1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,640 Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton, the official podcast of Cross Christian Fellowship, 2 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:13,680 Route 66, in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Burton is the lead pastor. 3 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:15,000 We're glad you're here. 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:19,760 Father, we thank you for bringing us together today. 5 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:23,480 We thank you for this time of fellowship, this time in your word, this time of growth 6 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:24,920 together. 7 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:29,220 We ask that you open our hearts and our minds to what you have to speak to us and help us 8 00:00:29,220 --> 00:00:34,240 to apply it in our daily lives as we leave here today, in Jesus' name, amen. 9 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:35,240 All right. 10 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:41,040 It feels a little weird here, because I got like a mic in my face and everything. 11 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:42,040 I can't hardly see my notes. 12 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:45,600 I'm like trying to move stuff around here. 13 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:46,600 We'll figure it out as we go. 14 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:48,840 It'll be all right. 15 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,920 I love you too, man. 16 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:53,560 And my wife's over here assuring me I'm still cool. 17 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:58,340 I appreciate that. 18 00:00:58,340 --> 00:01:02,680 So as my wife was saying during announcements, I'd like to thank everybody who was able to 19 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,320 make it out yesterday for Doug's Celebration of Life. 20 00:01:05,320 --> 00:01:06,840 It was actually quite the turnout. 21 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,200 It was really nice. 22 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:13,160 We had a nice wake afterwards next door in the fellowship hall. 23 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:15,520 A lot of good food, a lot of good conversation. 24 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:18,400 It was quite wonderful. 25 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:23,240 The support really meant a lot to the family. 26 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:28,320 And for those of you who did not catch it, we do still have a GoFundMe set up to help 27 00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:33,280 the family with funeral expenses, the medical expenses, and everything that were left over. 28 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,760 We're going to leave that GoFundMe up for a little bit longer. 29 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:41,800 It is on our website, and it is on our Facebook pages as well. 30 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:43,560 So there's still time. 31 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:50,600 If you'd like to help the family, support them, there is no small amount. 32 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,800 Even sharing it and helping us to get the word out will help the family a lot, because 33 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,840 they really do need the help. 34 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:03,120 So definitely pray on it, and if that's something that's on your heart, we and the family definitely 35 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:09,120 appreciate anything that you can do. 36 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:11,320 This week, it's been tough. 37 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:15,680 We've already mentioned Doug, but there's a lot of other things that have been going 38 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:16,680 on as well. 39 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:21,600 Matter of fact, I didn't even make it out of the building yesterday before I got a message 40 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:28,240 for a brother in arms who was hospitalized at the VA with a heart attack. 41 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:30,440 A little bit of a busy time. 42 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:36,040 There's a lot of other things going on out there, a lot of things, a lot of pains making 43 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:38,040 their way around. 44 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:45,600 A little suffering, right? 45 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:53,240 That heartache, that pain, and our society today, especially with advances in medicine, 46 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:56,240 it's actually quite nice, because we know a lot more than what we used to. 47 00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:00,320 We're able to do a lot more than we used to, but there's still a lot of suffering and a 48 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:01,320 lot of pain. 49 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:07,360 There's three specific areas that we recognize when it comes to caring for people, and that's 50 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:09,440 really what we're going to be diving into today. 51 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:14,800 This is a little bit different than our normal sermon, because it's something, especially 52 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:19,120 in times of grief, sorrow, mourning. 53 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:25,120 Even those of us who have physical aches and pains or constant health issues, it's a good 54 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:31,480 reminder that while we have things in front of us to help us to deal with these issues, 55 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:33,360 we also have the Lord. 56 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:37,120 Jesus is with us every step of the way. 57 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:42,720 The first thing we're going to look at is the physical. 58 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:49,120 Physical needs are the most apparent, the most obvious. 59 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:56,560 You get injured, you catch a cold, you trip and your ankle's twisted. 60 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:57,560 What happens? 61 00:03:57,560 --> 00:03:59,240 Hey, I need to get a band-aid. 62 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:00,760 I need to put some ointment on this. 63 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:04,920 I need to go see the doctor. 64 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:07,840 We have things in place. 65 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,760 Maybe depending on the severity of it, you need a brace. 66 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:12,880 You might need to have surgery. 67 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:15,000 You get casted up or sling. 68 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:23,720 There's so many things there that can be done to heal these physical ailments. 69 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:26,080 My wife will attest. 70 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:31,600 I don't go very long through the house without breaking a toe. 71 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:33,160 It's been that way since I was a kid. 72 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:35,920 I don't know what it is. 73 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:38,440 I look at a shoe on the floor and then my toe is broken. 74 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:39,440 I don't know. 75 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:40,440 It's weird. 76 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:43,920 The carpet just jumps out and bites me. 77 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:44,920 It is what it is. 78 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:48,800 I could be wearing shoes and something will still happen. 79 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:50,000 It doesn't matter. 80 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:51,840 But these things happen. 81 00:04:51,840 --> 00:04:56,440 We all have something in our lives that trip us up. 82 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,720 We can do a lot to heal things. 83 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,720 I've listed out a lot already. 84 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:08,160 But unfortunately, we can't heal everything. 85 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:15,240 As much as we love to, as much as we strive to, we try to learn and try new things, we're 86 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:17,640 just not there yet. 87 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,920 But we're not supposed to be. 88 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:24,920 If we open our Bibles, we open up our Bible apps, whatever it is that you use, let's go 89 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:29,080 to Mark chapter one. 90 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,800 But we're going to go towards the end of it, not the very beginning. 91 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:40,720 So Mark one, and we're specifically looking at verses 40 through 44. 92 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:45,840 And in this one, this is just going to be one of many brief examples, one of many examples. 93 00:05:45,840 --> 00:05:47,680 There's many examples in the Bible. 94 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:52,160 But specifically on this occasion, this is one time that we learn a physical healing 95 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,520 was needed. 96 00:05:55,520 --> 00:06:01,760 And the word says, now a leper came to him, imploring him, kneeling down to him and saying, 97 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:06,640 if you are willing, you can make me clean. 98 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:09,280 Then Jesus moved with compassion. 99 00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:19,680 He stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, I am willing, be cleansed. 100 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:26,200 As soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. 101 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:32,400 And he strictly warned him and sent him away at once and said to him, see that you say 102 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,840 nothing to anyone, but go your way. 103 00:06:36,840 --> 00:06:43,560 Show yourself to the priest and offer your cleansing those things which Moses commanded 104 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:45,880 as a testimony to him. 105 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:49,040 All right, now one thing I want to clarify here, it says leprosy. 106 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:53,640 We all kind of get a little stigmatic when it comes to leprosy, right? 107 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:59,440 The term leprosy was actually used at that time to address multiple skin issues. 108 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:03,440 So it may have been leprosy directly, it may have been some other skin issue, we don't 109 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:04,440 know. 110 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,720 Either way, being labeled as such, we do know it was a severe issue. 111 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:12,480 It's one and enough where people, you know, it's where people have to walk down the street 112 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:15,920 shouting, I'm clean, I'm clean. 113 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:22,880 The other thing to note here is he's telling him, go see the priest as Moses commanded, 114 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:23,880 right? 115 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:30,320 So he's still adhering, you know, he's not overstepping, he's following the law, you 116 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:34,240 know, and not only that, but God's law and telling him to do so. 117 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:38,640 All right, so this was a serious skin issue, it was cured by Christ, you know, and sometimes 118 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,320 we all need this touch. 119 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:42,560 Now does it always happen? 120 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:44,160 No, unfortunately not. 121 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:51,760 In fact, there's many times, a lot of times really, in which God does not place that healing 122 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:53,720 touch on us. 123 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:59,000 You know, we do things, we bring these injuries on ourselves, we do things that we shouldn't 124 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:07,200 do, drugs, drinking, smoking, you know, immoral sexual acts, like sleeping around, to name 125 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:12,320 a few, so many things that we do. 126 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:17,000 And then we wonder, oh, I got this disease or I have this ailment, you know, my liver 127 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:18,000 is giving out on me. 128 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:25,120 I'm like, yeah, look what you did to it, look what you did. 129 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:38,400 If we turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 11, so 1 Corinthians 11, verses 30 through 32, so 130 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:44,440 in 1 Corinthians 11, the word says, for this reason many are weak and sick among you and 131 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:49,800 many sleep, sleep being another word for are dead. 132 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:54,840 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged, but when we are judged, we 133 00:08:54,840 --> 00:09:00,880 are chastened by the Lord that we may not be condemned with the world. 134 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:06,140 So sometimes when these ailments come on us, it's a good thing. 135 00:09:06,140 --> 00:09:09,960 We may not see it as such, but it actually is a good thing, because it's better that 136 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:15,800 we suffer now and we learn the lessons now. 137 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:20,280 You know, this God giving us another chance, in other words, saying, hey, there's things 138 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:25,240 that you need to do, there's still time to change. 139 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:32,480 So if we can take this now, we can learn to bear the burden, learn the lesson from it 140 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:38,760 and repent of what we're doing, change our ways, change the way we go about our life, 141 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:39,760 right? 142 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,360 Reconnect and strengthen that relationship with God. 143 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:51,960 That's the whole thing of repentance, is change, changing how we go about our life, giving 144 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:52,960 up that sin. 145 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:58,080 It's like you're a drunkard, you go to God, you learn how to give up drinking, right? 146 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:00,160 Drugs, same thing. 147 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:08,080 Gambling, porn addiction, there's so many things out there. 148 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:11,200 So not every A campaign is a curse. 149 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:13,800 We've seen this in several places throughout the Bible as well. 150 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:15,920 For time's sake, I'm not going to go into every one, because we'll be chasing a lot 151 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:18,080 of rabbit trails today, all right? 152 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:19,900 But not every A campaign is a curse. 153 00:10:19,900 --> 00:10:25,360 Sometimes it's a reminder to each and every one of us that, hey, you need to stop going 154 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:26,360 back to this. 155 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:28,440 You need to change, do something different. 156 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:31,760 But we get so gung-ho when we're doing things. 157 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:34,680 We're so wrapped up, it's like, ooh, you know, this feels good at the moment, it's bringing 158 00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:39,680 us that temporary joy that we shouldn't be focused on. 159 00:10:39,680 --> 00:10:44,120 And we lose sight of the Lord, we lose sight of the most important thing. 160 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:51,840 We stop looking at Jesus, and we start looking inwards to our own wants instead of doing 161 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:55,600 what we're supposed to be doing. 162 00:10:55,600 --> 00:11:02,120 And when that happens, when we're caught up in this, and we start going down this path, 163 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:06,400 we don't even realize it, but we're actually running away from Christ. 164 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:11,080 We've turned away from God. 165 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:14,280 That's kind of a hard pill for a lot of people to swallow. 166 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:24,720 But in his wisdom and his love for us, he had to do something that forces us to slow 167 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:30,840 down and you start paying attention to him again. 168 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:37,480 I could think of a number of years back, I had a back injury. 169 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:39,480 It slowed me down quite a bit. 170 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:45,120 You know, Brian, Dee, you probably remember seeing me up on stage, you know, sitting on 171 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:50,360 a stool and kind of struggling to even play my bass, you know. 172 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:53,600 I moved a little bit slower for quite a while. 173 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:57,560 But it was because I was doing so many things and I got so focused and I took my eye off 174 00:11:57,560 --> 00:11:59,040 the ball. 175 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:02,760 And it took me some time to realize that no matter what I was doing, going to the physical 176 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:11,420 therapy and all that stuff, I needed to make some changes in my life and realign with God. 177 00:12:11,420 --> 00:12:17,840 And when I made these changes and made that realignment and shifted my focus back to where 178 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:21,720 it needed to be, which is on Jesus, guess what happened? 179 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:26,060 That pain went away. 180 00:12:26,060 --> 00:12:27,160 I didn't need the stool anymore. 181 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:28,160 I could stand. 182 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:31,000 I could walk. 183 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:36,280 Little things like going to the bathroom without tearing up, all healed. 184 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:41,640 And I could stand back here. 185 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:44,920 I know, I don't have to, but I'm doing it just for you, wife, just for you. 186 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:46,640 We'll do some yoga later, right? 187 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:47,640 Stretch it out. 188 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:49,480 No, just kidding. 189 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:51,520 But I can do a lot more things now, but that's where it came from. 190 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:53,720 I needed to make that shift. 191 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:54,920 But we don't think of it that way. 192 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:57,280 We're just like, oh God, take this pain. 193 00:12:57,280 --> 00:12:58,280 No. 194 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:01,160 It's like, I've got a pain. 195 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:02,600 If it's your will to take it, take it. 196 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:07,740 But if not, show me what I need to learn. 197 00:13:07,740 --> 00:13:10,960 So start paying attention again before it's too late. 198 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:13,280 Next, because we won't go too much on the emotional. 199 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:17,680 And really as we go through each of these, it's really more of a summary on each of these 200 00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:21,880 sections because each and every one itself, we could actually spend weeks on and we're 201 00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:26,200 not going to do that. 202 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:28,200 And the next one is the emotional. 203 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:29,560 We have to treat emotions. 204 00:13:29,560 --> 00:13:32,260 This one's a little bit harder. 205 00:13:32,260 --> 00:13:35,000 Emotional aspects in life are tough. 206 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,120 They really are. 207 00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:44,640 They don't necessarily always stem from physical things, but often they do, but they last longer. 208 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:47,160 Sometimes they're not so easy to spot. 209 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:52,520 There's a lot of things going on out there and we're learning more and more about it. 210 00:13:52,520 --> 00:14:01,440 But you look at things like even autism, or ADHD. 211 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,720 Just 30 years ago, how was it treated? 212 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:10,000 We'd load these people up on Ritalin, turn them into zombies, and then start mixing other 213 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:14,520 meds to try to counter things and then wonder why they're having psychotic breaks, weren't 214 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:16,960 in their right mind. 215 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:21,400 All these medicines mixing together and essentially turning into meth or something worse. 216 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:22,960 People having hallucinations. 217 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:24,480 Now we know a whole lot more about it. 218 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:30,760 We're able to treat these things differently, a lot differently. 219 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:31,760 But we're still learning. 220 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:32,960 It's not foolproof. 221 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:34,560 We're still moving forward. 222 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:36,600 There's still things out there. 223 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:41,880 Another big one, I'll focus more on this one just for time sake, PTSD. 224 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:46,400 Now this is one a lot of people like to play with and write off and joke about. 225 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:49,960 They watch some Tom and Jerry cartoon and are walking away with PTSD. 226 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:53,640 Like they're permanently scarred for life from watching a mouse and a cat. 227 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:57,320 It's a little bit of an oversimplification, but there are times where we can turn on our 228 00:14:57,320 --> 00:15:02,120 news and somebody's like, oh, I went and I held a gun for the first time and I had PTSD. 229 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:03,120 Nobody should be doing this. 230 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:04,480 No, that's not PTSD. 231 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:06,920 You don't know the first thing that you're talking about. 232 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:09,480 It's not how it works. 233 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:10,480 It's not that common. 234 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:12,160 It's not that easy. 235 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:14,200 It's not that. 236 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:15,200 Things happen. 237 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:22,240 People who suffer with this ailment, they've had something extremely dramatic that has 238 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:26,720 happened in their life that has changed them, has altered their line of thinking and the 239 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:29,840 way they go about their life. 240 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:35,000 Horrible things that haunt them, whether they're awake or asleep. 241 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:40,320 They can't break away from these things, unfortunately. 242 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:42,680 So it is a big thing. 243 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:49,440 These are people that keep on guard when they walk into a crowded area or an enclosed room. 244 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:51,160 They have to sit a certain way. 245 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:58,040 They're always scanning for certain things or listening for certain things. 246 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:01,520 There's something slightly different about them and you notice it. 247 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:05,240 After knowing for a while, you may not notice it as much, but you know there's still something 248 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:06,240 there. 249 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:12,160 And when it comes to these kinds of issues, we can go and we can see professionals. 250 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:17,160 There's multiple therapies out there that could be gone through and everything to treat 251 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:18,160 these types of things. 252 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:22,920 In fact, there's one, especially coming from my generation. 253 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:27,320 Let's face it, my generation, we are the original video game generation. 254 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:31,400 We remember Atari and television, going to the arcade and quarter after quarter after 255 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:34,280 quarter, all that kind of stuff. 256 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:39,440 Kids today, they take for granted because it's everywhere now. 257 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:47,960 But a therapy that's going back almost a decade now, John Hopkins has done research as is 258 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:53,080 the VA and several other groups and they've shown that actually playing video games helps 259 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:58,760 people with their recovery and dealing and coping with PTSD. 260 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:00,720 Video games, who would have thought? 261 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:04,320 But it's because the people that are able to go and they're able to sit down and of 262 00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:07,160 course everybody has a different type of game that they're drawn to. 263 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:11,920 But even though certain things may trigger certain emotions or certain memories and that 264 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:14,960 sort of thing, the difference is that they're here and they're playing. 265 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:18,680 They have something tangible in their hands and while they might be having a flashback 266 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:25,760 or some other thing that's hindering them, because let's face it, there's different things 267 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:29,560 that cause it where it makes us feel like we're right back there in it again, there's 268 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:34,280 enough there that breaks them over there like, okay, I can focus on the game. 269 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:35,280 It's providing a bit of a distraction. 270 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:38,840 I'm in a safe place. 271 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:43,360 And here, right in the brain, they're able to go in and process things and cope with 272 00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:45,600 things and learn things. 273 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:49,920 And with the way games have progressed, we have the headsets and the mics, so even being 274 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:54,560 able to talk to other gamers has actually helped, has shown to help people with communication 275 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:58,960 skills and people skills and finding other people where they can go out and do things 276 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:04,200 and find healing. 277 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:06,960 And here we thought nothing good would come of games. 278 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:07,960 Right? 279 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:09,880 No, I'm not promoting it. 280 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:13,160 As much as I like to say this is a good excuse for me to go home and start playing Mario 281 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:17,080 or something, no, it's not. 282 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:20,680 I don't think my wife would forgive me for a while on that one if I did. 283 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,840 She's smiling because she knows it's true. 284 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:29,520 However, not everything is going to bring us the healing that we crave, the healing 285 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:31,320 that we need. 286 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:34,400 Even with all these new techniques, just like with the physical, there's those times when 287 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:41,520 we're grieving, we're mourning, we're heartbroken, we're depressed, to that point that we feel 288 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:45,520 like we're just drowning in the darkness. 289 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:47,720 We're not sure where the light is. 290 00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:48,720 We're struggling. 291 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:56,960 Sorrow, loss, failures, the daily battles that just wear us down. 292 00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:57,960 And we all have them. 293 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,520 We all have those daily battles. 294 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:07,040 That's part of our human, that's part of how life works, those trials and tribulations. 295 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:15,360 But it's at these times that we have to look to God for what we need. 296 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:26,520 We turn to Psalm 34, so join me in Psalm 34, specifically verses 17 through 20. 297 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:34,320 So Psalm 34, 17 through 20, the word says, the righteous cry out and the Lord hears and 298 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:37,880 delivers them out of all their troubles. 299 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:48,760 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit. 300 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:57,360 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. 301 00:19:57,360 --> 00:20:01,840 He guards all his bones, not one of them is broken. 302 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:07,800 One of God's greatest promises here is that he remains close to the brokenhearted. 303 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:08,800 He remains close. 304 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:16,720 Now in our own grief, our own sorrow, our eyes are closed tight, or even when they're 305 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:19,480 open, maybe we're so teary-eyed, we just can't see. 306 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:22,840 So we don't recognize that he's there with us, but he's there. 307 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:25,880 And sometimes he'll deliver us from things immediately. 308 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:28,640 If you think back in your life, there's probably something where you're like, oh God, help 309 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:29,640 me. 310 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:34,120 And you've got an immediate answer. 311 00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:37,680 But more often than not, that's not the case. 312 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:39,680 More often than not, we have to lean into him. 313 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:46,360 We have to take his hand and let him guide us down the path. 314 00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:49,640 We have to let him guide us through the storm. 315 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:53,040 See we have this instinct when things get hard, when we're going through this turmoil, 316 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:58,240 when we see the storm, what happens? 317 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:01,080 Even like, don't even think about, think of this way. 318 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:04,800 If there's a literal storm, if you were to be outside right now, it's cloudy, there's 319 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:09,240 lightning, the wind's going, there's rain, there's hail, you know, the wind's blowing 320 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:13,640 leaves in your face and garbage and stuff all over the place. 321 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:15,080 What's the natural instinct? 322 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:16,080 Fine. 323 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:17,080 Fine. 324 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:18,080 Shelter. 325 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:19,080 Run. 326 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:20,080 Right? 327 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:21,080 Run. 328 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:24,160 You know, you notice it's kind of getting a little ominously quiet. 329 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:25,360 There's no animals out there. 330 00:21:25,360 --> 00:21:27,560 There's no birds flying or chirping or nothing. 331 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:28,560 Why? 332 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:30,360 They've already gone for shelter. 333 00:21:30,360 --> 00:21:31,360 Here's the thing. 334 00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:36,320 By the time we realize it, because we don't have that sense, we're not that attuned like 335 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:42,200 animals are, it's too late at that point, other than just stepping inside of the building 336 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:48,720 or some kind of shelter or car or whatever and waiting it out. 337 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:50,160 Because we need to lean into God. 338 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:54,200 We need to let Him shepherd us. 339 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:55,200 Plain and simple. 340 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:57,720 The storm's already arrived. 341 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:04,120 Trying to run away from it is an act of futility. 342 00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:05,680 You're not going to outrun the storm. 343 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:07,320 It's not going to happen. 344 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:09,040 We're not supposed to. 345 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:12,480 Instead, we need to be more like the bison. 346 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:18,400 Does anybody here know what the bison's known for when it comes to a storm? 347 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:19,800 That's right. 348 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:24,940 They turn into the storm and they start going right through it. 349 00:22:24,940 --> 00:22:25,940 Not away from it. 350 00:22:25,940 --> 00:22:28,600 Not to the side. 351 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:32,920 Straight into the storm. 352 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:36,280 And because they do that, they don't spend as much time in it. 353 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:42,240 They get to the other side. 354 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:43,240 Little bit nicer that way. 355 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:48,560 You know, if we would trust in God, we would lean into Him, we would take His guidance 356 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:57,480 and follow the way we're supposed to, our storms would be a whole lot shorter. 357 00:22:57,480 --> 00:22:59,760 But instead we resist and we try to pull away. 358 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:01,560 Try to do it in our way. 359 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:02,560 Right? 360 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:05,080 We're kind of like the disciples. 361 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:06,080 Sitting around the ship. 362 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:07,080 The storm going over. 363 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:08,080 Oh God, we're going to die. 364 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:09,080 It's the end of the world. 365 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:10,080 What are you doing? 366 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:11,080 Crazy. 367 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:12,080 Come on. 368 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:13,080 You know, what happens? 369 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:14,080 God gets up. 370 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:15,080 Shush! 371 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:17,080 And the waves die down. 372 00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:18,080 Right? 373 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:19,080 It's like you have little faith. 374 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:20,080 Right? 375 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:24,520 I'm kind of paraphrasing here. 376 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:25,960 But we have to lean into Jesus. 377 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:30,000 Jesus is our shepherd and He will guide us through and He will protect us. 378 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:31,000 All right. 379 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,480 Let's look at Psalm 23. 380 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:34,480 This is a fun one. 381 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:38,320 There's a song out there that's getting a lot of airplay talking about how anxiety 382 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:39,320 hates Psalm 23. 383 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:40,320 Right? 384 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:41,320 But it's true. 385 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:46,680 Yeah, I see some smiles and some nods. 386 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:49,760 I guess there's a few people here who like that song. 387 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:52,160 Let's read it together. 388 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:54,440 Psalm 23. 389 00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:55,520 The Lord is my shepherd. 390 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:57,460 I shall not want. 391 00:23:57,460 --> 00:24:00,400 He makes me to lie down in green pastures. 392 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:03,540 He leads me beside the still waters. 393 00:24:03,540 --> 00:24:05,560 He restores my soul. 394 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:10,120 He leads me in the paths of righteous name for His name's sake. 395 00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:16,680 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for 396 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:18,840 you are with me. 397 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:23,360 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 398 00:24:23,360 --> 00:24:28,920 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 399 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:30,400 You anoint my head with oil. 400 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:34,040 My cup runs over. 401 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:39,200 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in 402 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:44,800 the house of the Lord forever. 403 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:46,300 God loves you. 404 00:24:46,300 --> 00:24:47,920 He will see to your needs. 405 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:54,040 He will shepherd you through those valleys and protect you. 406 00:24:54,040 --> 00:25:02,160 You just need to realize He is the beacon you need to be going to and trust in Him. 407 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:06,840 He'll see you through that storm, out of that darkness and back into the light. 408 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:13,120 The most important light, His light, which brings us to the next type of healing that 409 00:25:13,120 --> 00:25:21,600 we all need, which is the spiritual. 410 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:24,000 The third type of healing that we need is the spiritual. 411 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:29,520 It's the most forgotten, pushed aside, brushed under the carpet that's out there. 412 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:30,520 Why? 413 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:32,960 Because most people don't even know how to go about treating it. 414 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:36,640 It's kind of scary, isn't it? 415 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:40,960 We have a book that tells us how to treat it. 416 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:46,300 We've had it for thousands of years and it works. 417 00:25:46,300 --> 00:25:51,840 But it's brushed aside because people don't know how to treat it. 418 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,520 Why? 419 00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:58,360 Because they don't know how to look at the science with God. 420 00:25:58,360 --> 00:26:02,840 In fact, a lot of scientists and a lot of researchers have gone into the fields because 421 00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:06,760 they're trying to disprove that there's a God. 422 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:12,160 And ultimately, many of them find Him in the process. 423 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:16,920 But it leaves a lot of people on a stalemate. 424 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:20,440 And it's because they try to separate God and they don't know how to address spiritual 425 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:25,560 issues without Him. 426 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:34,200 People also don't recognize that there are special needs at play that can only be addressed 427 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:39,520 by being with people who have had similar lives and similar issues. 428 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:50,240 And sadly, very sadly, this is a place where the church itself fails miserably. 429 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:54,840 Fails miserably. 430 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:59,960 We're quick to quote Proverbs 27, 17, but only a part of it. 431 00:26:59,960 --> 00:27:00,960 Let's look at that. 432 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:02,880 So Proverbs 27, 17. 433 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:04,520 What do we hear very often? 434 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:08,000 Iron sharpens iron. 435 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:09,000 But that's it. 436 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:11,440 It drops as if that's the whole verse. 437 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:13,600 Iron sharpens iron. 438 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,000 But that's not the full thing. 439 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:18,440 That's not the full verse. 440 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:22,160 And when we say just iron sharpens iron and we leave it there, especially for a new believer 441 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:27,440 who doesn't know, the context is lost. 442 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:29,400 The meaning is taken away from it. 443 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:36,040 The power of God is removed. 444 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:37,200 So we can't forget the rest of it. 445 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:38,740 We have to look at it in context. 446 00:27:38,740 --> 00:27:41,400 We have to look at what God is telling us. 447 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:47,560 As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. 448 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:53,840 The church has to come together and recognize that God wants everybody to come together 449 00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:56,040 as the bride. 450 00:27:56,040 --> 00:28:01,400 Not as individuals, not as a solo act, not just certain people who fit a cookie cutter 451 00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:06,880 mold, but everybody because everybody has value and importance to him. 452 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:11,880 All of us have something unique to bring to the table, which is why the Bible gives us 453 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:14,920 the example of the right hand, the left hand and everything, right? 454 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:18,760 Because everything is, you might have things that are similar, but they're different, right? 455 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:23,920 Left hand and right hand, very similar, very different things. 456 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:26,880 Does my hand look anything like my foot? 457 00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:30,880 Does your hand look anything like your foot? 458 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:33,000 No. 459 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:37,760 So we fail. 460 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:40,920 You look at battered women. 461 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:48,400 How many ministries do we see for them? 462 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:52,640 People who are trying to deal with issues like rape. 463 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:54,280 How many ministries do we see? 464 00:28:54,280 --> 00:29:01,120 How often do we see churches reaching out? 465 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:06,440 Not very much, do we? 466 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:09,560 And more and more so, it's not just women that are facing these issues. 467 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:15,440 We're seeing more and more men as well, especially as we're dealing with issues like the transgender 468 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:20,920 agenda, right? 469 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:29,760 Just the other day on the news, there was a woman in an uproar because her son, who identifies 470 00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:36,520 as a girl, raped another girl in a restroom at high school. 471 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:38,960 And this mom is saying her son's not at fault. 472 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:41,320 That girl is at fault. 473 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:45,240 Her son's the real victim because that girl could have done something to prevent it. 474 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:51,280 How disgusting is that? 475 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:55,960 But do we see any churches reaching out to deal with that kind of thing? 476 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:57,080 Nope. 477 00:29:57,080 --> 00:29:59,680 There is a way to deal with it. 478 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:03,760 There's a way to cope with these things and support people. 479 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:05,120 And I'm going to use an example. 480 00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:07,800 It's one I've already talked about today, but it's because it's one that's hit me the 481 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:11,960 most because it's something I've had to deal with, PTSD, right? 482 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:13,200 The military. 483 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:17,160 Look at how churches treat the military. 484 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:20,320 And I know I have people sitting right in front of me. 485 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:27,480 Matter of fact, in this room alone, more than half the people in this room have served. 486 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:30,800 And even out of the people in here who have not served, many of them serve people who 487 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:33,700 do serve. 488 00:30:33,700 --> 00:30:40,280 So I know that there's a thorough understanding when I talk about this. 489 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:43,120 These churches, these fellowships, they're more than happy to have somebody stand up 490 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:44,840 and say, thank you for your service. 491 00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:45,960 Thank you for what you've done. 492 00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:48,880 Thank you for wearing that uniform. 493 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:51,200 Sit down. 494 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:54,200 Maybe here's a little button, a little token of our appreciation. 495 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:55,200 Thank you. 496 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:56,200 Sit down. 497 00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:59,520 Or you, come on up. 498 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:00,520 Stand here. 499 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:01,520 Let's pray over here. 500 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:03,080 You're going to go to basic training or you're going to go to a new duty station. 501 00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:04,080 Okay, let's pray. 502 00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:05,080 Okay, we're done. 503 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:06,080 Go sit down. 504 00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:09,720 Some of the bigger ones, they want to go a little further out. 505 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:13,600 They're like, oh, let's send care packages to our troops overseas. 506 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:14,600 Okay, cool. 507 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:15,600 That's appreciated, right? 508 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:22,600 But they don't ever have to actually talk or interact with these people. 509 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:32,760 And what happens is you have somebody who comes back, they've been injured, whether 510 00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:40,920 it's physically, emotionally, and or spiritually, guaranteed, most of the, well, not most of 511 00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:45,400 the time, guaranteed spiritually, especially when you're dealing with things like PTSD, 512 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:46,400 right? 513 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:48,200 It could come from an emotional issue. 514 00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:49,200 It could come from a physical. 515 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:52,640 It could come from all of the above. 516 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:53,640 But what happens? 517 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:56,840 Oh, we love you. 518 00:31:56,840 --> 00:31:57,840 But not that much. 519 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:01,400 And then they see him out the door as nicely as possible with the big old cheesy grin like 520 00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:05,120 they're selling a used car. 521 00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:06,120 We love you. 522 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:07,720 God bless. 523 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:09,760 We don't know what the heck we're going to do. 524 00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:12,280 Get away. 525 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:15,400 Unclean. 526 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:18,120 Out the door you go unless you can give us money. 527 00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:19,120 Bye. 528 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:23,000 It's usually what we see, isn't it? 529 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:32,080 Whether they want to admit to it or not, that's what happens. 530 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:35,920 And if you're at a place like this and you broach the subject, hey, why don't we have 531 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:36,920 this? 532 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:37,920 Why don't we have something in play? 533 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:38,920 We can help these people. 534 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:39,920 God's here. 535 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:41,920 God can help these people. 536 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:42,920 I'll volunteer. 537 00:32:42,920 --> 00:32:43,920 I'll run it. 538 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:44,920 I have all this. 539 00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:45,920 I've done all the work. 540 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:46,920 We can do all this. 541 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:47,920 I have done the research. 542 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:48,920 I've got this. 543 00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:49,920 I've got that. 544 00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:50,920 We've got this program. 545 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:51,920 We can implement this. 546 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:55,160 We're perfect because this works with the way we do things here. 547 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:59,080 And quickly you're brushed off no matter how many times you go through. 548 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:00,080 Yeah, yeah, okay. 549 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:01,080 We'll think about it. 550 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:02,080 Bye. 551 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:05,000 And why? 552 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,140 Even in a church, why? 553 00:33:07,140 --> 00:33:09,740 Because of fear. 554 00:33:09,740 --> 00:33:13,600 People don't know how to talk to these types of people. 555 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:18,280 People who are dealing with these types of conditions. 556 00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:19,280 And it's not just veterans. 557 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:27,640 Like I said, it's battered people, addicts, gang members, first responders, like police 558 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:30,680 officers, EMS, firefighters. 559 00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:34,240 I can even think of a few people I've known in security. 560 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:36,840 One that long ago was on the news just up the road here. 561 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:39,600 I want to say it was Louisiana. 562 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:40,600 What happened? 563 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:41,600 We had a security guard. 564 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:45,840 Had to pull a gun and shoot somebody and killed them in an effort to save them from killing 565 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:46,840 somebody else. 566 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:50,880 They were doing the right thing. 567 00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:52,920 They were doing the greater good. 568 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:56,480 But they still had to pull the trigger. 569 00:33:56,480 --> 00:34:01,880 That's something that's going to haunt them as long as they're on this earth. 570 00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:04,640 What's there to help somebody like this? 571 00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:09,120 As much as we have even politicians or mayor, oh, we have this, that, and that, the other 572 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:11,880 in place to help them. 573 00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:12,880 Let's be honest. 574 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:14,980 No, we don't. 575 00:34:14,980 --> 00:34:17,980 We don't. 576 00:34:17,980 --> 00:34:18,980 Here's a fun group. 577 00:34:18,980 --> 00:34:25,320 I was praying on this last night. 578 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:28,720 We have a ton of people who have come into this country legally. 579 00:34:28,720 --> 00:34:34,640 As much as people like to focus on the illegal, we have more people who have come here legally 580 00:34:34,640 --> 00:34:38,480 and are ostracized. 581 00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:41,060 Here's a good group. 582 00:34:41,060 --> 00:34:46,640 Our military members that go over and they find their significant others overseas. 583 00:34:46,640 --> 00:34:48,680 Here's another one. 584 00:34:48,680 --> 00:34:49,680 Missionaries. 585 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:56,400 Missionaries who have gone overseas and found their significant others had children and 586 00:34:56,400 --> 00:35:03,360 they can't even come back to the US without their families being ostracized, treated differently. 587 00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:06,400 Who wants to bring their family home to that? 588 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:09,760 Yet what do we do as a church to help them? 589 00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:11,160 Nothing. 590 00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:15,240 We're going to take up a special offering. 591 00:35:15,240 --> 00:35:16,240 Here you go. 592 00:35:16,240 --> 00:35:20,240 Thanks for coming out and sharing with us a little bit about your work. 593 00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:29,160 Can't even come home and can't bring their family with them for a new home or find new 594 00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:31,840 opportunities. 595 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:33,920 It's a special pain. 596 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:38,640 It's a spiritual brokenness. 597 00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:45,200 And God wants the body to work together to heal. 598 00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:48,040 You want to see veterans healing and all these other groups healing. 599 00:35:48,040 --> 00:35:53,680 You want to see suicide numbers like 22 a day drop to zero. 600 00:35:53,680 --> 00:35:55,720 You take these groups together. 601 00:35:55,720 --> 00:35:56,720 You introduce them. 602 00:35:56,720 --> 00:35:57,720 They become friends. 603 00:35:57,720 --> 00:35:58,720 They become family. 604 00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:01,340 Yes, iron sharpens iron. 605 00:36:01,340 --> 00:36:07,640 So a man sharpens accountants of his friends. 606 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:10,520 My wife has seen part of this. 607 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:11,520 Veterans know what I'm speaking of. 608 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:13,000 You take a group of veterans. 609 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:14,400 This works for any group. 610 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:16,320 But you take a group of veterans. 611 00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:18,280 You put them in a room together. 612 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:20,880 And what happens? 613 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:21,880 Instant connection. 614 00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:23,320 Oh, you served? 615 00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:24,320 Cool. 616 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:25,480 What branch? 617 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:27,320 What was your MOS? 618 00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:28,320 When did you serve? 619 00:36:28,320 --> 00:36:30,560 And the fact is none of it matters. 620 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:32,080 It's just kind of getting to know you. 621 00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:35,000 The fact is it's just, hey, that's my brother. 622 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:36,000 That's my sister. 623 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:37,720 That's my family. 624 00:36:37,720 --> 00:36:42,160 I know I have somebody I can talk to now about things I experienced, I saw, and I had to 625 00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:47,200 deal with that nobody else is going to understand. 626 00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:53,720 And healing starts to take place because the research shows that the bulk of issues that 627 00:36:53,720 --> 00:37:01,440 not just veterans but all these other groups deal with come from three things. 628 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:06,960 Lack of camaraderie, not knowing that they have a mission in life, and not knowing how 629 00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:10,800 they fit in with their community. 630 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:11,800 Guess what? 631 00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:15,840 You just plug somebody back into their community with that group. 632 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:20,840 You just plug them in with the camaraderie that comes with it, those shared bonds of 633 00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:28,200 hardship and learning how to deal with these things and teaching them about Christ and 634 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:32,360 things like the Great Commission because we're all called to answer the Great Commission, 635 00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:34,320 are we not? 636 00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:35,320 Guess what? 637 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:36,320 You have a mission. 638 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:37,320 You matter. 639 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:39,840 You have something you need to do in life. 640 00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:44,260 Let's talk about how we can affect it with what we have and let's go tackle it. 641 00:37:44,260 --> 00:37:45,520 Guess what? 642 00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:47,520 Healing starts to occur. 643 00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:50,920 We've opened the door and we've let the Lord come back in and His light starts filling 644 00:37:50,920 --> 00:37:54,700 hearts and lives change. 645 00:37:54,700 --> 00:38:02,220 This works for every one of these groups that's in hurt or in pain and needs to heal. 646 00:38:02,220 --> 00:38:07,200 Every single one of them. 647 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:12,240 You take this a formula, you can apply it anywhere. 648 00:38:12,240 --> 00:38:18,000 And churches and other groups don't recognize it and refuse to deal with these groups and 649 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:20,180 these people. 650 00:38:20,180 --> 00:38:27,200 Even though it works and it comes from a biblical front. 651 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:29,700 You look at the Bible, what's it talk about? 652 00:38:29,700 --> 00:38:32,240 We've fallen in our own sin, we've been broken away. 653 00:38:32,240 --> 00:38:33,240 How do we need to heal? 654 00:38:33,240 --> 00:38:34,240 How do we reconnect with God? 655 00:38:34,240 --> 00:38:36,520 It's the same thing. 656 00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:39,500 We have a mission. 657 00:38:39,500 --> 00:38:43,120 We have camaraderie and our brothers and sisters in Christ. 658 00:38:43,120 --> 00:38:47,240 We have a community and the kingdom. 659 00:38:47,240 --> 00:38:51,360 Is that not biblical? 660 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:53,240 But we ignore it. 661 00:38:53,240 --> 00:38:57,160 Turn with me to Revelation 21. 662 00:38:57,160 --> 00:38:59,360 As we look a little bit more at that pain. 663 00:38:59,360 --> 00:39:04,200 Revelation 21 verse 4. 664 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:07,440 Word says, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. 665 00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:12,440 There shall be no more death, no more sorrow, no more crying. 666 00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:17,120 There shall be no more pain for the former things that passed away. 667 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:22,400 Everything happens and it can come from nowhere else but from God. 668 00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:23,800 Whatever you're going through, yes it's hard. 669 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:27,720 Yes, you're going to deal with things and let's be honest, let's use the common vernacular 670 00:39:27,720 --> 00:39:32,720 of the day so that everybody understands it's going to just play and suck. 671 00:39:32,720 --> 00:39:35,840 It's going to bite and it's going to bite hard. 672 00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:41,520 But you can find the healing that you so desperately need when you turn to Jesus and you trust in 673 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:42,520 him. 674 00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:48,360 More times than not, it's not going to come quickly, our injuries, whether they're physical, 675 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:54,800 emotional or spiritual, they will take time to heal because they need to be tended to. 676 00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:57,800 They need to be allowed to heal. 677 00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:01,700 We need to stop picking at the scabs and ripping them off and expecting to find everything 678 00:40:01,700 --> 00:40:05,160 healed underneath. 679 00:40:05,160 --> 00:40:07,200 All of us here were a child at some point. 680 00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:11,000 Remember mom and dad, stop picking at that scab. 681 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:13,680 God's telling us the same thing. 682 00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:18,200 And the greater the injury is, the more likely it is that you're going to need special interventions 683 00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:19,200 to heal. 684 00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:22,720 You know, we think, oh, I've got an injury, let's just heal it. 685 00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:25,000 Let's get over the pain. 686 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:31,000 Sometimes more pain has to be inflicted in order to get to that healing. 687 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:33,700 You get a broken bone, you have to have surgery, right? 688 00:40:33,700 --> 00:40:37,320 Is that surgery going to tickle and make everything instantly heal up? 689 00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:38,320 No. 690 00:40:38,320 --> 00:40:42,320 They've got to cause more pain in order for you to heal. 691 00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:43,600 They've got to reset that bone. 692 00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:45,560 They've got to reset that dislocation. 693 00:40:45,560 --> 00:40:51,360 They've got to stitch up that wound. 694 00:40:51,360 --> 00:40:55,600 You got to go and you got to talk about the things you don't want to talk about. 695 00:40:55,600 --> 00:41:02,880 Ooh, that one stings, doesn't it? 696 00:41:02,880 --> 00:41:06,400 We have things that are weighing on our heart and they are hurt. 697 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:07,800 We don't just get to bottle them up. 698 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:11,080 We don't get to just push them down because eventually they're going to come back out 699 00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:15,680 and it's going to come out ugly because it's going to come however it can. 700 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:21,120 So we have to address those issues. 701 00:41:21,120 --> 00:41:24,960 If I have an issue with my wife and I don't say something, I just bury it deep down, eventually 702 00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:30,160 what's going to happen? 703 00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:31,160 That's right. 704 00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:32,160 Things are going to boil over. 705 00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:35,120 It's going to explode and we're going to have a fight and it's going to be ugly, isn't it 706 00:41:35,120 --> 00:41:36,120 not? 707 00:41:36,120 --> 00:41:38,320 It's going to be a dance fellowship. 708 00:41:38,320 --> 00:41:40,840 In the military it's what we call a wall to wall counseling. 709 00:41:40,840 --> 00:41:41,840 No, I jest. 710 00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:44,480 No, but no, it's like that in any relationship. 711 00:41:44,480 --> 00:41:48,680 Whether it's your mom, your dad, a sibling, whatever, your best friend, because let's 712 00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:52,640 face it, we go through life, there is not going to be a single person that we're going 713 00:41:52,640 --> 00:41:54,400 to like 100% of the time. 714 00:41:54,400 --> 00:42:00,000 Somebody is going to do something like, oh, it's like, I ought to, hey, hit this wise 715 00:42:00,000 --> 00:42:01,000 guy. 716 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:02,000 Right? 717 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:03,000 It happens. 718 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:09,880 But we have to treat these issues. 719 00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:14,040 Sometimes you have to cause more pain in order to heal. 720 00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:15,440 That's a fact. 721 00:42:15,440 --> 00:42:21,960 Not always, but a lot of the time. 722 00:42:21,960 --> 00:42:25,080 Spiritual healing is no different. 723 00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:27,200 We have to go to Jesus. 724 00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:35,120 We have to unload our burdens on Him. 725 00:42:35,120 --> 00:42:38,240 So we have to deal with it. 726 00:42:38,240 --> 00:42:40,040 We have to trust in Christ. 727 00:42:40,040 --> 00:42:41,620 And we're getting there. 728 00:42:41,620 --> 00:42:43,600 One final passage here, y'all. 729 00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:45,760 I promise this is the final one. 730 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:50,360 I'm trying not to get too long-winded today. 731 00:42:50,360 --> 00:42:51,960 Matthew chapter 11. 732 00:42:51,960 --> 00:42:58,400 So Matthew chapter 11, we're going to want to look here at verses 28 through 30. 733 00:42:58,400 --> 00:43:05,000 I love this one because it reads an awful lot like what we see on the Statue of Liberty. 734 00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:08,120 So Matthew 11, verses 28 through 30. 735 00:43:08,120 --> 00:43:19,580 Jesus tells us, come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 736 00:43:19,580 --> 00:43:28,400 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will 737 00:43:28,400 --> 00:43:36,820 find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 738 00:43:36,820 --> 00:43:37,820 We take our burdens. 739 00:43:37,820 --> 00:43:38,820 We take our hurts. 740 00:43:38,820 --> 00:43:39,820 We take our aches. 741 00:43:39,820 --> 00:43:43,580 We take our pain, and we take it all to Jesus. 742 00:43:43,580 --> 00:43:49,480 And we take it to Him in childlike faith. 743 00:43:49,480 --> 00:43:50,480 And Jesus responds. 744 00:43:50,480 --> 00:43:56,160 Now, childlike faith is something that's thrown out a lot and it's not really explained. 745 00:43:56,160 --> 00:43:58,060 Let me break it down for you. 746 00:43:58,060 --> 00:44:04,200 Think back to when you were a kid and you had something going on or a question. 747 00:44:04,200 --> 00:44:06,080 You go to mom and dad, right? 748 00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:07,360 Hey, what about this? 749 00:44:07,360 --> 00:44:08,360 What about that? 750 00:44:08,360 --> 00:44:11,400 Oh, this happened. 751 00:44:11,400 --> 00:44:13,520 And you're there without a doubt in your mind. 752 00:44:13,520 --> 00:44:17,720 You are 100% confident that they're going to have an answer and they're going to be 753 00:44:17,720 --> 00:44:20,440 able to take care of that issue for you, right? 754 00:44:20,440 --> 00:44:23,160 You know, an ear fell off of a stuffed animal. 755 00:44:23,160 --> 00:44:28,200 Can you fix this? 756 00:44:28,200 --> 00:44:30,680 I can't get these paints to mix together to make the color I want. 757 00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:32,120 What do I do? 758 00:44:32,120 --> 00:44:34,840 I need help tying my shoe. 759 00:44:34,840 --> 00:44:40,240 I fell and scraped my knee. 760 00:44:40,240 --> 00:44:41,960 They're going to be able to help out with that. 761 00:44:41,960 --> 00:44:44,600 As a child, you have no doubt in your mind. 762 00:44:44,600 --> 00:44:46,420 You get those little arguments in the schoolyard. 763 00:44:46,420 --> 00:44:49,520 My dad could beat up your dad, right? 764 00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:53,400 My mom cooks better than your mom. 765 00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:56,520 Childlike faith. 766 00:44:56,520 --> 00:44:57,520 It's no different. 767 00:44:57,520 --> 00:44:59,160 That's how we need to go to Christ. 768 00:44:59,160 --> 00:45:04,160 100%, that's how we need to go to Christ. 769 00:45:04,160 --> 00:45:12,240 Just as we trust when we were a child unconditionally, just like we loved unconditionally, we need 770 00:45:12,240 --> 00:45:13,980 to trust in Christ. 771 00:45:13,980 --> 00:45:19,320 We need to love Christ the exact same way, unconditionally, and trust in Him. 772 00:45:19,320 --> 00:45:21,720 And no, He is going to work things out. 773 00:45:21,720 --> 00:45:25,680 Yes, we might be in a little pain right now, but it's all going to work out. 774 00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:28,360 It's all going to be okay. 775 00:45:28,360 --> 00:45:36,720 When we take our stuff to Him, what happens, which is I love the example that's here, is 776 00:45:36,720 --> 00:45:38,320 He picks them up with us. 777 00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:42,940 He doesn't say just hand them to me. 778 00:45:42,940 --> 00:45:45,920 He picks up and walks with you. 779 00:45:45,920 --> 00:45:53,320 It's like you're dragging this big chest, right? 780 00:45:53,320 --> 00:45:56,840 And you drag it in front of Christ, what happens? 781 00:45:56,840 --> 00:45:57,840 It goes the other end. 782 00:45:57,840 --> 00:45:59,960 He picks up the handle and He helps you carry it. 783 00:45:59,960 --> 00:46:00,960 Gets a lot easier. 784 00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:03,560 All of a sudden, you can bear the weight. 785 00:46:03,560 --> 00:46:04,560 You're not doing it on your own. 786 00:46:04,560 --> 00:46:07,640 You're doing it with Him. 787 00:46:07,640 --> 00:46:08,640 Working as a team. 788 00:46:08,640 --> 00:46:15,360 When we come together as a church, as we come together as a bride, and we do the same thing 789 00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:19,520 with each other, because we are supposed to lift up each other's burdens, share each other's 790 00:46:19,520 --> 00:46:25,040 burdens, take on each other's burdens, help each other, love on one another, just as Christ 791 00:46:25,040 --> 00:46:28,300 has done for us, guess what happens? 792 00:46:28,300 --> 00:46:36,320 You no longer have to go alone, and healing starts. 793 00:46:36,320 --> 00:46:37,760 We don't get to do it alone. 794 00:46:37,760 --> 00:46:40,760 We're not supposed to do it alone, no matter how much we try. 795 00:46:40,760 --> 00:46:46,600 We are meant to come together and do things together. 796 00:46:46,600 --> 00:46:50,360 When the church comes together with Christ at the head, guess what? 797 00:46:50,360 --> 00:46:53,240 Our pain is no longer unbearable. 798 00:46:53,240 --> 00:46:54,960 He allows us to relax. 799 00:46:54,960 --> 00:46:57,100 We find joy again. 800 00:46:57,100 --> 00:47:00,400 We find peace again. 801 00:47:00,400 --> 00:47:07,240 And we recognize that because of this, He is our ultimate physician, our ultimate healer. 802 00:47:07,240 --> 00:47:11,920 Now, as we go into prayer, I'm going to ask everybody to sit tight, because after we get 803 00:47:11,920 --> 00:47:14,840 done here, we're going to go ahead and we're going to get the communion, and everyone's 804 00:47:14,840 --> 00:47:17,600 passed out, because it is Communion Sunday. 805 00:47:17,600 --> 00:47:20,960 We will break away from the online for that part after I get done praying. 806 00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:26,860 So as we go into this, remember as well, when you leave here today, or you turn off online, 807 00:47:26,860 --> 00:47:28,660 you are loved and you are blessed. 808 00:47:28,660 --> 00:47:30,640 So when you go out, go and be the church. 809 00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:31,640 All right? 810 00:47:31,640 --> 00:47:34,640 So let us pray. 811 00:47:34,640 --> 00:47:41,120 We thank you so much for speaking to us today, being here, working in our hearts, reminding 812 00:47:41,120 --> 00:47:46,000 that we need to, reminding us that, you know, even though we have all these many injuries, 813 00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:51,560 these many pains that we carry both outwardly and internally, we know that you are the ultimate 814 00:47:51,560 --> 00:47:59,040 and one true source of the healing we need, especially the injuries and the pains that 815 00:47:59,040 --> 00:48:03,120 we deal with that come from our own sin. 816 00:48:03,120 --> 00:48:06,240 We know that you paid a heavy price for each and every single one of us. 817 00:48:06,240 --> 00:48:08,480 You paid it in blood. 818 00:48:08,480 --> 00:48:17,000 And in doing so, we recognize that we need you now more than ever as the sin and enemy 819 00:48:17,000 --> 00:48:21,640 are doing their best to run roughshod through our lives and throughout the world. 820 00:48:21,640 --> 00:48:30,040 We ask you to forgive us of our sins and help us to forgive one another, help us to forgive 821 00:48:30,040 --> 00:48:31,040 ourselves. 822 00:48:31,040 --> 00:48:37,720 And we ask that you place your loving hands, your healing hands upon not just us, but all 823 00:48:37,720 --> 00:48:43,200 of those who are broken and all of those who are hurting around the world. 824 00:48:43,200 --> 00:48:46,760 Help us to heal as only you can. 825 00:48:46,760 --> 00:48:51,840 And all of his people said amen and amen. 826 00:48:51,840 --> 00:48:55,760 Thank you for joining us at Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. 827 00:48:55,760 --> 00:49:00,200 If this message spoke to you or if you would like to help us reach more people, please 828 00:49:00,200 --> 00:49:03,660 like, review and share our podcast. 829 00:49:03,660 --> 00:49:13,000 You can learn more about our ministry or how you can support us at www.thecross66.org. 830 00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:30,280 Until next time, take care and God bless.