1 00:00:02,010 --> 00:00:04,554 Thanks for tuning in to the Sandals church podcast. 2 00:00:04,682 --> 00:00:08,542 Our vision as a church is to be real with ourselves, God and others. 3 00:00:08,676 --> 00:00:11,360 We're glad you're here and we hope you enjoy this message. 4 00:00:14,130 --> 00:00:17,840 Hey, welcome back to Sandals Church and happy New Year. 5 00:00:18,370 --> 00:00:20,206 You guys are probably a little confused right now. 6 00:00:20,228 --> 00:00:20,654 I am not. 7 00:00:20,692 --> 00:00:21,630 Matt Brown. 8 00:00:22,770 --> 00:00:23,850 My name is Eric. 9 00:00:23,930 --> 00:00:26,946 I'm the executive past pastor of missions here at Sandals church. 10 00:00:27,058 --> 00:00:29,362 I'm also a doctor of physical therapy. 11 00:00:29,506 --> 00:00:31,990 I'm going to apologize straight up for my face. 12 00:00:32,060 --> 00:00:35,830 I've been told that I look angry and intimidating, all right? 13 00:00:35,900 --> 00:00:38,760 And I'm telling you I'm not angry, at least not today. 14 00:00:39,530 --> 00:00:42,298 And I'm only going to intimidate you if you scare me. 15 00:00:42,384 --> 00:00:43,980 So that's on you. 16 00:00:44,990 --> 00:00:45,706 All right? 17 00:00:45,808 --> 00:00:48,218 34 years ago, I was 20 years old. 18 00:00:48,304 --> 00:00:53,974 I was in college studying health science, preparing for a career in physical therapy. 19 00:00:54,022 --> 00:00:56,942 And I loved to exercise, love to work out. 20 00:00:57,076 --> 00:00:59,294 The way my body looked mattered to me. 21 00:00:59,332 --> 00:01:00,462 And I had these friends. 22 00:01:00,596 --> 00:01:04,510 They played football, they were bodybuilders and they were doing anabolic steroids. 23 00:01:04,590 --> 00:01:07,458 And they're like, dude, come try this. 24 00:01:07,544 --> 00:01:10,062 You will see amazing gains. 25 00:01:10,206 --> 00:01:10,994 And you know what? 26 00:01:11,032 --> 00:01:16,980 As a young Christian trying to follow Jesus, I actually prayed about it. 27 00:01:17,510 --> 00:01:22,694 And I asked God, I don't know exactly what I said, but something like, will you give me 28 00:01:22,732 --> 00:01:23,394 wisdom? 29 00:01:23,522 --> 00:01:25,686 Can I have permission to do this? 30 00:01:25,868 --> 00:01:26,566 And you know what? 31 00:01:26,588 --> 00:01:32,554 God answered me and he actually said, no, no, it's not for you. 32 00:01:32,672 --> 00:01:35,802 And I think, like a lot of us, I just dismissed it. 33 00:01:35,936 --> 00:01:40,780 I dismissed it and I talked myself into doing it because it's what I wanted. 34 00:01:41,550 --> 00:01:42,986 It's what I wanted. 35 00:01:43,168 --> 00:01:44,414 And so I did. 36 00:01:44,452 --> 00:01:45,354 I started a cycle. 37 00:01:45,402 --> 00:01:47,326 I put on 20 pounds really fast. 38 00:01:47,428 --> 00:01:48,650 I looked jacked. 39 00:01:48,730 --> 00:01:53,698 I was lifting heavy weights one day, so heavy I was leg pressing that I ruptured a disc in 40 00:01:53,704 --> 00:01:56,820 my spine just a few short weeks after I started. 41 00:01:58,310 --> 00:02:01,726 Man, I got treated. 42 00:02:01,838 --> 00:02:03,794 I mostly recovered from that. 43 00:02:03,912 --> 00:02:08,086 But now, fast forward 15 years because now I'm a physical therapist, okay? 44 00:02:08,268 --> 00:02:10,482 I'm an expert in the spine. 45 00:02:10,626 --> 00:02:11,510 That's my focus. 46 00:02:11,580 --> 00:02:12,438 That's what I do. 47 00:02:12,524 --> 00:02:17,398 And I've got this chronic back pain, this achy thing that I can't fix myself. 48 00:02:17,484 --> 00:02:18,598 It won't go away. 49 00:02:18,764 --> 00:02:20,390 Now I can solve it. 50 00:02:20,460 --> 00:02:21,234 I'm getting along. 51 00:02:21,292 --> 00:02:25,674 Life's not horrible, but it's this nagging, stupid problem that I shouldn't have. 52 00:02:25,872 --> 00:02:30,300 Well, one night I go to bed and I coughed right before I went to bed, just. 53 00:02:30,830 --> 00:02:33,440 And I had a sharp jab of pain in my back. 54 00:02:34,530 --> 00:02:35,726 I didn't think much of it. 55 00:02:35,748 --> 00:02:39,310 At the time, because I'd had that dozens of times before. 56 00:02:39,460 --> 00:02:41,050 So I drifted off to sleep. 57 00:02:41,130 --> 00:02:42,926 And that morning, at about 04:00 a.m. 58 00:02:42,948 --> 00:02:43,486 I woke up. 59 00:02:43,508 --> 00:02:46,930 My legs were on fire, and my leg was paralyzed. 60 00:02:47,350 --> 00:02:51,922 And I'll never forget the moment I looked up to heaven and I said, God, what did you just 61 00:02:51,976 --> 00:02:52,594 do to me? 62 00:02:52,632 --> 00:02:55,250 Like it was his fault, right. 63 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:57,906 Well, I went on to have emergency surgery. 64 00:02:58,098 --> 00:03:01,570 And I'll never forget I woke up in recovery to my neurosurgeon. 65 00:03:01,730 --> 00:03:03,240 Now, here's what he said. 66 00:03:03,850 --> 00:03:06,242 Huge 30 millimeter disc fragment. 67 00:03:06,306 --> 00:03:10,250 We got it all, it looks like, but you're bone on bone. 68 00:03:10,990 --> 00:03:13,366 And those words were poison. 69 00:03:13,558 --> 00:03:15,754 They actually were poison to me. 70 00:03:15,792 --> 00:03:21,466 I'll never forget them because that, to me, was a death sentence of a lifetime of chronic, 71 00:03:21,578 --> 00:03:22,960 persistent pain. 72 00:03:23,650 --> 00:03:25,550 He wanted to fuse my spine. 73 00:03:26,370 --> 00:03:29,550 He had planted a belief in my mind that I couldn't change. 74 00:03:29,700 --> 00:03:31,130 And I was stuck. 75 00:03:31,290 --> 00:03:32,426 I got out of surgery. 76 00:03:32,458 --> 00:03:36,750 It took me a year and a half to recover my leg strength, but I had this chronic, 77 00:03:36,830 --> 00:03:41,954 unremitting back leg pain now, and I couldn't make it to go away no matter what I did. 78 00:03:41,992 --> 00:03:43,730 Remember, I'm the spine expert. 79 00:03:44,310 --> 00:03:45,838 I'm stuck with leg pain. 80 00:03:45,944 --> 00:03:47,160 It won't go away. 81 00:03:47,530 --> 00:03:51,234 I felt impotent and hopeless to change my circumstances. 82 00:03:51,362 --> 00:03:54,674 And I felt worse because I knew it was my fault. 83 00:03:54,802 --> 00:03:56,680 Like I earned this problem. 84 00:03:57,210 --> 00:04:00,060 How many of you feel physically stuck right now? 85 00:04:00,510 --> 00:04:02,220 Are you stuck in a problem? 86 00:04:03,390 --> 00:04:09,450 When it comes to our body, common to most of us is that we have this shared experience of 87 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:17,262 powerlessness, frustration, pain, shame, failure, especially as we age. 88 00:04:17,396 --> 00:04:18,960 It's not like it gets better. 89 00:04:19,730 --> 00:04:25,102 If you checked out a physical graph of our physical health in the US, we live to be about 90 00:04:25,156 --> 00:04:26,740 77 years of age. 91 00:04:27,110 --> 00:04:31,774 And so we're born, and then somewhere in our mid 20s, we're going to reach our peak 92 00:04:31,822 --> 00:04:33,870 potential for strength and performance. 93 00:04:34,030 --> 00:04:40,438 And then there's this slow descending decline until we die at about 77 years. 94 00:04:40,604 --> 00:04:46,486 Well, because your body's so cool, if the average adult will run, bike or swim three or 95 00:04:46,508 --> 00:04:50,394 four times a week most of their life, they're going to kick that can down the road about 96 00:04:50,432 --> 00:04:51,050 10%. 97 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,666 So they gain seven or eight years now, also. 98 00:04:54,768 --> 00:05:00,730 Similarly, if you'll lift weights three or four times a week most of your adult life, also, 99 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:04,078 you add about 10% to your life, seven or eight years. 100 00:05:04,244 --> 00:05:10,698 If you can find an adult who's done both of those things most of their adult life, you kick 101 00:05:10,714 --> 00:05:12,666 it down the road by a factor of four. 102 00:05:12,788 --> 00:05:15,860 You add about 30 years to your life. 103 00:05:16,470 --> 00:05:18,542 Our body is adaptable. 104 00:05:18,606 --> 00:05:20,610 It is resilient, it's strong. 105 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:26,500 And it's true at every single age, it's actually harder to kill a strong person. 106 00:05:27,270 --> 00:05:29,542 Now, there's lots of reasons that's true. 107 00:05:29,676 --> 00:05:33,430 But you know, our affinity, our tendency is towards comfort. 108 00:05:34,090 --> 00:05:36,006 Let's look at psalm 139. 109 00:05:36,108 --> 00:05:39,830 It says, thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. 110 00:05:39,990 --> 00:05:42,374 Your workmanship is marvelous. 111 00:05:42,502 --> 00:05:44,140 How well I know it. 112 00:05:44,510 --> 00:05:48,860 God gave you your body and you treat it like it's someone else. 113 00:05:49,390 --> 00:05:55,150 Like it's a temporary machine that can be repaired or replaced with spare parts. 114 00:05:56,530 --> 00:06:00,960 Some of you treat it like it's a rental car and you drive it like you stole it. 115 00:06:01,890 --> 00:06:03,558 Like it's someone else's. 116 00:06:03,754 --> 00:06:08,738 Now, what if you had one house or one car or one phone? 117 00:06:08,904 --> 00:06:10,242 How would you treat those things? 118 00:06:10,296 --> 00:06:11,380 Would it be different? 119 00:06:12,310 --> 00:06:14,526 Man, all of us get stuck. 120 00:06:14,638 --> 00:06:19,154 In fact, one of the pastors here at this church, he had to have his heart defibrillated 121 00:06:19,202 --> 00:06:19,958 this year. 122 00:06:20,124 --> 00:06:24,200 He had to get hit with paddles to make it work right again. 123 00:06:24,730 --> 00:06:29,594 And his doctor told him, he said, hey, if you'll start exercising, you can avoid this 124 00:06:29,632 --> 00:06:30,220 problem. 125 00:06:32,430 --> 00:06:34,300 So I won't tell you who it is. 126 00:06:35,710 --> 00:06:37,050 But I asked Jeff. 127 00:06:38,030 --> 00:06:40,986 I said, jeff, have you started exercising? 128 00:06:41,018 --> 00:06:42,400 And you know what he told me? 129 00:06:43,490 --> 00:06:45,040 I'm praying about it. 130 00:06:46,370 --> 00:06:48,080 I'm praying about it. 131 00:06:49,170 --> 00:06:50,800 Are you kidding me? 132 00:06:51,410 --> 00:06:57,330 Now, his behavior hadn't changed, in spite of how serious the problem actually was. 133 00:06:57,480 --> 00:06:59,374 And I know why he hadn't changed. 134 00:06:59,502 --> 00:07:01,780 It's the same reason you don't change. 135 00:07:02,630 --> 00:07:04,820 You have to discover what you believe. 136 00:07:05,770 --> 00:07:07,880 Look at proverbs 423. 137 00:07:08,890 --> 00:07:16,040 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. 138 00:07:16,730 --> 00:07:18,300 That's the word of God. 139 00:07:18,750 --> 00:07:22,620 Your heart determines what you are willing to do. 140 00:07:23,070 --> 00:07:26,620 Your beliefs drive what you do. 141 00:07:28,030 --> 00:07:32,426 Hey, you guys, thank you so much for joining our service today in the brand new year 2024. 142 00:07:32,528 --> 00:07:36,330 Want to invite you to give to the work that God is doing in and through Sandals church. 143 00:07:36,410 --> 00:07:41,146 You can do so by going to donate SC for now, let's get back into the message with Pastor 144 00:07:41,178 --> 00:07:42,270 Eric Sally. 145 00:07:43,010 --> 00:07:45,950 We're starting this series about becoming healthy. 146 00:07:46,030 --> 00:07:49,922 And over the next couple of weeks, we're going to talk about physical, emotional and 147 00:07:49,976 --> 00:07:51,140 spiritual health. 148 00:07:51,830 --> 00:07:54,130 And I know how this makes some of you feel. 149 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:57,190 Maybe it's disappointment, maybe it's shame. 150 00:07:58,650 --> 00:08:03,590 Maybe it's frustration because it reminds you of current or past failures. 151 00:08:04,890 --> 00:08:06,326 But Jesus said it this way. 152 00:08:06,348 --> 00:08:07,810 He said, the spirit's willing. 153 00:08:07,890 --> 00:08:09,526 The flesh is weak. 154 00:08:09,718 --> 00:08:15,046 This is a condition common to all of us because we don't know our own desires, we don't 155 00:08:15,078 --> 00:08:16,730 know our own hearts. 156 00:08:17,870 --> 00:08:23,246 If you have struggled with your physical self, your weight, your health, your fitness, your 157 00:08:23,268 --> 00:08:25,120 body image, today is for you. 158 00:08:25,570 --> 00:08:30,218 If you think you're the sexiest person on the planet and you're hyper focused on fitness 159 00:08:30,314 --> 00:08:35,780 and you're more concerned with self image than health, today is probably also for you. 160 00:08:36,870 --> 00:08:41,806 It's obvious that the world doesn't have great answers for this because we tend to equate 161 00:08:41,838 --> 00:08:45,298 health with physical beauty or a specific body type. 162 00:08:45,384 --> 00:08:50,258 If we're not beautiful, slim, muscular, then we're tempted to think we're not healthy. 163 00:08:50,434 --> 00:08:55,126 If we're not healthy, then we've got these options like medicine and surgery for everything 164 00:08:55,228 --> 00:08:59,130 from weight loss to cosmesis to diets and supplements. 165 00:08:59,550 --> 00:09:02,060 Man, the world hasn't solved this problem. 166 00:09:02,830 --> 00:09:08,874 We are embodied creatures in need of help, in need of the rescue of a savior from this 167 00:09:08,912 --> 00:09:09,610 condition. 168 00:09:10,190 --> 00:09:11,820 You don't have the answer. 169 00:09:12,190 --> 00:09:14,430 The world doesn't have the answer. 170 00:09:14,580 --> 00:09:19,182 So let's look at God's word and see what he does for a person who seems to have it all. 171 00:09:19,236 --> 00:09:22,458 Power, influence, money, military expertise. 172 00:09:22,634 --> 00:09:26,158 But this guy's stuck too, and he desperately needs healing. 173 00:09:26,254 --> 00:09:27,394 Would you pray with me? 174 00:09:27,512 --> 00:09:32,194 Let's ask our very good heavenly father to have this way with our hearts, this church, this 175 00:09:32,232 --> 00:09:34,020 world, and this new year. 176 00:09:36,950 --> 00:09:41,666 Dear Father, we come before you on the authority of your son, Jesus the Messiah. 177 00:09:41,778 --> 00:09:47,126 We praise you today because you are the God who came to give us abundant life, to redeem us 178 00:09:47,148 --> 00:09:50,070 and restore us from the consequences of our sin. 179 00:09:50,650 --> 00:09:55,606 You are the only God who gives life to the dead and who calls things into being that we're 180 00:09:55,638 --> 00:09:56,266 not. 181 00:09:56,448 --> 00:10:01,866 Will you use my mouth to speak your words and speak life into this church, into everyone 182 00:10:01,968 --> 00:10:03,340 who will hear this message? 183 00:10:04,030 --> 00:10:08,814 I pray that the reality of your love would be experienced today, that you would silence the 184 00:10:08,852 --> 00:10:13,294 liar, the thief, the murderer, so that your voice, the voice of your son Jesus, would be 185 00:10:13,332 --> 00:10:16,574 clearly heard and lead us into health and wholeness. 186 00:10:16,622 --> 00:10:17,810 We ask it in his name. 187 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:18,690 Amen. 188 00:10:19,590 --> 00:10:23,886 All right, so we're going to look at two kings, chapter five, the first 14 verses. 189 00:10:23,918 --> 00:10:27,620 So if you brought your Bible or you want to follow along in the app, you can do that. 190 00:10:28,550 --> 00:10:29,694 It starts this way. 191 00:10:29,752 --> 00:10:33,346 Now, Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Aram. 192 00:10:33,458 --> 00:10:37,846 He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded because through him the 193 00:10:37,868 --> 00:10:39,650 Lord had given victory to Aram. 194 00:10:39,730 --> 00:10:42,902 He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. 195 00:10:43,046 --> 00:10:45,386 Now, leprosy is a bacterial condition, man. 196 00:10:45,408 --> 00:10:47,978 And if we catch it early enough today, we can treat it. 197 00:10:48,064 --> 00:10:51,286 It destroys, though, the nerves and the skin cells. 198 00:10:51,478 --> 00:10:57,006 Naaman knew that this, for him, though, was a slow, chronic death sentence because there 199 00:10:57,028 --> 00:10:59,280 was no cure known in his day. 200 00:10:59,730 --> 00:11:01,150 Now remember, your body. 201 00:11:01,220 --> 00:11:02,826 Your body is your finest tool. 202 00:11:02,948 --> 00:11:07,874 It's actually the only thing that belongs to you and that you have full agency over. 203 00:11:07,992 --> 00:11:14,980 You get one body and your entire earthly existence is experienced in that body. 204 00:11:15,690 --> 00:11:18,226 They were given to us as gifts. 205 00:11:18,418 --> 00:11:23,334 And Naaman, now Naaman's worried about his body now. 206 00:11:23,372 --> 00:11:28,466 Bands of raiders from Aram, they had gone out and taken captive a young girl from Israel. 207 00:11:28,498 --> 00:11:30,434 She served Naaman's wife. 208 00:11:30,562 --> 00:11:35,306 She said to her mistress, if only my master would see the prophet who's in Samaria, he 209 00:11:35,328 --> 00:11:37,130 would cure him of his leprosy. 210 00:11:37,550 --> 00:11:41,218 How many of you have been given medical advice by a friend or family member? 211 00:11:41,414 --> 00:11:44,410 And they're like, dude, you need to go see my doctor. 212 00:11:44,570 --> 00:11:48,320 Everyone not suffering thinks they have the right solution, right? 213 00:11:49,090 --> 00:11:50,986 So Naaman, though, listens. 214 00:11:51,018 --> 00:11:54,174 He goes to his master and he told him what the girl from Israel had said. 215 00:11:54,212 --> 00:11:55,762 He said, by all means, go. 216 00:11:55,816 --> 00:11:59,438 The king of Aram replied, I will send a letter to the king of Israel. 217 00:11:59,534 --> 00:12:06,894 And so Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, 6000 shekels of gold and ten 218 00:12:06,952 --> 00:12:08,230 sets of clothing. 219 00:12:08,970 --> 00:12:10,486 Do you know how much money this is? 220 00:12:10,588 --> 00:12:17,410 Some of the sources I read suggest that it's like $750,000,000 in today's currency. 221 00:12:17,570 --> 00:12:20,522 I don't know if that's true or not, but here's what I want you to see. 222 00:12:20,576 --> 00:12:21,974 The condition is serious. 223 00:12:22,102 --> 00:12:27,660 And Naaman, at some level he's willing to do what it takes to solve this problem. 224 00:12:28,350 --> 00:12:30,746 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read this. 225 00:12:30,768 --> 00:12:36,846 It said, with this letter, I'm sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of 226 00:12:36,868 --> 00:12:37,930 his leprosy. 227 00:12:38,090 --> 00:12:42,494 And as soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and he said, am I God? 228 00:12:42,612 --> 00:12:44,398 Can I kill and bring back to life? 229 00:12:44,484 --> 00:12:48,606 Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? 230 00:12:48,718 --> 00:12:51,538 See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me. 231 00:12:51,624 --> 00:12:55,678 The king of Israel knows leprosy is a death sentence. 232 00:12:55,854 --> 00:12:57,874 He's got no idea God's at work. 233 00:12:57,992 --> 00:13:01,814 He has no idea of God's power to transform and change a life. 234 00:13:01,932 --> 00:13:05,330 He certainly doesn't think he's going to do it for an enemy. 235 00:13:05,410 --> 00:13:09,110 And he's worried that this is going to go bad and it's going to fall on his shoulders. 236 00:13:11,370 --> 00:13:14,886 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes. 237 00:13:14,918 --> 00:13:16,058 He sent him this message. 238 00:13:16,144 --> 00:13:17,894 Hey, why have you torn your robes? 239 00:13:18,022 --> 00:13:22,150 Have the man come to me and he will know that there's a prophet in Israel. 240 00:13:22,310 --> 00:13:27,134 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. 241 00:13:27,332 --> 00:13:32,846 Elisha sent a messenger to say, go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan and your flesh 242 00:13:32,878 --> 00:13:36,238 will be restored and you will be cleansed. 243 00:13:36,414 --> 00:13:39,780 Dude, Elisha's throwing some shade here. 244 00:13:40,150 --> 00:13:41,858 He doesn't go out and meet the guy. 245 00:13:41,944 --> 00:13:43,490 He sends his messenger. 246 00:13:45,350 --> 00:13:48,194 He sends his messenger to deliver the prescription. 247 00:13:48,322 --> 00:13:49,382 Have you missed a message? 248 00:13:49,436 --> 00:13:52,070 Because it came through somebody you didn't respect. 249 00:13:53,130 --> 00:13:55,110 But Naaman went away angry. 250 00:13:56,250 --> 00:14:00,690 He said, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand, call on the name of the 251 00:14:00,700 --> 00:14:05,290 Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 252 00:14:05,870 --> 00:14:10,438 Are not Abana and Farpur the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? 253 00:14:10,534 --> 00:14:12,550 Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed? 254 00:14:12,630 --> 00:14:15,146 And so he turned and went off in a rage. 255 00:14:15,338 --> 00:14:17,166 Now, remember a few verses ago? 256 00:14:17,268 --> 00:14:20,394 Naaman's ready to drop $750,000,000. 257 00:14:20,522 --> 00:14:21,694 Looks like he's all in. 258 00:14:21,732 --> 00:14:22,222 Right. 259 00:14:22,356 --> 00:14:28,690 Well, now we discover that he's got a preconceived notion of how he should be healed, of 260 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:30,978 what should be done to cure his problem. 261 00:14:31,144 --> 00:14:33,250 He doesn't like the prescription. 262 00:14:33,590 --> 00:14:35,346 And isn't that just like us? 263 00:14:35,448 --> 00:14:38,610 Look, Naaman has no skill, no gifting, no training as a healer. 264 00:14:38,690 --> 00:14:41,110 But his heart, remember, we go back to the heart. 265 00:14:41,180 --> 00:14:43,510 His heart has an expectation of the method. 266 00:14:45,050 --> 00:14:49,254 The average patient that comes to see me, they've seen a handful of doctors, chiropractors, 267 00:14:49,302 --> 00:14:51,782 acupuncturists, physical therapists, naturopaths. 268 00:14:51,846 --> 00:14:52,666 And you know what they do? 269 00:14:52,688 --> 00:14:53,302 Invariably? 270 00:14:53,366 --> 00:14:55,260 They come in and they tell me what they need. 271 00:14:57,390 --> 00:14:58,698 That's what they do. 272 00:14:58,864 --> 00:15:01,738 So I usually listen to them because that's part of the process. 273 00:15:01,904 --> 00:15:05,386 And then I gently remind them of the list they just gave me, of all the failed 274 00:15:05,418 --> 00:15:10,974 interventions that they just had, helping them to see that if actually they want to get 275 00:15:11,012 --> 00:15:16,594 better and recover, that a change of direction is necessary, a new prescription is 276 00:15:16,632 --> 00:15:17,422 necessary. 277 00:15:17,566 --> 00:15:22,290 They have to be willing to slide from the driver's seat into the learner's seat. 278 00:15:23,910 --> 00:15:26,302 Naaman turns and leaves in a rage. 279 00:15:26,366 --> 00:15:31,862 Man, we get so mad when we don't get what we want, even though what we want isn't the thing 280 00:15:31,916 --> 00:15:33,574 we're actually asking for. 281 00:15:33,692 --> 00:15:36,386 I don't think Naaman cared about the method. 282 00:15:36,578 --> 00:15:40,210 I think he cared whether or not he was healed, right? 283 00:15:40,380 --> 00:15:42,140 But some of you do. 284 00:15:42,510 --> 00:15:46,970 Some of you will let your objection to the method stand in the way of your solution. 285 00:15:47,550 --> 00:15:52,430 Naaman's going to drop $750,000,000, but he won't take a bath. 286 00:15:53,330 --> 00:15:54,640 Think about that. 287 00:15:55,250 --> 00:16:01,822 Some of you would rather be on costly medication and endure preventable surgeries than stop 288 00:16:01,876 --> 00:16:03,780 drinking soda and go for a walk. 289 00:16:04,550 --> 00:16:06,900 And I know that's harsh, man. 290 00:16:08,150 --> 00:16:09,390 That's harsh. 291 00:16:09,550 --> 00:16:10,526 That's harsh. 292 00:16:10,638 --> 00:16:12,322 And it's not always that simple. 293 00:16:12,456 --> 00:16:16,450 But we're talking about life and death, and that's human behavior. 294 00:16:18,230 --> 00:16:18,942 Verse 13. 295 00:16:19,006 --> 00:16:19,822 Naming servants. 296 00:16:19,886 --> 00:16:22,822 They went to him and they said, my father, if the prophet had told you to do something 297 00:16:22,876 --> 00:16:24,822 great, would you not have done it? 298 00:16:24,956 --> 00:16:28,310 How much more then when he tells you, wash and be cleansed. 299 00:16:28,730 --> 00:16:34,842 So he went down, dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him. 300 00:16:34,896 --> 00:16:38,940 And his flesh was restored and became clean, like that of a young boy. 301 00:16:39,310 --> 00:16:40,498 Naaman's healed. 302 00:16:40,614 --> 00:16:41,870 This is a miracle. 303 00:16:42,370 --> 00:16:45,422 And you need to notice some subtle and important points. 304 00:16:45,556 --> 00:16:51,086 Naaman is hoping for a magnanimous, ostentatious solution because his mind is trying to 305 00:16:51,108 --> 00:16:56,530 reconcile the seriousness of his condition with a solution that seems fitting. 306 00:16:57,270 --> 00:16:59,380 But notice, it's Naaman's community. 307 00:16:59,750 --> 00:17:05,170 It's his people who advocate for him that help him see what he had missed. 308 00:17:05,510 --> 00:17:07,382 You need that kind of community, too. 309 00:17:07,436 --> 00:17:12,546 You need people that are going to advocate for your best interests even when you're acting 310 00:17:12,578 --> 00:17:16,920 foolishly so you can see what you're otherwise going to miss. 311 00:17:17,850 --> 00:17:22,474 Second notice, remember, he doesn't have proper training, education or gifting to actually 312 00:17:22,512 --> 00:17:23,482 know what he needs. 313 00:17:23,616 --> 00:17:24,346 Right. 314 00:17:24,528 --> 00:17:28,986 And scripture reminds us, knowledge makes us arrogant, but love builds us up. 315 00:17:29,088 --> 00:17:35,354 Like Naaman, we're really good in this information age at googling our symptoms, self 316 00:17:35,392 --> 00:17:41,450 diagnosing, self prescribing, and then hanging on to our own personal expertise. 317 00:17:41,530 --> 00:17:45,006 Even though we're stuck suffering, unchanged, unimproved. 318 00:17:45,198 --> 00:17:51,534 How many of you have googled your symptoms, turned into Webmd to try and solve a medical 319 00:17:51,582 --> 00:17:53,330 problem that didn't work out? 320 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:53,842 Yeah. 321 00:17:53,896 --> 00:17:54,334 Amen. 322 00:17:54,382 --> 00:17:55,410 Human nature. 323 00:17:55,750 --> 00:17:58,838 I can hear my patients telling me what's wrong with them, what they need. 324 00:17:58,924 --> 00:17:59,986 How about PRP? 325 00:18:00,098 --> 00:18:01,922 How about cortisone disc replacement? 326 00:18:01,986 --> 00:18:04,818 Stem cells, trigger point injections? 327 00:18:04,914 --> 00:18:06,198 Look, I don't blame them. 328 00:18:06,284 --> 00:18:09,810 I mean, they've been shown x rays, mris, CTS, given explanations. 329 00:18:09,890 --> 00:18:11,622 They've read some stuff on the Internet. 330 00:18:11,686 --> 00:18:13,130 They have a little knowledge. 331 00:18:13,790 --> 00:18:14,810 That's true. 332 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:16,342 But Naaman gets healed. 333 00:18:16,406 --> 00:18:20,586 And don't miss why he gets healed because it's the subtle stuff that you're missing that's 334 00:18:20,618 --> 00:18:21,440 killing you. 335 00:18:22,290 --> 00:18:24,670 Community and obedience. 336 00:18:25,170 --> 00:18:31,422 All right, he's healed because he obediently follows the simple prescription that's given 337 00:18:31,476 --> 00:18:32,750 by God's prophet. 338 00:18:33,410 --> 00:18:38,900 I left off in my own story suffering with persistent miserable leg and low back pain. 339 00:18:39,430 --> 00:18:41,506 We were living in East Africa at that point. 340 00:18:41,608 --> 00:18:47,858 I'd opened a physical therapy clinic and, man, we were sharing the gospel with Muslims. 341 00:18:47,954 --> 00:18:51,442 People were coming to faith, people were getting healed physically. 342 00:18:51,586 --> 00:18:55,714 And I was so frustrated with the Lord because I was suffering. 343 00:18:55,842 --> 00:18:57,446 These people were getting better. 344 00:18:57,628 --> 00:18:59,138 I was suffering. 345 00:18:59,314 --> 00:19:02,666 But I knew my problem was my fault, so I didn't blame him. 346 00:19:02,848 --> 00:19:05,190 I knew I'd earned this condition. 347 00:19:05,350 --> 00:19:09,754 But thankfully, my wife, my family, others in my community, they prayed for me. 348 00:19:09,792 --> 00:19:12,560 They prayed for me through this problem. 349 00:19:13,650 --> 00:19:19,726 And this may sound new to you, but in the same way Naaman was challenged in his thinking, I 350 00:19:19,748 --> 00:19:21,310 didn't believe I'd be healed. 351 00:19:21,970 --> 00:19:26,446 I thought, man, if God was going to heal me, he could have done that ten years ago. 352 00:19:26,628 --> 00:19:30,914 And you also might be thinking right now, I don't know that I can change or that God wants 353 00:19:30,952 --> 00:19:31,666 to heal me. 354 00:19:31,768 --> 00:19:33,426 It didn't make any sense to me. 355 00:19:33,528 --> 00:19:35,314 It might not make any sense to you. 356 00:19:35,352 --> 00:19:36,238 That's okay. 357 00:19:36,424 --> 00:19:38,530 I've got a great wife, Nancy. 358 00:19:38,690 --> 00:19:41,122 She challenged me with the story of Abraham. 359 00:19:41,266 --> 00:19:42,546 Abraham and Sarah. 360 00:19:42,578 --> 00:19:45,410 They are promised a son, son Isaac. 361 00:19:45,490 --> 00:19:48,822 And it takes God a long time to deliver on that promise. 362 00:19:48,886 --> 00:19:49,946 25 years. 363 00:19:50,128 --> 00:19:56,282 But it's Abraham's faith that pleased God and produced the promise to begin with. 364 00:19:56,416 --> 00:19:57,994 Right, Hebrews eleven six. 365 00:19:58,032 --> 00:20:01,338 And without faith, it is impossible to please him. 366 00:20:01,504 --> 00:20:06,414 For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those 367 00:20:06,452 --> 00:20:07,710 who would seek him. 368 00:20:07,860 --> 00:20:11,790 That challenged me that I didn't know what to do with it. 369 00:20:11,860 --> 00:20:12,794 I was frustrated. 370 00:20:12,842 --> 00:20:13,994 I wanted to be healed. 371 00:20:14,042 --> 00:20:15,690 I wanted to please God. 372 00:20:15,860 --> 00:20:17,522 But I didn't know what to do. 373 00:20:17,576 --> 00:20:19,454 And so much time had passed. 374 00:20:19,582 --> 00:20:21,060 It had been a long time. 375 00:20:21,830 --> 00:20:25,374 As a healthcare provider, I have to take continuing education courses. 376 00:20:25,502 --> 00:20:28,558 And so I took a course in Amsterdam on dry needling. 377 00:20:28,734 --> 00:20:32,838 It's where we take this long single monofilament needle and insert it in the muscles in 378 00:20:32,844 --> 00:20:33,302 your body. 379 00:20:33,356 --> 00:20:35,750 And so the course was ten days long. 380 00:20:35,900 --> 00:20:40,778 Not only did I have to needle everybody, but I got needled in every muscle in my body. 381 00:20:40,864 --> 00:20:43,500 Places where you might not think a needle should go. 382 00:20:44,270 --> 00:20:46,540 It was a very intense experience. 383 00:20:48,350 --> 00:20:54,990 But after the course, a few days, I woke up pain free for the first time in a decade. 384 00:20:55,730 --> 00:20:59,200 Blown away, I had no idea what to make of it. 385 00:21:01,730 --> 00:21:08,162 I was dumbfounded, but the experience made me realize that what I'd believed about my pain 386 00:21:08,216 --> 00:21:14,574 was wrong, and something new was at work, rooting out that false idea that that physician 387 00:21:14,622 --> 00:21:17,030 had planted 15 years prior. 388 00:21:17,930 --> 00:21:22,694 And so I began a program that forced me to look at a couple of things, my beliefs and my 389 00:21:22,732 --> 00:21:23,394 emotions. 390 00:21:23,522 --> 00:21:28,522 And six weeks later, I started running that same year. 391 00:21:28,576 --> 00:21:29,180 Yeah. 392 00:21:30,030 --> 00:21:30,970 Amen. 393 00:21:32,350 --> 00:21:33,738 I started running. 394 00:21:33,904 --> 00:21:35,674 That same year, I started skiing again. 395 00:21:35,712 --> 00:21:37,900 I hadn't done those things in 25 years. 396 00:21:38,990 --> 00:21:40,346 God healed me. 397 00:21:40,528 --> 00:21:46,366 He used a simple change in my belief and my awareness of the effect of my emotions on my 398 00:21:46,388 --> 00:21:47,680 body to do it. 399 00:21:48,610 --> 00:21:51,050 Now, I don't live in utopia. 400 00:21:51,210 --> 00:21:56,210 I'm not pain free all the time, everywhere, but he delivered me from that condition. 401 00:21:56,790 --> 00:22:00,498 And it does make sense, because Jesus came to give us abundant life. 402 00:22:00,584 --> 00:22:05,474 And his desire for you is not that you should live in pain or frustration or shame or 403 00:22:05,512 --> 00:22:11,638 stuck, but that you should learn to live well and maintain the body that he's given you. 404 00:22:11,804 --> 00:22:12,534 Look at one. 405 00:22:12,572 --> 00:22:13,974 Corinthians 619 and 20. 406 00:22:14,012 --> 00:22:14,822 It says this. 407 00:22:14,956 --> 00:22:22,442 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you whom you have from 408 00:22:22,496 --> 00:22:23,146 God? 409 00:22:23,328 --> 00:22:24,650 You are not your own. 410 00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:26,620 You were bought at a price. 411 00:22:27,310 --> 00:22:34,240 He has made your body to be his residence, the place where he lives. 412 00:22:36,290 --> 00:22:43,198 He wants you to maintain it, care for it, feed and build up your body for your own personal 413 00:22:43,284 --> 00:22:46,080 benefit and for the benefit of others. 414 00:22:48,050 --> 00:22:51,358 Your body is the medium by which other people are going to experience God, because you're 415 00:22:51,374 --> 00:22:52,930 the temple of the Holy Spirit. 416 00:22:53,350 --> 00:22:57,222 So if you want to change your body, if you want to steward well the body that God has given 417 00:22:57,276 --> 00:23:04,054 you, if you want 2024 to look different, if you're a Christian, this is the body that was 418 00:23:04,092 --> 00:23:06,310 redeemed and purchased. 419 00:23:06,650 --> 00:23:07,880 Write this down. 420 00:23:08,510 --> 00:23:11,740 I must discover what I actually believe is possible. 421 00:23:12,430 --> 00:23:14,780 Proverbs 20, verse five says this. 422 00:23:15,390 --> 00:23:21,078 The purposes of a person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out. 423 00:23:21,264 --> 00:23:25,502 Discovering what you actually believe takes time and effort and wisdom and community. 424 00:23:25,636 --> 00:23:26,800 But it's possible. 425 00:23:28,450 --> 00:23:29,214 Write this down. 426 00:23:29,252 --> 00:23:34,740 Also, in order for me to change, I must be willing to listen to the right people. 427 00:23:35,670 --> 00:23:40,002 Not everyone's concerned for your best interest, but some are, and some people know exactly 428 00:23:40,056 --> 00:23:40,980 what to do. 429 00:23:41,910 --> 00:23:45,874 I had this patient, Jerry, and Jerry was not a believer, but his wife was. 430 00:23:45,912 --> 00:23:50,486 She'd been praying for him for, like, 20 years, and he wasn't interested necessarily in 431 00:23:50,508 --> 00:23:54,550 spiritual things, but he came to see me because his body was demanding attention. 432 00:23:55,290 --> 00:23:58,806 He'd had a total knee replacement that year, and it was not going well. 433 00:23:58,908 --> 00:24:00,070 He's in severe pain. 434 00:24:00,140 --> 00:24:01,974 His leg looks like a sausage. 435 00:24:02,102 --> 00:24:04,246 His knee was frozen stiff. 436 00:24:04,358 --> 00:24:07,770 He was also an alcoholic and had been sober for a lot of years. 437 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:12,010 But now his doctors were asking him to take opioid medication for pain control. 438 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:15,054 So coming to me was like a last ditch effort for him. 439 00:24:15,172 --> 00:24:17,502 Now, look, he, too, hadn't taken care of his body. 440 00:24:17,556 --> 00:24:19,534 He hadn't exercised since high school. 441 00:24:19,652 --> 00:24:21,230 He wasn't in great shape. 442 00:24:21,570 --> 00:24:27,106 So I evaluated Jerry, and then I was discouraged, because I'm like, I don't know if I can 443 00:24:27,128 --> 00:24:27,746 help you. 444 00:24:27,848 --> 00:24:29,106 He was a mess. 445 00:24:29,288 --> 00:24:32,606 So before we started treatment, as I often do, I got his permission. 446 00:24:32,638 --> 00:24:33,860 I prayed over him. 447 00:24:34,310 --> 00:24:38,630 And over the following months, as we worked together, he made progress. 448 00:24:39,050 --> 00:24:41,958 And then I got the opportunity to share the gospel with him. 449 00:24:42,044 --> 00:24:44,002 And one day, he gave his life to Jesus. 450 00:24:44,146 --> 00:24:51,434 Yeah, couple of miracles in here because his wife is blown away. 451 00:24:51,472 --> 00:24:55,530 She'd prayed for this guy for 20 years, man, and God answered that prayer. 452 00:24:56,670 --> 00:24:57,530 Don't miss this. 453 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:03,258 It was Jerry's broken body screaming at him that drove him to Jesus and ultimately saved 454 00:25:03,274 --> 00:25:04,080 his life. 455 00:25:04,690 --> 00:25:09,646 And as part of the healing process, he also had to begin to develop healthy rhythms and 456 00:25:09,668 --> 00:25:16,078 disciplines, read scripture, learn to pray, go to Church, and, yes, to exercise every day. 457 00:25:16,244 --> 00:25:18,354 A year later, you would not have recognized this guy. 458 00:25:18,392 --> 00:25:19,458 He looked like a new man. 459 00:25:19,544 --> 00:25:20,900 He was a new man. 460 00:25:21,430 --> 00:25:25,026 Now, if you want to change like Jerry, after you discover what you believe, you start 461 00:25:25,048 --> 00:25:26,274 listening to the right people. 462 00:25:26,392 --> 00:25:27,880 You have to train your body. 463 00:25:28,410 --> 00:25:31,286 Exercise is the best medicine that we have. 464 00:25:31,388 --> 00:25:36,360 It was designed by God to be the most effective way to heal your body. 465 00:25:36,810 --> 00:25:37,702 Write this down. 466 00:25:37,756 --> 00:25:42,380 As a follower of Jesus, I must train my body to do what it should. 467 00:25:43,230 --> 00:25:45,258 One corinthians 927. 468 00:25:45,424 --> 00:25:49,334 Paul writes this, I discipline my body like an athlete. 469 00:25:49,382 --> 00:25:50,998 Paul was not an athlete. 470 00:25:51,174 --> 00:25:53,110 Training it to do what it should. 471 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:54,670 Why did he do that? 472 00:25:54,820 --> 00:25:59,520 Because his body needs to do what he needed it to do, to do the work God called him to. 473 00:26:00,130 --> 00:26:06,146 Regardless of healthy or unhealthy, the body will adapt 100% of the time to the loads that 474 00:26:06,168 --> 00:26:07,058 we put on it. 475 00:26:07,144 --> 00:26:08,820 And it's true at every age. 476 00:26:09,830 --> 00:26:11,390 Proverbs 30 117. 477 00:26:11,470 --> 00:26:13,550 She sets about her work vigorously. 478 00:26:13,630 --> 00:26:16,174 Her arms are strong for the task. 479 00:26:16,302 --> 00:26:18,002 Hard work requires strength. 480 00:26:18,066 --> 00:26:21,666 The body becomes stronger when we give it loads to lift. 481 00:26:21,858 --> 00:26:23,622 One Timothy four eight. 482 00:26:23,756 --> 00:26:25,830 For physical training is some value. 483 00:26:25,900 --> 00:26:27,480 Why is it of some value? 484 00:26:27,790 --> 00:26:32,330 It's because our bodies need to move in order to adapt. 485 00:26:33,310 --> 00:26:38,202 Now, the possibilities for exercise, man, they are as varied as you guys are. 486 00:26:38,336 --> 00:26:42,746 You can run, bike, swim, dance, garden, ski, hike, surf, play tennis, pickleball, 487 00:26:42,778 --> 00:26:47,054 racquetball, golf, zumba, Tai Chi, functional exercise, crossfit, and cross training. 488 00:26:47,172 --> 00:26:48,618 And that's the beginning. 489 00:26:48,794 --> 00:26:53,086 That doesn't mention all of the exercise equipment that's out there and the plethora of 490 00:26:53,108 --> 00:26:54,466 ways to use it. 491 00:26:54,648 --> 00:27:01,058 Exercise is no doubt hard work, but if it's not fun, you're probably not doing it right. 492 00:27:01,144 --> 00:27:03,538 Can I make two suggestions for you today? 493 00:27:03,704 --> 00:27:08,950 Number one, explore different activities until you find something you love. 494 00:27:09,100 --> 00:27:14,310 And once you find something you love, then learn how to train to enhance your performance. 495 00:27:14,970 --> 00:27:19,654 Because once you love something, then training becomes something that you want to do, not 496 00:27:19,692 --> 00:27:21,050 something you have to do. 497 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,300 Suggestion two, do it with friends and family. 498 00:27:24,830 --> 00:27:29,706 I invited Jeff Y to join our gym specifically because I knew our community would keep him 499 00:27:29,728 --> 00:27:32,494 coming back until he learned to love it. 500 00:27:32,692 --> 00:27:37,310 Good community makes habitual exercise possible over the long haul. 501 00:27:38,210 --> 00:27:41,806 Now, after you move your body, it's got to recover, all right? 502 00:27:41,908 --> 00:27:44,090 So you need two elements of recovery. 503 00:27:44,250 --> 00:27:44,902 Fuel. 504 00:27:44,986 --> 00:27:46,878 Your body has to be fueled properly. 505 00:27:46,974 --> 00:27:47,778 Write this down. 506 00:27:47,864 --> 00:27:51,678 I must care for my body by choosing to eat wisely. 507 00:27:51,854 --> 00:27:52,242 Man. 508 00:27:52,296 --> 00:27:55,106 The Bible is replete with scripture about food. 509 00:27:55,208 --> 00:28:00,230 It's designed by God to fuel our bodies and provide some pleasure. 510 00:28:00,650 --> 00:28:04,482 The promised land is described as the land of milk and honey. 511 00:28:04,626 --> 00:28:10,010 But it's the disordered use of food for pleasure and comfort that gives us trouble. 512 00:28:10,990 --> 00:28:16,074 How many of you have tried a new, complicated diet that didn't work right? 513 00:28:16,192 --> 00:28:18,710 None of them actually work as a lifestyle. 514 00:28:18,870 --> 00:28:23,406 All of them produce some kind of immediate effect, but they all have limited application 515 00:28:23,508 --> 00:28:24,730 and effectiveness. 516 00:28:24,890 --> 00:28:29,674 Food should be consumed mostly to meet your metabolic and your energy requirements. 517 00:28:29,802 --> 00:28:37,522 And then food in moderation, in its most original form, provides exactly what your body 518 00:28:37,576 --> 00:28:39,374 needs for fuel. 519 00:28:39,502 --> 00:28:46,126 The more processed, synthetic, modified the food is, the more problematic it is causing 520 00:28:46,158 --> 00:28:48,710 allergies, obesity, and disease. 521 00:28:49,130 --> 00:28:53,814 What it matters when it comes to food are three things, your motivation for eating, the 522 00:28:53,852 --> 00:28:56,470 habits that you have, and the source of the food. 523 00:28:56,620 --> 00:29:00,198 It takes time and effort to discover your motivations. 524 00:29:00,374 --> 00:29:03,590 Building new habits requires discipline. 525 00:29:03,750 --> 00:29:07,098 But then you also need to look at where your food is coming from. 526 00:29:07,184 --> 00:29:11,746 I'm going to give you four simple recommendations and save you 4 hours of a Huberman 527 00:29:11,798 --> 00:29:12,686 podcast here. 528 00:29:12,788 --> 00:29:13,390 Right? 529 00:29:13,540 --> 00:29:15,898 Number one, eliminate added sugars. 530 00:29:15,994 --> 00:29:16,666 It's poison. 531 00:29:16,698 --> 00:29:17,742 It's killing you. 532 00:29:17,876 --> 00:29:22,686 Number two, eat high fiber foods because they're going to suck the toxins out of your body. 533 00:29:22,868 --> 00:29:27,246 Number three, include omega three fatty acids found in fish and seeds. 534 00:29:27,278 --> 00:29:29,106 Your brain and nervous system need them. 535 00:29:29,208 --> 00:29:31,790 And then here's the fourth, don't drink your calories. 536 00:29:31,950 --> 00:29:35,490 Sweeteners of every kind are toxic. 537 00:29:36,410 --> 00:29:36,982 All right? 538 00:29:37,036 --> 00:29:41,014 Now, after you have moved your body, fueled your body, it's got to rest. 539 00:29:41,132 --> 00:29:43,462 All right, write this down. 540 00:29:43,516 --> 00:29:47,046 I must prioritize daily and weekly rest. 541 00:29:47,148 --> 00:29:49,794 Psalm 127 two says this in vain. 542 00:29:49,842 --> 00:29:54,906 You rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat, for he grants sleep to those he 543 00:29:54,928 --> 00:29:55,690 loves. 544 00:29:56,030 --> 00:29:58,746 When we sleep, our brain changes its function. 545 00:29:58,928 --> 00:30:02,560 It actually becomes like a kidney pulling waste out of the system. 546 00:30:02,930 --> 00:30:07,162 When we sleep, toxins are removed at almost twice the speed as when we're awake. 547 00:30:07,306 --> 00:30:12,706 And look, everything from blood vessels to tendons to muscles to ligaments, even your 548 00:30:12,728 --> 00:30:16,590 immune system uses sleep as a time for tissue repair. 549 00:30:16,750 --> 00:30:20,766 If you don't get enough refreshing sleep, those processes get disturbed. 550 00:30:20,798 --> 00:30:21,762 And guess what? 551 00:30:21,896 --> 00:30:23,010 You suffer. 552 00:30:24,950 --> 00:30:25,774 Second aspect. 553 00:30:25,822 --> 00:30:26,434 To rest. 554 00:30:26,552 --> 00:30:27,734 Rest from work. 555 00:30:27,852 --> 00:30:29,970 The Bible calls this a sabbath. 556 00:30:30,130 --> 00:30:31,560 Hebrews four one. 557 00:30:32,010 --> 00:30:36,738 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none 558 00:30:36,754 --> 00:30:38,986 of you be found to have fallen short of it. 559 00:30:39,088 --> 00:30:44,698 Man, your body needs adequate rest from both work and exercise, and God has given you a 560 00:30:44,784 --> 00:30:47,660 simple prescription to accomplish this. 561 00:30:48,190 --> 00:30:52,218 Now, the purpose of today's message, it's not to teach you how to do these things. 562 00:30:52,304 --> 00:30:54,574 There's a lot of good resources to do that. 563 00:30:54,692 --> 00:31:00,206 The purpose of today is to teach you that your body is created in the image of God, to be 564 00:31:00,228 --> 00:31:03,546 his dwelling place, to serve his purposes. 565 00:31:03,738 --> 00:31:05,534 You are magnificent. 566 00:31:05,662 --> 00:31:08,494 Your body is one of your greatest responsibilities. 567 00:31:08,622 --> 00:31:10,770 You have to learn to take care of it. 568 00:31:10,840 --> 00:31:14,658 And I want you to know that health and healing, they're possible. 569 00:31:14,824 --> 00:31:20,200 It's not too late at any age, because our mighty God loves you. 570 00:31:20,730 --> 00:31:23,222 He calls the dead to live. 571 00:31:23,356 --> 00:31:24,294 He's a good God. 572 00:31:24,332 --> 00:31:25,800 He wants you to be whole. 573 00:31:26,410 --> 00:31:29,826 When we were in East Africa, my parents came to visit. 574 00:31:29,938 --> 00:31:32,582 We took them to a safari park on the coast. 575 00:31:32,646 --> 00:31:37,338 The government had just built this new beach camp so you could now camp on the beach and 576 00:31:37,344 --> 00:31:39,430 then go for game drives. 577 00:31:39,590 --> 00:31:42,602 So I was the expert in Swahili and navigation. 578 00:31:42,666 --> 00:31:46,126 I called to confirm the reservation, and they told me. 579 00:31:46,148 --> 00:31:48,720 They said the rains have been horrible this year. 580 00:31:49,730 --> 00:31:53,886 So they recommended we take a different route from the one I was planning, which meant a 581 00:31:53,908 --> 00:31:56,226 six hour drive instead of a two hour drive. 582 00:31:56,328 --> 00:31:59,860 And I know all the dads in here are like, dude, I'm taking the two hour road. 583 00:32:01,350 --> 00:32:05,666 That's why we buy big, fat mud tires and jack our trucks up. 584 00:32:05,848 --> 00:32:11,126 So I asked a ton of questions, and then I tell her about my fantastic land cruiser and my 585 00:32:11,148 --> 00:32:12,550 incredible off roading experience. 586 00:32:12,620 --> 00:32:16,354 I mean, I'd been off roading in sub saharan maasai land, for crying out loud. 587 00:32:16,402 --> 00:32:17,094 Okay. 588 00:32:17,292 --> 00:32:21,706 After several minutes, the woman that I was speaking with, though, she like, oh, okay. 589 00:32:21,808 --> 00:32:25,206 Well, the roads, they're flooded and muddy. 590 00:32:25,238 --> 00:32:29,100 But you got a great car and you're an amazing driver, so you'll probably make it. 591 00:32:30,910 --> 00:32:38,478 So we load up our family, luggage stacked on the roof rack, single axle trailer hitched to 592 00:32:38,484 --> 00:32:39,006 the car. 593 00:32:39,108 --> 00:32:40,346 We drive to the park. 594 00:32:40,378 --> 00:32:44,302 And once you get to the gate, you got 100 get to the camp. 595 00:32:44,436 --> 00:32:49,426 When we get inside, the roads are so muddy and flooded, you can't even find the road in 596 00:32:49,448 --> 00:32:50,450 some places. 597 00:32:50,790 --> 00:32:53,842 Well, you guessed it, 70. 598 00:32:53,896 --> 00:32:55,890 Buried the truck in the mud. 599 00:32:56,550 --> 00:32:58,770 Buried the truck in the mud. 600 00:32:58,850 --> 00:33:03,960 Now I have my aged parents, I have my young children, I have my very happy wife with us. 601 00:33:04,410 --> 00:33:05,062 Right? 602 00:33:05,196 --> 00:33:07,534 We are in the middle of a safari park. 603 00:33:07,602 --> 00:33:09,670 It's not the San Diego Zoo. 604 00:33:09,750 --> 00:33:11,382 This is Jurassic park. 605 00:33:11,446 --> 00:33:12,060 Okay. 606 00:33:13,230 --> 00:33:17,574 There are elephants and giraffes and zebra grazing where we're stuck. 607 00:33:17,622 --> 00:33:19,420 You know they're prey animals, right? 608 00:33:19,870 --> 00:33:20,442 All right. 609 00:33:20,496 --> 00:33:24,206 We haven't seen another human since the gate 70 km ago. 610 00:33:24,308 --> 00:33:26,142 Now, you'd think I'd be prepared, right? 611 00:33:26,196 --> 00:33:27,306 Because I'm a great offroader. 612 00:33:27,338 --> 00:33:30,586 I would have a winch or a shovel or a hijack. 613 00:33:30,698 --> 00:33:33,118 No, I don't have any of that. 614 00:33:33,284 --> 00:33:35,562 So everyone gets out, we unhitch the trailer. 615 00:33:35,626 --> 00:33:40,562 Five of us manage to get it unstuck from the mud and on dry land. 616 00:33:40,616 --> 00:33:44,846 And then for the next 6 hours, I'm digging the truck out, praying that we don't get eaten 617 00:33:44,878 --> 00:33:45,780 in the process. 618 00:33:46,330 --> 00:33:50,134 Because I put my family on a dinner plate for the lions here. 619 00:33:50,332 --> 00:33:52,502 I missed Naaman's sermon back there. 620 00:33:52,556 --> 00:33:55,830 Trying to get my attention, recommending a different route. 621 00:33:56,330 --> 00:34:00,680 Well, we stopped, we prayed, and we asked God for some miraculous help. 622 00:34:00,990 --> 00:34:06,586 And then, like offering the lions a new tasty snack, I sent my aged mother, my wife and my 623 00:34:06,608 --> 00:34:12,090 youngest child to go walk down the road to the nearest fork to see if they could find some 624 00:34:12,160 --> 00:34:12,780 help. 625 00:34:13,150 --> 00:34:13,526 Man. 626 00:34:13,568 --> 00:34:19,598 And let me tell you what, I'm worried my stupid decision to take the short route is going 627 00:34:19,604 --> 00:34:20,666 to get us killed. 628 00:34:20,778 --> 00:34:21,834 I'm out of ideas. 629 00:34:21,882 --> 00:34:24,810 I don't have any more strength left to keep digging. 630 00:34:24,970 --> 00:34:26,574 And I don't know how much time passes. 631 00:34:26,622 --> 00:34:30,770 But the women come back with a little guy on a peaky peaky, which is a motorcycle. 632 00:34:31,110 --> 00:34:33,650 I feel like I'm in a scene from dumb and dumber. 633 00:34:34,550 --> 00:34:40,146 This dude shows up, pulls out a pongo, which is a machete, chops down some trees, we shove 634 00:34:40,178 --> 00:34:43,346 it under the tires and we drive out of the hole. 635 00:34:43,538 --> 00:34:45,554 Dude, it's an absolute miracle. 636 00:34:45,602 --> 00:34:51,226 So I paid the guy a lot of money, gave him a bunch of gratitude, and then I drive like a 637 00:34:51,248 --> 00:34:53,402 mud caked demon out of hell. 638 00:34:53,536 --> 00:34:59,402 The last 3 get to the camp and I got across two rivers that I didn't know were there. 639 00:34:59,456 --> 00:35:00,214 They're rivers. 640 00:35:00,262 --> 00:35:02,334 Okay, we make it. 641 00:35:02,532 --> 00:35:03,450 We arrive. 642 00:35:03,530 --> 00:35:04,426 Everyone's muddy. 643 00:35:04,458 --> 00:35:06,906 We wash up in the ocean, we try to make dinner. 644 00:35:07,018 --> 00:35:09,498 Food's ruined, everyone's shaken. 645 00:35:09,594 --> 00:35:10,526 Especially me. 646 00:35:10,628 --> 00:35:14,530 Because I'm the fool that put us there, right? 647 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:19,214 And then it starts to rain, so no one sleeps. 648 00:35:19,342 --> 00:35:21,380 And in the morning we decide to leave. 649 00:35:22,310 --> 00:35:24,690 As we're leaving the camp, there's a fork in the road. 650 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:27,286 To the right, the way we came in. 651 00:35:27,468 --> 00:35:28,600 To the left. 652 00:35:29,050 --> 00:35:33,286 This is the unknown route, but the route the expert had told me to take. 653 00:35:33,468 --> 00:35:35,990 To the right, the same stupid decision. 654 00:35:37,210 --> 00:35:38,378 To the left. 655 00:35:38,544 --> 00:35:40,486 A new, unknown route. 656 00:35:40,678 --> 00:35:41,850 We went left. 657 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:43,722 We were home in 6 hours. 658 00:35:43,856 --> 00:35:46,010 No rivers, no mud, no lions. 659 00:35:46,750 --> 00:35:49,882 Just a peaceful, normal, wet, boring ride home. 660 00:35:50,016 --> 00:35:52,090 And now an actually happy wife. 661 00:35:52,590 --> 00:35:54,110 It's a miracle we made it. 662 00:35:54,180 --> 00:35:55,198 It really is. 663 00:35:55,364 --> 00:35:57,950 And it's a miracle some of you are still alive. 664 00:35:58,530 --> 00:36:00,906 It's a miracle that Jeff Wyatt is alive. 665 00:36:01,098 --> 00:36:04,080 The next time you go down that road, you might not make it. 666 00:36:05,490 --> 00:36:08,366 And you have people in your life like Naaman. 667 00:36:08,398 --> 00:36:09,038 Sermon. 668 00:36:09,134 --> 00:36:11,300 They're trying to get your attention right now. 669 00:36:11,750 --> 00:36:13,518 Today you get to make a choice. 670 00:36:13,694 --> 00:36:17,542 Are you going to choose to keep driving down that same old road that you know? 671 00:36:17,676 --> 00:36:23,334 Or choose to take a new direction and choose to trust God, the God who calls the dead to 672 00:36:23,372 --> 00:36:23,960 living? 673 00:36:25,210 --> 00:36:26,760 What are you going to choose today? 674 00:36:27,210 --> 00:36:33,834 I pray that, like Naaman, you would be moved to make a simple but unintuitive change and 675 00:36:33,872 --> 00:36:39,162 set out on a new path with your life so that you might experience what God intends for you. 676 00:36:39,296 --> 00:36:44,720 There's deep hope for transformation because Jesus is the path of life. 677 00:36:45,410 --> 00:36:46,314 And the church. 678 00:36:46,362 --> 00:36:50,110 The church is your companion and your community for the journey. 679 00:36:50,770 --> 00:36:51,870 Let's pray. 680 00:36:52,610 --> 00:36:57,806 Heavenly Father, you've called each one of us to join you in the process of making this 681 00:36:57,828 --> 00:37:00,110 world new and a better place. 682 00:37:00,260 --> 00:37:03,466 And it starts with how we live and what we do with your temple. 683 00:37:03,578 --> 00:37:06,534 These amazing bodies you've given to each of us. 684 00:37:06,652 --> 00:37:09,126 Would you move in the heart of each one of us? 685 00:37:09,228 --> 00:37:12,306 We want to trust you and run hard after your son, Jesus. 686 00:37:12,418 --> 00:37:14,310 But we need your help to do it. 687 00:37:14,380 --> 00:37:17,346 And we need to begin by trusting you with our bodies. 688 00:37:17,458 --> 00:37:19,254 We ask this in Jesus name. 689 00:37:19,372 --> 00:37:19,730 Amen.