WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.440 So we begin a new summer collection as a community. 00:00:04.860 --> 00:00:07.799 It goes from June through July. And one of the 00:00:07.799 --> 00:00:09.640 things that we're going to do this year that's 00:00:09.640 --> 00:00:11.640 different than we've ever done, we are going 00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:14.619 to put in -person communicators at all of our 00:00:14.619 --> 00:00:18.000 gatherings in Prescott and Prescott Valley. And 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:20.239 so what that means and what that looks like is 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:23.160 if you're here, you're like, well, don't we always? 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:25.839 Well, yeah, but Prescott Valley 930 is going 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:28.480 to feel it the most. because they'll have whoever 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:31.719 did Saturday night will stay and do Sunday morning. 00:00:31.960 --> 00:00:34.859 And so it's this rhythm that we're trying. One 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:37.479 of the reasons behind it to celebrate is raising 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:40.119 up other communicators, raising up gifts that 00:00:40.119 --> 00:00:42.759 we see within the church. So the way it's going 00:00:42.759 --> 00:00:44.740 to work is we'll be in a book study together. 00:00:45.240 --> 00:00:48.200 We'll have the same passage at both locations. 00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:51.990 We'll have the same main thought. But the outline 00:00:51.990 --> 00:00:54.369 and how that person gets there, it's just them 00:00:54.369 --> 00:00:57.070 to develop as communicators, them to develop 00:00:57.070 --> 00:01:00.009 gifting. And so it'll be different in both. So 00:01:00.009 --> 00:01:02.689 if you've got friends that you happen to be here 00:01:02.689 --> 00:01:04.890 and they happen to be there and you guys get 00:01:04.890 --> 00:01:08.269 together during the week, you may go, hey, my 00:01:08.269 --> 00:01:11.650 guy didn't say that. That's okay. That's a good 00:01:11.650 --> 00:01:13.829 thing, right? Like that's a celebration because 00:01:13.829 --> 00:01:17.030 we're leaning into God speaks differently through 00:01:17.030 --> 00:01:18.790 different people. And we get to hear different 00:01:18.790 --> 00:01:20.969 voices. I'm excited for all the voices we get 00:01:20.969 --> 00:01:24.629 to hear over that time and how it impacts our 00:01:24.629 --> 00:01:26.590 lives and what God does with it. So that's going 00:01:26.590 --> 00:01:28.609 on. That's a celebration. Like I said, it goes 00:01:28.609 --> 00:01:32.969 through June, through July. And so if you happen 00:01:32.969 --> 00:01:35.049 to feel like, well, this feels a little different, 00:01:35.129 --> 00:01:37.469 that's what's going on through that time. Now, 00:01:37.469 --> 00:01:40.569 we are wrapping up today a collection of talks 00:01:40.569 --> 00:01:45.329 specifically around this idea that we live in 00:01:45.329 --> 00:01:49.230 a culture. that screams for you to do more, that 00:01:49.230 --> 00:01:52.989 screams for you to run faster, that pushes you 00:01:52.989 --> 00:01:55.230 to attain, that if you're not moving forwards, 00:01:55.370 --> 00:01:57.569 you're falling backwards, right? Like you're 00:01:57.569 --> 00:02:00.049 falling behind. And so the idea that we keep 00:02:00.049 --> 00:02:03.629 going and we keep pressing and that we keep moving, 00:02:03.629 --> 00:02:06.879 even at the expense sometimes of health. There's 00:02:06.879 --> 00:02:09.639 this reality that the culture around us is gearing 00:02:09.639 --> 00:02:11.819 us to push beyond our limits. And so we reached 00:02:11.819 --> 00:02:15.159 the last week, this week of where is your limit? 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:17.219 Now, some of you, you're like, yes, we finally, 00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:19.419 I don't like this conversation. Some of you have 00:02:19.419 --> 00:02:21.259 told me, feels like I'm stepping on your toes 00:02:21.259 --> 00:02:23.599 every week. Not sure that's me. It's probably 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:25.099 something in your life that you're going, oh, 00:02:25.199 --> 00:02:28.120 this resonates, right? But the idea of limits, 00:02:28.259 --> 00:02:29.740 I don't know about you. I don't like talking 00:02:29.740 --> 00:02:32.000 about my limits. I don't like admitting I have 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:36.900 limits. Like, I just don't enjoy that. But what 00:02:36.900 --> 00:02:40.460 if the answer to our conversation around limits 00:02:40.460 --> 00:02:46.599 and what if the answer to pushing ahead is actually, 00:02:46.659 --> 00:02:48.960 the answer to that is actually as old as creation 00:02:48.960 --> 00:02:52.879 itself? What if we've been missing something 00:02:52.879 --> 00:02:57.180 the whole time? What if the answer has been in 00:02:57.180 --> 00:03:00.740 front of us from the very start and we've just 00:03:00.740 --> 00:03:02.520 been oblivious to it because we're surrounded 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:07.409 by the noise of our culture? Maybe this way. 00:03:07.449 --> 00:03:12.169 Can you imagine a day when you wake up with no 00:03:12.169 --> 00:03:16.650 alarm clock? You don't set an alarm. You got 00:03:16.650 --> 00:03:18.810 nowhere to be. Some of you are like, I'm retired. 00:03:19.009 --> 00:03:21.930 I do that every day. We all hate you. It's okay. 00:03:23.289 --> 00:03:27.830 Just kidding. You earned it. But can you imagine 00:03:27.830 --> 00:03:30.569 you don't set an alarm clock and you wake up 00:03:30.569 --> 00:03:36.099 and you got nowhere to be? You decide, like, 00:03:36.139 --> 00:03:38.199 you get out of bed and you're like, oh, I feel 00:03:38.199 --> 00:03:40.639 like I'm just going to make my favorite beverage 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:44.460 that I can make at home. Hopefully it's coffee 00:03:44.460 --> 00:03:46.780 and not something else at that time in the morning. 00:03:48.460 --> 00:03:51.580 But you make a hot drink and the steam and the 00:03:51.580 --> 00:03:55.620 smell, the aroma, it's just good. And you already 00:03:55.620 --> 00:03:57.159 know it's going to taste good because it's the 00:03:57.159 --> 00:04:00.520 one you make and it's your favorite. And then 00:04:00.520 --> 00:04:03.599 you go to sit down and maybe. Maybe you go outside 00:04:03.599 --> 00:04:06.400 and the birds are chirping and the sun's kind 00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:11.120 of coming up, but it's not hot yet. And you sit 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:13.900 down and maybe you take your Bible with you. 00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:16.319 Maybe you take a book with you. Maybe you just 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:19.519 sit and journal. Maybe you're just aware that 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:24.560 God is present. And you enjoy your cup of coffee 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:27.420 and you enjoy just time and your thoughts with 00:04:27.420 --> 00:04:33.160 no rush. And then... You decide it's going to 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:35.220 be a beach day. Now, my wife was here last night, 00:04:35.319 --> 00:04:37.019 and she goes, don't do a beach day. Nobody can 00:04:37.019 --> 00:04:39.420 go to the beach. I don't care. It's a beach day, 00:04:39.500 --> 00:04:42.319 okay? Put a lake in there if that's what you 00:04:42.319 --> 00:04:46.199 need to do. So it's a beach day. So you get your 00:04:46.199 --> 00:04:48.139 family, your friends, whoever's going to go with 00:04:48.139 --> 00:04:51.420 you, and you decide it's a beach day. We're going 00:04:51.420 --> 00:04:53.160 to go. So you pack everything up. You get in 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:55.720 the car. You get down there, and you find a parking 00:04:55.720 --> 00:04:58.100 space because the hand of God is on you that 00:04:58.100 --> 00:05:01.100 day, you know? And so now you get your parking 00:05:01.100 --> 00:05:05.160 space and you decide, before we go to the beach, 00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:07.000 let's walk across the road. We're going to go 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:10.100 to this donut shop. But this donut shop, it's 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:14.100 not like those little wimpy like. One frosting 00:05:14.100 --> 00:05:16.639 donuts. I mean, it's a donut shop, right? Like 00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:19.360 where you get it and it's a whole meal in itself 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:22.279 because they're trying to like blend all these 00:05:22.279 --> 00:05:25.319 things of flavors and really all they're doing 00:05:25.319 --> 00:05:28.040 is putting more sugar, right? So you get your 00:05:28.040 --> 00:05:30.339 donut and you get your coffee to go with it. 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:32.860 Now you're wandering down to the beach together. 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:35.480 You find your spot, you get your blanket out 00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:37.879 and you sit down and you just begin to enjoy 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:41.980 sugar, right? And you get such a sugar high that 00:05:41.980 --> 00:05:43.660 maybe you take your first nap of the day. Who 00:05:43.660 --> 00:05:48.040 knows? But then you're like, okay, let's go for 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:50.060 a walk. And you walk along the beach, and again, 00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:53.459 you can hear just the waves and begin to feel 00:05:53.459 --> 00:05:56.980 the salt coming off of the ocean. And you look 00:05:56.980 --> 00:06:00.620 out, and it's just big and vast, right? And you're 00:06:00.620 --> 00:06:03.199 walking along, and you see the little creatures 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:05.519 hiding as you're going along and disappearing. 00:06:07.339 --> 00:06:10.379 As you walk, you just talk with whoever you're 00:06:10.379 --> 00:06:13.800 with. And you come back and you sit down for 00:06:13.800 --> 00:06:16.300 a little while. Maybe you read for a little bit. 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:19.399 But then it's like, I'm hungry again because 00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:22.680 the sugar wore off. Let's go get lunch. And so 00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:25.959 you go to this burger place. It's like a hole 00:06:25.959 --> 00:06:27.660 in the wall that nobody really knows about, but 00:06:27.660 --> 00:06:31.180 you know it's the best burgers. And you go and 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:34.220 walk up window, you get it to go and you walk 00:06:34.220 --> 00:06:36.360 back down and you sit again where you can see 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:38.879 the ocean. You're sitting, having a meal with 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:40.879 people you love and you take your first bite 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:42.980 of the burger and it's so good, it's one of those 00:06:42.980 --> 00:06:46.699 that the grease just runs down your face. And 00:06:46.699 --> 00:06:48.899 you're like, ah, there's something right with 00:06:48.899 --> 00:06:53.399 the world. And you just enjoy good food and people 00:06:53.399 --> 00:06:58.579 and creation. And then... Then you're like really 00:06:58.579 --> 00:07:00.399 ready for a nap, right? So you go back to your 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:01.899 blanket and you're like, I'm out for a little 00:07:01.899 --> 00:07:05.459 bit or your towel or whatever. And maybe that's 00:07:05.459 --> 00:07:07.459 not you. Maybe you're a reader. And so you begin 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:10.279 to read the book that you brought with you. And 00:07:10.279 --> 00:07:12.319 maybe it's serious and maybe it's just whimsical 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:16.399 and fun. And then you get up and you play. Maybe 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:19.019 it's volleyball or you're throwing frisbees or 00:07:19.019 --> 00:07:21.459 you're flying a kite or whatever your deal is. 00:07:21.500 --> 00:07:23.079 Nobody goes in the ocean on the West Coast. It's 00:07:23.079 --> 00:07:26.410 too cold unless that's you. But maybe you surf, 00:07:26.509 --> 00:07:30.529 body surf a little bit. And it's just so good 00:07:30.529 --> 00:07:32.170 that like by the end of the day, you know when 00:07:32.170 --> 00:07:34.269 you get that beach hair and it's like you didn't 00:07:34.269 --> 00:07:38.589 do anything, but it's just good, right? And then 00:07:38.589 --> 00:07:43.170 you can feel the sun soaked into your skin and 00:07:43.170 --> 00:07:48.110 you can feel the salt. And you're that good kind 00:07:48.110 --> 00:07:51.230 of tired and you get back in the car and you 00:07:51.230 --> 00:07:55.310 start to head home and you go. We got to do that 00:07:55.310 --> 00:07:59.290 tonight. And you get to the house and you get 00:07:59.290 --> 00:08:02.209 out the cast iron. It's pizookie time. You know 00:08:02.209 --> 00:08:05.550 what I mean? And so you make homemade pizookie 00:08:05.550 --> 00:08:07.509 and you pack it with ice cream, but it's big 00:08:07.509 --> 00:08:10.250 enough in the cast iron that everyone sits around 00:08:10.250 --> 00:08:12.709 it and bites out of it, you know, and you just 00:08:12.709 --> 00:08:15.329 talk about your day and how good it was. And 00:08:15.329 --> 00:08:18.029 can you imagine? Can you imagine? It's the best 00:08:18.029 --> 00:08:22.279 day ever. Can you imagine if there's a command 00:08:22.279 --> 00:08:24.800 in the Bible to have the best day ever once a 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:30.060 week? That God ordains that you should have the 00:08:30.060 --> 00:08:34.120 best day ever once a week. Like, that's the religion 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:35.899 I'm in on. I don't know about you. I'm like, 00:08:35.940 --> 00:08:40.799 yes. Where do I sign up? Like, it's amazing that 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:45.039 God did. The command is in the Bible. And somewhere 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:47.879 along the way, and Mark, it's interesting. Mark. 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:51.120 He captures the story of the life of Jesus. And 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:53.620 in Mark, he captures one particular part where 00:08:53.620 --> 00:08:55.720 there's a group of people who are mad about the 00:08:55.720 --> 00:08:59.000 best day ever. Because what's happening is Jesus 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:00.799 is going along enjoying the best day ever with 00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:04.639 his friends, his closest friends, and they decide 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:06.200 that they're hungry. So they're walking through 00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:08.080 a wheat field. They begin to do this with the 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:10.899 wheat and start to eat it. And there's a group 00:09:10.899 --> 00:09:13.539 of people who are really mad at it. You can't 00:09:13.539 --> 00:09:16.740 do that on the best day ever. And so they're 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:21.490 all worked up. And Jesus says this, verse 27. 00:09:22.169 --> 00:09:25.090 Then he said to them, Jesus said to them, the 00:09:25.090 --> 00:09:27.909 Sabbath, catch this, the Sabbath, the best day 00:09:27.909 --> 00:09:37.669 ever, the Sabbath was made for man. The Sabbath 00:09:37.669 --> 00:09:42.909 was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. If 00:09:42.909 --> 00:09:44.730 you're taking notes, here's your note. Sabbath 00:09:44.730 --> 00:09:48.559 is a gift from God to you. Sabbath is a gift. 00:09:49.139 --> 00:09:52.200 Sabbath is this beautiful gift that God has wrapped 00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:57.279 up once a week into a commandment that he goes, 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:02.240 here, it's a gift. It's the best way to be human. 00:10:03.059 --> 00:10:05.620 Right? Like he hands it to them. And here's where 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:06.740 it gets weird. If you've been around church, 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:10.440 this whole conversation gets really weird. There's 00:10:10.440 --> 00:10:12.159 people that are like really legalistic about 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:14.080 it. You can do this. You can't do this. You can't 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:15.820 do this. It has to be on this day. It has to 00:10:15.820 --> 00:10:17.980 be for this many hours. And that's the back part 00:10:17.980 --> 00:10:22.059 of what Jesus is talking about. You, you weren't 00:10:22.059 --> 00:10:25.600 made for Sabbath. Sabbath was made for you. It's 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:28.799 a gift. So if you're already caught up in how 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:30.779 many hours is it and when do I do it and what 00:10:30.779 --> 00:10:32.379 does it look like and what can I do and what 00:10:32.379 --> 00:10:35.080 can't I, you already missed the point. The point 00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:37.539 is that God knows how you were made and he goes, 00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:41.779 hey, I got a gift for you. And it's as old as 00:10:41.779 --> 00:10:44.480 creation itself. If you go all the way back to 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:46.720 Genesis, I think one of the things that surprised 00:10:46.720 --> 00:10:50.460 me in this collection is that when we're talking 00:10:50.460 --> 00:10:53.100 about limits and being exhausted and being overextended 00:10:53.100 --> 00:10:55.200 and taking on more and more and continuing to 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:58.379 add, What I've been surprised by is how many 00:10:58.379 --> 00:11:01.000 answers are in the first two chapters of the 00:11:01.000 --> 00:11:06.700 entire book. We get lost inside of all the details, 00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:10.759 and God goes, it's actually really simple. You 00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:12.659 see what happens in the first two chapters of 00:11:12.659 --> 00:11:16.559 the book? God, through Jesus, there's this word 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:20.240 called redeemed. He is buying back. What's he 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:22.799 buying you back to? His original intent for you. 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:25.259 Where do we find that? Genesis 1 and Genesis 00:11:25.259 --> 00:11:29.039 2. That was the original intent of humanity in 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:32.539 God. And in Jesus, he's buying it back. And in 00:11:32.539 --> 00:11:34.679 the process of buying it back, everything is 00:11:34.679 --> 00:11:37.840 available to you as a follower of Jesus for all 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:41.019 of eternity. And so when you get to this point, 00:11:41.179 --> 00:11:45.740 right, this is available to us today. Verse one, 00:11:46.419 --> 00:11:49.940 thus the heavens and the earth were completed 00:11:49.940 --> 00:11:53.100 in all their vast array. By the seventh day, 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:55.440 God had finished the work he had been doing. 00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:59.580 So on the seventh day, he rested from all his 00:11:59.580 --> 00:12:02.860 work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made 00:12:02.860 --> 00:12:06.759 it holy because on it, he rested from all the 00:12:06.759 --> 00:12:12.120 work of creating that he had done. Okay, day 00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:16.080 six, humans are created. They go to sleep. What 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:19.980 do they wake up to day seven? God is just like, 00:12:20.059 --> 00:12:26.340 right? They wake up to God resting. The picture 00:12:26.340 --> 00:12:30.340 that God wants them to capture of who he is is 00:12:30.340 --> 00:12:34.379 a God that rests even though he doesn't need 00:12:34.379 --> 00:12:35.820 to. Because some of you are like, John, I don't 00:12:35.820 --> 00:12:38.679 need a day. I don't need best day ever. I was 00:12:38.679 --> 00:12:42.019 made to work. I just keep going. Well, I think 00:12:42.019 --> 00:12:43.600 if it's good enough for God and he modeled it, 00:12:43.639 --> 00:12:46.159 it's probably good enough for you. Just saying. 00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:50.320 Like it's modeled within the rhythm of creation. 00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:54.120 It's so interesting. We don't call ourselves 00:12:54.120 --> 00:13:00.679 humans doing. We are humans what? Being. When 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:04.799 did we lose the fact that we are to be? Right? 00:13:04.840 --> 00:13:07.580 And along the way, what's fascinating with this 00:13:07.580 --> 00:13:10.740 is built and baked into the rhythm of creation 00:13:10.740 --> 00:13:16.019 is this one in six cycle. And it's fascinating 00:13:16.019 --> 00:13:18.860 to me. I used to think that it was you work hard 00:13:18.860 --> 00:13:21.539 for six days. Catch your breath on the seventh. 00:13:22.620 --> 00:13:26.019 I've totally changed my mind on this. I think 00:13:26.019 --> 00:13:28.299 that best day ever, Sabbath, is actually supposed 00:13:28.299 --> 00:13:32.360 to start your week, not end your week. So that 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:34.980 as you head into the six days of producing, you 00:13:34.980 --> 00:13:37.820 actually produce more, not less, because of how 00:13:37.820 --> 00:13:41.820 you started your week. And baked into the rhythm 00:13:41.820 --> 00:13:46.080 of creation is this one in six rhythm of what 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:52.679 it means to be human. Exodus chapter 20. So where 00:13:52.679 --> 00:13:54.980 we are in the story, God's freed his people from 00:13:54.980 --> 00:13:57.899 Egypt, and now they're going to get the law, 00:13:58.000 --> 00:13:59.740 so to speak. God's going to tell them the best 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:02.039 way to be human. I remember they were slaves. 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:03.559 Now they're free. They don't know how to live 00:14:03.559 --> 00:14:05.539 as free people, so God gives them some things 00:14:05.539 --> 00:14:07.799 that are helpful. What I find interesting is 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:09.620 this is the first mention of the word Sabbath. 00:14:09.700 --> 00:14:14.419 Remember, verse 8, remember, remember, remember 00:14:14.419 --> 00:14:20.509 the Sabbath day. That's kind of fascinating. 00:14:20.710 --> 00:14:24.029 He starts with remember. I feel like that's a 00:14:24.029 --> 00:14:25.669 theme all the way through scripture. We forget 00:14:25.669 --> 00:14:27.730 things that are good for us, right? We forget 00:14:27.730 --> 00:14:29.610 who we are. So Jesus goes, hey, gather around 00:14:29.610 --> 00:14:32.210 the table, eat my body, drink my blood, right? 00:14:32.350 --> 00:14:34.750 Get around the table, take the elements of communion. 00:14:34.750 --> 00:14:37.669 Why? To remember who you are. He says in this 00:14:37.669 --> 00:14:39.850 moment, remember the Sabbath day by keeping it 00:14:39.850 --> 00:14:44.049 holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your 00:14:44.049 --> 00:14:46.820 work. But the seventh day is to be a Sabbath 00:14:46.820 --> 00:14:49.539 day to the Lord your God. Hang on, really important. 00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:53.679 When you choose to rest and take the best day 00:14:53.679 --> 00:14:57.179 ever, what are you actually doing? You're honoring 00:14:57.179 --> 00:15:02.470 God in that moment. This is about you. slowing 00:15:02.470 --> 00:15:04.690 down, and in the slowing down, so wait a minute, 00:15:04.769 --> 00:15:06.309 John, you're telling me when you go to the beach 00:15:06.309 --> 00:15:08.210 with your family and you're fully present and 00:15:08.210 --> 00:15:10.490 fully being, and you're aware that the ocean 00:15:10.490 --> 00:15:12.429 is vast, which makes you really small, and you 00:15:12.429 --> 00:15:14.629 remember the creator, that in that moment, you're 00:15:14.629 --> 00:15:17.250 actually honoring God by playing frisbee on a 00:15:17.250 --> 00:15:22.149 beach? Yeah. All right, sometimes we make this 00:15:22.149 --> 00:15:24.110 so complicated. Wow, if I'm gonna honor God, 00:15:24.169 --> 00:15:26.629 it's gotta be this really rigid, like, don't 00:15:26.629 --> 00:15:29.230 have fun, don't smile, you know what I mean? 00:15:29.269 --> 00:15:32.720 Like, just... And we get all tense, and yet what 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:34.440 we find on the pages of Scripture, he goes, remember, 00:15:34.559 --> 00:15:37.779 remember what? Seventh day is the Sabbath day, 00:15:37.799 --> 00:15:39.440 so the Lord your God. On it you shall not do 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:42.519 any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, 00:15:42.679 --> 00:15:45.799 nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, 00:15:45.940 --> 00:15:47.980 because they're just, they're just, can't stop. 00:15:48.139 --> 00:15:49.980 They just get wild out there, right? Like just 00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:52.899 working away. Nor any foreigner residing in your 00:15:52.899 --> 00:15:55.700 towns, for in six days the Lord made the heavens 00:15:55.700 --> 00:15:57.960 and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, 00:15:58.019 --> 00:15:59.860 but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, 00:16:00.590 --> 00:16:02.870 The Lord blessed the Sabbath and made it holy. 00:16:03.110 --> 00:16:07.129 Isn't it fascinating, you guys? Okay, these are 00:16:07.129 --> 00:16:09.870 the giving of the commandments, right? And in 00:16:09.870 --> 00:16:14.809 the commandments, he gets to do not murder. You 00:16:14.809 --> 00:16:19.490 know how long that verse is? Do not murder. You 00:16:19.490 --> 00:16:21.370 know why? Because he doesn't need to tell us 00:16:21.370 --> 00:16:24.509 why it's not good to kill each other. But isn't 00:16:24.509 --> 00:16:26.789 it fascinating that as humans, we need him to 00:16:26.789 --> 00:16:31.259 explain the why behind we should rest? It probably 00:16:31.259 --> 00:16:33.559 tells us something about our wiring, but he goes 00:16:33.559 --> 00:16:37.200 this way. Remember the Sabbath day. Remember 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:41.220 the Sabbath day. Remember, remember. What are 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:45.279 we remembering by resting? That there is a creation. 00:16:46.299 --> 00:16:48.759 I am not the creator. He is the creator. And 00:16:48.759 --> 00:16:54.100 there is a one in six cycle. A one in six cycle. 00:16:54.200 --> 00:16:56.679 What am I remembering? The created order. Now, 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:58.639 this is the first giving of the law, 40 years 00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:01.850 later. Deuteronomy chapter five. So 40 years 00:17:01.850 --> 00:17:04.970 later, they've now been free people for 40 years. 00:17:05.390 --> 00:17:09.569 Every day of this 40 years, they have had frosted 00:17:09.569 --> 00:17:11.130 flakes on the ground when they wake up, right? 00:17:11.230 --> 00:17:14.230 Like every day, the six in one. They have six 00:17:14.230 --> 00:17:16.210 days of frosted flakes. And on the sixth day, 00:17:16.250 --> 00:17:18.089 they collect a double portion because when they 00:17:18.089 --> 00:17:20.549 go out on the seventh, which is the day that 00:17:20.549 --> 00:17:23.069 they rest, there isn't any. Why? Because God 00:17:23.069 --> 00:17:25.049 doesn't want them to do what they do for work. 00:17:25.869 --> 00:17:28.910 And so this 40 years, there's a whole new generation 00:17:28.910 --> 00:17:31.710 that grew up with this rhythm of like, hey, you 00:17:31.710 --> 00:17:34.490 step outside your tent and there's frosted flakes. 00:17:35.630 --> 00:17:39.589 They've got this rhythm to their life. Well then, 00:17:39.690 --> 00:17:43.250 now there's a giving of the law again to remind 00:17:43.250 --> 00:17:45.869 them of what God had said. So 40 years later, 00:17:45.970 --> 00:17:48.890 new generation starts out this way. Verse 12, 00:17:49.089 --> 00:17:51.910 observe the Sabbath day. Okay, how did the other 00:17:51.910 --> 00:17:56.079 one start? Remember, this one says to. Observe. 00:17:56.920 --> 00:18:00.900 This is active. This is put it into your calendar, 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:04.579 people. This is you need to observe. You need 00:18:04.579 --> 00:18:07.740 to have this as part of your rhythm. Observe 00:18:07.740 --> 00:18:11.519 the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You know, 00:18:11.539 --> 00:18:13.319 it's fascinating that we get all bent out of 00:18:13.319 --> 00:18:15.259 shape about the word holy. Like, okay, so God 00:18:15.259 --> 00:18:16.960 made one day and we got to figure out what that 00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:18.880 day is because he made it holy. Okay, hang on. 00:18:19.099 --> 00:18:22.720 To be holy is to be set apart. What is being 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:25.779 said here is observe, observe a day that you 00:18:25.779 --> 00:18:28.599 keep set apart from all the others. That's different 00:18:28.599 --> 00:18:32.339 than all the others. So observe the Sabbath day 00:18:32.339 --> 00:18:34.180 by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has 00:18:34.180 --> 00:18:36.619 commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do 00:18:36.619 --> 00:18:40.039 all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath 00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:41.900 to the Lord your God. So it sounds very familiar, 00:18:42.019 --> 00:18:45.099 right? On it you shall not do any work, neither 00:18:45.099 --> 00:18:48.000 you nor your son or daughter. nor your male or 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:50.220 female servant, nor your ox or donkey, because 00:18:50.220 --> 00:18:52.460 they are really getting crazy with the work. 00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:55.339 They just can't put it down. Or any of your animals, 00:18:55.400 --> 00:18:58.299 nor any foreigner residing in your town. I always 00:18:58.299 --> 00:19:00.099 just think it's funny that they mention the animals, 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:03.299 like the animals have a choice in the whole thing, 00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:07.000 right? Nor any foreigner residing in your town, 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:09.380 so that your male and female servants may rest 00:19:09.380 --> 00:19:13.839 as you do. Remember, remember, catch this, remember 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:20.329 that you were. What's that next word? Slaves. 00:19:20.710 --> 00:19:26.309 In Egypt. It's a whole new generation. The new 00:19:26.309 --> 00:19:30.109 generation had never been slaves. The new generation 00:19:30.109 --> 00:19:34.509 were free. Their parents, grandparents, great 00:19:34.509 --> 00:19:37.430 -grandparents, they'd all been slaves. And what 00:19:37.430 --> 00:19:39.829 are they telling the new generation? Hey, you 00:19:39.829 --> 00:19:43.569 need to observe this to remember that you were 00:19:43.569 --> 00:19:47.289 slaves. In Egypt, and that the Lord your God 00:19:47.289 --> 00:19:50.430 brought you out of there with a mighty hand and 00:19:50.430 --> 00:19:52.269 an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your 00:19:52.269 --> 00:19:54.450 God has commanded you to observe a Sabbath day. 00:19:54.529 --> 00:19:56.650 What is the big point of what he's getting at? 00:19:56.730 --> 00:19:59.410 You observe this to remember what? You're not 00:19:59.410 --> 00:20:04.450 a slave. Remember, before your grandparents, 00:20:04.750 --> 00:20:07.710 your parents, they had no choice when they went 00:20:07.710 --> 00:20:10.660 to work. They had no choice how much they produced. 00:20:10.819 --> 00:20:13.140 They had taskmasters that told them. They had 00:20:13.140 --> 00:20:15.039 no choice what they would eat. It was whatever 00:20:15.039 --> 00:20:18.339 their masters gave them. He goes, remember, you 00:20:18.339 --> 00:20:22.140 were slaves with no choices. But now he gets 00:20:22.140 --> 00:20:24.440 to this point and he goes, remember, you were 00:20:24.440 --> 00:20:27.519 slaves, which tells me you are not slaves anymore 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:30.700 because God has set you free. You, church, are 00:20:30.700 --> 00:20:36.039 not slaves because Jesus has set you free. Why 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:43.299 is this significant? Because as slaves, it was 00:20:43.299 --> 00:20:47.740 identity. That was your identity. I am a slave 00:20:47.740 --> 00:20:51.220 of Egypt. Right? What is he setting them free 00:20:51.220 --> 00:20:53.539 from? Their identity. Their identity is not in 00:20:53.539 --> 00:20:56.720 what? What they can produce. Their identity is 00:20:56.720 --> 00:20:59.460 not on what they do. Their identity, they are 00:20:59.460 --> 00:21:03.680 more than the sum of what they do. You are more 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:06.019 than the sum of your slave to a culture that 00:21:06.019 --> 00:21:10.299 tells you to keep going. You're not a slave anymore. 00:21:10.519 --> 00:21:13.559 You're not a machine. You're not a cog in a wheel 00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:17.119 that's some bigger cultural thing that's happening. 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:22.559 You are, by Jesus, set free to be a son and daughter 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:24.420 of the king, which means the son and daughters 00:21:24.420 --> 00:21:27.019 of kings, guess what they get? The best day ever, 00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:30.529 one in six. Right? Like that's the premise of 00:21:30.529 --> 00:21:32.589 what he's saying here. You're not a slave. Your 00:21:32.589 --> 00:21:34.410 identity is not found in what you do. You're 00:21:34.410 --> 00:21:36.769 not a machine. This is not something you continue 00:21:36.769 --> 00:21:39.349 doing. You know what the word Sabbath means literally? 00:21:40.309 --> 00:21:45.750 Stop. Stop work. Stop work. Whatever defines 00:21:45.750 --> 00:21:49.390 you for work, stop it. But you know what you 00:21:49.390 --> 00:21:54.109 can also translate the word as? Delight. Stop 00:21:54.109 --> 00:21:59.420 and delight. Stop and delight. Stop and delight. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:02.660 Stop and delight. Some of you are like, how many 00:22:02.660 --> 00:22:04.440 times are you going to say it? Stop and delight. 00:22:05.740 --> 00:22:10.359 You're meant to delight. Well, delight in what? 00:22:10.900 --> 00:22:13.880 All the good things that God has given you in 00:22:13.880 --> 00:22:18.579 your life. Himself. The fact that you walk outside 00:22:18.579 --> 00:22:21.559 and the earth is still suspended with no strings. 00:22:22.740 --> 00:22:28.720 The sun came up. You're breathing oxygen. You're 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:31.420 with people you love. You get to enjoy food or 00:22:31.420 --> 00:22:33.500 maybe a good cup of coffee. Like all these things 00:22:33.500 --> 00:22:37.319 are supposed to what? Remind you of the goodness 00:22:37.319 --> 00:22:42.579 of God. You're to be reminded of who you really 00:22:42.579 --> 00:22:46.740 are. How? Well, I remember the created order. 00:22:46.859 --> 00:22:51.000 I observe this day. And as I observe this day, 00:22:51.299 --> 00:22:54.880 how do I observe it? I stop and I delight. I 00:22:54.880 --> 00:23:00.279 stop and I delight. In him and all the good that 00:23:00.279 --> 00:23:04.079 he has put in my life. It's a completely different 00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:08.240 rhythm. It's fascinating to me how many people 00:23:08.240 --> 00:23:11.019 really get stuck and struggle with this idea 00:23:11.019 --> 00:23:14.839 of stopping and delighting, stopping and delighting. 00:23:16.980 --> 00:23:22.119 You were made, you were made to have one day 00:23:22.119 --> 00:23:26.539 out of your week that you don't produce anything. 00:23:27.720 --> 00:23:31.779 You don't chase anything. You don't try and prove 00:23:31.779 --> 00:23:39.400 yourself. It's the day when you slow down and 00:23:39.400 --> 00:23:43.799 you're reminded of who you really are. You're 00:23:43.799 --> 00:23:45.940 not a slave to the culture. You're not a slave 00:23:45.940 --> 00:23:48.059 to what you do. You're not a slave to what you 00:23:48.059 --> 00:23:51.099 can produce. You're not the sum of what comes 00:23:51.099 --> 00:23:56.839 out of your hands. You are who you say you are 00:23:56.839 --> 00:24:00.680 because of who he says you are. That's where 00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:02.460 you get your identity. What does this one in 00:24:02.460 --> 00:24:07.140 six do? It stops me. There's an interesting connection. 00:24:08.539 --> 00:24:12.680 Psalm 23. Psalm 23, there's this fascinating 00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:17.099 connection that for me kind of sums up the wrestle 00:24:17.099 --> 00:24:20.440 and the tension of what it looks like to step 00:24:20.440 --> 00:24:23.440 into Sabbath. But in Psalm 23, it says this. 00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:30.420 The Lord is... What's that next word? Okay, some 00:24:30.420 --> 00:24:34.759 of you read a couple of words in there. The Lord 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:38.099 is... Okay, some of you still got way too many 00:24:38.099 --> 00:24:43.200 words. What's the next word? The Lord is... Okay, 00:24:43.299 --> 00:24:45.880 that's about 25 % of you. I hear more people 00:24:45.880 --> 00:24:51.240 online yelling through the screen. The Lord is... 00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:55.779 Why is that important? Somebody still got shepherd 00:24:55.779 --> 00:25:00.380 out there. Okay, we'll let it go. The Lord is 00:25:00.380 --> 00:25:07.200 my, my. Why is this so important? Because it 00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:08.839 would be easy to go, the Lord is your shepherd. 00:25:09.579 --> 00:25:12.740 And you think that means somebody else. The Lord 00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:15.539 is our shepherd. And you're like, well, okay, 00:25:15.599 --> 00:25:17.960 he's more yours than mine. No, no, no. The Lord 00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:24.750 is my shepherd. Why does it matter? Because it's 00:25:24.750 --> 00:25:30.970 personal. He's my, the God creator, God Yahweh 00:25:30.970 --> 00:25:38.230 is my, my shepherd. Oh, what does the shepherd 00:25:38.230 --> 00:25:40.009 do? Well, a shepherd provides everything you'll 00:25:40.009 --> 00:25:44.390 ever need. Shepherd takes care. He says he's 00:25:44.390 --> 00:25:45.950 a good shepherd. So let's just put that in there 00:25:45.950 --> 00:25:47.549 because good shepherds are different than just 00:25:47.549 --> 00:25:50.210 shepherds, right? Good shepherds provide everything 00:25:50.210 --> 00:25:52.970 you need. They take care of you when you can't 00:25:52.970 --> 00:25:54.750 take care of yourself. They lead you to things 00:25:54.750 --> 00:25:58.990 that will help you thrive. The shepherd protects. 00:26:01.250 --> 00:26:05.410 The shepherd does not abandon. The Lord is mine. 00:26:05.609 --> 00:26:11.609 He's mine. It has to be personal. Why? Because 00:26:11.609 --> 00:26:14.470 listen to what it says next. The Lord is my shepherd. 00:26:14.569 --> 00:26:18.730 I lack, what's that next word? I lack? Nothing. 00:26:19.450 --> 00:26:24.160 Wait. The Lord is my personal shepherd, going 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:29.839 to take care of me, all the things. I lack nothing. 00:26:31.140 --> 00:26:35.000 Nothing. There is nothing. Another way to translate 00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:38.079 this is I shall not want. I don't have any want 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:41.799 in my life. Why? Because I lack nothing. And 00:26:41.799 --> 00:26:44.779 if I need it, the shepherd what? Provides it. 00:26:46.200 --> 00:26:50.420 Why? Because he's my shepherd. And see, this 00:26:50.420 --> 00:26:52.940 is where it really all hangs on if you will experience 00:26:52.940 --> 00:26:57.039 the best day ever or not. Because if the Lord 00:26:57.039 --> 00:27:01.240 is yours, if he is mine, right, then I will trust 00:27:01.240 --> 00:27:07.059 him even when I may think I'm lacking something, 00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:09.220 even when I may think I need something else, 00:27:09.279 --> 00:27:13.119 even when I may think I need to get ahead. You 00:27:13.119 --> 00:27:15.640 see, it comes down to do I really trust the shepherd? 00:27:17.659 --> 00:27:19.539 It's amazing to me. This could have gone anywhere, 00:27:19.660 --> 00:27:21.279 right? Like the Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 00:27:21.420 --> 00:27:23.500 You could jump anywhere from here as a psalmist. 00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:27.099 Look where he goes in verse two. He makes me 00:27:27.099 --> 00:27:31.859 lie down in green pastures. He makes me take 00:27:31.859 --> 00:27:37.299 a rest. He makes me lie down in green pastures. 00:27:38.180 --> 00:27:42.059 You know what's fascinating with sheep? If they 00:27:42.059 --> 00:27:47.190 are fearful, they won't lay down. A sheep will 00:27:47.190 --> 00:27:50.829 not lay down if it's scared, if it's got fear. 00:27:52.309 --> 00:27:55.349 Like you can throw the littlest dog into a field 00:27:55.349 --> 00:27:59.089 full of sheep, and then they're gone. They're 00:27:59.089 --> 00:28:01.950 just running any direction. They won't lay down, 00:28:02.049 --> 00:28:06.529 even with the littlest dog, because they're scared. 00:28:08.250 --> 00:28:11.289 Isn't it interesting that what changes that is 00:28:11.289 --> 00:28:15.589 when the shepherd is present, the sheep lay down. 00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:19.539 Because fear can't exist where the shepherd is. 00:28:21.700 --> 00:28:25.220 I wonder how many of us, we just out here, John, 00:28:25.240 --> 00:28:28.940 this is a cute message. I'm glad you get the 00:28:28.940 --> 00:28:32.099 best day ever. But this is one of those cute 00:28:32.099 --> 00:28:35.279 Bible things that it's not for me. I'm sorry, 00:28:35.359 --> 00:28:41.299 you're human. It's for you. I wonder how much 00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:44.500 of your ability to lie down is very similar to 00:28:44.500 --> 00:28:49.690 the sheep. That you're scared. If I stop from 00:28:49.690 --> 00:28:56.369 one day, what will happen? But wait, where the 00:28:56.369 --> 00:29:01.650 shepherd is, the fear leaves. So if you invite 00:29:01.650 --> 00:29:03.470 the shepherd into your fear, guess what fear 00:29:03.470 --> 00:29:07.430 does? Fear has to leave. Because God is bigger 00:29:07.430 --> 00:29:09.170 than the fear that you hold in your heart of 00:29:09.170 --> 00:29:11.670 what may happen if you decide to honor him at 00:29:11.670 --> 00:29:14.470 his word and trust him and have the best day 00:29:14.470 --> 00:29:18.289 ever and he's blessed by it. That's crazy. You 00:29:18.289 --> 00:29:19.650 know, sheep are interesting. There's another 00:29:19.650 --> 00:29:24.730 reason that they won't lie down is if there's 00:29:24.730 --> 00:29:28.750 friction with other sheep, right? And they call 00:29:28.750 --> 00:29:30.529 it, like if you got a chicken, you got the pecking 00:29:30.529 --> 00:29:33.730 order, this is the butting order. And what is 00:29:33.730 --> 00:29:35.630 the butting order? It's the crusty old sheep 00:29:35.630 --> 00:29:39.450 that comes across, right? And just butts the 00:29:39.450 --> 00:29:40.990 younger one to get them out of the way. Like 00:29:40.990 --> 00:29:44.740 that's my grass. Right? And so the younger sheep 00:29:44.740 --> 00:29:47.059 jumps up and leaves that plot of grass because 00:29:47.059 --> 00:29:50.099 the budding order has taken place. Isn't it interesting 00:29:50.099 --> 00:29:54.200 that when people start to bud us, we get all 00:29:54.200 --> 00:29:58.539 like skittish. We love the drama. It just spins 00:29:58.539 --> 00:30:01.180 us up. Then we start to tell other people. And 00:30:01.180 --> 00:30:03.200 before you know it, the whole pasture of sheep, 00:30:03.279 --> 00:30:05.380 they're all worked up over the drama. I can't 00:30:05.380 --> 00:30:07.059 believe they did that to you, right? And you're 00:30:07.059 --> 00:30:10.019 just on the phone and you're hopefully not on 00:30:10.019 --> 00:30:12.059 a keyboard. That's like the lamest place to go 00:30:12.059 --> 00:30:18.440 with it. But isn't it wild that friction between 00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:20.519 one another and people in your life can get you 00:30:20.519 --> 00:30:25.019 so spun up that you can't rest? Isn't it amazing 00:30:25.019 --> 00:30:26.440 that people lay down at night and they're like, 00:30:26.460 --> 00:30:28.200 oh, I just had this thing on my mind the whole 00:30:28.200 --> 00:30:33.619 night and I was running it through my mind. You 00:30:33.619 --> 00:30:35.680 know when the budding order stops for sheep? 00:30:36.880 --> 00:30:41.480 When the shepherd shows up. Because the shepherd 00:30:41.480 --> 00:30:44.960 ain't having none of it. And the shepherd takes 00:30:44.960 --> 00:30:48.700 care of the crusty old sheep. This butt and the 00:30:48.700 --> 00:30:52.599 other sheep. So that the whole flock can what? 00:30:54.059 --> 00:30:59.500 They can lie down. Another reason that sheep 00:30:59.500 --> 00:31:03.359 don't lie down has to do with pests. I mean, 00:31:03.359 --> 00:31:05.160 this one gets me. It like literally makes my 00:31:05.160 --> 00:31:07.859 skin crawl. But the idea of flies like going 00:31:07.859 --> 00:31:10.680 up their nose and in their eyes and their ears 00:31:10.680 --> 00:31:12.779 and they, you're a sheep. You can't stop it. 00:31:14.319 --> 00:31:17.119 That sounds awful, doesn't it? And you imagine 00:31:17.119 --> 00:31:19.099 you're just kind of like, ah, so anxious inside, 00:31:19.220 --> 00:31:21.140 kind of spinning. And they actually go crazy. 00:31:21.319 --> 00:31:24.019 The sheep will go crazy. They will harm themselves 00:31:24.019 --> 00:31:28.099 because they can't get it to stop. That may be 00:31:28.099 --> 00:31:30.380 the best picture of our culture that we have. 00:31:31.319 --> 00:31:33.759 That we get so anxious and so worked up and so... 00:31:33.759 --> 00:31:41.160 You know what the shepherd does to the sheep? 00:31:42.380 --> 00:31:44.279 The presence of the shepherd, he will not allow 00:31:44.279 --> 00:31:47.400 the sheep to suffer. He takes oil and he anoints 00:31:47.400 --> 00:31:50.319 their head and he puts it on their eyes and it 00:31:50.319 --> 00:31:53.400 keeps away the pests from the sheep so that they 00:31:53.400 --> 00:32:03.079 can what? Stop and delight in the pasture. One 00:32:03.079 --> 00:32:07.019 last reason that sheep don't sleep or lay down, 00:32:07.119 --> 00:32:12.039 food. If they think they don't have enough food, 00:32:12.119 --> 00:32:13.640 they will keep looking and looking and looking 00:32:13.640 --> 00:32:16.880 because their food scarcity makes them continue 00:32:16.880 --> 00:32:19.579 to move and go and they get concerned like what 00:32:19.579 --> 00:32:22.339 they're gonna do and so they keep going. But 00:32:22.339 --> 00:32:25.299 you know what the shepherd does? He makes me 00:32:25.299 --> 00:32:28.799 lie down in green, in green pastures. What's 00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:31.299 stunning about sheep is a lot of them are kept 00:32:31.299 --> 00:32:33.180 in places that are really dry and so the belief 00:32:33.180 --> 00:32:36.000 behind this is that the shepherd has actually 00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:39.569 already taken care of the pasture. He already 00:32:39.569 --> 00:32:41.410 knew what they needed before they knew they needed 00:32:41.410 --> 00:32:45.349 it. And he leads them. He leads them. He takes 00:32:45.349 --> 00:32:46.970 them. Why? Because he's a good shepherd. And 00:32:46.970 --> 00:32:49.109 what does a good shepherd do? He provides everything 00:32:49.109 --> 00:32:51.869 you will ever need. So he leads them to the green 00:32:51.869 --> 00:32:55.890 pasture so that they don't have to worry about 00:32:55.890 --> 00:33:00.789 food. I don't know what kind of season you're 00:33:00.789 --> 00:33:02.950 in, you guys. Like, I get it. I get it. You're 00:33:02.950 --> 00:33:04.309 in a season where you're like, John, you just 00:33:04.309 --> 00:33:06.109 don't understand my life. I'm working a couple 00:33:06.109 --> 00:33:07.849 of jobs. I'm keeping food on the table. I can't. 00:33:08.240 --> 00:33:11.160 And you've got all the reasons you can't. But 00:33:11.160 --> 00:33:16.059 what if you can't afford not to? Because you're 00:33:16.059 --> 00:33:19.660 working against the way you were created. And 00:33:19.660 --> 00:33:23.579 you're fragile. It's just a tent, remember? We're 00:33:23.579 --> 00:33:28.880 just camping. You see, it's one thing for something 00:33:28.880 --> 00:33:30.720 to be a season. It's another thing for it to 00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:33.880 be a lifetime. And my question would be, what 00:33:33.880 --> 00:33:36.660 is a step towards this you can take today? That 00:33:36.660 --> 00:33:39.700 you go, God, I want to honor this. And it feels 00:33:39.700 --> 00:33:42.240 a million miles away today. What's a step in 00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:44.420 here that I can take to move towards this? Because 00:33:44.420 --> 00:33:47.079 I want this to be the narrative. Because this 00:33:47.079 --> 00:33:48.859 feels like it's inside of what you've created 00:33:48.859 --> 00:33:54.259 before. How can I do that today? You know, we 00:33:54.259 --> 00:33:56.400 can get really, really weird about this stuff, 00:33:56.480 --> 00:33:59.480 right? Like, well, I can't do that. How can I 00:33:59.480 --> 00:34:03.859 stop for a day? You ever been to Chick -fil -A 00:34:03.859 --> 00:34:07.619 on a Sunday? Why is it Chick -fil -A cravings 00:34:07.619 --> 00:34:10.260 only happen on Sunday? Anybody knows that? I 00:34:10.260 --> 00:34:12.039 want a camera in Chick -fil -A just watching 00:34:12.039 --> 00:34:14.340 how many cars go through, right, on a Sunday. 00:34:15.739 --> 00:34:20.079 Do you know that Chick -fil -A by capita per 00:34:20.079 --> 00:34:24.579 restaurant is between 8 million and 9 million 00:34:24.579 --> 00:34:29.059 per store? The nearest competitor is 4 million 00:34:29.059 --> 00:34:33.440 behind them. What did they choose to do? Take 00:34:33.440 --> 00:34:35.599 a rhythm and put that rhythm into their whole 00:34:35.599 --> 00:34:37.579 organization. I think if Chick -fil -A can do 00:34:37.579 --> 00:34:42.420 it, you can do it. But I think we have to do 00:34:42.420 --> 00:34:44.119 the work of walking with God and going, what 00:34:44.119 --> 00:34:46.280 does it look like? I want to honor you. Help 00:34:46.280 --> 00:34:48.860 me honor you. I've talked to somebody this week. 00:34:48.920 --> 00:34:50.500 I've talked to several people since I talked 00:34:50.500 --> 00:34:53.099 to somebody this week that told me that 20 years 00:34:53.099 --> 00:34:56.579 ago, 20 years ago, they were maxed out beyond 00:34:56.579 --> 00:35:00.230 their limits. And they heard about the Sabbath 00:35:00.230 --> 00:35:01.510 thing and they're like, we don't know how we're 00:35:01.510 --> 00:35:04.449 gonna stop and delight, but we're going to do 00:35:04.449 --> 00:35:06.849 it. We're gonna honor God and see what he does. 00:35:07.050 --> 00:35:09.630 And they began to honor God 20 years ago. They 00:35:09.630 --> 00:35:13.889 told me now this 20 year rhythm that they have 00:35:13.889 --> 00:35:17.510 has transformed their life. I talked to somebody 00:35:17.510 --> 00:35:20.750 today who told me he's done it for 50 years and 00:35:20.750 --> 00:35:24.789 it's transformed his life. You see, the issue 00:35:24.789 --> 00:35:28.050 is, do I really trust in what God says is best 00:35:28.050 --> 00:35:30.230 for me? And am I going to take him at his word? 00:35:30.289 --> 00:35:33.670 Am I going to do what he says to do? Like, I 00:35:33.670 --> 00:35:35.250 get it. Everybody's just going to look different. 00:35:35.289 --> 00:35:37.329 Your best day ever may not look like my best 00:35:37.329 --> 00:35:41.130 day ever. Part of my Sabbath for a while was 00:35:41.130 --> 00:35:45.210 vacuuming the floor every start of my Sabbath. 00:35:45.969 --> 00:35:47.849 And you go, well, that's weird. Well, one of 00:35:47.849 --> 00:35:49.590 the things I wanted to do on my Sabbath was serve 00:35:49.590 --> 00:35:53.070 my wife. She hates vacuuming. The other thing 00:35:53.070 --> 00:35:54.789 was this. When you push the vacuum, it creates 00:35:54.789 --> 00:35:56.530 lines. You get to draw on the floor. It's kind 00:35:56.530 --> 00:36:00.269 of cool, right? You get to do different patterns. 00:36:00.449 --> 00:36:05.710 Looks like a football field. Small brain. Easily 00:36:05.710 --> 00:36:11.510 amused. But you know what happened? The rhythm 00:36:11.510 --> 00:36:15.929 of vacuuming my floor made it feel clean to me 00:36:15.929 --> 00:36:18.389 for whatever reason so that I could sit and delight. 00:36:20.199 --> 00:36:21.739 But that's just one of the things that happened 00:36:21.739 --> 00:36:24.219 for me. Another one was giving the dog a bath. 00:36:25.880 --> 00:36:27.179 Right? You might be like, that doesn't sound 00:36:27.179 --> 00:36:33.079 very fun. It was cathartic for me between me 00:36:33.079 --> 00:36:38.059 and the Lord. I got to delight. Now I got a grandson. 00:36:38.199 --> 00:36:40.039 He comes over three days a week. We vacuum way 00:36:40.039 --> 00:36:42.579 more now. It's not part of my rhythm. It changes. 00:36:44.039 --> 00:36:47.280 And I guess for you, it's what is it for you? 00:36:47.440 --> 00:36:52.210 Don't miss the gift. It's a gift. In fact, maybe 00:36:52.210 --> 00:36:55.469 this language. I dare you. Put God at his word. 00:36:56.269 --> 00:36:58.409 I dare you. He says this is the best way to be 00:36:58.409 --> 00:37:01.250 human. I dare you. In fact, you know what? I 00:37:01.250 --> 00:37:08.050 double dog dare you. Take him at his word. I'm 00:37:08.050 --> 00:37:10.190 going to honor your rhythm. I'm going to start 00:37:10.190 --> 00:37:12.730 by delighting. I'm going to stop working and 00:37:12.730 --> 00:37:14.610 delight in you. And that is going to be the start 00:37:14.610 --> 00:37:21.030 of what comes. I dare you. See what he does. 00:37:21.690 --> 00:37:24.030 The reason I think, last thought, the reason 00:37:24.030 --> 00:37:28.829 I think that we struggle to enter into the best 00:37:28.829 --> 00:37:32.510 day ever, Sabbath, the reason I think we struggle 00:37:32.510 --> 00:37:38.550 is this. We forget that he loves us. You don't 00:37:38.550 --> 00:37:40.849 just have a shepherd. You have a shepherd who 00:37:40.849 --> 00:37:46.769 loves you. How do I know that? There's a cross 00:37:46.769 --> 00:37:48.849 stained red where that shepherd laid down his 00:37:48.849 --> 00:37:51.929 life that you could have life. That shepherd 00:37:51.929 --> 00:37:57.989 loves you. He stretched his arms to tell you 00:37:57.989 --> 00:38:02.289 he loves you. And sometimes I think we just need 00:38:02.289 --> 00:38:04.090 to be reminded, I don't just have a shepherd, 00:38:04.170 --> 00:38:09.610 I have a shepherd who loves me. And sometimes 00:38:09.610 --> 00:38:12.929 we just need to speak that back to ourselves. 00:38:14.119 --> 00:38:18.219 until our heart catches up so that we, we, we 00:38:18.219 --> 00:38:22.559 can remember to observe. What are we observing? 00:38:23.260 --> 00:38:27.579 We're observing by stopping and delighting. And 00:38:27.579 --> 00:38:29.940 what are we looking for? What are we looking 00:38:29.940 --> 00:38:34.739 out of that? The best day ever, once a week. 00:38:35.800 --> 00:38:38.800 Let me pray for you. God, we thank you so much. 00:38:39.579 --> 00:38:42.360 Thank you for being our good shepherd. Thank 00:38:42.360 --> 00:38:44.039 you that we lack nothing. Thank you that we can 00:38:44.039 --> 00:38:45.920 trust you. God, would you teach us how to lie 00:38:45.920 --> 00:38:50.619 down? Would you teach us how to sit in the rhythms 00:38:50.619 --> 00:38:53.239 that you have created us for? Would you teach 00:38:53.239 --> 00:38:57.119 us what it looks like in seasons to honor you 00:38:57.119 --> 00:39:01.679 and honor how you designed us? God, would we 00:39:01.679 --> 00:39:07.139 use community where we need to? But God, would 00:39:07.139 --> 00:39:12.179 we begin? To see it as an act of your love that 00:39:12.179 --> 00:39:15.519 you will keep the world turning. That you will 00:39:15.519 --> 00:39:17.500 continue to provide because you are our shepherd. 00:39:17.559 --> 00:39:20.920 We lack nothing. Why? Because you love us. Oh, 00:39:21.099 --> 00:39:29.260 how you love us. You love us so much that you 00:39:29.260 --> 00:39:36.300 are jealous for us. You will not sit by and let 00:39:36.300 --> 00:39:44.050 us become a slave. to limits. You will not sit 00:39:44.050 --> 00:39:47.570 by and let us overextend, but you are jealous 00:39:47.570 --> 00:39:50.090 for us to be all that you've created us to be 00:39:50.090 --> 00:39:52.949 inside of your design. And so God, we say thank 00:39:52.949 --> 00:39:57.909 you. Thank you for loving us enough to give us 00:39:57.909 --> 00:40:02.809 the gift of Sabbath. We thank you for grace and 00:40:02.809 --> 00:40:05.989 mercy and for loving us first. And everybody 00:40:05.989 --> 00:40:07.309 said, amen.