- You know as a high school kid,
00:00:00.66\00:00:01.60
I didn't have much of
an appreciation for poetry.
00:00:01.60\00:00:03.73
Frankly,
00:00:03.73\00:00:04.57
I kind of hated it.
00:00:04.57\00:00:05.80
But today we're gonna
look at one famous poet,
00:00:05.80\00:00:08.20
who really did manage
to capture my attention.
00:00:08.20\00:00:10.54
And this poet might just
have something to teach you
00:00:10.54\00:00:13.84
about getting to the
very end of your life,
00:00:13.84\00:00:16.21
and having the
ability to look back
00:00:16.21\00:00:18.05
and have absolutely no regret.
00:00:18.05\00:00:21.25
[soulful instrumental music]
00:00:21.25\00:00:23.82
Today I think I
wanna talk to you about
00:00:42.50\00:00:43.74
one of the more tragic stories
00:00:43.74\00:00:45.34
that comes out of
the early 19th century.
00:00:45.34\00:00:47.41
And that's the case of
the famous poet, George Gordon
00:00:47.41\00:00:51.05
Byron, or as
most people know him,
00:00:51.05\00:00:52.28
just Lord Byron.
00:00:52.28\00:00:54.98
I've been fascinated by
this guy ever since I was a kid,
00:00:54.98\00:00:57.75
because even though I wasn't
really a big fan of poetry,
00:00:57.75\00:01:01.02
there was
something about his work
00:01:01.02\00:01:02.36
that kind of
arrested my attention.
00:01:02.36\00:01:04.09
And there was one
poem in particular
00:01:04.09\00:01:05.93
that kind of stuck in my craw,
00:01:05.93\00:01:07.66
just because of
the first few lines.
00:01:07.66\00:01:09.56
"She walks in beauty,
00:01:09.56\00:01:11.10
like the night
of cloudless climbs
00:01:11.10\00:01:13.23
and starry skies
00:01:13.23\00:01:14.54
and all that's
best of dark and light
00:01:14.54\00:01:17.24
meet in her
aspect and her eyes."
00:01:17.24\00:01:20.24
Now, at first glance,
00:01:20.24\00:01:21.41
when you read that,
00:01:21.41\00:01:22.64
it looks like a
tribute to a beautiful woman,
00:01:22.64\00:01:24.05
the love of the poet's life.
00:01:24.05\00:01:26.31
But once you understand a
little bit about who Byron was,
00:01:26.31\00:01:29.02
you quickly realized he
had some pretty big problems.
00:01:29.02\00:01:31.92
Yeah, he probably had
a specific woman in mind
00:01:31.92\00:01:35.26
when he wrote that poem.
00:01:35.26\00:01:36.89
But over the
course of his lifetime,
00:01:36.89\00:01:38.59
he fell in love
00:01:38.59\00:01:39.76
or probably more
accurately fell in lust
00:01:39.76\00:01:42.26
with an awful lot of people,
00:01:42.26\00:01:43.67
including some close relatives.
00:01:43.67\00:01:45.80
And by that,
00:01:45.80\00:01:46.77
I'm not just talking cousins,
00:01:46.77\00:01:48.04
but possibly even
his own half sister.
00:01:48.04\00:01:51.44
Because he didn't have much,
00:01:51.44\00:01:52.67
in the way of
personal moral boundaries.
00:01:52.67\00:01:55.08
Maybe the best
single word description
00:01:56.34\00:01:58.31
that we could give
Lord Byron is hedonist,
00:01:58.31\00:02:00.65
because a hedonist is somebody
that lives for pleasure.
00:02:00.65\00:02:04.19
And maybe the most
telling fact about his life
00:02:04.19\00:02:06.62
is just how short it was.
00:02:06.62\00:02:08.06
This guy was
dead by the age of 36.
00:02:08.06\00:02:11.86
Of course,
00:02:11.86\00:02:13.36
lots of people die young
for all kinds of reasons.
00:02:13.36\00:02:14.63
And in Byron's case,
00:02:14.63\00:02:15.80
he died from an
infection he picked up
00:02:15.80\00:02:17.77
while visiting
Greece in order to support
00:02:17.77\00:02:19.57
their war of independence
against the Ottoman Empire.
00:02:19.57\00:02:23.57
But everything up to
that point in his life
00:02:23.57\00:02:25.27
suggests that he was
probably gonna die young,
00:02:25.27\00:02:27.84
no matter what happened.
00:02:27.84\00:02:29.41
Wherever he happened
to be because he was,
00:02:29.41\00:02:32.41
well, a hard living young man.
00:02:32.41\00:02:35.32
And I suppose I could regale you
00:02:35.32\00:02:37.15
with all kinds
of salacious stories
00:02:37.15\00:02:38.99
about Lord Byron's
romantic encounters;
00:02:38.99\00:02:41.22
but I don't think I have to.
00:02:41.22\00:02:42.99
Because most
people in our generation,
00:02:42.99\00:02:45.26
have no trouble
imagining what kinds of things
00:02:45.26\00:02:47.76
he might've been doing because
00:02:47.76\00:02:49.66
well, to put it bluntly,
00:02:49.66\00:02:51.03
a lot of people
in our generation
00:02:51.03\00:02:52.63
have been living
like hedonists themselves.
00:02:52.63\00:02:55.47
The motto for our generation
was probably best stated
00:02:55.47\00:02:58.61
by Life Magazine back in 1969,
00:02:58.61\00:03:00.94
where an article described
00:03:00.94\00:03:02.48
the growing
counter culture movement,
00:03:02.48\00:03:04.28
by saying that its sacraments
00:03:04.28\00:03:06.48
were sex, drugs
and rock and roll.
00:03:06.48\00:03:09.88
And as many people now realize,
00:03:09.88\00:03:12.02
Western civilization
has paid an enormous price
00:03:12.02\00:03:15.19
for that lifestyle.
00:03:15.19\00:03:16.73
Ranging from the explosion in
sexually transmitted diseases,
00:03:16.73\00:03:19.93
to the decline of
the nuclear family,
00:03:19.93\00:03:22.26
to a general
increase in selfishness,
00:03:22.26\00:03:24.97
that appears to
value personal pleasure
00:03:24.97\00:03:27.04
above just about anything else.
00:03:27.04\00:03:29.87
Back in the 1970s and 80s,
00:03:29.87\00:03:31.51
we called
ourselves the Me-generation,
00:03:31.51\00:03:33.94
as if putting self first,
00:03:33.94\00:03:35.94
was some kind of
brand new phenomenon
00:03:35.94\00:03:37.65
that suddenly
emerged in the 20th century.
00:03:37.65\00:03:39.75
The truth is,
00:03:41.15\00:03:42.35
we've all been
selfish most of the time.
00:03:42.35\00:03:45.15
And it's a condition
that dates all the way back
00:03:45.15\00:03:47.42
to the beginning
of recorded history.
00:03:47.42\00:03:49.59
And what happens
from time to time
00:03:49.59\00:03:51.29
is that various societies,
00:03:51.29\00:03:53.06
suddenly seem to forget
why we have moral boundaries.
00:03:53.06\00:03:56.36
And we begin to ignore
things like self-control
00:03:56.36\00:03:59.80
or restraint.
00:03:59.80\00:04:01.54
With our own generation,
00:04:01.54\00:04:02.74
I think we've
actually come to the point
00:04:02.74\00:04:04.27
where we've not only pushed
the boundaries of civility.
00:04:04.27\00:04:07.34
We now make fun of people
00:04:07.34\00:04:08.84
who still
respect those boundaries.
00:04:08.84\00:04:12.08
A virgin waiting for marriage?
00:04:12.08\00:04:13.78
Most people shake their heads.
00:04:13.78\00:04:15.18
They can't believe
somebody would do that.
00:04:15.18\00:04:17.02
They think there's something
wrong with that person.
00:04:17.02\00:04:19.52
Somebody who never
cheats or never lies,
00:04:19.52\00:04:21.76
not even on their income tax?
00:04:21.76\00:04:24.49
Well, that's
another butt of jokes.
00:04:24.49\00:04:26.33
Somehow the things
we all used to agree on,
00:04:26.33\00:04:28.93
the boundaries that kept
our civilization civilized.
00:04:28.93\00:04:33.13
Well, a lot of them
now seem like a curiosity
00:04:33.13\00:04:35.37
from some other planet.
00:04:35.37\00:04:37.04
So no,
00:04:37.04\00:04:38.57
I don't need to tell you
the exact stories of Lord Byron,
00:04:38.57\00:04:40.71
because honestly his
story is now probably our story.
00:04:40.71\00:04:45.58
We're a people with
very little restraint.
00:04:45.58\00:04:48.08
Which brings me to
something important
00:04:48.08\00:04:49.78
that Byron wrote
00:04:49.78\00:04:51.22
in a saga known as,
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.
00:04:51.22\00:04:54.76
As you've probably guessed,
00:04:54.76\00:04:55.92
it's the story of Harold.
00:04:55.92\00:04:57.23
A young man who
goes on a pilgrimage
00:04:57.23\00:04:59.06
to a number of countries,
00:04:59.06\00:05:00.20
starting in Portugal and Spain,
00:05:00.20\00:05:02.33
and ending in Greece;
00:05:02.33\00:05:03.93
where he bemoans
the condition of people
00:05:03.93\00:05:05.83
living under the Ottomans.
00:05:05.83\00:05:07.57
And of course,
00:05:07.57\00:05:08.80
it doesn't take
long as you read this,
00:05:08.80\00:05:10.24
to realize that Byron is
really talking about himself.
00:05:10.24\00:05:12.84
This is autobiographical.
00:05:12.84\00:05:15.54
And at one point
he says something
00:05:15.54\00:05:17.35
that should make
us all pay attention.
00:05:17.35\00:05:19.81
Now, the language
is a little bit dated
00:05:19.81\00:05:23.65
and it is poetry.
00:05:23.65\00:05:25.22
And I'm gonna
struggle as I read this to you,
00:05:25.22\00:05:27.19
but I hope you'll catch the
essence of what he's saying.
00:05:27.19\00:05:30.99
It says,
00:05:30.99\00:05:31.93
"Whilome in Albion's aisle,
00:05:31.93\00:05:34.20
there dwelt a youth,
00:05:34.20\00:05:35.40
who ne in virtue's
ways to take delight"
00:05:35.40\00:05:37.80
So other words,
00:05:37.80\00:05:39.03
this guy didn't
appreciate virtue.
00:05:39.03\00:05:41.37
"But spent his days in riot,
00:05:41.37\00:05:43.44
most uncouth and
vexed with mirth,
00:05:43.44\00:05:45.54
the drowsy ear of night."
00:05:45.54\00:05:47.01
So he parties all night.
00:05:47.01\00:05:48.98
"Ah, me!
00:05:48.98\00:05:50.21
In sooth he was
a shameless wight.
00:05:50.21\00:05:52.75
Sore given to
revel and ungodly glee.
00:05:52.75\00:05:55.55
Few earthly things
found favor in his sight.
00:05:55.55\00:05:58.22
Save concubines
and carnal companie,
00:05:58.22\00:06:00.82
and flaunting was sailers
00:06:00.82\00:06:02.29
of high and low degree."
00:06:02.29\00:06:05.19
What he's
describing here in essence,
00:06:05.19\00:06:07.03
is a party animal.
00:06:07.03\00:06:08.56
Somebody who's devoted
to the pursuit of pleasure.
00:06:08.56\00:06:11.83
And what this really is,
00:06:11.83\00:06:13.40
is a description of himself.
00:06:13.40\00:06:15.94
Then a few lines later,
00:06:15.94\00:06:17.47
he says this,
00:06:17.47\00:06:18.71
and this is the part I
want you to really see.
00:06:18.71\00:06:21.14
He writes,
00:06:21.14\00:06:22.38
"And now Childe Harold
was sore sick at heart.
00:06:22.38\00:06:25.48
And from his fellow
bacchanals would flee."
00:06:25.48\00:06:28.68
In other words,
00:06:28.68\00:06:29.92
he's dying to get away
from his party friends.
00:06:29.92\00:06:32.55
"Tis said,
00:06:32.55\00:06:33.79
at times the
sullen tear would start,
00:06:33.79\00:06:36.22
but pride congealed
the drop within his e'e."
00:06:36.22\00:06:39.43
So he really
wants to stop partying.
00:06:39.43\00:06:41.20
He doesn't want
to live like this,
00:06:41.20\00:06:42.36
but his pride
won't let him stop.
00:06:42.36\00:06:44.50
It continues,
00:06:44.50\00:06:45.73
"Apart he stalked
in joyless reverie.
00:06:45.73\00:06:48.34
And from his native land,
00:06:48.34\00:06:49.74
resolved to go and visit
scorching climbs beyond the sea.
00:06:49.74\00:06:54.18
With pleasure drugged,
00:06:54.18\00:06:55.71
he almost longed for woe.
00:06:55.71\00:06:57.85
And e'en for change of scene
00:06:57.85\00:06:59.81
would seek the shades below."
00:06:59.81\00:07:02.88
This guy in this poem,
00:07:02.88\00:07:04.09
is so sick of pleasure seeking
00:07:04.09\00:07:05.75
that he almost wishes
for a little bit of hardship.
00:07:05.75\00:07:08.42
Just for the sake of a
little bit of contrast.
00:07:08.42\00:07:10.99
And he resolves
to go on a journey,
00:07:10.99\00:07:13.03
looking for the
real meaning of life.
00:07:13.03\00:07:16.03
And wouldn't you know it?
00:07:16.03\00:07:17.27
That's exactly
what Byron did himself.
00:07:17.27\00:07:19.90
And then he dies
while visiting Greece.
00:07:19.90\00:07:22.80
Now I don't know about you,
00:07:23.67\00:07:24.84
but it kinda rips my heart out
00:07:24.84\00:07:26.34
to see a man who has
absolutely everything;
00:07:26.34\00:07:28.81
born to a high station of life,
00:07:28.81\00:07:31.48
served in the
British house of Lords,
00:07:31.48\00:07:33.75
never denied himself anything.
00:07:33.75\00:07:35.58
And still,
00:07:35.58\00:07:36.42
he's profoundly unhappy.
00:07:36.42\00:07:38.75
Because he never
discovers what it really means,
00:07:38.75\00:07:41.92
to live an authentic human life.
00:07:41.92\00:07:44.46
Now,
00:07:44.46\00:07:45.39
I've got to take a quick break,
00:07:45.39\00:07:46.76
but when we come back,
00:07:46.76\00:07:48.06
I'm going to show
you why Byron's case
00:07:48.06\00:07:49.86
is even worse
than you might think.
00:07:49.86\00:07:52.47
I'll be right back after this.
00:07:52.47\00:07:54.54
- [Man Voiceover] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues.
00:07:56.37\00:08:00.68
Bible prophecy can
be incredibly vivid,
00:08:00.68\00:08:03.24
and confusing.
00:08:03.24\00:08:05.25
If you've ever read
Daniel a revelation,
00:08:05.25\00:08:07.45
and come away
scratching your head,
00:08:07.45\00:08:09.18
you're not alone.
00:08:09.18\00:08:10.49
Our free Focus
On Prophecy guides
00:08:10.49\00:08:12.85
are designed to help you unlock
00:08:12.85\00:08:14.39
the mysteries of the Bible,
00:08:14.39\00:08:15.79
and deepen your understanding
of God's plan for you
00:08:15.79\00:08:18.66
and our world.
00:08:18.66\00:08:19.86
Study online or
request them by mail
00:08:19.86\00:08:22.16
and start bringing
prophecy into focus today.
00:08:22.16\00:08:25.07
- When Lord
Byron was a little kid,
00:08:26.33\00:08:28.10
he had this Presbyterian nurse
00:08:28.10\00:08:29.97
who actually used to
read the Bible to him.
00:08:29.97\00:08:32.31
And even though
you'd never guess it
00:08:32.31\00:08:34.18
by looking at his lifestyle.
00:08:34.18\00:08:35.78
He actually
really loved the Bible.
00:08:35.78\00:08:38.35
The problem was,
00:08:39.35\00:08:40.35
that he just didn't live it.
00:08:40.35\00:08:41.88
And by the time he
became a hard living
00:08:41.88\00:08:43.72
self satisfying adult,
00:08:43.72\00:08:45.49
he really struggled
to figure out who he was.
00:08:45.49\00:08:48.56
At one point,
00:08:48.56\00:08:49.39
he actually said,
00:08:49.39\00:08:50.23
"I am so changeable,
00:08:50.23\00:08:51.46
being everything by turns
00:08:51.46\00:08:53.50
and nothing long.
00:08:53.50\00:08:55.13
I am such a strange melange
00:08:55.13\00:08:57.27
of good and evil,
00:08:57.27\00:08:58.63
that it would be
difficult to describe me."
00:08:58.63\00:09:01.27
Now, that kind of reminds me
00:09:01.27\00:09:02.50
of something that
the Apostle Paul wrote,
00:09:02.50\00:09:04.24
except of course,
00:09:04.24\00:09:05.54
we know that Paul
lived a life of self-denial.
00:09:05.54\00:09:08.31
He said,
00:09:08.31\00:09:09.14
in the book of Romans,
00:09:09.14\00:09:10.38
"For I delight
in the law of God,
00:09:10.38\00:09:12.38
according to the inward man.
00:09:12.38\00:09:14.15
But I see another
law in my members,
00:09:14.15\00:09:16.25
warring against
the law of my mind,
00:09:16.25\00:09:18.29
and bringing me into
captivity to the law of sin,
00:09:18.29\00:09:21.96
which is in my members."
00:09:21.96\00:09:24.23
In other words,
00:09:24.23\00:09:25.73
Paul recognized that he
had two essential natures
00:09:25.73\00:09:27.86
that were in conflict.
00:09:27.86\00:09:29.53
One nature, longed to
be in harmony with God.
00:09:29.53\00:09:32.27
It made him want
to be a decent person.
00:09:32.27\00:09:35.24
But the other nature,
00:09:35.24\00:09:36.77
was always pulling him back
towards selfishness and sin.
00:09:36.77\00:09:39.91
This is an
exceptionally powerful passage,
00:09:39.91\00:09:42.51
because well,
00:09:42.51\00:09:43.65
all of us struggle with that.
00:09:43.65\00:09:45.68
And what we find is
that Paul actually bothered
00:09:45.68\00:09:47.82
to fight against
his corrupt nature,
00:09:47.82\00:09:49.65
and he tapped into God's ability
00:09:49.65\00:09:51.45
to keep him on the
straight and narrow.
00:09:51.45\00:09:53.72
Lord Byron, however,
00:09:53.72\00:09:55.69
well, he just caved in.
00:09:55.69\00:09:56.93
I'm such a blend of
good and evil, he said.
00:09:56.93\00:09:59.26
It's really hard to
describe exactly what I am.
00:09:59.26\00:10:02.63
Unfortunately,
00:10:03.67\00:10:04.83
some of his
friends had no trouble
00:10:04.83\00:10:06.07
describing what he was.
00:10:06.07\00:10:07.14
Like, Lady Caroline Lamb,
00:10:07.14\00:10:08.74
who famously said that he was
00:10:08.74\00:10:09.94
"...mad, bad and
dangerous to know."
00:10:09.94\00:10:13.44
Now, I don't know about you,
00:10:13.44\00:10:14.94
but I'm not sure I'd want
that phrase on my tombstone.
00:10:14.94\00:10:17.25
I guess there might be some
people who think that's awesome,
00:10:17.25\00:10:19.45
but not most of you.
00:10:19.45\00:10:21.65
Now here's where I'm
going with all of this.
00:10:21.65\00:10:24.15
I suspect,
00:10:24.15\00:10:25.39
that our own generation
is not entirely unlike
00:10:25.39\00:10:27.42
the Western Roman empire
right before it fell apart.
00:10:27.42\00:10:31.86
It was populated
by people who enjoyed
00:10:31.86\00:10:33.76
the fruits of prosperity
for hundreds of years.
00:10:33.76\00:10:36.46
And they were so self-absorbed,
00:10:36.46\00:10:38.57
so dedicated to
the pursuit of self
00:10:38.57\00:10:41.50
that they hardly
noticed that their empire
00:10:41.50\00:10:43.37
was perched on
the brink of collapse.
00:10:43.37\00:10:45.67
The Barbarians were quite
literally at the gates of Rome
00:10:45.67\00:10:49.58
was about to fall.
00:10:49.58\00:10:51.45
In his famous book
about the Collapse of Roma,
00:10:51.45\00:10:53.95
a textbook that he actually
wrote for high school students.
00:10:53.95\00:10:56.75
The historian, Philip Myers,
00:10:56.75\00:10:58.55
describes the debauchery
of Roman entertainment.
00:10:58.55\00:11:01.76
And he tells us how it
contributed to the collapse
00:11:01.76\00:11:04.26
of Roman morality.
00:11:04.26\00:11:05.93
Here's what he wrote,
00:11:05.93\00:11:07.40
"Almost from the beginning,
00:11:07.40\00:11:08.93
The Roman stage
was gross and immoral.
00:11:08.93\00:11:11.87
It was one of the main agencies
00:11:11.87\00:11:13.30
to which must be attributed
00:11:13.30\00:11:14.60
the undermining of
the originally sound,
00:11:14.60\00:11:17.07
moral life of Roman society.
00:11:17.07\00:11:19.87
So absorbed,
00:11:19.87\00:11:21.34
did the people become in
the indecent representations
00:11:21.34\00:11:24.15
of the stage.
00:11:24.15\00:11:25.61
That they lost all thought
00:11:25.61\00:11:26.92
and care of the
affairs of real life.
00:11:26.92\00:11:29.55
And the evil was not
confined to the capital.
00:11:29.55\00:11:33.09
In all the great
cities of the provinces,
00:11:33.09\00:11:34.99
the theatre held the
same place of bad preeminence
00:11:34.99\00:11:38.06
in the social life
of the inhabitants.
00:11:38.06\00:11:40.86
The people of Carthage
were shouting and applauding
00:11:40.86\00:11:43.60
in the theatre
at the very moment,
00:11:43.60\00:11:45.67
when the Vandals were
bursting open the city gates."
00:11:45.67\00:11:48.80
"The Roman world,"
00:11:48.80\00:11:49.87
he wrote,
00:11:49.87\00:11:50.91
"died laughing."
00:11:50.91\00:11:53.48
Now that really is,
00:11:53.48\00:11:54.98
a pretty good description of
the way we're living right now.
00:11:54.98\00:11:57.55
To borrow a
phrase from Neil Postman.
00:11:57.55\00:11:59.78
I suspect that our civilization
is busy amusing itself
00:11:59.78\00:12:03.35
to death.
00:12:03.35\00:12:04.82
And that makes us just
like George Gordon Byron,
00:12:04.82\00:12:07.42
who eventually
got to the very end
00:12:07.42\00:12:09.19
of his pursuit of pleasure.
00:12:09.19\00:12:11.23
And he found
himself painfully empty.
00:12:11.23\00:12:14.10
Which brings me to the
pages of the Old Testament.
00:12:15.43\00:12:18.50
To this statement that you find
00:12:18.50\00:12:20.00
in the heart of
the book of Isaiah.
00:12:20.00\00:12:21.94
It's a statement that is
describing the inadequate
00:12:21.94\00:12:25.17
policies of their
leadership back in that day.
00:12:25.17\00:12:27.58
The leader's inability
to turn the nation around
00:12:27.58\00:12:30.35
after it became
detached from God.
00:12:30.35\00:12:33.42
And this is how
Isaiah describes it over
00:12:33.42\00:12:35.58
in Isaiah 28,
00:12:35.58\00:12:36.95
he says,
00:12:36.95\00:12:38.32
"For the bed is too
short to stretch out on,
00:12:38.32\00:12:41.36
and the covering so narrow
00:12:41.36\00:12:43.43
that one cannot
wrap himself in it."
00:12:43.43\00:12:46.29
In other words,
00:12:46.29\00:12:47.73
people can pursue
their own interests.
00:12:47.73\00:12:49.83
They can live by
their own agenda.
00:12:49.83\00:12:51.97
But eventually
they're going to discover
00:12:51.97\00:12:54.00
that peace of mind
always seems to elude them.
00:12:54.00\00:12:58.17
It's like sleeping in a toddler
bed as a full grown adult.
00:12:58.17\00:13:01.81
The bed is too short.
00:13:01.81\00:13:03.35
The blankets too small.
00:13:03.35\00:13:05.65
This is an experience
I've personally been through
00:13:05.65\00:13:07.52
more than once.
00:13:07.52\00:13:08.78
I've had to crash
on somebody's loveseat
00:13:08.78\00:13:10.09
and I'm six foot tall.
00:13:10.09\00:13:11.65
And the biggest
loveseat they make
00:13:11.65\00:13:13.49
is only 71 inches.
00:13:13.49\00:13:16.16
Which means I'm
too tall by one inch.
00:13:16.16\00:13:20.10
And of course,
00:13:20.10\00:13:21.56
nobody sleeps with their
feet pointed straight up.
00:13:21.56\00:13:23.30
So it's actually too
short by several inches.
00:13:23.30\00:13:26.33
And I don't know if
you've ever done this,
00:13:26.33\00:13:27.70
but I promise you,
00:13:27.70\00:13:28.90
there is no way for
you to get comfortable.
00:13:28.90\00:13:32.27
That's exactly the
experience of Lord Byron.
00:13:33.61\00:13:36.78
I guess it's like
that famous description
00:13:36.78\00:13:38.58
from the beginning of
Augustine's confessions,
00:13:38.58\00:13:40.92
where he writes,
00:13:40.92\00:13:42.42
"...our heart is
restless until it rests in You."
00:13:42.42\00:13:46.25
Actually,
00:13:46.25\00:13:47.46
that whole quote is
probably worth reading,
00:13:47.46\00:13:49.19
because it turns
out that Augustine
00:13:49.19\00:13:51.46
had a lot in
common with Lord Byron.
00:13:51.46\00:13:55.46
You see, before his
conversion to Christianity,
00:13:55.46\00:13:57.63
he was also a rather
accomplished hedonist.
00:13:57.63\00:14:00.27
Completely devoted to the
pursuit of personal pleasure.
00:14:00.27\00:14:03.97
He describes it by saying,
00:14:03.97\00:14:06.11
"I ran wild in the shadowy
jungle of erotic adventures."
00:14:06.11\00:14:10.98
That's a pretty
vivid description.
00:14:10.98\00:14:13.38
Eventually,
00:14:13.38\00:14:14.62
Augustine came to
the end of pleasure
00:14:14.62\00:14:16.12
and realize that he
was nothing more than
00:14:16.12\00:14:18.75
an empty shell of a man.
00:14:18.75\00:14:20.49
And so the whole
quote from his confessions,
00:14:20.49\00:14:23.32
reads like this.
00:14:23.32\00:14:24.69
He says,
00:14:24.69\00:14:25.93
"Man, a little
piece of your creation,
00:14:25.93\00:14:28.43
desires to praise You.
00:14:28.43\00:14:30.23
A human being bearing
his mortality with him.
00:14:30.23\00:14:33.44
Carrying with him,
00:14:33.44\00:14:34.44
the witness of his sin
00:14:34.44\00:14:35.74
and the witness that
You resist the proud.
00:14:35.74\00:14:38.81
Nevertheless, to praise You,
00:14:38.81\00:14:40.84
is the desire of man.
00:14:40.84\00:14:42.41
A little piece of your creation.
00:14:42.41\00:14:44.51
You stir man,
00:14:44.51\00:14:45.61
to take
pleasure in praising You,
00:14:45.61\00:14:47.58
because you have
made us for Yourself
00:14:47.58\00:14:49.78
and our heart is
restless until it rests in You."
00:14:49.78\00:14:54.42
So what he's saying,
00:14:54.42\00:14:55.36
Now, I believe he's right,
00:14:55.36\00:14:56.86
is that all of us are restless.
00:14:56.86\00:14:59.86
We know there's supposed to
be a purpose for our existence.
00:14:59.86\00:15:03.33
Some reason to be here.
00:15:03.33\00:15:05.20
And some people
choose to find that purpose
00:15:05.20\00:15:07.80
through pleasure.
00:15:07.80\00:15:08.67
In other words,
00:15:08.67\00:15:09.50
they take that attitude,
00:15:09.50\00:15:10.77
'Let us eat and
drink, for tomorrow we die.'
00:15:10.77\00:15:14.54
but not once,
00:15:14.54\00:15:15.74
in the history of
this world has anybody,
00:15:15.74\00:15:17.41
And I mean anybody,
00:15:17.41\00:15:19.58
come to the end
of his or her life
00:15:19.58\00:15:21.12
after using it for
nothing but raw pleasure,
00:15:21.12\00:15:23.89
and been satisfied
with what they had.
00:15:23.89\00:15:26.86
All of us are restless
00:15:26.86\00:15:28.36
because we've been separated
00:15:28.36\00:15:29.72
from the one thing
that gives us purpose.
00:15:29.72\00:15:32.39
And the one thing
that gives us purpose,
00:15:32.39\00:15:35.33
is the Creator.
00:15:35.33\00:15:37.07
Over in the book of Romans,
00:15:37.07\00:15:38.97
the Apostle Paul describes
the problem using these words;
00:15:38.97\00:15:42.67
He writes that we,
00:15:42.67\00:15:44.14
"...exchanged the
truth of God for the lie,
00:15:44.14\00:15:47.41
and worshiped and
served the creature
00:15:47.41\00:15:49.64
rather than the Creator,
00:15:49.64\00:15:50.78
who is blessed forever."
00:15:50.78\00:15:52.91
And at the end of the day,
00:15:53.92\00:15:55.35
the pursuit of hedonism is
nothing but the worship of self.
00:15:55.35\00:15:59.35
It's the worship
of a mere creature.
00:15:59.35\00:16:01.69
And I don't know about you,
00:16:01.69\00:16:02.76
but I don't want me for a God.
00:16:02.76\00:16:04.93
I know that's
gonna come up empty,
00:16:04.93\00:16:06.86
because well,
00:16:06.86\00:16:07.76
I know what I'm made out of.
00:16:07.76\00:16:10.10
So don't go away,
00:16:10.10\00:16:11.30
because the good people
00:16:11.30\00:16:12.43
of The Voice of Prophecy
00:16:12.43\00:16:13.64
have something they
want to share with you.
00:16:13.64\00:16:15.00
But then I'll be right back,
00:16:15.00\00:16:16.40
with one of the most fascinating
passages on this subject
00:16:16.40\00:16:19.44
I've ever read in the Bible.
00:16:19.44\00:16:21.34
I'll be right back after this.
00:16:21.34\00:16:22.84
- [Woman Voiceover] Here
at The Voice of Prophecy,
00:16:24.28\00:16:25.75
we're committed to
creating top quality programming
00:16:25.75\00:16:28.15
for the whole family.
00:16:28.15\00:16:29.62
Like our audio adventure
series, Discovery Mountain.
00:16:29.62\00:16:32.75
Discovery Mountain
is a Bible based program
00:16:32.75\00:16:35.26
for kids of all
ages and backgrounds.
00:16:35.26\00:16:37.59
Your family will enjoy
the faith building stories
00:16:37.59\00:16:40.36
from this small
mountain summer camp, pen down.
00:16:40.36\00:16:43.16
With 24 seasonal
episodes every year,
00:16:43.16\00:16:45.67
and fresh content every week.
00:16:45.67\00:16:47.84
There's always a new adventure,
00:16:47.84\00:16:49.54
just on the horizon.
00:16:49.54\00:16:51.01
- At the end of the
Babylonian captivity,
00:16:54.41\00:16:56.31
the tribe of Judah returned
to the city of Jerusalem
00:16:56.31\00:16:58.95
to rebuild the
temple and the city.
00:16:58.95\00:17:01.65
But human nature,
00:17:02.52\00:17:03.49
being what it is.
00:17:03.49\00:17:04.39
Most people back then,
00:17:04.39\00:17:05.92
turned to their own needs first
00:17:05.92\00:17:07.66
and the temple was left,
00:17:07.66\00:17:08.99
more partially unfinished.
00:17:08.99\00:17:11.26
And the people in charge,
00:17:11.26\00:17:12.69
were busy working on
their own lavish estates.
00:17:12.69\00:17:16.33
The temple was the seed of
God's presence among His people.
00:17:16.33\00:17:19.93
And it was the most
important structure in the city
00:17:19.93\00:17:22.20
because it was tangible proof,
00:17:22.20\00:17:24.54
that the Jews were in a covenant
contract with their Maker.
00:17:24.54\00:17:28.31
It was a display of God's mercy.
00:17:28.31\00:17:30.35
A place where the
promise of Messiah
00:17:30.35\00:17:32.78
and the redemption
of fallen humanity,
00:17:32.78\00:17:34.58
was put on full
display every single day.
00:17:34.58\00:17:38.49
It was designed
to show the world
00:17:38.49\00:17:40.29
the path to true satisfaction,
00:17:40.29\00:17:42.32
true fulfillment,
00:17:42.32\00:17:43.89
which could only be
found in a God who promises
00:17:43.89\00:17:46.59
to restore us to what
we were before the fall.
00:17:46.59\00:17:50.53
But it didn't take long,
00:17:50.53\00:17:52.00
for these people to fall
back into the pursuit of self.
00:17:52.00\00:17:54.17
It's something that we all do.
00:17:54.17\00:17:56.17
And here's how the Bible
describes that situation,
00:17:56.17\00:17:58.91
in Haggai 1,
00:17:58.91\00:18:00.88
Now you might want to
pay attention to this,
00:18:00.88\00:18:02.34
because this is where
00:18:02.34\00:18:03.28
the ancient Hebrew's Lord Byron
00:18:03.28\00:18:06.28
and you and I all meet up.
00:18:06.28\00:18:08.18
I'll start reading now,
00:18:08.18\00:18:09.58
in verse two,
00:18:09.58\00:18:10.42
where it says,
00:18:10.42\00:18:11.49
"Thus speaks the LORD of hosts,
00:18:11.49\00:18:13.39
saying: This people"
00:18:13.39\00:18:14.82
The Jews who
returned to Jerusalem.
00:18:14.82\00:18:17.06
"This people says,
00:18:17.06\00:18:18.29
'The time has not come,
00:18:18.29\00:18:19.89
the time that the
LORD's house should be built.'"
00:18:19.89\00:18:22.96
So, they're procrastinating.
00:18:22.96\00:18:24.57
Putting off the hard work
to some point in the future.
00:18:24.57\00:18:26.94
Verse three,
00:18:26.94\00:18:28.44
"Then the word of the LORD
came by Haggai the prophet,
00:18:28.44\00:18:31.64
saying,
00:18:31.64\00:18:32.91
"Is it time for
you yourselves to dwell
00:18:32.91\00:18:34.81
in your paneled houses,
00:18:34.81\00:18:36.04
and this temple
to lie in ruins?"
00:18:36.04\00:18:38.88
So in other words,
00:18:38.88\00:18:40.08
they were living
in personal luxury,
00:18:40.08\00:18:42.12
while the temple was still
basically a pile of rubble.
00:18:42.12\00:18:44.62
Verse five.
00:18:44.62\00:18:45.79
"Now, therefore,
00:18:45.79\00:18:46.86
thus says the LORD of hosts:
00:18:46.86\00:18:48.49
"Consider your ways!"
00:18:48.49\00:18:49.76
And here comes
the important part.
00:18:49.76\00:18:51.96
"You have sown
much, and bring in little;
00:18:51.96\00:18:54.30
you eat,
00:18:54.30\00:18:55.10
but do not have enough.
00:18:55.10\00:18:56.36
You drink,
00:18:56.36\00:18:57.60
but you are not
filled with drink.
00:18:57.60\00:18:59.13
You clothe yourselves,
00:18:59.13\00:19:00.27
but no one has warm.
00:19:00.27\00:19:01.50
And he who earns wages,
00:19:01.50\00:19:03.04
earns wages to put
in a bag with holes."
00:19:03.04\00:19:07.34
That's exactly,
00:19:07.34\00:19:08.54
the same situation
that Byron discovered.
00:19:08.54\00:19:10.48
You can pursue
self all day long.
00:19:10.48\00:19:13.21
You can devote
yourself to personal pleasure,
00:19:13.21\00:19:16.02
but you're going to
discover that pleasure seeking
00:19:16.02\00:19:18.29
is an itch that can
never really be scratched.
00:19:18.29\00:19:21.96
These people thought that
if they devoted themselves
00:19:21.96\00:19:24.09
to eating and drinking,
00:19:24.09\00:19:25.26
they would find
personal fulfillment.
00:19:25.26\00:19:27.10
If only they had nice clothes
and earned a lot of money,
00:19:27.10\00:19:30.03
they could finally be happy.
00:19:30.03\00:19:32.47
But the purse of
self-fulfillment is a bag full
00:19:32.47\00:19:35.87
of holes. And you're
never going to fill it.
00:19:35.87\00:19:39.44
You see,
00:19:39.44\00:19:40.68
the problem with
self fulfillment is that
00:19:40.68\00:19:42.11
the more you prop up
your own self-importance,
00:19:42.11\00:19:43.58
the more it
takes to feed your ego.
00:19:43.58\00:19:45.95
It's a never ending pursuit
00:19:45.95\00:19:48.48
and it never leads to happiness.
00:19:48.48\00:19:51.15
The book of
Ecclesiastes puts it like this,
00:19:51.15\00:19:54.22
"All things are full of labor;
00:19:54.22\00:19:56.12
man cannot express it.
00:19:56.12\00:19:57.46
The eye is not
satisfied with seeing,
00:19:57.46\00:19:59.43
nor the ear
filled with hearing."
00:19:59.43\00:20:02.73
Nathaniel Brandon,
00:20:02.73\00:20:03.77
who is a disciple of Ayn Rand,
00:20:03.77\00:20:06.03
once wrote that,
00:20:06.03\00:20:06.97
"...pleasure, for man,
00:20:06.97\00:20:08.50
is not a luxury,
00:20:08.50\00:20:09.67
but a profound
psychological need."
00:20:09.67\00:20:11.91
And he was building on the
idea that Ayn Rand preached,
00:20:11.91\00:20:14.78
'The pursuit of self,
00:20:14.78\00:20:16.44
actually leads to
the best ethical system."
00:20:16.44\00:20:19.08
And I guess to
some small extent,
00:20:19.08\00:20:20.82
she wasn't exactly wrong
00:20:20.82\00:20:23.02
because in a fallen world,
00:20:23.02\00:20:24.29
populated by
self-driven individuals;
00:20:24.29\00:20:26.79
the best structure we've
ever been able to come up with,
00:20:26.79\00:20:30.19
is to let people
pursue their own interests
00:20:30.19\00:20:32.56
and set up laws
that force everybody
00:20:32.56\00:20:34.20
to just stay in their own lane.
00:20:34.20\00:20:36.10
It's a system
that really has been,
00:20:36.10\00:20:38.43
for the most part, working.
00:20:38.43\00:20:40.77
I mean, honestly,
00:20:40.77\00:20:42.07
none of us wants to
go back to the dark ages,
00:20:42.07\00:20:43.97
when the state church dictated
00:20:43.97\00:20:46.01
how you worship,
00:20:46.01\00:20:47.31
when you worship,
00:20:47.31\00:20:48.58
and what you're
going to believe.
00:20:48.58\00:20:50.31
Because at the end of the day,
00:20:50.31\00:20:51.58
there is nothing moral
about a forced morality.
00:20:51.58\00:20:55.78
So people need to be
free to live by the dictates
00:20:55.78\00:20:58.79
of their own conscience.
00:20:58.79\00:21:00.09
No matter what
they happen to believe.
00:21:00.09\00:21:01.59
So yeah,
00:21:01.59\00:21:02.46
in some ways I agree,
00:21:02.46\00:21:03.96
people should be free to
pursue their own pleasure,
00:21:03.96\00:21:06.26
however they want.
00:21:06.26\00:21:07.60
As long as they're
not hurting somebody else.
00:21:07.60\00:21:10.27
It's really the
only thing that works,
00:21:10.27\00:21:12.43
in a broken world.
00:21:12.43\00:21:13.57
But to suggest
that pleasure seeking
00:21:14.70\00:21:16.84
is a profound
psychological need.
00:21:16.84\00:21:19.41
Well, that's only partly true.
00:21:19.41\00:21:20.71
And this is where
I have to disagree.
00:21:20.71\00:21:23.04
Everybody needs to be
free to do what they want,
00:21:23.04\00:21:25.21
because after all,
00:21:25.21\00:21:26.68
God has allowed
everybody the freedom of choice.
00:21:26.68\00:21:29.38
But what hedonism does,
00:21:29.38\00:21:31.19
is offer a shallow substitute
00:21:31.19\00:21:32.99
for what your heart
is really looking for.
00:21:32.99\00:21:35.92
You and I,
00:21:35.92\00:21:37.16
have been disconnected
from the Source of life,
00:21:37.16\00:21:39.19
from the One who made us.
00:21:39.19\00:21:40.73
And there is
nothing else in the universe
00:21:40.73\00:21:42.56
that is going to fill
the deepest need you have.
00:21:42.56\00:21:46.27
Don't go away.
00:21:46.27\00:21:47.37
I'll be right back,
00:21:47.37\00:21:48.47
after this message.
00:21:48.47\00:21:49.50
- [Woman Voiceover]
Life can throw a lot at us.
00:21:51.17\00:21:53.64
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers.
00:21:53.64\00:21:56.95
But that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:21:56.95\00:21:59.38
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:21:59.38\00:22:02.42
Here at the Voice of Prophecy,
00:22:02.42\00:22:03.95
We've created the
Discover Bible guides,
00:22:03.95\00:22:06.12
to be your guide to the Bible.
00:22:06.12\00:22:07.76
They're designed to be simple,
00:22:07.76\00:22:09.26
easy to use,
00:22:09.26\00:22:10.76
and provide answers to many
of life's toughest questions.
00:22:10.76\00:22:13.26
And they're absolutely free.
00:22:13.26\00:22:15.23
So jump online now,
00:22:15.23\00:22:16.73
or give us a call
00:22:16.73\00:22:17.87
and start your
journey of discovery.
00:22:17.87\00:22:19.80
- There's a
really important concept
00:22:21.00\00:22:22.50
found in the book of Acts,
00:22:22.50\00:22:23.97
and maybe I'll finish
the show with this today.
00:22:23.97\00:22:26.34
Paul is speaking to a
group of people in Asia Minor,
00:22:26.34\00:22:29.14
a group that
has tried to address
00:22:29.14\00:22:30.71
their deepest spiritual
needs in an inappropriate way.
00:22:30.71\00:22:34.05
They know there's
something missing.
00:22:34.05\00:22:35.85
And because Paul
appears to have worked a miracle
00:22:35.85\00:22:38.05
in their midst,
00:22:38.05\00:22:38.85
they think,
00:22:38.85\00:22:40.29
well, maybe he's the
answer to their problems.
00:22:40.29\00:22:41.69
Here's what Paul tells them,
00:22:41.69\00:22:43.49
"Men, why are you
doing these things?
00:22:43.49\00:22:46.03
We preach to you
00:22:46.03\00:22:47.46
that you should turn
from these useless things
00:22:47.46\00:22:49.16
to the living God,
00:22:49.16\00:22:50.00
who made the heaven,
00:22:50.00\00:22:50.83
the earth, the sea,
00:22:50.83\00:22:52.00
and all things that are in them.
00:22:52.00\00:22:54.34
Who in bygone
generations allowed all nations
00:22:54.34\00:22:57.21
to walk in their own ways."
00:22:57.21\00:22:59.61
Now that statement there,
00:22:59.61\00:23:00.91
that's why I said
you can't force morality
00:23:00.91\00:23:02.58
on other people.
00:23:02.58\00:23:03.71
It's because God
Himself doesn't do that.
00:23:03.71\00:23:05.08
He'd let you go your own way.
00:23:05.08\00:23:07.05
And here comes
the important part,
00:23:07.05\00:23:08.88
Paul says,
00:23:08.88\00:23:09.72
"Nevertheless,
00:23:09.72\00:23:10.85
He did not leave
Himself without witness,
00:23:10.85\00:23:12.85
in that,
00:23:12.85\00:23:13.66
He did good,
00:23:13.66\00:23:14.89
gave us rain from
heaven and fruitful seasons,
00:23:14.89\00:23:16.39
filling our hearts
with food and gladness."
00:23:16.39\00:23:20.10
Up to this point,
00:23:20.10\00:23:21.33
you've been allowed
to do whatever you want,
00:23:21.33\00:23:22.60
because God doesn't force.
00:23:22.60\00:23:25.20
When He wants is
a real relationship.
00:23:25.20\00:23:27.04
He wants you to want Him,
00:23:27.04\00:23:28.64
the same way you
crave having other people
00:23:28.64\00:23:30.71
accept you for who you are.
00:23:30.71\00:23:32.84
And unless you
have the actual freedom
00:23:32.84\00:23:34.64
to choose against God,
00:23:34.64\00:23:36.34
you really don't have the
freedom to choose for Him.
00:23:36.34\00:23:39.18
So God has made you
free to do whatever you want.
00:23:39.18\00:23:43.65
But let me ask you this.
00:23:43.65\00:23:45.35
How happy have you
been with the results?
00:23:45.35\00:23:47.09
If you've been living
like Byron or Augustine,
00:23:47.09\00:23:49.39
or like a
million other hedonists.
00:23:49.39\00:23:51.86
Have you ever been
able to scratch that itch
00:23:51.86\00:23:53.96
in a way that really solves it?
00:23:53.96\00:23:56.10
I'm in the sixth decade of life.
00:23:56.10\00:23:57.50
And I can tell you,
00:23:57.50\00:23:58.53
I've tried both ways.
00:23:58.53\00:23:59.90
I've tried to find
fulfillment on my own terms
00:23:59.90\00:24:01.64
and I've tried to
find it God's way.
00:24:01.64\00:24:03.87
And I can tell you,
00:24:03.87\00:24:05.01
even though I'm a long way away
00:24:05.01\00:24:06.54
from mastering
the pursuit of God;
00:24:06.54\00:24:08.71
there's a world of difference.
00:24:08.71\00:24:10.78
Back in college,
00:24:10.78\00:24:12.18
in one of those
introductory humanities courses,
00:24:12.18\00:24:13.65
the Professor showed us Abraham
Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
00:24:13.65\00:24:16.85
And if you've seen it,
00:24:16.85\00:24:18.35
you'll remember that at
the top of his hierarchy,
00:24:18.35\00:24:20.36
it says that your
most profound need
00:24:20.36\00:24:22.56
is self actualization.
00:24:22.56\00:24:24.43
And it's not
entirely wrong, I guess.
00:24:24.43\00:24:26.56
Because most of us,
00:24:26.56\00:24:27.76
really are incomplete beings.
00:24:27.76\00:24:29.43
We're not living
an authentic life.
00:24:29.43\00:24:32.43
But a sad majority of us,
00:24:32.43\00:24:33.84
seem to think
that an authentic life
00:24:33.84\00:24:35.70
can be found on the
road that Byron traveled.
00:24:35.70\00:24:38.61
After he was finished
with drugs and sexual conquest,
00:24:38.61\00:24:42.18
he felt the need
to go on a long trip,
00:24:42.18\00:24:44.15
hoping to find some
kind of spiritual rebirth.
00:24:44.15\00:24:47.82
And I strongly suspect,
00:24:47.82\00:24:49.25
he never found it;
00:24:49.25\00:24:50.89
because you only
find that in one place.
00:24:50.89\00:24:54.39
At the end of the Bible,
00:24:54.39\00:24:55.46
the book of Revelation,
00:24:55.46\00:24:56.39
there's this astonishing scene,
00:24:56.39\00:24:58.86
where God sends one final
message to our failing planet.
00:24:58.86\00:25:02.63
And here's what it says:
00:25:02.63\00:25:04.37
It's in Revelation 14,
00:25:04.37\00:25:07.20
"Then I saw another angel
00:25:07.20\00:25:08.87
flying in the midst of heaven,
00:25:08.87\00:25:10.67
having the
everlasting gospel to preach
00:25:10.67\00:25:13.14
to those who dwell on the earth;
00:25:13.14\00:25:14.88
to every nation,
tribe, tongue and people.
00:25:14.88\00:25:17.21
Saying with a loud voice,
00:25:17.21\00:25:19.01
"Fear God and give glory to Him,
00:25:19.01\00:25:21.42
for the hour of
His judgment has come;
00:25:21.42\00:25:24.35
and worship Him who
made heaven and earth,
00:25:24.35\00:25:27.56
the sea and springs of waters.""
00:25:27.56\00:25:30.29
Now I know a lot of people,
00:25:30.29\00:25:31.96
automatically focus on the
judgment part of that passage.
00:25:31.96\00:25:35.56
And to be honest,
00:25:35.56\00:25:36.90
you probably shouldn't
ignore that part of it.
00:25:36.90\00:25:39.53
The pursuit of
pleasure is something
00:25:39.53\00:25:41.70
that eventually you
will have to answer for.
00:25:41.70\00:25:44.64
But what I want you to notice
00:25:44.64\00:25:45.87
for the purposes of
our discussion today,
00:25:45.87\00:25:48.31
it's this;
00:25:48.31\00:25:49.61
This passage,
00:25:49.61\00:25:51.01
it's describing a
final warning to the world.
00:25:51.01\00:25:53.88
That our way of doing things,
00:25:53.88\00:25:55.62
isn't fixing our key problems.
00:25:55.62\00:25:58.42
Our way of doing
things is not going to lead
00:25:58.42\00:26:01.29
to self-fulfillment.
00:26:01.29\00:26:02.72
And it's actually
speeding up the process
00:26:02.72\00:26:05.79
of self-destruction.
00:26:05.79\00:26:07.03
I think,
00:26:07.03\00:26:08.46
that's probably the
takeaway from Lord Byron today.
00:26:08.46\00:26:11.20
But then as God always does,
00:26:11.20\00:26:13.74
He presents us
with the solution,
00:26:13.74\00:26:15.27
and the solution is this:
00:26:15.27\00:26:17.27
"Worship Him who made."
00:26:17.27\00:26:20.44
In other words,
00:26:20.44\00:26:21.88
come back to your Creator.
00:26:21.88\00:26:23.71
That's where fulfillment is.
00:26:23.71\00:26:26.15
Look, on your own,
00:26:26.15\00:26:27.45
you're not gonna
reach a point in your life
00:26:27.45\00:26:29.05
where you say
nothing's missing anymore.
00:26:29.05\00:26:31.55
Your life is like a campfire.
00:26:31.55\00:26:33.82
If it's just about
self-pursuit and self-pleasure,
00:26:33.82\00:26:38.39
the more wood you put on it,
00:26:38.39\00:26:39.63
the hotter at burns.
00:26:39.63\00:26:40.56
You'll never get to the point
00:26:40.56\00:26:41.83
where the fire's
no longer hungry.
00:26:41.83\00:26:43.97
And you're not
going to get to the point,
00:26:43.97\00:26:45.33
If you're just feeding self,
00:26:45.33\00:26:46.67
where you say
nothing is missing.
00:26:46.67\00:26:48.37
Not until you discover the
real purpose for your existence.
00:26:48.37\00:26:52.14
And the real
purpose for your existence
00:26:52.14\00:26:54.11
is a dynamic connection
to the Creator Himself.
00:26:54.11\00:26:57.48
It's what you were born for.
00:26:57.48\00:26:59.58
So now you've
got to ask yourself,
00:26:59.58\00:27:01.75
what would you have to
lose by reading this book?
00:27:01.75\00:27:04.09
I know,
00:27:04.09\00:27:05.02
some of your friend's market.
00:27:05.02\00:27:06.05
I know,
00:27:06.05\00:27:06.89
critics rail against it.
00:27:06.89\00:27:08.96
But if you read more
books written by critics
00:27:08.96\00:27:10.96
than you've actually
spent time reading this book
00:27:10.96\00:27:13.90
for yourself,
00:27:13.90\00:27:15.43
you've been
chasing your own dreams
00:27:15.43\00:27:17.20
and your own
desires your whole life.
00:27:17.20\00:27:19.03
And so far,
00:27:19.03\00:27:19.87
it's not working.
00:27:19.87\00:27:21.37
And I want to suggest to you
that if you were to give this
00:27:21.37\00:27:23.41
an honest chance,
00:27:23.41\00:27:24.24
maybe, just maybe,
00:27:24.24\00:27:27.11
you might find what you've
actually been looking for.
00:27:27.11\00:27:31.08
I'm Shawn Boonstra.
00:27:31.08\00:27:32.01
Thanks for joining me today.
00:27:32.01\00:27:33.45
You've been watching
another episode of Authentic.
00:27:33.45\00:27:36.38
[soulful instrumental music]
00:27:36.38\00:27:38.99