Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton,
the official podcast of Cross -Christian Fellowship,
Route 66, in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico,
where Burton is the lead pastor. We're glad you're
here. Eight years in the Gideons. Before that,
I was a jail minister at MDC. Before that, I
was a prison minister at Christ for the Nations.
So that's a short summary of who I am and what
I've done. But David declared, the heavens declare
the glory of God and the firmament. sends his
word day and night, day and night, night and
day. Speech goes throughout. The word of God
is going forth all over the world. And the Gideons
since 1898 have been a big part of that. In 2024,
I was watching John Ankerberg. How many of you
know who John Ankerberg is? Yeah. He was interviewing
an astrophysicist by the name of Hugh Ross. Anybody
ever heard of Hugh Ross? Okay. And Hugh Ross
was talking about... some of the theories that
people had and how the universe dispels evolution
or even the Big Bang. But John got to one point
where he asked Hugh Ross, now Hugh, how did you,
you didn't grow up in a Christian family. So
how did you come to Christ? And Hugh said to
him, you know, it was when I was 17. That's when
I started thinking about it. And John said, how
did that happen? He said, I ran into a Gideon.
And this Gideon gave me a little New Testament.
And Hugh also, John asked him, how was it that
you became a believer? He said, when I was 19,
I saw another Gideon. And he didn't just give
me that little New Testament, but he read the
back of it. And it showed me that I was a sinner,
I was separated from Christ, and that I could
receive him by simply inviting him into my heart.
So you see, our work is in partnership. With
local evangelical churches, we give out some
30 ,000 scriptures a year. Hotels, UNM campus,
middle school, high schools. We were at La Cueva
last week. We gave out 170 over there. The week
before, we were at, what I'm saying is simply
that you've got an opportunity to partner with
us because we print these Bibles, little New
Testaments with the New Testaments and the book
of Psalms and the book of Proverbs. About $1
.90 piece. And if you are over in India, our
printing press prints it for about $0 .89. So
I'm going to look forward to sharing more with
you when your pastor has me come back. I just
wanted to say that we're in God's army in this
together. And Jesus comes back after Matthew
24, 14. This gospel shall be preached to all
the world for a witness. God bless you today.
Thank you, Ted. Thank God. Let's give Brother
Ted here another round of applause, Joey, because
I'm going to tell you what, I put him Johnny
on the spot to talk for a second before he did
that. So thank you. I've known Ted, goodness,
what, 10 years at least, something like that.
Yeah, we go back quite a ways. The Gideons are
a wonderful group. We do have these pamphlets.
We have a whole stack of them over here on the
table. If you'd like to give or support them,
it is a great way to do it. Yes, Molly. Yes,
amen. Yes, at the cost of our most, absolutely.
I will tell you. These Bibles, they make their
way around the world, literally. You all have
heard me talk about it in the past briefly. When
we deployed, we deployed without a chaplain.
We had no chaplain. So when we got together for
our own Bible study and the worst singing you've
ever heard in your life, we did it with New Testaments
from the Gideons that we got before we deployed.
That's literally what we used while we were over
there. So they make their way. into the hands
of people who truly, truly need the work. So
I do encourage everybody to be a friend of the
Gideons and to support them, you know, however
the Lord puts it on your heart. With that said,
let us pray. Lord, we thank you for this opportunity
to gather together in praise and worship of you
again. We ask that you open the eyes of our hearts
and our minds to what you have to speak to us
today and help us to apply it in our lives as
we leave here. All those people said, amen and
amen. All right, well, welcome everybody. It's
a great way. It's actually quite the surprise
for my brother Ted to be here. It really warmed
my heart. I haven't seen him in a long time.
So that was great. The last few weeks, we've
been talking about why we should be thankful
for the bad things that happen in our lives,
not just the good, especially in this period
of thankfulness, right? We've specifically been
talking about how we carry that thorn. We actually
read through that passage itself as part of the
series. Today, we're actually going to go, we're
still looking at the same thing, but today's
going to be a little bit different style than
what anybody's used to, because today is going
to be more of... Well, let's just call it what
it is, more of a history lesson. I'm a nerd.
I like this kind of stuff, right? But I promise
you, after we get through it, you will see how
it applies. So bear with me. Like I said, this
is going to be a little different. All right,
we're on the path. This is actually going to
be how we close out this series. If you've missed
the last couple of weeks, I encourage you to
go online or go to the podcast, listen to it.
You know, it will bless you. But this holiday,
Thanksgiving, this is the quintessential American
holiday, right? And this is very much, there's
a lot of pomp, there's a lot of circumstance,
there's a lot of tradition that goes with it,
right? Needless to say, all of us have been taught
the quote -unquote pilgrim version of Thanksgiving.
Am I right? You know, regardless of... any erroneous
teaching that's in there, and we know there's
been quite a lot, right? And perspectives that
have been glossed over. Don't worry, I'm not
going to hammer that down your throat today.
It's not that kind of a history lesson. Instead,
specifically, I'm going to talk to you about
how God used an Indian, or Native American, if
you will, all right? But an Indian... whose name
you're probably going to recognize from the history
books because it's been told for generations.
And God used him in a mighty way, although it
took time for it to be seen. All right. Everybody
in here, is there anybody in here who hasn't
heard of the name Squanto? No? Didn't think so.
That's a big name. It goes way back. There's
been movies, there's been books, there's been
cartoons, there's been all sorts of stuff, you
know, built up around Squanto, right? So we're
going to talk a little bit about him, though,
all right? Actually, we're going to talk quite
a bit about him. Historical accounts, of course,
of his life, they do vary. However, historians
and scholars alike have all come together on
certain things that they do agree on from his
life and certain things that happen within the
timeline of his life, all right? So 1608, we're
going to go all the way back to here. More than
a decade before the pilgrims, as we know it,
actually landed in what they called the New World.
Instead, a group of English traders who were
led by Captain Hunt arrived. And this group who
landed in what we know today as Plymouth, they
came together, they set up camp, and they set
up what appeared to be trade. The Wampanoag Indians
were very trustful. They had no reason not to
be. So they come out looking to trade, looking
to make new friends, to learn new things. And
unfortunately, it was a trap. Captain Hunt and
his traders took these Indians, kidnapped them,
and took them all the way back over the ocean
to Spain. Squanto. a young boy at the time, being
one of them. After taking them prisoner, he took
them to Spain and sold them all into slavery.
But God had a special purpose for Squanto. Very
special. You see, Squanto, when he was sold as
a slave, he was sold to a monk, a Spanish monk.
This monk, he had a good heart. He wanted the
best that he could provide for this young boy.
So he took him in. He treated him well. He raised
him up. He taught him English. He taught him
about Christianity. He taught him about Jesus
Christ. That's a gift in itself, is it not? And
as time went by, as the years started to tick
by, Squanto made his way from Spain all the way
up through Europe. To England. Especially for
those days, and especially for a young boy. That's
quite the travel, isn't it? Quite the path. We
have people here who haven't even made it out
of our own state, and this guy, he's traveled
half the world as a teenager. But throughout
his travels, he still had a longing to make it
home. Once he was in England, he started working
in the stables with a man by the name of John
Slaney. Now, John, he sympathized with Squanto.
He saw something special in him, right? And so
he understood his hope to return home, and he
wanted to be able to do what he could to help
him. So he promised him, like, find a way to
get you on the first boat. We'll do it. We'll
find a way to get you home. And it is exactly
what happened. 1619, a decade after Squanto was
kidnapped, torn from his home, torn from everything
that he knew, filled with fear, filled with heartbreak.
Having to change his ways, having to adapt and
overcome or die. He finally, finally returned
to his homeland. But tragedy was still going
to be a headline in his life at this point. Because
not only did he make it back to the land he grew
up on, but he found out that an epidemic had
gone through the land and everybody that he knew
that was still there was dead and gone. Everything
he knew of his home was gone. Take a moment and
think about that. That's kind of hard, isn't
it? It weighs heavy on the heart. A decade to
get home, most people wouldn't have even done
that. The odds that he defied, the odds were
not, if you're a gambling person, we'd say it's
not in his favor, right? The fact that he made
it over the ocean in the first place without
dying, that's already a miracle. The fact he
made it from Spain all the way to England is
another miracle. The fact that he made it out
of there and back across the ocean, and that
was a treacherous, treacherous voyage. God's
at play. But then he comes back. I'm home. I'm
home. Oh. Where's home? The land's here. But
everyone's gone. The lands I knew have changed.
Everything is gone. And everything here is new.
The heartbreak. You think of the heartbreak that
we have just when somebody that we know and we're
close to passes away. And here his entire tribe,
right? Or his entire village, I should say, gone.
Why did God let this happen? How would you respond
to that? What feelings would be seeding through
you? And I think seeding is an appropriate word.
Well, these are questions that he had, needless
to say, and about a year later, the answers started
to show themselves. God at work. Because you
see, a ship full of English families had just
arrived, and they were looking to settle on the
exact same land that the Wampanoag had lived
on when Swanto was a child. And upon learning
of these people coming and looking to set up,
You could see the Holy Spirit working in him.
Because he went out, he greeted him. Now keep
in mind, especially what was taught at the time,
here's a savage. They've been taught how brutal
these guys are. Here's a savage coming, and not
only is he coming, and he's greeting us with
a smile and his friends, but he's speaking in
our language. He's speaking English. Whoa! What
in the world? And that's exactly what he did.
He went to them. He greeted them in English.
And he saw to look after them, to teach them
the skills that they would need in this new land.
Pilgrim Governor William Bradford wrote this
in his diary. Squanto became a special instrument
sent of God for our good. He showed us how to
plant our corn, where to take fish, and to procure
other commodities. He was also our pilot to bring
us to unknown places for our profit and never
left us till he died. When Squanto was bedridden
and dying of a fever, Bradford also wrote this,
that their Indian friend, quote unquote, desired
the governor to pray for him that he might go
to the Englishman God in heaven. Amen. Upon his
death, he bequeathed his possessions to his English
friends as remembrances of his love. He could
have looked to go the other way. He could have
looked to have done a lot of things, but instead,
he loved on his neighbor. He treated people as
he wanted to be treated, regardless of what had
happened to him in his past. He didn't hold them
accountable for the actions of others. Instead,
he saw people in need, and he reached out. He
saw people in need, and he reached out. Who but
God could so miraculously weave together the
lives of a lonely Indian and struggling English
men and women who had just sat down in this new
land, this new country. And it's easy to take
a look and see the small picture here, right?
We look at this as exactly that. It's a small
piece of our history. But it's actually so much
bigger. It actually shapes the landscape at that
time, the people at that time. So much more.
There's a bigger picture. God likes the bigger
picture. That's what he focuses on. It's what
I like to call the long game, right? God likes
the long game. While we're up here and we're
like, let's see if I can make it in the hole.
God's up there saying, this ain't nothing. Wait
till you get to the tournament. That's just to
warm up. Squanto's story while marked in tragedy
is still quite remarkable. And it truly is something
that points to God using one person to shine
his glory in a dark land, in a dark place. Because
without Squanto, those people would have suffered,
probably perished. But it's also very easy to
see how his life draws comparisons from the Bible.
On one instant, Job, he lost everything. Everything.
Absolutely. He regained so much more. But yes,
Joseph, absolutely. That's where we're going.
We're going to skim over it. We're not going
to go into a whole lot because there's a whole
lot here to unravel. But we're going to look
at some of the parallels here. All right. The
story of Joseph, Genesis 37. Joseph was also
sold into slavery, but used as a special instrument
of God to point the way to his glory and his
greatness. So let's go ahead and let's turn there.
Genesis 37. We're going to start with the first
few verses, verses 1 through 4. So Genesis 37,
1 through 4. The word says, Now Jacob dwelt in
the land where his father was a stranger, in
the land of Canaan. This is the story of Jacob.
Joseph, being 17 years old, was feeding the flock
with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons
of Baha and the sons of Ziba, his father's wives.
And Joseph brought a bad report of them to his
father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all
of his children. because he was the son of his
old age. Also, he made him a tunic of many colors.
But when his brothers saw their father loved
him more than all his brothers, they hated him
and could not speak peacefully to him. So like
Squanto, Joseph, he was a young man. He was very
young, a little older than Squanto was, but still.
And he lived in a place where he was filled with
joy. He had a family that he loved regardless
of how his brothers treated him. Because let's
face it, you have siblings. Siblings aren't always
the nicest people, are they? If you're the oldest,
you know you're just as guilty. Younger siblings
can be just as mean. Even if nobody wants to
admit it. Right? So regardless of his tumultuous
relationship with him, though, he still loved
them. He was still happy to be around them. He's
happy to go out in the fields with them and do
work with them and do all the stuff that a young
boy should be doing. However, if we drop down
into verses 27 through 28, we see a change of
events. So Genesis 37, verses 27 through 28,
the word says, Come and let us see him, excuse
me, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not
let our hand be upon him for he is our brother
in our flesh. And his brothers listened. The
Midianite traders passed by. So their brothers
pulled up Joseph and lifted him out of the pit
and sold him to Ishmaelites for 20 shekels of
silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt. So he
was sold into slavery. Initially, his brothers,
they were looking to kill him. They were jealous.
They were angry. They wanted him out of the picture.
Luckily, well, I shouldn't say luckily. It was
a blessing. That's already conviction working
in the heart of one brother saying, no, no, no,
we can't do that. So they sold him into slavery.
Let me remind you, everybody here has been sold
into slavery. Everybody here was sold into sin,
right? We've all had to deal with being slaves
to sin in our lives. There's nothing we could
break free of. We needed Jesus in our lives to
set us free. It's nothing in our works or in
our doing, but in his, in his alone. Joseph,
he was sold into slavery. Much like Captain Hunt
and his men took these natives and sold them
into slavery. Slavery was a little bit different
back then, though. Actually, I shouldn't say
a little. It was a lot different back then. That's
a lesson for another time, though. All right.
So they sold him into slavery. They went home.
They faked his death. They tricked their father.
The father went into great mourning, as any father
should, right? As any parent would. And while
all this was happening, the Midianites, they
took Joseph, and they sold him again in Egypt.
Only this time, as to an officer of the Pharaoh's
guard, he was sold to Potiphar. This is usually
where we start recognizing a lot of the story,
isn't it? So we're going to skip over Genesis
38. It doesn't really pertain to this part right
here. We're going to go straight to Genesis 39,
and we're going to pick up at the beginning of
it. One through four. Like I said, we're kind
of setting it all up here. We're seeing the parallels.
Not our normal teaching, I know. Genesis 39,
1 -4, the word says, Now Joseph had been taken
down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh,
captain of the guard, an Egyptian, by him from
the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful
man. And he was in the house of his master, the
Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was
with him, and that the Lord made all he did prosper
in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight
and served him. Then he made him overseer of
his house. And all that he had was put under
his authority. It's a little parallel here with
John Slaney, isn't it? It's like, look at this
guy. There's something different about this guy.
He's special. He's filled with the Holy Spirit,
right? Because greater is he who is in you than
he is in the world. He's not recognizing the
man. He's recognizing the Holy Spirit. Hour to
work. This man is being loyal. He's different.
This is how everybody should see each and every
one of us when we are out in the world. Not as
worldly, but as the godly. They should see the
Holy Spirit in us, the light. Not to say we're
not going to make mistakes. We're not going to
make missteps, but we're still going to be different.
We're still going to be set apart. even with
our brothers and sisters in Christ. Sometimes
we're going to do things that they don't like
or they don't appreciate, but we're still brothers
in Christ. We're still sisters in Christ. We're
still going to forgive. We're going to move on
because we're family. It's what we're called
to do. He said, Potiphar, he saw so much special,
something special in him, so he elevated him
in status. Here he is, a slave, and he's in charge.
of running the household and the properties.
That's pretty big. That's not the type of thing
that we think of when we think of slavery. I
said slavery was a whole different animal back
then than what we know of it and how we speak
of it today. God is still working on his long
game. Joseph, while not traversing an ocean,
is still traversing great masses of land. social
classes, and everything else in between. And
he's still headed for something great. See, as
we read on, Potiphar's wife also took note of
the fact that he was a good -looking dude. So
she tried to seduce him. And when he's like,
no, no, no, no, you're my master's wife. You're
a married woman. Absolutely not. What does she
turn around and do? She sets him up and tries
to make it. look like he's the one who's trying
to seduce her. Of course, Potiphar, he's going
to listen to his wife, right? Every husband has
the ear of his wife. We listen, even if sometimes
it seems like we don't. Like, are you even listening
to me? Huh? Right? But we do. So he listens to
his wife. He believes what she says. He goes
into a rage. Joseph is thrown into jail. Sold
into slavery twice over and jailed. Most of us
would not be pretty happy with the direction
of our lives at that point. Let's face it, we
tend to mumble and grumble because there's a
line in front of Starbucks. I know I was a little
grumpy about that this morning. I wanted some
coffee on the way and I went by two different
Starbucks. There's a line going to the road.
I was like, are you kidding me? Luckily, my wife,
she made me a great cup of coffee, though. Thank
you, wife. It's just one of those days. I need
a little caffeine. A little pick -me -up. Let's
face it. We all tend to grumble over little things
like that. Little things, and they are little.
Other things that we shouldn't be upset about,
we get upset about. We start raising our voice
and yelling. What's going on with this? What
is this? Some kind of kangaroo court, right?
Your boss says something that upsets you. How
does this guy even have his position? This guy's
a moron. Get him out of here. It's like, who
does he know that got him his position? We all
know that person, right? The boss, not the leader.
The boss is a very distinct thing as opposed
to a supervisor. We don't call him a supervisor
or a manager at that point, do we? We like to
call him some colorful words. Not necessarily
bad words, you know, Winnie the Pooh. My wife's
laughing because she knows what I'm talking about.
She has one of those, and that's how they refer
to that person, Winnie the Pooh. We have nicknames
for people like that, though, right? I know in
the military we certainly do. Healthcare we certainly
do. Even at APS, we have things. We all do. In
fact, I was sitting down. with a friend the other
day, and there was something he goofed up on,
and he was like, man, I want to say a bad word
right now. If I knew a bad word to say that was
appropriate for this, and I started chuckling,
and he's like, what's so funny? He's like, he
just reminded me of my grandpa, because my grandpa
would get upset, and one of the first things
he'd say is, I too love a hombre. If I knew a
bad word, I would say it. Good old Grandpa Fick,
he was a funny one. You never really heard him
cuss, but he had some stuff to say. I'll tell
you what. But we've all been there. And if this
had happened to us in our lives, Lord knows we'd
have all let loose with something a little bit
more colorful than that, wouldn't we? Like, Lord,
really? What's going on here? But he didn't.
Joseph stayed true to the position he was in.
He stayed true to the course. He followed the
path that the Lord had laid out before him and
was guiding him through. Oh, that's something
special, isn't it? He just walked through that
door like a boss and just kept on going. And
the blessings continued to pour out because of
it. So the warden took notice. Lo and behold,
here's a prisoner who's been placed in charge
of the jail. Where's that going to happen these
days? In a sense, yes, do the prisoners run the
jail? Yes, absolutely. But in the same aspect,
no, no, no, no. Not even close. Even during a
riot. Right? We're calling out special teams
the whole bit to go and quell things, aren't
we? But it happened again. He's raised up. And
as we go into Genesis 40, like I said, I'm going
to skim through it. These are the cliff notes.
I encourage everybody to go back and read it
for themselves. What happens in chapter 40? Well,
Pharaoh gets upset with his cupbearer, right?
And one of his cooks, his baker, sends him to
the jail having dreams. What happens? Joseph
interprets the dreams. Hey, this is what's going
to happen. You're going to die. You're going
to be okay. Don't forget me when you go on your
way. Sure enough, it came to fruition. This guy
died. And this guy went back on his way, restored
back to where he was supposed to be. He forgets
all about Joseph for a couple years. But then,
after those couple years go by, a long game starts
to show itself. Let's all turn to Genesis 41,
verses 39 through 46. So Genesis 41, 39 through
46. And the word says, And Pharaoh said to Joseph,
see, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.
Awesome is the word. Yes, sir. Amen. Then Pharaoh
took his signet ring off of his hand and put
it on Joseph's hand. That's huge, by the way.
That's huge. And he clothed him in garments of
fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
And he had him ride in the second chariot, which
he had, and they cried out before him. Bow the
knee. So he sent him all over the land of Egypt.
Pharaoh also said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and
without your consent, no man may lift his hand
or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh
called Joseph's name Zephnath. And he gave him
a wife, Asnaith, the daughter of Potipharah,
priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land
of Egypt. Joseph was 30 years old when he stood
before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went
out from the presence of Pharaoh and went throughout
all the land of Egypt. So he started at 17. And
of course, at 13 years, tragedy rose up. He was
blessed and he went to tremendous heights. He
was valued and he was respected by everyone he
came in touch with. Everyone. And like Squanto
helping the pilgrims with their needs, their
food, their trade routes, their hunting, their
fishing, Joseph explained what was needed in
order to take care of the people of Egypt, to
take care of the land for the upcoming famine.
Just as Squanto saved hundreds, Joseph saved
thousands. But it wasn't in his own doing. It
was through the Lord working through him. The
Lord shining his greatness, his mercy, and his
grace on people. Because of one man who was loyal
and listened and kept moving forward regardless
of the situation he found himself in. We all
know those people, don't we? There's some place
where it's like, oh. But this person walks into
a room and it just lights up. There's something
different about them. They're not faking the
funk. They come in, they're genuine, they're
happy. You're glad to see them. Suddenly things
aren't as bad as they were just a few moments
before. That was Joseph in the land of Egypt.
That was Squanto in Plymouth. Something different.
Now, unlike Squanto, if we keep on reading, we
can actually find that Joseph was reunited with
his family. Very happy ending for him. We can't
say that Squanto didn't have a happy ending as
well. He did. It was just different. But there's
something special about being reunited with family.
There really is. That's why when you see military
members, or even in your own life, maybe somebody
you went to school with, you haven't seen them
in years, maybe decades, and then all of a sudden
you see them, and you light up, it's like, my
man! Right? Bring it in, brother's got a hug.
Right? We all do it. It's very easy to see. Both
of these men made the best of the situations
that they were in, and instead of focusing on
the worst, they did what they needed to get to
the best. They adapted, they overcame, they just
kept moving forward. They dug in their heels
and they stayed true to the Lord, to what God
asked of them. They sacrificed their own wants
just to go where the Lord was sending them. And
in the process, their relationship with the Lord
grew. Man, that's work for all of us, isn't it?
Like we're always looking for ways to grow in
our relationship with the Lord, to learn more
about the Lord. Maybe give up a little bit of
that worldly stuff that you're carrying. Spend
a little bit more time with him. Now, sure, it
could be in the Bible. Absolutely. I'd encourage
everybody, go and read your Bible. The percentage
of people who say they're Christian that have
actually read the Bible front to back is pretty
minute. But you know what else? Pray. Talk to
him. Leave your burdens with him at the throne,
at his feet, and truly leave them there. You
see the opportunity to do something good, and
it's in your means to do it. Do it. Because you
very well may be the blessing that the Lord is
sending for that person. So don't hold back.
Don't withhold that blessing. That gift may be
all that's needed to turn somebody's life around,
to turn them from the thought of cashing out
and ending it all to suddenly having hope in
their life and being able to move forward. To
start finding that healing that only the Holy
Spirit provides inside. Because when you get
to that place, I'll tell you, it's a lonely place.
That's why people find peace, because they think,
ah, this is it. I'm done. And they just give
in to the hopelessness. Not really peace. It's
just that peace of knowing it's about to be done.
And that's not a good thing because that's eternity.
You don't mess with that. You don't mess with
your salvation. And you don't risk your actions
being the action that leads somebody away from
Christ and away from their salvation. Because
there are people who do it. I will tell you in
high school when my best friend killed himself.
I was very angry with the Lord for a very long
time. I did not set foot back in church aside
from a funeral for a very, very long time. I
was a very broken person for a long time after
that. My mom remembers she was working the ER
when he came in, or at least his body. Yeah,
actions like that, dude. Leave people away from
Christ. Don't second guess it for a second. You
might be thinking erroneously, I will say that,
hey, it's okay if I do this. Lord, forgive me.
I'm coming home. But that's not right. That's
the world. That's the enemy at work. Lean into
the Lord. He will take care of you. He will heal
you once you're willing to give up that anchor
that you're dragging behind you with that ball
and chain. And in doing so, he will leave you
with a wonderful testimony. That points the way
to him, just like with Quanto, just like with
Joseph. Their lives, everything that they'd been
through was a testimony. Tragedy, sorrow, and
heartbreak, and loss. But their lives ultimately
pointed the way to the Lord and his greatness,
and your testimony can do exactly that. We all
get hung up. Oh, I have this thorn on my side.
Lord, take this thorn from my side. Relieve me
of this. But I will remind you, that thorn is
there for good reason. That thorn is not always
the world at work. It's not always the enemy
trying to break you down. It's that reminder
not to become complacent, not to take things
for granted, and to lean into Jesus Christ. Because
you cannot do it all in your own strength. You
need his strength to get you through, to guide
you. It's that reminder, keep your eyes on him,
not the world around you. Eventually, the day
will come where that thorn will be taken. Whether
it's on this earth or when you're reunited with
the Father in heaven, it will be taken from you.
You will be healed. Just see it for what it is,
though, and be thankful. That you have it. Learn
what you can from it. Jesus didn't come and pay
for our freedom for us to just give up on it
and forget about the bad. He's given us the bad
as well as the good so that we have that testimony
so that we can tell others of him and what he's
done for us, what he's done through us to bring
them hope because your story will bring someone
hope every time. So we should be taking our eyes
off of that complaint and being grateful for
what we have. We're being grateful for who we
have. We forget about that. Sometimes we get
in a lonely place. We forget we have a church
family. Will people let you down? Absolutely.
But people will lift you up. People will surprise
you. They absolutely will. And like Alexander
White, we should be thanking God that it isn't
always like this. Remember, we talked a little
bit about him last week. Those of you who aren't
familiar with it, I'll refresh you. Alexander
White was a Scottish minister. And week after
week after week, he would go in and he always
had something great to pray about. Very uplifting,
very motivational. And on one particular day,
there was a member of the congregation. It was
a dark gloomy day out. It was stormy. And he's
like, this is the day. There is no way he's going
to have anything good to say today. Finally going
to see him broken down. Instead, he opens up
the prayer and says, thank God it isn't always
like this. Can't rain all the time, right? Thank
God for that. So even in those gloomy times,
there's still something good to be had. We should
thank God it's not always hard. And we should
thank him for freeing us from that slavery, the
sin. We should thank him for his son pouring
his blood out for us so that we could be seen
blameless. I'm telling you, if you haven't seen
that yet, if you haven't accepted him as your
Lord and Savior, this is the time. If you haven't
looked into why his blood is out there for you
and the importance of it, this is the time. This
is the time, especially going into this season.
I'll tell you what. Pray. Repent of your sins.
Unburden yourself of those sins. Take them to
him and start changing your ways. That's all
he asks, that you repent and that you accept
Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. That's
it. It's a small penance for what he's done for
you already. Just know that that thorn in your
side is temporary. But moving forward into eternity
with the Lord, thorn free and beautiful. On that
note, let us pray. Lord, we thank you again for
our thorns. They help us to stay focused on the
most important thing, and that thing is you.
They help us to stay focused on what you've placed
before us. Sometimes that's a dark path, and
we need that light there. We thank you for this
lesson that when things get hard, we have to
stay focused, not become complacent, not to take
things for granted, but instead to look for you
for guidance on the task that's before us, for
direction in the places that you would have us
go to. And to follow your lead in the work that's
been placed before us. We need to remember to
be grateful for all these thorns. We need to
remember to be grateful for the people you've
placed in our lives, the things that you've placed
in our lives, the blessings. We need to even
be grateful for the work that we have. In those
times that we don't appreciate it the way we
should. We need to remember that there's those
out there who aren't working. They'd be so grateful
to have that work themselves. So we ask you to
use us to impact the lives of others. Whether
it's something small or something great like
Squanto or Joseph. Because we already know that
with the salvation of every one life, that one
person that comes to you and repents their sins
and... who proclaims Jesus as our Lord and Savior,
we know that the angels in all of heaven rejoice.
So even if we are only able to bring that one
person to you, that's enough. That's one less
person that we have to worry about being condemned.
So use this to show the way to you, to show the
way to your glory, to show the way to your love
and your mercy, your grace. We thank you for
lifting us up out of the pit and from that darkness
and giving us a testimony. that points its way
to you, that shines a light on you and not us.
And all of his people said, amen and amen. Remember,
as you leave here today, you are loved and you
are blessed, so go and be the church. Thank you
for joining us, everybody. Thank you for joining
us at Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Until
next time, take care and God bless.