1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,900 He is glorious. 2 00:00:06,900 --> 00:00:13,780 Behold the one who has come for us. 3 00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:15,740 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. 4 00:00:15,740 --> 00:00:17,780 To get connected or to give online, 5 00:00:17,780 --> 00:00:23,680 you can go to connect.hcv.church or give.hcv.church. 6 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:25,660 If at any time during this message 7 00:00:25,660 --> 00:00:28,300 you feel called to make a change in your life, 8 00:00:28,300 --> 00:00:33,060 text changeme to 970-00. 9 00:00:33,060 --> 00:00:35,240 Thank you and enjoy the message. 10 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:37,600 Hey, good morning, everyone. 11 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:39,140 Sorry, I'm a little thrown off. 12 00:00:39,140 --> 00:00:41,480 I'm used to like 22-minute announcements 13 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:44,720 and Lance is so fast, he just blows through them. 14 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:46,780 So I'll get it going here. 15 00:00:46,780 --> 00:00:48,040 We're so glad you're here. 16 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:49,280 If you're joining us from home, 17 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:51,680 thank you for welcoming us into your space. 18 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,260 You made it! 19 00:00:54,260 --> 00:00:57,680 You don't have a post-Easter hangover. 20 00:00:57,680 --> 00:00:59,820 Give yourselves a hand. 21 00:00:59,820 --> 00:01:03,800 Yeah! 22 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:05,600 And if you're back from Easter, 23 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:09,100 we're so glad you're back for the second time. 24 00:01:09,100 --> 00:01:12,700 And I am super excited about the month of April. 25 00:01:12,700 --> 00:01:17,180 Many of you know that our theme for 2024 here at HCV 26 00:01:17,180 --> 00:01:21,020 is the year that we are going to go deeper. 27 00:01:21,020 --> 00:01:23,080 In January, I shared with our community faith 28 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:28,080 that God was calling HCV into a more intimate connection 29 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,720 with him and our scripture focus for this entire year 30 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,600 is Luke 2, 52 and it reads this. 31 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:38,160 Jesus grew in wisdom, in stature, 32 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:41,740 in favor with God and all the people. 33 00:01:41,740 --> 00:01:43,740 And so as a community of faith, 34 00:01:43,740 --> 00:01:47,200 we're going to focus on those four areas 35 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,200 that Jesus grew in in Luke chapter two 36 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:52,120 throughout this entire year. 37 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:57,120 And this month, we will be focusing on mental health. 38 00:01:57,220 --> 00:01:59,680 And I do not at all find it a coincidence 39 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:04,300 that this headline was in my newsfeed yesterday morning. 40 00:02:04,300 --> 00:02:08,120 A 28-year-old Dutch woman is slated to be euthanized 41 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,700 next month because of her struggles with mental illness 42 00:02:11,700 --> 00:02:16,700 after her psychiatrist said her condition will never improve. 43 00:02:16,860 --> 00:02:20,080 Zoroia Terbeek lives in a nice house 44 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:23,440 in a small Dutch town near the German border 45 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:25,480 with her boyfriend and two cats. 46 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:27,760 And despite being physically healthy, 47 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,800 she plans to end her life due to her depression 48 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:33,720 and borderline personality disorder 49 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:35,440 according to the free press. 50 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:38,760 She once had ambitions to become a psychiatrist, 51 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:40,520 but she was never able to finish school 52 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:43,440 or start a career due to her own mental illness. 53 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:46,440 But now she is simply tired of living 54 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:49,320 and wishes to end her life. 55 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:53,640 Friends, can I simply say that there is a mental health 56 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:56,840 crisis in our world today? 57 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,860 Currently, in the United States alone, 58 00:02:59,860 --> 00:03:04,860 20.78% of the people, that's one out of every five adults 59 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:08,980 are experiencing some form of mental illness. 60 00:03:08,980 --> 00:03:13,280 That's the equivalent to over 50 million Americans. 61 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,640 Half of those adults with mental illness 62 00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:20,320 never receive any type of treatment 63 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,280 totaling over 28 million people. 64 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:25,320 The vast majority of individuals 65 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:28,400 with substance abuse addictions or problems 66 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:32,480 in the United States are receiving no treatment whatsoever. 67 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:37,480 And 15.35% of adults with a substance abuse problem, 68 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:43,000 of them, 93.5% did it on their own. 69 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,680 And they're coping with their addictive behavior. 70 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:48,520 Now let's go to the young adults. 71 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:52,680 Barna's largest ever research study shows that half 72 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:57,000 of the young adults, 18 to 35 years old, that's 49%, 73 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,000 expressed anxiety over important decisions 74 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,440 and were afraid to fail. 75 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:06,920 Three out of every 10 of them said they often felt sad 76 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:11,360 or depressed, lonely, or isolated from others. 77 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:13,240 And let's go to our teenagers. 78 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:16,640 Currently, one out of every 10 youth in the United States 79 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:19,700 are experiencing depression that is severely impairing 80 00:04:19,700 --> 00:04:22,500 their ability to function at school or work at home 81 00:04:22,500 --> 00:04:24,840 with family or in social life. 82 00:04:24,840 --> 00:04:27,440 Now some of you are thinking, well, Chris, that's the world, 83 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:31,000 that's our culture, we're gathered here in a church, 84 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,120 the church numbers are not very different. 85 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:39,120 Currently, one in five church leaders ranks their mental 86 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,320 and emotional health as below average, 87 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:44,440 according to Lifeway Research. 88 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:48,320 23% of pastors acknowledge they have personally struggled 89 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:53,200 with a mental illness, while 49% of pastors say they rarely 90 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:56,680 or never speak to their congregation about mental illness. 91 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:59,520 Friends, that's over half of the churches 92 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,560 in the United States of America that share nothing 93 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:04,960 about mental health throughout the year. 94 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:09,200 Today, at HCV, that all changes. 95 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:13,280 And I believe that God is going to move through 96 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:15,400 our community of faith and people outside 97 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:17,840 of our community of faith to bring freedom 98 00:05:17,840 --> 00:05:20,520 and change this month. 99 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:23,240 And let's open in prayer and invite the Holy Spirit 100 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:24,640 to overwhelm us with his love. 101 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:25,820 Holy Spirit, come. 102 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:29,120 God, we're just so thankful for those gathered, 103 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:31,440 those watching online. 104 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:33,720 God, just move amongst us. 105 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,880 We invite your presence here, your spirit here, God. 106 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,840 May your freedom, may your healing come. 107 00:05:39,840 --> 00:05:42,360 May your kingdom come and your will be done 108 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:46,800 on earth right here in this place as it is in heaven. 109 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:49,840 In Jesus' name, amen. 110 00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:52,000 And I believe there's a lot of you gathered 111 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:56,800 or even watching online that can relate to those statistics 112 00:05:56,800 --> 00:05:59,880 where outwardly you're still showing up, right? 113 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:02,440 You're smiling, you're doing your job, 114 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:04,600 you're there for your family, 115 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:08,520 but inwardly you're battling real depression. 116 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:11,800 Or there's this ongoing chronic anxiety 117 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,880 or you just feel stressed and you feel overwhelmed. 118 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:17,880 You can't seem to handle it. 119 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:19,240 And if you're anything like me, 120 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,120 it seems like you could just snap. 121 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,960 And if you find yourself struggling mentally, 122 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:27,160 you're not alone. 123 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:28,840 One out of every five. 124 00:06:28,840 --> 00:06:31,520 And over the next several weeks in April, 125 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:33,920 we're gonna be discussing different topics 126 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:35,960 focusing on our mental health 127 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:39,240 in a series that we've called Stretched Thin. 128 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:42,560 And this morning I wanna build a simple foundation 129 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:47,400 for this series and look at the myth of mental health 130 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:50,200 because unfortunately within the church, 131 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:52,640 there are people that believe that mental health 132 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:55,280 should not be an issue for a person 133 00:06:55,280 --> 00:06:57,440 that's in a relationship with Jesus. 134 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,200 One blog post from Geneva College, 135 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:02,880 a Christian university writes this, 136 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:05,240 the prevailing culture of silence 137 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:09,760 along with misguided attitudes and erroneous expectations 138 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:14,360 often causes suffering believers to feel shamed, 139 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:17,440 blamed and very unsupported. 140 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:20,800 And I wanna change that narrative. 141 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,440 I wanna be a place where people can be real and honest, 142 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,640 where we speak words of life and we see change, 143 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,920 which leads us to our first truth this morning. 144 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:33,720 Friends, God is peace. 145 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:34,880 God is peace. 146 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:37,680 We read this in 1 Thessalonians chapter five. 147 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:42,200 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way. 148 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:46,280 And may your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless 149 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:49,360 until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 150 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:54,360 God will make this happen for he who calls you faithful. 151 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:58,760 Now notice the words, the God of peace. 152 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:01,480 May the God of peace sanctify you. 153 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:03,080 May the God of peace cleanse you, 154 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:05,800 change you through and through. 155 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:08,480 Notice the words, may your whole spirit, 156 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:13,480 soul and body be kept blameless until Jesus comes again. 157 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:18,120 May the God of peace bring freedom and healing. 158 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:21,480 Write all truths that we read, that we receive, 159 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:23,760 that we embrace in that one scripture 160 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:25,840 and many more throughout the Bible. 161 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,840 But for years, people said that the church 162 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:31,720 shouldn't talk about mental health. 163 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:34,280 Of course, it's somebody else's problem, 164 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:37,760 but it's not something we're gonna talk about in the church. 165 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:40,200 Sometimes the implications would be that 166 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:42,440 you shouldn't struggle mentally 167 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:45,680 because if you're someone that comes to Jesus, 168 00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:49,120 then Jesus fixes everything inside of you. 169 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:50,720 Right, and they quote scriptures. 170 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:52,600 Well, he's gonna work in all things. 171 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:55,600 He's gonna bring about good to those who love him 172 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:57,680 and are called according to his purpose. 173 00:08:57,680 --> 00:09:00,840 And all those things are true. 174 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:02,080 I believe in them. 175 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:04,640 He saves you, he forgives you, he redeems you, 176 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:06,120 he fills you with his power. 177 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:07,880 He will never leave you. 178 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:10,000 Everything does work together for good. 179 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,040 All that's true, but it's incomplete. 180 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:15,840 It's incomplete. 181 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,520 Just because Jesus saves you 182 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:23,040 doesn't mean he fixes every area of your life instantly. 183 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,840 Right, just because your sins are forgiven. 184 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:27,680 I've never heard anyone say, 185 00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:30,680 hey, Chris, I was reading the Bible last night. 186 00:09:30,680 --> 00:09:33,280 I called on Jesus, he saved me, 187 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:36,480 and all of a sudden, I got abs. 188 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:38,640 My hair got thicker. 189 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:40,200 My thighs got thinner. 190 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:42,600 I lost all this weight. 191 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:44,720 You know, I've never heard that before. 192 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:48,080 No one has never shared that testimony before. 193 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:49,560 No one ever has come up to me and said, 194 00:09:49,560 --> 00:09:51,760 hey, Chris, I came to the altar. 195 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:54,560 I was crying, I gave my life to Jesus, 196 00:09:54,560 --> 00:09:56,480 and my credit score improved. 197 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:00,480 I got home and I had no debt. 198 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:03,120 I was debt-free, hashtag blessed. 199 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:07,120 Have you ever heard that? 200 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:08,880 Like, I've never heard that before. 201 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:13,040 In other words, just because you come to Jesus, 202 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:16,320 it doesn't mean that your boss is now nice 203 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:19,960 or that your bank account is just instantly going up 204 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:23,400 or when you came to Jesus, 205 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:27,680 it doesn't mean that you instantly became mentally healthy. 206 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:31,400 For example, you shouldn't be stressed 207 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:33,720 because God is the God of peace, 208 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:35,320 and if you're in a relationship with him, 209 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:37,760 you should always be peaceful. 210 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:40,400 And I know for a fact, if I was to say, 211 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:42,560 raise your hand if you're always peaceful, 212 00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:44,560 you're lying if you raise that hand. 213 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:49,560 And see, when we talk about mental health, 214 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:53,120 what exactly are we talking about? 215 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:56,760 So I wanna try to kind of unpack this for you over the month 216 00:10:56,760 --> 00:10:58,480 because first of all, I want to acknowledge, 217 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:02,200 look, I'm a pastor, I'm not a psychologist, 218 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:05,400 I'm not a Christian therapist, I'm not a doctor. 219 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:07,440 Therefore, I'm not an expert, 220 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:09,080 but I've been doing a lot of research, 221 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:10,920 I've consulted with several books 222 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:15,520 and helping to present a biblical narrative to you 223 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,760 that I feel is gonna be helpful in life changing. 224 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:21,880 But I'm gonna tell you right now, I'm not an expert at all. 225 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:25,760 So I'm gonna focus primarily throughout this series 226 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:29,040 on the spiritual aspects of mental health. 227 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:30,840 But I also wanna acknowledge 228 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:33,080 that mental health actually is. 229 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:34,720 So what is it, what is mental health? 230 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:37,440 Mental health would include three things. 231 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:41,040 Your emotional, your psychological, 232 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:42,760 and your social well-being. 233 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:45,480 And it's very, very important 234 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:50,240 because our mental health is not actually static. 235 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:52,600 Okay, our mental health typically looks a lot 236 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:56,360 like a roller coaster, meaning you can be really healthy 237 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:59,560 for a little while and then something happens, right? 238 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:03,040 Something changes in your body, you experience a trauma. 239 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:05,840 And suddenly one day you may be really healthy 240 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:10,280 and then at a moment you find yourself in a very bad place. 241 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,640 And your mental health, we have to realize, 242 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:18,640 impacts how you think, which then impacts how you feel, 243 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:21,880 which then impacts how you act. 244 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:23,920 See, your mental health determines 245 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:26,280 how you handle the stress around you, 246 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:29,600 how you relate to people, how you make choices, 247 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:33,160 or how you bounce back from a difficult situation 248 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:35,160 or how you don't bounce back. 249 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:38,960 Your mental health determines how you cope, right? 250 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:41,320 If you go to the wrong sources 251 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:42,920 or the wrong things for comfort 252 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:47,280 or if you make the right choices and become healthy. 253 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:51,360 It might determine even how you choose your friends 254 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:56,120 or the quality or not so quality of your marriage. 255 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:58,620 There are so many misunderstandings 256 00:12:58,620 --> 00:13:00,200 when it comes to mental health 257 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:03,160 and we're gonna build a foundation today 258 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:04,760 and then over the next three weeks 259 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:08,240 we're gonna keep piling on top of it 260 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:10,280 so that at the end of the month 261 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:13,760 we're at a point where we feel we're strong mentally 262 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:16,480 which leads us this morning to most importantly discuss 263 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:19,440 two myths about mental health 264 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:21,360 specifically in the church today. 265 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:24,040 And the first is followers of Jesus 266 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:27,480 shouldn't struggle with mental health. 267 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:29,680 If you're in a relationship with Jesus 268 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:31,000 because you're filled with the Spirit, 269 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:32,520 because you've been saved, 270 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:35,000 you shouldn't battle with anxiety 271 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:36,960 and you really shouldn't be depressed 272 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:38,760 or you shouldn't be burned out 273 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:41,000 and if you do struggle with one of these 274 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:42,080 then it's your fault. 275 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,160 In other words, you don't have enough faith 276 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:47,440 or you're not praying enough 277 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:48,960 or if you are praying enough 278 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:50,960 you're not praying the right prayers 279 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:52,960 or there's some kind of sin in your life 280 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:56,120 that you need to confess and get out of your life. 281 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:58,120 And if you get that sin out of your life 282 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:00,080 then you're not gonna be anxious. 283 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:01,600 You're not gonna be overwhelmed. 284 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:03,360 You're not gonna be burned out 285 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:05,120 or you're not gonna struggle. 286 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:06,920 And what I wanna do is I wanna show you 287 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:09,440 that you can still love Jesus 288 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:11,840 and still fight depression. 289 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:14,080 You can read the Bible every single day. 290 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:17,400 In fact, you can have the longest Bible streak 291 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:19,960 in the U version app if you don't know what that is, 292 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:21,280 the daily refresh. 293 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:23,400 My wife and I get in this competition 294 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:25,280 where we're reading the Bible every day 295 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:27,800 and she made it all the way to 72 straight days 296 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:30,160 and I was like, man, I'm never gonna get there. 297 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:33,080 And then Easter Sunday came and she missed her day. 298 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:35,400 Now she's back to zero and I'm at 23. 299 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:37,240 Woo. 300 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:40,360 So I'm in the lead. 301 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:45,680 But you can do all those things and guess what? 302 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:47,840 Still battle with anxiety. 303 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:51,080 You can have perfect attendance at HCV this year, 304 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:53,880 sit in the front row, worship with your hands up, 305 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:56,400 tithe, serve in the kids wing 306 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:58,840 and still struggle to overcome a trauma. 307 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:00,480 And when you look throughout the Bible, 308 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:02,280 some of the people that I teach about, 309 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:05,440 that I share about, you know, the heroes of the faith, 310 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:07,760 the fathers and the mothers of the faith, 311 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:09,400 with all their faith, 312 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:13,200 they still struggled with mental health. 313 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:16,640 There was this guy named Elijah. 314 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:18,760 I mean, he was the guy. 315 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:19,920 He was him. 316 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:21,240 He was a rock. 317 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:26,240 Seriously, he stood up to 800 false prophets of Baal, 318 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:28,520 calls down the fires of heaven one day, 319 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:31,320 and then shortly after, he's alone depressed 320 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:32,800 and wants to die. 321 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:34,400 Look at 1 Kings 19. 322 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,520 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. 323 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:39,360 He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, 324 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:42,680 and he left his servant there, a mistake, because why? 325 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:45,560 He went on alone into the wilderness traveling all day. 326 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:48,440 He sits down under a solitary broom tree 327 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:51,360 and prays that he might die. 328 00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:52,440 I have had enough, Lord, he said, 329 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:55,880 take my life from no better than my ancestors 330 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:57,040 who have already died. 331 00:15:57,040 --> 00:15:59,640 David, a man after God's own heart, 332 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:03,000 stands down, stares down the giant, defeats him. 333 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,240 Who are you to come against the armies of the living God? 334 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:10,560 Constantly is battling with despair and anxiety, 335 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:14,320 wondering if God walked away from him, Psalm 22. 336 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:17,520 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? 337 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:21,000 Why are you so far away when I've grown for help? 338 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:22,760 Every day I call to you, my God, 339 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:25,200 but you do not answer every night. 340 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,200 I lift my voice, but I find no relief. 341 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:32,320 Jeremiah the prophet constantly was battling loneliness, 342 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:36,640 insecurity, he cursed his own birthday. 343 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:39,240 Look at Jeremiah 20, 14 to 15. 344 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:41,920 Yet I curse the day I was born. 345 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:44,160 May no one celebrate the day of my birth. 346 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:47,000 I curse the messenger who told my father, 347 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:48,600 good news, you have a son. 348 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:53,120 So if you find yourself like so many people today, 349 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:55,480 you're struggling in your mental health 350 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:57,040 and you don't know what to do, 351 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:00,240 the message or answer sometimes in the church is, 352 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:02,440 hey friend, you just need more God. 353 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:05,320 Just you need more of God, go after God. 354 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:08,160 Just you need more. 355 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:10,320 And I came to tell you this morning, 356 00:17:10,320 --> 00:17:12,800 yes, you do need more of God, 357 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:16,520 and maybe you just need a little more sleep, right? 358 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:18,680 Is that so unspiritual? 359 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,040 Maybe you're just tired and you need a few extra hours 360 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,320 to rest. 361 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:26,320 You know, God designed us to be connected. 362 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:29,080 So you might need some better friends. 363 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:33,000 For example, if you're not in a growth group, right, 364 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,560 you are missing out on connection. 365 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:39,280 And there's so many people, they come to our community, 366 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:41,520 oh, you're such a big church and you feel alone 367 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:43,240 and disconnected and you don't have anybody 368 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:45,840 standing with you or praying with you. 369 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:49,360 How in the world do you think you're gonna stand strong 370 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:52,360 against the forces of darkness and temptation 371 00:17:52,360 --> 00:17:55,680 when you don't have friends beside you praying for you? 372 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:58,840 You need to be connected. 373 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:00,560 You know, if you're new to our community of faith, 374 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:02,520 Landshare it, I'm doing Start With Why today. 375 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:05,160 Learn about our church, how to get involved, 376 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:07,680 where we came from, where we are going. 377 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:09,520 Meet with me after this gathering, 378 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:12,760 it'll take you 25 minutes, okay? 379 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:15,360 And then I'll release you to go get some lunch. 380 00:18:15,360 --> 00:18:18,760 But the point is you become connected. 381 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:20,480 And over these next four weeks, 382 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:22,320 we're gonna take a holistic approach 383 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:25,640 and I'm not talking about holistic medicine, 384 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:30,640 I'm talking about our whole body is connected, right? 385 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:32,440 You may be struggling mentally 386 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:34,880 because you need a better diet, right? 387 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:37,400 You may be having emotional problems 388 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:39,520 and you need to go see a doctor 389 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:43,240 because you're having some hormonal changes, right? 390 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:46,360 Some of you, you may need some deep therapy or counseling, 391 00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:48,760 you may need one-on-one prayer ministry. 392 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:50,840 Whatever the case may be, 393 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:54,520 we wanna be a place where healing happens. 394 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:58,720 If you're struggling with things and thinking thoughts like, 395 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:00,800 well, I don't know if I can make it. 396 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:04,760 I feel anxious, I feel depressed, I don't know why. 397 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,160 I'm praying, I'm trying, Chris, I'm going to church, 398 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:10,760 I'm seeking God, but I'm not getting any better. 399 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:12,440 I can't shake it. 400 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:14,280 Look, if you're struggling, 401 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:16,520 it doesn't mean you're not a good person 402 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:18,400 or you're not in a relationship with Jesus. 403 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:19,640 You know what it means? 404 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:20,480 You're human. 405 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:27,080 Jesus told us that we're gonna have trouble in this world 406 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:32,320 and we live in a world that's broken and full of sin. 407 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:34,080 And there's this myth in the church 408 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:35,360 that is followed to Jesus, 409 00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:37,000 you shouldn't struggle with mental health 410 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:41,400 and it's an absolute lie, which leads us to our next myth. 411 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,720 God doesn't care about mental health. 412 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:46,520 God is too busy. 413 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:48,520 He's got bigger problems. 414 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:51,120 Have you seen what's going on in the world today, Chris? 415 00:19:51,120 --> 00:19:54,360 You think God has time to deal with me 416 00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:59,360 trying to navigate my in-laws or my current workplace drama? 417 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:01,280 He doesn't have time for that. 418 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:02,840 But when you look in the Bible, 419 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:04,240 when you look through the scriptures, 420 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:06,080 especially in the Psalms, 421 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:09,360 friends, you're gonna see just how much God cares about 422 00:20:09,360 --> 00:20:12,680 every area of your life. 423 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:14,280 You know, I love reading through the Psalms 424 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:17,720 because the words are so real, right? 425 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:19,080 They're so raw. 426 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:21,000 And I just wanna share a few of them with you. 427 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:22,600 Look at Psalm 27, one, 428 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:25,040 the Lord is my light and my salvation. 429 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:26,880 So why should I fear? 430 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:30,200 The Lord is my fortress protecting me from danger. 431 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:32,160 So why should I tremble? 432 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:37,160 Psalm 34, 18, the Lord is close to the brokenhearted 433 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:42,160 He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. 434 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:45,160 Psalm 46, one, God is our refuge and strength 435 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:48,160 always ready to help in times of trouble. 436 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:51,520 And listen to Jesus's words in Matthew 11. 437 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:54,360 Then Jesus said, come to me, 438 00:20:54,360 --> 00:20:56,880 all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens 439 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,680 and I will give you rest. 440 00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:01,080 Take my yoke upon you. 441 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:04,280 Let me teach you because I'm humble and gentle at heart 442 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:05,920 and you will find rest in me. 443 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:08,480 I'm humble at heart and you will find rest for your souls. 444 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:10,400 For my yoke is ease to the bear 445 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:13,000 and the burden I give you is light. 446 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:15,760 I'm here to say that God cares about you. 447 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:19,520 He loves you and He wants the best for you. 448 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:20,720 You read through the Psalms 449 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:24,120 and you see how much God cares about you 450 00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:28,160 and about everyone that are writing those words. 451 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:32,880 But yet you also see people breaking down mentally, right? 452 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:35,840 There's a lot of Psalms that you want printed 453 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:38,800 on your coffee mug that as you're pouring your cup 454 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:40,480 and you're reading it in the morning, 455 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:42,120 you can quote that verse, 456 00:21:42,120 --> 00:21:43,520 but I wanna share with you one 457 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,080 you don't wanna read every morning. 458 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:49,440 One that shouldn't be printed on a coffee mug. 459 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:54,440 And it's Psalm 88 and it was written by a guy named Heman. 460 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,320 Now for those of you that are my age or a little older, 461 00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:01,000 when I was a kid, there was a cartoon character named He-Man. 462 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:02,480 So right, anybody know about He-Man 463 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:03,640 or She-Ra? 464 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,200 I mean, they're just jacked 465 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:08,240 and they just took down the forces of darkness. 466 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,760 Anyway, that's a rabbit trail. 467 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:13,480 The only reason I mentioned that is because He-Man 468 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:16,120 is spelled just like Haman. 469 00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:17,400 They're just pronounced differently. 470 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:22,080 But in the Bible, Haman is that guy you wanted in your life. 471 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:24,000 Right, he was well-respected. 472 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,040 He was the one that everybody looked up to. 473 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:29,880 I just wanna show you some of the qualities 474 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:31,840 that were represented in this man's life. 475 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:36,280 In 1 Kings 4.31, we learned that Haman had great wisdom. 476 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:39,720 He was very, very wise in the decisions he made. 477 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:43,240 In 1 Chronicles 6.33, we read that he was a talented musician. 478 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:46,960 He was a worship leader in that incredible musical ability. 479 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:50,920 In 1 Chronicles 25, five through six, we learned 480 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:52,600 he had a lot of kids. 481 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:54,320 And not only did he have a lot of kids, 482 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:56,680 but he was committed to parenting them 483 00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:58,800 and raising them right. 484 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:01,800 He was very, very faithful in his service 485 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:02,920 to the King. 486 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:04,280 This was a man of God. 487 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:07,320 He would have been a leader in our church. 488 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:09,720 This would have been a guy that you search out 489 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:12,920 or seek for advice. 490 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:16,600 This is the guy that you want as your father-in-law 491 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:17,440 or your dad. 492 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:19,160 He was a man of God. 493 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:22,520 And now I wanna show you what he writes or says 494 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,600 in Psalm 88, and it's a spoiler alert. 495 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:29,680 This is one of only two Psalms in all the Psalms 496 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:32,600 that don't have a positive ending. 497 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:35,440 See, a lot of times when you read the songs, 498 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:37,800 people are crying out, they're complaining, 499 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:41,200 and then they turn and they say, but God is faithful. 500 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:44,800 But this man of God, he's brutally honest. 501 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:48,760 And I believe that God desires the same for you and me, 502 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:51,880 which leads us to our next truth before I read Psalm 88. 503 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:55,440 God desires honesty from his followers. 504 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:58,400 God desires that we talk to him, that we share with him, 505 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,720 that we cry out to him and listen to Haman's words, 506 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:03,680 Psalm 88. 507 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:08,160 For my life is full of troubles and death draws near. 508 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:10,780 I am as good as dead like a strong man 509 00:24:10,780 --> 00:24:12,900 with no strength left. 510 00:24:12,900 --> 00:24:14,440 They have left me among the dead 511 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:16,720 and I lie like a corpse in a grave. 512 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:21,200 I am forgotten, cut off from your care. 513 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,320 And then we're gonna see something 514 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:24,840 that he actually gets right. 515 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:26,680 And this is the very same thing 516 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,080 that you are getting right today. 517 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:33,040 Because if you're here and you're struggling with darkness, 518 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:37,340 some sort of medical struggle or mental issues, 519 00:24:37,340 --> 00:24:39,920 or you're watching online, right, 520 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:42,240 Haman continues to turn to God. 521 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:46,960 And if you're here today and you're struggling mentally, 522 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:49,840 continue to turn to God. 523 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:51,620 Continue to search for him 524 00:24:51,620 --> 00:24:54,280 because you've shown up for church, right, 525 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:58,320 and you're being a part of his spirit moving amongst us. 526 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:02,480 So he goes on to say that he's buried 527 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:06,720 in the middle of darkness and then he writes these words. 528 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:08,800 Oh Lord, I cry out to you. 529 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:11,440 I will keep on pleading day by day. 530 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:13,160 Notice he's committed. 531 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,320 Oh Lord, why do you reject me? 532 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:17,680 Why do you turn your face from me? 533 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:20,800 And then the last verse we read in Psalm 88 534 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:22,880 can sound so defeating. 535 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:26,440 You have taken away my companions and loved ones. 536 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:30,960 Darkness is my closest friend. 537 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:36,400 Darkness is my closest friend. 538 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:38,640 I mean, this guy loved God. 539 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:40,780 He was a man of God. 540 00:25:40,780 --> 00:25:43,880 And here we're reading in the Bible, in the Psalms, 541 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:47,760 we read these words with no positive ending. 542 00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:49,500 And it literally shows me 543 00:25:49,500 --> 00:25:53,020 that God is not afraid of our honesty. 544 00:25:53,020 --> 00:25:55,560 God wants us to cry out to him. 545 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:58,700 He cares that you may love him 546 00:25:58,700 --> 00:26:00,920 and desire to be connected with him. 547 00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:03,100 And he wants you to question him. 548 00:26:04,380 --> 00:26:06,280 Because as we release these struggles, 549 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:09,080 as we release our problems, 550 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:12,220 that's when he can come in and bring about change. 551 00:26:12,220 --> 00:26:15,540 Because when we're hurting, he cares. 552 00:26:15,540 --> 00:26:20,340 And Haman wrote, darkness is my closest friend. 553 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:24,120 And if I'm gonna be real honest with you as your pastor, 554 00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:26,360 you know, I have weeks that I feel that way. 555 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:31,180 I have weeks where I feel like darkness is surrounding me, 556 00:26:31,180 --> 00:26:33,840 but I still show up every Sunday and share. 557 00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:35,640 Every Tuesday, I lead staff meetings. 558 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:37,880 And throughout the week, I'm encouraging you, 559 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:38,900 my community of faith, 560 00:26:38,900 --> 00:26:41,380 to grow in your relationship with Jesus. 561 00:26:41,380 --> 00:26:45,140 But there are Mondays that I feel like resigning, 562 00:26:45,140 --> 00:26:48,000 that I feel like, man, I can't do this anymore. 563 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:49,120 It's so overwhelming. 564 00:26:49,120 --> 00:26:50,960 For example, last week, 565 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:54,240 after a busy Easter weekend of serving 566 00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:57,880 and sharing and praying, I was exhausted. 567 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:00,900 Just simply exhausted. 568 00:27:00,900 --> 00:27:04,640 And in my exhaustion, in my mental fatigue 569 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:06,360 of trying to figure out, 570 00:27:06,360 --> 00:27:09,180 how do I create more parking spaces? 571 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:13,840 How do I reach more people? 572 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:16,440 How do I serve the broken hearted and the defeated? 573 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:18,120 How do I add more gatherings? 574 00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:19,960 How do I start satellites? 575 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:22,680 How do I do this, do that? 576 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:26,680 There were a few days where I said to myself, 577 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:27,880 I can't do this. 578 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:29,920 I'm not enough. 579 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,200 I need help, God. 580 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:35,120 Give me wisdom. 581 00:27:35,120 --> 00:27:38,680 Give me the steps to move forward. 582 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:43,080 So I know if I feel that way, 583 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:46,240 that there's many of you that feel the same way. 584 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:47,860 Life can be overwhelming. 585 00:27:48,740 --> 00:27:53,060 But it's time we get real and honest with God, 586 00:27:53,060 --> 00:27:54,960 which leads us to our action steps. 587 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:59,920 And listen, I believe and felt that God gave me 588 00:27:59,920 --> 00:28:03,740 these three simple steps to encourage you 589 00:28:03,740 --> 00:28:07,360 if you're struggling in your mental health today. 590 00:28:07,360 --> 00:28:09,520 Because I know my wife shared with me last week, 591 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:12,340 it's no surprise you're feeling that way, Chris, 592 00:28:12,340 --> 00:28:15,520 considering what we're discussing over the next month, 593 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:16,900 which leads us to our first step. 594 00:28:16,900 --> 00:28:19,020 Listen, you gotta seek help. 595 00:28:20,120 --> 00:28:23,200 You've got to seek help if you're struggling 596 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:25,900 in some mental capacity. 597 00:28:25,900 --> 00:28:29,520 Matthew 22 verse 37, Jesus replied, 598 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:34,120 you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, 599 00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:37,760 all your soul, and all your mind. 600 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:40,360 And many of us know this is the first 601 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:42,400 and greatest commandment. 602 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:47,280 So ask yourself this morning as you're sitting in your chair, 603 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:50,400 are you loving God with all your heart? 604 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:56,080 Are you loving God with all your soul? 605 00:28:57,740 --> 00:29:02,740 Are you loving God with all your mind? 606 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:05,440 And you know, as I was reading that this week, 607 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:08,600 I found it interesting, and I began to even ask God, 608 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:11,360 how do I love you God with all my mind? 609 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:15,240 Because here's the truth about our minds. 610 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,700 Your life is always moving in the direction 611 00:29:18,700 --> 00:29:20,000 of your strongest thoughts. 612 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:23,920 Your life is headed in the direction 613 00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:25,620 of your strongest thoughts. 614 00:29:25,620 --> 00:29:29,320 And see, our brains, they're actually built over time, 615 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:33,360 and it starts at birth, and then it starts to evolve. 616 00:29:33,360 --> 00:29:35,080 And what happens in the brain, 617 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:37,380 it makes all these connections, 618 00:29:37,380 --> 00:29:39,400 all these connections, connections, connections. 619 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:41,000 For those of you that know Jimmy Neutron, 620 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,860 think Jimmy Neutron, you know, this big, just, 621 00:29:43,860 --> 00:29:47,280 all these connections, simple connections 622 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:49,720 that are called neural pathways. 623 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:52,140 And for the first few years of your life, 624 00:29:52,140 --> 00:29:56,440 up to about age four, how many neural pathways 625 00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:59,320 is your brain making? 626 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:02,440 Well, up to age four, from the start of birth, 627 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:05,640 you have about one million or so connections 628 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:09,720 every single second, every second, 629 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:13,560 until your four, or through your four-year-old birthday, 630 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:18,000 your brain is making connections every second, 631 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,200 a million times every second. 632 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:22,060 And when I read that and learned that this week, 633 00:30:22,060 --> 00:30:27,060 I said, oh my gosh, now I know why Phoenix is who he is. 634 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:30,400 Right? 635 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:32,240 He never slows down. 636 00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:34,000 It's always to this thing, and that thing, 637 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:36,400 I need a truck, I need a car, I need a motorcycle, 638 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:38,760 I need to play ball, I need to sleep. 639 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:41,640 No, I don't wanna sleep, I need to watch a show. 640 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:43,320 Right, it's just all these connections, 641 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:45,400 and he's flying everywhere. 642 00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:49,460 Whoa, I also learned, and I wanna give you some news, 643 00:30:49,460 --> 00:30:51,560 don't have a four-year-old when you're 51. 644 00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:55,840 It's exhausting. 645 00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:56,680 Whew. 646 00:30:57,740 --> 00:31:00,280 So then, so you know Phoenix, he's flying around, 647 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:02,280 million connections every second. 648 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:05,800 Then after a while, your brain starts to learn, 649 00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:07,740 and the connections are simplified 650 00:31:07,740 --> 00:31:10,000 through a process called pruning. 651 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:12,800 And what happens is your brain gets more efficient, 652 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:15,480 and it starts to think in patterns. 653 00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:18,560 In other words, once you think a thought, 654 00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:21,520 it's easier to think that thought again. 655 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:23,500 It's like a mental rut or a pathway 656 00:31:23,500 --> 00:31:26,080 that's easier to continue with those thoughts. 657 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:30,280 And that's good news if your thoughts are healthy. 658 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:35,280 But it's really bad news if your thoughts aren't. 659 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:38,880 So if your body is not healthy, what do you do? 660 00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:41,700 You go to a doctor, right? 661 00:31:41,700 --> 00:31:44,840 You might change your diet, you might start to exercise, 662 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:47,240 you might get treatment on that area 663 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:49,000 of your body that's unhealthy. 664 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:53,080 So if your mind is unhealthy, what should you do? 665 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:55,000 You might go see a doctor. 666 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,460 You might schedule a time with a therapist. 667 00:31:57,460 --> 00:32:00,360 You might go to the great physician 668 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:03,680 who helps to renew your mind. 669 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:07,960 And if you're anything like me, my mind never shuts down. 670 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:09,800 Right, I'm always thinking, I'm always reading, 671 00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:12,160 I'm trying to understand something. 672 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:13,820 There's nights where I'm up all night 673 00:32:13,820 --> 00:32:17,960 because my brain just won't shut down, right? 674 00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:21,120 I had ADD or ADHD, whatever it is, 675 00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:24,400 before it was even known to be ADD, right? 676 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:26,400 Back when I was a kid in school, it was just, 677 00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:28,040 he's the special child. 678 00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:32,280 Special. 679 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:34,700 Put him out in the hallway, he's special. 680 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:40,640 Now you know who's pastoring you, 681 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:42,640 so if you wanna leave now, I understand. 682 00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:47,360 But see, my mind, what happens with my mind, 683 00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:51,560 my mind gets stuck in this rut of church, church, church, 684 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:54,000 church, and some of you are like, 685 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:55,440 well, Chris, that sounds spiritual, 686 00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:56,280 what's wrong with that? 687 00:32:56,280 --> 00:33:00,200 I just realized that's church, that's not God. 688 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:03,280 And there's a difference, it's church. 689 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:06,680 So my mind is constantly thinking work, work, work, work, 690 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:11,680 work, work, and we have to disconnect our mind 691 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:14,880 and then connect it to God. 692 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:16,240 And that's why it's so important 693 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:19,120 that we recognize where we are and we seek help. 694 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:22,200 And then our next step, then we focus on Jesus. 695 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:26,000 We disconnect from work, work, work, work, right? 696 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:28,600 Whatever it may be that's bringing you down 697 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:32,400 and then you focus on Jesus, I love Isaiah 26, three. 698 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:37,200 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, 699 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:41,720 all whose thoughts are fixed on you. 700 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:44,880 You'll be in perfect peace. 701 00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:48,160 Notice what it says, it's not occasional peace. 702 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:50,440 It's not when everything's gonna be 703 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:52,800 the way you want it to be, right? 704 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:55,340 It's not momentary peace when you feel good 705 00:33:55,340 --> 00:33:57,920 about that moment or circumstantial peace. 706 00:33:57,920 --> 00:33:59,320 What is it? 707 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:02,160 It's perfect peace. 708 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:03,240 And what is perfect peace? 709 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:04,280 Well, in the Hebrew language, 710 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:08,240 perfect peace is actually a translation from shalom. 711 00:34:09,140 --> 00:34:13,120 And two times shalom is written in the original text. 712 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:15,180 Shalom, of course, means peace, 713 00:34:15,180 --> 00:34:19,120 but the author doesn't say shalom one time, keeping peace. 714 00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:22,480 He says shalom, shalom, perfect peace. 715 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:25,400 And any time you see a word repeated in Hebrew, 716 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:28,280 it means it's incredible emphasis. 717 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:30,360 So the author is telling us, 718 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:32,600 you will experience shalom, shalom, 719 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:35,600 you'll experience perfect peace when, 720 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:38,680 when your thoughts are fixed on CNN news. 721 00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:41,060 Oh, sorry, wrong party, on Fox News. 722 00:34:43,200 --> 00:34:46,240 You will be perfect peace when you're just scrolling 723 00:34:46,240 --> 00:34:47,680 through your phone every day. 724 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:52,040 You'll have perfect peace when you're focused on your work 725 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:57,040 or you're giving your money to the right stock. 726 00:34:57,600 --> 00:34:59,600 No, they're all wrong. 727 00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:03,520 You'll keep in perfect peace when your thoughts are on who? 728 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:04,440 Jesus. 729 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:09,080 And the Hebrew word translated as fixed, 730 00:35:09,080 --> 00:35:14,080 keep your thoughts fixed, right, is the word shamak. 731 00:35:14,240 --> 00:35:17,040 And this word actually means to prop. 732 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:21,160 It means when you rest the full weight of an object on it. 733 00:35:21,160 --> 00:35:25,760 So when you rest the full weight of your thoughts, right, 734 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:27,520 and everything happening in your mind, 735 00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:30,500 when you rest it onto God, 736 00:35:30,500 --> 00:35:33,720 then suddenly you'll experience perfect peace. 737 00:35:33,720 --> 00:35:36,600 But if you're like so many people right now, 738 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:38,240 you're not doing great. 739 00:35:38,240 --> 00:35:40,680 There's tension, there's heaviness. 740 00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:44,320 You know, people are worried about all kinds of stuff. 741 00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:46,760 You know, there's Russia, there's China, 742 00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:49,520 there's the election, there's parties, 743 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:52,960 there's finger pointing, right? 744 00:35:52,960 --> 00:35:54,640 You don't like your job. 745 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:56,840 You don't really like the people around you. 746 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:02,320 I wasn't talking about here. 747 00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:03,160 No. 748 00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:06,000 Jesus. 749 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:08,320 Look at your neighbor and say, I love you. 750 00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:09,160 Thank you. 751 00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:12,560 Now look at the neighbor you ignored 752 00:36:12,560 --> 00:36:14,920 and really don't like and say, I love you too. 753 00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:17,200 Woo. 754 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:19,880 See, we just fixed those problems right away. 755 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:26,600 If we don't fix our thoughts on what is helpful, 756 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:28,640 if we don't fix our thoughts on God 757 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:30,840 and on Jesus, on the Holy Spirit, 758 00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:32,280 then you know what happens? 759 00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:37,040 We start to create these neural pathways that are unhealthy. 760 00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:40,600 But if we fix our thoughts on God, 761 00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:43,360 on Jesus, when we learn about who he was and what he did 762 00:36:43,360 --> 00:36:44,960 and how much he loves us, 763 00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:48,160 then those same positive neural pathways 764 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:51,120 are being created for us to change. 765 00:36:52,280 --> 00:36:55,520 Scripture says that we renew our mind. 766 00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:59,120 Do not be conformed to what everybody else is doing. 767 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:01,880 Who cares what everybody else does, right? 768 00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:04,760 Don't get caught up in the craziness or the toxicity 769 00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:07,800 or the hatefulness, the bitterness or the negativity. 770 00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:08,640 Just walk away. 771 00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:11,920 Just separate yourself. 772 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:15,160 I mean, Romans 12 says, don't copy 773 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:17,000 the behavior and customs of this world, 774 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:20,600 but let God transform you into a new person 775 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:22,960 by changing the way you think. 776 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:24,640 Then you will learn to know God's will for you, 777 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:29,240 which is good and pleasing and perfect, right? 778 00:37:29,240 --> 00:37:32,920 So I disconnect my mind from the negativity 779 00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:36,280 and I focus on Jesus. 780 00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:40,120 And then he begins to supernaturally change my outlook, 781 00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:43,760 my thoughts and the patterns that are in my brain 782 00:37:43,760 --> 00:37:46,680 so that I'm focusing on the positive, 783 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:49,320 which leads us to our final step, right? 784 00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:51,880 We seek help, we focus on Jesus, 785 00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:54,720 and we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. 786 00:37:54,720 --> 00:37:56,600 It's God's power. 787 00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:57,960 It's his divine power. 788 00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:01,120 It's not me because I know in my own strength, 789 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:02,640 I'm ready to give up. 790 00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:03,640 I'm ready to resign. 791 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:04,720 It's his power. 792 00:38:04,720 --> 00:38:06,520 It's not my power. 793 00:38:06,520 --> 00:38:09,080 It's his power and he has given us everything, 794 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:10,840 not just part of it, 795 00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:14,760 but everything we need for a godly life, 796 00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:16,400 Jesus has given us. 797 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:19,920 And then Jesus writes this in John chapter 14 verse 27. 798 00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:23,400 I am leaving you with a gift, 799 00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:25,320 peace of mind and heart, 800 00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:28,520 and the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give, 801 00:38:28,520 --> 00:38:31,760 so don't be troubled or afraid. 802 00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:33,720 Now I want you to think about this. 803 00:38:33,720 --> 00:38:38,720 Jesus shared with us those words in John chapter 14 804 00:38:38,720 --> 00:38:42,360 and that is the night before his suffering began. 805 00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:48,000 The night before he faced the worst physical agony possible, 806 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:53,000 right, he shows us that perhaps real peace, 807 00:38:53,240 --> 00:38:55,800 perfect peace, right, 808 00:38:56,720 --> 00:38:59,640 isn't found in the absence of problems. 809 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:05,520 Real peace is found in the presence of God. 810 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:07,680 Remember, it's shalom shalom. 811 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:09,880 It's peace even when there's bad news. 812 00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:11,680 It's peace when you lose your job. 813 00:39:11,680 --> 00:39:13,720 It's peace when your marriage is struggling. 814 00:39:13,720 --> 00:39:16,520 It's peace when your kids are making unwise decisions. 815 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:18,720 It's peace when others are hurting you. 816 00:39:18,720 --> 00:39:20,760 It's peace when money is tight. 817 00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:22,520 It's shalom shalom. 818 00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:25,280 It is peace from God and we just learned 819 00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:29,360 the world can't give it and the world can't what? 820 00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:30,200 Take it away. 821 00:39:31,280 --> 00:39:34,240 And see friends, God has not given us a spirit of fear, 822 00:39:34,240 --> 00:39:39,240 but a spirit of power, love and self-control 823 00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:41,480 or a sound mind. 824 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:47,480 And may the God of peace sanctify you through and through. 825 00:39:47,720 --> 00:39:49,600 He cares for you. 826 00:39:49,600 --> 00:39:51,560 He loves you. 827 00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:56,560 He's faithful and he is here this morning. 828 00:39:56,560 --> 00:40:04,560 The King of Glory is here, come and behold. 829 00:40:04,560 --> 00:40:27,560 The King of Glory is here.