WEBVTT 00:00:01.269 --> 00:00:03.950 Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton, 00:00:04.129 --> 00:00:07.269 the official podcast of Cross Christian Fellowship, 00:00:07.290 --> 00:00:10.769 Route 66, in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 00:00:10.990 --> 00:00:14.150 where Burton is the lead pastor. We're glad you're 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:19.350 here. All right, now we got that set, let's pray. 00:00:20.309 --> 00:00:23.789 Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you 00:00:23.789 --> 00:00:25.629 for another chance to grow in our relationship 00:00:25.629 --> 00:00:28.500 with you. We ask that you continue to pour into 00:00:28.500 --> 00:00:30.539 us and help us to understand the world around 00:00:30.539 --> 00:00:33.759 us and how to apply your teachings to our daily 00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:37.820 lives as we leave here. Please grow us and mold 00:00:37.820 --> 00:00:40.380 us to your will and your character. In Jesus' 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:43.259 name we pray. Amen and amen. All right. Well, 00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:45.380 again, everybody, good morning. Welcome to The 00:00:45.380 --> 00:00:48.679 Cross 66. It's great to see everybody here. We're 00:00:48.679 --> 00:00:51.460 down a few people, so I will ask on your prayer 00:00:51.460 --> 00:00:55.780 list, keep Dale. His surgery went well this last 00:00:55.780 --> 00:00:59.380 week. He's at home recovering. So we won't see 00:00:59.380 --> 00:01:01.460 him or Dusty for a little while while he's recovering. 00:01:01.719 --> 00:01:05.019 But let's keep praying over them. That would 00:01:05.019 --> 00:01:07.500 definitely be a good thing. He can use all the 00:01:07.500 --> 00:01:10.439 prayer he can get. All right. And then, of course, 00:01:10.500 --> 00:01:13.620 we have a few visitors here today. Because we 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:18.099 got lots of family here for Timmy. For those 00:01:18.099 --> 00:01:19.439 of you who don't know, because she hasn't been 00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:21.879 here before, we've got my oldest daughter and 00:01:21.879 --> 00:01:24.260 my grandbaby back there sitting in the back with 00:01:24.260 --> 00:01:29.799 BJ. So that's exciting, too. So she actually 00:01:29.799 --> 00:01:32.939 just moved back to town. That's why she hasn't 00:01:32.939 --> 00:01:35.200 been here. She hasn't lived here. So that's exciting. 00:01:37.219 --> 00:01:39.939 This week, we're going to continue our series 00:01:39.939 --> 00:01:42.879 on the Upside Down. It's a bit of a nod to pop 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:47.849 culture, I know. Especially for those who are 00:01:47.849 --> 00:01:49.510 just joining us, what we've been doing, we've 00:01:49.510 --> 00:01:50.829 been doing a series, we've been going through 00:01:50.829 --> 00:01:53.930 the Beatitudes. So just kind of a recap on the 00:01:53.930 --> 00:01:56.450 Beatitudes. When we open up to them, which is 00:01:56.450 --> 00:02:00.629 how Matthew chapter 5 starts, it's Jesus and 00:02:00.629 --> 00:02:03.829 he's beginning his sermon on the mount. And when 00:02:03.829 --> 00:02:05.409 he's going through the Beatitudes, he's doing 00:02:05.409 --> 00:02:07.930 it for a couple of reasons. Like Darren and I 00:02:07.930 --> 00:02:09.770 were just talking a few minutes ago, it's shock 00:02:09.770 --> 00:02:12.469 and awe. He's grabbing people's attention. Anyone 00:02:12.469 --> 00:02:14.229 who's taking his speech class, you're always 00:02:14.229 --> 00:02:16.870 told, hey, get an attention getter. Right? It's 00:02:16.870 --> 00:02:18.909 important. You want all eyes on you when you're 00:02:18.909 --> 00:02:21.729 talking. Not only that, but Jesus is challenging 00:02:21.729 --> 00:02:25.530 the way that we as believers view the world. 00:02:26.389 --> 00:02:28.229 Because when you go through the Beatitudes and 00:02:28.229 --> 00:02:31.050 you look at them, they are exactly the opposite 00:02:31.050 --> 00:02:34.909 of the way we think they should be in the proper 00:02:34.909 --> 00:02:36.830 kingdom. But we have to remember, we actually 00:02:36.830 --> 00:02:41.750 live in an upside -down kingdom. Right? The right 00:02:41.750 --> 00:02:46.620 side up being God's kingdom. All right. So let's 00:02:46.620 --> 00:02:48.599 go ahead. Let's open our Bibles, Bible app, whatever 00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:51.960 it is that you're using to Matthew chapter five. 00:02:54.599 --> 00:02:56.139 We're going to go through verses one through 00:02:56.139 --> 00:03:01.580 six. So Matthew chapter five, verses one through 00:03:01.580 --> 00:03:05.520 six. We're not going to get through all the Beatitudes 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:06.860 today. Don't worry. We're going to just kind 00:03:06.860 --> 00:03:08.719 of recap the ones that we've already gone through 00:03:08.719 --> 00:03:10.340 a little bit and keep adding to it as we go through 00:03:10.340 --> 00:03:14.479 this series. The word says, and seeing the multitudes, 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:17.319 he went up on a mountain. And when he was seated, 00:03:17.500 --> 00:03:23.360 his disciples came to him. Then he opened his 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:25.939 mouth and taught them saying, blessed are the 00:03:25.939 --> 00:03:29.139 poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:03:29.939 --> 00:03:33.439 Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:37.699 comforted. Blessed are the meek for they shall 00:03:37.699 --> 00:03:41.030 inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger 00:03:41.030 --> 00:03:43.930 and thirst for righteousness, for they shall 00:03:43.930 --> 00:03:53.270 be filled. So just a quick recap. Of course, 00:03:53.270 --> 00:03:56.389 the poor in spirit. Those hard times that we 00:03:56.389 --> 00:03:59.250 go through that remind us that we can't do it 00:03:59.250 --> 00:04:02.250 on our own. We have to lean into the Lord. Right? 00:04:02.289 --> 00:04:04.229 Those who mourn. We all go through depression. 00:04:04.389 --> 00:04:06.069 We all go through grief. We all lose people. 00:04:06.349 --> 00:04:08.990 We have those sad moments. Again, these are times 00:04:08.990 --> 00:04:11.490 that we need to turn to God. He is the one who 00:04:11.490 --> 00:04:13.729 can fill those voids that are in us where we're 00:04:13.729 --> 00:04:16.790 hurting. Right? And then blessed are the meek. 00:04:17.370 --> 00:04:20.230 This is not weakness. It is exactly the opposite. 00:04:20.449 --> 00:04:22.329 This is when you have the strength to absolutely 00:04:22.329 --> 00:04:27.129 demolish somebody, but you choose not to. Right? 00:04:27.750 --> 00:04:32.639 You choose kindness instead. All right, which 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:35.000 brings us to what we're looking at today. Blessed 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:38.680 are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:42.500 for they shall be filled. Has anybody in here 00:04:42.500 --> 00:04:46.740 ever been hangry? Everybody, right? I should 00:04:46.740 --> 00:04:50.259 see hands all across the room. Yeah, exactly. 00:04:50.899 --> 00:04:52.600 He's waving. I think he's about to put a foot 00:04:52.600 --> 00:04:56.160 up in the air over here. We've all been hangry. 00:04:56.639 --> 00:04:59.639 Right? It's like the candy bar commercials. You're 00:04:59.639 --> 00:05:02.920 not yourself when you're hungry, right? They 00:05:02.920 --> 00:05:05.100 turn into Joe Pesci or the Hulk or something. 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:11.319 Right? It happens. It happens to all of us. I 00:05:11.319 --> 00:05:14.279 can't count the number of times my wife is like, 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:16.000 hey, when's the last time you ate something? 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:18.759 See, she's already agreeing with me over here. 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:22.500 When you're diabetic, it's more so because your 00:05:22.500 --> 00:05:23.800 sugars start to drop. You don't even necessarily 00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:26.879 realize it. You start getting kind of cranky. 00:05:27.800 --> 00:05:30.959 It's like, hey, when did you eat? Okay, I should 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:35.980 probably eat something. It happens. Underlying 00:05:35.980 --> 00:05:38.060 health conditions can have that impact on people 00:05:38.060 --> 00:05:40.560 as well. You don't even necessarily recognize 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:47.500 it when it's happening to you. But there's other 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:54.339 times when it's a little different. Because we 00:05:54.339 --> 00:05:58.079 don't just hunger physically. We hunger spiritually. 00:05:58.579 --> 00:06:01.540 Whether we recognize it or not, we hunger spiritually. 00:06:03.220 --> 00:06:07.060 We have a void inside of us, and it's thirsting. 00:06:07.060 --> 00:06:11.040 It's hungry. It's reaching for the word of God. 00:06:11.860 --> 00:06:14.639 It's reaching for that heavenly manna to come 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:19.620 down and to fill us. And the thing is, it's the 00:06:19.620 --> 00:06:22.139 more of the world. and the worldly things that 00:06:22.139 --> 00:06:27.660 we take in, the hungrier we become. The more 00:06:27.660 --> 00:06:31.019 wrapped up we get in addictions, the hungrier 00:06:31.019 --> 00:06:34.259 we become. The more hung up we get into relying 00:06:34.259 --> 00:06:37.540 on man to take care of our problems in the world 00:06:37.540 --> 00:06:40.800 instead of going to God, the hungrier we get. 00:06:40.899 --> 00:06:44.980 The angrier we get. The more hostile we get. 00:06:46.480 --> 00:06:48.860 You look at politics, especially right now, politics 00:06:48.860 --> 00:06:51.540 are a boiling point. I don't care what side you're 00:06:51.540 --> 00:06:54.339 on. Whether you're on the right, whether you're 00:06:54.339 --> 00:06:57.660 on the left, everyone is angry right now. And 00:06:57.660 --> 00:07:00.980 everyone's trying to justify it. All this hate 00:07:00.980 --> 00:07:03.459 and discontent, none of it is justifiable though. 00:07:03.660 --> 00:07:06.060 Because none of the way people are acting is 00:07:06.060 --> 00:07:08.279 within the character or the will of God. It is 00:07:08.279 --> 00:07:09.920 not what he has told us and it's not what he 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:16.629 has taught us. Not even close. Spiritually, we're 00:07:16.629 --> 00:07:19.889 hungry though. The word has told us the closer 00:07:19.889 --> 00:07:23.990 and closer we get to Jesus coming back, the more 00:07:23.990 --> 00:07:28.589 the world is going to reject the word. The more 00:07:28.589 --> 00:07:31.149 the world is going to wrap itself up and get 00:07:31.149 --> 00:07:35.389 tied into all these other things. These idols. 00:07:35.550 --> 00:07:37.750 And that's what they are. They're idols. Because 00:07:37.750 --> 00:07:39.990 it's putting all this other stuff before God. 00:07:47.850 --> 00:07:54.230 the more you think of the physicals. And you're 00:07:54.230 --> 00:07:55.949 out, say you're in the middle of summer, it's 00:07:55.949 --> 00:07:58.970 hot. Maybe you're doing some yard work. Or maybe 00:07:58.970 --> 00:08:02.189 you're not even the summer, right? Exercising. 00:08:02.730 --> 00:08:04.430 You don't have water with you, and the more you 00:08:04.430 --> 00:08:05.889 exercise, the more you're out, the more you're 00:08:05.889 --> 00:08:08.170 in the heat, what happens? You become thirstier 00:08:08.170 --> 00:08:12.189 and thirstier and thirstier, right? It's no different 00:08:12.189 --> 00:08:16.860 spiritually. The more we're in the world, the 00:08:16.860 --> 00:08:22.420 more that we're not going to Jesus, the hungrier 00:08:22.420 --> 00:08:28.420 we're going to get. And think of this. You have 00:08:28.420 --> 00:08:30.740 an early dinner. You wake up in the middle of 00:08:30.740 --> 00:08:32.399 the night for some reason. In my case, it's usually 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:35.679 to let the dog out, right? Happens. I know I'm 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:38.659 not alone on that. But you wake up in the middle 00:08:38.659 --> 00:08:43.649 of the night and you're hungry. How many of us 00:08:43.649 --> 00:08:45.190 are going to throw on a coat, jump in the car, 00:08:45.230 --> 00:08:48.710 and go down to McDonald's? None of us, right? 00:08:49.389 --> 00:08:51.889 Forget it. It's too cold. It's too far away. 00:08:51.929 --> 00:08:53.870 I'm in my jammies. I'm comfortable. I'm not leaving 00:08:53.870 --> 00:08:57.809 the house. Where do we go? The kitchen. We go 00:08:57.809 --> 00:09:02.850 to the fridge, right? Unfortunately, my wife 00:09:02.850 --> 00:09:04.450 sleeps a little harder than me, so I can't nudge 00:09:04.450 --> 00:09:06.330 her and say, go make me a sandwich. No, I wouldn't 00:09:06.330 --> 00:09:07.769 do that anyway. She'd be like, go make your own 00:09:07.769 --> 00:09:11.289 sandwich. Like, why are you waking me up? Go 00:09:11.289 --> 00:09:17.000 away. Right? But that's how it is. You wake up, 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:19.480 you go to the source, you go to where you know 00:09:19.480 --> 00:09:22.720 there's food, fresh food. Maybe there's some 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:24.299 stew that's left over, right? It's like, oh, 00:09:24.320 --> 00:09:25.700 we just had meatloaf. That was great. I'm going 00:09:25.700 --> 00:09:27.039 to get me a little slice of that, throw on some 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:30.340 bread and have a meatloaf sandwich. We should 00:09:30.340 --> 00:09:32.940 always be going to the source that's going to 00:09:32.940 --> 00:09:35.080 take care of our thirst, should be taking care 00:09:35.080 --> 00:09:38.340 of our hunger. Spiritually, we should be going 00:09:38.340 --> 00:09:42.889 to Jesus. We should be stopping and we should 00:09:42.889 --> 00:09:47.230 be praying. When we're hurt, when we're angry. 00:09:48.169 --> 00:09:50.090 Even in the good times. In good times, it's easy. 00:09:50.450 --> 00:09:52.570 Right? You watch a football game. What happens? 00:09:52.750 --> 00:09:55.070 They score, they do a little dance, and then 00:09:55.070 --> 00:09:58.870 you'll see somebody on the side. Right? Every 00:09:58.870 --> 00:10:02.509 time. That's been kind of cool lately. The trend 00:10:02.509 --> 00:10:04.450 has been after a lot of the games, especially 00:10:04.450 --> 00:10:09.360 back east and the south. What do you see after 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:11.120 the game? You see a bunch of the guys come to 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:12.899 center field and they're praying together. As 00:10:12.899 --> 00:10:14.179 far as I'm concerned, that's the best part of 00:10:14.179 --> 00:10:18.000 the game right there. It's right there. It's 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:19.679 like they're showing, hey, it's not just about 00:10:19.679 --> 00:10:21.899 the game. It's not just the sportsmanship. It's 00:10:21.899 --> 00:10:23.679 like, you know what? Let's thank God. Everybody 00:10:23.679 --> 00:10:27.080 came together. We had a good time. Hopefully 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:29.179 nobody got hurt. And if they did, not that bad. 00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:30.679 If somebody did get hurt, let's pray over them. 00:10:30.740 --> 00:10:33.019 They do a lot. That little time that's there, 00:10:33.139 --> 00:10:36.059 it's not just shaking hands anymore. It's beautiful. 00:10:36.139 --> 00:10:38.480 But that's how we should all be. We should all 00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:41.519 be going to Jesus and getting fed spiritually. 00:10:42.759 --> 00:10:45.879 And the issue is we're starving at this point. 00:10:45.940 --> 00:10:49.080 The world is starving. It's getting hungrier 00:10:49.080 --> 00:10:51.320 and hungrier. It turns a little Tasmanian devil. 00:10:51.860 --> 00:10:55.860 Right? It's angry. You know, what happens when 00:10:55.860 --> 00:10:57.620 we're really hungry and somebody puts food down 00:10:57.620 --> 00:11:03.080 in front of us? We devour it, don't we? We absolutely 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:07.649 annihilate it. Right? You get someone who's starving, 00:11:07.730 --> 00:11:10.389 you put a cake out there, no utensils, no plates 00:11:10.389 --> 00:11:11.470 or anything. What are they going to do? They're 00:11:11.470 --> 00:11:14.350 going to go caveman style, right? They're just 00:11:14.350 --> 00:11:16.090 going to dig in and try and tear that thing up. 00:11:17.389 --> 00:11:19.490 That's how we should all be spiritually. Scarfing 00:11:19.490 --> 00:11:22.350 it down in no time. Our souls are starving. We're 00:11:22.350 --> 00:11:25.909 not putting enough into ourselves. We need to 00:11:25.909 --> 00:11:28.779 be more like Gideon's 300 men. I don't remember 00:11:28.779 --> 00:11:30.980 Gideon and his 300 men. God's like, you know, 00:11:30.980 --> 00:11:32.460 he started off with thousands. Like, no, you're 00:11:32.460 --> 00:11:35.279 going to do this. Start just cutting them out, 00:11:35.340 --> 00:11:37.860 right? Cutting it down to 300. And they got down 00:11:37.860 --> 00:11:39.299 there. What are they doing? They're slurping 00:11:39.299 --> 00:11:43.240 the water up like dogs, right? They're thirsty. 00:11:43.240 --> 00:11:47.360 They're hungry. They're hangry. You know what? 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:49.299 I'm not going to look up. God's got my back one 00:11:49.299 --> 00:11:50.559 way or the other. We're getting through this 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:53.840 face first like they're bobbing for apples. I 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:55.480 don't even know if they do that anymore. I don't 00:11:55.480 --> 00:11:58.730 think they do. I know I'm speaking to the older 00:11:58.730 --> 00:12:03.250 group here on that one. Young ones, this is a 00:12:03.250 --> 00:12:04.929 thing back in the day, they'd get a big barrel, 00:12:05.029 --> 00:12:06.529 they'd float up with water and apples, and you'd 00:12:06.529 --> 00:12:08.129 stick your face in there and try to bite it and 00:12:08.129 --> 00:12:10.210 pull it out. And you had a little snack for later. 00:12:11.230 --> 00:12:14.070 That was a lot of fun. You'd get a friend in 00:12:14.070 --> 00:12:16.009 there, maybe a little brother you were annoyed 00:12:16.009 --> 00:12:17.210 with, and you'd hold their head under a little 00:12:17.210 --> 00:12:24.070 longer. Apple baptism. That happened. But it 00:12:24.070 --> 00:12:28.200 sounds harsh. You know, it really does. You know, 00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:30.039 Gideon 300, they're in there just slurping up 00:12:30.039 --> 00:12:34.080 this water, getting their spiritual strength. 00:12:36.340 --> 00:12:37.799 They're going straight to the source, though, 00:12:37.820 --> 00:12:41.580 because they're depending on God. And as harsh 00:12:41.580 --> 00:12:43.779 as it sounds, it's really not, because here in 00:12:43.779 --> 00:12:45.899 the upside -down kingdom, Jesus wants us to be 00:12:45.899 --> 00:12:47.700 hungry. He doesn't want us to be starving, but 00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:49.460 he wants us to be hungry. He wants us to know, 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:51.779 hey, I need to go to the source. I need to go 00:12:51.779 --> 00:12:55.259 to my source. I need to go to Jesus. Right? I 00:12:55.259 --> 00:12:57.620 need to go. I'm thirsty. I need to go to Jesus. 00:12:58.679 --> 00:13:00.879 We should be hungry, not starving. We should 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:06.440 be thirsty, not dehydrated. Hungry nonetheless. 00:13:07.039 --> 00:13:10.039 Hungry and thirsty for God's righteousness, for 00:13:10.039 --> 00:13:12.639 a relationship with God, for an understanding 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:16.080 of him and his word, and to recognize that if 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:19.440 we want to eat and we want to eat well, we need 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:22.500 to trust our good shepherd because he's going 00:13:22.500 --> 00:13:26.389 to take us to the best. places to be fed. He's 00:13:26.389 --> 00:13:31.710 going to feed us the best food spiritually. Of 00:13:31.710 --> 00:13:34.289 course, when we get to heaven, however it is 00:13:34.289 --> 00:13:36.250 we're eating there, right? We already know we 00:13:36.250 --> 00:13:39.289 got a place at the table. He's not going to take 00:13:39.289 --> 00:13:43.049 us to those places with bad food. He's not going 00:13:43.049 --> 00:13:46.149 to take us to those places that the food's just 00:13:46.149 --> 00:13:49.549 going to kill us. There's no spiritual McDonald's, 00:13:49.549 --> 00:13:52.809 no spiritual Burger King or Wendy's or Pizza 00:13:52.809 --> 00:13:56.889 Hut or any of that kind of stuff. None of this 00:13:56.889 --> 00:14:00.149 spiritual food, none of this manna is like a 00:14:00.149 --> 00:14:02.129 Chinese food that's going to leave you hungry 00:14:02.129 --> 00:14:09.809 in 30 minutes. None of it. Instead, he's taken 00:14:09.809 --> 00:14:12.929 us to the best homemade premium food that you're 00:14:12.929 --> 00:14:16.539 going to ever find. The most filling. drink you're 00:14:16.539 --> 00:14:21.379 ever going to have. When you wake up in the middle 00:14:21.379 --> 00:14:22.799 of the night and you decide you want something, 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:25.299 you're not going to the Waffle House. You're 00:14:25.299 --> 00:14:26.820 going to the kitchen. You're going to the source. 00:14:30.299 --> 00:14:32.200 Spiritually, what Jesus wants us to fill ourselves 00:14:32.200 --> 00:14:35.139 with are those things that take care of our soul, 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:38.919 that nurture our soul. Right? And these are the 00:14:38.919 --> 00:14:41.820 same things that develop our character and mold 00:14:41.820 --> 00:14:43.820 our character so that we become more Christ -like. 00:14:45.930 --> 00:14:48.190 And we do this in a number of ways. One, we come 00:14:48.190 --> 00:14:51.629 here, right? We come to service. We listen to 00:14:51.629 --> 00:14:53.450 services on the radio. Maybe we see them on the 00:14:53.450 --> 00:14:58.970 TV or the interwebs, right? But services, because 00:14:58.970 --> 00:15:01.629 this is one of the places that we learn. By reading 00:15:01.629 --> 00:15:05.049 our Bible. Too many homes have dusty Bibles. 00:15:05.610 --> 00:15:07.590 Bibles sitting on bookshelves, not ever being 00:15:07.590 --> 00:15:10.110 touched, even opened. We should be reading our 00:15:10.110 --> 00:15:13.059 Bibles every day. These days it's really convenient. 00:15:13.139 --> 00:15:15.019 We all have cell phones and tablets and stuff 00:15:15.019 --> 00:15:17.179 we carry around with us and we have free apps. 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:21.279 Heck, we're on one now. Nobody's with an excuse. 00:15:21.379 --> 00:15:23.500 The word is there with us every step of the way, 00:15:23.580 --> 00:15:29.259 every single day. We are connected. And then 00:15:29.259 --> 00:15:33.179 also, who wants to take a jab at the third way? 00:15:34.559 --> 00:15:38.120 The third way we find our nourishment. Prayer. 00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:42.779 There you go. Amen. That's it. Prayer. We should 00:15:42.779 --> 00:15:46.139 be praying every single day throughout the day, 00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:49.620 right? The word says, pray without ceasing. The 00:15:49.620 --> 00:15:52.700 good, the bad, everything in between, right? 00:15:53.059 --> 00:15:56.720 Your needs, your wants, your sins, your failures, 00:15:57.019 --> 00:16:00.480 your goals, your aspirations, all of it. We should 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:02.320 be throwing it all up to him. We should be leaving 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:09.620 it at his feet. We forget though, don't we? It's 00:16:09.620 --> 00:16:13.860 something that we should always be doing. We 00:16:13.860 --> 00:16:16.039 should be looking for a nice prayer sandwich. 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:18.100 I was talking to my wife about this a couple 00:16:18.100 --> 00:16:22.559 weeks ago. Anybody familiar with a prayer sandwich? 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:24.080 And I'm not talking about the way they used to 00:16:24.080 --> 00:16:28.980 teach it in Sunday school. My in -laws are really 00:16:28.980 --> 00:16:33.679 good about this, especially come mealtime. You 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:39.500 pray. Then you have, well, let's use a meal for 00:16:39.500 --> 00:16:42.019 an example. You pray, you have your meal, you 00:16:42.019 --> 00:16:47.210 pray again. Thank you, Lord. Dig in. Thank you, 00:16:47.210 --> 00:16:53.269 Lord. Praying. Gratitude. Gratefulness. It's 00:16:53.269 --> 00:16:55.230 a prayer sandwich. You're praying before, you're 00:16:55.230 --> 00:16:57.370 praying after. The Lord's involved every step 00:16:57.370 --> 00:16:59.190 of the way. It's not just like, hey, God, thank 00:16:59.190 --> 00:17:00.750 you, and then I'm going to forget about you until 00:17:00.750 --> 00:17:04.369 the next time I want to say something. It's usually 00:17:04.369 --> 00:17:09.470 how it goes, right? That's the way it should 00:17:09.470 --> 00:17:11.109 be, though. We should be having a prayer sandwich 00:17:11.109 --> 00:17:16.240 constantly. Prayer is the bread. We love bread. 00:17:17.980 --> 00:17:20.480 Even if you're gluten -free, you love bread. 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:24.680 There's some good breads out there. Right? I 00:17:24.680 --> 00:17:27.079 think most of us, if not all of us, have been 00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:31.480 out on the reservations a few times, right? Got 00:17:31.480 --> 00:17:37.059 some good bread out there. Right? Probably the 00:17:37.059 --> 00:17:41.180 best bread right there, huh? Yep. I've seen some 00:17:41.180 --> 00:17:47.660 heads nod. Yeah, fried bread, absolutely. We 00:17:47.660 --> 00:17:49.900 should be thinking where prayer is the bread 00:17:49.900 --> 00:17:54.839 though. Pray with everything. Prayer goes with 00:17:54.839 --> 00:17:58.319 everything. It's not fashion where only certain 00:17:58.319 --> 00:17:59.940 things go with certain things. They have a little 00:17:59.940 --> 00:18:01.859 thing. Your shoes have to match your belt. If 00:18:01.859 --> 00:18:03.180 you're wearing black shoes, you need a black 00:18:03.180 --> 00:18:08.000 belt. You can't be wearing brown. No white shoes 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:11.339 after, was it Labor Day? Is that it? Yeah. Come 00:18:11.339 --> 00:18:14.240 on, give me a break. Prayer goes with everything 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:15.960 though. I don't care what you're wearing, what 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:19.220 you're eating, or anything else. Pray. And throughout 00:18:19.220 --> 00:18:22.960 the Bible, we constantly see references to food 00:18:22.960 --> 00:18:28.119 and drink. The favorite of many is found in Psalm. 00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:33.220 Psalm 34, verse 8. In Psalm 34, 8, the word says, 00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:37.339 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed 00:18:37.339 --> 00:18:41.980 is the man who trusts in him. Which really caters 00:18:41.980 --> 00:18:43.500 well to what we're talking about, wouldn't you 00:18:43.500 --> 00:18:47.420 say? It's saying, trust in Jesus. He's never 00:18:47.420 --> 00:18:51.079 going to do you wrong. Never. He keeps his promises. 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:53.339 He's there when he says he'll be there. He doesn't 00:18:53.339 --> 00:18:55.440 leave you. He doesn't forsake you. He's always 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:59.680 there. It's also an invitation to those who don't 00:18:59.680 --> 00:19:02.599 know him. Saying, come on in. Check out Jesus. 00:19:02.759 --> 00:19:05.740 I guarantee you're going to like him. I guarantee 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:10.819 it. 100%. You don't have to worry about getting 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:13.819 your money back. You're going to like it. 100%. 00:19:14.879 --> 00:19:16.720 Right? He's like, come on and check them out. 00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:21.059 You know, if you think of the suit commercials, 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:23.500 right? He's like, come in and give us a try. 00:19:23.579 --> 00:19:24.940 I guarantee you're going to like what you buy. 00:19:25.140 --> 00:19:38.019 Right? Turn to Isaiah 55 .1. Isaiah 55 .1. The 00:19:38.019 --> 00:19:41.180 word says, ho, everyone who thirsts, come to 00:19:41.180 --> 00:19:45.789 the waters. And you who have no money, come buy 00:19:45.789 --> 00:19:50.029 and eat. Yes, come buy wine and milk without 00:19:50.029 --> 00:19:55.950 money and without price. Sounds good, right? 00:19:56.710 --> 00:20:01.359 Everybody's favorite price is what? Free. Wow, 00:20:01.539 --> 00:20:05.819 no hesitation on that. It's like, yes, I love 00:20:05.819 --> 00:20:08.200 free, right? Well, this is what it is. God's 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:10.220 inviting us to come and sit at the table and 00:20:10.220 --> 00:20:12.640 feast with him. Don't worry about it. Don't even 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:15.480 bring anything. It's all going to be here. The 00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:18.359 top of the top shelf, the best of the best. It's 00:20:18.359 --> 00:20:19.839 all going to be here. Anything you could dream 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:22.440 of, it's there. It's already taken care of. It's 00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:26.299 already been paid for. That's that price that 00:20:26.299 --> 00:20:30.430 everybody loves is free. But in the words, Of 00:20:30.430 --> 00:20:34.230 the late Billy Mays. Well, wait, there's more. 00:20:36.150 --> 00:20:38.170 Love those infomercials back in the day, right? 00:20:40.529 --> 00:20:45.009 America's favorite pitch man. You see right here 00:20:45.009 --> 00:20:50.750 in a few verses, we see what we need to do in 00:20:50.750 --> 00:20:52.890 order to get this spiritual nourishment while 00:20:52.890 --> 00:20:55.269 we're in the upside down kingdom. And it's not 00:20:55.269 --> 00:21:00.009 much. Step one. We just read this. Step one. 00:21:02.470 --> 00:21:05.210 Why do you spend money for not as bread and your 00:21:05.210 --> 00:21:09.289 wages for what? Excuse me. 55 to skip to the 00:21:09.289 --> 00:21:14.150 next verse. I'll bring it up. Why do you spend 00:21:14.150 --> 00:21:16.250 money for what is not bread and your wages for 00:21:16.250 --> 00:21:19.190 what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me 00:21:19.190 --> 00:21:21.809 and eat what is good and let your soul delight 00:21:21.809 --> 00:21:27.170 itself in abundance. So that's step one. We come 00:21:27.170 --> 00:21:34.849 to God. We come to God. Step two, we listen to 00:21:34.849 --> 00:21:41.950 God. And then the next one, we'll skip forward 00:21:41.950 --> 00:21:45.569 just a few more verses to Isaiah 55, 6. Seek 00:21:45.569 --> 00:21:48.849 the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him 00:21:48.849 --> 00:21:53.089 while he is near. Step three is we seek him and 00:21:53.089 --> 00:21:58.430 we call on him as we need him. We call him. We 00:21:58.430 --> 00:22:00.849 need him for everything. God should be first 00:22:00.849 --> 00:22:03.230 and foremost at the front of all that we do every 00:22:03.230 --> 00:22:07.349 single day. We don't have to do anything for 00:22:07.349 --> 00:22:09.769 our salvation. Our salvation is taken care of 00:22:09.769 --> 00:22:12.069 the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord 00:22:12.069 --> 00:22:15.390 and Savior. We accept him in our hearts. Right? 00:22:16.069 --> 00:22:19.069 That's a free gift to every believer the moment 00:22:19.069 --> 00:22:23.029 you become a believer, no matter what. That part's 00:22:23.029 --> 00:22:25.700 there. To get spiritual nourishment, though, 00:22:25.779 --> 00:22:28.019 we have to get up and we have to go to the kitchen. 00:22:28.859 --> 00:22:30.839 We have to do a little footwork. We don't have 00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:33.740 to do a whole heck of a lot, though. You saw 00:22:33.740 --> 00:22:38.759 right here, three little steps. That's all. We 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:41.740 have to come to God. We have to listen to God. 00:22:41.880 --> 00:22:44.720 And we need to seek and call on God. That's it. 00:22:44.759 --> 00:22:47.019 Those three things right there in verse 1, 2, 00:22:47.099 --> 00:22:55.029 and 6. In doing these things, we can ensure that 00:22:55.029 --> 00:22:58.970 we will not starve spiritually. We will be filled 00:22:58.970 --> 00:23:03.609 spiritually. We will have what we need. We will 00:23:03.609 --> 00:23:07.109 not be gluttons. This is not one of those places 00:23:07.109 --> 00:23:09.430 where they like to take things out of context. 00:23:09.430 --> 00:23:11.950 Oh, your cup will be overfilling. We don't get 00:23:11.950 --> 00:23:15.470 to fill ourselves up like that, right? There's 00:23:15.470 --> 00:23:17.970 only so much space in there. And God doesn't 00:23:17.970 --> 00:23:19.569 want us to become gluttons where we start taking 00:23:19.569 --> 00:23:22.519 things. for granted or start taking advantage, 00:23:22.819 --> 00:23:27.019 looking at God like he's an ATM. He's not. He 00:23:27.019 --> 00:23:28.599 will provide for your needs. He'll take care 00:23:28.599 --> 00:23:34.640 of what you need, but he's not going to turn 00:23:34.640 --> 00:23:38.720 you into a pig while he's at it. He doesn't want 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:44.839 you to take things for granted. I'll put that 00:23:44.839 --> 00:23:46.380 up on the board for those who are taking notes. 00:23:51.150 --> 00:23:52.589 And I promise we're heading home here, folks. 00:23:53.349 --> 00:23:58.890 I know a lot of us are waiting on cake. Let's 00:23:58.890 --> 00:24:06.829 turn to John 6, verses 8 through 12. John 6, 00:24:06.950 --> 00:24:16.609 8 through 12. The word tells us, one of his disciples, 00:24:16.809 --> 00:24:20.299 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, There 00:24:20.299 --> 00:24:23.480 is a lad here who has five barley loaves and 00:24:23.480 --> 00:24:26.599 two small fish, but what are they among so many? 00:24:26.839 --> 00:24:30.759 Then Jesus said, Make the people sit down. Now 00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:33.039 there was much grass in the place, so the men 00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:37.660 sat down in number about five thousand. And Jesus 00:24:37.660 --> 00:24:40.380 took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, 00:24:40.619 --> 00:24:44.380 he distributed them to the disciples, and the 00:24:44.380 --> 00:24:47.240 disciples to those sitting down. And likewise 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:52.470 of the fish, as much as they wanted. So they 00:24:52.470 --> 00:24:55.769 were filled and said to his disciples, he said 00:24:55.769 --> 00:24:58.269 to his disciples, gather up the fragments that 00:24:58.269 --> 00:25:02.950 remain so that nothing is lost. We see a miracle 00:25:02.950 --> 00:25:06.950 here. Here is a young boy who's willing to share 00:25:06.950 --> 00:25:11.690 his lunch. Anyone that's ever had a teenager 00:25:11.690 --> 00:25:13.250 in the house knows that's a miracle in itself. 00:25:17.930 --> 00:25:21.650 And Jesus uses this moment to show that everything 00:25:21.650 --> 00:25:28.430 that we need comes from the Father above. He 00:25:28.430 --> 00:25:32.769 took a few loaves and a few fish, and he fed 00:25:32.769 --> 00:25:35.970 thousands. That's a big miracle, right? That's 00:25:35.970 --> 00:25:39.829 what people like to come back to. And when people 00:25:39.829 --> 00:25:42.970 came to Jesus asking for more, it was provided, 00:25:43.130 --> 00:25:46.920 right? There was a cutoff point. They're like, 00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:48.700 you know what, let's use this as a teaching moment. 00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:51.920 You're hungry, let's feed you. Let's make sure 00:25:51.920 --> 00:25:54.779 everybody has enough. No one but God could have 00:25:54.779 --> 00:26:00.019 done that. You see, what people miss here is 00:26:00.019 --> 00:26:02.140 that Jesus was showing them that while physical 00:26:02.140 --> 00:26:08.480 food is good, and it is, spiritual food is more 00:26:08.480 --> 00:26:13.220 important. We need to recognize the fact that 00:26:13.220 --> 00:26:16.220 we need to go. to him so that we don't become 00:26:16.220 --> 00:26:21.099 hangry. So that we don't become like the worldly. 00:26:24.019 --> 00:26:27.579 We need to go to him. Let's skip a couple verses 00:26:27.579 --> 00:26:34.500 ahead to verse 35. Same chapter, so John 6, verse 00:26:34.500 --> 00:26:38.220 35. This is our last scripture of the day, I 00:26:38.220 --> 00:26:44.150 promise. John 6, 35, John writes, And Jesus said 00:26:44.150 --> 00:26:47.109 to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes 00:26:47.109 --> 00:26:50.930 to me shall never hunger, and he who believes 00:26:50.930 --> 00:26:53.789 in me shall never thirst. He is the bread and 00:26:53.789 --> 00:26:59.029 the water that we desire. Plain and simple. That's 00:26:59.029 --> 00:27:01.150 why nothing else ever fills that emptiness that's 00:27:01.150 --> 00:27:03.769 within us, especially when we're hurt, when we're 00:27:03.769 --> 00:27:05.930 depressed, when we're angry, and we're looking 00:27:05.930 --> 00:27:08.549 for something. We're grasping desperately for 00:27:08.549 --> 00:27:13.240 something to take care of that hurt. Unfortunately, 00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:17.160 Advil only does so much. We have to go to Jesus. 00:27:18.740 --> 00:27:25.519 Plain and simple. We have to go to him. We have 00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:28.000 to have a relationship with him. The only way 00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:30.339 we can sustain ourselves and nourish ourselves 00:27:30.339 --> 00:27:34.599 spiritually is through Jesus Christ. And Jesus 00:27:34.599 --> 00:27:39.420 is there every step of the way. He's waiting 00:27:39.420 --> 00:27:41.480 for us. He's knocking at the door. He wants that 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:43.420 relationship with us. He wants us to go to him 00:27:43.420 --> 00:27:45.680 with everything, the good, the bad. What do we 00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:48.079 do with family? We go to them with the good and 00:27:48.079 --> 00:27:51.180 the bad. Jesus wants us as family. He wants us 00:27:51.180 --> 00:27:53.599 to join him in the kingdom, in the right side 00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:58.660 up, right? So we need to be going to him, listening 00:27:58.660 --> 00:28:03.180 to him, calling out to him in all that we do. 00:28:03.859 --> 00:28:07.059 I want you to notice one last thing here. When 00:28:07.059 --> 00:28:11.759 it was all said and done, and people were leaving 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:17.880 or settling in, what did Jesus do? He told his 00:28:17.880 --> 00:28:20.740 disciples to go and gather up what remains so 00:28:20.740 --> 00:28:26.339 nothing goes to waste. Waste not, want not, right? 00:28:27.539 --> 00:28:33.259 People miss this part. He told them to go and 00:28:33.259 --> 00:28:35.339 gather it up. In other words, he's saying, eat 00:28:35.339 --> 00:28:41.940 all you want. Right? Absolutely. Take all you 00:28:41.940 --> 00:28:45.220 want, but eat all you take. Don't let anything 00:28:45.220 --> 00:28:49.839 go to waste. We are called to be good stewards 00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:54.259 to everything that lands on our plate. And in 00:28:54.259 --> 00:28:58.099 life, a lot falls on our plate, doesn't it? A 00:28:58.099 --> 00:29:04.459 lot of responsibilities. Not just food. Finances, 00:29:04.459 --> 00:29:07.660 the places that we live, the places that we work, 00:29:07.700 --> 00:29:10.660 the work we're called to do, right? The relationships 00:29:10.660 --> 00:29:15.440 we foster. There's a big one right there. It's 00:29:15.440 --> 00:29:17.160 really hard when you don't like somebody, but 00:29:17.160 --> 00:29:19.200 the word calls us to love everybody. It doesn't 00:29:19.200 --> 00:29:23.599 say you have to like everybody. And that's where 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:26.680 everybody's gone wrong with politics now. If 00:29:26.680 --> 00:29:28.460 you don't agree with somebody, then it's a personal 00:29:28.460 --> 00:29:31.140 attack on them and they lose their ever -loving 00:29:31.140 --> 00:29:35.779 mind. Right? But here's the thing. When it comes 00:29:35.779 --> 00:29:37.240 to those who are in authority, when it comes 00:29:37.240 --> 00:29:40.700 to our leaders, right, the word tells us something 00:29:40.700 --> 00:29:43.839 very specific. It doesn't say cheer for them 00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:46.680 when it's the guy you voted for or the guy in 00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:52.579 your party. It says to pray for those in authority. 00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:58.279 Never says you have to like them. It says to 00:29:58.279 --> 00:30:02.579 pray for them. I don't care what party you're 00:30:02.579 --> 00:30:08.380 a part of. Pray for them. Pray for them. Because 00:30:08.380 --> 00:30:11.920 everybody needs prayer. And the word tells us 00:30:11.920 --> 00:30:15.559 that God can use anything and everything. That 00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:18.019 which you meant for bad, my father meant for 00:30:18.019 --> 00:30:23.119 good, right? So good, the bad, the ugly, it can 00:30:23.119 --> 00:30:27.420 all be used for the good of the kingdom. So pray 00:30:27.420 --> 00:30:34.269 for them. Don't bash them. Nowhere in the Bible 00:30:34.269 --> 00:30:36.910 does it say to bash people. Because what happens 00:30:36.910 --> 00:30:41.349 is it leads us to be more hungry, more thirsty 00:30:41.349 --> 00:30:44.470 in our lives. It leads us into more of the worldly. 00:30:47.529 --> 00:30:51.630 And we start falling astray. As a citizen of 00:30:51.630 --> 00:30:56.170 the right side up, as a citizen of heaven, we 00:30:56.170 --> 00:30:58.069 should all be hungry and we should all be thirsty. 00:30:58.559 --> 00:31:01.559 for the things of God. And the only way to quench 00:31:01.559 --> 00:31:03.900 that is by partaking of our daily bread, which 00:31:03.900 --> 00:31:07.740 is the word of God. And on that note, let us 00:31:07.740 --> 00:31:12.859 pray. Father, we thank you for being with us. 00:31:14.759 --> 00:31:17.359 Not only when we're hangry, but when we need 00:31:17.359 --> 00:31:19.059 you to shepherd us from one place to another. 00:31:20.019 --> 00:31:23.559 We thank you for your beatitudes and how they 00:31:23.559 --> 00:31:25.440 speak to us and how they challenge the way that 00:31:25.440 --> 00:31:31.220 we look at the world. We ask you to help us not 00:31:31.220 --> 00:31:34.299 only to understand your kingdom, but the world 00:31:34.299 --> 00:31:37.099 that we live in, for knowledge and understanding 00:31:37.099 --> 00:31:38.940 of the things that we need to do and the places 00:31:38.940 --> 00:31:42.380 that we need to go to and how to interact with 00:31:42.380 --> 00:31:46.099 the people that cross our paths. Please continue 00:31:46.099 --> 00:31:49.359 to instruct us, to feed us, and to guide us every 00:31:49.359 --> 00:31:53.839 step of the way, every single day. Let us recognize 00:31:53.839 --> 00:31:57.660 that we need the bread of life. and the water 00:31:57.660 --> 00:32:00.779 that quenches all thirst in Jesus. And all of 00:32:00.779 --> 00:32:05.720 his people said, Amen and Amen. Thank you for 00:32:05.720 --> 00:32:08.460 joining us at Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. 00:32:08.740 --> 00:32:11.339 If this message spoke to you, or if you would 00:32:11.339 --> 00:32:14.019 like to help us reach more people, please like, 00:32:14.140 --> 00:32:17.519 review, and share our podcast. You can learn 00:32:17.519 --> 00:32:20.240 more about our ministry or how you can support 00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:27.369 us at www .thecross66 .org. Until next time, 00:32:27.410 --> 00:32:29.329 take care and God bless.