Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME241102S
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00:09 ♪ 00:20 ♪ 00:29 ♪ 00:38 ♪ 00:46 ♪ 00:58 >> Good morning, happy Sabbath. 01:00 The scripture reading today 01:01 is found in Matthew 11:28-30. 01:04 And it says, "Come to me, 01:05 all you who are weary 01:07 and burdened, 01:08 and I will give you rest. 01:09 Take my yoke upon you, 01:11 and learn from me, 01:12 for I am gentle 01:13 and humble in heart, 01:14 and you will find 01:15 rest for your souls. 01:17 For my yoke is easy, 01:18 and my burden is light." 01:20 We invite you to stand and 01:22 worship with us this morning. 17:40 >> Thank you 17:41 for leading us in worship. 17:42 Thank you very, very much. 17:43 Amen. Amen. 17:49 If we live long enough, 17:52 sooner or later, 17:55 we will all need a hero. 18:02 Yay, verily, last millennium, 18:04 when I was a junior 18:04 in high school, 18:07 it was in the middle of the week 18:09 and it was time for open rec. 18:12 In those days, 18:13 I was at Forest Lake Academy, 18:14 I think I was a junior, 18:16 and the open rec was just that. 18:19 It was the gymnasium 18:20 being opened up, 18:21 and you could come in 18:22 and you could play sports, 18:24 you could talk, et cetera. 18:26 If you were a dorm student, 18:27 you had to be there. 18:28 If you didn't live in the 18:29 dorms, it was optional for you. 18:29 I was a dorm student, 18:31 so I was there at open rec. 18:34 At this particular night, 18:35 I was playing 18:36 in a pickup volleyball game, 18:38 and at some point in the game, 18:41 the other team hit the ball 18:46 way, way, way over our heads 18:48 and clearly out of bounds. 18:51 So you need to picture this. 18:52 The other team is 18:53 on that side of the net. 18:54 The net's here. 18:55 And I'm in the back row 18:56 on my team's side. 18:58 And everybody sees the ball. 18:59 It's way out of bounds, 19:00 clearly out of play. 19:01 And so I turn around to go 19:03 and pick up the ball 19:04 wherever it's going to land, 19:05 and bring it back 19:06 so we can continue the game. 19:08 And this takes a little bit 19:09 of time to tell, 19:10 but obviously 19:12 it happened fairly quickly. 19:14 I begin to trot backwards 19:16 to get this ball and it's, 19:18 you know, high arc. 19:19 The Forest Lake Academy gym, 19:20 even to this day, it's huge. 19:21 It's got three full basketball 19:22 courts in it there. 19:23 And I'm headed back along 19:26 the curve towards the sidewall. 19:28 And as I'm looking at 19:30 where the ball is, 19:31 I look, and out of the corner 19:32 of my eye, I see 19:34 that there are 19:35 some gymnastics mats stacked 19:38 against the wall. 19:40 You know, they fold them up 19:41 when they're not in use. 19:41 And maybe, 19:42 I don't know, about this high 19:43 or so, four feet off the ground 19:44 or something like that. 19:45 And on the mats are three high 19:49 school girls, two facing one. 19:52 They're on their stomachs 19:53 facing each other, 19:54 their head on their hands, and 19:55 they're talking to each other. 19:57 And the volleyball is headed 20:00 straight for their heads. 20:03 So I pick up 20:04 the pace a little bit. 20:05 You know, watching this thing, 20:07 right. 20:07 I get about 10, 20:09 15 feet away from them 20:10 when they realize 20:11 that I am headed their way. 20:13 And they look at me 20:15 and they look up 20:17 and they see the volleyball. 20:19 They cover their heads, 20:20 and what'd they do next? 20:23 They screamed. Exactly, right? 20:25 Ladies, why is that? 20:26 How does that happen? 20:27 All right? 20:29 I mean, there was no committee 20:30 amongst them that said, 20:31 "I think the appropriate 20:32 response at this time, 20:32 given the situation, 20:33 would be that we scream." 20:34 No, no, it was like 20:35 instantaneous, right? 20:36 And, so, they scream, "Ah!" 20:38 Right? And I hustle. 20:40 You know, I stretch out my hand, 20:44 and about 12 inches above their 20:46 heads, I catch, with 20:47 one hand, the volleyball. 20:50 [ Applause ] 20:52 >> You go! 20:57 >> And true story, 20:58 true story, true story. 21:00 One of the girls, she went -- 21:02 She didn't feel 21:04 the volleyball hit her head. 21:05 Right? So what's going on? 21:06 So she looks up. 21:07 She sees me holding 21:08 the ball over her head. 21:09 She looks me in the eye, 21:10 and she says, no kidding, 21:11 she says, "My hero." 21:15 [ Laughter ] 21:25 If you're a junior guy in high 21:26 school, that'll put 21:26 a bounce in your step. 21:27 Right? Okay. This is good. 21:29 "My hero." Right? 21:31 >> Take it easy. 21:34 [ Laughter ] 21:39 >> Wouldn't it be great 21:44 if, in a world 21:47 where chaos and stress and worry 21:53 and all of life's concerns, 21:56 when they seem to be flying 21:58 out of the sky 21:59 like some giant apocalyptic ball 22:01 to crush us in the head, 22:04 wouldn't it be great 22:08 if somebody reached 22:10 out their hand and stopped it? 22:16 >> Hallelujah. 22:17 >> You know, I think 22:18 if you ask most of the world, 22:19 they would say, "Yeah, 22:20 I would like that." 22:21 But the truth is that most 22:23 of the world 22:24 doesn't get a hero like that. 22:28 In fact, 22:29 if I read my Bible right, 22:31 this whole thing of stress 22:32 and worry 22:33 and being overburdened 22:35 is actually 22:36 only going to get worse. 22:40 Take a look in your Bible, 22:41 please, at Luke chapter 21. 22:44 Luke 21:25 in the Red Bible, 22:47 the pew Bible, that's probably 22:49 somewhere around you there. 22:50 It's on page 709, 7-0-9, 22:52 Luke 21:25, 22:56 and we'll read 25 and 26. 22:58 Luke 21 22:59 is kind of a parallel chapter 23:01 to Matthew chapter 24 and 25, 23:03 at least in topic 23:04 and some of the specifics. 23:05 Jesus here is talking 23:07 with His disciples, 23:08 and He is telling them what 23:09 to expect, not just in 23:11 the near future, 23:12 but at the very end of time, 23:13 the days that we live in, just 23:15 before Jesus returns. 23:16 And here is part 23:17 of that description. 23:17 Luke 21:25. 23:19 Jesus says, "There will be 23:20 signs in the sun, moon, 23:22 and stars. 23:23 On the Earth, 23:24 nations will be in anguish 23:27 and perplexity at the roaring 23:29 and tossing of the sea." 23:30 So, as the world wears out 23:32 like a garment, 23:33 as Paul puts it, 23:34 I think nature 23:34 begins to go crazy. 23:35 And it's not just a person 23:37 here that's referred to 23:38 as having anxiety. 23:39 It says, "Nations, 23:40 entire nations will be 23:43 in anguish and perplexity." 23:44 Verse 26. 23:45 "Men will faint from terror, 23:48 apprehensive 23:49 of what is coming on the world, 23:51 for the heavenly bodies 23:52 will be shaken." 23:54 Before it gets better, 23:57 it will get worse. 23:59 If you think you're stressed out 24:01 now, just keep waiting. 24:06 And I know what some of you 24:07 are thinking right now. 24:08 You're thinking, Pastor Shane, 24:09 I am so glad I came 24:10 to church this morning. 24:12 You're just a ray of sunshine. 24:13 You've brightened 24:14 up my entire day. 24:14 I think I'll go 24:15 and put a stick in my eye 24:16 and lie in a bed of nails, 24:17 just so I can complete 24:18 the effect 24:19 that you're looking for here. 24:23 But that's the challenge, 24:24 isn't it? 24:26 What do we do with this? 24:31 I mean, how are we to survive? 24:32 The Bible has made it clear, 24:33 the Word of God is saying 24:34 that things will actually get 24:36 worse for most of the planet, 24:37 not better, before He returns. 24:39 How are we to keep the pressure, 24:42 the pressure of daily living 24:44 that, yes, 24:45 at times can feel like this 24:46 apocalyptic ball of chaos 24:48 raining down from the skies, 24:49 how can we keep 24:50 it from crashing down 24:52 on our heads and crushing us? 24:53 What is the cure 24:55 for the chaotic life? 25:02 Well, good news. 25:05 There is a solution. 25:10 A hero has indeed made a way. 25:16 True, most of the planet does 25:17 not know about it, but it works. 25:21 It is an ancient solution. 25:23 In fact, it is quite literally 25:25 as old as the hills. 25:27 Take a look at 25:28 Genesis chapter 2, please. 25:30 Verse 1. 25:32 Genesis 2:1. 25:34 It's on page one 25:36 in your red Bible. 25:38 In Genesis chapter 2, 25:40 we have just completed, 25:42 obviously, Genesis chapter 1, 25:42 and Genesis chapter 1 25:43 is the creation story. 25:45 This talks about 25:45 how God made the world, 25:47 you know, the seas, 25:48 the mountains, the plains, 25:49 the islands, the animals, 25:51 you and me, human beings. 25:54 When we get to chapter 2. 25:55 Six days of creation 25:56 have been completed. 25:57 When we get to the seventh day, 25:59 something highly, 26:01 highly unusual takes place. 26:04 Genesis 2:1 says, 26:06 "Thus the heavens 26:07 and the Earth were completed 26:08 in all their vast array. 26:10 By the seventh day" -- 26:12 Which day? By the seventh day. 26:14 "By the seventh day, 26:15 God had finished the work 26:17 He had been doing. 26:17 So, on the seventh day, 26:19 He rested from all his work, 26:22 and God blessed the seventh day 26:23 and made it holy, 26:25 because on it, He rested 26:27 from all the work of creating 26:28 that He had done." 26:30 Now, general rule of thumb. 26:33 There are so many lessons 26:35 in this part of the Bible. 26:37 There is so much to be found. 26:39 Doesn't matter really what topic 26:40 you're talking about. 26:41 Eventually there will be 26:42 some strand that ties back 26:44 to Genesis 1-3. 26:45 It's a powerful, 26:46 powerful part of the Bible. 26:47 We only have time to look at 26:48 just a few things here. 26:50 First of all, 26:51 it says that God rested. 26:55 And we know exactly why this is. 26:57 Because God was exhausted. 26:59 I mean, He was beat up, man. 27:01 I mean, He was sweating 27:01 bullets all this week. 27:02 I mean, how hard must -- 27:03 We start sweating 27:05 when we weed the garden bed. 27:07 God here made the garden bed, 27:09 so he's absolutely depleted. 27:10 He's got to take... 27:13 No, that's a bunch of baloney. 27:14 That's not true. 27:15 That's not true at all. 27:17 God did 27:18 not need to rest one bit. 27:20 God is the source of all energy 27:21 and strength in the universe. 27:22 He doesn't get tired. 27:23 He doesn't need naps. 27:24 He doesn't need to take a break. 27:25 God is not in need of rest. 27:29 And yet, He does. 27:32 Second Bible tip 27:34 for you this morning. 27:35 Whenever God does something 27:36 that He doesn't need to do, 27:38 pay attention. 27:39 He's trying 27:40 to teach us something. 27:42 Secondly, in His rest, God 27:44 makes something, quote, "holy." 27:46 Now, I don't 27:47 know how you do that. 27:49 You know, you can sit 27:50 in your dorm room, for instance, 27:51 and just try to make 27:52 something holy, 27:53 and it won't work, right? 27:54 You can't do it, okay? 27:55 Only God can actually imbue 27:57 something with holiness. 27:58 And here, He makes 28:01 this holiness. 28:03 And for something 28:05 to be made holy means 28:06 to be set aside 28:08 for a sacred purpose. 28:09 At the very least. 28:10 It means more than that. 28:11 But at the very least, 28:12 it means to set it aside 28:14 for a sacred purpose. 28:14 In other words, 28:16 God is saying, "Six days -- 28:18 down, got those done. 28:20 This seventh day is different. 28:22 I'm setting it aside. 28:23 I am, in some way -- 28:25 I am drawing lines here." 28:28 Which leads us 28:28 to the third thing. 28:31 God did not make a holy thing. 28:35 God did 28:37 not even make a person here, 28:38 in this instance, holy. 28:40 God instead chooses 28:42 to make holy time. 28:47 Time. A day. 28:50 And of course, 28:51 this is none other 28:52 than the holy Sabbath day, 28:55 the seventh day of the week. 28:56 Friday, sundown, to Saturday 28:56 sundown. 28:57 This is the holy Sabbath day. 29:00 And I'm going to cut 29:01 to the chase here 29:02 just ever so briefly. 29:04 I believe 29:05 that the Sabbath day is 29:07 a major part of the cure 29:09 for the modern, chaotic life. 29:11 >> Amen. 29:13 >> Say again, 29:14 I believe that the Sabbath day, 29:16 rightly understood 29:17 and experienced, 29:18 can go a very long way 29:20 towards bringing peace, order, 29:22 and meaning back into a world 29:24 that specializes in war, 29:25 disorder, and emptiness. 29:29 And much of the world. 29:32 If what I just said could 29:33 be broadcast, you know, 29:34 instantly to all, you know, 29:35 whatever, there is, 8 billion 29:36 people on the planet, 29:37 my guess is that 29:38 a large proportion of them 29:40 would say, "You must be joking. 29:45 Come on." 29:46 I mean, first of all, 29:48 many of them don't take 29:49 the creation story seriously. 29:50 So they say, well, 29:51 this is mythology and whatnot. 29:52 And even if they did take 29:54 the story seriously, 29:55 how could some ancient day 29:57 where supposedly God, 29:59 you know, carved out this time 30:00 and said, "This time is holy," 30:01 how could that possibly have 30:02 an impact on the chaos 30:05 and the modern -- 30:06 modern burdens that we carry 30:08 every day on this planet? 30:10 Can't be, many people say. 30:16 You know, to that skepticism, 30:17 sometimes I just want to ask 30:19 people, who do you wish 30:20 was right? 30:22 Me or you? 30:25 Do you really want to 30:26 just continue on into this chaos 30:28 that the world lives in? 30:29 Or wouldn't it be great 30:31 if there was a solution? 30:36 Well, let's see who's right 30:37 by doing some digging. 30:40 And let's begin with this. 30:43 As we shall soon see, the holy 30:45 Sabbath day has three purposes. 30:48 How many purposes did I say? 30:49 Okay, three purposes 30:51 and a condition. 30:53 Three purposes and a condition. 30:56 We're going to get to 30:56 the three purposes. 30:58 But first, the condition. 31:00 In order for the three purposes 31:02 of the Sabbath 31:03 to become a reality 31:05 in our lives, at least one 31:08 specific condition must be met. 31:10 Now, there are 31:11 some other conditions, 31:12 yes, but with few exceptions, 31:13 there is at least 31:14 this one non-negotiable. 31:16 If we are to experience 31:18 the meaning of the Sabbath, 31:20 the blessing of the Sabbath, 31:21 if what God intended to be ours, 31:24 starting all the way back 31:25 at creation, 31:26 is to actually become ours today 31:28 through the Sabbath experience, 31:29 then the stage 31:31 must first be set. 31:33 The furniture of our lives 31:35 must be arranged 31:36 in a certain way. 31:37 The condition 31:39 of the blessing must be met. 31:44 So, what is this condition? 31:50 Turn over a few pages 31:52 to the right to Exodus 20:8, 31:55 page 52, 5-2 in your red Bible. 31:59 Page 52. 32:00 Exodus chapter 20. 32:03 Beginning with verse 8. 32:05 My guess is many of you 32:06 have spent some time 32:07 in this particular chapter, 32:08 perhaps even done 32:08 some memorization, and 32:10 there's good reason for that. 32:11 This is the first formal giving, 32:13 at least, 32:14 that we have recorded, 32:15 of the 10 Commandments. 32:16 Now, the 10 Commandments 32:17 have been around as long 32:17 as God has been 32:19 because this is His character. 32:20 His law is His character. 32:22 Some people who say, 32:23 well, this law was only 32:23 made for the Jews. 32:25 The Bible says that, 32:26 without law, there is no sin. 32:27 But we know there was sin prior 32:28 to Mount Sinai 32:29 and therefore there was law. 32:30 So enough about that. 32:31 We'll talk more about that 32:32 another time. 32:33 In Exodus chapter 20, 32:35 the formal giving of 32:36 the 10 Commandments comes here. 32:37 And when we get to commandment 32:38 number 4 in verse 8, 32:40 this is what we find. 32:42 "Remember the Sabbath day 32:46 by keeping it holy. 32:48 Six days you shall labor 32:50 and do all your work. 32:52 But the seventh day is a Sabbath 32:53 to the Lord your God. 32:54 On it, you shall not do any" -- 32:57 What's the next word there? 32:58 Work. 32:59 "On it, you shall not do any 33:00 work, neither you 33:02 nor your son or daughter, 33:03 nor your manservant 33:04 or maid servant, 33:04 nor your animals, 33:05 nor the alien within your gates. 33:06 For, in six days, 33:08 the Lord made the heavens 33:08 and the Earth, the sea, 33:09 and all that is in them. 33:10 But He rested 33:11 on the seventh day. 33:13 Therefore, the Lord blessed 33:14 the Sabbath day 33:14 and made it holy." 33:19 A condition, 33:21 a necessary precondition, 33:22 we might even say, 33:24 for us to receive 33:25 the true blessing of the Sabbath 33:27 is that we stop working 33:29 and start resting. 33:32 That we stop working, 33:34 and that we start resting. 33:39 Now, I am not unaware 33:41 of the fact that a bunch 33:43 of y'all are Adventists. 33:46 And you're probably thinking 33:47 to yourself, 33:48 tell us something 33:49 that we don't know, Preacher. 33:51 I mean, duh, we memorize 33:53 this in kindergarten. 33:54 Right? You know. 33:55 Remember the Sabbath day to keep 33:55 it to the sixth -- 33:57 Thou shalt not do any work, 33:58 you know. 33:59 So let's just jump a step 34:01 or two ahead, then. 34:02 Are you doing it? 34:07 Are you doing it? 34:10 Or maybe I should put 34:11 a little finer point on that. 34:13 Students, faculty, staff, 34:17 those that are connected with 34:18 our August institution here, 34:20 in this particular setting 34:22 where the clock never seems 34:23 to stop, 34:24 where studying never seems 34:26 to end, 34:26 where the calendar and classes 34:28 seemingly march on, 34:29 impervious to 34:30 any discernible wear and tear, 34:32 are you actually resting 34:33 on the Sabbath day? 34:38 Now, for some of you, 34:39 the answer is yes. 34:41 Yes. Praise the Lord. 34:43 Keep going, keep going. 34:47 But for others, 34:49 the answer is, uh, less clear. 34:54 Or maybe it's just plain no. 34:57 "I am not resting on the Sabbath 35:01 like God would have me to." 35:03 To this second crowd, 35:06 let me ask a gentle question. 35:10 Is Sabbath rest 35:14 a suggestion or a command? 35:17 Which one? 35:22 The answer is painfully obvious, 35:23 isn't it? Yeah. 35:24 It's a command, right? 35:26 You know, six days shall 35:27 they labor and do all their 35:27 work, but the seventh 35:28 day is the Sabbath. 35:29 The Lord, the God. 35:30 In it, thou shalt not. 35:31 That's the imperative. 35:32 This is a command. 35:34 God is saying, 35:35 don't do it, okay? 35:37 Don't do it. 35:40 And why is it a command? 35:42 Why not just, 35:44 uh, a helpful suggestion? 35:46 Okay? 35:47 Why doesn't God make 35:48 the Sabbath a suggestion? 35:50 I mean, do you see 35:51 the implications here? 35:52 The fact that it's a command 35:52 and not a suggestion? 35:53 Where is God's 35:55 faith in humanity? 35:57 I mean, is almost insulting. 35:58 Does God really think that, 36:00 if he only made the Sabbath 36:02 a suggestion, that we humans 36:05 would be crazy enough 36:06 to just keep working and working 36:08 and working without taking 36:09 the proper time to rest 36:10 and live a balanced life 36:11 and instead become stressed out, 36:12 worried and depressed? 36:14 I mean, 36:15 who would live like that? 36:24 Let me put some statistics up 36:27 on the screen here for you. 36:30 According to the CDC, 36:32 in 2023, 36:33 about 690,000 people 36:35 in the United States 36:36 died of heart attacks. 36:38 If you do the math 36:40 and you average that out, 36:41 that means that someone 36:42 in the United States dies of 36:43 a heart attack every 60 seconds. 36:47 And research tells us 36:49 that a major contributor 36:51 to heart disease is stress. 36:56 How about cancer? 36:58 Cancer is the second leading 36:58 cause of death 36:59 in the United States, 37:00 with just over 600,000 people 37:02 dying from it in 2023. 37:04 Now, according 37:05 to the American Cancer Society, 37:08 the most prevalent lethal form 37:10 of cancer is lung cancer, 37:14 and about 80% to 90% 37:16 of those lung cancer cases 37:17 are caused by what? 37:18 Any guesses? 37:20 By smoking? That's right. 37:21 And why do people smoke? 37:23 Well, research is 37:24 pretty consistent. 37:25 A major reason people smoke 37:26 is to relieve stress. 37:30 But there's more. 37:32 You know, for millions of people 37:33 that are living around this 37:34 country, they're not 37:35 necessarily overworked 37:37 or maxed out schedule-wise, 37:39 for instance, at school or work, 37:40 but they are nonetheless worried 37:42 and stressed out 37:43 and depressed with what 37:44 they do have to deal with. 37:46 According to the American 37:47 Psychiatric Association, 37:49 while there are, of course -- 37:50 Excuse me. 37:51 Let me skip ahead here. 37:52 In 2024, 43% of adults 37:55 say they feel more anxious 37:57 than they did the previous year, 37:59 from 37% in 2023 38:01 and 32% in 2022. 38:03 And by the way, 38:04 did you notice something? 38:05 People are getting more anxious 38:07 even as the pandemic, 38:08 supposedly the cause, 38:09 and I think, statistically, 38:10 the cause of much 38:11 of the difficulties in mental 38:12 and emotional in this country, 38:13 even as that fades 38:15 in the rearview mirror, 38:16 we keep getting 38:17 more stressed out. 38:19 Adults are particularly anxious 38:21 about current events, 38:21 70% of them, 38:23 especially the economy. 38:24 77% said that. 38:26 The 2024 for US election -- 38:27 imagine -- 73%. 38:29 And gun violence 69%. 38:31 And what about 38:33 young people in particular? 38:35 Maybe you've heard about 38:36 the mental health crisis 38:37 among young people today. 38:39 It is real and statistically 38:41 easily verifiable. 38:42 For instance, 38:44 according to a Gallup poll, 38:45 fully 68% of Gen Z -- 38:48 that's those born between 38:48 the mid to late 1990s 38:50 in the early 2010s -- 38:51 feel stressed much 38:53 of the time at work. 38:54 In other words, 38:55 it's just a way of living. 38:59 There was another study, 38:59 2022-2023 39:01 called the Healthy Minds Study. 39:03 Fascinating study. 39:04 It was done 39:04 of college students only. 39:06 And they found 39:07 that among college students, 39:09 41% qualified as having moderate 39:12 to severe depression. 39:14 That, ladies and gentlemen, 39:15 is astonishing. 39:17 We are dangerously close to one 39:19 out of every two college student 39:21 having some form of depression. 39:24 Talk about being stressed out. 39:26 A major source of depression 39:28 is unresolved stress. 39:32 And even when we go 39:33 a little bit younger. 39:34 According 39:35 to the Substance Abuse and 39:36 Mental Health Services 39:37 Administration, 39:38 or sometimes called a SAMHSA, 39:40 among adolescents aged 12 to 17 39:42 in 2022, 19.5%, 39:45 that's 4.8 million people 39:46 in this country, had 39:47 a past year major 39:49 depressive episode and 14.6%, 39:51 that's 3.6 million people, had 39:53 a past year major 39:54 depressive episode 39:56 with severe impairment. 39:57 In other words, 39:58 they could not continue 40:00 the normal round 40:01 of their daily lives 40:02 because of their depression. 40:07 I could go on all afternoon 40:08 quoting stats like this. 40:11 The problem is real and, to me, 40:14 the conclusion is self-evident. 40:16 We are, in far too many cases, 40:19 stressing and worrying 40:21 and stewing ourselves 40:22 into early graves. 40:25 And for those who do manage 40:26 to stay above ground, 40:28 too many of those are depressed, 40:29 stressed out, overworked, 40:31 and under-slept, and they do 40:32 not know how to stop. 40:37 To which I would say two things. 40:39 Number one, 40:41 if you're listening to my voice 40:42 right now and you identify 40:45 with this absolute chaos 40:46 and you're feeling crushed 40:47 and you don't know what to do, 40:49 find a good Christian counselor. 40:51 That's what they're here for. 40:53 They're here to help. 40:54 If you're a student, stop by 40:55 the CFE, chaplain's office, 40:57 they'll help you find one. 40:58 You stop by the church office 40:59 here, stop by to see me 41:00 afterwards. 41:00 Be glad to help you to find 41:01 a Christian counselor to work 41:02 through these things. 41:04 And secondly... 41:09 No wonder God commands us 41:14 to rest on his holy Sabbath day. 41:18 Because if 41:20 he only made it a suggestion... 41:22 [ Chuckles ] 41:23 If you have the time, 41:24 keep the Sabbath, 41:26 you know, nobody would. 41:30 So God says, 41:31 if I make it a command, 41:32 if I make it a command, 41:33 at least someone will listen. 41:35 Someone will see 41:36 that my heart yearns for theirs. 41:38 God loves us. 41:39 God never gives us a command 41:40 that it would be better 41:41 for us to disobey it. 41:44 All of his laws are good. 41:45 There's nothing 41:46 manipulative about them. 41:47 There's nothing that will harm 41:48 us in these things. 41:49 If we follow His law 41:50 in relationship with Him, 41:52 great things will happen, 41:53 including when we rest 41:55 on the Sabbath day. 41:56 Can you imagine 41:58 how different the world would be 42:01 if everyone on the planet 42:03 rested on the Sabbath day? 42:06 I mean, the statistics 42:07 that I put up on the screen 42:08 are just a moment ago. 42:09 They would be dramatically 42:10 different, guaranteed. 42:11 Imagine 42:12 how different the world would be 42:14 if it simply stopped working 42:16 on the Sabbath 42:17 and started resting. 42:23 Some of you listening to me 42:24 right now need to make 42:25 some changes in your life. 42:27 You need to make some changes in 42:28 how you observe the Sabbath. 42:31 I just want to pour 42:32 gas on that fire. 42:33 Great things, 42:34 including peace, await you. 42:43 But remember, physical rest, 42:48 as good as it is, 42:51 isn't the point of the Sabbath. 42:55 How about that? 42:57 Some of you 42:57 ought to be thinking right now. 42:58 "You mean it gets even better?" 43:00 Yeah. It does. 43:01 I mean, as good 43:02 as the rest part is, 43:03 that's a great thing. 43:04 It's not 43:05 the point of the Sabbath. 43:07 It's not 43:08 the purpose of the Sabbath. 43:09 It is instead, as I mentioned, 43:11 it is a condition, 43:12 this precondition to receiving 43:14 the ultimate blessings 43:15 of the Sabbath, 43:15 of comprehending the three 43:17 purposes of the Sabbath. 43:18 So once we've begun resting, 43:22 what are the purposes? 43:24 What are these three purposes, 43:25 these three blessings 43:26 of the Sabbath? 43:28 Well, we only have time today 43:29 for the first purpose. 43:31 We'll get to the other two 43:32 in part two. 43:34 Let's get to it. 43:35 Exodus 20 again, 43:37 this time looking at verse 11. 43:39 Page 52. Exodus 20. 43:42 We read earlier, remember 43:44 the Sabbath day, the keeping 43:45 holy, six days you shall labor, 43:46 et cetera, seventh day's the 43:47 Sabbath, on it you shall not do 43:48 any work. 43:49 Verse 11. Here's the reason why. 43:51 First reason why. 43:53 "For in six days, 43:55 the Lord made the heavens 43:59 and the Earth, the sea, 44:01 and all that is in them. 44:02 But he rested 44:03 on the seventh day. 44:04 Therefore, the Lord blessed 44:05 the Sabbath day 44:05 and made it holy. 44:07 For in six days, the Lord made." 44:11 A first reason 44:13 that the Sabbath was created, 44:15 the first purpose of the Sabbath 44:17 is to remind us 44:19 that God is our creator. 44:23 Now, some of you don't 44:24 understand how big that is. 44:26 So let me tell you 44:27 a brief story here. 44:29 John Ortberg tells the story 44:31 of a little kid. 44:33 I don't remember the kid's name. 44:33 I'm just 44:34 going to call him Donnie. 44:35 Little Donnie, probably 7 or 8 44:36 years old, he is in 44:37 this children's Bible class. 44:39 And the teacher, 44:40 she is teaching them 44:42 that particular day, 44:43 the creation story, 44:45 Genesis chapter 1. 44:46 And so she explains to the class 44:47 that she's 44:48 not going to just read it. 44:49 She's going to have them act it 44:50 out. 44:51 And so she calls on Donnie. 44:53 She says, Donnie, 44:53 here's a flashlight 44:55 and here's a little stepladder, 44:56 and we're going to turn off 44:57 all the lights in the room, 44:58 and you're 44:59 going to hold the flashlight. 45:00 And when I read the words, 45:02 "And God said, 'Let there be 45:04 light,'" Donnie, 45:07 that's when you push 45:08 the button on the flashlight 45:09 and turn the light on, and 45:10 the whole room will be lit up. 45:12 "Okay, teacher, okay. 45:12 I'll do, I'll do." 45:13 So little Donnie goes over, 45:15 climbs up, 45:16 gets on that second step 45:17 on that stepladder, holds 45:18 the flashlight up there. 45:19 The lights turn out in the room 45:20 and teacher there. 45:21 "And God said, 45:23 'Let there be light.'" 45:27 And Donnie goes. 45:29 [ Snickering ] 45:34 Lights come on. 45:36 "Uh, Donnie, you didn't turn 45:38 the flashlight on." 45:40 "Oh, I'm sorry, teacher. 45:41 I'm sorry. Okay." 45:42 "Donnie, we're going to do this 45:43 again, all right? 45:44 Turn the lights off here. 45:45 I'm going to read it again. 45:46 You turn the flashlight on 45:47 when I say those words." 45:48 "Okay." 45:50 "And God said, 45:51 'Let there be light.'" 45:54 And Donny goes... 45:56 [ Laughing ] 46:01 Lights come on. 46:03 "Donnie, you didn't turn 46:05 the flashlight on." 46:08 And little Donnie steps down 46:10 off of the stepladder, and 46:11 he walks over to his teacher, 46:13 and he hands out the flashlight 46:14 to her, and he says, 46:16 "Teacher, I'm just feeling 46:18 too goofy to be God today." 46:27 Oh, that 46:29 we could learn the same lesson. 46:34 You see, too often we act 46:37 like the roles are reversed. 46:40 We act as though we are 46:43 the creator and not the created. 46:46 We act as though all 46:47 of this life 46:48 were our responsibility. 46:51 And because it's 46:52 our responsibility 46:53 and because it dwarfs us -- 46:54 The responsibility for this, 46:57 it is too much for us. Okay? 46:58 And so it dwarfs us, 47:00 and we become stressed out 47:01 and we fret and we stew 47:03 and our blood pressure goes up 47:04 and we have heart attacks, 47:04 and we have broken 47:05 relationships, and 47:06 we're just running, running, 47:07 running, running, running, 47:08 running when all along, 47:11 the actual creator 47:12 of the universe 47:13 is still sitting on His throne, 47:16 and is more than able to give 47:17 us what we need to 47:18 not just survive, 47:19 but to thrive even in the chaos 47:21 of our end-time lives. 47:23 This is one 47:24 of the biggest reasons 47:25 why the Sabbath is so important. 47:27 Because to know 47:28 that God is our creator 47:31 is the most important thing 47:32 we can know about him. 47:34 Now, I've mentioned this before, 47:35 and I'm going to mention it 47:36 again because nothing exceeds 47:37 this. 47:38 Other aspects of God 47:40 are important, but none are 47:41 as important as this. 47:43 To say that God is creator is, 47:46 for instance, 47:47 more important than saying 47:48 that God is our sustainer 47:49 because only the creator 47:50 can sustain his creation. 47:52 To say that God is creator 47:54 is more important even than 47:56 saying that God is our redeemer, 47:58 for only 47:59 the creator can redeem us. 48:01 What does the Bible say? 48:03 Book of Psalms -- "Create in me 48:04 a clean heart and renew 48:06 a right spirit within me." 48:08 Salvation is an act of creation. 48:11 Only the creator can be 48:13 our Redeemer. 48:14 To know that God is our creator 48:16 is the most important thing 48:17 we can know about him. 48:19 This is why God has 48:21 gone through so much trouble 48:22 to highlight the Sabbath day, 48:24 for the message of this day 48:26 is the most important message 48:28 that humans can receive. 48:30 This is why the Sabbath was made 48:32 all the way back at creation, 48:33 at the very beginning 48:34 of human history, 48:35 so that we, as a race, 48:36 would be sure to start off 48:38 with the right orientation 48:38 towards God. 48:40 This is why the Sabbath is 48:41 to become so prominent 48:42 at the very end 48:43 of human history. 48:44 Did you know that? 48:46 The three angels' messages, 48:47 we talked a lot about those. 48:48 The three last messages 48:49 that God gives to the world 48:50 before Jesus returns. 48:51 And the first 48:52 of those three angels says, 48:54 "Worship Him 48:56 who made the heavens, the Earth, 48:58 the sea, 48:58 and the springs of water." 49:00 It is a direct reference 49:01 to Exodus 20:8-11 49:03 and the fourth commandment. 49:04 The holy Sabbath day 49:06 is prominent at the end of time. 49:10 At the beginning of our history, 49:12 at the end of our history, 49:14 and at every point in between, 49:15 the Sabbath stands 49:17 as a perpetual reminder 49:19 that God is still on his throne, 49:21 that we might rejoice 49:22 in our smallness 49:23 and in his greatness, 49:24 that we might bask 49:25 in our creativeness 49:27 and his creator-ness. 49:28 Listen carefully. 49:29 Every eight days, 49:32 humans start to forget 49:34 that God is God 49:35 and they are not. 49:37 So every seven days, 49:40 God sends us the Sabbath 49:42 so that we'll never forget 49:44 that God is the creator, 49:46 and that, if we trust in him, 49:48 sooner or later, 49:50 everything will be okay. 49:55 >> Amen. 49:59 >> Next week, in part two, 50:01 we're going to talk about 50:01 how to receive this immense 50:03 blessing of the Sabbath 50:04 fully into our lives, so I hope 50:06 that you can join us for that. 50:08 But until then, 50:10 I would gently challenge you 50:12 to consider 50:13 some important questions. 50:16 Are you experiencing the Sabbath 50:18 as God would have you to? 50:22 Is this ancient blessing 50:23 a living reality 50:25 in your current life? 50:27 Or are you too stressed out, 50:28 too busy, too worried 50:30 to take in its benefit? 50:36 I leave you with a final story. 50:39 Years ago, in my early years 50:40 of ministry, I was maxed out. 50:44 I was not living my life 50:47 in a balanced fashion, 50:48 and at the time 50:49 this story takes place, 50:50 it had been far too long 50:52 since I had had a Sabbath day's 50:55 blessing, and I was dedicated. 50:57 You know, 50:57 Lord, had called me. 50:58 I wanted to be faithful to that. 51:00 And so I worked, 51:01 and I worked very hard, 51:02 and I didn't take breaks, 51:03 and I was overloaded 51:04 and things were 51:05 not looking good in my life. 51:09 Now, one of the thousand reasons 51:10 I married my wife is 51:11 because she's smarter than I am. 51:13 And she noticed this problem, 51:15 and she said, 51:15 "We need to go camping. 51:17 We need to go camping. 51:18 We need to get away for 51:18 a weekend. 51:19 You're not preaching. 51:20 We're going to get away. 51:20 Go camping." 51:21 And normally, 51:22 I'm not a big camping fan 51:23 because that means I load 51:24 the car and load the car. 51:25 And if the tent gets wet, 51:26 I dry it out. 51:27 And so it's, you know, 51:28 I'm not real keen on that part, 51:29 but I knew she was right. 51:32 We had to go. 51:34 And, so, we left 51:36 the Seattle area, 51:36 and we drove down 51:38 to the southeastern corner 51:40 of Washington state, 51:42 to the Umatilla National Forest, 51:44 and we found some logging roads 51:45 there and just went out 51:47 into the wilderness to camp. 51:48 We didn't go to a campground. 51:49 So there's nobody else out 51:50 there, this is just 51:50 open wilderness out there. 51:52 And we set up our camp. 51:53 This was on a Friday. 51:55 And get up on Sabbath morning. 51:56 And I don't have a clue 51:58 what to do. 52:00 Pastors in particular, 52:02 if they're not living correctly, 52:03 they're not living -- 52:04 on Sabbath mornings 52:05 they get the jitters, right. 52:07 It's like you haven't had 52:08 your smoke for 52:09 the day kind of thing, right? 52:10 Like, okay, a sermon is going to 52:12 break out at any moment. 52:13 I must be ready. 52:14 Okay? 52:15 I've got to offer an appeal. 52:16 Something like that. 52:16 Just, you know, 52:17 kind of church on the brain. 52:18 And so I don't know what to do. 52:19 What do I do? 52:20 There's, you know, chipmunks 52:21 and squirrels out here. 52:22 So I grab a camp chair 52:24 and go 50 to 100 feet away 52:25 from our campsite, 52:26 and I sit on the edge 52:29 of a pretty large valley. 52:31 It's probably three quarters 52:32 of a mile, maybe a mile across. 52:33 We're quite a ways down there, 52:35 just, you know, the rolling 52:36 mountains of the Umatilla 52:37 National Forest there. 52:38 And I sat in that chair. 52:44 And I sat and I sat 52:50 and I sat for hour 52:56 after hour after hour. 53:03 Did you know? 53:04 It's astonishing 53:06 what happens when you stop. 53:15 That Sabbath day 53:18 was extraordinary. 53:21 I sat there and I stared out 53:22 over that canyon. 53:24 I can still say -- At one point 53:26 I got a pair of binoculars. 53:27 I'm looking at, 53:28 and I can still see, in my 53:30 mind's eye, these hawks that 53:31 were just doing their circles 53:32 across the valley there. 53:33 I can still hear 53:36 the squirrel, probably 53:39 about 40 feet away from me, 53:40 a squirrel, one squirrel moving 53:42 one twig -- I heard it. 53:46 I not only saw birds, 53:48 but I heard the sound 53:49 of their wings 53:51 as they flew over my head. 53:56 It's amazing 53:57 what happens when you stop. 54:04 Ladies and gentlemen, 54:05 that Sabbath probably 54:06 saved my ministry. 54:09 Probably wouldn't be sitting 54:10 here today if I hadn't stopped 54:15 and rested on that day. 54:20 Now, I want you 54:20 to notice carefully. 54:23 It might have been, 54:24 technically speaking, 54:26 this kind of a park-like 54:27 setting that I was in. 54:31 But the truth is, the reason 54:32 why that experience was 54:34 so powerful for me is 54:37 because I was in a park in time. 54:42 You see, 54:44 if God had made the Sabbath 54:46 a stick or a stone 54:48 or a building, 54:50 to keep the Sabbath holy, 54:51 you and I would have to buy 54:52 a plane ticket and fly 54:53 to the Middle East, right, 54:54 so we could, quote, "keep the 54:55 Sabbath holy," right? 54:56 But God, in His genius, 54:58 in His utter and complete 54:59 genius, said, "No, no, no, no. 55:01 I'm going to weave the Sabbath 55:03 into the very fabric 55:04 of their lives, into time, 55:07 so that anyone, 55:08 anywhere on the planet, 55:10 when the Sabbath rolls around, 55:12 they can take a walk 55:16 in this park in time." 55:21 And we can see God afresh, 55:24 and the harridness 55:25 and the chaos of the world 55:28 can be left behind. 55:31 You see, as it turns out, 55:34 we do have a hero. 55:37 And He cares deeply about us. 55:40 And He sees this ball of chaos, 55:43 like some apocalyptic disaster 55:46 that is headed towards 55:47 His children's heads. 55:48 And He reaches 55:50 out His hand and He stops it. 55:53 He creates this park in time, 55:56 and it's in that park in time 56:00 that we can rest, 56:02 that we can be recharged, 56:05 and that we can be revived 56:06 because it's there. 56:08 It is there that we come 56:11 to know God as our creator, 56:13 who holds us 56:14 in the very palms of his hands. 56:18 The one who made us 56:20 certainly knows how to help us. 56:23 The one who made us knows how 56:25 to bring peace out of the chaos. 56:28 Praise the Lord 56:29 for his glorious gift 56:31 of the Sabbath day. 56:33 >> Amen. Praise the Lord. 56:38 >> Before you go, 56:39 let me take just a moment 56:41 to share with you an opportunity 56:42 to get into the Bible 56:43 in a fresh, new way. 56:45 All across the world, 56:46 more and more people are hearing 56:48 the call to examine 56:49 the Scriptures for themselves. 56:51 If you've felt drawn to learn 56:52 more about God's Word 56:53 but you don't know 56:54 where to start 56:55 or you're just looking 56:56 for a more in-depth 56:57 examination of Bible truths, 56:59 then I have something right 57:00 here that I believe 57:01 you're going to enjoy. 57:03 I would like to send you 57:04 a series of Bible study guides. 57:06 Each of these study guides asks 57:08 and answers very important 57:09 questions, such as 57:10 these examples right here. 57:12 Why does God allow suffering? 57:14 Can God be trusted? 57:17 Each of the initial five guides 57:18 begins with a story 57:20 to introduce the subject. 57:21 Then, through a series 57:22 of focused questions, 57:24 you'll soon be learning portions 57:25 of the Bible 57:26 you may never have known before. 57:28 And when you're through, 57:29 you'll be able to share 57:30 with others these inspiring 57:32 truths from God's Word. 57:34 Just call our toll-free number. 57:36 It's on your screen now. 57:37 877 -- the two words 57:39 HIS-WILL. 57:40 Friendly operators 57:42 are standing by to send you 57:43 these guides. 57:44 Once again, that's 877-HIS-WILL. 57:47 Call that number, 57:49 and don't forget to join me 57:50 next week right here 57:51 at this same time. 57:59 ♪ 58:07 ♪ 58:16 ♪ 58:25 ♪ |
Revised 2024-11-12