1 00:00:04,719 --> 00:00:09,779 Greetings. This is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church 2 00:00:09,779 --> 00:00:15,039 with a moment of truth where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and 3 00:00:15,039 --> 00:00:24,199 faith. Today, I would like to dedicate a portion of scripture to those who are laboring in 4 00:00:24,199 --> 00:00:34,020 President Trump's new administration, especially to the now departed General Flynn. And I admire 5 00:00:34,020 --> 00:00:40,439 him very much, and I would like to dedicate this sermon to him. But before I do, I would 6 00:00:40,439 --> 00:00:48,560 like to invite you to a fellowship spaghetti dinner at our church. We have appreciated your 7 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:53,859 listeners so much over the years, and I've come to meet many of you in our community as 8 00:00:53,859 --> 00:01:00,280 I move about the city, Idaho Falls, and many of you have visited our church, too, our church 9 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:05,260 services, and so forth. But there's still many more to meet. And so what we have decided 10 00:01:05,260 --> 00:01:11,459 to do this year is, on the last Wednesday of every month, hold a fellowship spaghetti dinner 11 00:01:11,459 --> 00:01:18,459 and invite our listeners, radio listeners in particular, to it. It will be at 5 o'clock. 12 00:01:18,700 --> 00:01:25,879 This first one will be at 5 p.m. at our church in our fellowship hall, 101 4th Street on the 13 00:01:25,879 --> 00:01:33,079 corner of 4th and Boulevard. On the 22nd, that is February 22nd, will be our first spaghetti 14 00:01:33,079 --> 00:01:37,019 fellowship dinner. Looking forward to this. What we'd like you to do, though, is give 15 00:01:37,019 --> 00:01:43,319 us a call. You can even call us the day of, but we would like you to call ahead and let 16 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:47,219 us know that you'll be there so we know how much spaghetti to cook. We don't want to be 17 00:01:47,219 --> 00:01:52,340 sitting there stuffed. I'm going to gain weight like crazy if we just eat all the spaghetti 18 00:01:52,340 --> 00:01:57,079 that we prepare and nobody shows up. So please give us a call, and we look forward to meeting 19 00:01:57,079 --> 00:02:05,519 you. Now, back to my sermon dedicated to General Flynn, the security advisor who was recently let 20 00:02:05,519 --> 00:02:11,000 go under false pretenses, I think. And it's a shame that he's gone, but I would like to 21 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:16,639 read a parable about him because he did indeed serve us very well as a general. He, in fact, 22 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:25,360 resisted President Obama when he wanted to attack Syria on behalf of ISIS, of all things. And he 23 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:31,560 resisted President Obama, and President Obama eventually cycled him out when he was head of 24 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:37,800 the army. But this parable, then, is dedicated to him. This is from Ecclesiastes chapter 9. 25 00:02:38,139 --> 00:02:46,620 Koheleth, the wisdom king. Solomon, none other than. And Koheleth is the preacher in Ecclesiastes. 26 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:53,400 And he tells this parable of a hero. I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, 27 00:02:53,580 --> 00:02:59,120 and it seemed great to me, says Koheleth, the preacher. This is from Ecclesiastes chapter 9, 28 00:02:59,180 --> 00:03:04,419 if you want to open your Bible to it. Ecclesiastes chapter 9, beginning at verse 13, 29 00:03:05,219 --> 00:03:12,719 where Solomon says, I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. 30 00:03:12,719 --> 00:03:18,620 There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, 31 00:03:18,759 --> 00:03:24,520 building a great siege works against it. But there was found in it a poor wise man, 32 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:31,979 and he, by his wisdom, delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. But I say that wisdom 33 00:03:31,979 --> 00:03:37,639 is better than might, though the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. His words 34 00:03:37,639 --> 00:03:43,139 are not heard. The words of the wise man who delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that 35 00:03:43,139 --> 00:03:48,300 poor man. There are some points I want to make with you. From this text, we'll be reading a little 36 00:03:48,300 --> 00:03:54,719 more from Ecclesiastes and applying it to our present day, too, as we go along. But for now, 37 00:03:55,099 --> 00:03:58,379 let me make this point from chapter 9, verses 13 to 16. 38 00:03:58,379 --> 00:04:12,620 Do you hear this, General Flynn? When in service to a government official, do not expect appreciation 39 00:04:12,620 --> 00:04:20,000 for sacrificial service. What a creative and enigmatic parable of our day, the one I just read 40 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:26,480 for you. It is for Solomon a metaphor, a trophy, an example, if you will, of wisdom under the sun, 41 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:32,800 as he puts it. This is a phrase for what is observable in our experiential world, what is 42 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:39,519 true in a philosophical world apart from biblical wisdom. It seemed great to Solomon, to the preacher, 43 00:04:39,860 --> 00:04:47,360 to Koheleth, because of its universal application across human experience. Against all odds, too, 44 00:04:47,459 --> 00:04:54,980 here, wisdom prevails. That which is small, a little city composed of few men and a poor wise man, 45 00:04:54,980 --> 00:05:02,019 and that which is great, a great king, many mighty siege works, and a foolish shouting king. 46 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:09,100 What is the crucial difference here? It is wisdom versus folly. In the actual outworking of redemptive 47 00:05:09,100 --> 00:05:14,720 history, the city was saved by the poor wise man, not because he was poor, the virtue of a Marxist and 48 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:20,500 socialist in modern society. It's a virtue to be poor, isn't it? No, but because this poor man was 49 00:05:20,500 --> 00:05:26,579 biblically wise. We are not told the precise modus operandi by which this wise man saved the city. 50 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:31,860 Did he negotiate favorably, cleverly with his enemy? Did he develop a secret weapon with which 51 00:05:31,860 --> 00:05:35,579 he threatened the beseechers? Did he make his city appear stronger than they really were? 52 00:05:36,959 --> 00:05:42,019 They don't tell us these things, but that only by his wisdom he saved the city. 53 00:05:42,019 --> 00:05:50,819 This he did by his chokhmah, Hebrew for wisdom. Now, a great deal of energy has been expended by 54 00:05:50,819 --> 00:05:58,000 scholars trying to identify the precise historical reference to this. Was it, for example, Archimedes, 55 00:05:58,639 --> 00:06:03,399 the Archimedes' saving of Syracuse from the Romans by sinking their ships in 212 BC? 56 00:06:04,399 --> 00:06:11,660 Was it the deliverance of Thebes in Judges chapter 9? We don't know. None of them quite fit the 57 00:06:11,660 --> 00:06:16,699 circumstance here, however. But as perplexing as this may seem on its face, remember what St. 58 00:06:16,699 --> 00:06:22,519 Augustine observed long ago about this. He says, let your overwrought curiosity be satisfied with 59 00:06:22,519 --> 00:06:28,699 this. Solomon notes for us that this incidence has sunk into the mists of forgetfulness, unquote. 60 00:06:29,500 --> 00:06:38,800 The primary point that Koheleth means to deliver is that, indeed, yet no one remembered that poor man. 61 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:44,339 No one remembered that poor man. Don't expect appreciation if you serve in government, 62 00:06:44,579 --> 00:06:50,339 brothers. Ha ha, General Flynn. Do you see this theme coming around again? No one remembers from 63 00:06:50,339 --> 00:06:55,480 generation to generation. There's no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance 64 00:06:55,480 --> 00:07:02,639 of later things yet to be, Koheleth has said already in chapter 1. For if the wise, as of the fool, 65 00:07:02,639 --> 00:07:07,519 there is no enduring remembrance. Seeing that in the days to come, all will have been forgotten. 66 00:07:08,019 --> 00:07:15,120 The wise dies just like the fool, unquote, from Ecclesiastes chapters 1 and 2. Well, how fleeting, 67 00:07:15,220 --> 00:07:20,600 how vaporous the remembrance of what we've covered previously, right? Much less even the wise savior, 68 00:07:20,959 --> 00:07:26,420 right? Yet in the last analysis, the preacher, Solomon, does not sink into despair, 69 00:07:26,420 --> 00:07:31,959 into vanity or meaningless, which is one of the themes of Ecclesiastes, isn't it? But rather, 70 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:37,420 he affirms wisdom. He says, but I say, and it's emphatic there, but I say that wisdom is better than 71 00:07:37,420 --> 00:07:44,420 might, though the poor man's wisdom is despised and his wisdom is not heard. And this is practically 72 00:07:44,420 --> 00:07:50,079 applied for us too. In the next verses, which I would like to read for you, this is Ecclesiastes 9, 73 00:07:50,079 --> 00:07:58,360 17, and chapter 10, verse 1. The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a 74 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:05,740 ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. Dead 75 00:08:05,740 --> 00:08:12,459 flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench. So a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. 76 00:08:12,939 --> 00:08:19,600 That is Ecclesiastes 9, 17 through chapter 10, verse 1. And these verses constitute a brace 77 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:24,860 of Proverbs. Maybe you have opportunity to turn in your Bibles to those verses and look them over 78 00:08:24,860 --> 00:08:30,339 with me. They constitute a brace of Proverbs, three of them, with a common theme. That is, 79 00:08:30,579 --> 00:08:39,940 the input of one fool can destroy the careful counsel of many wise men. Oh, and this is true, 80 00:08:40,059 --> 00:08:46,860 especially when we have in mind the decider in chief, as President Bush used to call himself, 81 00:08:46,860 --> 00:08:52,399 that is, the king or the president. And how often we see this replicated on the stage of history, 82 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:58,860 too, as well as in our own personal lives, dear listener. In the fateful year 216 B.C., for example, 83 00:08:58,980 --> 00:09:05,580 the great Carthaginian general, if you're a student of military history, we remember that in 216 B.C., 84 00:09:05,580 --> 00:09:12,220 Hannibal set a trap for his Roman counterpart, General Terentius Varro at Cannae. That's in 85 00:09:12,220 --> 00:09:18,379 south-central Italy. Now, Hannibal was a master of the art of war. He knew his enemy. Varro was 86 00:09:18,379 --> 00:09:23,940 impetuous and brash. He was prone to letting his temper get the best of him and acting upon that 87 00:09:23,940 --> 00:09:31,039 rather than good counsel. Now, Hannibal taunted Varro and set a trap for the 70,000 Roman troops 88 00:09:31,039 --> 00:09:38,220 under his command. Varro was supposed to wait for his counterpart, Emilius Paulus, to meet up with him, 89 00:09:38,220 --> 00:09:42,519 but rashly committed his forces instead to battle when he thought he had Hannibal trapped. 90 00:09:43,019 --> 00:09:48,779 But he didn't. Instead, Hannibal, knowing that Varro would do this, sprung his ambush and 91 00:09:48,779 --> 00:09:55,899 annihilated every last trooper in Varro's legion. That was 70,000 Roman troopers. It was the greatest 92 00:09:55,899 --> 00:10:03,139 single defeat for Rome in her history. Now, Varro is the poster boy for verses 17 and 18. The words of 93 00:10:03,139 --> 00:10:08,179 the wise, heard, and quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better 94 00:10:08,179 --> 00:10:14,799 than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. Huh. How then was Hannibal ultimately 95 00:10:14,799 --> 00:10:20,899 defeated? Well, he was defeated by a general wiser than Varro, and wiser than Hannibal, for that matter, 96 00:10:21,139 --> 00:10:27,240 and it was General Quintus Fabius. Fabius realized that Hannibal was indeed a tactical genius, 97 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:32,559 and whenever Rome faced him in regular pitch battle, then Hannibal would defeat whatever 98 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:39,059 Rome could throw at him. But Fabius also realized that despite this genius and bravery and resourcefulness, 99 00:10:39,519 --> 00:10:45,080 they were a long way from home and had to live off the land. Therefore, Fabius waged a war of 100 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:50,639 attrition upon Hannibal, destroying small forging parties sent out to look for food and supplies. 101 00:10:50,639 --> 00:10:56,039 He drew Hannibal into terrain where he could not fight large pitched battles, and additionally, 102 00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:01,539 then, Fabius moved populations in front of his armies and destroyed crops and food supplies he might 103 00:11:01,539 --> 00:11:08,100 use. It took a long time, but eventually, Hannibal's army was so reduced that he fled the Italian peninsula 104 00:11:08,100 --> 00:11:16,919 altogether. Ever since, this strategy has been called Fabianism, the Fabian strategy. In fact, 105 00:11:16,919 --> 00:11:21,580 it's been employed politically, too, classically by the Fabian society, which is socialist and 106 00:11:21,580 --> 00:11:27,600 progressive. It is precisely how liberalism has been victorious in England and America by following 107 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:35,480 the same little bit-by-bit Fabian strategy, the strategy of attrition, taking small bites, small bits 108 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:42,200 in conquering. Now, Solomon knew this all too well, didn't he? The input of one fool can destroy the 109 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:49,240 careful counsel of many wise men. We saw this when, indeed, Rehoboam, his son, Solomon's very son, 110 00:11:49,299 --> 00:11:55,159 who should have been reading these wisdom tracts, took the counsel of the brash young men and divided. 111 00:11:55,320 --> 00:12:00,440 They split the kingdom, didn't they, by their foolishness. In fact, Kohala seems almost to 112 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:06,320 foreshadow the bad company with whom his son would consort. We see this in chapter 10, verses 2 to 4. 113 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:12,139 Point 3 I would like to make with you. When in service to a government official, do not expect 114 00:12:12,139 --> 00:12:18,600 support for wisdom from colleagues. You find bitter infighting from colleagues, even as 115 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:25,340 President Trump is finding out. Verses 2 to 4 of Ecclesiastes chapter 10. A wise man's heart 116 00:12:25,340 --> 00:12:30,960 inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left. Even when the fool walks on the road, 117 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:36,860 he lacks sense. And he says to everyone that he is a fool. If the anger of the ruler rises against 118 00:12:36,860 --> 00:12:43,379 you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest. Wise words, are they not? 119 00:12:43,740 --> 00:12:48,779 From Ecclesiastes chapter 10, verses 2 to 4. And they tell us that when in service to a government 120 00:12:48,779 --> 00:12:54,879 official, the king, of course, in Solomon's day, the president and his administration in our own day, 121 00:12:55,320 --> 00:13:00,940 but when in service then to a government official, do not expect support for wisdom from colleagues. 122 00:13:01,919 --> 00:13:07,200 We can say unequivocally that Solomon was a conservative. He says a wise man's heart inclines 123 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:12,320 him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left. Well, in reality, the right hand was the hand of 124 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:16,240 strength and blessing, wasn't it? Most men are right-handed. We see this throughout scripture, 125 00:13:17,100 --> 00:13:22,379 where in Psalm 16, David says, I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand, 126 00:13:22,460 --> 00:13:30,480 I shall not be shaken. And Joseph saw his father, that is Jacob, lay his right hand on the head of 127 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:35,580 Ephraim. And he took his father's hand to move it. Put your right hand on his, that is Manasseh's head 128 00:13:35,580 --> 00:13:42,059 from Genesis chapter 48. So we see the right hand is the hand of strength. So the illusion Solomon 129 00:13:42,059 --> 00:13:47,340 makes here is not political as much as I might want it to be, but rather theological. That is, 130 00:13:47,340 --> 00:13:54,460 the wise tend to blessing, the fool to folly. The wise tend to blessing and the fool to folly. 131 00:13:54,879 --> 00:13:59,000 In the counsel of the king, in our context, this can pit one counselor against another. 132 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:05,940 Only in time and over extended periods, can the wise be discerned from the fool. This is another 133 00:14:05,940 --> 00:14:10,639 reason that politics is called a blood sport because advisors often vie with one another for 134 00:14:10,639 --> 00:14:16,360 the attention and ear of their boss. Are you listening, General Flynn? I'm sure you know this 135 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:24,000 by experience now. We understand that the Trump administration, even as Ronald Reagan, 136 00:14:24,419 --> 00:14:31,299 deliberately pits one advisor against another so that he can, in the foray, then he can discern 137 00:14:31,299 --> 00:14:36,820 with wisdom what the right policy might be. And Ronald Reagan deliberately fostered competition too 138 00:14:36,820 --> 00:14:41,740 amongst his inner cabinet and White House advisory team. This is one reason he had such a high 139 00:14:41,740 --> 00:14:47,759 turnover rate on his staff, but it did tend to bring out the best advice. Eventually it burned out 140 00:14:47,759 --> 00:14:52,519 man after man, causing animosity and competition and jealousy that still endures to this day. 141 00:14:53,399 --> 00:14:59,740 Oh, George H.W. Bush, instead of Reagan's chief of staff, Donald Reagan, I still hate that SOB, 142 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:06,139 but it also proves Truman's advice. Even as General Flynn has found out, that is, 143 00:15:06,139 --> 00:15:12,100 if you want a friend in Washington, go get a dog. Well, here in the Council of the Wise, 144 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:17,480 the fool eventually displays his colors. Even when the fool walks on the road, Solomon says, 145 00:15:17,539 --> 00:15:25,539 he lacks sense. And he says to everyone that he is a fool. So Solomon picks up on a common theme in 146 00:15:25,539 --> 00:15:32,240 the wisdom literature too. You find this throughout Job and the Psalms and Ecclesiastes and the Proverbs, 147 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:40,720 and that is direction or lack of direction. One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in 148 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:47,200 the assembly of the dead. Proverbs 21, 6 says, also the wisdom of the prudent discerns his way 149 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:54,980 from Proverbs 14 and 18. And then from Proverbs 13, righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, 150 00:15:54,980 --> 00:16:07,179 but sin overthrows the wicked. Have you been observing then the rage and the bad advice that 151 00:16:07,179 --> 00:16:14,539 we saw in the Clinton campaign, right? And we also see from history, the corruption trial of former 152 00:16:14,539 --> 00:16:20,360 Democrat presidential candidate and vice presidential running mate, John Edwards. Do you remember when he 153 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:26,539 ran with John Kerry? We see these things over and over again. Edwards was on trial for using campaign 154 00:16:26,539 --> 00:16:31,799 funds to support his mistress by whom he had a child. There's so many unsavory aspects to this 155 00:16:31,799 --> 00:16:39,399 story. But for our purposes, it is the foolishness of his closest advisor, Andrew Young. Now, the trial 156 00:16:39,399 --> 00:16:44,899 testimony was a litany of foolish decisions made by Edwards and his chief advisor. They lied. They used 157 00:16:44,899 --> 00:16:50,980 campaign funds to pay off Edwards' mistress, even brought the baby and mistress into the young home 158 00:16:50,980 --> 00:16:56,620 where they were all miserable. Eventually, the lie could not be sustained and everything came out. 159 00:16:56,700 --> 00:17:01,240 We see this with the Clinton Foundation too, the lies and the cover-up of the Clinton Foundation. 160 00:17:01,940 --> 00:17:08,599 John Podesta, who was Hillary Clinton's closest advisor, was giving foolish advice in order to cover up 161 00:17:08,599 --> 00:17:17,700 the scandal, the literal scandal of the Clinton Foundation. And we also see then, not only was 162 00:17:17,700 --> 00:17:23,619 there foolish advice from John Podesta, but there was also rage then from Hillary Clinton. It is said 163 00:17:23,619 --> 00:17:31,400 indeed that she blew up. She went on a holy tear, as one put it, after she realized that she had lost 164 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:36,559 the election and really tore into John Podesta. If the anger of the ruler rises against you, 165 00:17:36,559 --> 00:17:42,880 do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest. We see this time and time 166 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:51,619 again. What we also see then for further dedication then to General Flynn, let's read chapter 10, 167 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:58,059 verses 5 to 7. And we see here, when in service to a government official, do not expect wisdom to be 168 00:17:58,059 --> 00:18:04,819 exalted above folly. When in service to a government official, do not expect wisdom to be exalted above 169 00:18:04,819 --> 00:18:10,980 folly. You would hope that it would, but as we see and experience in government all the time, 170 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:18,599 wisdom is not always exalted above folly, is it? Chapter 10, verses 5 to 7, go like this. 171 00:18:18,599 --> 00:18:24,160 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were, an error proceeding from the ruler. 172 00:18:24,900 --> 00:18:31,000 Folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen slaves on horses 173 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:39,099 and princes walking on the ground like slaves. Unquote. Indeed, wisdom from Koheleth, wisdom from 174 00:18:39,099 --> 00:18:46,299 the preacher, wisdom from Solomon. Now, the evil that Koheleth observes here proceeds from the ruler, 175 00:18:46,420 --> 00:18:52,559 as he says. Folly is glorified above wisdom. Woe to the land in which this is done. And of course, 176 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:57,940 the rich here is a metaphor for the wise man of achievement, not just rich for being rich, for being 177 00:18:57,940 --> 00:19:04,640 filthy rich, but rich indeed for the wise man of achievement, even as our present president is. 178 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:11,880 Folly is exalted, however, and wisdom is debased. Slaves ride while princes walk. There's a dynamic 179 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:17,920 that takes place in the human heart, which seeks constantly to innovate, to try the new, to overturn 180 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:23,559 what is proven, to be godly, fruitful, and biblical, isn't there? It happened in Israel. Give us a king 181 00:19:23,559 --> 00:19:29,400 like the other nations, Israel said. Make us a golden calf like the other nations, right? Or Solomon, 182 00:19:29,900 --> 00:19:35,980 dearest, his wives, remember, set up an altar to Asherah in the high places like I had at home. 183 00:19:36,099 --> 00:19:42,039 Remember when Solomon married all those foreign wives? Brought idolatry into Israel? And it happens 184 00:19:42,039 --> 00:19:48,960 not only in ancient Israel, but in Christian cultures and societies as well. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 185 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:54,700 for example, hated God and the church in France before the French Revolution, and he advocated 186 00:19:54,700 --> 00:20:01,140 returning to man's natural state, as he put it. His wild and uncultivated nature, that's just what we 187 00:20:01,140 --> 00:20:08,259 need. And he said, however, that that wild and uncultivated nature was purer and more democratic 188 00:20:08,259 --> 00:20:15,180 too. Communism has sprung from ideas like this. How true it was, though, because Jean-Jacques Rousseau 189 00:20:15,180 --> 00:20:20,779 gave France what has come to be known simply as the reign of terror. Karl Marx hated God as well, 190 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:27,859 and he built upon Rousseau, advocating atheistic communism, overturning Christ, overturning 191 00:20:27,859 --> 00:20:33,859 constitutionalism, and overturning capitalism as well. And all of these, and more in our own day, 192 00:20:34,220 --> 00:20:41,279 assert that although Christ, constitution, and capitalism may be good, their alternatives, 193 00:20:41,279 --> 00:20:48,220 that is secularism, statism, and socialism will be better. Oh, in fact, according to Marx, 194 00:20:48,559 --> 00:20:55,119 it is the inevitable progress toward which all of humanity is moving. Ah, all humanity is indeed 195 00:20:55,119 --> 00:21:02,539 descending and collapsing because of the pursuit of foolishness rather than wisdom. The covenant 196 00:21:02,539 --> 00:21:07,779 family, tried and true throughout history, the covenant family is that upon which Western society 197 00:21:07,779 --> 00:21:13,079 has built a rich culture and heritage, the homosexual marriage will be even better, they would say. 198 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:18,400 Labor built on one's own self-interest and the interest of his family and community has brought 199 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:24,500 untold wealth and prosperity to millions over generations. But Marx says labor built from each 200 00:21:24,500 --> 00:21:31,519 according to his ability to each according to his need is even better, right? And Christ and his gospel 201 00:21:31,519 --> 00:21:36,279 is that upon which the church has flourished and grown, spread throughout the earth, 202 00:21:36,279 --> 00:21:43,599 as the waters cover the sea, as Isaiah puts it. But now with Marx, we now know that religion is more 203 00:21:43,599 --> 00:21:50,240 ignorant superstition and atheism is even better. Religion is the opiate of the people, as Marx would 204 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:56,480 put it. So your rulers have set fools to writing, dear listener, in America these days with the 205 00:21:56,480 --> 00:22:03,460 socialists in power, while the prince of peace walks in great humility. What fools they are, I submit to 206 00:22:03,460 --> 00:22:12,420 you. And what wisdom is in Christ rather, and what wisdom then is in his gospel as well. Even as we see from the 207 00:22:12,420 --> 00:22:19,680 apostle Paul, when he put it this way, the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are 208 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:26,019 being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the 209 00:22:26,019 --> 00:22:33,259 discerning, I will thwart, Paul says. Where is the one who is wise? Oh, socialist. Oh, modern, contemporary 210 00:22:33,259 --> 00:22:41,099 socialist. Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age, as Paul puts it? 211 00:22:41,500 --> 00:22:46,500 Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God 212 00:22:46,500 --> 00:22:52,819 through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. Indeed, it is the 213 00:22:52,819 --> 00:23:00,160 folly of the cross, that Christ indeed died on a cross and thus paid for our sins, paid the price of 214 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:07,400 your sins for your salvation. This indeed is God's wisdom, never predicated by man, but in the wisdom 215 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:14,279 of God's counsel in eternity, he chose the cross, the folly of the cross to be his wisdom. And this will 216 00:23:14,279 --> 00:23:20,819 be your wisdom too in salvation and redemption if you hear. Now, we have seen the wisdom of Koheleth and 217 00:23:20,819 --> 00:23:27,720 Solomon. And we have dedicated this then to General Flynn and all those who are now serving in Trump's 218 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:34,319 administration. May you not be sacrificial lambs yourselves. This has been Pastor David Bass at New Geneva 219 00:23:34,319 --> 00:23:41,579 Orthodox Presbyterian Church. And what I'd like to do is invite you, especially those of you who are listeners 220 00:23:41,579 --> 00:23:50,019 to this program, invite you to a spaghetti fellowship dinner that we're having on February 22nd. That's a Wednesday 221 00:23:50,019 --> 00:23:56,059 evening, and we'll have them in subsequent Wednesday evenings as well. But we would like to sponsor a 222 00:23:56,059 --> 00:24:03,980 spaghetti fellowship dinner in which we would meet many of you. I'll be there. We can speak. We can chat 223 00:24:03,980 --> 00:24:10,920 about past radio programs, upcoming ones, or just anything that may be on your heart or mind. We'll 224 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:14,940 have also some people from our congregation that will be there. You can meet and talk with them. 225 00:24:14,940 --> 00:24:21,720 And just be a time to relax and socialize. No pressure. And we'd like just for you to come out 226 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:32,079 and meet us and we, you. And to do this, we are cooking a big spaghetti fellowship dinner. It will be 227 00:24:32,079 --> 00:24:38,519 at 5 p.m., the first one, February 22nd. That's a Wednesday night. Come and join us. But please do call 228 00:24:38,519 --> 00:24:44,720 us before you do so that we might be able to know how much to cook. And so we're not sitting there with 229 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:53,859 too little or too much. But just like Mama's porridge, it will be just right. And our number 230 00:24:53,859 --> 00:25:04,579 is 523-0196. That's 523-0196 to make your reservation. And New Geneva also meets for holy 231 00:25:04,579 --> 00:25:10,559 worship on Sundays at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street. And you'll find us on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. 232 00:25:11,140 --> 00:25:17,759 And we just invite you to join us for Sunday worship too. I know many of you are unchurched or 233 00:25:17,759 --> 00:25:25,319 perhaps you don't have a church or perhaps you're meeting in a home church or in a family church or an 234 00:25:25,319 --> 00:25:30,759 online church. And we would just urge you to try indeed fellowshipping with us face-to-face. Put your 235 00:25:30,759 --> 00:25:39,279 skin in the game, as it were, and give of your time and of your substance and of your love, Christian 236 00:25:39,279 --> 00:25:45,279 love for brothers and sisters. And do that with us. And we will do the same with you because we love the 237 00:25:45,279 --> 00:25:50,599 church. We love our brothers and sisters in Christ. And we just eagerly await and anticipate 238 00:25:50,599 --> 00:25:57,700 fellowship with you. So join us for holy worship on Sundays at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner 239 00:25:57,700 --> 00:26:02,859 of 4th and Boulevard. And then please give us a call for feedback on this message or others. And you 240 00:26:02,859 --> 00:26:12,920 can call us at 523-0196. We also have two websites. And that is newgenevaopc.org. 241 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:20,980 That's newgenevaopc.org. Or our new website, which is omnisprotestas.org. Let me spell that for you, 242 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:32,339 omnisprotestas.org, O-M-N-I-S-P-O-T-E-S-T-A-S.org, where we have cataloged previous sermons, 243 00:26:33,019 --> 00:26:39,799 a whole year and a half's worth. And you can graze amongst those and see what we preach and teach 244 00:26:39,799 --> 00:26:46,240 as well on the radio. So we just urge you to do this and call us once again for feedback and further 245 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:49,759 information at 523-0196.