Participants:
Series Code: THI
Program Code: THI000034S
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00:24 It's so good
00:25 to have you with us again 00:26 for Timeless Healing Insights. 00:28 I'm Dr. David DeRose. 00:29 Let's pray together, 00:31 Father in heaven, 00:32 please send us Your Holy Spirit 00:35 to guide us 00:36 as we open the pages 00:37 of Your holy Word again 00:39 on our journey 00:40 through the Gospel of Mark. 00:41 We ask, in Jesus name, Amen. 00:48 Jesus is walking us through 00:52 a series of encounters. 00:54 Mark is recording it, 00:56 but we're there side by side 00:57 with Jesus 00:58 as we're going through 00:59 Mark's gospel, 00:59 looking at healing insights 01:01 and what we're finding 01:02 in Mark 2 that Jesus 01:06 is being embroiled in conflict. 01:10 First, 01:11 the conflict over His authority 01:12 to forgive sins. 01:13 Then a conflict with who He's 01:15 keeping company with. 01:16 And don't miss 01:18 this very important point. 01:20 Jesus belabored this point, 01:23 He belabors it in this story. 01:24 Why? 01:25 It's the very conflict 01:26 that has Jesus double down 01:28 and reiterate 01:29 what He said at the beginning 01:30 of the Sermon on the Mount. 01:32 How does the Sermon on 01:33 the Mount begin? 01:35 Begins with those Beatitudes. 01:36 And the first one is what? 01:38 Blessed are the poor in spirit. 01:41 Blessed are the poor in spirit. 01:44 Yes. 01:47 If you recognize your need, 01:49 the healing message is for you. 01:51 You see the tragedy. 01:53 And that second illustration 01:54 and that second 01:55 controversy in Mark's gospel 01:58 was that the scribes 01:59 and Pharisees 02:00 didn't recognize 02:01 their own need. 02:03 Paul made it clear later 02:05 when he wrote his 02:07 letter to the Romans. 02:08 What did he say? 02:10 He said, All have sinned 02:11 and come short 02:11 of the glory of God. 02:12 The wages of sin is death. 02:14 We're all doomed to die 02:16 Without Jesus댕tervention. 02:18 The scribes and Pharisees 02:19 didn't recognize 02:20 that. Their attitude? 02:23 I'm fine. 02:24 I don't need you, Jesus. 02:25 We've got this all handled. 02:27 I'm fine. 02:28 I don't need 02:28 the Divine Physician. 02:30 Now, I've got to tell you 02:31 as a physician 02:33 that I often hear language 02:35 like this. 02:35 People usually 02:37 won't say it to the doctor. 02:39 They usually won't come in 02:40 and say, 02:41 I don't really need you. 02:42 They may just not show up or 02:44 you may give them a diagnosis 02:46 and they may ignore it. 02:49 I was just dealing 02:49 with a physician this week 02:51 telling me a story 02:52 of how he had a patient 02:54 who was diagnosed with cancer 02:58 and the 02:58 patient never told his family. 03:02 And when he ultimately died 03:03 from cancer, 03:04 they were shocked 03:04 that he had a malignancy. 03:07 It seems like he never 03:09 accepted his diagnosis. 03:10 He just ignored it. 03:11 By the way, did 03:12 that work out well for him? 03:14 No, it didn't, actually. 03:16 So we need to accept 03:18 an accurate diagnosis. 03:19 And in the 03:20 medical illustration, it's 03:21 true in the spiritual as well. 03:23 We need to be open 03:24 to preventive counsel 03:26 as well. Itot just 03:26 diagnosing a problem, 03:28 but it's avoiding it 03:29 in the first place. 03:29 Let me give you 03:30 some medical illustrations 03:31 and then we'll 03:31 try to connect the dots 03:32 for you spiritually. 03:34 So common scenario 03:36 that we've seen in 03:38 internal medicine is 03:40 we'll have people 03:40 that we diagnose with diabetes 03:43 and they say, well, 03:43 I'm not worried about it. 03:44 I feel fine. 03:45 You know, 03:46 your blood sugar is 300. 03:47 It's 400. I feel fine. 03:50 You know, 03:50 you need to get your blood 03:51 sugar down. 03:52 What's going on 03:53 with those high blood sugars? 03:54 Are you aware of 03:55 what's going on 03:56 at a cellular level? 03:57 It's damaging their kidneys, 03:59 It's damaging their eyes, 04:01 It's damaging their heart. 04:03 It's damaging their nerves. 04:04 Are you getting the picture. 04:05 So by ignoring it, 04:07 is that helping the situation? 04:09 No. 04:10 You need an accurate diagnosis. 04:12 Jesus is the great 04:13 diagnostician spiritually. 04:15 He's showing us our need. 04:18 Physically, if you don't 04:19 address the diagnosis, 04:20 you end up 04:21 with the amputations. 04:22 I've seen them. 04:24 The kidney failure, 04:26 the heart attacks, 04:29 blindness. 04:30 All of those things 04:31 go along with diabetes. 04:33 Then I've got another 04:34 group of people 04:35 that they 04:36 donave a diagnosis, but 04:38 at some point they do 04:40 because they end 04:40 up in my office 04:41 or in my virtual office 04:42 as I'm doing telemedicine. 04:44 And I've got a good percentage 04:45 of people 04:46 that I have come in 04:46 with cirrhosis 04:48 and they don't have cirrhosis 04:49 because they had 04:50 some autoimmune 04:51 liver disease 04:52 or they had hepatitis C or, 04:55 they're there with cirrhosis 04:57 because of alcohol. 05:00 And they may even tell me. 05:02 Oh, well doctor, 05:03 I had such a good time 05:04 when I was younger 05:05 drinking all that alcohol. 05:09 There's a health 05:10 principle here, right? 05:11 Basic health education. 05:14 And if you haven't heard 05:15 this, 05:16 the medical research is clear. 05:19 If you're talking about 05:20 comprehensive health, 05:22 there is no amount of alcohol 05:24 that is beneficial 05:25 for your 05:26 health comprehensively. 05:27 Okay? That is the bottom line. 05:29 And since I've touched on it, 05:32 you might say, well, 05:32 I saw some study that said, 05:33 you know, drink 05:34 some wine for your heart. 05:37 What the research shows is 05:38 if you're eating 05:39 plenty of plant foods, 05:40 getting plenty 05:40 of phytochemicals, 05:42 that wine is not going to 05:43 do you a whit of good 05:43 for your heart. 05:45 If you're looking 05:45 for a reference 05:46 that's from the Oxford 05:47 vegetarian study. 05:49 Here's my point. 05:51 Simple health education. 05:53 But it's the same 05:54 with the Bible. 05:55 What is God trying to do? 05:56 He's trying to point out to us 05:58 the happiest way to live. 06:02 Deuteronomy 6 06:03 right after the 06:04 Ten Commandments are given 06:05 for a second time. 06:07 First appearing in Exodus 06:09 20, then in Deuteronomy 5. 06:11 If you read through 06:12 Deuteronomy 5 06:13 and 6, you'll read things 06:14 like we have here 06:15 in Deuteronomy 6:24. 06:17 The Lord commanded us 06:18 to do all these statutes. Why? 06:21 To make our lives 06:21 a little bit miserable, 06:23 to feel a little bit more pain 06:24 because Christians 06:25 should be sad 06:26 and should 06:26 walk around 06:27 with their heads down. 06:28 Is that what it says? 06:30 No. 06:31 I gave you all these statutes, 06:33 to fear the Lord 06:34 our God, for our good always, 06:37 that he might. 06:38 That he might preserve us alive 06:41 as we are this day. 06:42 God is wanting to bless you. 06:43 That's what the Bible is about. 06:45 It's about what Jesus rescue 06:46 mission is about. 06:47 And so Jesus comes down 06:49 on this planet in Mark's 06:50 gospel, He's healing 06:51 people and people 06:52 are resisting this. 06:53 And we don't want 06:54 your information. 06:55 We don't want 06:55 you to come close to us. 06:56 We've got our own agenda 06:58 and you're messing it up. 07:01 Psalm 16 puts it this way 07:04 in your presence 07:06 in your presence 07:07 is fullness of joy 07:10 at thy right hand 07:11 there are pleasures 07:13 for evermore. 07:14 What's happening in Mark 2? 07:16 As Jesus sat at Matthew's table 07:19 as the quote, sinners 07:22 and other tax 07:23 collectors were there, 07:24 they were being healed 07:26 by Jesus presence. 07:27 Jesus wants to do that for you. 07:30 All you've got to do 07:30 is open your Bible. 07:32 All you've got to do 07:33 is invite Jesus 07:34 to meet with you. 07:34 He wants His healing 07:35 presence to affect you, 07:36 and He wants it to pervade 07:37 this church 07:38 and every church on the planet, 07:40 every one that takes His name. 07:41 He wants to be an agent 07:43 for healing. 07:45 Let's go to conflict 07:46 number three now. 07:47 And this is where it 07:48 really comes into focus. 07:50 If you haven't 07:50 picked up on it to this point, 07:52 maybe it wasn't so, so florid. 07:55 Maybe it wasn't so dramatic. 07:57 But we're really talking 07:58 largely about truth 08:00 versus tradition, 08:02 because in all 08:02 of these stories, 08:03 preconceived ideas 08:05 get in the way 08:06 of allowing Jesus 08:08 to exercise 08:10 His healing ministry. 08:12 Now, what is the conflict 08:14 involved in 08:17 number three? 08:18 We saw the first one. 08:19 It's the healing 08:20 of a paralytic. 08:21 The second one, it's 08:22 calling Matthew. 08:23 And then dining with those 08:25 who are not 08:25 of the acceptable class 08:27 to the religious elite. 08:28 But what is it in conflict 08:30 number three? 08:30 What is the context? 08:32 The context, 08:33 dare I say 08:33 it, is absolutely nothing. 08:37 That's right. 08:37 Look at the account. 08:39 Mark. 08:39 Chapter 2:18. 08:41 It says 08:42 nothing about what 08:43 Jesus is doing. 08:45 Listen, Jesus disciples 08:48 and the Pharisees 08:50 were doing something. 08:51 They were fasting. 08:54 So people come to Jesus 08:56 and they say, 08:57 Why do John's disciples 08:58 and the disciples 08:59 of the Pharisees fast? 09:01 But your disciples do not fast. 09:04 Here's the amazing thing 09:06 about how Satan 09:06 stirs up conflict. 09:08 If he's not 09:08 stirring up conflict 09:10 about what 09:10 good things Jesus is doing, 09:12 then he's 09:13 going to stir up conflict 09:14 because of what 09:14 Jesus is not doing. 09:15 Okay? 09:16 I mean, isn't this amazing? 09:18 So it 09:19 doesnខatter what 09:19 Jesus does, 09:21 Satan is going 09:21 to try to interfere 09:23 with His ministry. 09:23 And again, remember, 09:24 I say in all these settings, 09:26 Jesus, instead of limiting 09:29 His ministry, 09:29 it expands His ministry. 09:31 So let's walk through this 09:32 scenario together. 09:33 If you will. 09:35 If you look historically, 09:37 if you look at 09:38 secular historians, 09:39 they tell us that the Pharisees 09:41 in Jesus냝y, 09:42 many of them were fasting 09:45 two days out of every week. 09:48 Think about that. 09:48 I mean, that's 09:49 pretty impressive, isn't it? 09:50 So five days you're eating. 09:52 What are you doing 09:52 two days? You're fasting. 09:56 Now, some of you might say, 09:57 well, I don't know about that. 09:58 Well, 09:59 Jesus 10:00 gave this very example in Luke. 10:03 Luke 18, 10:04 you remember the story he's 10:05 illustrating the Pharisee 10:08 who was self-righteous 10:11 in some translations. 10:12 It says he stood 10:13 and prayed, thus with himself. 10:17 What is he praying? 10:18 God, I thank you 10:19 that I'm not like other people, 10:21 robbers, evildoers, adulterers - 10:23 or even like this 10:24 tax collector. 10:25 And what does he 10:26 commend himself for? 10:30 His religious orthodoxy. 10:32 His following the tradition. 10:33 Now, listen what he says. 10:35 I fast twice a week 10:36 and I give a 10th of all I get. 10:38 Now, first of all, let's 10:39 just pause here. 10:41 How many of you think 10:42 it's a bad idea to pay a tithe 10:46 or to return, more precisely, 10:49 a faithful tithe to God? 10:50 Do you think that's a bad idea? 10:52 No. 10:53 This is endorsed 10:53 biblically, right? 10:55 What about fasting? 10:58 Well, we'll 10:58 get to that in a minute. Okay? 11:00 But what is he doing here? 11:02 He is focused on his behavior. 11:04 His fasting is 11:06 a meritorious behavior 11:08 that he thinks 11:09 somehow is gaining 11:11 approval for himself. 11:14 Now, I have to stop here 11:16 because we're going 11:16 through a series 11:17 on healing insights 11:19 from the gospel of Mark. 11:21 And I'd like to suggest to you 11:23 that there are two pitfalls 11:24 when it comes 11:25 to healing insights. 11:26 The first pitfall 11:28 is that we will miss, 11:29 that wegloss over 11:31 healing truths 11:33 that are in Mark's account. 11:35 But here's the other danger, 11:38 and that is 11:39 that weneglect 11:40 true healing principles, 11:42 because we'll think that 11:43 they're not endorsed 11:44 in this case by Mark's gospel. 11:47 So 11:49 I don't want you to miss this. 11:50 This is really important. 11:51 And I know 11:52 it's not only important, 11:53 but this is cutting edge stuff. 11:55 Sonja and I, many of you know, 11:56 were just in the Middle East 11:58 for a couple of weeks, 11:59 and while we were there, 12:01 it was amazing 12:02 to connect 12:03 with believers 12:04 throughout that 12:05 part of the world where it is, 12:07 it is challenging 12:08 in many respects to 12:09 to to minister. 12:11 But one of the 12:12 lines of ministry 12:13 that they're very focused 12:14 on, in fact, just this morning, 12:16 I received a 12:18 I guess it's a text, 12:19 maybe it's a WhatsApp. 12:20 They like WhatsApp over there, 12:22 but they received a message 12:23 and they're wanting to 12:25 they're wanting 12:26 to use our 30 day 12:27 lifestyle program 12:28 that we've developed here 12:29 at the Fort Wayne 12:30 First Seventh-day 12:31 Adventist church. 12:31 I'll mention that again 12:32 in a moment. 12:33 They want to use that 12:34 in their ministry 12:35 there in the United 12:36 Arab Emirates 12:37 where he is based. So 12:40 one of the things, 12:41 though, I'm telling you in 12:42 this context 12:43 is while we were there 12:43 in the Middle East, 12:44 one of the things 12:45 that really resonated 12:46 with those who were 12:47 in attendance 12:48 at our lectures 12:49 was a presentation on fasting. 12:52 They were very excited 12:53 about this. 12:55 It is not just of interest 12:57 in the Middle East. 12:57 I don't know if it's coming 12:59 across your news feeds, 13:00 but even lay the lay press 13:02 is very interested 13:04 in medical benefits 13:05 of fasting today. 13:06 And as a physician, 13:07 I see many things coming 13:08 across my desk 13:09 speaking about, 13:10 they might use the term time 13:11 restricted feeding 13:13 instead of fasting. 13:14 Yeah, 13:15 if you really want a nightmare, 13:16 just as an aside, 13:17 if you do literature research 13:19 like I do, 13:19 you know 13:20 you want to look through 13:21 the medical research, 13:21 don't put fasting in 13:23 and try to find 13:24 medical research about it. 13:26 Because just about every study, 13:28 if they're measuring things, 13:29 they're measuring 13:30 fasting blood work. Okay? 13:33 So you're going to it's 13:34 going to pull up 13:34 hundreds of things 13:35 that have nothing to do 13:36 with anything about fasting. 13:38 But time restricted feeding 13:39 is one of the terms thatsed. 13:41 So fasting is powerful. 13:43 And if you think about this, 13:44 really when we were there 13:46 dealing with a lot of folks 13:47 or at least 13:48 rubbing shoulders with folks 13:49 from a Muslim background. 13:51 Do Muslims, 13:53 do they regard fasting 13:55 in a special way? 13:56 Oh, yeah. 13:57 Many of you know 13:57 about Ramadan, right? 13:59 So a very special time 14:01 where they're fasting. 14:03 How about Christians? 14:04 Do Christians, Jews, 14:05 do they value fasting? 14:07 I mean, itn the Bible, 14:08 many places. 14:09 What about Hindus 14:11 and Buddhists? 14:12 What about Native Americans? 14:13 What I'm trying to help you see 14:15 is that fasting is embraced 14:17 cross-culturally 14:18 throughout the world 14:19 and for centuries 14:20 and centuries. 14:21 It's endorsed by the Bible. 14:22 So don't walk away from Mark 14:24 2 somehow 14:25 thinking that Jesus is saying 14:27 there's no value to fasting. 14:28 So let me tell you 14:29 what we've done 14:30 to try to help you here 14:32 in this congregation 14:33 as well as others, is 14:36 we're not going to go through 14:37 a whole Bible study on fasting. 14:38 But I wanted to spend 14:39 some time with this 14:40 because I think if you 14:41 if you just 14:43 let me tell you 14:44 the biggest problem 14:44 sometimes we have. 14:45 Now, don't misunderstand me. 14:47 I think there is value 14:49 in reading through large 14:50 portions of Scripture. Okay? 14:52 Some of you might be on a Bible 14:53 reading plan 14:54 and you're reading through 14:55 five chapters a day 14:56 or ten chapters or something. 14:58 I'm not 14:59 trying to depreciate that. 15:00 There is truly a value to that, 15:02 but there's also a value 15:03 to deeper study. Okay? 15:06 And so when you just 15:07 breezed through Mark 15:08 2, you might walk away 15:09 thinking, well, Jesus saying, 15:11 no fasting 15:11 in the New Testament. 15:12 Let's go on 15:13 to the next confrontation. 15:15 But realize, 15:16 wait a minute, wait a minute. 15:18 Mark 2 occurs 15:19 after Jesus fasted 15:21 for 40 days in the wilderness. 15:23 Okay? 15:24 Jesus himself 15:25 fasted, Moses fasted, 15:28 Elijah fasted. 15:29 Fasting was part 15:30 of the day of Atonement. 15:32 So the Bible is full 15:34 and there's many more examples 15:35 we could give you. 15:37 But here is what 15:38 Jesus is addressing. 15:40 Jesus is not taking 15:42 a stand against all fasting 15:44 for spiritual 15:44 or medical reasons, in Mark 2 15:46 He is confronting 15:48 the traditions, 15:49 the preconceived ideas 15:51 that included the expectation 15:53 that if you were holy, 15:54 you're going to fast 15:56 in a certain prescribed way. 15:58 And that way, as you saw 16:00 in Luke's gospel, often 16:03 often ministered 16:05 to self aggrandizement, 16:07 to self righteousness. 16:09 Are you getting the picture? 16:11 So 16:13 the charge against Jesus, 16:15 if you're being led by God, 16:17 why aren 16:17 㸚u following 16:18 our spiritual traditions? 16:20 Why aren't you meeting 16:21 our standards? 16:24 They present no 16:25 scriptural basis 16:27 for their concerns. 16:28 Don't miss that. 16:29 They don't take out the Bible 16:31 and say, Hey, 16:31 here's what 16:32 the Bible says about 16:33 fasting. No, 16:34 it is their traditions. 16:36 And who are they 16:36 elevating them above? 16:39 The elevation of Jesus. 16:41 Okay? I mean, can I now. 16:42 So really, 16:43 this is challenging for me. 16:45 So the question for me, 16:46 the question 16:46 for all of us should be, 16:47 is there a danger 16:48 that I could do that? 16:50 That I could elevate 16:52 my personal opinions 16:55 above Jesus떸n words? 16:59 And we see 17:00 this when we do 17:00 cross-cultural ministry. Okay? 17:03 When we were there 17:04 in the Middle East. 17:05 People weren't 17:06 all dressing for church 17:08 like you are dressing. 17:09 Were they dressed 17:10 inappropriately then? 17:11 They weren 17:13 㭺nging necessarily, 17:15 like how we sing 17:15 in this church. 17:16 They weren't even using 17:17 the same language, 17:18 some of them that we use here. 17:22 So do 17:23 you see what I'm talking about? 17:26 Now, here's 17:27 what I want to give you a tool, 17:28 because I think 17:30 since we're talking 17:30 about fasting, 17:31 I would be negligent 17:32 not to give you 17:33 a little bit of help 17:35 in the lines of fasting. 17:36 I'm trying to balance 17:38 the danger. 17:38 Remember, there's 17:39 this pitfall 17:40 that you could 17:41 throw fasting out 17:42 because of the words of Jesus. 17:43 And I want to just 17:44 just put something 17:45 in your hands. 17:46 Many of you have 17:46 already connected 17:47 with this resource 17:48 that this 17:49 Middle Eastern 17:50 pastor has reached out. 17:51 He wants to have his church 17:52 going through this 30 17:53 day program. 17:54 They want to use it 17:54 as part of their 17:55 health ministry 17:56 in their church. 17:57 If you've not 17:58 joined us for this program, 17:59 you're all 18:00 welcome to jump on 18:01 TimelessHealingInsights.org. 18:03 If you go to that website, 18:05 you can sign up for the free 18:06 30 day program. 18:07 Part of that program 18:08 includes fasting. 18:10 But I've got more for you. 18:11 We just put together 18:12 just within the last few days 18:14 a handout 18:15 because I saw that the interest 18:16 in this 18:17 actually we did a, 18:18 produced a radio show 18:19 yesterday on this topic. 18:21 It'll be airing 18:22 the last week 18:22 of November of 2022. 18:24 If if you jump on our 18:26 TimelessHealingInsights.org 18:28 website, you can access 18:29 our radio shows there. 18:31 It will be 18:32 there for the week, 18:32 the last week of November 2022. 18:35 But it is a whole program 18:37 on fasting 18:38 and the special resource 18:39 that we're making available 18:40 to all of you 18:41 here, to anyone 18:42 viewing is a free hand out. 18:44 Fasting as a natural remedy. 18:46 You can pick it right up there 18:47 at the 18:48 TimelessHealingInsights.org 18:50 website. 18:50 I want to give you 18:51 a preview of it 18:52 because this is 18:52 important stuff. 18:53 And what I love 18:54 about what 18:55 I'm going to share with you 18:55 is it gives us balance on 18:57 this topic, 18:58 gives us balance on the topic. 18:59 So here, let me first 19:00 as a physician, 19:01 tell you what I have seen 19:03 in my own practice 19:03 and what we see 19:04 in the research literature 19:05 about how fasting 19:07 can help people 19:08 with a variety of illnesses, 19:10 diabetes, 19:11 especially type two diabetes. 19:12 I'll just tell you as an aside, 19:14 I have fasted many people 19:15 with type two diabetes. 19:17 Yes, we have to 19:17 sometimes 19:18 adjust their medications. 19:19 But fasting 19:20 has a metabolic 19:21 resetting function on diabetes 19:24 so we can put 19:24 someone in a fast. 19:25 I've done this 19:26 in a medically supervised 19:27 setting 3 to 5 days 19:29 and dramatically better 19:32 blood sugars after that. 19:34 Sustained high blood pressure. 19:37 Obesity. 19:38 If you're coming down 19:39 with an illness. 19:41 Let me ask you a question. 19:43 Have you ever noticed 19:45 that you don't have 19:46 as much appetite prior 19:48 to getting sick? 19:49 Think about this. 19:50 Some years ago, 19:52 I was sitting down 19:53 for breakfast 19:54 and I 19:55 you know, 19:55 I just ate a little bit. 19:56 I don't eat all that much. 19:58 I only eat twice a day. 20:00 So when I didn't 20:01 eat much for breakfast, 20:02 I'm thinking, well, 20:02 this isn't good. 20:03 I mean, 20:03 I got to get 20:04 through the whole day 20:05 and I hardly ate anything. 20:07 So what do you think I did, 20:08 even though I wasn't hungry? 20:09 This is not a good idea. 20:11 But I ate more. 20:12 I just my normal amount, 20:13 maybe even less. 20:15 And what do you think happened? 20:17 I got sick. 20:18 My body was telling me to fast. 20:22 Was telling me to fast, 20:23 telling me 20:24 I didn't need many calories. 20:25 My body was trying 20:26 to fight an illness. 20:27 And this is what we know, 20:29 acute illnesses, decreasing 20:31 caloric intake 20:32 is typically enhancing 20:34 for your immune system. 20:35 Now, if you're 20:36 calorically depleted 20:37 over a period of time, 20:38 that can undermine 20:39 your immune system. 20:39 Don't mistake that. 20:41 Autoimmune diseases. 20:42 We've worked with many patients 20:44 with autoimmune diseases 20:45 using fasting regimens 20:46 and have seen their rheumatoid 20:48 arthritis improve. 20:49 Or their lupus improved 20:50 or their inflammatory bowel 20:52 disease improve, 20:53 so fasting has far reaching 20:55 medical benefits. 20:56 Now here's the resource 20:57 I want to give you. 20:59 By the way, 20:59 if you get the handout, these 21:01 these slides are in 21:02 that free handout. 21:03 They're also in the free 21:04 handout that goes along 21:05 with this lecture. 21:06 So for those of you 21:07 that are viewing this, 21:08 those of you that are here 21:09 attending in person, 21:11 every time we show slides, 21:13 they're all in the free handout 21:14 that goes 21:15 with that presentation, 21:16 but there's a bonus handout. 21:18 In addition 21:19 to the slides 21:20 that I'll be showing you 21:21 in the formal presentation, 21:23 about 10 or 11 pages, 21:24 maybe even more of material 21:27 on fasting as a natural remedy. 21:29 So in that handout, 21:30 I have selections 21:31 from an amazing book. 21:33 This is this 21:34 probably the most balanced book 21:35 we talk about spiritual 21:36 and physical 21:37 benefits of fasting. 21:38 It's a book called 21:39 Counsels on Diet and Foods. 21:41 Some of you may know 21:42 the name of the author, E.G. 21:43 White. 21:44 This was a 21:46 person wrote over 100 years ago 21:48 a major health 21:49 advocate of yesteryear. 21:51 And you might say, Well, 21:52 why would you pick up a dusty 21:53 old book 21:54 written so many years ago? 21:57 This specific book, 21:59 I can 21:59 think right 22:00 now of a Jewish 22:01 author who endorses this book 22:04 even with some Christian 22:04 concepts in it. 22:05 This is amazing 22:06 book, Counsels 22:07 on Diet and Foods. 22:08 I think of a 22:10 a nutrition professor 22:12 some years ago 22:13 at Cornell University 22:15 saying amazing book, 22:16 not a Seventh-day Adventist. 22:17 I'm not sure it was even 22:18 a Christian, Counsels on Diet 22:19 and Foods. 22:20 Amazing book. Amazing book. 22:22 So let me show you 22:23 what you'll find in there. 22:24 If you read about fasting 22:26 is going to put this 22:26 in perspective. 22:27 What Jesus had to say 22:28 in Mark 2, 22:29 with the modern benefits 22:31 of fasting 22:33 on a spiritual level. 22:34 White saw fasting as more of, 22:36 listen to it, 22:37 an attitude than a practice. 22:40 Listen to this statement. 22:41 The spirit of true 22:42 fasting and prayer 22:44 is the spirit 22:45 which yields mind, heart, 22:47 and will to God. 22:50 Think about that. 22:51 It's not showing 22:52 your superiority. 22:53 It's yielding to God. 22:55 It's not getting you 22:56 points with God. 22:57 How about this statement? 22:58 All the fasting in the world 23:01 will not take the place 23:02 of simple trust 23:03 in the Word of God. 23:04 So this is speaking to those 23:05 religious leaders 23:07 in Jesus day, right? 23:08 They thought they would 23:09 get points for it. 23:10 By the way, read Isaiah 58. 23:12 It was the same problem 23:12 in the Old Testament. 23:14 Ask, Jesus said, 23:16 and you shall receive. 23:17 You are not called upon to fast 23:19 40 days. 23:20 The Lord bore that fast for you 23:21 in the wilderness 23:22 of temptation. 23:23 There would be no virtue 23:25 in such a fast. 23:26 But there is virtue 23:27 in the blood of Christ. 23:28 So did you see what 23:30 what she's doing? 23:31 The author is 23:31 separating out the 23:35 physical and 23:36 spiritual benefits of fasting 23:37 from the merit of fasting. 23:39 There's no value 23:39 You don't get merit for fasting 23:41 for 40 days. 23:43 The true fasting, 23:44 which should be recommended 23:45 to who? 23:47 To everyone 23:47 to all, 23:48 is abstinence 23:49 from every stimulating 23:50 kind of food, 23:52 and the proper 23:52 use of wholesome, simple, food 23:54 which God has 23:55 provided in abundance. 23:56 So just some 23:57 amazing statements. 23:58 There's more 23:59 that we could share here. 24:00 We won't do it, but 24:02 it is in the handout. 24:03 You can get it there 24:04 at TimelessHealingInsights.org. 24:07 Handout on fasting 24:08 as a natural remedy. 24:10 We talk about all kinds 24:11 of different specific 24:12 medical fasts, 24:13 how they can benefit you, 24:14 and that's a resource 24:15 that you will definitely 24:17 want to avail yourselves of. 24:19 So let us come back now 24:20 to Jesus and Mark 2. 24:22 Let's look at Jesus뛳sponse. 24:24 Remember, because I said 24:25 the danger is you read this, 24:27 you throw out fasting. 24:28 No, fasting has value, 24:30 very powerful value, 24:31 but it has no merit 24:33 in and of itself. 24:34 Here is Jesus response. 24:35 How can the guests 24:37 of the bridegroom fast 24:39 while he is with them? 24:40 They cannot, 24:41 so long as they 24:42 have him with them. 24:44 But the time will come 24:45 when the bridegroom 24:46 will be taken from them, 24:47 and on that day they will fast. 24:50 What is Jesus getting at here? 24:52 Jesus all along 24:54 we've been seeing it. 24:55 He's been demonstrating 24:56 the true spirit of fasting. 24:58 He's been selflessly 24:59 ministering to others. 25:00 I alluded to Isaiah 58. 25:02 Isaiah 58 25:03 tells us about the true fast. 25:05 It's what? 25:06 To losse the bonds 25:07 of wickedness, 25:08 to undo the straps of the yoke, 25:10 to let the oppressed 25:12 go free, and 25:13 to break every yoke. 25:14 It's talking about what 25:15 Jesus was doing. 25:17 Jesus is showing a true fast. 25:20 He's yielding Himself to God. 25:22 He's healing. 25:23 He's ministering 25:24 to the downcast. 25:25 He is exemplifying 25:27 what true fasting looks like. 25:29 It's not putting 25:30 yourself first. 25:33 Jesus gave one 25:34 last illustration 25:36 to drive home 25:36 the point in chapter three, 25:38 and we'll end on this note. 25:40 No one 25:41 sews a patch of unshrunk cloth 25:43 on an old garment. 25:45 Otherwise the new piece 25:47 will pull away from the old 25:48 making the tear worse 25:50 and no one pours 25:51 new wine into old wine skins. 25:52 Otherwise the wine will burst 25:55 the wine skins. 25:56 It will ruin those wine skins. 25:59 What was Jesus saying? 26:00 In antiquity, 26:01 if you put 26:03 grape juice into a new wine 26:06 skin as it fermented 26:07 and expanded, 26:08 the wine skin would expand. 26:10 If the wine skin was old, 26:12 the juice as it fermented 26:14 would burst the wine skin. 26:17 Jesus was not advocating 26:18 the use of alcohol. 26:19 He's using an illustration 26:21 that they could relate to, 26:22 nor was He relating 26:23 that you wear old clothes 26:24 that are patched. 26:25 Okay, but here's the point. 26:27 What is Jesus saying? 26:29 Jesus, I believe, 26:31 is trying to communicate 26:32 that you can't fit 26:34 Jesus딷w truth 26:36 into your preconceived ideas 26:38 and traditions. 26:39 Lay aside 26:40 your preconceived ideas. 26:41 Let Jesus work in your life. 26:43 Let Jesus work in your family. 26:45 Let Jesus work in your church. 26:48 He wants to give you a new mind 26:50 and a new heart. 26:51 This healing Savior 26:53 wants to heal you like that 26:55 young man. Sean, Right? 26:58 Jesus wants to rescue you. 27:00 It may not be life or death 27:03 in human terms, 27:04 but it could be spiritual 27:05 life or death. 27:07 He is our mighty savior. 27:10 I want God's truth 27:12 to guide my life. 27:13 I don't want those traditions 27:15 to creep in 27:15 that might crowd out his word. 27:17 Let's pray 27:19 to that end together. 27:20 Father in heaven, 27:22 help us be guided by Your word, 27:24 not the traditions of man, 27:26 not the habits 27:27 of our own minds, 27:28 not our preconceived ideas. 27:30 But please guide us 27:32 to the truth 27:32 of Your Scriptures. 27:33 Help us to implement it 27:34 in our lives. 27:35 And may it help us 27:38 to reveal to the world 27:40 the love of Jesus. 27:42 We ask it all in His name. 27:44 Amen. 27:46 We've got more resources 27:48 for you. 27:49 Every program, a free handout. 27:51 Take advantage of it. 27:52 It's at 27:53 WWW.TimelessHealingInsights.org. |
Revised 2023-04-17