WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.759 Take out your message notes. We're in a series on 2 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:05.719 the ten Great Tests of life, and we've been looking 3 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:08.880 at the life of Daniel, who lived about twenty five 4 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:11.400 hundred years ago. At fifteen years of age, he was 5 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:13.800 taken as a prisoner of war to the Babylonian Empire 6 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:16.920 with about twenty five percent of the Jewish nation. But 7 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:19.920 there he just continued to pass every test of life, 8 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:23.879 and when he was eighty five, seventy years later, he 9 00:00:23.960 --> 00:00:26.679 is the second most powerful man in the most powerful 10 00:00:26.679 --> 00:00:28.920 empire in the world. Now we don't have time to 11 00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:32.000 review all of what's happened. But in Daniel chapter five, 12 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:36.039 where we are now King Nebekonezar, who was the most 13 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:40.079 famous king Babylonian king, built the great hanging Walls of Babylon. 14 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:45.200 He's died and he reigned for forty five years. And 15 00:00:45.240 --> 00:00:48.240 now his grandson, a guy named bel Shazar, is the king. 16 00:00:49.079 --> 00:00:53.079 Bel Shazar was a terrible leader, an absolute terrible leader. 17 00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:56.759 He was a party boy. He was a spoiled royal brat, 18 00:00:57.560 --> 00:01:00.399 and all he liked to do is drink party with 19 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:03.799 his friends. And so, sensing weakness, I'm setting up where 20 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:07.400 we're going. The two biggest enemies at that time, the 21 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:10.280 Meads and the Persians joined together, Darius the Mead and 22 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:14.560 Cyrus the Great, and they came to besiege this great 23 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:17.280 walled city of Babylon. Now it's pretty safe city. You 24 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:19.400 were fraid. These river runs through it. It's got walls 25 00:01:19.400 --> 00:01:23.599 fifty to eighty feet in depth. It's a pretty fortified city. 26 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:26.760 But at this moment that we're going to look at 27 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:31.079 this weekend, these two armies are camped around the city 28 00:01:31.079 --> 00:01:37.560 of Babylon waiting to attack. And Belshazzar the King, this 29 00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:41.000 young kid, he's not worried about it. He's over confident. 30 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:43.560 And so what does the party boy do when he's 31 00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:47.560 under attack. He throws a party. And in this chapter 32 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:50.480 he invites a thousand of his friends to the royal palace, 33 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:54.439 and he has and they all get drunk. They all 34 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:58.000 get drunk. They're having a really fun time. And then 35 00:01:58.040 --> 00:02:02.439 the king gets a very bad idea. And here's what 36 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:05.079 he says. He says, and he's drunk. He said, hey, 37 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:08.439 you guys, when my grandfather was the Emperor of Babylon, 38 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:12.639 and when we sacked Jerusalem and destroyed it and took 39 00:02:12.680 --> 00:02:18.120 over Israel, he said, we stole all of the temple utensils, 40 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:21.520 all of the goblets and all that stuff, and it's 41 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:24.360 been in storage here in Babylon now for forty five years. 42 00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:27.000 He says, how about this, Let's get out the temple 43 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:31.759 goblets and we're gonna drink in them and toast our 44 00:02:31.800 --> 00:02:37.840 pagan gods. Bad idea, bad idea. This is called being sacrilegious, 45 00:02:38.439 --> 00:02:41.800 and it's making fun of somebody else's religion. It's taking 46 00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:46.479 something that is created to honor God and instead misusing 47 00:02:46.520 --> 00:02:50.159 it to dishonor God. And you turn something sacred into 48 00:02:50.199 --> 00:02:55.159 something profane. And let's look at this story and then 49 00:02:55.159 --> 00:02:57.280 we're gonna draw some lessons out of it. Okay, here's 50 00:02:57.280 --> 00:03:00.199 what it says. In the Bible Daniel, chapter five. King 51 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:03.120 Belshazer gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles, 52 00:03:03.159 --> 00:03:05.800 and they all got drunk. When bel Shazer was drinking 53 00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:07.840 his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold 54 00:03:07.879 --> 00:03:12.319 and silver goblets that Nevakandezer, his predecessor, had taken from 55 00:03:12.360 --> 00:03:15.360 the Temple of God in Jerusalem. Now, he thought it'd 56 00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:19.479 be fun to drink using these goblets intended to worship God. 57 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:23.199 And so it says, so they did. They used the cups, 58 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:28.520 laughing and making toast all the pagan gods and idols. Now, suddenly, 59 00:03:28.520 --> 00:03:33.639 it says, a finger of a human hand appeared in 60 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:38.599 the Royal Banquet Hall and began writing supernaturally, writing on 61 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:42.520 the plaster walls of the Royal Palace and the king, 62 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:46.599 it says, and all the guests watched this hand as 63 00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:50.039 it wrote. Now, now this is a hand without a body. Okay, 64 00:03:50.280 --> 00:03:54.599 anybody remember the thing in the Adams family. I don't 65 00:03:54.599 --> 00:03:56.599 know if thing was around then, but you know he 66 00:03:56.639 --> 00:03:59.840 could have. You know, he was detached. It certainly was 67 00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:03.400 one of those giant foam fingers that have the angel game. 68 00:04:03.479 --> 00:04:06.360 You know, we're number one, But evidently this is a 69 00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:09.240 kind of a freaky Friday thing. A hand shows up 70 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:12.919 and it starts writing on the wall. By the way, 71 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:15.759 have you ever heard the expression the handwriting is on 72 00:04:15.800 --> 00:04:20.839 the wall. It's from this story twenty five hundred years ago, 73 00:04:21.279 --> 00:04:24.040 this idiom that we use now the handwriting is on 74 00:04:24.079 --> 00:04:28.199 the wall, which means that's a warning bad news is coming. 75 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:31.000 You're about to get fired. The handwriting is on the wall. 76 00:04:31.480 --> 00:04:33.439 Anytime you use the handwriting is on the wall. It's 77 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:37.199 from this story in the Bible, and I could give 78 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:41.360 you four or five hundred other phrases, expressions, and idioms 79 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:43.920 that actually came out of Bible stories. The handwriting on 80 00:04:43.959 --> 00:04:47.319 the wall is referring to the fact that Belle Shazer 81 00:04:47.399 --> 00:04:48.920 is going to be warn he's going to die that 82 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:52.560 night because he has been sacrilegious and he's disrupted a 83 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:59.079 god and he hasn't been humble. Now, this is a warning, 84 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:01.040 but this is the origin of it. Now, in verse six, 85 00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:04.439 it says this, when the king saw this, this hand 86 00:05:04.519 --> 00:05:07.279 writing on the wall, it scared him to death. Well, 87 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:11.680 I guess so, said. His face turned pale, and he 88 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:15.000 was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his 89 00:05:15.120 --> 00:05:18.920 hips gave way. Now I love this last phrase, his 90 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:21.519 hips gave way. That's just a polite ways saying he 91 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:28.240 soiled his pants. He was moved, if you get my drift. Okay, Okay, 92 00:05:28.839 --> 00:05:31.439 the guy got diarrhea. Now I don't know about this one, 93 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:33.759 but it might that may be the source of expression. 94 00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:39.160 It scared the who out of him. Okay, but that's 95 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:43.759 exactly what happened to this game. He just messes himself. Now, 96 00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:48.199 a thousand guests see this handwriting on the wall. Nobody 97 00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:50.959 can read it, nobody understands it, nobody can interpret it. 98 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:54.560 So they call for this guy, Daniel, who's been serving now, 99 00:05:55.160 --> 00:05:57.680 first as a prisoner war, then his interne he gets 100 00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:01.560 and now he's an administrator and he's moved up. And 101 00:06:01.639 --> 00:06:04.240 by this point Daniel, in his life, has developed a 102 00:06:04.279 --> 00:06:08.480 reputation for being the smartest guy in the empire. He's 103 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:12.079 the best educated, he's the wisest man in the empire. 104 00:06:12.279 --> 00:06:14.879 And he Daniel is the go to guy when you 105 00:06:14.879 --> 00:06:18.279 don't know what to do, when you don't understand it, 106 00:06:18.279 --> 00:06:22.120 when there's a mystery that needs to be unraveled, you 107 00:06:22.160 --> 00:06:25.839 couldn't explain something, you call on Daniel. So they call 108 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:30.199 on Daniel and he comes to the banquet hall, and 109 00:06:30.600 --> 00:06:35.160 Daniel reads the message and he translates it and he 110 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:37.519 interprets it. Now here's what the message was, Daniel five 111 00:06:37.639 --> 00:06:41.079 twenty five. Now this is the message of the handwriting 112 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:46.160 on the wall, men named Minnate Tekel Parson. Well, nobody 113 00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:51.680 understood that because that happens to be ara Make. It's 114 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:54.759 the only ara make phrase in the entire Hebrew Scriptures, 115 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:57.160 the Old Testament. Everything else is written in Hebrew. This 116 00:06:57.199 --> 00:06:59.240 is the only phrase in the entire Bible, in the 117 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:02.720 Old Testament written in Aramic, which by the way, was 118 00:07:02.759 --> 00:07:08.600 the language that Jesus spoke. Now he not only reads it, 119 00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:12.519 he translates it, and then he Daniel interprets it and 120 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:16.959 he says, okay, King, He said, man eight means numbered, 121 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:21.079 and it means your days are numbered. God has numbered 122 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:23.800 the days of your reign, and they're going to end. 123 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:27.040 Your time's up. Your number has been pulled. He said, 124 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:31.439 Tikel means weighed, wade, weighed in the balance like an 125 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:34.120 a scale. He says, you've been weighed on the scales 126 00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:37.600 of God and you have not measured up. And then 127 00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:42.759 he says, parson means divided, and he says, your kingdom 128 00:07:42.839 --> 00:07:45.279 is going to be divided tonight between the kings and 129 00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:47.800 the Persians, and you're going to die. And the word 130 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:51.959 parson to a Hebrew mind or Chaldean mind, it's a 131 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:55.519 play on words. It's parson and Persian sound real similar. 132 00:07:56.240 --> 00:08:01.040 Now this is not exactly good news in your kingdom, 133 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:07.160 and you're gonna die tonight. But Daniel, because he always 134 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:09.279 does the right thing, he gets promoted again. Look at 135 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:12.199 this next verse. On the screen. It says, then the 136 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:16.800 king commanded. King Belshazzar commanded that a royal road be 137 00:08:16.839 --> 00:08:20.319 put on Daniel and a gold chain was put around 138 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:23.680 his neck because he had interpreted this, and the king 139 00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:27.240 named Daniel to be the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 140 00:08:27.319 --> 00:08:29.879 It's another promotion. Those of you been studying this with us 141 00:08:29.959 --> 00:08:34.000 for seven weeks. Now, okay, he's the third ash ruling kingdom. 142 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:39.240 But that very night bel Shazar was slain and Darius 143 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:41.559 the Mead took over his kingdom at the age of 144 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:44.919 sixty two. Archaeology now tells us how they actually invaded. 145 00:08:44.919 --> 00:08:46.840 They didn't try to tear the walls down. What they 146 00:08:46.840 --> 00:08:50.440 did is the Euphrates river ran through the city under 147 00:08:50.440 --> 00:08:55.240 the walls. They actually diverted the river and the water 148 00:08:55.279 --> 00:08:58.399 went down low enough that they could crawl under the 149 00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:02.679 wall and they came in. And this is a historical fact. 150 00:09:02.919 --> 00:09:06.960 That the Means and the Persians then took over from 151 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:10.240 Belshazar that night. He only had a two year reign. Now, 152 00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:11.879 there are a lot of lessons in this chapter we 153 00:09:11.879 --> 00:09:14.919 could look at. I debated which way to go, like 154 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:18.440 how to not lose a kingdom. The principles are in here. 155 00:09:18.519 --> 00:09:21.320 But what I want to focus on is why they 156 00:09:21.360 --> 00:09:25.960 called Daniel for the crisis when they didn't know what 157 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:27.480 to do, they didn't know where to turn. There are 158 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:30.039 a lot of crisis in the world. We need Daniels today. 159 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:33.440 We need women and men who can go This is 160 00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:37.559 what this means. This is what this means. We see 161 00:09:37.559 --> 00:09:40.919 this out here, this is what this means. And as 162 00:09:40.960 --> 00:09:43.720 I said, Daniel had developed this reputation as being the 163 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:47.240 go to guy because he was the wisest man in 164 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:51.600 the empire. In fact, let's go back and let me 165 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:53.720 show you what the Queen and the King said about 166 00:09:53.720 --> 00:09:56.440 this guy here on the screen. The queen said this, 167 00:09:56.440 --> 00:10:01.039 this man Daniel has a sharp mind, and he's filled 168 00:10:01.039 --> 00:10:05.440 with knowledge and understanding, and he can interpret dreams. He 169 00:10:05.480 --> 00:10:09.360 can explain the meaning of mysteries being solved difficult problems. 170 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:12.559 So call for Daniel and he'll tell you what it means. 171 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:15.720 And so they put out the call, SOS, bring Daniel in, 172 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:18.919 And when he gets into the banquet hall, this is 173 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:21.879 what the king said the next verse. I have heard 174 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:25.399 Daniel that the spirit of God is in you, that 175 00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:31.320 you possess brilliant knowledge and extraordinary wisdom, that incredible reputation. 176 00:10:32.759 --> 00:10:35.399 I mean, think about that. Note those three things. He says, 177 00:10:35.679 --> 00:10:39.840 You've got God's spirit in you. You are You're brilliant 178 00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:43.120 in your knowledge, and you're extraordinary in your wisdom. Wouldn't 179 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:47.320 you like to have people say that about you? Yeah, well, 180 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:50.519 if you would, you picked a good weekend to come 181 00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:53.519 to church, because that's what we're going to look at. 182 00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:58.480 How do you become wise? Like Daniel? God used this guy, 183 00:10:58.679 --> 00:11:03.559 Daniel because he was wise. But wisdom is a choice, 184 00:11:04.120 --> 00:11:08.200 and you can choose to become wise through learning and 185 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:12.120 through study and dedication and prayer. And the Bible's got 186 00:11:12.159 --> 00:11:15.919 a lot to say about wisdom and learning. We could 187 00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:18.679 spend an entire six months on this one, but let 188 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:20.399 me just show you one verse. Here's the verse up 189 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:22.879 here on the screen. Proverbs chapter four, which is, by 190 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:25.159 the way, the Book of Wisdom in the Bible, says 191 00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:30.600 this verse thirteen, Always remember what you have learned. Your 192 00:11:30.759 --> 00:11:36.159 education is your life, so guard it well. Your education 193 00:11:36.440 --> 00:11:38.440 is your life, so guard it well. 194 00:11:51.799 --> 00:11:54.200 If you want to live a life full of purpose 195 00:11:54.320 --> 00:11:57.840 and joy, then you need to transform the way you think. 196 00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:01.080 And to help you do this, mister Rick created a 197 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:04.519 brand new set of scripture cards with fifty two hand 198 00:12:04.559 --> 00:12:10.039 selected verses from his series Rethinking Your Life. These verses 199 00:12:10.080 --> 00:12:13.440 will guide you into a deeper understanding of your purpose 200 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:16.879 and faith, and you'll find yourself gaining the strength to 201 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:22.039 overcome temptation and conquer discouragement. When you allow God's word 202 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:25.799 to transform your mind, you'll see your life through his eyes, 203 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:29.840 apply his wisdom, and step into a life of purpose 204 00:12:29.960 --> 00:12:33.759 and joy. This set of beautifully designed cards will help 205 00:12:33.799 --> 00:12:37.279 you memorize scripture so you can recall God's word when 206 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:40.720 you need it the most. And today, when you give 207 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:43.360 a gift to help daily hope, take the hope of 208 00:12:43.480 --> 00:12:46.559 Jesus to a world in need. Will send you the 209 00:12:46.679 --> 00:12:50.200 Rethinking your Life scripture card set to say thanks. 210 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:01.399 Let's look at what God says with the five ways 211 00:13:01.720 --> 00:13:05.600 to become wise in life, everybody, there's benefits to love, 212 00:13:05.879 --> 00:13:08.720 there's benefits to wisdom, and when you do the things 213 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:10.360 God says to do, you're going to just become a 214 00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:12.200 wiser person. All right, let's look at them. The first 215 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:16.000 thing the Bible says is this, make a commitment to 216 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:23.559 never stop learning. Make a commitment to never stop learning. 217 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:27.200 Now it all starts with a choice, and nobody can 218 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:29.200 decide for you. You've got to make this choice yourself. 219 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:31.919 You have to realize how important learning is for the 220 00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:36.440 rest of your life. Proverbs twenty three, verse twelve, and 221 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:39.840 the Bible says this, commit yourself. That's making a commitment. 222 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:45.000 Commit yourself to instruction and tune in your ears to 223 00:13:45.159 --> 00:13:50.679 hear the words of knowledge. Now your education. You know 224 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:55.320 this does not stop when you graduate. I've actually heard 225 00:13:55.320 --> 00:13:58.440 people say, well, I'm glad I finished my education, so 226 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:02.440 now I can start my career. I want to go, buddy, 227 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:05.720 You're never gonna finish your education. Tell that one to 228 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:08.399 God and he'll laugh at you. The rest of your 229 00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:10.399 life you're gonna be in education mode. There are a 230 00:14:10.440 --> 00:14:12.279 lot of things God wants to teach you that you 231 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:17.360 have not learned yet. Learning is not a stage of life. 232 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:23.039 Learning is your life. Learning is your lifestyle. And God 233 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:26.480 wants you to learn something every day, and so he says, 234 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:31.120 commit yourself to instruction. Commit yourself, make a commitment you 235 00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:34.399 never stop learning. What new skill are you working on 236 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:38.559 right now that you didn't have last year? What new 237 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:41.000 skill next year you're gonna work on that you don't have? Today, 238 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:43.440 are you going to be any different? You're gonna be better, 239 00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:45.440 You're gonna be any stronger, You're gonna know more, You're 240 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:50.600 gonna be wiser. You make the commitment because you're never 241 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:56.440 finished with your education and lifelong learning is actually the 242 00:14:56.519 --> 00:15:02.279 key to being a leader. All leaders are. The moment 243 00:15:02.360 --> 00:15:06.559 you stop learning, you stop leading. You can never take 244 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:10.320 a person any farther than you are yourself. And so, 245 00:15:10.360 --> 00:15:13.200 for instance, a church, a growing church requires a growing pastor. 246 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:17.399 In business, a growing business requires a growing businessman. In 247 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:21.519 the classroom, it requires a growing teacher. In any area 248 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:25.799 of life, all leaders are learners. If you're not learning, 249 00:15:25.919 --> 00:15:28.600 you're not a leader because you've got to keep moving 250 00:15:28.679 --> 00:15:33.480 further and further ahead. As I said, it's not a stage. Now, 251 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:36.879 why should you never stop learning? Because it's in your 252 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:40.679 best interest. I could give you forty fifty things that 253 00:15:40.759 --> 00:15:43.000 the Bible says learning does in your life. Let me 254 00:15:43.039 --> 00:15:47.639 just mention a couple. It brings success, and it brings profit. 255 00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:50.399 Success and profit. You want those in your life, then 256 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:53.240 you need to be a continuous learning person. The more 257 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:55.720 you learn, the more you earn, the more you grow, 258 00:15:55.799 --> 00:15:58.639 the more you become effective in life. Let me show 259 00:15:58.639 --> 00:16:00.440 you a couple verses. One of them is he's asked, 260 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:04.720 he's nineteen ten ten. This is one of my life versus. 261 00:16:04.840 --> 00:16:06.600 I memorized it early in life, and it says this, 262 00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:09.919 If an axe is dull and its edges unsharpened, more 263 00:16:09.960 --> 00:16:16.039 strength is needed. But skill will bring success. Now it says, 264 00:16:16.039 --> 00:16:18.399 if you've got to axe and you're chopping wood, if 265 00:16:18.440 --> 00:16:21.320 the if the blade is dull, obviously it takes a 266 00:16:21.320 --> 00:16:23.639 lot more energy to chop the wood. If it's if 267 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:28.360 your axe is sharp, which represents skill, then then it 268 00:16:28.519 --> 00:16:31.799 doesn't take as much effort. He's simply saying, here, work smarter, 269 00:16:32.600 --> 00:16:37.960 not harder. Work smarter, not harder. You're never wasting your time. 270 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:41.120 When you're sharpening your axe. Right now, when you come 271 00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:44.679 to church, you're sharpening your axs. You're spiritually sharpening your 272 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:47.279 axe to be more effective in the world. When you 273 00:16:47.320 --> 00:16:49.519 take a seminar, when you read a book, you're sharpening 274 00:16:49.559 --> 00:16:54.080 your axe. And the Bible says that skill will bring success. 275 00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:58.480 Notice it didn't say desire, it didn't say it didn't 276 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:05.440 say okay. It says skill will bring success. And you 277 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:07.119 can pray all you want, and you can have all 278 00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:09.279 the desire all you want, and you can write down 279 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:11.000 all your dreams all you want, but if you don't 280 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:14.319 have the skill, you're not going to be as successful 281 00:17:14.319 --> 00:17:17.359 as you could be. I know a lot of people 282 00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:20.720 have who desire to be a success. They desire to grow, 283 00:17:20.759 --> 00:17:23.759 they desire to be effective, they desire, but they're not 284 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:28.319 willing to learn the skills. Go back to school and 285 00:17:28.359 --> 00:17:31.000 get a new skill or whatever skill the Bible says 286 00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:34.519 will bring success. And not only that, the Bible says 287 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:36.880 it brings profit. Look at this verse on your screen. 288 00:17:37.640 --> 00:17:40.839 The Bible says in Proverbs nineteen, verse eight, do yourself 289 00:17:40.839 --> 00:17:43.799 a favor. Let me see it's self serving really to 290 00:17:44.279 --> 00:17:47.319 grow in wisdom. Do yourself a favor and learn all 291 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:50.240 you can. Then remember what you learn, and you will 292 00:17:50.279 --> 00:17:55.559 what prosper. Okay, you'll have a better life if you 293 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:58.960 the more you learn, you'll just have a better life. 294 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:02.079 Now here's what I've done discovered. I've talked to tens 295 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:05.279 of thousands of people in one hundred and sixty four countries, 296 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:08.319 and what I've learned is this, you can learn from 297 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:13.319 anybody if you know the right question. I could if 298 00:18:13.319 --> 00:18:15.079 you give me five minutes with you, I can get 299 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:17.039 you to teach me something because you know things I 300 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:21.480 don't know. I know some things you don't know, and 301 00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:23.400 the person sitting next to you knows some things that 302 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:26.880 neither you nor I know. That's why we need each other. 303 00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:32.640 That's why it takes humility to be wise. Humility asks questions. 304 00:18:32.680 --> 00:18:34.559 Pride says, oh, I don't want ask question because it 305 00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:37.240 look like I'm dumb. There are no dumb questions in life. 306 00:18:37.640 --> 00:18:41.160 The dumb thing is not to ask a question. And 307 00:18:41.240 --> 00:18:45.240 so in humility, you'll actually learn more because you ask questions. 308 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:47.359 His verse in the Bible, it says, counsel in the 309 00:18:47.359 --> 00:18:50.000 heart of man is like a deep well, but a 310 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:52.960 man of understanding will draw it out. Daniel was a 311 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:55.160 man of understanding. How do you draw it out of 312 00:18:55.160 --> 00:18:58.599 people by asking questions? You might want to sit down 313 00:18:58.599 --> 00:18:59.839 and make a little list and keep it in your 314 00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:03.359 way your purse. Every time you sit around with somebody 315 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:05.720 who you think maybe they could teach me something, take 316 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:10.559 advantage of it. Whenever I meet a stranger and I've 317 00:19:10.599 --> 00:19:12.720 got a period of time I'm sitting on a plane 318 00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:15.240 with them or whatever happen to be waiting, and we 319 00:19:15.279 --> 00:19:18.640 start talking, I have two questions on back of my mind. 320 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:20.680 One of the first is how can I help them? 321 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:22.920 How can I serve them? Is there anything I could do? 322 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:25.480 Maybe they need an encouragement. Is there anything I could 323 00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:29.240 assist them in? Because we're here to serve. And then 324 00:19:29.240 --> 00:19:31.440 the second question is what do they know that I 325 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:35.160 don't know? And I'll start asking a few questions, probe, probing, 326 00:19:35.160 --> 00:19:36.480 and I go, well, I don't know anything about that, 327 00:19:36.559 --> 00:19:39.920 and I'll ask about it. And that way anybody can 328 00:19:39.960 --> 00:19:43.440 teach you something. But the secret is you have to 329 00:19:43.480 --> 00:19:46.759 pay attention. Look at this verse on the screen, Proverbs 330 00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:50.759 twenty three to twelve. Pay attention to your teacher and learn. 331 00:19:50.839 --> 00:19:54.559 All you can point is pay attention. And if the 332 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:57.559 more you pay attention, that's part of the commitment to 333 00:19:57.599 --> 00:20:00.160 never stop learning. All right, here's the second key that 334 00:20:00.200 --> 00:20:04.200 the Bible tells us to be wise. Learn the lessons 335 00:20:04.720 --> 00:20:10.640 of the prior generation. Learn the lessons of the prior generation. 336 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:13.759 And the whole reason I wanted to talk about this 337 00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:17.359 is because this was the mistake that this king Belshazer made. 338 00:20:17.480 --> 00:20:19.519 He could have learned the lessons that would have prevented 339 00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:22.759 his kingdom from being overthrown because his grandfather had made 340 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:25.799 all these mistakes, but he didn't listen, he didn't learn, 341 00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:28.920 and as a result, he lost it all. You learned 342 00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:32.359 the lessons of the prior generation. Actually, this concept is 343 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:36.359 something that God commands us to do. Let me give 344 00:20:36.359 --> 00:20:38.039 you an example of it in the Bible, in the 345 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:42.000 Book of Job, chapter eight, verse eight, verse nine, it 346 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:47.000 says this, ask the former generations and find out what 347 00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:51.240 their fathers learned. For we were born only yesterday and 348 00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:54.119 we know so little. He says, I want you to 349 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:56.440 go out and ask the former generations. You need to 350 00:20:56.519 --> 00:21:01.200 learn the lessons of people who came before you, he said. 351 00:21:01.240 --> 00:21:04.880 If you don't, you're being prideful. If you're humble, you 352 00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:09.039 will learn. Now what does that mean in your life? 353 00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:10.559 If you're going to be wise, you're going to need 354 00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:12.240 four kinds of people. I want you to write these down. 355 00:21:12.279 --> 00:21:15.359 There are four relationships you need to become wise. You 356 00:21:15.400 --> 00:21:18.400 need mentors, models, partners, and friends. This is not on 357 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:23.200 your outline. Just write it down in the corner. Mentors, models, partners, 358 00:21:23.359 --> 00:21:25.480 and friends. If you're going to be all that God 359 00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:27.119 wants you to be in life, if you're going to 360 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:30.079 succeed the way God intends for you to succeed, you're 361 00:21:30.079 --> 00:21:34.599 going to need mentors, models, partners, and friends, and these 362 00:21:34.640 --> 00:21:37.720 will help you from lessons from the past. First you 363 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:44.319 need mentors. Now. Mentors are your coaches. They're the people 364 00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:48.279 who help you along in life. In my life, I've 365 00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:52.559 had nine different mentors. Why because nobody can teach you everything, 366 00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:55.960 So you don't need one mentor for your life. You 367 00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:57.920 need somebody who teaches you this. You need somebody else 368 00:21:57.960 --> 00:21:59.640 over here who teaches you this, and somebody else who 369 00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:02.519 teach over this and this. Nine mentors in my life. 370 00:22:02.519 --> 00:22:04.640 Only one of them still living. His name's Billy Graham. 371 00:22:05.799 --> 00:22:09.119 Then he's ninety six. Some of my mentors were famous, 372 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:12.000 but some of them were just normal. You would never 373 00:22:12.079 --> 00:22:14.759 even know who they were. Probably the most famous mentor 374 00:22:14.839 --> 00:22:20.400 I had was Peter Drucker. Peter Druckcker was the father 375 00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:24.880 of modern management, pretty much invented the modern corporation, and 376 00:22:25.079 --> 00:22:27.200 for the last twenty years of his life, I would 377 00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:29.599 go to his home and he mentored me from age 378 00:22:29.640 --> 00:22:33.400 seventy five to ninety five and died at ninety six, 379 00:22:34.279 --> 00:22:37.119 and taught me stuff that I didn't know about. How 380 00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:42.519 do you organize a very large you know, complex system. 381 00:22:43.799 --> 00:22:45.799 So you need mentors in your life. Second thing you 382 00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:49.359 need is you need models. Now models are they're already 383 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:52.319 doing what you want to do with your life. We 384 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:55.799 learn fastest by model everything. You learned, all these skills 385 00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:58.200 in your life by other people modeling it for you, 386 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:03.079 like how to talk. So you need models in your life. 387 00:23:03.240 --> 00:23:04.720 I want to recommend, if you're going to have a 388 00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:09.440 model for your life, that they be dead, and say why, 389 00:23:09.640 --> 00:23:12.079 because the jury is still out on people who are alive. 390 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:16.920 The jury's still out on me, on you and everybody else. 391 00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:20.079 And some people start off well, but they don't end well. 392 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:22.920 And so you might want to choose a model from 393 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:25.680 history because then you can see their life from beginning 394 00:23:25.680 --> 00:23:27.640 to end. You can see the arcs in the ups 395 00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:30.480 and the downs, highs and those the problems and the pitfalls. 396 00:23:31.720 --> 00:23:34.319 But you don't want to choose as a model somebody 397 00:23:34.319 --> 00:23:37.480 who you think, Wow, that's my model, and a few 398 00:23:37.519 --> 00:23:40.920 years from now they really crack up and burn out. 399 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:44.079 And you've bring climbing this ladder of success and you 400 00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:46.079 get to the top and you realize it's leaning against 401 00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:49.880