Participants: John Bradshaw (Host), David DeRose
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001294A
00:05 ♪ [It Is Written Theme] ♪
00:12 >: It has stood the test of time. 00:17 God's book, the Bible; 00:21 still relevant in today's complex world. 00:26 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe. 00:42 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 00:45 Thanks for joining me today. In recent years the subject of 00:48 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has received a lot more 00:52 publicity in the news. Men and women come back 00:56 from foreign fields, having served in the military, 00:59 and they've been affected in such a way that 01:01 daily life becomes just a challenge for them-- 01:04 sometimes with tragic results. Now, being in a wartime 01:09 situation is a stressor, or a stress factor, 01:13 that many of us simply cannot relate to. 01:15 And it's an extreme example of what stress can do to a person. 01:19 Nevertheless, it puts the question or 01:22 the subject of stress right in society's spotlight. 01:26 So, what is stress, and how can we deal with stress, and even, 01:29 what can you do about PTSD? I'm joined today by Dr. David 01:32 DeRose, who's a specialist in internal medicine, in preventive 01:37 medicine, and he comes to us from CompassHealth Consultants 01:40 in Northern California. Dr. DeRose, 01:42 thanks for joining me today. DD: Wonderful to be with you, 01:44 John. JB: This is a serious thing-- 01:45 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. 01:47 When I was a kid, growing up in my little town, 01:49 there was a man-- he was a bit of an oddball, 01:51 really, I mean no offense. He had a couple of quirks 01:55 and characteristics. People knew he wasn't quite 01:57 right, and what it was was, he'd come back 02:00 from World War II, and I don't know 02:03 what it was he went through, but it just affected him. 02:07 You know? DD: There's no question. 02:08 One of the big things that happens is impairment 02:10 of social relations. This is a big thing that happens 02:13 with PTSD. JB: So, what is PTSD? 02:15 You go to the war, it's terrible, and-- 02:17 DD: Well, let's expand the dialogue. 02:19 Because I want to answer the question, but it's not just 02:21 related to combat exposure. People can have PTSD from other 02:24 violent experiences in life. It can be a car accident; 02:28 it can be rape; it can be something like 02:32 a natural disaster that affected your town. 02:36 JB: I think I read somewhere that about 8 percent of people 02:39 in the United States have-- and I'm guessing 02:41 this is diagnosed-- PTSD. Which would suggest to me, 02:45 there are probably more people who are dealing with #, 02:47 who simply haven't been diagnosed. 02:49 DD: Yeah, if you look at what we call Lifetime Prevalence-- 02:51 that means the chance of you having PTSD 02:53 at some time in your life-- it's probably around that 02:55 6 to 8 percent range. What the amazing thing is 02:59 though, John, is if you look at the things that can trigger 03:03 PTSD, over half of us will have 03:06 a traumatic event of sufficient magnitude to trigger PTSD. 03:11 JB: So, that means over half of us are candidates for 03:14 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder DD: That's right, and it begs a 03:16 big question that we're debating in the literature, if you will, 03:19 is how can we prevent it? What are those things 03:22 that predispose? But, we've got to come back 03:24 to your original question, just what is it, right? 03:25 JB: Yes, we do. Also, you've got 10 people, 03:29 let's just use war, a wartime situation. 03:34 Ten people go to war, and one or two come back 03:38 with PTSD, eight do not. 03:40 DD: That's right. JB: Now, it doesn't mean that 03:41 the eight weren't severely affected, but somehow they had 03:44 the coping mechanisms, or the whatever it is, 03:46 that they can harmonize with their future 03:49 like their past life. Some cannot. 03:51 So, okay, let's look at this in the big picture, 03:53 because this discussion, it's going to be 03:56 a biblical discussion. DD: That's right. 03:58 JB: But also, it isn't dealing with Post Traumatic Stress 04:01 Disorder solely, but stress, and stress factors. 04:06 I think it's very important, because for some people, 04:08 they have stress, it drives them away from God. 04:11 Others, they experience stress, it drives them toward God. 04:15 DD: That's right. JB: And that's the response 04:16 that we want, coming closer to God and dealing 04:19 with the stressors in our life. DD: So, someone has this 04:22 traumatic event, and in the aftermath of it they have 04:26 prolonged experiences, if you will, 04:30 where they're either reliving the traumatic event; 04:33 they may have nightmares, they may have flashbacks. 04:35 They often have a heightened sense of emotional connectedness 04:39 for anything that looks like the traumatic event. 04:41 So, if someone saw combat duty, on the 4th of July when the 04:45 neighbor is lighting off fireworks, they may dive 04:48 under their bed because they're reliving that combat experience, 04:52 if you will. The other dynamic that often 04:55 goes along with PTSD that's so important-- 04:57 and we've got to come back to this because it ties in 04:59 with the whole stress discussion-- is, many of these 05:03 people experience what they call "emotional numbness" 05:06 or "emotional detachment." Those relationships that used to 05:10 seem meaningful, now they don't feel that they connect with that 05:14 significant other or their children or their grandchildren. 05:18 So, all of these issues are under this umbrella of PTSD, 05:22 and it often brings other things with it. 05:24 Higher risk of high blood pressure, 05:25 depression and other mental health disorders. 05:27 Here's some of the great news: PTSD, when we look at the data, 05:32 what helps a person do better in the same traumatic events, 05:36 one of the best things-- I love to tell 05:38 this element of it-- one of the factors 05:40 that we can't change is the older you are, the less 05:44 likely you are to have PTSD. You know, we're always talking 05:47 about aging causing all these health problems. 05:50 Here is something where aging actually seems to be 05:53 a preventative for PTSD. Another really interesting thing 05:57 that we can change is what we call 05:59 "functional social support." JB: Now, what's that? 06:02 DD: That means, if you're connected-- 06:04 if you have people that are supporting you-- 06:06 you're much less likely to have PTSD. 06:08 And this is powerful, when it comes to stress. 06:11 We're speaking about the Bible. I love the story 06:13 in the Gospel of Mark. I've been spending 06:16 a lot of time, John, going through the Gospel 06:18 of Mark with groups of people because it is such a 06:20 powerful relational Gospel. It's the most succinct, 06:24 fast-moving of the Gospels, and yet there are some insights 06:27 in Mark that you don't get anywhere else. 06:29 In Mark chapter 2, a very interesting social situation. 06:34 You could say, a situation that was 06:36 very stressful, no doubt, for the homeowner. 06:39 His home is full, all kinds of people, no one can get in. 06:43 And then what happens? JB: They take the roof apart, 06:46 and lower down this paralyzed man. 06:47 Four people lower him down into the presence of Jesus. 06:49 And I can see Jesus sitting in the room, 06:52 with bits of dust and straw falling, just raining down 06:55 on them as they're taking the roof apart. 06:57 Clearly, the homes were constructed in such a way 06:59 that this is possible. DD: Right. 07:01 JB: But still, you can imagine there was a mess up there. 07:03 Jesus is getting showered in detritus. 07:06 It had to have been something to witness. 07:07 DD: The amazing thing-- even though that may 07:09 have been stressful to the homeowner-- 07:12 there's a man in that story. That paralytic, who is only 07:16 there by virtue of what we would call the "tangible" 07:21 or "instrumental" social support that his four friends gave him. 07:25 JB: Where would he have been without his friends? 07:27 DD: Exactly right. JB: Now, we don't know much 07:29 about the way they connected, or how it came by, but it's that 07:32 this man was brought to Jesus by four other people. 07:36 So, talk a little bit about what that social support really means 07:39 in practical terms, in daily life. 07:41 DD: This is really important, because a lot of times when 07:44 we speak of social support, people think of what is kind of 07:47 the warm, fuzzy social support. That's what we call 07:49 "emotional support." But there are different levels 07:53 of social support. There's the warm fuzzies that we 07:56 get from people that love us and support us, but that person who 07:58 helps you-- even though they may not do it in the nicest way-- 08:03 can still be giving you valuable support that can help you on 08:07 your journey to health and wholeness. 08:10 JB: But people should be looking out for others and trying 08:13 to set up support for them, because it's just good for them 08:17 and alleviates their stress. DD: This is really interesting, 08:19 from the standpoint of the church. 08:21 Jesus calls people into fellowship. 08:24 He calls disciples to be with Him. 08:27 He founds a church, if you will, right? 08:30 JB: Yes. DD: Many people say, 08:33 I don't like this church. I don't like the community 08:36 I'm in. Do you know what? 08:39 It doesn't matter whether you like the people; it doesn't 08:41 matter whether you like your next-door neighbor or not, 08:44 you can get benefits to your health and to their health 08:46 by doing just what Jesus said: treating others as you would 08:50 like to be treated yourself. Many people, 08:52 in their spiritual life, they've become members, 08:56 if you will, of some kind of global 08:58 Internet community, and they're not worshiping with other 09:02 people, they're missing the power of social connectedness. 09:06 They say, I'm just doing fine. But what about the other people 09:10 who are missing the value of your connecting with them? 09:13 JB: Amen. So, I would recommend you to 09:15 watch It Is Written, and go to church, and experience 09:18 the best of both worlds. Amen. 09:21 I'm glad you're with us today. There's a whole lot more 09:23 to talk about. Stress, what causes it, 09:25 what you can do about it. I've got Dr. David DeRose with 09:27 me, and we're going to talk more about this in just a moment. 09:32 ♪ [Gentle Melody] ♪ >: You are watching the 09:34 weekly It Is Written program with Pastor John Bradshaw, 09:38 but did you know that there's a daily program, too? 09:40 Every Word is a one-minute Bible-based daily devotional 09:44 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially 09:47 for busy people like you. Look for Every Word 09:51 on selected networks, or watch it online every day 09:53 on our website, ItIsWritten.com. 09:56 Receive a daily spiritual boost. Watch Every Word. 10:00 You'll be glad you did. 10:03 ♪ [Rythmic Melody] ♪ 10:11 JB: Jacob had made a real mess of his life. 10:14 He had purchased the birthright from his brother 10:15 by very devious means. At his mother's suggestion he 10:18 deceived his father, and now, later, it looked 10:21 like his brother, Esau, was going to kill him. 10:23 What could he do? He found himself wrestling with 10:26 God and he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 10:29 That's Genesis 32:26. Now, 10:32 how do you like that prayer: You must bless me. 10:34 I'm not prepared to take no for an answer. 10:36 That's a prayer that's worth praying, and it's a prayer 10:39 that God will answer. You can afford to pray that 10:42 prayer: I will not let you go, unless you bless me. 10:45 If you've made a mess, if you're in a fix, 10:47 if you need God's help-- pray that prayer. 10:50 I will not let you go, unless you bless me. 10:53 God never fails to answer a prayer like that, when it's 10:56 prayed in real faith. I'm John Bradshaw 10:59 for It Is Written. Let's live today by every word. 11:04 ♪ [Thoughtful Melody] ♪ 11:06 JB: Planning for your financial Future is a vital aspect of 11:08 Christian stewardship. For this reason, It Is Written 11:11 is pleased to offer free planned giving and estate services. 11:15 For information on how we can help you, please call 11:17 1 (800) 992-2219. Call today, 11:22 or visit our special website, www.HisLegacy.com. 11:29 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 11:32 Thanks for joining me today. I'm joined by Dr. David DeRose, 11:35 a doctor of internal medicine, a doctor of preventive medicine. 11:38 Which sounds like a guy who's trying to work himself 11:40 out of a job, if you stop and think about it. 11:42 He comes to us from CompassHealth Consulting 11:45 in Northern California. Dr. DeRose, 11:47 I'm glad you're with me today. We're talking about some good 11:49 stuff, I think. DD: It's exciting, 11:50 because it makes a difference. JB: Makes a real difference 11:53 in a person's life. The stereotype is, 11:55 somebody smokes a joint, they get happily buzzed 11:59 or stoned, and it's "Hey, whatever, dude." 12:02 You know, they mellow out. You would say this helps one's 12:06 stress level. However-- there's a big however. 12:10 DD: Well, the big however-- you've identified this exactly, 12:14 John. In the literature we speak about 12:16 an a-motivational syndrome that can occur in chronic users 12:20 of marijuana. And this means it basically 12:22 just takes away your drive. Now, you might say, 12:25 "Well, this is good." Because you can relax. 12:27 But this is actually not good, if you look at the broader 12:30 picture of stress. Because some of 12:33 the biggest stressors are those global issues. 12:36 And if you lose your motivation to work, for example, 12:40 this is going to have some implications as far as 12:44 long-term stress. JB: Which says to us that a 12:47 certain amount of stress is good for you. 12:49 DD: You're exactly right. The kind of environment where 12:52 people just want to be in a cocoon, sometimes-- especially 12:54 if you're really bombarded by all kinds of stressors-- 12:57 is not reality. In fact, 13:00 Jesus articulated very clearly. He said, "In the world 13:02 you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer; 13:06 I've overcome the world." So Jesus didn't give us 13:08 a picture of life with no problems, but a picture of life 13:12 with challenges that we can go through with Him. 13:15 JB: If you don't recognize the stress involved in earning a 13:20 living, raising yours, supporting your family, if you 13:23 don't respond to that stressor, you're going to be a bum. 13:27 You know what I'm saying. DD: Well, it increases 13:29 the risk of it, at least. JB: Yeah, if you don't respond 13:33 positively to that stress, you won't be a productive 13:35 member of society, is really what I mean to say. 13:37 DD: Look at something really interesting. 13:39 Because we're speaking about the Gospel of Mark and some of the 13:41 insights that we get there about stress and other health issues. 13:46 I'm in Mark 15. Jesus is on the cross. 13:49 And if you want to talk about someone going through an acutely 13:53 stressful experience, I don't know of anything 13:56 in history that compares to what Jesus is experiencing 14:00 on the cross. Now, someone would say, 14:02 "Well, that's acute stress, it's not chronic stress. 14:06 It's not PTSD." Granted. 14:08 But still, let's look at Jesus' example. 14:10 Mark chapter 15, verse 23. It says, "Then they gave him 14:15 wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but he did not take it." 14:21 JB: Can you describe what this is? 14:22 Because essentially this is a painkiller, isn't it? 14:24 DD: Exactly. Exactly. 14:25 That's what they were doing, they were in mercy offering 14:29 Jesus just a little something to ease His pain. 14:32 Death on a cross, from the medical assessments of it, 14:36 was a tremendously painful, excruciating form of death. 14:41 JB: Yes. DD: The question is, though. 14:44 Here we're talking about pain. We're talking about-- 14:48 and by the way-- when it comes to PTSD, 14:51 abuse of chemicals is a real risk in that setting. 14:55 But it's not just PTSD. People that are going through 14:57 stressful life experiences, it's so easy to go to these 15:00 things that are legal. Whether it's alcohol, 15:04 you mentioned nicotine, tobacco. And I say, let's ask 15:07 the question then, where we were in the Bible. 15:09 Why would Jesus not use it? And I would suggest 15:13 that if you look at Jesus' life, Jesus lived a focused life. 15:17 He was focused on always doing the things 15:20 that pleased the Father. And granted, on the cross 15:23 He's experiencing, like you mentioned, 15:25 that sense of separation from the Father. 15:28 But I get the picture that Jesus realized that He needed 15:33 all of His cognitive abilities. I would suggest to you: 15:38 if Jesus needed all His cognitive abilities, 15:42 the divine Son of God, how much more 15:45 do I need them? Well, I'm not on the cross, 15:47 but do I want to leave some of those mental marvels, 15:54 or however you want to describe them, aside? 15:58 Because I need to help deal with the pain. 16:00 I'm not saying it's wrong to take a painkiller-- 16:02 don't misunderstand me. JB: That was my question. 16:03 We're not saying, well, you've got back pain-- 16:05 don't use Aleve or Tylenol. DD: Or even a narcotic, 16:07 if you have severe pain. I'm not saying it's wrong. 16:10 I'm just saying, we've got to look at this equation, 16:12 especially if we're doing something chronically. 16:15 But if you want to look at a foundational place in the Gospel 16:19 that gives us Jesus' perspective on dealing with stress, 16:21 it's in Mark 1. Because there in Mark 1, 16:24 verse 35, we find what Jesus is doing 16:28 is He's connecting with the Father. 16:30 And, what most people don't realize is that when I impair my 16:36 cognitive functioning, that is going to affect relationships. 16:41 No question. JB: No question. 16:44 And when it comes to stress, from the Bible what we see is 16:47 the most powerful thing to help us deal with stress, is a close 16:50 connection with the God of heaven. 16:53 We'll be back with more. Don't go away. 16:54 I've got Dr. David DeRose with me. 16:56 Stress, what can we do about it; how can we live with it 16:58 healthfully. How can the stressors in our 17:01 lives drive us to God and not away from God? 17:03 We'll have more in just a moment. 17:06 ♪ [Music Interlude] ♪ 17:11 JB: Stress is a part of everyone's life. 17:15 If you're living and breathing, then the chances are you're 17:17 either dealing with some stress right now, or you've faced it 17:20 in the not-too-distant past. God knows that, 17:23 and it matters to Him. Through His Word, He gives 17:27 wisdom that can help you manage the stress that comes your way. 17:30 If you'd like to know more, I'd be happy to send you 17:33 a free book from our Healing Insights series, 17:36 called "Dealing with Stress." All you need to do is call 17:40 (800) 253-3000 and ask for 17:43 "Dealing with Stress. If the line is busy, 17:46 please do try again. You can write to 17:49 It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401, 17:55 and we'll mail a free copy to your address in North America. 17:58 You can also download a free digital copy at ItIsWritten.com. 18:03 It Is Written exists because of the kindness of people 18:06 just like you. It's only with your help that It 18:09 Is Written can continue to share the hope of the Bible with 18:11 people all around the world. Your tax-deductible gift can be 18:15 sent to the address on your screen, or through our website, 18:17 ItIsWritten.com. Thank you for your continued 18:20 prayerful support. Our toll-free number is 18:23 (800) 253-3000, and you can find us 18:27 online at ItIsWritten.com. 18:30 JB: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 18:32 I'm joined by Dr. David DeRose, talking about stress and 18:36 how we can deal with stress in a healthy way. 18:38 Stress doesn't have to kill a person. 18:41 In fact, a life without stress is neither practical 18:45 nor possible. Dr. DeRose, I think we know that 18:49 something that impacts people's stress level, for the good or 18:54 for the bad, is rest and sleep. And when I say for the bad-- 18:58 not enough rest, not enough sleep-- 19:01 stress rises. DD: What we know is if we 19:04 cut ourselves back on sleep, the body actually has to 19:08 ramp up stress hormones to keep us going. 19:12 So the person who tells you, "Listen, I can function 19:15 on just a few hours sleep. No problem. 19:17 I don't even take any caffeine." What they're doing is they just, 19:22 intrinsically, have the ability to ramp up those stress 19:25 hormones. Many people can't do it, 19:27 so they take the caffeine. Caffeine, one of the things it 19:30 works on is a compound called adenosine. 19:32 It blocks adenosine, and when it does that, that ramps up those 19:35 stress hormone levels. So, either way-- whether you're 19:38 resorting to the caffeine or you just do it on your own-- 19:41 you raise those stress hormone levels. 19:43 And when you do it, blood pressure tends to rise, 19:46 blood sugar tends to rise, you're more likely to have 19:49 problems with diabetes and high blood pressure. 19:51 Heart disease, heart rhythm problems. 19:53 The list goes on and on. JB: The drug of choice for 9 out 19:56 of 10 Americans-- people who would never drink 19:58 alcohol or smoke marijuana-- the drug of choice for 20:00 9 out of 10 Americans is caffeine. 20:02 Not good for a person, is it? DD: It really isn't, because not 20:05 only is it ramping up those stress hormones, it's actually 20:09 reproducing the kind of things that would be desirable in one 20:12 of those fight or flight scenarios. 20:15 One of them, by the way, is your blood clotting. 20:17 Your blood actually becomes more coagulable under the influence 20:20 of caffeine, which is not a good thing unless you're running from 20:24 a tiger that may be, you know, about to paw you. 20:28 JB: Yeah, not too many of us have that to worry about on 20:30 a day to day basis. DD: Not really. 20:31 JB: And why this matters, I think, is-- you can think 20:34 I'm just getting picky h dealing with your coffee habit, 20:37 and I'm not really. The thing is this: 20:40 we got back to Jesus on the cross, right? 20:42 Those things that would have affected His frontal lobe, 20:44 His decision-making ability, those things that would 20:47 have dulled His sensibilities. If someone had said to Jesus, 20:50 while He was on the cross, "Look, medical marijuana 20:54 is just what you need." He would have said no. 20:56 In this situation, no, because I need the connection 21:00 with my Father. Right? 21:02 DD: That's right. And no one could say-- 21:05 by the way, this is true-- there are carcinogens 21:08 in marijuana smoke, just like in tobacco smoke. 21:11 JB: No question. DD: So, no one's going to say to 21:13 Jesus He'd be increasing His risk of lung cancer. 21:16 I mean, He's about to die. But the point is, 21:19 you're exactly right. What's going on, 21:20 on a mental level? It was important to Jesus; 21:23 it should be incredibly important to us. 21:26 JB: Yeah. Now, sleep. 21:28 How much sleep should a person get-- 21:30 and I'm asking this, because it affects stress. 21:34 If you are dealing with some stressors in your life-- 21:38 if the landlord is getting on you because 21:40 you can't pay the rent and they're coming to cut off 21:42 your electricity and you're about to lose your job and your 21:44 marriage is falling apart and you've got a kid that's going 21:46 off the rails-- and you're getting by on 90 minutes sleep 21:49 or three hours sleep a night, oh man, 21:51 you're just asking for trouble. You need plenty of rest. 21:54 How much? This is in the news 21:56 a lot these days. DD: Well, 21:57 if you look at the data, most of the studies are looking 22:00 at somewhere between seven to eight, eight and a half 22:03 hours of sleep, that's optimal for most people. 22:06 You don't have to flip a coin or join some kind of computerized 22:12 simulator to figure out how much sleep you need. 22:15 What I recommend people do is just get to bed early, 22:19 and don't set an alarm clock. Get to bed early enough so that 22:23 if you need more sleep than you think you need, 22:25 you won't be late for work. And see what time you wake up. 22:29 By the way, that jarring noise of the alarm clock-- 22:32 I mean, some of us still have those old-style alarm clocks 22:35 that buzz-- I mean, this is probably 22:37 not the best thing, as far as stress management, 22:40 as far as starting your day. JB: If a person is not getting 22:43 enough sleep, what's happening to them physiologically? 22:46 DD: Well, not only do you have these stress hormones that are 22:48 ramping up, not only does the blood tend to be more coagulable 22:51 under the influence of those hormones, but on a mental level, 22:56 the higher intellectual processes need optimal sleep. 23:00 JB: Our getting rest is so important to God, that He 23:03 mandated that we get rest. Not so much on a daily basis, 23:07 but right in the heart of the Ten Commandments, God said, 23:10 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." 23:14 And the word "Sabbath" means rest, essentially. 23:16 Six days you shall labor and do all of your work, but the 23:19 seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord they God. 23:23 And that whole concept of keeping the Sabbath day holy is 23:27 being forgotten, even by Christians. 23:29 DD: Oh, it's hugely important. But not only is it important to 23:32 God, it's hard-wired in our physiology. 23:35 Most people have heard of circadian rhythms, John. 23:37 Those are those daily rhythms. Every woman knows about 23:41 the lunar rhythms, or monthly rhythms. 23:44 But most people have not heard of the carcaseptan rhythms. 23:48 These are actually seven-day rhythms, and our bodies, 23:52 it seems, were designed to function on a seven-day cycle. 23:57 JB: God built that into us. DD: It's amazing. 23:59 JB: So every seventh day, according to the Bible, 24:03 that's the Sabbath day. And that's the day to unplug, 24:08 disconnect-- that's from the secular things-- and plug in, 24:13 and connect on a spiritual level. 24:15 Not to say we shouldn't be doing that to an extent every day, 24:18 but the Sabbath day is a whole day 24:21 that God has given to us, where, in the absence of our secular 24:25 work, there's time for family. There's time for kids, 24:29 there's time for church. There's time to give your body 24:33 a break and rest. And if you were to say to 24:36 somebody who's experiencing stress, "How would you like 24:38 a day off a week?" A whole day, 24:41 where you can just relax. Really. 24:45 Wouldn't that be something people should jump at? 24:48 DD: Well, I mean, this is tremendous. 24:50 And, in the Gospel of Mark, from the very beginning, 24:53 the very first chapter in the Gospel of Mark, 24:55 Jesus is doing something remarkable with the Sabbath. 24:58 Because you see, in Jesus' day the Sabbath had been layered 25:01 with all these restrictions. It was not truly a spiritual day 25:04 of rest, it was a day of burden. So, many Christians today 25:07 misunderstand Jesus' ministry as it relates to the Sabbath. 25:12 Jesus was liberating the Sabbath. 25:14 He was making it truly a day of rest, and a day of healing. 25:17 JB: And it's in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus says, 25:20 "The Sabbath was made for man; not man for the Sabbath." 25:24 DD: Exactly. JB: Humans were made on the 25:26 sixth day, and their very first full day of life was a day off. 25:29 DD: That's right. JB: God said, 25:31 "I've made this for you. Here, it's a gift." 25:33 And so, if we're looking to deal with stress in our lives, 25:35 it just makes sense that we would embrace this very thing 25:37 that God carved into stone, when He wrote 25:40 the Ten Commandments. "Remember the Sabbath day, 25:43 and keep it holy." DD: It's amazing to me as a 25:45 physician, to look at those very Ten Commandments-- you know, 25:48 we're focusing on the Fourth-- but, every one of them 25:51 has profound healing implications, 25:55 and Jesus endorsed them. He basically upheld the Law 26:00 and He amplified the Law. JB: Yes, He did. 26:03 Well, Dr. DeRose, that's all we have time for. 26:05 And I'm sorry. But thanks for joining me today. 26:07 This has been a blessing. DD: Always a blessing. 26:09 JB: And perhaps we can pray together. 26:12 This subject of stress is big. If you don't feel like you have 26:15 been stressed out lately, well then I'm saying thank God. 26:18 Maybe you're in a position where you can be a blessing 26:20 to somebody else. But if you are dealing with 26:22 stress-- and if you're not, you probably will be sometime 26:26 soon-- if you're dealing with stress, you now have some tools 26:29 that you can use to enable you to get through those 26:32 stressful situations, upright. Without them knocking you down 26:36 and making you another casualty of this thing we call stress. 26:40 Let's pray together. 26:42 Our Father in heaven, how thankful we are 26:45 that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, 26:50 and that You've given us so many things that we can use 26:53 as tools to help us in the battle, the daily, 26:56 constant battle with stress. We thank You for Your presence, 27:01 that Your Spirit would come and live in us. 27:05 We thank You for the gift of rest. 27:08 We thank You for the hope that we have in You, and that You 27:11 have said that we can cast our cares upon You, 27:14 knowing that You care for us. Let us do that, and live 27:18 without being crushed by stress. We know that this world is 27:22 heading into even more troubled times, but that soon, 27:26 that great day is going to come where today merges 27:30 into the tomorrow of eternity, and we'll live in a place 27:33 without any stress. Keep us, and save us, we pray. 27:38 In Jesus' name. Amen. 27:41 DD: Amen. 27:45 [Music interlude] 27:53 JB: I'm thankful you've chosen to join us today. 27:55 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:57 Until then, remember: It is written, 28:01 man shall not live by bread alone 28:04 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 28:09 ♪ [It Is Written Theme] ♪ |
Revised 2015-09-29