WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:10.240 Mark chapter 2 and as we continue our way through the gospel of Mark, the hits just keep coming. 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:22.440 ! From the time that Jesus came out of temptation and came on the scene, healing came to those who were hurting. 00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:32.740 Evil was driven out and lives were changed and crowds came from all the surrounding areas. 00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:36.520 It was a phenomenon to the entire region. 00:00:37.880 --> 00:00:47.320 And with all that commotion, as they would believe, the religious leaders, the church leaders heard about it. 00:00:47.320 --> 00:00:52.520 They were the scribes. They were primarily made up of Pharisees. 00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:55.000 They were holier than thou. 00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:57.719 They were proud of their positions. 00:00:58.500 --> 00:01:02.759 And they were feeling challenged by Christ. 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:07.260 One they saw as a rebel rouser, as an upstart. 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:09.280 Trouble. 00:01:10.960 --> 00:01:14.819 We first see them witness Jesus healing a paralyzed man. 00:01:14.819 --> 00:01:21.979 And it was amazing to watch those four friends lower that man in front of Jesus as he taught. 00:01:22.479 --> 00:01:25.299 And then Jesus to heal that man. 00:01:25.959 --> 00:01:28.939 But he also forgave that man's sins. 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:32.000 And only God can forgive sins. 00:01:33.379 --> 00:01:38.039 And the Pharisees were there watching what was happening. 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:44.020 Next, he saves and calls Levi, a crooked tax collector. 00:01:45.160 --> 00:01:48.860 And then attends a banquet feast at Levi's house. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:51.520 Later called Matthew. 00:01:51.780 --> 00:01:54.719 And we believe that Jesus is the one that renamed him. 00:01:54.840 --> 00:01:56.680 Matthew means gift of God. 00:01:57.580 --> 00:02:04.480 And he was eating with sinners and tax collectors at Matthew's house. 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:08.400 And while the Pharisees were fasting for the Lord. 00:02:09.240 --> 00:02:10.439 They didn't like that. 00:02:10.500 --> 00:02:11.500 And they called him out on it. 00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:12.759 And Jesus set them straight. 00:02:12.840 --> 00:02:13.800 And they didn't like that either. 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:15.819 But they're not done. 00:02:16.640 --> 00:02:18.599 I want you to look at what's recorded next. 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:25.900 And I want you to understand that when Mark wrote this gospel, he is building a pattern here. 00:02:25.900 --> 00:02:32.620 He kind of emphasizes that in these episodes that we're looking at in these two chapters. 00:02:32.980 --> 00:02:39.599 Of how the Pharisees are just getting more keyed up about the difference that Christ is making. 00:02:39.700 --> 00:02:40.599 And how they don't like it. 00:02:42.180 --> 00:02:44.480 It says one Sabbath, beginning in verse 23. 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:48.180 He, speaking of Christ, was going through the grain fields. 00:02:48.280 --> 00:02:53.140 And as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 00:02:53.139 --> 00:02:59.839 And the Pharisees were saying to him, look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath? 00:03:00.759 --> 00:03:06.479 And he said to them, have you never read what David did when he was in need and was hungry? 00:03:06.619 --> 00:03:09.139 He and those who were with him. 00:03:09.399 --> 00:03:14.119 How he entered the house of God in the time of Abathar, the high priest. 00:03:14.179 --> 00:03:17.060 And ate the bread of the presence. 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:20.459 Which is not lawful for any but the priest to eat. 00:03:20.460 --> 00:03:23.180 And also gave it to those who were with him. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:29.400 And he said to them, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:34.140 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. 00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:41.439 It was completely legal for someone to walk through another person's field. 00:03:41.540 --> 00:03:44.420 As a matter of fact, in the country, they didn't have a lot of roads. 00:03:44.419 --> 00:03:49.919 And so it was often that you had to walk between rows to get where you were going in someone's field. 00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:56.279 And it was fine to grab a handful of grain and eat it as you went. 00:03:56.859 --> 00:04:01.719 As long as you didn't bring a bag with you or a sickle with you and collect everything they had. 00:04:01.819 --> 00:04:06.459 Now I will tell you that I had a neighbor growing up that had a grapevine in the backyard. 00:04:06.599 --> 00:04:07.639 And they didn't feel that way. 00:04:08.119 --> 00:04:10.039 They didn't like what I came through and grazed. 00:04:10.339 --> 00:04:13.579 Nor the people with the apple trees that were across the street from them. 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:15.759 They needed to read scripture. 00:04:15.879 --> 00:04:19.740 Because it says in Deuteronomy 23 verse 25, 00:04:20.019 --> 00:04:25.719 If you go into your neighbor's standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand. 00:04:26.459 --> 00:04:30.779 But you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor's standing grain. 00:04:31.719 --> 00:04:33.419 That's all the disciples were doing. 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:37.779 However, they were doing it on the Sabbath. 00:04:38.659 --> 00:04:42.680 Now, let's understand what scripture says about the Sabbath. 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:49.819 It is mainly addressed in the fourth commandment of the ten commandments in Exodus chapter 20. 00:04:50.639 --> 00:04:52.120 And that's what they're referencing here. 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:54.319 Beginning in verse 8, it says, 00:04:54.740 --> 00:04:56.400 Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. 00:04:57.500 --> 00:05:00.000 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 00:05:00.100 --> 00:05:03.800 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. 00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:07.780 On it, you shall not do any work. 00:05:07.879 --> 00:05:09.860 That's the key phrase that they go back to. 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:22.639 You, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 00:05:23.300 --> 00:05:28.780 For six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that's in them and rested on the seventh day. 00:05:29.280 --> 00:05:34.160 Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 00:05:34.160 --> 00:05:36.560 Now, that's what the commandment says. 00:05:37.200 --> 00:05:42.760 Later in scripture, it says that you don't kindle a fire on the Sabbath. 00:05:43.280 --> 00:05:47.140 And that you don't gather fuel, which would be wood or brush. 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:49.760 That you don't gather fuel on the Sabbath. 00:05:50.440 --> 00:05:55.800 The prophet Jeremiah added that you don't carry a burden on the Sabbath. 00:05:55.800 --> 00:06:01.680 And what he was talking about when he mentioned that was, and it says don't carry a burden through the gates either. 00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:12.280 And so what he's saying is, don't bring your harvest into town on the Sabbath and set up to sell for the next day. 00:06:14.300 --> 00:06:17.220 You say, well, I can't sell, so I'll bring it in and set it up. 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:18.680 He says, no, don't do that. 00:06:18.920 --> 00:06:20.639 That's what means carry a burden. 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:26.240 So that's the stipulations and that's the guidelines that they went off. 00:06:26.899 --> 00:06:29.899 Nehemiah mentions not buying from them on the Sabbath. 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:36.539 However, when these rabbis, these Pharisees got a hold of that, they got a lot more specific about it. 00:06:37.079 --> 00:06:44.539 As a matter of fact, they had 39 different types of work mentioned in the rabbinical law. 00:06:44.540 --> 00:06:51.840 And remember, that's the law that's not in Scripture, but it's been added to define what Scripture means. 00:06:52.939 --> 00:06:55.660 It's not inspired by the Holy Spirit. 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:59.640 It's inspired by a bunch of Pharisaic rabbis. 00:06:59.840 --> 00:07:04.000 And they had 39 different types of work mentioned in the Sabbath. 00:07:04.220 --> 00:07:05.360 Some of them were interesting. 00:07:05.840 --> 00:07:13.300 If a building collapses on the Sabbath, you can clear the rubble enough to find the bodies. 00:07:13.300 --> 00:07:18.040 And if someone is alive, you can rescue them. 00:07:18.819 --> 00:07:25.819 However, if they're dead, you have to leave them there because it's not reviving life. 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:27.620 It's not protecting life. 00:07:28.100 --> 00:07:35.639 If you fracture a bone, you can't set that bone on the Sabbath because that's not life-threatening. 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:40.680 But if you cut your finger, you can wrap your finger, but you can't treat it. 00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:42.860 You just stop the bleeding. 00:07:44.420 --> 00:07:48.019 If a lady gives birth on the Sabbath, you can help her. 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:50.939 And I will say you better if she wants help. 00:07:52.819 --> 00:07:54.720 You can spit on a rock. 00:07:56.439 --> 00:07:58.960 But if you spit on the ground, that's cultivating. 00:07:59.960 --> 00:08:00.860 That's watering. 00:08:01.579 --> 00:08:02.540 That's work. 00:08:02.540 --> 00:08:06.140 And they took this stuff seriously. 00:08:07.140 --> 00:08:12.879 In the 2nd century, some of the Maccabean Jews took refuge in caves. 00:08:13.400 --> 00:08:21.980 But when the Syrian soldiers pursued them on the Sabbath, they would not surrender, nor would they resist. 00:08:21.980 --> 00:08:25.819 And the Syrians threw fire into the caves. 00:08:26.280 --> 00:08:30.640 And the Jews would not even walk out of the caves to defend themselves. 00:08:31.300 --> 00:08:34.940 Would not even run out of the caves to escape the fire and smoke. 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:37.120 They stayed. 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:39.120 And died. 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.340 In order to honor the Sabbath. 00:08:42.340 --> 00:08:51.780 When Pompey, the Roman general, besieged Jerusalem, he built his mound to bombard them on the Sabbath. 00:08:52.519 --> 00:08:55.800 Because he knew they would not defend themselves. 00:08:56.740 --> 00:08:58.960 The Romans required military service. 00:08:59.500 --> 00:09:05.040 But they exempted the Jews because they knew that on the Sabbath, they were not going to fight. 00:09:05.560 --> 00:09:07.019 I mean, I'm telling you, this was rigid. 00:09:07.580 --> 00:09:08.700 It was inflexible. 00:09:08.700 --> 00:09:12.259 And some of that was finally changed later. 00:09:12.340 --> 00:09:13.440 But it's not changed here. 00:09:14.900 --> 00:09:19.480 You could not travel more than a half a mile total for the day on the Sabbath. 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:29.860 And therefore, if you live more than a fourth of a mile from a synagogue, you couldn't worship on the Sabbath. 00:09:30.580 --> 00:09:31.540 It was too far to go. 00:09:31.539 --> 00:09:38.559 That's why, as we mentioned, when Jesus went village to village and would speak in synagogue after synagogue, 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:44.279 if a village was large enough to have 12 men, 12 families there, they would build a synagogue. 00:09:44.980 --> 00:09:46.899 Because otherwise, they couldn't go to synagogue. 00:09:47.379 --> 00:09:49.419 They lived too far from it. 00:09:50.339 --> 00:10:01.399 More specifically, concerning our passage, you could not reap, thresh, winnow, or prepare a meal. 00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:05.759 So when they plucked, that's reaping. 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:10.199 And when they rubbed, and Luke chapter 6 is a synoptic gospel. 00:10:10.799 --> 00:10:12.419 It's a parallel passage of this. 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:14.519 It says that they rubbed the heads of the grain. 00:10:15.339 --> 00:10:19.779 So when you rub the heads of the grain, they were threshing. 00:10:20.779 --> 00:10:24.079 When they blew the husk, they were wintering. 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:28.000 When they put it in their mouths, they were preparing a meal. 00:10:29.300 --> 00:10:37.460 So for the Pharisees, four rabbinical rules were broken just by these guys walking by, grabbing a head of grain, 00:10:37.920 --> 00:10:40.120 rubbing it, and sticking it in their mouth. 00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:44.399 So Jesus asked the Pharisees, 00:10:45.080 --> 00:10:50.580 have you never read what David did? 00:10:50.580 --> 00:10:56.460 Now I hope you pick up on the slap that that is that he just gave them. 00:10:56.780 --> 00:10:58.320 Because that's exactly what it is. 00:10:58.540 --> 00:11:01.300 These men who are dedicated to studying scripture. 00:11:02.500 --> 00:11:05.620 And Jesus said, have you ever read? 00:11:05.620 --> 00:11:12.580 They were so worried about the trees that they missed the forest, quite honestly. 00:11:13.340 --> 00:11:17.620 And he reminded them of a circumstance that's in 1 Samuel chapter 21. 00:11:17.620 --> 00:11:24.440 When David and his men came to the high priest, they were fleeing the pursuit of Saul. 00:11:24.720 --> 00:11:25.600 And they were hungry. 00:11:25.759 --> 00:11:26.700 I mean, they were starving. 00:11:27.240 --> 00:11:34.240 And the only food that was available for them, or available period, was the bread of presence. 00:11:34.860 --> 00:11:44.460 Now, the bread of presence was bread that was kept on the table in the tabernacle as a reminder of God's provision. 00:11:44.460 --> 00:11:54.040 And it was 12 loaves, freshly baked every week, put in two rows of six. 00:11:54.700 --> 00:12:04.040 And it just sat there on this golden table for six days to remind people of how God had provided for them 00:12:04.040 --> 00:12:08.519 when they escaped Egypt and was in the desert and God brought manna. 00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:12.620 And so when you saw that bread, it reminded you of how God had provided. 00:12:12.620 --> 00:12:17.840 On the seventh day, the priest would collect that bread, and they would live off that bread for the next week. 00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:23.480 But they were the only ones that was to eat that bread. 00:12:23.700 --> 00:12:25.799 When David come, that was the only bread available. 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:26.779 His men were starving. 00:12:27.080 --> 00:12:28.639 So the high priest gave it to him. 00:12:29.799 --> 00:12:32.179 And so Jesus concludes this, and he says this. 00:12:33.379 --> 00:12:36.500 The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:41.299 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. 00:12:41.299 --> 00:12:42.579 We'll come back to that in a bit. 00:12:43.099 --> 00:12:44.979 But I want you to look at this next encounter. 00:12:45.459 --> 00:12:47.979 It's in Mark chapter 3, verse 1 through 6, and it says this. 00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:51.759 Again, he entered the synagogue, and a man there with a withered hand. 00:12:52.199 --> 00:12:55.240 And they watched Jesus, talking to the Pharisees again, 00:12:55.559 --> 00:13:00.139 to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath so that they might accuse him. 00:13:01.439 --> 00:13:03.899 And he said to the man with a withered hand, come here. 00:13:03.899 --> 00:13:15.779 And he said to them, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill? 00:13:17.139 --> 00:13:18.340 But they were silent. 00:13:18.340 --> 00:13:28.980 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at the hardness of heart, and said to the man, 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:31.840 stretch out your hand. 00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:35.620 He stretched it out. 00:13:35.620 --> 00:13:40.340 And his hand was restored. 00:13:42.340 --> 00:13:52.519 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him. 00:13:53.080 --> 00:13:56.820 How to destroy him. 00:13:56.820 --> 00:14:06.440 I want you to notice that the purpose of the Pharisees was to watch Jesus heal a man, 00:14:07.920 --> 00:14:13.960 change his life, and then accuse Jesus of breaking the Sabbath. 00:14:15.040 --> 00:14:16.600 They knew the man was there. 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:22.200 Some even believed that they planted the man there to see how Jesus would respond, 00:14:22.460 --> 00:14:23.820 knowing how he would respond. 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:26.200 And that says a lot. 00:14:26.820 --> 00:14:30.740 Their plan was to catch him healing. 00:14:32.100 --> 00:14:37.840 Now, if it was saving a life, that would be okay. 00:14:38.700 --> 00:14:41.400 However, a withered hand could wait another day. 00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:43.379 That was not to be done on the Sabbath. 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:44.300 That was the mentality. 00:14:45.920 --> 00:14:49.780 So Jesus tells the man, come here. 00:14:51.960 --> 00:14:53.940 He's not trying to hide a healing. 00:14:53.940 --> 00:14:57.800 He's not backing away from these people. 00:14:58.900 --> 00:15:00.800 He wants it front and center. 00:15:02.400 --> 00:15:05.160 And he asked, as the man stands there, 00:15:05.560 --> 00:15:10.540 is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill? 00:15:10.539 --> 00:15:12.879 But they were silent. 00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:16.120 They didn't know how to respond. 00:15:17.559 --> 00:15:19.059 And Jesus gets angry. 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:22.240 And yet, there's a combo there. 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:25.279 Because he's angry, but yet grieved all at the same time. 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:26.360 He knows their hearts. 00:15:27.019 --> 00:15:29.940 He knows they're not concerned really about honoring God on the Sabbath. 00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:32.840 They're concerned about keeping everyone else in line, 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:36.899 keeping their finger on everyone else and controlling everyone else. 00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:38.100 They're pious. 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:39.759 They have a haughty attitude. 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:41.299 And it made him mad. 00:15:41.500 --> 00:15:45.759 And the callous, unrepentant, hard heart made him grieve. 00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:52.860 And he told the man, stretch out your hand. 00:15:54.860 --> 00:15:56.240 He didn't blow on him. 00:15:57.600 --> 00:16:00.899 He didn't wave a Yankee, a Hanky, or a Yankee. 00:16:03.100 --> 00:16:04.740 He didn't yell at him. 00:16:07.179 --> 00:16:08.939 He didn't have him fall out. 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:15.319 Stretch out your hand. 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:19.379 And the man stretched his hand out. 00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:25.519 Jesus had not worked. 00:16:27.059 --> 00:16:28.340 He spoke. 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:32.819 And the man did just as he was told. 00:16:33.960 --> 00:16:35.399 He stretched it out. 00:16:36.319 --> 00:16:38.600 And his hand was restored. 00:16:40.059 --> 00:16:44.860 That man won the arm wrestling competition the next year with that hand. 00:16:44.860 --> 00:16:45.820 He was healed. 00:16:47.899 --> 00:16:49.840 There was no physical therapy involved. 00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:52.560 He was healed. 00:16:52.700 --> 00:16:53.740 He was restored. 00:16:54.820 --> 00:16:56.000 So what happened next? 00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:57.940 I wish I could tell you the Pharisees rejoiced. 00:16:58.980 --> 00:17:05.839 But no, instead it says the Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him how to destroy him. 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:07.419 That's an amazing statement. 00:17:07.419 --> 00:17:09.819 And it's an amazing statement for a lot of reasons. 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:13.679 How do you walk away from such a healing wanting to kill the guy that did the healing? 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:15.899 How do you do that? 00:17:16.399 --> 00:17:18.740 Makes no sense unless you have a mighty bitter heart. 00:17:18.740 --> 00:17:22.299 It says they immediately held counsel. 00:17:22.299 --> 00:17:24.079 I believe that was premeditated. 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:27.700 They held counsel with the Herodians. 00:17:27.700 --> 00:17:32.539 That reminds me of the Greek word do what? 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:34.620 The Herodians. 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:37.640 They were secular. 00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:38.319 Get this now. 00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:43.779 They were secular Jews that had left Judaism. 00:17:44.120 --> 00:17:46.460 That's what Pharisees prized themselves on. 00:17:46.700 --> 00:17:47.920 Had left Judaism. 00:17:48.580 --> 00:17:49.880 Left their religious background. 00:17:49.880 --> 00:17:55.540 And had become loyal to the invading culture of the Greco-Romans. 00:17:56.080 --> 00:17:59.880 They were the opposite of the Pharisees. 00:18:01.160 --> 00:18:04.640 They were the people that had let you down. 00:18:06.420 --> 00:18:08.620 They're the people that were a pain. 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:12.340 Their nickname was the Hemrodians. 00:18:13.520 --> 00:18:14.320 I mean it was bad. 00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:21.720 But they came together for this cause. 00:18:21.819 --> 00:18:27.619 It would be like the Democrats and the Republicans coming together and trying to build budgets. 00:18:28.819 --> 00:18:29.919 Apparently it don't work. 00:18:31.319 --> 00:18:35.500 And in the same way the Pharisees and the Herodians had never partnered with these folks. 00:18:35.659 --> 00:18:36.419 And never would. 00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:40.319 But they did for the possibility to destroy Christ. 00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:45.179 And all of this was over the Sabbath. 00:18:46.439 --> 00:18:48.720 And that was their attack on Christ. 00:18:49.919 --> 00:18:51.259 So what do we learn? 00:18:51.319 --> 00:18:52.419 What's that got to do with us? 00:18:53.240 --> 00:18:55.299 What do we learn about the Sabbath from this? 00:18:56.679 --> 00:18:58.579 Well three things because I'm a Baptist preacher. 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:03.159 One is the Sabbath is to be celebrated. 00:19:05.700 --> 00:19:07.919 Sabbath is a Hebrew word for seventh. 00:19:07.920 --> 00:19:08.120 Sabbath. 00:19:09.320 --> 00:19:14.100 And it recalls God resting on the seventh day after creation. 00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:18.160 Sabbath was given as a gift of rest. 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:20.779 Not a burden of rules. 00:19:21.560 --> 00:19:24.039 It was never meant to be an added burden. 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:25.539 But a blessing. 00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:30.779 We don't celebrate the Sabbath day anymore. 00:19:31.779 --> 00:19:34.580 But we do celebrate the Sabbath. 00:19:34.579 --> 00:19:44.119 The early church in the book of Acts shifted the worship to Sunday instead of Saturday. 00:19:44.779 --> 00:19:50.199 To celebrate the day that the Lord rose from the grave. 00:19:51.199 --> 00:19:56.419 They changed their worship day from Saturday to Sunday. 00:19:57.799 --> 00:20:00.299 And that's when they worshiped. 00:20:00.299 --> 00:20:05.759 There's no command in the New Testament to keep the seventh day Sabbath. 00:20:06.919 --> 00:20:09.180 There is a command for us together. 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:12.339 It's in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 24 and 25. 00:20:12.899 --> 00:20:13.359 And it says, 00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:31.439 The church recognized that the resurrection had changed the calendar. 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:32.660 As a matter of fact, 00:20:32.660 --> 00:20:34.420 As a matter of fact, in Revelation chapter 1 verse 10, 00:20:35.440 --> 00:20:39.400 John even calls Sunday the Lord's day. 00:20:40.500 --> 00:20:44.799 So understand our rest is not found in a day. 00:20:45.900 --> 00:20:48.440 Our rest is found in a person. 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:52.160 Our rest is found in the empty tomb. 00:20:53.120 --> 00:20:57.019 Hebrews chapter 4 reminds us that our rest is in Christ. 00:20:57.019 --> 00:21:03.539 Still, we need a rhythm of rest and reflection. 00:21:04.700 --> 00:21:05.839 We need to stop. 00:21:06.619 --> 00:21:07.639 We need to worship. 00:21:08.519 --> 00:21:12.160 We need to remember God's provision. 00:21:12.299 --> 00:21:13.339 Now I want you to think about something. 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:21.460 I believe that Jesus did what he did that day to that man's hand in the way that he did it to prove a point. 00:21:22.180 --> 00:21:23.779 Because there was no work done. 00:21:23.779 --> 00:21:26.180 He told the man to come here. 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:27.559 That was less than a fourth of a mile. 00:21:27.639 --> 00:21:28.539 It was from there to there. 00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:33.859 And he told him, 00:21:34.819 --> 00:21:35.740 Stretch out your hand. 00:21:37.779 --> 00:21:39.240 And the man stretched his hand out. 00:21:41.779 --> 00:21:42.980 Christ spoke. 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:45.160 And the man was healed. 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:48.200 Reminds me of creation. 00:21:48.200 --> 00:21:53.880 In day one, God spoke and created. 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:56.880 In day two, God spoke and created. 00:21:57.240 --> 00:21:59.980 He did it for six days and on the seventh day he rested. 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:01.620 Was he tired? 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:03.120 No. 00:22:04.160 --> 00:22:04.900 He was not. 00:22:05.799 --> 00:22:07.160 He didn't need to rest. 00:22:07.980 --> 00:22:10.160 All he had done was speak. 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:13.759 Now some of you may speak so much that you get tired. 00:22:13.900 --> 00:22:15.059 But that's another matter. 00:22:15.059 --> 00:22:15.120 That's another matter. 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:21.640 Why did he make the seventh day a day of rest? 00:22:23.220 --> 00:22:24.140 For us. 00:22:26.420 --> 00:22:27.799 He didn't need the rest. 00:22:29.059 --> 00:22:29.920 We do. 00:22:31.380 --> 00:22:37.120 And he made it a day to rest and reflect upon what he had done for us. 00:22:38.519 --> 00:22:40.819 The Sabbath is to be celebrated. 00:22:41.980 --> 00:22:43.000 Second thing is this. 00:22:43.299 --> 00:22:45.600 The Sabbath was made for us. 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:47.159 Jesus says it. 00:22:47.219 --> 00:22:48.679 I mean, we live in a world that's too busy. 00:22:48.919 --> 00:22:49.980 It's too restless. 00:22:50.500 --> 00:22:51.559 It's too hurried. 00:22:52.219 --> 00:22:56.679 And God says in the midst of all of that, stop. 00:22:59.819 --> 00:23:00.339 Rest. 00:23:02.779 --> 00:23:03.779 Remember me. 00:23:05.980 --> 00:23:07.699 Your body needs rest. 00:23:08.299 --> 00:23:09.839 Your soul needs rest. 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:12.079 And the Pharisees missed this. 00:23:12.399 --> 00:23:18.099 They were so focused on what people needed to do through rules and regulations and all that stuff. 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:21.199 Instead of what God, what Jesus could do. 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:26.899 They love to point out what we couldn't do. 00:23:28.779 --> 00:23:31.099 While Jesus focused on what we needed. 00:23:31.099 --> 00:23:33.579 It's amazing to me. 00:23:33.659 --> 00:23:38.319 In the Pharisees' mind, healing a hand is work. 00:23:39.240 --> 00:23:40.219 But get this. 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:43.179 Plotting to kill a man is not. 00:23:45.019 --> 00:23:47.579 Because Scripture says they went out immediately. 00:23:47.579 --> 00:23:55.059 Secondly, I want you to hear what Isaiah chapter 58 says about the day of rest and reflect upon the Lord. 00:23:55.259 --> 00:23:55.899 It says this. 00:23:56.299 --> 00:24:02.919 If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, which means you don't go places. 00:24:03.460 --> 00:24:04.079 You chill out. 00:24:04.740 --> 00:24:09.699 If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, 00:24:09.700 --> 00:24:14.779 and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable. 00:24:14.779 --> 00:24:22.480 If you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly, 00:24:23.539 --> 00:24:25.539 then you shall take delight in the Lord. 00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:29.400 And I'll make you ride on the heights of the earth. 00:24:30.160 --> 00:24:35.740 I'll feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 00:24:35.740 --> 00:24:40.460 In other words, take the Lord's day to rest. 00:24:41.140 --> 00:24:45.480 We need a day to clock out and to refocus on the Lord. 00:24:46.180 --> 00:24:49.380 And we do that through worship and reflection. 00:24:50.519 --> 00:24:53.160 It was made on our behalf. 00:24:54.839 --> 00:24:56.359 The Sabbath was made for us. 00:24:57.720 --> 00:25:01.339 And lastly, we're not the Lord of the Sabbath. 00:25:01.339 --> 00:25:06.699 Verse 28 of Mark 2 says, 00:25:07.059 --> 00:25:11.139 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. 00:25:12.459 --> 00:25:16.439 That means that Christ sets our agenda, not us. 00:25:19.259 --> 00:25:21.539 We don't get ownership of the Lord's day. 00:25:23.220 --> 00:25:24.399 It's not our day. 00:25:25.879 --> 00:25:26.639 It's His. 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:31.800 It's not for enslaving people into a lot of rules. 00:25:31.800 --> 00:25:38.560 It's not for enslaving people and drawing lines in the sand for someone to not dress a certain way, 00:25:38.680 --> 00:25:42.700 or to not do a certain thing, or to not go a certain place. 00:25:43.680 --> 00:25:48.980 Listen, if you're a Christian today, and He is the Lord of your life, 00:25:49.080 --> 00:25:51.720 you've given Him your life. 00:25:51.720 --> 00:25:55.680 And that means you give Him this day. 00:25:57.960 --> 00:25:59.400 Not an hour of it. 00:26:01.559 --> 00:26:02.460 All of it. 00:26:04.500 --> 00:26:06.279 Is that to enslave you? 00:26:06.539 --> 00:26:07.480 No, it's not. 00:26:08.019 --> 00:26:09.140 It's to free you. 00:26:10.759 --> 00:26:12.299 It gives you rest. 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:15.720 Now, how do we work that out? 00:26:15.720 --> 00:26:20.920 Well, I believe in two adages that you'll hear me say quite a bit. 00:26:21.960 --> 00:26:26.059 It's become an old adage with me, and it fits in quite well. 00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:26.980 First one is this. 00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:30.779 Be faithful to church. 00:26:32.279 --> 00:26:32.700 Listen. 00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:36.860 Christ came to live a sinless life, 00:26:37.460 --> 00:26:40.160 to die for our sins. 00:26:40.160 --> 00:26:44.600 He rose again, ascended into heaven, 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:47.500 to make intercession, to pray for us, 00:26:47.740 --> 00:26:49.680 to prepare us a place, 00:26:49.980 --> 00:26:52.640 and He's coming back to receive us. 00:26:53.700 --> 00:26:55.800 And we ought to acknowledge that. 00:26:58.540 --> 00:27:00.080 He came for those reasons. 00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:03.040 Number two, He came to establish the church. 00:27:05.120 --> 00:27:06.820 He got 12 men around Him. 00:27:06.900 --> 00:27:08.340 We'll study those in coming days. 00:27:08.339 --> 00:27:11.559 12 men around Him, and He taught them. 00:27:12.699 --> 00:27:16.240 He taught them what it means to be a follower of Christ. 00:27:17.659 --> 00:27:20.459 And when Christ ascended in the book of Acts, 00:27:21.159 --> 00:27:23.480 those men, particularly just some of them, 00:27:24.619 --> 00:27:26.419 began to plant churches, 00:27:27.799 --> 00:27:28.679 groups of people, 00:27:29.679 --> 00:27:30.720 worshiping together, 00:27:32.500 --> 00:27:36.179 based upon what they had learned from the Lord. 00:27:36.180 --> 00:27:37.860 Christ came, 00:27:38.180 --> 00:27:39.320 not only to die for our sins, 00:27:39.380 --> 00:27:40.759 but to establish the church. 00:27:42.299 --> 00:27:43.420 Because He knew 00:27:43.420 --> 00:27:45.620 you'd need it. 00:27:46.920 --> 00:27:48.279 He knew we'd need it. 00:27:49.060 --> 00:27:50.740 And He knew we'd need each other. 00:27:52.680 --> 00:27:53.860 And the reality is, 00:27:53.900 --> 00:27:55.160 whether you realize it or not, 00:27:56.039 --> 00:27:58.220 you need the congregation of believers, 00:27:58.220 --> 00:27:58.360 believers, 00:27:59.240 --> 00:28:00.680 as Hebrews 10, 24 says, 00:28:00.900 --> 00:28:02.360 to stir up each other, 00:28:03.319 --> 00:28:04.920 to keep each other accountable, 00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:06.720 to help each other grow in the Lord, 00:28:07.400 --> 00:28:11.019 to somehow survive in a ever-wicked world 00:28:11.019 --> 00:28:12.480 in which we live, 00:28:13.480 --> 00:28:16.000 and to have the strength to go day to day, 00:28:16.640 --> 00:28:18.660 keeping our minds set upon Him. 00:28:21.160 --> 00:28:23.100 It's not enough just to come to church 00:28:23.100 --> 00:28:23.980 to live for the Lord. 00:28:24.100 --> 00:28:25.100 Don't misunderstand me. 00:28:25.099 --> 00:28:27.779 But you're going to have a hard time doing it 00:28:27.779 --> 00:28:31.119 without a constant nourishment 00:28:31.119 --> 00:28:33.099 of God's people around you. 00:28:33.740 --> 00:28:35.059 We need this. 00:28:36.539 --> 00:28:38.959 But not only do you need it, 00:28:39.319 --> 00:28:40.339 but we need you. 00:28:42.759 --> 00:28:45.179 The church is only strengthened by its members. 00:28:46.419 --> 00:28:47.579 And the reality is, 00:28:47.659 --> 00:28:49.399 God has put this church together, 00:28:50.159 --> 00:28:52.679 as He's put the human body together, 00:28:52.759 --> 00:28:54.019 as Corinthians talks about. 00:28:54.019 --> 00:28:56.579 And each one of us has different roles 00:28:56.579 --> 00:28:58.319 and responsibilities and those type things, 00:28:58.460 --> 00:29:00.579 but God has put us together 00:29:00.579 --> 00:29:03.559 for the purpose of making all of us stronger. 00:29:04.900 --> 00:29:07.339 So don't ever walk in these doors and think, 00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:09.519 I don't need to be here. 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:10.839 It's not true. 00:29:12.019 --> 00:29:13.160 You do need to be here. 00:29:14.460 --> 00:29:16.740 Christ established the church for you 00:29:16.740 --> 00:29:19.440 to be strengthened by being together. 00:29:20.059 --> 00:29:21.619 And don't ever walk out of here 00:29:21.619 --> 00:29:22.980 thinking nobody needs me here, 00:29:22.980 --> 00:29:23.879 because that's not true. 00:29:24.980 --> 00:29:27.000 There are people who walked in here this morning 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:29.079 with burdens that are much heavier 00:29:29.079 --> 00:29:30.460 than you could ever imagine. 00:29:31.579 --> 00:29:33.680 And if all you're concerned about is yourself 00:29:33.680 --> 00:29:36.039 and making sure that I get taken care of, 00:29:36.200 --> 00:29:37.940 you've missed half the joy 00:29:37.940 --> 00:29:40.299 of what it means to come together as God's people. 00:29:40.700 --> 00:29:43.400 Because when you pause and stop 00:29:43.400 --> 00:29:47.660 and listen and pray with people who are hurting, 00:29:47.660 --> 00:29:49.640 we all grow stronger. 00:29:50.779 --> 00:29:52.240 You become a better person, 00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:54.100 they become a stronger person. 00:29:55.019 --> 00:29:57.779 We need to be faithful to be here. 00:29:57.860 --> 00:29:58.720 We need to be reliable. 00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:01.019 We need to be faithful to church. 00:30:02.300 --> 00:30:03.700 The second thing is this. 00:30:05.380 --> 00:30:06.960 Miss for the extraordinary 00:30:06.960 --> 00:30:09.080 and not the ordinary. 00:30:09.079 --> 00:30:12.359 There are things that will come up 00:30:12.359 --> 00:30:15.480 that will be red-letter days. 00:30:16.139 --> 00:30:17.199 They're big days. 00:30:17.720 --> 00:30:18.679 They're special days. 00:30:19.039 --> 00:30:20.579 You get a chance to get with people. 00:30:20.679 --> 00:30:21.919 You get a chance to go somewhere. 00:30:22.059 --> 00:30:23.039 You get a chance to do something. 00:30:23.039 --> 00:30:26.819 Man, go and do and enjoy, okay? 00:30:28.440 --> 00:30:30.920 But make sure it's an extraordinary day to do it. 00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:33.720 Because if you're not careful, 00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:36.059 it'll be easier the next week 00:30:36.059 --> 00:30:37.039 to find something else to do. 00:30:38.379 --> 00:30:40.319 It'll be easier to find something else to do 00:30:40.319 --> 00:30:42.440 and find something else to do. 00:30:43.539 --> 00:30:47.200 And anytime you find something else to do 00:30:47.200 --> 00:30:48.299 enough times, 00:30:48.819 --> 00:30:50.899 the devil gets involved in all that. 00:30:51.440 --> 00:30:52.500 And I'm going to tell you, 00:30:53.700 --> 00:30:56.879 Satan don't want you faithful in worship. 00:30:57.899 --> 00:30:58.859 He don't want that. 00:30:59.879 --> 00:31:01.240 He don't want this choir up here 00:31:01.240 --> 00:31:02.019 singing their praises. 00:31:02.940 --> 00:31:04.619 He don't want you here in the Word of God. 00:31:05.460 --> 00:31:06.779 He don't want you in a life group. 00:31:07.519 --> 00:31:08.879 He don't want you growing in him. 00:31:09.279 --> 00:31:10.940 He don't want you encouraged in him. 00:31:11.379 --> 00:31:12.440 He don't want you to leave here 00:31:12.440 --> 00:31:14.539 better than he felt when he came in. 00:31:14.720 --> 00:31:16.059 He don't want any of that. 00:31:17.220 --> 00:31:18.339 And so what does he do? 00:31:18.619 --> 00:31:19.599 Well, one of his strategies, 00:31:19.599 --> 00:31:20.379 there's a lot of them, 00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:21.779 we won't get into all of them this morning, 00:31:21.779 --> 00:31:23.480 but the one that I'm talking about 00:31:23.480 --> 00:31:27.000 is the busyness of justifiable actions. 00:31:28.079 --> 00:31:30.579 It is easy for us to come up with stuff 00:31:30.579 --> 00:31:32.819 that keeps us belabored. 00:31:32.920 --> 00:31:33.720 And before long, 00:31:33.839 --> 00:31:35.519 it's just ordinary stuff. 00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:38.799 Our schedule just didn't work out to come. 00:31:40.220 --> 00:31:41.259 Feels justified, 00:31:41.759 --> 00:31:42.599 feels right, 00:31:42.599 --> 00:31:44.939 but the reality is it's not. 00:31:46.279 --> 00:31:48.259 And you find yourself sinking 00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:50.719 and sometimes it's unrecognizable, 00:31:51.519 --> 00:31:52.819 but the reality is 00:31:52.819 --> 00:31:54.439 Christ came to establish the church, 00:31:54.779 --> 00:31:55.899 to strengthen all of us. 00:31:56.719 --> 00:31:57.919 And so when you get the opportunity 00:31:57.919 --> 00:31:59.139 to do something extraordinary, 00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:01.980 I've got something on my calendar. 00:32:02.659 --> 00:32:03.500 It's extraordinary. 00:32:03.679 --> 00:32:04.899 I'm not going to be here one Sunday 00:32:04.899 --> 00:32:07.359 because the opportunity that I have, 00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:08.079 I think, 00:32:08.719 --> 00:32:09.539 is extraordinary. 00:32:11.339 --> 00:32:12.799 Don't you dare miss for the ordinary 00:32:12.799 --> 00:32:15.939 because if you're not careful, 00:32:16.359 --> 00:32:17.599 you'll just keep on missing. 00:32:18.879 --> 00:32:20.419 There's a satanic strategy here. 00:32:20.459 --> 00:32:21.240 I promise you that. 00:32:21.339 --> 00:32:22.319 That's not to scare you. 00:32:22.399 --> 00:32:23.139 It's not to baffle you. 00:32:23.159 --> 00:32:23.899 I'm just telling you, 00:32:24.119 --> 00:32:27.139 you're strengthened by being together. 00:32:28.039 --> 00:32:29.359 We need to make sure 00:32:29.359 --> 00:32:31.979 that there are not idols in our lives. 00:32:33.059 --> 00:32:34.519 Purchases that we've made, 00:32:34.519 --> 00:32:36.579 hobbies that we love, 00:32:37.680 --> 00:32:39.579 places that draw you away, 00:32:40.339 --> 00:32:42.299 that become more important 00:32:42.299 --> 00:32:43.579 than your faithfulness 00:32:43.579 --> 00:32:44.599 to gather and worship, 00:32:45.119 --> 00:32:47.079 to lift up his name, 00:32:47.799 --> 00:32:49.599 to rest in his presence, 00:32:50.220 --> 00:32:55.059 to stir others along in their faith. 00:32:56.440 --> 00:32:58.400 Please don't misunderstand me. 00:32:59.039 --> 00:33:02.319 We are free in Christ. 00:33:02.319 --> 00:33:04.759 We're free in Christ. 00:33:05.299 --> 00:33:07.159 We're free to worship him in the spirit 00:33:07.159 --> 00:33:11.079 and in the truth of God's word together. 00:33:12.019 --> 00:33:14.099 So let's be faithful about it 00:33:14.099 --> 00:33:15.599 until he comes. 00:33:17.220 --> 00:33:18.079 With every head bowed 00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:18.740 and every eye closed, 00:33:18.799 --> 00:33:19.859 I want to ask you this morning, 00:33:20.279 --> 00:33:21.859 if you've ever given your heart and life 00:33:21.859 --> 00:33:22.960 to the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:33:23.079 --> 00:33:24.019 there's a great chance 00:33:24.019 --> 00:33:25.919 that there's somebody here this morning 00:33:25.919 --> 00:33:27.559 who's never surrendered 00:33:27.559 --> 00:33:28.859 his or her life to Christ. 00:33:29.220 --> 00:33:29.700 And I'll tell you, 00:33:29.740 --> 00:33:30.779 that's where it all starts. 00:33:30.779 --> 00:33:34.399 is acknowledging that there's sin in your life 00:33:34.399 --> 00:33:35.799 and that you need God's forgiveness, 00:33:36.639 --> 00:33:38.039 asking him to forgive you 00:33:38.039 --> 00:33:38.859 and to cleanse you 00:33:38.859 --> 00:33:39.859 and to come into your life 00:33:39.859 --> 00:33:40.839 and to change you. 00:33:41.519 --> 00:33:42.519 He'll do just that. 00:33:43.200 --> 00:33:44.180 He'll empower you 00:33:44.180 --> 00:33:45.480 with the power of the spirit of God 00:33:45.480 --> 00:33:47.379 to help you rise above the very things 00:33:47.379 --> 00:33:48.940 that sometimes in your life 00:33:48.940 --> 00:33:50.399 keep you from ever coming to Christ. 00:33:50.899 --> 00:33:52.000 The reality is, 00:33:52.059 --> 00:33:53.559 your victory is found in Christ. 00:33:53.940 --> 00:33:55.539 If you've never given your heart and life 00:33:55.539 --> 00:33:56.220 to the Lord Jesus, 00:33:56.359 --> 00:33:57.119 I encourage you, 00:33:57.799 --> 00:33:59.440 when we stand and sing in just a moment, 00:33:59.440 --> 00:34:00.640 I encourage you to come down and say, 00:34:00.720 --> 00:34:02.640 Pastor, I need to give my life to Christ. 00:34:03.160 --> 00:34:05.059 I'll take time after this worship hour 00:34:05.059 --> 00:34:06.860 to share with you what it means 00:34:06.860 --> 00:34:08.700 to give your life to Christ. 00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:10.079 Maybe you're here this morning 00:34:10.079 --> 00:34:11.079 and you have done that. 00:34:11.639 --> 00:34:12.920 You've prayed to receive Christ, 00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:15.599 but you've never publicly acknowledged that. 00:34:16.059 --> 00:34:17.539 There's no such thing 00:34:17.539 --> 00:34:19.260 as a Christian faith that's private. 00:34:19.840 --> 00:34:21.019 There's nothing about that. 00:34:21.159 --> 00:34:22.220 Jesus was very public, 00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:23.400 told people to be very public. 00:34:23.659 --> 00:34:25.760 His great commission is for us to go and tell. 00:34:25.760 --> 00:34:27.360 So the reality is, 00:34:27.520 --> 00:34:29.000 we have that responsibility. 00:34:29.600 --> 00:34:31.460 And by his commission and by his example, 00:34:31.600 --> 00:34:33.240 the first step to someone 00:34:33.240 --> 00:34:34.600 who's given their heart and life to the Lord 00:34:34.600 --> 00:34:35.280 is to be baptized. 00:34:36.120 --> 00:34:38.000 If you've never been baptized as a believer, 00:34:38.160 --> 00:34:39.240 I encourage you to come. 00:34:39.560 --> 00:34:41.440 I'm not talking about if you did it a long time ago 00:34:41.440 --> 00:34:43.220 and you never did give your life to Christ. 00:34:43.360 --> 00:34:44.960 But if you've given your life to Christ 00:34:44.960 --> 00:34:46.160 and there's been a time in your life 00:34:46.160 --> 00:34:47.080 when you've never been baptized 00:34:47.080 --> 00:34:49.160 since you gave your life to Christ, 00:34:49.500 --> 00:34:50.220 you need to come. 00:34:50.540 --> 00:34:51.660 We'll stand in just a moment. 00:34:51.780 --> 00:34:52.560 We'll begin to sing. 00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:53.639 And as soon as we begin to sing, 00:34:53.699 --> 00:34:54.380 you come and say, 00:34:54.799 --> 00:34:56.279 Pastor, I've given my life to Christ, 00:34:56.380 --> 00:34:58.739 but I need to be baptized as a believer. 00:34:58.900 --> 00:34:59.940 We won't do it this morning. 00:35:00.039 --> 00:35:01.900 We'll schedule it in the coming weeks. 00:35:01.920 --> 00:35:03.900 But I encourage you to be obedient to God in that. 00:35:04.599 --> 00:35:05.279 And then there's others 00:35:05.279 --> 00:35:07.440 that maybe God's drawing you to First Baptist Church. 00:35:07.559 --> 00:35:09.059 God's doing a wonderful work in our church 00:35:09.059 --> 00:35:10.139 and I'm thankful for that. 00:35:10.559 --> 00:35:12.420 And if God's drawing you to come to this church, 00:35:12.500 --> 00:35:13.480 I encourage you to come. 00:35:13.559 --> 00:35:15.679 We'll be happy to guide you in that process, 00:35:15.759 --> 00:35:16.599 what that means. 00:35:17.519 --> 00:35:19.000 Or maybe God's burdened you. 00:35:20.619 --> 00:35:22.400 Burdened you this morning with something else. 00:35:22.400 --> 00:35:23.180 It's in your life. 00:35:24.139 --> 00:35:25.579 Maybe it's in someone else's life 00:35:25.579 --> 00:35:26.460 that you're burdened for. 00:35:27.920 --> 00:35:28.900 I want you to feel free 00:35:28.900 --> 00:35:29.980 when we stand in just a moment 00:35:29.980 --> 00:35:30.700 to not sing, 00:35:30.780 --> 00:35:31.559 but to bow your head 00:35:31.559 --> 00:35:32.700 and to pray through that matter. 00:35:33.039 --> 00:35:34.440 If you'd like for me to pray with you, 00:35:34.480 --> 00:35:35.559 you come down here and tell me. 00:35:36.240 --> 00:35:37.940 Pastor, I need you to pray for me about something. 00:35:38.619 --> 00:35:40.220 Maybe you can go to this altar and pray. 00:35:40.700 --> 00:35:41.660 Lift that up before the Lord. 00:35:41.900 --> 00:35:43.700 I have no idea what God's told you. 00:35:44.180 --> 00:35:45.360 I just want you to be obedient 00:35:45.360 --> 00:35:46.639 and do everything that he tells you to. 00:35:46.639 --> 00:35:47.280 Just trust him. 00:35:47.720 --> 00:35:48.740 He won't lead you astray. 00:35:49.500 --> 00:35:51.000 Trust that still, small voice 00:35:51.000 --> 00:35:52.420 that speaks within your heart today. 00:35:53.179 --> 00:35:54.300 Be obedient to follow him 00:35:54.300 --> 00:35:55.559 in whatever he'd have you to do. 00:35:56.179 --> 00:35:57.880 Heavenly Father, lead us right now 00:35:57.880 --> 00:36:00.199 to do only what you'd have us to do 00:36:00.199 --> 00:36:01.719 and everything that you'd have us to do. 00:36:02.099 --> 00:36:04.360 Oh God, I pray in Jesus' name. 00:36:04.739 --> 00:36:05.039 Amen. 00:36:05.039 --> 00:36:06.699 And you're happy with you. 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699 00:36:06.699 --> 00:36:06.699