Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME250607S
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00:11 ♪ 00:21 >> Good morning. 00:22 A happy Sabbath, Church. 00:25 It is a joy to welcome each 00:27 and every one of you 00:28 to our beloved church, 00:30 on the campus 00:31 of Andrews University, 00:33 and to our worship service. 00:36 Now, whether you're here 00:37 in person or online, 00:39 whether this is your first time 00:41 or you've been regularly coming 00:43 to our worship service, 00:44 we are grateful 00:45 that you decided today 00:47 to be here with us. 00:49 So, welcome. 00:51 I would like to invite all 00:52 of those who can join me 00:53 standing so we may lift up 00:55 our hearts in prayer. 01:05 Let us pray. 01:07 Dear Heavenly Father, 01:08 thank you, Lord, 01:10 oh, so much for the opportunity 01:13 and ability to come to this 01:15 wonderful place to worship you. 01:19 And we ask that you bless 01:20 everyone present here, 01:22 even those who are not present, 01:23 but bless this place 01:26 and ask that the Holy Spirit 01:27 may be found in this church. 01:30 And ask that everything 01:31 that happens here, everything 01:32 that we will witness here, 01:34 may be only for Your glory 01:35 and for Your honor. 01:36 Amen. 01:37 >> Amen. 01:39 [ "O Day of Rest and Gladness" 01:42 begins ] 04:28 >> Good afternoon, PMC. 04:30 I love to see 04:31 those pearly whites. 04:32 We will 04:33 be singing some good hymns. 04:36 So, we've all up here on stage, 04:40 grown up on hymns. 04:41 And we've selected some 04:43 of our favorite hymns. 04:45 And some of the hymns 04:46 would sound like, um... 04:49 ♪ There is a fountain 04:52 filled with blood ♪ 04:55 ♪ Drawn from Immanuel's veins 05:01 ♪ And... 05:03 >> ♪ Sinners, plunged beneath 05:07 that flood ♪ 05:09 ♪ Lose all their guilty stains 05:14 >> You sound so good. 05:15 Lose all. 05:17 >> ♪ Lose all their guilty 05:20 stains ♪ 05:22 >> Lose all. 05:24 >> ♪ Lose all... 05:25 >> Guilty stains. 05:27 >> ♪ ...their guilty stains 05:30 >> And sinners. 05:32 >> ♪ And sinners, plunged 05:34 >> Beneath. 05:36 >> ♪ Beneath that flood 05:39 >> Lose all. 05:40 >> ♪ Lose all... 05:41 >> Their guilty stains. 05:43 >> ♪ ...their guilty stains 05:46 >> Oh, you sound so good. 05:48 Because you sound so good, I'll 05:49 ask you all to stand with us 05:51 as we sing the hymn "Redeemed." 05:53 [ "Redeemed" begins ] 05:59 For all you who know the song, 06:00 let's sing together. 08:14 >> Do you believe that? 08:16 You believe that? Sing it. 08:42 >> Amen. Amen. 08:44 You may be seated. 08:45 You may be seated. 08:47 We will be singing 08:50 a special music for you all. 08:52 Um... 08:54 This song holds dear 08:55 to our hearts, 08:57 and we do not know 08:59 what you're going through. 09:01 But one thing we know 09:02 for sure is life happens. 09:04 We are all into 09:06 this human experience, 09:08 and we just want to remind 09:09 you today that God has 09:12 not forgotten you. 09:14 He is seeing you. 09:16 He is with you. 09:17 And because of that, 09:19 it is well with your soul. 09:22 Enjoy this piece. 09:24 [ "It Is Well with My Soul" 09:26 begins ] 14:14 >> Amen. 14:16 Praise God. 14:18 It is well. It is well. 14:20 We invite you all 14:22 to stand with us again 14:24 as we sing this hymn, 14:25 which we heard you 14:26 guys sing already. 14:27 "I Must Tell Jesus." 14:29 And let us tell Jesus 14:31 of all our problems... 14:34 this morning. 14:37 [ "I Must Tell Jesus" begins ] 15:28 >> What should you do? 19:51 >> You may be seated. 19:53 Be blessed and be seated. 20:02 ♪ 22:11 ♪ 23:45 [ Applause ] 23:56 >> There. Don't you feel better? 23:58 Good, good. Good, good. 24:02 If you have a Bible, 24:03 would you please turn it 24:04 to Mark 6:30. 24:07 Mark 6:30. 24:09 We're going to read just 24:10 verses 30 and 31. 24:13 If you don't have a Bible 24:13 with you, no problem. 24:14 There's one near you, 24:15 a little red Bible, 24:16 probably in the back of the pew 24:17 in front of you there. 24:18 It's on page 677 24:21 in that Bible, 6-7-7. 24:23 Mark 6:30. 24:27 Let me give you just a little 24:28 background to the story 24:29 that we're going to read here. 24:31 If we were to read earlier 24:32 in chapter 6 of Mark, 24:34 we would discover 24:35 that Jesus has just sent 24:36 out his 12 disciples, as far 24:37 as we know, for the first time 24:39 to go and preach 24:40 and teach on their own. 24:42 Two by two he sends them out 24:43 to teach and preach about the 24:44 kingdom, call for repentance, 24:46 and to heal the sick, 24:48 to cast out demons. 24:49 And indeed, 24:50 that is what happens. 24:52 They have so much to tell Jesus. 24:54 Casting out demons 24:55 and healing people 24:56 and preaching the gospel and 24:57 seeing people's lives change. 24:59 They were ready to tell 25:01 their story to Jesus 25:04 and this is the scene, 25:05 that greets them. 25:06 Mark 6:30. 25:09 "The apostles gathered 25:10 around Jesus 25:11 and reported to Him all 25:13 they had done and taught. 25:16 Then, because 25:18 so many people were coming 25:20 and going that they did 25:22 not even have a chance to eat, 25:24 He said to them, 25:25 'Come with me by yourselves 25:27 to a quiet place 25:29 and get some rest.'" 25:36 For some of you listening 25:37 right now, 25:38 the text that we just read 25:40 poses a great mystery, 25:43 for you are a rare breed. 25:47 For you, rest comes easy. 25:50 Peace is your second nature. 25:52 Tranquility your middle name. 25:54 You fall asleep the moment 25:56 your head hits the pillow 25:57 and you wake up refreshed 25:59 and ready to embrace 26:00 the new dawn each and every day. 26:02 You are not rushed. 26:03 You are not hurried. 26:04 You have no to-do list, 26:06 at least not ones that annoy you 26:07 when they're not done. 26:08 Your blood pressure is 26:09 below normal, 26:10 and your greatest challenge 26:12 each morning is to figure 26:13 out what marvelous part of life 26:15 you get to smile about first. 26:18 And for you, dear listener, 26:21 this sermon will be 26:22 of precisely zero value. 26:26 I'm sorry. Coming to church 26:27 is risky, isn't it? 26:27 You never know. 26:28 You never know what the guy 26:30 is going to speak about, right? 26:33 However, there are others of you 26:36 listening right now 26:38 that do not see life that way. 26:41 In fact, for you, 26:42 the story that we just read 26:43 in Mark 6 is not a story 26:45 of just 2,000 years ago. 26:47 It is your story today 26:50 because, for you, 26:52 life is astonishingly full. 26:54 Sometimes it seems 26:55 that you barely have time 26:56 even to eat. 26:58 A good night's sleep for you, 26:59 well, that's fifth 27:00 or sixth nature. 27:02 Blood pressure cuffs cower 27:04 when they see you coming, 27:05 because the beating 27:06 that they are about to take. 27:09 Quiet meditation for you 27:10 has long since been replaced 27:12 by regular medication. 27:14 And as for peace, 27:17 well, peace is hard to come by. 27:18 In fact, for you, 27:19 the words that are wrongly 27:20 attributed to Thomas Jefferson 27:22 ring forever true. 27:33 Have you ever felt that way? 27:34 Like, the only rest 27:36 that you get is in 27:38 between explosions of activity? 27:41 I know I have. Yeah. 27:43 There have been times 27:44 when I have gone on vacation 27:45 and have intentionally planned 27:47 the vacation to be long, 27:48 because I know it's going 27:49 to take me 3 or 4 days to come 27:51 back down to earth, right? 27:52 So it feels like I'm 27:53 actually away, right? 27:54 My mind 27:55 stops moving so quickly. 27:57 And my guess is that for those 28:00 of us who have the genuine 28:01 privilege of sharing this 28:03 campus with not one, not two, 28:05 but three schools and hundreds 28:07 of faculty and thousands 28:08 of students, 28:09 we know better than most 28:11 what it means to live life 28:12 packed to the gills, 28:14 ultra burdened, double booked, 28:15 overscheduled, and under-rested. 28:17 And if you find 28:18 your anxiety level rising just 28:20 thinking of your to-do list, 28:23 there is something that 28:25 I would like you to consider. 28:29 Let me put our text back here 28:30 up on the screen. 28:31 This time we're going to add 28:31 verse 32. 28:33 Mark 6, beginning of verse 30. 29:00 If you are one of the millions 29:01 around the world 29:02 who are running too fast 29:04 and need, on occasion, 29:05 to slow down, 29:08 there's something 29:08 that this text tells us 29:10 about working for Jesus 29:11 and the specific kind of rest 29:14 that he invites us to take. 29:16 And here it is. 29:18 God's rest includes solitude. 29:23 God's rest includes solitude. 29:24 Now, some of you are saying, 29:25 "Well, duh, of course 29:26 we know that." 29:27 Well, hang with me here. 29:29 Notice carefully 29:30 that the solitude 29:31 Jesus wanted to provide for his 29:33 disciples apparently requires 29:35 a location, a place. 29:38 It says that Jesus took them 29:40 to a solitary place, 29:42 a change of scenery 29:44 that was solitary. 29:47 And this idea of the importance 29:49 of a specific place of solitude 29:51 is significantly undervalued 29:52 by far too many busy people. 29:54 But it turns out 29:55 that it is crucial to God's 29:56 plan for humanity. 29:58 And we see this very clearly 29:59 reflected in Scripture. 30:01 Just two examples at this point. 30:03 First of all, 30:05 if we were to go back 30:05 to the Genesis account, 30:07 Genesis 1 and 2, 30:08 the creation account, 30:09 we would find there 30:10 that Adam and Eve are created 30:12 and then placed 30:13 in a specific place. 30:15 Now, think about that. 30:17 Jesus is working 30:18 with a blank slate here. 30:19 In the Septuagint it says, 30:20 you know, this word that's 30:22 used to describe the planet. 30:23 There was nothing there. 30:24 The Spirit of God is hovering 30:25 over this emptiness. 30:27 Jesus could have done anything 30:29 that he wanted to do. 30:32 So he makes the planet. 30:34 He gives the whole thing 30:35 to Adam and Eve. 30:36 They're to rule over it, subdue 30:37 it, dominate it, et cetera, 30:39 as the text says. 30:41 And then, he gives them one 30:43 specific special place, Eden. 30:49 And it's there in this one 30:50 specific, special place 30:52 that, as far as we know, 30:53 Adam and Eve, this is 30:55 where they regularly walked 30:57 and talked with God. 31:00 An entire planet, 31:01 yet one specific place. 31:05 And even at the very end, 31:08 at least of this earthly life, 31:11 this idea of a special place 31:13 to be with God 31:14 still reigns very strongly. 31:17 Jesus said this in John 14:2. 31:19 He says, 31:20 "In my father's house 31:21 are many mansions. 31:22 If it were not so, 31:24 I would have told you. 31:25 I go to prepare a" what? 31:27 What does it say? 31:28 "A place for you." 31:30 Okay. For me. For you. 31:31 It's plural here. 31:33 "If it were not so," Jesus says, 31:34 "I would have told you." 31:35 You know, for years, that 31:36 puzzled me. 31:37 It seemed like this 31:38 bizarre interjection 31:39 into the flow of thought. 31:40 "In my father's house 31:41 are many mansions. 31:42 If it were not so, 31:43 I would have told you." 31:44 Well, I mean, there's probably 31:45 all kinds of things that are not 31:46 so that it doesn't trouble Jesus 31:49 that we don't know about them. 31:50 Right? 31:51 And yet here he makes 31:52 a specific point. 31:53 "If it were not so, 31:54 I would have told you." 31:55 For many years, 31:56 that puzzled me 31:57 until I recognized 31:59 that Heaven is a foretaste 32:01 of the restoration of Eden. 32:03 You know, 32:04 the Earth made new will be 32:05 the full consummation there. 32:06 The restoration of what 32:08 Eden was, right? 32:09 Creation will be restored. 32:10 But Heaven is a foretaste of it. 32:12 And apparently, in the mind of 32:15 God, in the perfection 32:16 of his plan that is Heaven, 32:18 it would be incomplete 32:20 unless you had a place. 32:25 A place to call your own, 32:28 a place in Heaven 32:30 to be with God, 32:32 to walk and to talk with him. 32:35 Apparently this is part 32:37 of what we were created for. 32:39 The divine wiring requires 32:42 solitude in a place away 32:45 from all the hustle and bustle 32:46 that we might hear 32:47 the voice of God. 32:54 Back to our story. 32:55 In Mark 6, 32:58 the idea of solitude 32:59 for the disciples requiring 33:01 a change of location 33:03 is very easy to misunderstand. 33:07 For instance, it's tempting 33:09 to pull out of this story -- 33:11 They were all the hustle bustle. 33:12 Then they had to leave 33:13 to go some other place. 33:14 It's tempting to conclude, 33:14 oh, that's 33:15 because they couldn't be 33:17 conscious of Christ's presence 33:18 in the hustle and the bustle. 33:19 That is certainly not 33:20 the message of this story. 33:21 The Bible makes that clear. 33:22 You can be walking 33:23 down a busy sidewalk 33:24 in Manhattan with thousands of 33:25 people going either direction. 33:27 You can still be 33:28 in touch with God. 33:30 It's not that He leaves us once 33:31 a crowd comes into the room. 33:32 No, no, no, no. 33:33 However, that's not the ideal. 33:37 No question about it. 33:40 Having some consciousness of God 33:41 in the busyness and 33:42 the schedules that, yes, 33:43 it's possible and we need it. 33:44 We must have it. 33:45 But it is by far -- 33:47 it's far not the ideal. 33:48 Instead, Mark 6 clearly 33:51 indicates that the disciples 33:52 were surrounded 33:53 by too many people. 33:55 It was too busy 33:56 with too many people. 33:58 And here we must ask 34:00 and answer a key question. 34:02 Why was that bad? 34:07 So, Pastor Shane, I mean, 34:08 if you've been surrounded 34:09 by people all day long, 34:10 you know exactly 34:11 what's wrong with that. 34:11 Well, not so fast. 34:12 Not so fast. 34:14 Why was it so bad 34:16 for the disciples and Jesus 34:17 to continue to hang out 34:19 there with the crowds? 34:21 I mean, think about it. 34:23 Jesus came to seek 34:24 and to save the lost. 34:25 That is to save people, right? 34:27 And if you're going to save 34:28 people, you need to be 34:29 where the people are. 34:30 And the people need to 34:30 be where you are. 34:32 So, at first glance, Mark 6, 34:33 Jesus and the disciples' 34:35 situation seems not to be 34:36 a bad one. 34:37 This is victory. 34:39 This is victory. 34:40 I mean, so many people coming 34:42 and going, they don't 34:42 even have time for lunch. 34:43 I mean, it's fantastic. 34:44 They have done so well. 34:46 I mean, 34:47 how many churches today lament 34:48 because they can't draw a crowd? 34:51 How many an evangelist 34:52 has looked out on opening night 34:53 on the crowd size, says, 34:54 "Oh, man, I wish there were 34:55 more people here." 34:56 And yet here is Jesus 34:58 and His disciples, 34:59 surrounded by the very people 35:02 that so desperately needed 35:03 what Jesus had to offer. 35:04 Why on Earth would 35:06 they need to get away from them? 35:13 Well... 35:17 The Bible doesn't tell us. 35:19 So we are left to 35:21 our sanctified imaginations 35:23 to think what 35:23 the reason might be. 35:24 And I think -- 35:26 I think I can make 35:27 a good suggestion as to 35:28 why they needed to get 35:29 away from the crowds. 35:29 Let me put it up here on 35:30 the screen for you. 35:47 Hmm. 35:49 You see, 35:50 Jesus was this divine mystery, 35:52 was He not, the incarnation? 35:54 He was fully God 35:55 and fully human 35:56 all at the same time. 35:57 If you can explain that to me, 35:58 you're smarter than I am. 35:59 But we do know 35:59 what the Bible says. 36:00 This is what it describes. 36:02 And because of this 36:02 fully human part, 36:04 without regular rest and 36:05 solitude and time 36:06 with his father, 36:06 Jesus could be 36:07 subject to temptation. 36:09 And if Jesus could be subject 36:10 to this, 36:11 how much more His dedicated 36:12 but still, oh, so immature 36:14 disciples. 36:16 Without regular time for them, 36:18 away from the crowds 36:19 that were following them, 36:21 they would eventually fall 36:23 into one of the ditches 36:24 on either side 36:25 of that discipleship path. 36:26 They would either be elated 36:28 when the crowd liked 36:29 what they did, 36:31 or they would be depressed 36:32 when the crowd didn't 36:33 like what they did. 36:35 And when the crowds were elated, 36:37 their egos would be inflated. 36:41 And to keep that going, 36:42 the winds of public opinion 36:44 would begin to guide their work 36:46 rather than the Spirit of God. 36:51 Ellen White hints at this. 36:52 "Desire of Ages," page 360. 36:54 She says, "It was 36:55 the disciples' duty." 36:57 Wow, that's a pretty strong 36:58 word there, isn't it? 36:59 "It was the disciples duty 37:00 to rest. 37:02 As the disciples had seen 37:03 the success of their labors" -- 37:05 again, witnessed 37:06 the big crowds coming and going, 37:07 can't even find time to eat -- 37:08 "they were in danger 37:09 of taking credit to themselves, 37:11 in danger of cherishing 37:12 spiritual pride, 37:14 and thus falling 37:15 under Satan's temptations. 37:16 A great work was before them, 37:19 and first of all, 37:20 they must learn 37:21 that their strength was not 37:22 in self but in God. 37:25 Like Moses in the wilderness 37:26 of Sinai, 37:27 like David among the hills 37:28 of Judea, 37:29 or Elijah by the brook Cherith, 37:31 the disciples needed to come 37:33 apart from the scenes 37:34 of their busy activity, 37:36 to commune with Christ, 37:38 with nature, 37:39 and with their own hearts." 37:42 Huh. 37:45 And, thus, Jesus says, 37:49 actually he commands it. 37:51 It's not a request, 37:52 it's a command. 37:54 Come ye apart. 37:57 Come and rest a while. 37:59 Leave the crowds. 38:00 Head for a solitary place. 38:04 Again, this is undoubtedly part 38:05 of the reason that Jesus often 38:07 spent whole nights in prayer 38:08 with His Father alone, 38:09 no one around, 38:10 in deserted and solitary 38:11 places, because it's 38:13 in those types of places 38:14 that the blur of humanity 38:16 comes more closely into focus. 38:18 The constant flow of human need 38:20 is momentarily silenced, 38:21 and a person can be. 38:27 A person can hear. 38:32 And did you notice 38:32 the three biblical blessings 38:34 that this leads to, this hearing 38:35 and this being 38:37 in the presence of God? 38:39 Found here in the last part 38:39 of this quotation here. 38:42 Biblical rest and solitude 38:44 makes it possible to commune 38:46 with Christ, 38:47 to commune with nature, and 38:48 to commune with our own hearts. 38:52 You know, communing with Christ. 38:52 We've talked about 38:53 that many a time. 38:54 I mean, of course, 38:55 this is so important. 38:56 Nothing is more important. 38:57 And peaceful times of quiet 38:59 make the voice of God 39:00 much easier to hear. 39:04 Communing with nature. 39:05 You know, this is one of the 39:06 biggest reasons that city living 39:08 can be so dangerous to one's 39:10 soul, for nature and the city is 39:11 largely paved over. 39:14 But in nature, 39:15 we learn afresh the lessons 39:17 of God's grandeur and His power 39:19 and His intelligence 39:20 and His creativity. 39:22 In nature, we also come 39:23 closer to our roots. 39:25 Remember, after all, 39:26 we're made of dirt, 39:28 and in some sense, 39:30 going out in 39:31 the soil is coming home. 39:33 You know, I always -- 39:34 It kind of brings 39:36 a dark smile to my lips, 39:37 because I've heard it so often, 39:39 that people say, "Well, you 39:40 know, Adventist schools don't 39:41 have farming programs anymore," 39:43 because we couldn't afford them. 39:45 They didn't make enough money. 39:47 As though that were the point. 39:50 The point was that 39:51 we could get our hands dirty 39:52 again, that we could 39:54 be reconnected with 39:55 nature and nature's God. 39:58 That's what it was for. 40:00 And it's when we get out there 40:01 in nature and we see the sky, 40:02 and we hear the birds, 40:03 and we see the grass, and we 40:05 hear the falling rain, 40:06 we see the lightning flash 40:08 that, in some sense, 40:09 we have a homecoming experience. 40:11 And in coming home, 40:12 we find ourselves more grounded 40:14 and purposeful 40:15 and in tune with God. 40:19 And lastly, 40:21 biblical solitude results 40:23 in communion 40:24 with our own hearts. 40:26 You know, 40:28 I'm just going to guess half 40:29 of all counselor and 40:30 psychologist visits occur 40:32 because humans don't do this. 40:35 Now, this is not an offense 40:36 to my counseling friends. 40:37 Praise the Lord for good 40:38 Christian counselors 40:38 when we need them. 40:40 And they, like me, 40:41 are in the business 40:42 that we're in 40:43 because people need help, 40:44 because people often don't do 40:45 the right thing, right? 40:46 When Heaven comes, 40:47 we'll all be out of work. 40:48 Praise the Lord. 40:49 Unemployment never 40:50 looked so good, right? 40:53 But because we don't do 40:54 these things, we get in trouble. 40:56 You know, I sometimes think 40:57 that Christians in particular, 40:58 or anyone helping others 40:59 on a regular basis, 41:01 can easily get lost 41:02 in meeting the needs 41:04 of other people while losing 41:06 their own identity in Christ. 41:09 Time apart, 41:10 even and especially apart 41:12 from those who need Jesus 41:13 and us, is therefore crucial. 41:15 He or she 41:16 who does not take the time 41:18 to know their own heart is 41:20 in great danger of losing it. 41:27 So, let it be clear. 41:31 Do come to church. 41:36 Do come to Sabbath school. 41:39 We still do need community 41:41 and iron to sharpen iron. 41:43 Et cetera, et cetera. 41:44 All of that is still true. 41:45 And we also need time apart. 41:49 Time to rest a while. 41:51 Time with God and nature 41:52 and ourselves 41:53 so we can reorient toward heaven 41:56 and be reminded afresh 41:58 that we are not 41:58 just disposable items 42:00 to be used up in a whirlwind 42:01 of good works, 42:02 but that we are God's children, 42:04 his precious, 42:05 deeply valued children. 42:07 And few things provide 42:08 that renewal 42:10 like solitary, natural places. 42:12 Just God and you. 42:17 So let me ask you the question, 42:20 when was the last time 42:21 you were alone with God? 42:26 I don't just mean like walking 42:27 from your car to the office, 42:28 or from the parking lot 42:29 to your dorm room. 42:31 I mean, for an extended period 42:32 of time, when was the last time 42:34 that you were alone with God? 42:39 Now, for some of you, 42:40 the answer is, well, 42:40 just this morning. 42:41 Praise the Lord. Keep going. 42:43 Let me pour gas on your fire. 42:44 Okay. 42:45 For some of you, 42:46 you cannot remember 42:47 the last time 42:48 that you were alone 42:49 for an extended period of time 42:51 in a solitary place with God, 42:52 and it's high time 42:53 that you got back to that. 42:56 So I plead with you, 42:58 be brutal with your calendar. 43:02 The devil is. 43:03 He watches it very closely. 43:06 You need to watch it carefully, 43:07 too. 43:07 Be brutal with it. 43:08 Make the time and space 43:10 necessary. 43:12 Find a location for solitude. 43:14 Maybe you're fortunate enough 43:16 to own some property. 43:17 Find a quiet space 43:18 on your property. 43:19 If you're in a dorm room, 43:20 find quiet time 43:21 in your dorm room 43:22 when your roommate, you know, 43:22 will not be around. 43:24 Take a solo hike 43:25 or a stroll through 43:26 a nearby nature preserve or 43:27 down a wooded trail somewhere. 43:28 We have lots 43:29 of those around here. 43:30 Maybe you need to take 43:31 a short drive to the lake 43:32 or to the river. 43:34 Perhaps after school or work, 43:35 or during the day, 43:36 if that's an option for you. 43:38 Doing it at a time when you're 43:39 fairly certain others will 43:40 not be around. 43:41 Wherever it is, 43:42 whenever you do it, 43:44 the goal is to be with God 43:46 and, in so doing, 43:47 to be refreshed 43:50 and... 43:53 something more. 43:57 "Desire of Ages," page 363. 44:01 "In all who are under 44:02 the training of God 44:03 is to be revealed a life 44:05 that is not in harmony 44:06 with the world, 44:07 its customs, or its practices. 44:10 And everyone" -- 44:11 How many people there? 44:12 What does it say? Everyone. 44:13 Okay, so no exceptions here. 44:15 "And everyone needs to have 44:17 a personal experience 44:19 in obtaining a knowledge 44:21 of the will of God." 44:22 Wouldn't you like that? 44:22 Wouldn't that be awesome 44:23 to have? 44:24 A personal knowledge 44:24 of the will of God. 44:26 "We must individually hear 44:28 Him speaking to the heart. 44:31 When every other voice is 44:32 hushed, and in quietness, 44:34 we wait before Him, 44:35 the silence of the soul makes 44:37 more distinct the voice of God. 44:40 He bids us, 'Be still, 44:43 and know that I am God.' 44:46 Psalm 46:10. 44:48 Here alone 44:51 can true rest be found. 44:54 And this is" -- 44:55 Here's the answer. 44:57 "This is the effectual 44:59 preparation for all who labor 45:02 for God." 45:06 You see, this time alone with 45:07 God in a solitary place, 45:09 absolutely, it is for you. 45:10 God loves you. 45:11 He wants you to be refreshed, 45:14 to know that he is God, 45:15 to have that knowledge, 45:16 to secure you in whatever it is 45:17 that you're going to do next. 45:19 And make no mistake, 45:21 He is preparing you 45:22 for great things to come. 45:25 That's one of the greatest 45:26 purposes of this time 45:27 alone with God. 45:28 He is preparing you 45:29 for the great things to come. 45:32 Now, this was certainly true 45:33 for the disciples. 45:33 Again, Mark chapter 6 there. 45:35 The next big event 45:37 that happens, oh, it's a doozy. 45:39 The feeding of the 5,000. 45:40 You know, 45:41 if I'm working with somebody 45:42 and they don't really have much 45:43 of a belief in God, 45:44 but they're willing at least 45:44 to listen to Scripture 45:45 to see what it says, 45:46 that's one of the places 45:47 I will take them. 45:48 How come? 45:49 Because that miracle is 45:50 very difficult to deny. 45:52 It's powerful stuff. 45:53 You cannot pull fish and loaves 45:55 out of your robes 45:56 enough to feed 5,000 45:58 or 10,000 people, as it actually 46:00 probably was closer to. 46:01 It's impossible to do. 46:02 It's one of the most 46:03 glaring evidences 46:04 of the divinity of Jesus Christ. 46:07 And to prepare for that, 46:09 Jesus said first, 46:13 "Let's go and be quiet 46:15 so that you can commune with me 46:17 and with nature 46:19 and your own souls." 46:23 You know, we here at Pioneer 46:25 also have some great things 46:26 that are coming up in 46:26 the not too distant future. 46:29 We've talked about this 46:29 a number of times. 46:30 New strategic plan 46:31 that's soon to be started, 46:32 implementation, some 46:33 of it over the summer. 46:34 We're beginning implementation 46:35 in earnest in the fall 46:36 with the new school year. 46:38 And with it, 46:38 new opportunities for ministry 46:40 are going to come, new 46:41 opportunities for relationships 46:42 and deepening community with us, 46:43 with our university students, 46:45 with high school students, 46:46 elementary school students, 46:47 members of our community, 46:49 getting to know them better, 46:50 that they might come to know 46:50 Jesus Christ, as well. 46:52 And with all of the hustle 46:54 and bustle and busyness 46:55 that is present now 46:56 and that's coming on 46:57 the near horizon, 46:59 my humble suggestion is this -- 47:01 let us use the summer 47:03 to rest and recharge with God. 47:07 Or if your summer schedule 47:09 does not have a natural break 47:10 built into it, 47:11 create some similar 47:12 natural breaks, 47:13 some smaller natural breaks 47:15 that you might be refreshed 47:17 and that you might be prepared 47:18 for the great things 47:19 God has coming. 47:23 And by the way, 47:26 please don't let the solitary 47:29 quiet time be seen by you 47:32 as an interruption 47:33 and an irritant 47:35 in your schedule. 47:39 It reminds me of a story. 47:41 Many years ago, yea, verily, 47:43 in the last millennium, 47:44 when my wife and I were not 47:45 my wife and I, we were dating. 47:46 We were 47:47 boyfriend and girlfriend. 47:48 We were on our way back 47:49 from summer camp 47:50 after working there, 47:52 and she was in her car. 47:53 I was in my car. 47:55 You may remember a story 47:56 I told about this 47:56 about a year and a half ago. 47:57 This is a different story. 47:58 You may not want to caravan with 48:00 us after you've heard stories 48:01 like this too much. 48:02 She was in what I believe 48:05 was a 1978, 48:07 maybe '79 Honda Civic 48:11 Hondamatic. 48:14 Some of you remember 48:16 the dark days of the '70s. 48:18 Those were difficult days for 48:20 people that enjoyed automobiles. 48:22 Smog restrictions 48:23 were just coming in, and her 48:24 car had the Hondamatic 48:26 transmission. 48:27 Now, a Hondamatic transmission. 48:29 Honda makes some fine cars. 48:30 This transmission I wasn't 48:31 super fond of. 48:33 It had two speeds, no joke. 48:34 Two speeds. 48:34 It was a two-speed transmission. 48:36 Those two speeds were 48:38 comatose and rigor mortis. Okay? 48:41 And very, very slow car, 48:43 you know. 48:44 And, so, we're driving. 48:46 I'm something of a mechanic. 48:47 Don't, like, ask me 48:49 to do professional stuff, 48:50 but I can keep my cars running. 48:52 My car was running fine. 48:53 Her car, she'd said there's 48:54 some troubles with it. 48:55 I don't know exactly what it 48:56 was, I hadn't paid 48:57 that much attention to it. 48:58 We start out on what was 49:00 to be about a 4- or 5-hour trip. 49:02 Okay, if everything went well. 49:04 And we're headed someplace, 49:06 I don't remember where it was, 49:07 but to me, it was important. 49:08 We were going to conquer 49:09 the highway, right? 49:11 We're headed 49:12 to this important destination. 49:14 And about 10, 15 minutes 49:15 into the trip, 49:16 Darlene pulls over to the side 49:17 of the road in her Robin egg 49:19 blue Hondamatic two speed. 49:22 And I pull in with my 240Z, 49:24 and I get out of the car. 49:25 I said, "What's the problem?" 49:27 And she says, "I don't know. 49:29 It just stopped running." 49:31 So, being mechanically minded, 49:33 I pop open the hood, 49:34 try to look, see what's wrong. 49:36 No smoke, nothing leaking. 49:37 Can't tell if there's -- 49:38 No electrical connections appear 49:39 to be in the wrong place, 49:40 et cetera. 49:41 I don't know. Close the hood. 49:43 We wait a little bit. 49:45 Turns the key. Starts right up. 49:46 Ah! Problem fixed. Great. 49:48 Back on the road. 49:50 She goes from 49:51 comatose to rigor mortis. 49:52 We're cruising along. 49:54 And about 10, 49:55 15 minutes later, it dies again. 49:56 She pulls over 49:57 the side of the road. 49:59 I get out of my car, I come. 50:00 I said, what happened? 50:01 She said, "Well, it died again." 50:01 I said, "Well, did you do 50:03 anything, did you hit a button? 50:04 Did you do the wrong this, 50:05 that, and the other?" 50:06 "Well, no." Pop the hood. 50:08 Look around. Can't see anything. 50:09 Nothing seems to be wrong. 50:10 Close the hood. 50:11 We wait a little bit. 50:12 Turn the key. Starts right up. 50:16 This went on 50:18 for hundreds of miles. 50:20 Every 10 to 15 minutes, 50:22 this little Robin egg blue 50:24 Hondamatic curse would die. 50:26 And we'd pull over 50:27 to the side of the road. 50:28 And by time 4 or 5, 50:29 I am getting irritated. 50:30 I can't believe that. 50:32 We got important things to go. 50:33 Destination is receding 50:35 beyond the sunset, right? 50:37 And I can't find what's 50:38 wrong with this thing. 50:38 There's no smoke, there's no 50:39 steam, there's no nothing. 50:40 It's not vapor lock. 50:41 I can't figure this out. 50:42 So I am irritated. 50:44 Every single time this little 50:45 car decides to take a break, 50:47 I get hotter under the collar. 50:52 Now contrast this 50:55 with the bright, sunny, 50:58 peach-filled-with-cream day 51:00 that Darlene was having. 51:02 You see, 51:03 every time her little car died 51:05 and she pulled over to the side 51:07 of the road, she was elated. 51:09 Because, you see, as I said, 51:11 we were coming back 51:12 from summer camp, 51:13 and we worked at Sunset Lake 51:14 Summer Camp in Washington State. 51:15 And I don't know if this is 51:16 still true today, but in those 51:17 days, dating among 51:18 staff members was not allowed. 51:20 Well, we were thoroughly 51:21 dating, and so, I was guys 51:24 director for two years, she was 51:25 girls director for two years. 51:26 We did that together. 51:27 And, so, both those summers 51:29 were, you know, we could not 51:30 let on to the campers 51:32 that we were dating. 51:33 We didn't want to be a 51:34 distraction, you know, as often 51:36 happens if relationships are 51:36 there. 51:37 So that's all done now. 51:39 We're driving to this wherever 51:40 it was that we're going. 51:41 We're leaving camp. 51:42 She's excited 51:44 that now she gets to see me. 51:45 We have been set 51:46 free in her mind, right? 51:48 And I can still see it, 51:49 like on time 3 or 4 51:50 this thing happened. 51:51 Dies over, pulls over the side. 51:52 "Oh, not again," 51:53 I'm thinking to myself. 51:55 She opens her door, she gets 51:56 out, big smile on her face. 51:59 She prances like this gazelle 52:00 back to the passenger side of my 52:02 car, opens the door, gets in 52:02 and sits down, and says, 52:03 "How are you doing?" 52:06 Oh. 52:09 Because for her, 52:11 every single time there was 52:12 this break, 52:14 it was a time to reconnect. 52:16 For me, I got closer 52:18 and closer to a heart attack 52:20 every time that happened, right? 52:22 And my guess is, 52:23 if you were to compare our 52:25 vital health statistics 52:26 at the end of that trip, 52:27 which took a very long time 52:28 to get to wherever it was 52:29 that we were going, 52:30 I would have probably lost 52:31 weight from sweating 52:33 and my blood pressure 52:34 would have been highly elevated, 52:36 and Darlene would have just had 52:37 a little smiley face 52:38 and a ray of sunshine 52:39 coming down on her 52:40 health report card, okay? 52:45 Isn't it interesting the 52:46 difference it can make, 52:48 one's attitude 52:51 towards interruptions of rest. 52:58 Ladies and gentlemen, 52:59 we are indeed headed for 53:00 some great things. 53:02 I believe that Jesus Christ is 53:03 on his way, 53:04 that he is anxious to get down 53:06 to this planet 53:08 and put an end to sin 53:09 and take us home to be with him. 53:11 I am so glad 53:13 that that is the great thing 53:14 that we are headed on. 53:15 We're on a great journey. 53:16 And unlike me in that following 53:19 my wife and her Hondamatic 53:20 there, who didn't know 53:21 where -- I can't remember 53:22 where we were going. 53:23 We know where we're going. 53:24 We're going to Jesus. 53:26 Jesus is our goal. 53:27 He is the destination. 53:29 Great things are coming. 53:30 Great things 53:31 for which we must be ready. 53:34 But too often on 53:37 our way to great things, 53:39 we see rest and recovery 53:41 time as interruptions and 53:43 irritants rather than gifts. 53:46 So, please, don't make the 53:48 mistake that I did with that 53:50 Robin egg blue Hondamatic. 53:53 Instead, remember the lesson 53:55 that Jesus taught his disciples, 53:58 and that is that the best 54:00 take a rest. 54:02 The best, 54:03 most productive followers 54:05 of Jesus make time 54:06 for regular rest. 54:08 Real, honest, soul level rest. 54:10 Because such rest 54:11 is not an option. 54:12 It's a blessed requirement given 54:14 by Jesus himself. 54:15 It is the gift of a gracious God 54:18 who knows that his children are 54:19 not ministry machines, 54:21 but rather our deeply loved sons 54:23 and daughters 54:23 who deserve to live balanced, 54:25 fulfilled, and genuinely 54:27 powerful lives for Him. 54:29 May your summer season, 54:31 or whatever break you create, 54:33 be a good one 54:35 and may each one of us 54:37 find our rest in Him 54:39 as we prepare for the great 54:41 things and harvest to come. 54:48 [ "A Quiet Place" begins ] 56:51 >> I'm Shane Anderson, 56:53 the lead pastor here 56:54 at Pioneer Memorial Church. 56:56 At Pioneer Media, we have been 56:58 blessed by the financial support 57:00 that comes from our viewers 57:01 like you, that enable us 57:03 to continue this ministry. 57:05 We've made a conscious decision 57:07 not to continually appeal to you 57:08 for that support. 57:10 However, keeping this ministry 57:11 going takes money to support 57:13 our staff and technology needs. 57:15 If God has blessed you 57:17 and you would like to further 57:18 the work of this ministry, 57:20 we invite you to partner 57:21 with us. 57:22 You can donate on our website, 57:24 pmchurch.org, 57:26 then click Giving at the top, 57:28 then select Media Ministry. 57:31 Or call the number 57:32 877-HIS-WILL. 57:35 Again, that number is 57:36 877, the two words HIS-WILL. 57:40 My prayer is that the God 57:42 who has blessed you will 57:44 continue to pour into your life 57:45 the gifts of His joy 57:46 and His hope. 57:48 Thank you, and I'm looking 57:50 forward to seeing you right here 57:51 again next time. 57:53 ♪ 58:00 ♪ 58:09 ♪ 58:17 ♪ |
Revised 2025-06-16