business meeting with him. 261 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:55,240 It was with famous brands and famous brands are opening their 262 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:58,880 2000 store and and my dad had put a clause in one of his 263 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,120 agreements and they had to change the clause because it was 264 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:03,360 very expensive for them to pay my dad out. 265 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,160 I remember sitting with these big shots of famous brands. 266 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:09,240 The buddy opened their 2000 store and and and we were 267 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:11,599 sitting there and they said to my dad, could we please drop the 268 00:17:11,599 --> 00:17:14,040 claws and wow, wow, wow, wow. And my dad stood up. 269 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,319 He said, I'm so unbelievably disappointed with you. 270 00:17:16,319 --> 00:17:18,359 He said, I thought you guys were going to give me a check for my 271 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:20,640 business and I would ride out into the sunset. 272 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:23,200 No, we won't change the claws. Bye bye, cheers, bye. 273 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:25,680 And we got I said, cheapest dad, you just left them standing. 274 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:29,440 He says, come sound, they'll be busy after the massive man who 275 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:31,600 could take on this unbelievable empire. 276 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:34,800 But at the end of race to help him down the stairs because he 277 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:37,720 was scared of heights. He was scared of just three 278 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:42,440 stairs. And now it's so wonderful. 279 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:45,160 You run up to the top there and you sit at the back. 280 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:50,120 But soon you'll be coming early to church so you can take the 281 00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:55,640 seats at the bottom because I'm. I'm just preaching the Bible. 282 00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:01,440 I'm preaching the Bible to say, hey, guys, it happens like this. 283 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:10,360 When the almond tree blossoms, that's this Gray hair. 284 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:15,600 And the grasshopper drags himself along and desire no 285 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:21,920 longer is stirred. Whoop, whoop, whoop. 286 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:25,760 What's the grasshopper called? Not Spinner Corp. 287 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:27,640 Yeah. Sprinkle. 288 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:30,720 Who can sprinkle on? Where's a young oak you can 289 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:32,280 sprinkle on? You can do like one of those 290 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:35,080 flip things. It must be somebody that can do 291 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:36,160 1. Can you do one of them? 292 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:39,120 You that flip thing. That that flip thing. 293 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:43,360 Yeah, You that guy. Can you who can do a flip thing? 294 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:45,480 Who you can you do a flip thing? Come. 295 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:46,240 Yes, you can. Yeah. 296 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:49,200 Come Hop, hop spinner cop. Come hop, hop spinner cop. 297 00:18:50,120 --> 00:18:53,480 Come. Wait, how are you going to do it 298 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:54,400 there? Like wait here. 299 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:57,720 I don't know where where you can do it like that way. 300 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:00,040 Yeah, you can tumble, tumble down that way. 301 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:09,360 But but like big jump, big jump big like a big jump, like a No, 302 00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:13,880 no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Like a big, like a big like a 303 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:18,720 spinner cup jump, like a sprinkle jump, yes, like that. 304 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:28,280 So there was a time where we could jump like a sprinkle on 305 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:31,920 when you saw a lecker puppy walking past. 306 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:35,240 That's what he's talking about. He says when a lecker puppy walk 307 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:43,360 past you, he says now you're dragging your feet remembering 308 00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:45,640 the days when you could. The only reason I didn't jump 309 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:47,240 off there is I don't want to break my knees. 310 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,040 And he's saying when you saw, you saw that. 311 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:59,200 When I saw that chick, I jumped. Now after a long day, 312 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:14,440 then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the 313 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:18,680 streets. Remember him before the silver 314 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:21,080 cord is severed and the golden bowl is broken. 315 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,520 Silver Cord. The golden bowl with candles 316 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:32,360 before the silver cord is severed and your life breaks and 317 00:20:32,360 --> 00:20:38,400 the light disappears, or the wheel is broken, or before the 318 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:41,640 pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel is broken 319 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:43,480 at the well. And the dust returns to the 320 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:47,160 ground that came from, and the Spirit returns to God who gave 321 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:49,360 it. Meaningless. 322 00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:53,640 Meaningless, says the teacher. Everything is meaningless. 323 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:57,080 He compares our life to light and to water. 324 00:20:57,880 --> 00:20:59,840 And he says eventually the light will go out. 325 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:03,360 And many of you are thinking, sitting here, completely and 326 00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:07,440 utterly bulletproof, thinking it will never happen to me. 327 00:21:08,360 --> 00:21:12,680 Just a little bit of porno, just a couple of extra pots at night. 328 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:15,880 It'll never happen to me. But he says you must think about 329 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:20,920 these things clearly because before you know Ian, William 330 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:26,320 Mitzel Dyer, my hero, my business mentor, the one who 331 00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:30,800 taught me more about God than anybody else, I had to hold his 332 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:37,840 arm as I led him down the stairs because three stairs made him 333 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:45,440 scared. And now that light is gone, and 334 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:52,400 I think I'm going the same way. And Rudy Furlong, the athlete 335 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:56,880 who won a scholarship to go to a top university in America, who 336 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:59,880 made the number one charts in Germany with 12 drummers 337 00:21:59,880 --> 00:22:05,440 drumming, the father of three absolutely beautiful children, 338 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:13,780 beautiful children. He's gone. 339 00:22:15,540 --> 00:22:19,540 And a man, healthy, strong, well built, looked after himself. 340 00:22:19,540 --> 00:22:22,700 Healthy man walks into the church with two eyes 3 weeks 341 00:22:22,700 --> 00:22:30,920 ago. And so we've got 2 feet in the 342 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:34,480 coffin and we have to ask ourselves a few questions. 343 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:37,160 This is what he says. Meaningless, Meaningless. 344 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:43,520 Everything is meaningless. It's very quick. 345 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:48,160 It happens so quickly you can't really grab it. 346 00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:51,040 What is it all about? Why am I here? 347 00:22:51,360 --> 00:22:53,040 What am I going to do? It's under the sun. 348 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:55,080 There's got to be something more than under the sun. 349 00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:59,400 There's got to be something above the sun, otherwise all 350 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:02,160 this stuff is just a waste of time. 351 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:08,000 I close with four words. Not only was the teacher wise 352 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:10,200 but also imparted knowledge to the people. 353 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:14,920 He pondered and searched that and set in order many words or 354 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:16,840 proverbs. The teachers searched to find 355 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:20,080 just the right words. That is delightful words, and 356 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:22,000 what he wrote was upright and true. 357 00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:25,520 The words of the wise are like goads. 358 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:29,160 The collected sayings are like firmly embedded nails given by 1 359 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:31,960 Shepherd. Be warned, my son, in addition, 360 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:35,440 in anything in addition to them, of making many books, there is 361 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:37,600 no end and much study. Where is the body? 362 00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:39,480 Now? All has been heard. 363 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:41,120 Here is the conclusion of the matter. 364 00:23:41,120 --> 00:23:43,000 Fear God and keep His commandments. 365 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:45,080 For this is the whole duty of man. 366 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,880 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every 367 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:50,600 hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. 368 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:53,120 The first thing that we see, friends, is the pleasure of 369 00:23:53,120 --> 00:23:54,960 words. When you study Ecclesiastes, the 370 00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:57,960 pleasure of God is there. God wrote Ecclesiastes so that 371 00:23:57,960 --> 00:23:59,880 we could actually live a pleasurable life. 372 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:02,320 He wrote the whole Bible for that. 373 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:06,040 In fact, Ephesians chapter 1 says I'm created according to 374 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:08,320 the will and pleasure of God, say will and pleasure. 375 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:10,840 In Pretoria, we love the will of God. 376 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,480 I want to I came here to teach you about the pleasure of God. 377 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:15,360 I want to serve God and have fun. 378 00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:18,640 I will create it according to the will of God and the pleasure 379 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:20,240 of God. The scripture is written, the 380 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:22,040 words are written. These beautiful words are 381 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:24,960 written so that we can actually find the delight in God. 382 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:28,400 One of the most incredible, but my favorite scripture at the 383 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:29,840 moment. I've got many, but my favorite 384 00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:31,960 scripture at the moment is found in Luke Chapter 7. 385 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:35,880 There's a church full of people and a woman, the Bible says, who 386 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:38,840 sinned much in that town. And sitting in this room today 387 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:41,720 are some people that have sinned much in this town. 388 00:24:47,120 --> 00:24:52,000 And Jesus is talking to all these religious people and he 389 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:57,960 just looks at this woman. He just looks, he says to Simon, 390 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:01,920 the religious guy. He looks at the woman and he 391 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:08,320 says to Simon over there, Simon, do you see this woman? 392 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:12,120 He's talking to that guy, but he's looking at her. 393 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:22,120 I just want to rejoice when I read that in the Bible. 394 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:28,440 Stops a whole meeting to grab the attention of one woman. 395 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:31,440 He's talking to that guy, but he's looking at her. 396 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:33,080 Say, Simon, do you see this woman? 397 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:36,640 Because the problem is Simon couldn't see her because he was 398 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:40,560 so full of stuff. But Jesus can see you. 399 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,880 And when he writes that, it becomes delightful to me. 400 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:47,160 It's a pleasure. God can pick out one Sinner in a 401 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:49,640 crowd of many. It's delightful. 402 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:52,640 He writes this book, friends, actually, so we can understand 403 00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:55,240 what our life is all about. He's tried money, He's tried 404 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:56,400 women. He's tried all these things. 405 00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:59,680 He said these things apart from God are absolutely meaningless. 406 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:03,160 But with God you can have the biggest jolt of your life. 407 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:09,600 The second thing if I had a stick, is the pain of the word 408 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:11,000 of God. It says he goaded him. 409 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:13,000 Just put it up there again. It says he goaded. 410 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:19,000 Put X26 up. We all fell to the ground and I 411 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:20,560 heard a voice saying to him in Aramaic. 412 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:22,520 So Saul, why do you persecute me? 413 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,240 It is hard for you to kick against the goats. 414 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:27,280 Give a little kick, this little kick. 415 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:30,520 Just give a little one of those. Just give one of those. 416 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:35,240 You see? See, what is happening is that 417 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:37,760 God is actually busy dealing with Paul's life. 418 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:42,480 He's busy sorting him out and Paul's kicking, kicking, just 419 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:47,200 kicking, kicking. He's kicking, just kicking, 420 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:54,240 kicking, kicking. And God says, hey, buddy, when 421 00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:56,840 you read the word, you've got to know some of this stuff. 422 00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:02,560 You can leave it there. I'll kick you. 423 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:11,320 We don't like it being untidy. He says that stuff that is out 424 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:13,840 of line. I'm going to keep goading you. 425 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:18,360 I'm going to keep goading you until it comes back into line. 426 00:27:18,360 --> 00:27:28,080 I'm going to keep goading you. And so when you read 427 00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:30,720 Ecclesiastes, not easy. You know why? 428 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:33,320 Because some of you with your money are selfish. 429 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:37,040 You make money to spend it on yourself and yourself alone. 430 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:40,920 And God's Word is going to keep coming until you line up with 431 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:46,320 His Word and some of your sexuality is out of control. 432 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:50,680 And God is going to goad you with his word until you line it 433 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:56,480 up with his word. Let's go back to the 434 00:27:56,480 --> 00:28:03,920 Ecclesiastes. Please, teacher search. 435 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,440 Define just the right words. And what he wrote was upright 436 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:09,240 and true, delightful. The words of the wise of like 437 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:12,440 go, it's painful. The collected sayings, like 438 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:14,400 firmly embedded nails given by 1 shepherd. 439 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:17,320 Say shepherd. When God deals with us, even 440 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:20,400 though it's painfully, it's carefully God deals with us 441 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:22,400 carefully, he deals with sinners carefully. 442 00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:25,720 Be warned, my son of anything in addition to them of making many 443 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:27,920 books. There is no end and much study. 444 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:29,760 Where is the body now all has been heard. 445 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:31,080 Here is the conclusion of the matter. 446 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:33,760 Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the 447 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:35,880 whole duty of man, say the whole duty of man. 448 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:39,680 Some of you who have grown up in scary families. 449 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:42,600 God is not scary. Fear God doesn't mean God is 450 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:48,240 going to smack you, doesn't mean that fear God is reverence. 451 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:51,560 The way people say to me, how do you explain the fear of God? 452 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,400 I explain the fear of God by standing on the beach at Leisure 453 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:56,880 Bay, by standing on the rocks at Leisure Bay. 454 00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:01,280 And when I look out at the sea, this massive vast ocean, I look 455 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:04,360 down into the pools and I see life and fish and coral and 456 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:06,760 colours. I see the pounding of the waves 457 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:08,880 coming in. I see the tides this way one 458 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:11,720 day, that way the next day the sun coming up, this massive ship 459 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:14,320 that looks like a speck. When I look at the sea, I have 460 00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:16,640 reverence for the sea. It's got power, it's got 461 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:18,360 authority. It's got beauty. 462 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:21,280 It's got life, it's got things that live inside. 463 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:23,440 When I look at the sea, I think of fearing God. 464 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:26,200 He says this is how you are to act your whole life. 465 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:29,720 Fear God and obey His commands, for this is the whole duty of 466 00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:31,880 man. Why did we read Ecclesiastes? 467 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:37,320 To fear God and to obey His commands, for this is the whole 468 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:40,160 duty of man. It talks about money and it 469 00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:43,560 talks about sex and it talks about power and it speaks about 470 00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:45,400 words. It speaks about authority. 471 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:50,920 What must I do with my words? How should I speak about 472 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:55,800 Stephen? Very simply, fear God and obey 473 00:29:55,800 --> 00:30:00,600 His commands. How should I speak about Heidi? 474 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:05,200 Very simply, fear God and obey his commands. 475 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:11,280 That's all. And we close this whole series, 476 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:17,720 for God will bring every deed into judgment, including every 477 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:20,560 hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. 478 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:28,120 So we get a chance to prepare. Almost every book in the Bible 479 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:31,520 ends with grace, and this church preaches grace. 480 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:33,600 If you've been here for any length of time, we'll probably 481 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:37,000 say we over preach grace. But this book ends with 482 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:39,560 judgment. It doesn't end with grace. 483 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:44,200 It ends with judgment because it gives us a chance to prepare. 484 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:50,200 We've got to sit down and think. I was young, I was strong. 485 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:54,200 God said I must have a go. I must use my strength, I must 486 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:57,440 exercise to the fullest. I must live adventurously. 487 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:00,320 Then he says to me, I must think about Him carefully as the 488 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:05,120 Creator before my hands start to shake and my legs get tired, 489 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:09,040 before I have to wear glasses to see things clearly, and before 490 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:12,440 the desire of my body goes. I need to think clearly because 491 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:19,040 there is going to be a day of judgment and everything I've 492 00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:24,400 done will be judged. Everything. 493 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:32,280 Every idle word I've said, every attitude that I've had, every 494 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:37,760 motive of my heart. Every time I've shared in the 495 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:41,440 microphone, every time I've prophesied, every time I've 496 00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:44,880 preached, every cent that I've given or haven't given, 497 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:48,320 everything will be judged. And that's scary. 498 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:51,400 And so we have to soften that with the New Testament that 499 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:53,760 we're not under judgement. OK, let's soften it. 500 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:55,440 But let's come back to Ecclesiastes. 501 00:31:55,440 --> 00:32:01,640 Do you believe in grace or yes? Do you believe that believers 502 00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:02,880 will be judged? No, they won't. 503 00:32:03,520 --> 00:32:06,720 We are under the grace of God on judgment day. 504 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:08,440 We will not be judged because we are covered with the 505 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:11,760 righteousness of Christ. But this book was read to us, 506 00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:15,920 was given to us as a gift to prepare for that day of judgment 507 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:18,480 that we don't actually waste our lives. 508 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:22,800 And all of this stuff is meaningless. 509 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:29,200 But this little lot of mine, I'm going to let it shine. 510 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:34,320 This little lot of mine, I'm going to let it shine. 511 00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:39,000 This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. 512 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:44,360 This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine, let it 513 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:47,320 shine, let it shine, let it shine. 514 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:51,240 Because God has put me in Pretoria, where people have 515 00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:54,360 forgotten their creator and sexuality has gone insane. 516 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:02,880 Young men are addicted to pornography at 11 years old and 517 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:05,640 teenagers are getting smashed out of their minds before their 518 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:09,240 frontal lobe is developed on when to say no. 519 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:12,400 And so they get alcohol poisoned, they start vomiting. 520 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:15,000 That's what you see along the strip, kids vomiting because 521 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:17,800 their brain is not developed enough to say no. 522 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:20,920 So I've got to let this light sign, not some judgmental light, 523 00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:25,760 but a light of God. I've got to let the creator of 524 00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:30,000 the universe who created Eden and inside of Eden we are naked 525 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:32,600 and unashamed and we can actually live in the light and 526 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:35,600 be honest and ask for forgiveness and say sorry and 527 00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:46,400 trust God. Because one day my hand is going 528 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:51,480 to start to shake, my legs are going to come weak, and I'm 529 00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:54,520 going to be scared to walk down the stairs. 530 00:33:57,720 --> 00:34:01,320 And then it says the silver cord will be broken, the light will 531 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:04,920 be snuffed out, and I'll be remembered no more. 532 00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:09,360 Don't waste Ecclesiastes. God bless you.