Episode #48: Solomon and Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

[00:00:49] Thank you for listening to the Finding Neverland Podcast. Finding Neverland is a Christian Metalcore Band based in Denver, Colorado. This episode was broadcasted live. Okay. Technical difficulties aside. Like usual. That's always. Yeah. Welcome. Everyone this is Finding Neverland Podcast Episode number 48.

[00:02:03] Please, please if you're listening and watching online our live, just comment if you can't hear us or if we're going in and out. It's always helpful for us. So yeah, this is a Bible Study Podcast by a Christian Metalcore Band in North truly, Finding Neverland.

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[00:03:01] at Finding Neverland Band and check out our merchandise shop. Neverlandband.big cartel.com. Use code walk the plank and that's 25% off our band merch. So okay, that's all for the intro. Yeah, appreciate you guys joining. Tonight we are going to be sharing in the Ecclesiastes.

[00:03:34] So if you want to turn your Bibles there, please ask these chapter two verses. Let's see. I guess I'm going to share. I'm going to share mostly on chapter chapter two verses 10 and 11. And then Luke, you had some verses you wanted to go over to.

[00:03:54] Yeah, I just, you know, at the blue when you texted me that, I was looking at something and I said, oh my gosh, this is like the New Testament. Kind of like seal the deal for what's home and talking about in. And.

[00:04:15] And is, you know, basically a person after the things that we're going to read. And I think a lot of people will take it as gospel and say, oh, this is, you know, God, you know, speaking through him and absolutely not absolutely a jaded person who lived.

[00:04:35] So I was like, frankly, you know, for the question. And then we have in Romans chapter eight, Paul was telling us the answer for all of this. And all of this seemingly meaningless life that we live. It's human. Definitely. So.

[00:04:58] Yeah, I see you got the the mic and the headphones this time. Yeah. I mean, you know, it looks good. But I'm like, hey, I ain't got no levels on my interface right here, but at least is coming through. So that's not hard. It's hard. It's we're not.

[00:05:16] We're not audio engineers. So we apologize if I think last week's episode was pretty low on my end and then. Luke was too high, but you know, thanks for listening anyway. So we'll try and figure that out.

[00:05:32] I'm hoping hoping that we figured out the audio a little better this week. Yeah, let me do. It's an experiment. Yeah. I finally edited some of the audio better for the levels to post on Spotify.

[00:05:47] So that's finally going to get posted as soon as it loads correctly with my internet. So I'm going to put this in the last episode of the audio. So. Yeah, so last week we had a pretty good episode.

[00:06:09] I shared also this morning on our Facebook page that we were in a past shared last week on the episode. I'll share again that we were on the backstage access podcast. And they posted our interview.

[00:06:28] So if you guys want to hear kind of the backstory of how finding every land began and the testimonies of me and Luke and how we got. How we miraculously joined together to start this. To restart finding every land and some of our upbringing and things like that.

[00:06:49] Go listen to the backstage access podcast or latest episode. Really cool guys Scott and Tony over there. They do a podcast. They run a event marketing event promotion company out in anyapolis. So really cool guys and they had us on our on their show.

[00:07:09] They run a festival called Kingdom Core Fest. Lots of Christian bands not all just medical core, but I guess. Christian bands and things like that. So shout out to those guys and go check out there that episode and it goes really. It was really fun.

[00:07:27] Yeah, definitely. I think we did our original testimonies the first couple episodes that we did maybe the first three episodes. But this is probably a little bit more in depth because they were asking us questions and we weren't just flying by the sea of our pants.

[00:07:41] You know, so yeah, that'd be more interesting for you. Cool. Good man. Good to see you. Hope you had a good week. Yeah, I'm at well. Yeah. I mean, all things consider it's nothing. I'm not really foreign to as far as daily struggles and things like that.

[00:08:04] You know, but it's something I have to just keep coming to God with and saying, I'm going to get through this week and then I might have to start another work we could work and this can be.

[00:08:14] You know, this much better or this much worse than it's just the way life is. You know, just trust God and everything that comes on like yeah.

[00:08:22] So yes, that's a good segue because this episode we're going to talk about a little bit of the struggles between the flesh and the spirit. We'll talk a little bit about maybe some of the. The vanities of pleasure. And just how it kind of.

[00:08:42] Can destroy lives and so. Yeah, you want to get into it. We'll just go right in. I'm stoked. I mean, I already said this probably but. I mean, I was just looking up what I wanted to like talk about and I didn't know what it was.

[00:09:00] And then you takes the meeting about ecclesiasties and I was just like. I was just looking at Romans chapter eight, too. And it's talking about like the spirit and living in the spirit and all.

[00:09:11] You know, Solomon who was the wisest man to ever live, you know, according to him, but according to basically what he did, you know, and what he experienced in the flesh, just the contrast seemed like such a God saying for the.

[00:09:28] The old testament and the new testament to meet you at a year. You know, in a correlation, it's just all the time, you know. Yeah, super cool and and so Solomon. A little bit of a backstory. Solomon is the son of David and.

[00:09:49] Vashiba who David practically, I don't know if he. He commits adultery with. Vashiba and. My opinion is it seems like it sounds like he. You know, forced her. And it's just interesting that Solomon was like the wisest man comes from that relationship.

[00:10:14] It's like God used that dirty sin to produce. Solomon who is, you know, given, you know, tons of wisdom and he writes Proverbs. And ecclesiasties. Mm hmm. Yeah, so I just think that's that's interesting and Solomon.

[00:10:38] I was talking so I the reason I used this verse today because we couldn't really think of anything to do this week. And I was talking with my friend Mark Johnson who's the the radio announcer for the Colorado Buffalo's. And he was going over this passage this morning.

[00:10:58] And we had it, we were talking about Solomon and his life and stuff and so I was like, Oh, that would be an awesome topic to go over on the podcast.

[00:11:08] So it kind of just struck me quickly was to just maybe we should just talk about Solomon and his success and how he found it to be meaningless. So yeah, so that's how I found it. That's how I picked up this verse. Yeah, for sure.

[00:11:27] Just as I know the the band that come into medical or shamanical. But now I know for a fact, he came on the basis of the vocalists. It wrote most of the lyrics are all the lyrics took a lot of his.

[00:11:46] So the lot of his lyrics from Ecclesi S D's and Lampentations. And okay, of course, and I was like really negative and suffering. You know, okay, it's like that. But the times. To record. He did some work to be able to put it. And he did that.

[00:12:14] So it's a very story. So he's. And be like, oh my gosh, you know, he just that is what he's talking about. But then he does add the very ending of Ecclesi S. These were Solomon says without God. Everything is made. You know, you know, holds that.

[00:12:33] It's like poetry. Yeah. Is that everything? You know. I love that. I was going to, yeah, we could kind of go over that too. But I wanted to read the chapter two. Please, yes, these. I guess I'll read the read from verse one through 11. Okay.

[00:13:00] And we'll just we'll just we'll go over whatever we pick apart in that. But mostly what I get out of it and what the most that I thought was pretty amazing was 10 through 11. And we'll read that. So chapter two says, I said in my heart, come now.

[00:13:20] I will test you with. Merth. There therefore enjoy pleasure. But surely this also was vanity. I said of laughter madness and of birth. What does it accomplish? I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine while guiding my heart with wisdom.

[00:13:38] And how to lay hold on folly till I might see that was see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of our lives. Verse four, I made my works great. I built myself houses and planted myself vineyards.

[00:13:54] I made myself gardens and orchards. And I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself water pools for which to to water the growing trees of the grove. I acquired male and female servants and had servants born in my house.

[00:14:09] Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces.

[00:14:21] I acquired male and female singers the delights of of the sons of men and musical instruments of all kinds. So I became great and excelled more than all of who were before me in Jerusalem. Also, my wisdom remained with me.

[00:14:37] Verse 10 and 11, whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure for my heart rejoiced in all my labor. And this was my reward from all my labor.

[00:14:52] Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled. And indeed, all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. So I was stopped there because that's really good.

[00:15:14] I just, I kept noticing all the things that Solomon was saying. He kept pointing out like all the things that he did. Like, I made this, I made this, I made this, I made this.

[00:15:27] And then, you know, kind of just pointing out all the things that he did. He accomplished that he put forth and at the end he's just saying that there was no profit under the sun.

[00:15:43] And then when that struck me the most was verse 10 where he says whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. And that's a dangerous place to live in our world today, especially if we're not guarding our eyes and guarding our heart.

[00:15:58] You know, Solomon just said, I just, I did not keep anything from my eyes and did not keep any pleasure from my heart. And it's like man and he got everything he could have ever asked for. Probably the richest man in the Bible, I guess.

[00:16:17] I'm not sure if that's a true statement or not, but yeah. That small peoples of all nations. That's why everyone used to come to Jerusalem and pay homage to him and they, you know, if they needed money or they needed gold they came to him. Right.

[00:16:51] Yeah, I mean, I really, I used to what that's like. Yeah, you might have cut out a little bit there. Okay. Now I can hear you. But yeah, I wanted to. I wanted to share on.

[00:17:35] Solomon talking about my Bible says grasping for the wind, but I've also heard it as the phrase is chasing after the wind. And I was reading that the book of Ecclesiastes uses the phrase chasing. Chasing after the wind or grasping for the wind at least seven times.

[00:17:56] And so chasing the wind pretty much means like you're doing something. It's like a metaphor for a port like pointless pursuit like you're chasing after nothing. So I just, I think that's such a cool metaphor.

[00:18:15] Term that Ecclesiastes uses is just he just says indeed I was and he was grasping for the wind but there was no profit under the sun. So that's so good.

[00:18:26] Yeah, that was actually going through on mind also because I knew about chasing after the wind and then this version says feeding on the wind. Which is like. I can feed on the wind I can eat the wind and get sustenance from it.

[00:18:44] And so it's even more like the meaningless of doing those things and I also love in certain. Passages weren't talked about the wicked. They don't know this but they're going to turn into chase in the wind which is. Chafes like the leftover.

[00:19:04] You know pieces of grass that are left over from. We are. We are seeing. It's close to wind never be seen again. It's discarded you know. And so that's definitely a repeating thing. Yeah. I was. I know from like Solomon his. I was reading where was it.

[00:19:35] Doon around me. 1716. Clearly says and you shall not acquire many wives for himself less his heart turn away. Nor shall he acquire himself excessive silver and gold. And this is exactly what Solomon did. In his lifetime he was specifically disobedient to God's law and. Deuteronomy 17.

[00:20:08] Pretty much points it out exactly what Solomon was doing. It was acquiring many wives I think he had 700 wives in like 300 concubines. And you know all the silver and gold that he could ever want.

[00:20:24] And the interesting thing is as he's disobedient to God but God is still using him and still allowing this to happen. Like anything that's it talks about. God sending rain on the righteous and the wicked. A like, you know, you know to let the.

[00:20:51] Let the weeds grow with the wheat in the barley and then when they're fully grown. Then cut the wheat in the barley and discard the weeds at the same time and throw them into the furnace. The picture of.

[00:21:06] Oh, there's going to be a time where the wicked are going to be. Destroyed but not now because if I do it now then the righteous in the.

[00:21:15] And the godly will be hurt by that because God wants there to be enough time for them to grow up and to get tall. And then fruitful you know he wants many people to. He doesn't want to.

[00:21:27] You know when the servant was like should we pick a pick pick the weeds now and get rid of them because and he's like, no let him grow up together.

[00:21:35] You know I'm going to send rain on both of them and then when they're fully grown I can harvest the wheat in the barley and put it in my store barn where it belongs. You know basically saying. We.

[00:21:53] So I can just destroy it because that's all they're worth. Hmm. Good man so. But but I do definitely see him coming from the final day I'm sure it was just. Growing up in the scandal that he had with the sheba being his mother and not his original.

[00:22:25] You know David's original wife but. You know somebody that David ended up executing her husband to hide the fact that she was pregnant and then I'm. But the baby that she was carrying she had a miscarriage.

[00:22:40] And David was mourning in in the temple and crying because of his he said he's seen had caused that and he was so we're more so for it. And then he had a second child which was. Yeah crazy. So a lot of sadness.

[00:23:01] Yeah and then I was reading that. Solomon. He so yeah he did he had 700 wives 300. Conquibines and many of them were foreigners who led him into their foreign. I dole tree. Religious acts and so he really.

[00:23:26] Angered God but also like Solomon started choosing all these wives because I was also reading that he. He thought it was because back then you married foreign. King's wives and daughters to. To form an allegiance with that country.

[00:23:46] And so so and was like justifying all his wives as like he's he's forming this allegiance with all these countries around Israel and he's doing this for the greater good.

[00:23:59] His sinful you know his sinful acts are for a greater good and so they're justified and I just felt really. Kind of felt like a. And diamond on how I've done how I've done things in my life and you know maybe other Christians and their lives as we.

[00:24:18] We try to justify our sin with like okay well I'm doing it for this reason or I'm you know I'm helping somebody out but I'm also taking advantage of somebody and you know I just felt like that really.

[00:24:33] He hit home with me was you know Solomon justifying his own behavior because he thinks he's like solving world peace. And but he's being he's angry and gotten disobedient and being disobedient to God and that had an effect on his life.

[00:24:57] So yeah, so the little just a little side story to that the king of Saul if you know this I mean was told to go lay waste to.

[00:25:05] The Babylonians and I think it's Babylonians but not believe anybody alive no livestock no children none of it keeps all the life like he keeps a bunch of livestock and takes the king.

[00:25:22] Prisoner and brings him back to Jerusalem and parades him around the city like a trophy he's like look what I look what I capture.

[00:25:33] Of course he cut his robe and added it to the train of his robe to show his dominance and guess what this king was allowed to live. Many many years to the point where he had offspring and then that offspring ended up being the downfall of.

[00:25:51] Saul himself I think he was murdered by. The king's son or you know offspring later on so he just came full circle like I was like don't you dare. You know then his pride couldn't help himself yeah that's wild. And I also I remember.

[00:26:17] You know God was so angry with Solomon that he's like. He was so angry with him but because of David's faith he's still blessed Solomon I find that interesting that God that God does that.

[00:26:35] You know he remembers maybe faith of a family member or faith of somebody else in your life and he's and that affects somebody. In your in your family in your line in your ministry or whatever I find that really interesting to that.

[00:26:54] That God was like well you know for the sake of David we're not going to I'm not going to destroy anything during Solomon's lifetime. And I think that's pretty cool. It's like you know I made a covenant with David did yeah out of his bloodline.

[00:27:13] The Messiah would come and just like they ever have him at covenant out of your bloodline the. The world will be filled with more descendants than the star you can count in the sky and you have to say. The three ways.

[00:27:32] And this love and the faiths were all born from this part of the world and so yeah. And when you say descendants that how number the stars I think that's pretty much.

[00:27:52] Been probably been prophesied and been shown to be true so that covenant was important to keep keeping Solomon. And that's the best you know was probably important to all of the people in Jerusalem.

[00:28:08] But they were blessed and they were taking because shortly after that they were rebelling against God's ways like you said they were intermarrying. And they were being turned against us ways and got told them through the prophets as Isaiah and Elijah.

[00:28:27] You need to turn from this you're going to be exiled and you're going to exile for this many years. And you're going to be basically enslaved again just like an Egypt and they ignored the prophets they killed the prophets because of those things that they said.

[00:28:44] And they said, you know, what they wanted to hear you know so it's like I think he had to show him how blessed they had been.

[00:28:51] To the you know the dichotomy of how blessed they were to now being in this situation that they were prophesied against didn't listen. And this obeyed and so they could realize who they're dealing with. And I think there's like a scary reality that if disobedience to the Lord.

[00:29:18] It's it's definitely a true statement that you can be against God. And I think I don't know if people really believe that because I'm reading here first Kings 1114 says and the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon. Like after Solomon's disobedience like God raised up people to.

[00:29:42] Give him trouble essentially. And I think that's a very scary reality that maybe the maybe. Believers don't think can happen as if you're being. If you're not honoring God, if you're being disobedient, like there is a possibility that you are definitely rebelling and being against.

[00:30:05] Yahweh which is this scary thought and I think nobody. Nobody wants to talk about that everybody wants to talk about. Slaving God who's you know, it's too we're too blessed to be stressed like you like you talk about before it's so it's like I find that interesting that.

[00:30:25] You know we forget that we can it's a scary thought to be against God and that's where the fear of the Lord comes in. And that's like Solomon's advice is fear fear God like that's his that's where he stands like you need to have fear the Lord because.

[00:30:44] It's a scary thought to be against. Yahweh for sure do maybe somebody is there you're that today. You can be deceived to the point where you don't think you are and then one day God's like hey.

[00:31:00] You need to make a new turn and this is only way I can get you to do it because you won't listen to anybody else or read my word for one day and figure out that you're not doing what I asked you to do.

[00:31:10] And he'll send people into your life believers and not believers to. This. You can't do that much but of course it's the super graces to all trig race that we created.

[00:31:23] We've taken the devil's taken the sacrifice of Christ which is supposed to be freedom from our sin and said you can do anything you want including sin.

[00:31:35] And you'll be you'll be fine you'll be forgiven for it and God is just like I haven't changed since you know I've never changed since.

[00:31:44] I always was I always will be and I never won't be you know nothing is new under the sun and I think he says that a lot in the ecclesiasties. Yeah, and then I'm just I can't keep my eyes off of this part where he says sure.

[00:31:59] I just share this real quick in chapter three verse. 14 I know that whatever God does will last forever there is nothing to add or subtract from it and God has done it so that people will fear him.

[00:32:18] He's like we're talking about that which was here already and that which will be has already been but God seeks out what people chase after.

[00:32:29] And I think that's basically saying God is on point he's like yeah he's already been where you're going to just to hedge you off.

[00:32:39] And you know this is this is the other kickman in verse 16 another thing I've served on to the sun there in the same place as justice was wickedness there in the same place as righteousness was wickedness.

[00:32:52] I said to myself the righteous and the wicked God will judge because there is a right time for every intention and for every action.

[00:33:00] It just speaks to our current reality and since they get a time nothing's beyond to the sun you know people cry out where's God you know the wickedness won't be.

[00:33:11] It just keeps happening and the wicked say oh we can get away with this there is no God they were saying that in the times of Noah and then it's our great.

[00:33:22] And they say we can keep doing evil no one will stop us but they don't know that the eyes of the Lord are upon them and he sees everything yeah he sees the wicked and the righteous.

[00:33:38] I don't think a lot of the times people want to lump the wicked and the righteous together that harshly but it's almost like God saying look you both in the same in the same class here.

[00:33:53] Well yeah there's a there's a caption here that says in ecclesiasties is popularity passes away and this is something me and Mark we're talking about today with.

[00:34:09] The popularity or the the prosperity gospel and how you know we've consistently preaching like you know the mega church you know I'm you know Stephen Fertick and Joel Ostein and.

[00:34:26] Guys like that we're preaching like you know follow God and you'll get you know your life is going to be. You know it's going to be good and you know rich rich in prosperity prosperous and things like that and.

[00:34:42] And I was talking to him about there's also an our day and age is the popularity gospel which is where we're just trying to do a ministry to make.

[00:34:53] Our Facebook and our Instagram's grow so we're following God for that reason and I just keep feeling like in my heart like remembering that.

[00:35:02] Solomon is like we need to read ecclesiasties because he had everything and he was is still just did not satisfy him and so and he consistently is talking about how nothing.

[00:35:17] You know nothing will be hidden from God and you know I think that's a it's an alarming thing to remember. Is you know these these ministries that are all about growing their platform and just doing.

[00:35:35] Doing ministry for themselves and this is something that I've had to work on to. And so I think that's a. Remembering that. Prosperity does not mean that you're you're always your your blast or you're being in favor of God and so.

[00:35:56] I don't know that was just something we were talking about today. You know there's a lot of ministries in our and our Christian culture today that are all about growing and being massive and just.

[00:36:15] You know, oh we're sharing about the Lord we're talking about the Lord but there's just like.

[00:36:23] Reminder that we might not we don't you might not even know Jesus if you have a you know but you have this 15,000 attendance church and so I think there's just a lot to learn from.

[00:36:37] In that area of popularity with ecclesiasties is just remembering that you know Solomon had the most biggest platform of all time and still found it meaningless and. And still was against God even through his prosperity. Of course, I think.

[00:37:03] Historians still agree today that wisdom and the riches of Solomon have not been countered to this day and they take his riches of the time and blow it up to today's value of money and gold and they say.

[00:37:18] Yeah, he's he was like a multi trillion there on every every schematic today. We wouldn't even fathom that kind of riches know what he's that rich right now since he was and. I think he read it perfectly dude it was just he said the only thing I found.

[00:37:41] And that is actually it was my work the work that I did I found. Peace and satisfaction in the work that I did but nothing else satisfied me and eventually he has to admit even the work is meaningless.

[00:37:55] I work all of my life so that somebody else can inherit what I worked for my entire life. And either squander it, but I'm dead I'm didn't go saying this is not profited me even the work.

[00:38:09] He put all of his faith in all of his eggs in that basket. And you wonder where was God in this entire situation, you know, where where was God placed in his personal life. He talks about God but he doesn't ever talk about his relationship with him.

[00:38:28] You know, there's a lot about God he doesn't know God. That's a big one. Yeah, we can know a lot about him but we have to know him.

[00:38:41] And so real quick I'll just read like where Solomon finishes off and it's basically his advice to the world is like summary of all his wisdom. And he says in. Cleesiafti's 12 verse 13.

[00:39:03] It says let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. So this is the wisest man and this is his conclusion of everything.

[00:39:13] He says, fear God and keep his commandments for this is man's all for God will bring every work into judgment including every secret thing whether good or evil. I just wonder myself what happened between chapter one in this chapter 12. Yeah, and this verse is like something. Click.

[00:39:40] Yeah, you realize, you know, all the debauchery, all the, you know, just doing whatever his heart led him to do. And the whole time probably feeling. And that or you know, just not satisfied with it.

[00:39:55] And I can imagine he's pushing off this idea that this can't be life, you know, one day I'll feel satisfied. One day this is gotta be what life's about because this is exactly what pleases my heart and he is me pleasure and I saw nothing.

[00:40:14] Nothing that I saw was denied from me. And at the very end it's like you have to keep the guys commandments because that's all the human being human is about and, you know,

[00:40:27] And this is the other part man where he says, I don't know if I've ever seen this written but for God will bring judgment to everything we do including every secret whether good or bad. So basically saying even the good things you do are going to be judged.

[00:40:44] Like something you thought you were doing good for God is basically putting talking about himself here, you know. Everything good and that will be judged. We think, you know, I love the good, you know, somebody somebody never had premierinal sex and never smoked and they never drank.

[00:41:03] They were always in the church, they were raised like, you know, but every good thing that you claim to have done is going to be certain that it's just going to be. And under a microscope like this is not my standard it was your standard of good.

[00:41:18] But you who are evil like Jesus said, your good works are like filthy rags. Yeah and so if you had pride in that and you thought that was going to impress me, you know, you're in absolutely wrong. Yeah, gosh. This is really good. I keep seeing.

[00:41:39] So many things that I keep that are just incredible like he talks about keeping your vows. I think that was one that's that's always struck me. Where is it keeping your word? Yeah, keeping your word. Where is that? He said it way before Clint Eastwood.

[00:42:08] The word of words all a man has.

[00:42:11] Yeah, it's a reverse. So chapter five verse four he says when you make a vow to God do not delay to pay it for he has no pleasure and fools pay what you have vowed better to not vow than to vow and not pay.

[00:42:28] That's like one of my favorite verses is just you know, Solomon's been being like you might as well just keep your mouth shut and then if you're going to make a vow to God like make it like take it seriously. Yeah.

[00:42:46] That's one of my, that's one of my big the verses that I try and remember the most is you know God has no pleasure and fools so like how many times do we talk to him like God I'm going to do this for you and do this for you and

[00:43:01] You know it's like and we're just not even willing to pay what we're saying with our mouth. Yeah, yeah. He said instead just for your God, the last thing he said in that verse because of the aimless words and activities that you get lost in and you just

[00:43:24] Erringing out the entire time. You know, as you're not going to fall through with it and it is a rare thing for someone to say hey I am going to be there and they actually pull through on you.

[00:43:36] People don't even get mad anymore when someone says oh yeah, I'll come help you and then. Just just a ghost on the other end of the line when they're like hey you coming still or I got something else that came up.

[00:43:49] You know, is that story we talked about last podcast with. You know, the women with the with the will. You know, with with the party. The the man invited all these people to the party but they had excuses. The very next day like oh I've just got married.

[00:44:07] As if that would stop you from. We're filling your vow to go to the thing you said you were going to go to or I bought some oxygen and I got to go try them out now. They were absolutely planning on not going to.

[00:44:19] When they said they were going to go. If we could just be honest and say I don't want to go. You know, but so many people want their foot one in the kingdom and one in the earth. So they'll say yes I want to be saved.

[00:44:33] I want to follow cries, but they don't mean it with the heart. Yeah and all these fear is just not going to. And well that you know, and so it's just it's just a shame and a travesty. And it's because the church absolutely blesses that it says.

[00:44:49] Hey, at least you tried. Instead of discipling that person and saying look. Don't accept community even don't don't say these words unless you're don't get baptized just because you feel like you have to.

[00:45:04] You know, like if you do that you're going to be covered all the sudden but you have no your heart isn't in it whatsoever. God respects the person who still. Doesn't believe God exists over the person who's going to say it.

[00:45:19] And just right along and just have that fire insurance so to speak. And hey, there is a hell maybe you got to have mercy on me because that one time I said oh I do believe Jesus is the son of God.

[00:45:32] But I'm not going to change anything about my life. I am a Christian. You know how many people in the US percentage wise claim Christian on their, you know, on their forums and things like that. Yeah, this is all of it. We've talked before about how.

[00:45:50] Our words have power to them, you know, so I think God's saying that here too is. You know, don't just speak however you want. Don't just if you're going to say something. You know, take it seriously. So we got like 10 minutes.

[00:46:13] I wanted to share the other verses if you wanted to read the other verses that you wanted to add in the New Testament. Sure, I'll share something. And we can talk a little bit about. It feeds right into, you know, Solomon like. He had an extreme.

[00:46:36] He fed our, he fed his flesh at an extreme rate and that still wasn't enough. So yeah, let's let's share in the on that a little bit. Sure.

[00:46:48] I mean, he had the faculty to do so more than any other person in history with the well yet in the influence of the head. And so, you know, the other nations just revered. They came to Israel. They were the top dogs at the time.

[00:47:04] But just a quick comment on what you said about words and them having power. You know, I just think there's such a correlation between us being created in the image of God and him choosing to speak the universe and it says he spoke the universe into existence.

[00:47:20] And the line you see he said, let there be water to cover the expenses here. Let dry land up here. Let animals and creepy things and birds appear so they can rule this guys. And then let us create man in our own image.

[00:47:34] He spoke these things into existence. So it's almost like the breath and the vibrations of our voices. You can imagine God just shooting these sound waves out. And just what created matter as we know it out of nothing. Yeah, it was created out of nothing.

[00:47:55] And so being in his image our words absolutely have the power to give life or give death. And I think you talked about that a lot in the description.

[00:48:05] And of course, I don't know if anybody knows about that experiment where they had plants and they said I'm up where this high school within an experiment where you're only supposed to insult this plant. Tell it how ugly it was. It was never going to be anything.

[00:48:18] It was never going to grow big and be beautiful. And the other plant they just praised it and they said, oh, you're so beautiful. They shroked this leaves. They gave it more attention. They just praised it to no end. And within a week the other plant was what?

[00:48:36] Wilting away. It was dying. The one that they insulted the plant that they gave all of the praise to was flourishing. And so it just shows the effect of words on matter itself, something living with water and all the components that give life.

[00:48:55] And for them carbon monoxide but for us oxygen. And it's just the effect of that on the system of that energy being put towards that they don't have ears like we do.

[00:49:08] But it was the energy of the voice and the words that were transplanting that negative evil speech into that one plant. And the god would just praise in the adoration for that other plant.

[00:49:23] So you know, our worst defile do have power because we are creating and God's image. And we're the only ones that don't keep our word when we say it. I think he's not like it. But I can share a few verses here. Yeah, let's do it.

[00:49:38] We're almost trapped or eight. We're almost eight is legendary. Yeah, dude. I was just starting to realize it today. It's a lot of repetition. Yeah. I'll read some of this. But we need to hear it over and over. You know, it's one of those chapters.

[00:49:57] It's almost like Paul's like, I know you're not going to get this the first time. So very nice to hear that. So this is why I said that. So this is why I said that.

[00:50:05] And because they needed that back then and how much more do we need that now? But yeah, so chapter eight, I'll just go for a little while. Verse one, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

[00:50:20] You do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit, for the law of the spirit of life and Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, and that it was weak through the flesh.

[00:50:37] God did do. God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin. He condemned sin in the flesh at the righteous requirement of the law.

[00:50:49] It might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. For those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh.

[00:50:59] But those who live according to the spirit, the things of the spirit, where to be currently minded is death. But to be spiritually minded is life and peace. And isn't that what we're all about? Like don't we want peace? Isn't that really what we want?

[00:51:16] Life and peace or do we want the death and suffering? I mean, I'm just trying to, I'm just asking a question here. Because the current mind is enemy, again Scott, where it's not subject to the law of God nor indeed can be.

[00:51:33] So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed this spirit of God dwells in you, enough anyone does not have the spirit of Christ.

[00:51:45] He is not his, if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of the sin. But the spirit is life because of righteousness.

[00:51:56] But the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you.

[00:52:07] Therefore, brethren, we are deaders not to the flesh to live according to the flesh. Bre, if you live according to the flesh, you will die.

[00:52:19] But if by the spirit, you put the dead, the deeds of your body, you will live for as many are left by the spirit of God. These are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear.

[00:52:32] But you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, I'm a father. The spirit Himself, there is witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

[00:52:42] You know how you feel then, you feel that the spirit is like confirming your thoughts about those things, those heavenly things. And if children then errors, errors of God and joint errors with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him,

[00:52:58] then we may also be glorified together for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory, which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God,

[00:53:15] so creation is awaiting for us to be glorified. For the creation was subjected to futility not willingly because of Him who's subjected it in hope, because the creation is self also where we deliver from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

[00:53:36] So we know that the whole creation groans at labor with birthpings together until now, until now. That's for all stuff, but until now, basically saying, look, the sacrifice of Christ is just open as whole other door and creation is just like,

[00:53:54] finally, you know, the sons of God are going to bring about this second coming and God is going to make a new heaven and a new earth. You know, evil will finally be destroyed once in a row, you know, creation itself is crying out.

[00:54:14] And then suffering and inanimate planet, you know, is being given human characteristics here. Yeah, I mean Romans chapter 8, this is, I mean kind of a complex description, but this is the gospel. This is the good news of, of we have an opportunity to have eternal life.

[00:54:46] And if you're living by the flesh, you are not His. Like, God's a scary scary offensive thought. Gosh, there's so much that we could just dive into Romans chapter 8. I would read it forever if I had a chance.

[00:55:04] Yeah, hopefully I start doing that more on my personal time, but yeah, Jesus never changed his tune either. Paul's not changing anything Jesus said, Jesus said if you love me, oh, be my commandments. Yeah, and you can imagine some of the Jews were like, your commandments.

[00:55:20] And then they started to have their eyes open like, oh my gosh, he's a son of God. And the Pharisees used it as the main thing saying, bless me, saying, him and God are the same, his commandments.

[00:55:31] You know, these are not his commandments. These are the commandments of Moses. You know, our patriarch and even deem from God alone. Yeah, so that's great. So moral of the whole thing is there is a battle between the flesh and the spirit and the spirit contradicts.

[00:55:58] Or is the opposite of the flesh? My favorite part is for it says in verse 6, for to be currently minded as death, but to be spiritually minded as life and peace.

[00:56:13] Like that one hits me hard. I've heard it, you know, to be like I've heard it. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the spirit of life and peace too.

[00:56:26] So it's also, yeah, it's just, I mean, very focused on like our mind and what we think about and how we how we choose to do things is so important. It's life or death.

[00:56:42] That's why I think that connection with the Holy Spirit you feel that when you travel far away from him. You feel that dead. It's like a megaphone to your conscience. Yeah, so we know, especially believers, but good stuff, man. Amazing.

[00:57:06] Yeah, that's I think that's all we have for tonight. It's now we're running out of time, but that's all you. I advise you to read Romans 8 if you're listening.

[00:57:25] It's just over and over. Just like if there is anything that I could advise in the Christian life is to read about is to just read Romans 8 and just sit there and meditate on what Paul says in this and I mean,

[00:57:40] this is the gospel. I mean, this is the heart of the gospel, right?

[00:57:44] And so you know, he uses all his spirit to just show you the truth and all those words and I would bet they got will come through and it will be hard for us to deny most of those things and if it doesn't make any sense, do you let it go in one year or not the other but I think most people are too scared to be convicted by it.

[00:58:08] Because they know that they can't deny any of it. You know, if they come with an open heart and most people will read like a chapter or if he versus I mean that chapter was short too. That was almost done reading it by the time I read that.

[00:58:26] But then you would probably want to know the next chapter chapter 9 and things like that.

[00:58:33] And he's speaking to Gentiles, once who are not affiliated with the God of the Jews. He's starting to scratch. He's telling them this God that they need to know that they've heard about from the Jews this entire time, this sacrifice animals in the temple and they're crazy.

[00:58:50] Telling these pagan Greeks that they need to come all themselves and turn themselves to God under the under the covering of Christ who sacrifices his life as God in the flesh.

[00:59:04] And so I mean that whole book is basically like Paul saying here, here goes in the Holy Spirit took over and said tell him this, tell him this, tell him this. Yeah incredible. Cool. So we went over.

[00:59:24] Cleasy Astes. So we talked about Solomon how he pretty much achieved everything. His heart desired but he finds it meaningless and just unsatisfying. He fed his flesh at an incredible rate more than anybody has ever been ever had.

[00:59:46] And you know, his advice is fear God and keep his commandments and then we talked about the battle between the people. The battle between the flesh and the spirit and to set our minds on things of the spirit because that is life and peace.

[01:00:04] But setting our minds on the flesh of desires is death. So yeah, thank you guys. We love you. Thanks for tuning in tonight. This is number 48. I can't believe we're closing in on number 50. Which is incredible.

[01:00:28] Yeah, really, really cool. Thank you all for thank you for anybody who supported us who's you know message us email us. Support the band listens to our music. You can find us on Spotify and Apple music.

[01:00:46] But again, I wanted to reiterate that we we posted our episodes edited on Wednesdays and then but you can catch us live. Every Friday night like tonight on Facebook on our Facebook page at 7 p.m. Mount Standard Time.

[01:01:03] And just make sure you subscribe and follow us on YouTube on Instagram, Facebook wherever at finding an everland band and follow the podcast at finding an everland podcast.

[01:01:16] So yeah, thanks for joining us. Thanks for listening. We'll say a prayer like we always do and then we'll get out of here hope you guys have a good weekend. Yeah, I hope you guys enjoyed the show. Thanks for listening. Father, thank you so much for this evening.

[01:01:46] We just we just we love you. We just want to praise you for everything that you've been doing and in our lives and just. We're so blessed to have your word accessible to us and we just thank you so much for what you've put.

[01:02:06] And how you guide us with your word and just the your leadership. Father is is what we all need and we just thank you for this word and for realizing that. The world passes away, but your word stays firm and stays forever.

[01:02:28] That anything that you do as Solomon said is forever. Thank you for that. Thank you that you are faithful. Thank you that you are consistent. Thank you that you are always with us. Your character never changes.

[01:02:44] And we just I just want to I just feel like I just want to pray and praise you just for your word and how it just never changes.

[01:02:51] And that you are always you're always with us and you are always guiding us and leading us and helping us through these difficult times. God, I pray that anybody listening. We'll hopefully will be convicted that worldly passions and worldly desires are our meaningless like Solomon found out.

[01:03:19] And that you are the answer that you are your Jesus is what our heart is desiring and what our. What we need on a daily basis. Nothing else will satisfy us. So God, we just love you. We lift you up tonight.

[01:03:38] We praise you. Thank you for this show. Thank you for anybody listening. I pray for healing. Pray for physical healing. Anybody who might need that tonight. God hopefully. I just pray that somebody heard this word tonight is convicted and is God.

[01:03:56] We just we just pray that you invade their heart. Show them the right way. Thank you again for your word and your love. I pray all these things in the name. The name that is above all names Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Thanks guys. Appreciate you all listening.

[01:04:23] Luke as always it's a pleasure man. We'll see you guys next week for episode. Was it 49 or almost a 50. Get in there man. Yeah. So we love you. Thanks for listening. Make sure you subscribe to us.

[01:04:46] We're always open to messages and prayer requests and check out our music on Spotify. So love you guys. We will see you next week. Love you guys. Thank you. Peace. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Finding Neverland podcast.

[01:05:09] We pray that you were challenged, encouraged and uplifted as we seek to establish the kingdom of heaven. If you are impacted by our band or if you would like to partner with finding Neverland, please email us at finding Neverland Band. Then the number 7 at Gmail.com