[SPEAKER_01]: Revived thoughts is a production of Revived Studios.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is Troy and Joel, and you will have seen two Revived thoughts.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are not to think that we complete our prey by murmuring a number of syllables.
[SPEAKER_00]: But rather our brethren, by the purpose of our soul.
[SPEAKER_00]: And indeed, a virtue extending into every action in moment of our life.
[SPEAKER_02]: Every episode, we bring you a different voice from history in a sermon that they delivered.
[SPEAKER_02]: Today, we're going way back to the fourth century, at the listen to a sermon by Basil.
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, Troy, tell me, when you...
[SPEAKER_02]: The greenery food that you've listed on burritos.
[SPEAKER_02]: Are you, do you call that basil or do you call that basil?
[SPEAKER_02]: That's basil.
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, so there is a distinction in your head.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I call basal basal through most of my life until I got pure pressure into calling and basal instead of basal, but I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not like a Augustine Augustine thing where some people are wrong and they say Augustine when they mean to say Augustine, but technically you can, if you Google it, your both pronunciations are correct depending on the region you're from.
[SPEAKER_01]: However, in the case of Basel, it is supposed to be Basel, not Basel, which I remember because I very first episode covering Basel, I googled it because I also thought it was Basel, because it looks like Basel, and I beaten Basel, and so in my head I thought this is, this is his name, it is not.
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you're looking for a delicious topping, you were in the wrong episode, but if you're looking for a sermon from a great pastor of the past, well then we have good news, Basel is here
[SPEAKER_01]: Jolene, five-star on Apple Podcasts, thank you by the way.
[SPEAKER_01]: We really appreciate people giving us five stars on Apple Podcasts.
[SPEAKER_01]: It helps a lot and they do more for us than really anywhere.
[SPEAKER_01]: We appreciate everyone's comments and everything you guys send us.
[SPEAKER_01]: But the five stars probably help us the most on Apple Podcasts.
[SPEAKER_01]: Any of your an Android or something like that, don't worry about it.
[SPEAKER_01]: I understand, but I'm just saying which one helps us a lot.
[SPEAKER_01]: Jolene says, wonderful podcast with many exclamation marks.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for this wonderful podcast about church history and old sermons.
[SPEAKER_01]: I love the connections you guys bring us to our brothers and sisters and Christ for longer go.
[SPEAKER_01]: Keep up the great work.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, Jolene, I'm appreciative.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're happy to do it.
[SPEAKER_01]: And thank you so much for listening.
[SPEAKER_01]: And...
[SPEAKER_01]: We also got a message this was from I believe Rachel who said hi.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much for your podcast and ministry.
[SPEAKER_01]: I thought I heard an U announced a book coming this fall winter, but I didn't see a band or website about it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Is there an official release date?
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I wanted to respond to this.
[SPEAKER_01]: Sorry.
[SPEAKER_01]: I know there are a few of you are writing for the book.
[SPEAKER_01]: It is being worked on.
[SPEAKER_01]: I have a lot of editors notes.
[SPEAKER_01]: It takes a while to get through the editors notes.
[SPEAKER_01]: My apologies on that.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not ready.
[SPEAKER_01]: Honestly, getting back to Indonesia this summer and everything was a lot busier than I anticipated in Joel can tell you I often miss anticipate how busy I'm going to actually be.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm a big dreamer.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I am working on it again, so I do hope that I can give you good updates on that soon, but yeah, I apologize if you've been waiting with baited breath like you promised this.
[SPEAKER_01]: I like many book author writers before it's and behind on my schedule, so.
[SPEAKER_01]: Also, we got an email from Jason who wanted to correct us on some stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not going to read the whole email.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was a bit long.
[SPEAKER_01]: But Jason, who is Red Sermon's for us before I believe it's going to be working on Sermon for us again.
[SPEAKER_01]: He wanted to correct some of the things we said about the methodist movement and want to do encourage us on the main highlight I will highlight for the show is.
[SPEAKER_01]: The UMC, which has many problems he agreed with, is not the only part of the Methodist nomination.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I totally wanted to say I agree with that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Sorry, if we've in the past when bringing up John Wesley or any of those guys, if we've ever been like, yeah, well, we'll say kind of like, I believe it's William E. Sankster was a Methodist and we were like, yeah, you know, Methodists back then are different than today.
[SPEAKER_01]: But he went to clarify like, hey, there is more than just the big famous liberal branch of Methodists.
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know what, he's right.
[SPEAKER_01]: So my apologize, my apologies to all of you who are in,
[SPEAKER_01]: The branch is not related to the big liberal group and you're kind of like, hey, you're throwing us under the bus, my apologies to all of you.
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, ready to jump into the basil?
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, let's do some basil.
[SPEAKER_02]: Basil Basil Basil, we've covered Basil before, Basil the Great as we think of him as he's known, lived in the fourth century, and this is a pretty crazy time in church history.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's really, I feel like when the church is kind of getting its foot.
[SPEAKER_02]: Is that how you kind of view it, you know, like we're kind of in turmoil up to this point.
[SPEAKER_02]: There's persecution.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's really, I feel like that fourth century that it starts really kicking it into gear and solidifying into something that's more stable and far-reaching.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, what you think actually is, we might be able to, we might should do a revived conversation on this, um, because some people are like that 300 there as when the church becomes an institution and cultural Christian, he's in.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, it's a really bad era, and then they're the opposite, where it's like Chris Janie's finally hitting his hey dates.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's finally breaking out of the the pits of persecution and able to shine, you know, the light to many people.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm definitely more of the optimist.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm more in that category of like, hey, after centuries of attack and persecution, and it's able to kind of stand up a little bit more and start cleaning house and start kind of dealing with some of the false teachings that had been intermingled with the church because of the persecution.
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll say, and we've even done episode persecution, makes the church stronger.
[SPEAKER_01]: People have to say, if persecution came, it would clean out the church of all the fake believers.
[SPEAKER_01]: In my experience of studying history, and in my experience of going to places where the church is under persecution, actually falls teaching slips in really easily, because the church can't speak out in public to call it out.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we kind of see in the fourth century, that's where the church is able to start kind of coming down.
[SPEAKER_01]: These are the things that we will unite on.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, it's very, it's a big shift from where the church was and the 200s and 100s and, you know, the 2nd century where you're expected to be persecuted, you're expected to be martyred and fed alliance.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not seeing that anymore in the 4th century.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I always think of it because up into this point like you're you're so close to the biblical accounts You're to the point But what you're just getting out getting away from the point where you you can't really like say like oh my great great grandpa Spoke to an apostle or something like that you know like it's just far enough away to where it has to become its own thing You can't write off the coat tails of
[SPEAKER_02]: the first century church.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's becoming its own thing, which has got to be exciting, but also terrifying, and again, we see they went through plenty of hard times, but basil, basil, descends from kind of like what we might almost call like Christian royalty, his family,
[SPEAKER_02]: were Christians during the persecution.
[SPEAKER_02]: His mom was the daughter of a martyr that was killed for her faith.
[SPEAKER_02]: His own grandma helped preserve some traditions and writings of a big-famous Christian and named Gregory of
[SPEAKER_02]: Thermac to grass.
[SPEAKER_02]: That's my best for now.
[SPEAKER_01]: FEMA Tart Targas.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, I'm gonna be honest even I didn't look up how to say that one And it looks like FEMA Tartgas and you know what people might say hey, that's wrong You don't know Gregory of FEMA Tartgas.
[SPEAKER_01]: You caught me.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't I've never met him
[SPEAKER_02]: I can't say I do, yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: But apparently it was neat to have those writings.
[SPEAKER_02]: His sister became a famous Christian and started her own Christian community.
[SPEAKER_02]: His brother, who you might have heard of as someone else we've had on the show called Gregory of Nisa, and he had a younger brother, also, that followed God and became someone of a well-known prominent believer himself, although not as well-known as Basil.
[SPEAKER_01]: which would be kind of rough.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, you've got two older brothers that are called the capidocian fathers or these famous church history guys, you know, everyone knows them.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you're like the third brother is also, you was kind of an important pastor, but, you know, you just didn't quite get to that level as the other guys.
[SPEAKER_02]: Hey, I don't think, I don't think he was, I don't think he minded.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think he was a okay being there.
[SPEAKER_01]: He probably was, but I'm sure, man, you'd always feel like, in me too, guys, I'm also here.
[SPEAKER_02]: you know the the basil brothers the trio the the triple threat is it's all of us you also had a best friend that we've talked about to Gregory of Nazi Anzes so he's rolling in some you know shoulders shoulder with some pretty influential pretty passionate people and was one of the kind of the their instrumental connections in and developing the church early on
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and he was also pin pals with Athenaceus, important Christian at the time as well.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we actually had a sermon by Keith Foski read it for us this earlier this year by Athenaceus.
[SPEAKER_01]: So great guy, Walt Keith Foski is also pretty nice.
[SPEAKER_01]: But the Athenaceus is a great sermon and it's a great story behind us to go check it out.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now before all of that, before it became all these famous things, back when they were just young people,
[SPEAKER_01]: uh... he had been sent to Athens to be educated uh... this is a weird aspect if you don't know in history you you'd have a child fourteen sixteen seventeen you'd just send them off you know kind of like college but much younger and one of the places he sent them to was Athens back in the Roman Empire uh... Athens has always been famous for education in philosophy and he excelled as a student there classic story of the genius kid everyone loves them uh... became a little too popular
[SPEAKER_01]: though.
[SPEAKER_01]: You kind of became a little full of himself.
[SPEAKER_01]: It sounds like his learning, kind of led him to living a little bit of a worldly lifestyle.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's outside the house away from the famous martyr family.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's kind of around kind of first time the kids on his own.
[SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't need anybody.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's doing so good in school, like literally multiple kind of philosopher teachers are trying to take him under his wing and, you know, he's going to be our up and coming prodigy kind of thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: And this has an effect on him.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's he's feeling
[SPEAKER_01]: But when he goes back home, we visit his sister and his sisters kind of formed this community of people who are living for God.
[SPEAKER_01]: They're super convicted of sin.
[SPEAKER_01]: They've been selling everything they own and trying to live a symbol lifestyle.
[SPEAKER_01]: And when he sees his sister and her faith and how much they're just living for Jesus, he feels really convicted about his kind of worldly aspirations and his
[SPEAKER_01]: his way he's been doing things and he and his siblings began selling what they own and giving it to the poor and this is a common practice in the Roman Empire, Christian and the one of the ways you showed you a Christian was kind of selling everything you own and giving it to the poor at which
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, it does sound Christian like that is what Jesus said to do and you know, I do, I've never met any Christians who were like, yeah, I sold, you know, bunch of stuff I own and gave it to the poor, but I do think there might be, they might be on to something there like, I'm not, I don't know, he then got into many, many altered, you know, kind of as he started living a faithful life, he then began to kind of get into the conflicts of the day and a lot of them were as we mentioned, false teaching and he kind of started going back and forth as a, as a, as a,
[SPEAKER_01]: up and coming leader of the church.
[SPEAKER_01]: He had to fight off a lot of different groups.
[SPEAKER_01]: One of the big groups were the Aryans who were people who believed that Jesus was created by God and they were still very much present in the church during Basil's Day.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's really kind of hard for us to kind of wrap our brains around here.
[SPEAKER_02]: But again, we're talking about the early days of the church and kind of the conforming of a lot of these ideas.
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's hard for us to imagine, but Christianity, I say in air quotes, because I don't think it literally would have been Christianity, was very close to looking very different.
[SPEAKER_02]: Like the Aryan,
[SPEAKER_02]: effort was a very real threat and at times even looked like it was going to be the prominent theology that that won this era.
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's just something we don't really think about because history is written by the victors, right?
[SPEAKER_02]: So we have our nice and create that we adhere to.
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, but, and that's, you know, that's another aspect of this, a lot of people think after the council of NYC, uh, got together and we agreed on Jesus, 100% got 100% man and, and, and that all went through that Aaronism kind of died out, but, uh,
[SPEAKER_02]: it didn't right away like it took a long time for arianism to die out.
[SPEAKER_02]: 40 years after the council of NIC, a basil is still like that's his number one theological debate that he has to contend with the public.
[SPEAKER_02]: And 20 years after basil is gone, Ambrose is also still fighting arianism as well.
[SPEAKER_02]: So this is not something that instantly went away.
[SPEAKER_02]: And so again, Troy mentioned it
[SPEAKER_02]: this idea that Jesus was created by God, is lesser than God, it's a different, it's not what we would ascribe to being in the Trinity there.
[SPEAKER_02]: There was a lot of tough theology people had iron out in those earlier days, and this relationship that Basil has with teaching people, theologically guiding people through sound theology, and in a time where there were more other prominent ideas is what makes up a lot of what Basil was doing through his life, and
[SPEAKER_02]: One hard thing for him was that a bishop that helped lead Basil to God, you know, a childhood bishop.
[SPEAKER_02]: I imagine that that trust to childhood pastor that maybe even led you to the Lord.
[SPEAKER_02]: that that pastor was now a supporter of eranism and this was a huge blow to Basil, it really heard his feelings for lack of a better terminology and it was something that he had to work through his life in this relationship that was now strained with a mentor that he respected a lot but now had a major theological disagreement with.
[SPEAKER_02]: I love that just kind of humanizing element of him because I
[SPEAKER_02]: So far removed.
[SPEAKER_02]: That's an element that I feel like is kind of we can we can kind of relate with that.
[SPEAKER_02]: We can kind of put ourselves in his shoes and see What that must have been like for him.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a it's a good humanizing detail in his life eventually based a would become a very prominent leader in his community leading many places pastoring many communities and eventually it does seem like That childhood pastor that that basil had that relationship with
[SPEAKER_02]: Did eventually come to realize kind of his air in that theology there and it does seem like towards the end of their life Their relationship was was better again again.
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_02]: Do you know more details about that joy where that where that ended up?
[SPEAKER_01]: It does seem like the the bishop kind of got on the right page and figured out he was wrong and got things settled It looks like at the end of their life.
[SPEAKER_01]: They were doing better, but there was definitely I mean here
[SPEAKER_01]: I know, imagine, you know, going to the pastor that brought you to Christ that you would grow up under and that you had meant so much to you and having to tell them, hey, you're not understanding Jesus correctly.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think any of us could say that would be a pretty, that'd be a pretty hard moment, probably full of a lot of, you know, doubts and definitely emotional.
[SPEAKER_01]: I, again, like you said, humanizing like I, I can imagine how difficult that was.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and also I just find it fascinating again when we do revive thoughts we have that 2020 hindsight.
[SPEAKER_02]: We see the whole picture back to back.
[SPEAKER_02]: And one of the ways that that's helpful is you could just get to see the human element and people.
[SPEAKER_02]: Sometimes they're they're good and tensioned.
[SPEAKER_02]: But they are in error, you know, and it's always, people change over time.
[SPEAKER_02]: And ideally, that's for the better.
[SPEAKER_02]: And you know, this seems like an instance where we can kind of see God's truth, rain at the end of this interaction there, which is, which is neat to see.
[SPEAKER_02]: But I always try to keep that in mind, interacting with people on a day-to-day basis, because we're so short-sighted, currently, in the way that we interact with community and the people around us.
[SPEAKER_01]: it's hard for us to realize that people change, um, well, and how many of us, what have, oh, sorry, I was going to say, how many of us would even have the courage to talk to our pastor or would, you know, would just maybe just, you just go away.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, we're, say nothing.
[SPEAKER_01]: Or maybe just think, well, he knows more than me.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he's the, like, you know, I'm not, not saying that you are doing that if you're listening right now, but I'm just saying we, we could see that that instinct, and yet I think because Basil took the harder road of confronting him and challenging the man who, who could look him in the eyes and say, hey,
[SPEAKER_01]: you can be a Christian if it weren't for me.
[SPEAKER_01]: I knew you were newer kid, but through that process, it seems that it led to him back to the faith.
[SPEAKER_01]: So the Lord can use it, and I think a lot of us are scared of those confrontation moments.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've had to go through them and not fun, and they don't always end well like this one, but there are times when it is, it is what leads the person back.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, um, okay.
[SPEAKER_02]: So one of the things that Bazel also did was start the hospital and It was one of his it seems like a good successful Venture that he set off on so much so that's when the Aryan Emperor came by to oppose Bazel Just to you know to call out Bazel for what he thought was bad theology the Aryan Empire Emperor
[SPEAKER_02]: was so blown away by the hospital that he ended up backing off his attack of Bayes.
[SPEAKER_02]: We wanted him to keep up the work that he was doing there and actually ended up giving him some land to help and that effort.
[SPEAKER_02]: So what a neat example of serving the community in a way that Jesus calls us to being more powerful than your adversaries.
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, you have an adversary that comes against you and through
[SPEAKER_02]: through mercy and through love that attack is thwarted and almost, uh, I won't, I wouldn't call an ally made, but a little bit of a good will, uh, yeah, came from it.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's, that's an easy.
[SPEAKER_01]: We really covered it on our last episode about Basel and that story of the Emperor coming and the hospital being so amazing.
[SPEAKER_01]: He couldn't, he couldn't even stand it like he had to give the guy credit.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, but it, it feels like a really living out of the verse where Jesus is like,
[SPEAKER_01]: where you're good works or so the enemies have nothing to say about like you shane them for trying to because what are they going to tell like I run in the hospital they can care about the sick people that he's wrong and that's I think what Basil kind of did but I want to end this episode kind of this go through a basil on a different note kind of keeping with the theme of a more human look at him
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, when we cover these guys in church history, we often end on their glorious triumphs and victories.
[SPEAKER_01]: And in the past, we had here on our, you know, revive thoughts that kind of made.
[SPEAKER_01]: Basil seemed like this unstoppable force.
[SPEAKER_01]: And he is that story with the hospital and the emperor is just so cool.
[SPEAKER_01]: But he is also human.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I found somebody who was kind of sharing an interesting perspective on the end of his life and what he was facing at the end of his life and this this is kind of you don't know all these names you're going to hear them and go, I don't know who they are, but listen to what you're from the perspective of Bazel he's up against right now.
[SPEAKER_01]: his pin-pound Athanasius dies in the year 373 and the elder Gregory, I believe this is dies in 374.
[SPEAKER_01]: These are important leaders of the church who leave gaps that can't be filled.
[SPEAKER_01]: In the same year 373, him and Gregory have not seen Anzis get into a fight over who's supposed to be ruling over what part of a certain area of
[SPEAKER_01]: church territory and even though these guys have been friends for a life this fight leads to kind of a the two of them not being as close anymore and it's unclear to me when I looked at the research if they I think they got kind of you know backed on the good side with one another but it might have been something happen after uh Basil died so getting us fun.
[SPEAKER_01]: Another there's a bishop who kind of in another city who basically the Claire's in himself an enemy of God in an enemy of Bazzle So that's hard when you see that happening in the church Another person is leading a false teaching movement.
[SPEAKER_01]: A Polynaris is To quote Bazzle a cause of sorrow to all the churches with this new airy sea that he's kind of introducing the church at the time
[SPEAKER_01]: Another person is trying to take Basel down his name is used to the tastiest of the vast and he's both a trader to the faith and a personal enemy of Basel as Basel described him he's got another guy a student that he had been leading for a very long time UCBS of Samasota
[SPEAKER_01]: not the same you see the assess famous for church history, not the Pope, you see the guess from the sixth century.
[SPEAKER_01]: But a different guy, he was leaning up, he was raising this guy to be a disciple that could take on, you know, kind of his Timothy to Basil's Paul here, but he gets finished for standing up for God and some of the true cities promoting at the time.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, you know, there went a lot of Basil's hopes in that guy.
[SPEAKER_01]: His brother, brother, Gregory of NICE's condemned and depose kind of kicked out of the bishop during this time,
[SPEAKER_01]: When Emperor Valentinian died, and the Aryans kind of regained strength, Basil, must have felt like great, like no matter how many times we knocked the Aryans back, that they just keep coming.
[SPEAKER_01]: And at some point, you had to wonder, for someone like Basil in the 4th century, not only did the Council of NICS seem like it wasn't succeeding against the Aryans, you had to wonder if you would actually ever win, like we know now that they win, that the Trinity view of Christ and God becomes a successful one, but they didn't know that at the time.
[SPEAKER_01]: uh... basil is becoming very sick he sees these barbarian armies are starting to make inroads into the empire uh... the city anti-occupies in the middle of a giant church schism uh... room as he's being a messages from room kind of people are looking for an excuse to banish him they don't trust him anymore the church there uh... he kind of tried to bring a bunch of bishops together is like a unity kind of like and maybe a new council and they won't come they kind of out and they're kind of stayed in a way for them
[SPEAKER_01]: And if he lived just a little longer, he didn't see this, but if he had, he would have seen that the council of Constantinople, the death of the president of the council of personal friend of his, and the forced resignation of the second leader of that council, Gregory of Mount Seyonsus, again, former personal friend of his.
[SPEAKER_01]: He didn't see those things because he died shortly before them, but this is not like from Basel, we see these guys as he's heroic champions of the faith, Sandy, for God.
[SPEAKER_01]: But from Basel's perspective, with the end of his life, he probably was overwhelmed with worries and concerns of all the different ways that the church was under attack, having no idea that his writings, his work would carry on for many centuries, and it would last and that what God was building in the 4th century survived.
[SPEAKER_01]: But he doesn't see the end of that.
[SPEAKER_01]: He dies before it comes to pass.
[SPEAKER_01]: It can be as easy in the prism of history to make it all look like victory at a victory with these reviet thoughts champions.
[SPEAKER_01]: But when Basil died, I imagine he might have even been wondering, has all my hard work against Aryan's been for nothing.
[SPEAKER_01]: Could there have been more that I did?
[SPEAKER_01]: Thankfully, God used what he did and many others did to keep the face strong.
[SPEAKER_01]: And here we have a servant by Basil on prayer, which I imagine was a subject that really helped.
[SPEAKER_01]: How did these guys do the great things they do?
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, one thing that's definitely a part of that is their prayer life.
[SPEAKER_00]: Prayer is not made perfect by uttering syllables, O brethren, but in the purpose of the soul, and in the just actions of a lifetime.
[SPEAKER_00]: Nor were we to believe that God has need of being reminded through our words.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are not to think that we complete our prayer by murmuring a number of syllables, but rather O brethren, by the purpose of our soul, and indeed a virtue extending into every
[SPEAKER_00]: Neither are we to think that God needs the reminder of our spoken words.
[SPEAKER_00]: Rather, we are to believe that He knows our need, whether we ask of Him or not.
[SPEAKER_00]: The ear of God has no need of our cry, since He can see even from the movements of our soul, what it is that we seek for.
[SPEAKER_00]: Or have you not heard that Moses was heard by the Lord, though he added no sound?
[SPEAKER_00]: but he sought the Lord through the unspoken groanings of the spirit within him, and the Lord said to him, why do you cry to me?
[SPEAKER_00]: Exodus 14 verse 15.
[SPEAKER_00]: And let those who do not keep to the straight path, yet who because of the length of their breeze, consider themselves as virtuous, take heed of these words in Isaiah 1 verse 15.
[SPEAKER_00]: I will turn away my eyes from you, and when you multiply pre, I will not hear.
[SPEAKER_00]: For the words of pre that are simply added, are of themselves of no avail, and at least they are sent upwards from a fervent soul.
[SPEAKER_00]: For even the Pharisee prayed thus with himself, but not with God, for
[SPEAKER_00]: given over to the sin of pride, he thought only of himself, because of this, the saviour says, and when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens do.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, they think that in the much speaking they may be heard, Matthew 6 verse 7, and that in the multitude of
[SPEAKER_00]: This was the cause of God's turning away His eyes when they stretch forth their hands in pre.
[SPEAKER_00]: For the very symbols of their supplication or the occasion of His resentment, it is as if someone should kill the beloved son of another, and then stretch forth to the afflicted father, their hands still stained with blood, asking for the right hand a fellowship.
[SPEAKER_00]: would not the blood of his son, visible on the hand of his slayer, provoke him rather to just anger, and such are the prayers of the Jews.
[SPEAKER_00]: For when they stretch forth their hands in prayer, they but remind God the Father of their sin against his son.
[SPEAKER_00]: And at every stretching forth of their hands, they but make many feasts that they are stained with a blood of Christ.
[SPEAKER_00]: for they who persevere in their blindness, inherit the blood guilt of their fathers, for they cried out.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's blood be upon us and upon our children.
[SPEAKER_00]: Matthew 27 verse 25.
[SPEAKER_00]: Two, be mindful then of God, O man, and keep the fear of him ever in your heart, and join yourself to all men in communion of pre.
[SPEAKER_00]: For as long as we live this life in the flesh, pray shall be a powerful aid.
[SPEAKER_00]: And as we journey from here, it will be an endearing help on the way to the eternity that awaits us.
[SPEAKER_00]: For as solicitude is a good thing, so likewise to be downcast and despairing and to doubt of our salvation or things which hurt the soul.
[SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, place your hope in the goodness of God, and look for His aid, knowing that if we truly and sincerely turn to Him, not only will He not cast us all forever, but even
[SPEAKER_00]: for who would do an evil action or suffer an evil thought if he believed that God was everywhere.
[SPEAKER_00]: That he is close to those who do such things and present at every act of ours and seeing all the councils of our hearts.
[SPEAKER_00]: Those who answer that they do not see God, or that they do not care what they do, such men, because of this, are about rushing on to an evil state of soul.
[SPEAKER_00]: Peace is the beginning of the purification of the soul, the tongue freed from speaking of the things of men, the eyes no longer dwelling on the beauty of bodies, and the elegance
[SPEAKER_00]: The hearing not undoing the strength of the soul through listening to melodies that were composed for pleasure, nor through the talk of clever and frivolous men, which more than anything else has power to undo the purpose of the soul.
[SPEAKER_00]: For the mind, we're not wasted on outward things, or let us stray by the world of the senses, turns inward on itself, and through this, ascends to the thought of God, and let by that inward beauty becomes unmindful even of nature, and no more trouble buying sighty for its food, or with concern for clothing.
[SPEAKER_00]: At rest from earth's gaze, all its zeal is given to gain in the things that are good forever.
[SPEAKER_00]: 3.
[SPEAKER_00]: No should you let the half of your life go without profit to your soul.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lost in the insensibility of sleep, but divide the night time between sleep and prey.
[SPEAKER_00]: and let's sleep itself be an act of prayer, for even our sleeping dreams are mostly but echoes of our daytime thoughts.
[SPEAKER_00]: What more blessed than that, a man as soon as the day dawns should rise and pray and worship his creator with hymns and songs.
[SPEAKER_00]: And as day begins to brighten to take up our labors, uniting them every way to pray,
[SPEAKER_00]: and with hymns as with salt, give flavor to our toil.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the soulless of hymns brings with it a cheerful and untrubbled state of mind.
[SPEAKER_00]: And before eating, let us offer pre, in thanksgiving for the gifts God now gives us, and for those we are yet to receive.
[SPEAKER_00]: And pray likewise, when we have eaten, giving thanks for what we have received,
[SPEAKER_00]: That is sublime pray, which brings to the soul a clear notion of God, but this is the indwelling of God, through recollection, to have God abiding within you.
[SPEAKER_00]: By this we become a temple of God, as long as this state of recollection is not broken by earthly thoughts, or the mind agitated by unlooked four emotions, but turning from all things to God, repelling all feelings that lead to desire, and giving itself to those that lead to virtue.
[SPEAKER_00]: When the night's peace gives most leisure to the soul, and no sights or sounds enter to trouble the heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then the mind alone with itself and with God remains itself in the recollection of its sins, giving itself rules that it may avoid evil, and imploring God's help, that it may fulfil all that it desires to do.
[SPEAKER_00]: Four.
[SPEAKER_00]: and thus the history of Moses also conveys to us.
[SPEAKER_00]: For the happenings relating to him, which are recorded there, are as it were, symbols of man's state in this world.
[SPEAKER_00]: For their events did not proceed at an even pace.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now they went well, and now because of failing strength, the warriors strove with less power.
[SPEAKER_00]: But when Moses held his arms uplifted, his rail overcame, Psalm 28 verse 9.
[SPEAKER_00]: But sure his arms dropped down, then the Amalek prevailed.
[SPEAKER_00]: This means that when our power of action weakens and falters, then will our ancient enemy prevail against us.
[SPEAKER_00]: But when it is uplifted, and again set upright, our power to see through him become stronger.
[SPEAKER_00]: The garter blifts the soul that seeks the things that are above, and lays low the soul that seeks his help to gain the things of the body.
[SPEAKER_00]: He then who comes to the temple of God, that in speak no evil, nor talk of trifling things nor shameful things, away with such things.
[SPEAKER_00]: In his temple, as David says, all shall speak his glory.
[SPEAKER_00]: 28.
[SPEAKER_00]: His angels are present, who shall recall the words.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Lord is present, who sees the hearts of those who enter.
[SPEAKER_00]: The prayer of each one is open to the sight of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: The prayer of the man who, from His heart or from His understanding is seeking the things of heaven, and the prayer of the one who speaks the words superficially.
[SPEAKER_00]: and if he does pray, he's begging for health of body, or for riches, or for the glory of this world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not of these things should we speak, but as the scripture tells us, in his temple, all shall speak his glory.
[SPEAKER_00]: But wonder of wonders, their heavens show forth the glory of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is the task of the angels to give glory to God.
[SPEAKER_00]: to give glory to the Creator is the whole duty of the entire host of Heaven, for every creature, whether it speaks or is silent, whether in Heaven or on Earth gives glory to its maker.
[SPEAKER_00]: We put you the men who hasten from their homes and hurry to the temple, as though to receive something, and there, pay no heed to the Word of God and, without any discernment of their
[SPEAKER_00]: nor have any fear of the judgment, but smiling and shaking hands with each other, they turn the house of prayer into a place of endless gossiping.
[SPEAKER_00]: Headless of what the Psalmist solemnly tells us, in his temple all speak his glory, but you not alone, and do not speak it, you become a distraction to your neighbor, turning
[SPEAKER_00]: God has no need of thy glory, but He desires that you become worthy to receive His glory.
[SPEAKER_00]: And what things are man shall so, those also shall hear Him.
[SPEAKER_00]: 5.
[SPEAKER_00]: We should give thanks to God for the good things He gives us, and not bear it with bad grace that He measures His giving.
[SPEAKER_00]: Should He grant us to be in union with Him?
[SPEAKER_00]: and joyful gift.
[SPEAKER_00]: Should he delay this, let us suffer the loss in patience, for he disposes in our lives more perfectly than we could order them.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Halseon is a sea bird which nests by the shore, laying its eggs in the sand, and bringing forth its young in the middle of winter, when the sea beats against the land in violent
[SPEAKER_00]: But during the seven days, while the house is on breads, for it takes about seven days to hatch its young, all winds sink to rest, and the sea grows calm.
[SPEAKER_00]: And as it then is in need of food for its young, the most bountiful God grants the little creature another seven days of calm, that it may feed its young.
[SPEAKER_00]: Since all sailors know of this, they give this time,
[SPEAKER_00]: the name of the hellsion days.
[SPEAKER_00]: These things are ordered by the providence of God for the creatures that are without reason.
[SPEAKER_00]: That you may be led to seek of God the things that you need for your salvation.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when for this small bird he holds back the great and fearful sea, and beds it calm in winter.
[SPEAKER_00]: What will he not do for you made in his own image?
[SPEAKER_00]: And if he should
[SPEAKER_00]: How much more will he not give you, when you call upon him with all your heart?
[SPEAKER_00]: Let us then be resolve, brethren, that as in our other needs, so also in time of temptation, not to count on human expectations or seek help be, but let us send upwards our entreities, and with size and tears, with earnest prayer, with long watching.
[SPEAKER_00]: And in this manner shall we obtain deliverance from our reflection, rejecting human helpers vain, and keeping a firm hope in him who alone has power to save us.
[SPEAKER_00]: To him, let us offer glory and adoration, together with the eternal Father and the life-giving spirit, now and forever, world without end.
[SPEAKER_00]: Amen.
[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you for listening to today's episode of Revived.
[SPEAKER_02]: Thoughts to Sermon was narrated by Richard Brute.
[SPEAKER_02]: Big thanks to Richard for helping us.
[SPEAKER_02]: Once again, with another Revive Thoughts episode.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, Richard actually sent an email.
[SPEAKER_01]: Found these Sermons on his own.
[SPEAKER_01]: Enjoyed our early episodes of My Banzel.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think maybe it was inspired by the guy.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's a great guy.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it sent us a message like, hey, I've got some Sermons for you.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's actually read another one that we're going to release out there.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think just probably a free extra listen that we'll put out on the feed of
[SPEAKER_01]: So thank you Richard so much for that.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you are listening to the show and you also want to bring a sermon to life We would love to have you.
[SPEAKER_01]: We love the passion and the speakers We have several speakers who just they come back over and over again Because they've just really appreciate how much these sermons have had a huge impact on their life I am impacted editing these sermons.
[SPEAKER_01]: I learned so much about preaching and just
[SPEAKER_01]: how to follow God from working on them on my end.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then we have these speakers who are like, hey, I learned so much about reading this sermon.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much.
[SPEAKER_01]: And if you want to be a part of that process, we have speakers all around the world, but we always can use fresh and new voices to add to the mix.
[SPEAKER_01]: So reach out to us and let's see if we could have you want to.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is Troy and Joel and this is Revive Thoughts.