¤¤
00:00:02.10\00:00:08.14
>> Good morning,
and welcome to Pioneer.
00:00:12.87\00:00:16.08
It is so good to
have you with us.
00:00:16.08\00:00:18.98
And I now would like to invite
you to join us as we read the
00:00:18.98\00:00:22.98
call to worship together.
00:00:22.98\00:00:25.42
Let's pray. Dearest Heavenly
Father, You have given us
00:00:49.04\00:00:54.75
incredible gifts, and as we
worship You this morning, as we
praise You for the gifts You've
00:00:54.75\00:01:00.52
given us, as we praise You for
the journeys You've led us on to
bring us to this point, let us
00:01:00.52\00:01:06.29
also not forget the gifts You
long to give us, because you
promise that what you have begun
00:01:06.29\00:01:12.87
in us You will bring to
completion. We look forward to
that day. We love You, Jesus.
00:01:12.87\00:01:18.84
Amen.
00:01:18.84\00:01:20.58
[ "Agnus Dei" begins ]
00:01:21.74\00:01:32.79
[ "O God, You Are My
God (Step by Step)" begins ]
00:03:10.92\00:03:16.12
[ "How Great Is
Our God" begins ]
00:04:10.25\00:04:15.98
[ "I Exalt Thee" begins ]
00:06:30.42\00:06:32.79
[ "Still" begins ]
00:08:02.88\00:08:06.21
>> ¤ The Lord ¤
The Lord is my shepherd
00:10:41.47\00:10:58.65
¤ The Lord ¤ The
Lord is my shepherd ¤¤
00:10:58.69\00:11:22.48
¤¤ ¤ The Lord is my
shepherd ¤ I shall not want
00:11:22.48\00:11:40.13
¤ The Lord is my shepherd ¤
I shall not want ¤ He leads me
00:11:40.13\00:11:56.18
beside ¤ Beside still
waters He restores my soul ¤¤
00:11:56.18\00:12:21.57
¤ He leads me in paths of
righteousness ¤ ¤ He leads me in
00:12:21.57\00:12:36.52
paths of righteousness ¤ ¤
For His name's sake ¤ His name's
00:12:36.52\00:12:51.17
sake ¤¤ ¤ Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow
00:12:51.17\00:13:11.85
of death ¤ ¤¤ ¤ I will fear
no evil ¤ For You are with me
00:13:11.85\00:13:34.71
¤ Your rod and
staff ¤ They comfort me ¤¤
00:13:34.71\00:13:55.10
¤ You prepare a table
before me ¤ ¤ In the presence
00:13:55.10\00:14:08.21
of my enemies ¤ ¤ You anoint
my head ¤ My head with oil
00:14:08.21\00:14:28.53
¤ My cup overflows ¤¤ ¤
Surely love and goodness
00:14:28.53\00:14:50.22
¤ Will follow me all
the days ¤ ¤ Of my life
00:14:50.22\00:15:07.97
¤ And I will dwell ¤
In the house ¤ Of the Lord
00:15:07.97\00:15:26.05
¤ Forever ¤ Forever ¤ Forever
00:15:26.05\00:15:53.15
¤ Forever ¤ Amen ¤ Amen
00:15:53.15\00:16:27.65
¤¤
00:16:27.65\00:16:35.99
>> "We do not want you to be
uninformed, brothers and
sisters, about the troubles we
00:16:40.63\00:16:45.90
experienced in
the province of Asia."
00:16:45.90\00:16:49.07
"We were under great pressure,
far beyond our ability to
00:16:49.10\00:16:54.78
endure, so that we
despaired of life itself.
00:16:54.78\00:16:59.51
Indeed, we felt we had
received the sentence of death.
00:16:59.51\00:17:05.19
But this happened that we might
not rely on ourselves, but on
00:17:05.19\00:17:09.22
God, who raises the dead."
00:17:09.22\00:17:12.59
¤¤
00:17:12.63\00:17:22.47
>> Let's be honest. It
is never comfortable to talk
00:17:26.44\00:17:30.38
about, mental health,
your own, or somebody else's.
00:17:30.38\00:17:35.18
Although the truth is, we
are now in a generation, of any
00:17:35.18\00:17:39.09
generation in the history of
this nation, a generation that
00:17:39.09\00:17:43.09
is very comfortable thanking
and talking out loud about their
00:17:43.09\00:17:47.23
own mental health. And
what really blew it open
00:17:47.23\00:17:52.33
was this summer.
00:17:52.33\00:17:54.07
Tokyo Olympics. I'm talking
about -- You know what I'm
00:17:54.10\00:17:58.61
talking about. I'm talking about
Simone Biles, that telegenic
gold medalist. I'm talking about
00:17:58.61\00:18:07.38
that other superstar athlete,
Naomi Osaka. Tennis star. Who,
by the way, in June of this
00:18:07.38\00:18:14.46
summer, refused to meet the
press. She was going through
00:18:14.46\00:18:18.13
the darkness. International
Tennis Association, some
00:18:18.13\00:18:23.60
organization, fined her. "You
got to talk." Well, they stood
00:18:23.60\00:18:28.90
in front of cameras in Tokyo,
and talk they did, and they
suddenly broke open this whole
00:18:28.90\00:18:33.54
conversation of mental health
that's been, for a lot of us,
kind of kept -- Ah, let's just
00:18:33.54\00:18:38.11
pretend like it doesn't exist.
And then we find out -- and let
me quote NBC here -- "Even
00:18:38.11\00:18:42.78
Michael Phelps, the greatest
swimmer in history and the
winner of 23 Olympic gold
00:18:42.78\00:18:47.46
medals, has publicly discussed
his own battle with depression,
including contemplating
00:18:47.46\00:18:52.43
suicide." Yeah, but you say,
"Now, come on, we're dealing
00:18:52.43\00:18:58.10
with superstar athletes here. Of
course they're under pressure.
00:18:58.10\00:19:00.80
Who wouldn't be under pressure?"
Oh, really? Just superstar
00:19:00.80\00:19:05.11
athletes? Let me read to you an
e-mail I received from a
teenager on her way to Andrews
00:19:05.11\00:19:11.51
University this school year.
This is 10 days ago. "Hey,
Pastor, I hope you're
00:19:11.51\00:19:16.02
doing well despite the world
being thrown into chaos over the
00:19:16.02\00:19:20.19
past couple years. If you don't
mind, I would love to give you a
quick update on how my life has
00:19:20.19\00:19:24.73
gone since high school
graduation in 2020. I took a gap
year, as was my original plan,
00:19:24.73\00:19:30.03
to work and save money. Turns
out, the 'stuck' feeling became
overwhelming to the point
00:19:30.03\00:19:34.54
where I became depressed and
didn't want to get out of bed.
On top of all that, my father
00:19:34.54\00:19:40.04
died, which dug me into an even
deeper hole. You want to talk
00:19:40.04\00:19:44.58
about white spaces? I was
definitely in one, kind of still
00:19:44.58\00:19:49.42
am, but I digress. So keep me in
your prayers, Pastor, and I'll
see you soon. Fondly..."
00:19:49.42\00:19:53.36
And she signs her name. I've
known her since she was a little
00:19:53.36\00:19:58.16
girl. Mental health? Are you
kidding? There is nobody that
00:19:58.16\00:20:03.23
gets a pass from this
conversation that we're about to
launch together. Everybody
00:20:03.23\00:20:09.54
knows. Well, not everybody
talks, but we'll talk, you and
I, over these next few moments.
00:20:09.54\00:20:15.54
Especially when you add into the
mix the fact -- this is so, for
me, stunning -- the fact that
00:20:15.54\00:20:21.65
arguably the greatest Christian
in the history of Christianity
himself -- we're talking about
00:20:21.65\00:20:27.72
Paul, the hero of our series
this fall -- Paul suffers a huge
mental health meltdown.
00:20:27.72\00:20:36.33
Man, apparently you can be this
close to Jesus and still go
through mental health crises,
00:20:36.33\00:20:44.21
sometimes one after another.
And speaking of Jesus, can you
00:20:44.21\00:20:51.01
believe it? He Himself suffered
depression. Open your Bible to
00:20:51.01\00:20:55.78
2 Corinthians chapter 2. Come
on, you got your Bible with you?
00:20:55.78\00:20:59.72
2 Corinthians chapter 2. I'm
going to give you a backstory
before we get to these
00:20:59.72\00:21:04.93
dark thoughts that Paul himself
has scribbled in this letter.
Here's the backstory.
00:21:04.93\00:21:09.83
Damascus Road. We were there
last Sabbath. You remember.
00:21:09.83\00:21:12.53
Damascus Road, when Jesus of
Nazareth personally, physically,
in a blinding explosion of
00:21:12.53\00:21:19.44
light, appears to the enemy of
Christ, the young enemy himself,
00:21:19.44\00:21:26.18
Saul. And shoom! In that
dramatic turn, that Saul boy
becomes Jesus' most ardent
00:21:26.18\00:21:35.56
follower and friend. And do you
know what comes after Damascus
00:21:35.56\00:21:40.60
Road? I'll tell you, it's white
space. What that little teen
wrote to me about -- white
00:21:40.60\00:21:45.77
space. What's white space? It's
the white space in your Bible
between the end of one
00:21:45.77\00:21:49.54
chapter and the beginning
of the other. This is white.
00:21:49.54\00:21:52.34
Happens all the time. Life goes
on and we know nothing about it.
00:21:52.34\00:21:56.64
Paul moves immediately
into white space. Get this.
00:21:56.64\00:21:59.68
Three years in Arabia. We
do know he went to Arabia, the
00:21:59.68\00:22:03.49
desert. We have no clue what
happens in Arabia. Then he comes
00:22:03.49\00:22:07.49
out for 18 days, goes to
Jerusalem, meets the brethren,
and disappears for another 10
00:22:07.49\00:22:11.73
years. White space. His hometown
of Tarsus. That's a total of 13
00:22:11.73\00:22:16.03
years of white space. What's
going on? God is shaping his
00:22:16.03\00:22:20.40
young champion into how to
become an influencer. Some of
you are despairing about
00:22:20.40\00:22:27.24
your white space. We talked
about it, but you're still
despairing about it.
00:22:27.24\00:22:30.78
Forget it. White space is
designed to set you up for God's
00:22:30.78\00:22:37.89
next move. Live it to the full.
Well, here's what happens. When
he comes out, he's primed
00:22:37.89\00:22:44.26
and ready to go now. Young
mighty champion of God that God
00:22:44.26\00:22:48.70
was needing. And he and his
buddy, Barnabas, they start
going around Asia Minor -- that
00:22:48.70\00:22:52.13
would be Turkey -- and they're
planting churches here and
there, left and right.
00:22:52.13\00:22:56.20
Then he has a friend named
Silas, and they go over into
Greece, and they plant churches
00:22:56.20\00:23:00.51
left and right, and Paul finally
makes his way down to Corinth.
We're talking about a licentious
00:23:00.51\00:23:06.72
city, like seaport towns usually
are. You name it, it happens in
00:23:06.72\00:23:12.52
Corinth after sunset. Paul moves
in, and he begins winning men
and women to Christ,
00:23:12.52\00:23:18.03
and suddenly, a little church is
planted, and pretty soon, guess
00:23:18.03\00:23:22.16
what? The church grows with
influence in that pagan city.
Then Paul up and leaves Corinth.
00:23:22.16\00:23:26.90
He goes back to Asia Minor, and
he ends up in a place, another
Roman colony called Ephesus.
00:23:26.90\00:23:31.77
And, oh, my, if he was
successful in Corinth, wait till
you see what happens to him in
00:23:31.77\00:23:36.44
Ephesus. The town
takes takes him. Seriously.
00:23:36.44\00:23:42.25
And he takes the city by storm,
starts talking about this Jesus.
To the place -- Listen to this.
00:23:42.25\00:23:47.76
Even some of the leading
occultists, magicians, and pagan
spiritualists, he's leading them
00:23:47.76\00:23:53.33
to Christ. You're not gonna
believe this, but I'll put it on
00:23:53.33\00:23:57.90
the screen. Stay in 2
Corinthians chapter 1, but I
want to put Acts 19:17 on the
00:23:57.90\00:24:02.84
screen for us all. "When this
became known" -- about the
changes happening in Ephesus --
00:24:02.84\00:24:07.68
"when it became known to the
Jews and the Greeks living in
Ephesus, they were all seized
00:24:07.68\00:24:11.91
with fear." What is this thing?
"And the name of the Lord Jesus
was held in high honor.
00:24:11.91\00:24:15.98
Many of those who believed now
came and openly confessed what
00:24:15.98\00:24:20.19
they had done." What have you
guys done? You must have been
bad. They confessed it.
00:24:20.19\00:24:23.89
"A number who had practiced
sorcery" -- we're talking about
the occult -- "brought their
00:24:23.89\00:24:29.33
scrolls" -- their books, their
their guides -- "together and
they burn them publicly."
00:24:29.33\00:24:34.70
They had this massive bonfire.
"And when they calculated the
value of the scrolls, the total
00:24:34.70\00:24:40.74
came to 50,000 drachmas." Mercy.
"And in this way, the word of
00:24:40.74\00:24:45.18
the Lord spread widely and grew
in power." You want to know how
00:24:45.18\00:24:49.88
much money is 50,000 drachmas?
I'll tell you. One drachmas is
00:24:49.88\00:24:53.66
one day's labor. One day's labor
for a common laborer. So let's
just say $15 an hour.
00:24:53.66\00:24:57.63
Let's call it the minimum wage.
They worked for 10 hours a day.
So we'll say that's a -- what's
00:24:57.63\00:25:03.26
that? -- $150 times 50,000 days.
$7.5 million worth of occult
library specialties are burned
00:25:03.26\00:25:11.84
up just like that. Man,
talking about an influencer.
00:25:11.84\00:25:16.61
We got a real live influencer
on our hands in this young Saul
00:25:16.61\00:25:23.49
turned Paul. And by the way,
it's very obvious now that Saul
has walked up to the gates of
00:25:23.49\00:25:32.29
Hell and he's rattling those
gates in the name of Jesus
Christ. And Hell is not going to
00:25:32.29\00:25:40.64
sit by and let this go
unchallenged. You see, there's a
big temple in Ephesus.
00:25:40.64\00:25:45.97
It's to Diana, the Romans would
call her. It's to Artemis, the
00:25:45.97\00:25:50.05
Greeks would call her. And
Ephesus was the hot spot for
00:25:50.05\00:25:54.52
worship there. In fact, the
artisans of Ephesus carved
little silver shrines. And, oh,
00:25:54.52\00:26:00.82
my, they would sell those
shrines for a very, very good
profit, but the problem was
00:26:00.82\00:26:06.49
economics -- economic hit
because of this vagabond Jew,
that the sales are dropping and
00:26:06.49\00:26:11.83
dropping and dropping. Finally,
the big man, the head honcho of
the tradesmen says, "Let's throw
00:26:11.83\00:26:17.97
a riot. Let's do it." And the
city erupts in a massive riot.
00:26:17.97\00:26:22.24
They're obviously out to lynch
this Paul. Paul says, "Listen,
00:26:22.24\00:26:25.98
let me out there. I will go, I
will talk to them." And his
friend said, "Not on
00:26:25.98\00:26:29.55
your life. You stay
here." What's going on?
00:26:29.55\00:26:34.16
Well, it's obvious now. The dark
powers are striking back, and
00:26:34.16\00:26:40.40
Paul, unbeknown to him -- hold
on, hold on, -- unbeknown to
him, is headed to a mental
00:26:40.40\00:26:47.07
health meltdown. And I'll tell
you what. The straw that broke
the camel's back, that created
00:26:47.07\00:26:51.57
the devil's perfect storm was
word from an associate that the
church in Corinth that he had
00:26:51.57\00:26:56.24
planted had voted him off the
island. "Yeah, we don't need
your spiritual leadership
00:26:56.24\00:27:00.15
anymore. Adiós." And now
everything Paul has lived for,
00:27:00.15\00:27:06.02
labored for, wept for, nearly
died for is suspect. He has
failed, and when you fail, to
00:27:06.02\00:27:12.03
the core of your being, you
re-examine everything in your
life, and it never is pretty.
00:27:12.03\00:27:19.30
That's the way it works with
mental health meltdowns, isn't
00:27:19.30\00:27:24.07
it? Some experience, some event,
somebody, something inside of
you snaps, and suddenly, you are
00:27:24.07\00:27:30.68
drowning in this darkness. Can
the devil cause a mental health
00:27:30.68\00:27:37.35
meltdown? Are you kidding? He
majors in depression, anxiety,
fear, and darkness.
00:27:37.35\00:27:45.19
Of course he uses it. It's his
favorite weapons. But listen,
00:27:45.19\00:27:49.80
listen, hold on, hold on. If the
devil can trigger a meltdown,
that means there is
00:27:49.80\00:27:56.67
somebody with a capital S who
can take a meltdown and turn it
00:27:56.67\00:28:02.91
around. And that's the story
here. By the way, now we add,
however, a new theory that's
00:28:02.91\00:28:08.55
being circulated among New
Testament scholars. And now we
00:28:08.55\00:28:12.22
have a super-duper meltdown on
our hands. You're ready for this
theory? I want to share it with
00:28:12.22\00:28:16.36
you. N.T. Wright, the great --
and brilliant, really -- British
New Testament scholar, in his
00:28:16.36\00:28:21.63
book "Paul: A Biography,"
suggests a new twist to Paul's
00:28:21.63\00:28:25.60
story. He believes the evidence
is strong, although he admits
this is conjecture.
00:28:25.60\00:28:30.41
But here we go. As a result of
the dark powers striking back at
00:28:30.41\00:28:35.81
Paul's influence, after
that city-shaking riot, Paul is
00:28:35.81\00:28:39.85
actually arrested. Luke doesn't
say a word about it, not a word.
But Luke leaves all kinds of
00:28:39.85\00:28:44.29
stuff, including Arabia, out
of Paul's life. So we can't say
00:28:44.29\00:28:48.59
it's not in Acts. It's not.
Paul is actually arrested after
00:28:48.59\00:28:52.59
that riot, imprisoned in
Ephesus, and he's threatened
with capital punishment.
00:28:52.59\00:28:57.20
That would be the end of you.
And he's thrown in the dark,
dank reality of a Roman prison.
00:28:57.20\00:29:04.77
And they were the worst. N.T.
Wright. Put it on the screen for
00:29:04.77\00:29:11.95
you. And by the way, when the
judge is having to deal with the
00:29:11.95\00:29:19.85
stories of Paul... not did they
burn that $7.5 million pile of
00:29:19.85\00:29:26.66
occult literature. There's
another story that's been
circulating the city, and you
00:29:26.66\00:29:31.43
need to see this before we get
into Paul and in the prison.
This is just a few verses
00:29:31.43\00:29:38.24
earlier in Acts 19. We're
talking Ephesus now, Ephesus.
00:29:38.24\00:29:41.58
We're talking about total
hit back by the powers of the
00:29:50.95\00:29:56.22
forces of darkness.
That's what's going on.
00:29:56.22\00:29:59.56
So in the dank of that dungeon,
Paul's life starts to unravel.
00:29:59.56\00:30:04.83
His mind, his emotions unravel.
So N.T. Wright says, "Here's
00:30:04.83\00:30:09.84
what here's what
I think happened.
00:30:09.84\00:30:11.94
So what had happened?
Some have looked back to a hint
00:30:11.94\00:30:15.68
in the first Corinthian letter."
00:30:15.68\00:30:17.75
Were going to 2 Corinthians.
There probably were five
00:30:17.78\00:30:21.32
letters. We only have two of
them. The first letter to
Corinth, "where Paul describes
00:30:21.32\00:30:25.09
himself facing danger every hour
and even 'dying' every day." You
remember a line from Paul?
00:30:25.09\00:30:28.32
"I die daily." That's what he's
talking about. He's not talking
00:30:28.32\00:30:31.26
about a spiritual death. He's
talking about physical death.
00:30:31.26\00:30:33.50
Keep reading. "'If, in human
terms,'" -- now we're quoting
00:30:33.50\00:30:36.56
1 Corinthians 15 -- "Paul says,
'I fought with wild animals at
Ephesus, what use is that
00:30:36.56\00:30:41.30
to me?'" Wild animals at
Ephesus? We're not talking about
00:30:41.30\00:30:44.81
a jungle here. What's he
describing? Nobody knows.
00:30:44.81\00:30:47.04
Keep reading.
00:30:47.04\00:30:48.71
We're gonna kill you this time.
00:30:56.65\00:30:59.19
The straw that broke the camel's
back. Mental health, melts down,
00:31:10.43\00:31:15.00
breaks down, whatever language
you wish to use. The fact of the
00:31:15.00\00:31:20.58
matter is, it's rarely a single
incident. It's the accumulation
of hits. Pom pom pom pom.
00:31:20.58\00:31:27.88
That takes even a big man down.
Something snaps, and Paul
descends into despair and
00:31:27.88\00:31:35.16
depression. Am I
making all this up? I am not.
00:31:35.16\00:31:38.39
Another great British scholar on
the New Testament, F.F. Bruce.
Let me put him on the screen.
00:31:38.39\00:31:43.43
"The opposition to Paul came
to a head." He's talking about
00:31:43.43\00:31:46.27
Corinth now. This
is back in Corinth.
00:31:46.27\00:31:48.20
"On his return to the province
of Asia" -- that would be
Ephesus -- "he was assailed by
00:32:01.95\00:32:07.36
severe depression, and also,
it appears, by extreme external
00:32:07.36\00:32:11.79
danger." Two phrases, look at
them. "Severe depression."
"Extreme external danger."
00:32:11.79\00:32:18.13
Mental health meltdown. How
could it be clearer? Can we read
00:32:18.13\00:32:25.21
hints of that meltdown in his
second letter, the only other
letter we have? I believe we
00:32:25.21\00:32:29.18
can. In fact, I want to show
you right now. So you've got 2
00:32:29.18\00:32:32.85
Corinthians. You've opened it up
to chapter 1, all right? Didn't
00:32:32.85\00:32:36.82
bring a Bible? Get it on your
device. 2 Corinthians chapter 1.
Can we pick up the hint?
00:32:36.82\00:32:42.46
2 Corinthians chapter 1. Let's
go to verse 8. Paul writing...
00:32:42.46\00:32:48.06
Ephesus.
00:32:55.90\00:32:57.84
Now, N.T. Wright, who is a
translator of The Greek New
00:33:04.51\00:33:09.72
Testament, as well as his
research, translates this this
way. He says, "Let me give you
00:33:09.72\00:33:14.79
my translation." "The
load" -- So this is the line,
00:33:14.79\00:33:18.56
2 Corinthians 1:8.
00:33:18.56\00:33:20.50
Now, Wright goes on. He says,
"Let me tell you about that
00:33:32.21\00:33:35.64
translation." Or those words.
00:33:35.64\00:33:37.55
Wow. Chapter 2.
These are some more hints.
00:33:59.63\00:34:05.21
Now they're going to come in
rapid-fire sequence. Chapter 2,
00:34:05.21\00:34:08.54
verse 4. Paul is writing in this
second letter. "For I wrote you"
00:34:08.54\00:34:11.45
-- We don't know where that
letter is. "For I wrote you out
00:34:11.45\00:34:14.72
of great distress" -- language
of mental health -- "and
anguish" -- language of mental
00:34:14.72\00:34:19.05
health -- "of heart and with
many tears" -- language of
mental health -- "not to grieve
00:34:19.05\00:34:23.16
you, but to let you know the
depth of my love for you." I'm
telling you what --
00:34:23.16\00:34:26.76
rejection. There isn't a
soul here who hasn't experienced
00:34:26.76\00:34:29.86
rejection. Rejection, whether
it's by a friend, by a spouse,
by a congregation, it doesn't
00:34:29.86\00:34:33.70
matter. Rejection hurts to the
core. Depression. Listen to Paul
00:34:33.70\00:34:45.98
now as he describes what's going
on inside of him. And he will
00:34:45.98\00:34:51.65
keep referring to himself as
"we," "we," "we." But is this
really we? N.T. Wright again.
00:34:51.65\00:34:57.26
You know how afraid we are to
talk about mental health? Not
you, but the rest of us.
00:35:14.81\00:35:20.32
We don't even want to
bring it up. Why? Because you'll
00:35:20.32\00:35:23.59
misunderstand it. You'll think
I've gone cuckoo. That's what we
00:35:23.59\00:35:29.22
think depression is. It is not.
You'll think that that I've lost
00:35:29.22\00:35:34.93
control of my mind? It is not.
It's a meltdown deep within the
00:35:34.93\00:35:41.97
core of your being, But Paul
doesn't want to -- He just keeps
00:35:41.97\00:35:46.78
saying "we." But you watch this,
it's Paul. He's describing
himself. You ready for this now?
00:35:46.78\00:35:51.88
So now we're in chapter 4, verse
7. "But we have this treasure"
00:35:51.88\00:35:55.58
-- we -- "in jars of clay."
Hey, by the way, jars of clay --
00:35:55.58\00:35:59.32
brittle. You kick a jar of
clay, you break it. Brittle.
00:35:59.32\00:36:03.29
And what is more?
Chapter 7, verse 5.
00:36:26.18\00:36:29.35
One translation, the Good News
version, it reads, "fightings
without and terrors within."
00:36:36.73\00:36:43.87
It's all mental health language.
I'm afraid. Outside of me and
00:36:43.87\00:36:50.91
inside of me. And some of you
know the meaning of that fear.
You know the suffocating
00:36:50.91\00:36:56.58
darkness that produces
that fear. Interestingly enough,
00:36:56.58\00:37:02.22
Ellen White, like N.T. Wright
and F.F. Bruce, agrees with the
00:37:02.22\00:37:07.29
diagnosis. Watch this. From that
little classic -- oh, if you
could ever get a hold of
00:37:07.29\00:37:11.09
it -- "Sketches From the
Life of Paul." Here we go.
00:37:11.09\00:37:14.86
Ooh, there's mental health
language. "In weariness and
00:37:19.37\00:37:23.44
painfulness from unceasing toil
and constant danger, enfeebled
by disease." She's the only one
00:37:23.44\00:37:30.58
to add that line into the
formula. "Enfeebled by disease
and, at times, depressed in
00:37:30.58\00:37:36.75
spirits, he steadfastly pursued
his work." She goes on. "A deep
00:37:36.75\00:37:40.69
sadness" -- Oh,
there's mental health language.
00:37:40.69\00:37:43.89
That rejection.
00:37:53.37\00:37:55.34
I get any physician who's
listening right now, who's in
this space, any mental health
00:38:04.48\00:38:08.88
specialist, a psychologist, I
say, come on up here. Could you
affirm to us, please,
00:38:08.88\00:38:13.62
that mental health meltdown,
depression can be linked to
physical causes and bodily
00:38:13.62\00:38:19.06
disease? "But of course."
Mental health breakdown or
00:38:19.06\00:38:23.67
meltdown is not a sign that
you're losing it all. Something
00:38:23.67\00:38:31.47
else is going on. So intimate is
the relationship, by the way,
the Creator created us.
00:38:31.47\00:38:34.88
The relationship between mind,
body, and spirit, it's so
intimate that what you do to one
00:38:34.88\00:38:39.15
affects all three. And in
the same breath, please, hear me
00:38:39.15\00:38:46.39
out. Let it be clear that mental
health meltdown is not a sign of
spiritual collapse or failure.
00:38:46.39\00:38:53.80
Paul's personal suffering or
depression is proof enough that
just because you know Jesus --
00:38:53.80\00:38:58.27
and I'm glad you do -- and just
because you are following Jesus
-- and I'm glad you are --
00:38:58.27\00:39:02.77
does not mean depression or
despair are going to be kept out
of your life and you will never
00:39:02.77\00:39:07.31
have a mental health meltdown.
It doesn't mean that at all.
Depression is not a sin.
00:39:07.31\00:39:18.72
Depression is not a matter of
human faith. It is evidence of
00:39:25.43\00:39:36.27
human frailty. That's it. Why,
even Jesus Himself experienced
00:39:36.27\00:39:42.51
depression. Can you believe
that? You want to talk about the
meltdown we call Gethsemane?
00:39:42.51\00:39:46.98
Oh, my. What do you think
is going on in the darkness of
00:39:46.98\00:39:51.09
Hell, in Gethsemane? "Desire
of Ages" draws the veil aside.
00:39:51.09\00:39:54.69
Watch this, this
classic on the life of Jesus.
00:39:54.69\00:39:58.39
The forces of darkness are going
to hit. They'll hit at you.
00:40:06.50\00:40:10.54
They hit at him. "His nature
weighed down with a shuddering,
00:40:10.54\00:40:16.98
mysterious dread." Mental health
language. "There was silence in
Heaven. Christ's agony did not
00:40:16.98\00:40:22.45
cease, but his depression and
discouragement left Him." If
depression and discouragement
00:40:22.45\00:40:27.72
leave you, it means that they
were in you at one point. True
00:40:27.72\00:40:32.06
or false? But of course.
00:40:32.06\00:40:34.36
End quote. You are not alone, my
friend. Some of you don't even
00:40:45.91\00:40:52.18
have the emotional health right
now -- you tell yourself -- to
even show up in church.
00:40:52.18\00:40:56.32
So you're watching on
livestreaming right now. I'm
telling you something.
00:40:56.32\00:41:00.66
You are not alone. It's not
about whether Jesus has
disappeared from your life.
00:41:00.66\00:41:07.03
It's not about your faith
proving to be weak in a time of
00:41:07.03\00:41:11.60
need. Nonsense. The forces of
darkness, the straw that breaks
00:41:11.60\00:41:18.54
the camel's back, for too many
humans, is mental health
meltdown. But you have good
00:41:18.54\00:41:26.82
company. Never apologize
for what you're going through.
00:41:26.82\00:41:32.32
Depression. Jesus comes to us
and He said, "Hey, been there
and done that for you and you."
00:41:32.32\00:41:39.69
So, is there any cure
for my depression? Hmm?
00:41:39.69\00:41:43.23
How did Paul find eventual
release from his own depressed
00:41:43.23\00:41:48.57
spirits? My response is
twofold. And then I'll sit down.
00:41:48.57\00:41:52.44
There's no need for you to
suffer alone. Make an
appointment to see a
00:41:59.51\00:42:03.32
mental health specialist. It can
be your family physician. It can
00:42:03.32\00:42:07.52
be the school psychologist. It
can be a community counselor. It
00:42:07.52\00:42:11.09
doesn't matter. Someone who is
trained and gifted to treat your
00:42:11.09\00:42:14.66
mental health. Don't be a Lone
Ranger and say, "I'll do this on
my own." Don't. You don't have
00:42:14.66\00:42:20.40
to go through this that long.
00:42:20.40\00:42:23.17
What are you talking
about, Dwight? I'll tell you.
00:42:34.52\00:42:37.05
There is beaucoup research out
there, academic studies, that
show a significant -- listen,
00:42:37.05\00:42:42.06
listen -- a significant
connection between mental health
-- now, hold on -- mental
00:42:42.06\00:42:47.13
health and meditation. Listen
carefully now. In fact, if you
00:42:47.13\00:42:54.47
would just Google the two words,
"depression" and "meditation,"
you'll spend the Sabbath
00:42:54.47\00:43:00.61
afternoon reading the studies.
Okay? Beaucoup evidence.
00:43:00.61\00:43:05.05
But let me offer a Christian
summary of meditation. Because
in the midst of his
00:43:05.05\00:43:10.99
suffering, Paul turns to Jesus.
You didn't think he'd forget
about turning to Jesus, did you?
00:43:10.99\00:43:15.99
No, he turns to Jesus in the
midst of his suffering. You may
00:43:15.99\00:43:20.13
read it here. 2 Corinthians,
turn over to chapter 12. 2
Corinthians chapter 12.
00:43:20.13\00:43:24.20
This is incredible. Paul
realizes that the enemy of
00:43:24.23\00:43:27.54
his soul has pierced a
sword deep into his flesh.
00:43:27.54\00:43:30.74
It's deep into his
heart. It's deep into his mind.
00:43:30.74\00:43:34.04
And he calls it "a thorn in my
flesh, a messenger of Satan to
00:43:34.04\00:43:39.68
torment me." You and
I face that same enemy.
00:43:39.68\00:43:44.59
The same darkness, the
same spiritual warfare.
00:43:44.59\00:43:47.82
Three times, by the way, Paul
begs Jesus, he pleads with him,
00:43:47.82\00:43:51.79
"Take this away.
Just take this away."
00:43:51.79\00:43:55.70
But every time he does, Jesus
gives the same answer, and I'm
00:43:55.70\00:43:58.67
gonna share the
answer with you right now.
00:43:58.67\00:44:01.77
2 Corinthians 12:8.
00:44:01.77\00:44:03.94
When you are at your weakest,
you're at your strongest. Never
00:44:34.80\00:44:41.68
forget that. When it feels it's
the weakest, Heaven knows that,
because of Jesus, you're at your
00:44:41.68\00:44:49.35
strongest right now. Never
forget that. What's the word?
00:44:49.35\00:44:55.32
"My grace." "My grace
is sufficient for you."
00:44:55.32\00:45:01.23
Okay, here it is. Secret number
three. We're building these
00:45:01.23\00:45:05.37
secrets. How to become an
influencer. Here's secret number
three. Choose to turn your
00:45:05.37\00:45:09.87
darkness over to Jesus.
Plain and simple. You can't heal
00:45:09.87\00:45:14.21
yourself. Jesus may not choose
to heal you in the way that
you're asking to be healed.
00:45:14.21\00:45:19.15
Case closed -- Paul. That's
okay. You get the best treatment
00:45:19.15\00:45:25.65
that you need right now from
the same Jesus. You can't heal
00:45:25.65\00:45:30.39
yourself. Go to Him. You have
His word. "My grace" -- Oh, I
00:45:30.39\00:45:36.33
love that. "My grace is
sufficient for you." N.T. Wright
believes that it was
00:45:36.33\00:45:40.90
through prayer and meditation
that Paul found enough healing
to live beyond the darkness.
00:45:40.90\00:45:46.34
Watch this. Last quote. "I
do think that Paul's long-held
00:45:46.34\00:45:51.71
practice of Jesus-focused
prayer, taking the ancient
scriptural poems" -- That would
00:45:51.71\00:45:57.82
be the Psalms. And by the way,
there's no New Testament. You
00:45:57.82\00:46:01.46
understand that? The only Bible
Paul has is the Old Testament,
so he's meeting Jesus in
00:46:01.46\00:46:05.39
the Old Testament.
00:46:05.39\00:46:07.40
And then, I love this sentence.
"Christology" -- that's the
study of Jesus, okay?
00:46:22.28\00:46:26.85
"Christology and therapy --
that's healing of the soul -- go
00:46:26.85\00:46:31.62
well together." I love that,
Christology and therapy go well
together. Keep reading.
00:46:31.62\00:46:37.93
You are never alone in that
darkness. There's an angel in
00:46:47.74\00:46:51.04
that darkness with you. It's the
angel that has been placed
beside you from the
00:46:51.04\00:46:54.88
beginning. You will wrestle
with an angel beside you.
00:46:54.88\00:46:59.25
But what was it that Paul did?
Choose to turn your darkness
00:46:59.25\00:47:07.12
over to Jesus. And, so, Paul
goes to the Psalms. I tell you
00:47:07.12\00:47:10.63
what. It's not a bad idea to
read a Psalm a day. I heard that
00:47:10.63\00:47:14.46
once from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I
read it. I said, you know what?
00:47:14.46\00:47:17.63
If he could do it, I could do
it. So, I've been reading a
Psalm a day every day of my
00:47:17.63\00:47:21.60
life. You can do the same. Look
at, in the Psalms. Think about
00:47:21.60\00:47:24.64
it. This is the great -- These
are the great prayers, the songs
00:47:24.64\00:47:28.18
of faith. In a psalm, you'll
meet Jesus as the good shepherd,
right? "The Lord is my
00:47:28.18\00:47:32.71
shepherd." We just had it a
moment ago. You'll meet Jesus as
00:47:32.71\00:47:36.22
the young king. You'll meet
Jesus as the victor over
darkness. You'll meet Jesus as
00:47:36.22\00:47:41.26
the companion through your
meltdown. Take a psalm a day.
Come on, you can do it.
00:47:41.26\00:47:46.46
You know, where the Psalms are.
They're in the middle of your
00:47:46.46\00:47:49.50
Bible. Just read one of those a
day. Start tomorrow with one,
and the next day will be two.
00:47:49.50\00:47:53.20
It'll take you 150 days to
get through. But look for Jesus.
00:47:53.20\00:47:57.67
Look for Jesus. We're not
just reading the Psalms through,
00:47:57.67\00:48:02.18
we're looking for Jesus. I'm
telling you, if you set aside
enough time -- you're a
00:48:02.18\00:48:05.68
teen in the balcony, one
Psalm a day. You got the time.
00:48:05.68\00:48:09.42
One Psalm a day. Just look for
Jesus. "How would you do that,
00:48:09.42\00:48:13.29
Dwight?" Well, I'll show you
right here. Don't rush. Okay, so
00:48:13.29\00:48:16.93
there's no rush. Nobody's
keeping a clock on this thing.
Just take your time.
00:48:16.93\00:48:20.00
Don't rush. Read
slowly. Meditate.
00:48:20.00\00:48:23.57
What's that mean? Just repeat
it in your mind. Just let it go
00:48:23.57\00:48:26.67
over. "Hey, Lord, I'm looking
for Jesus, Holy Spirit, show me
00:48:26.67\00:48:29.77
Jesus here." Meditate. Just keep
reading the prayer. "Show me
00:48:29.77\00:48:33.54
Jesus." And by the way, a good
way to see Jesus is, every time
you come across "Lord" in the
00:48:33.54\00:48:38.81
Psalms -- L-O-R-D, that's the
name Yahweh -- every time you
come across "Lord," add Jesus
00:48:38.81\00:48:44.35
to it, Lord Jesus. "The Lord
Jesus is my shepherd. I shall
00:48:44.35\00:48:50.23
not want." Just add Jesus. Show
me Jesus. And finally, turn your
00:48:50.23\00:48:54.83
darkness over to him for the
day. Lord, I'm going out into
00:48:54.83\00:48:58.30
the day. That darkness, that's
yours. Your grace is sufficient
for me. That's all I need to
00:48:58.30\00:49:03.10
know. That's all I need to know.
And that's how Jesus got Paul
00:49:03.10\00:49:07.44
through. And that's how he's
going to get you through. "For
my grace is sufficient
00:49:07.44\00:49:14.02
for you." Let me know. Is
this good news or bad news?
00:49:14.02\00:49:21.36
Come on, tell me. You say,
"Dwight, I'm not suffering from
00:49:21.36\00:49:25.73
any darkness right now."
Well, good for you. But you know
00:49:25.73\00:49:29.76
somebody who is. Of course, you
do. Take that little one, two,
three, four with one Psalm a day
00:49:29.76\00:49:35.70
recommendation.
Take it to them. Take it.
00:49:35.70\00:49:39.94
Do a friend of favor. And if
it's you with the darkness, read
00:49:39.94\00:49:45.01
a Psalm a day and see if Jesus'
grace will not be sufficient for
you. In fact, I want to send you
00:49:45.01\00:49:48.85
something, if you give me your
e-mail address. I want to send
00:49:48.85\00:49:52.69
you something for reading
through the Psalms. So here's
how I'm going to do it.
00:49:52.69\00:49:56.59
If you would please texts
"PAUL2," all right, just "PAUL2"
00:49:56.62\00:50:00.06
to the number 269-281-2345.
It's an easy number.
00:50:00.06\00:50:03.00
Put it on speed --
Put in your contacts.
00:50:03.00\00:50:05.57
You immediately get it. I
call it "Pioneer Text" in my
00:50:05.57\00:50:08.84
phone. Just text "PAUL2"
00:50:08.84\00:50:10.84
to this number, and
you'll get this next screen.
00:50:10.84\00:50:14.18
I don't care who you are
or how young or old you are.
00:50:18.48\00:50:21.35
It doesn't matter. If
you'll put your name where
00:50:21.35\00:50:23.99
you -- if you check that box
-- we will pray for you by name.
00:50:23.99\00:50:28.42
You put your name.
We'll pray for you by name.
00:50:28.42\00:50:30.69
Box number two...
00:50:30.69\00:50:32.56
If you put a checkmark there,
I have to have your e-mail
00:50:38.03\00:50:40.87
address. If
there's no e-mail address,
00:50:40.87\00:50:45.04
I can't reach you. If
you put a checkmark there,
00:50:45.04\00:50:48.64
send me that little organizing
the Psalms paper, I'll send it
00:50:48.64\00:50:52.71
to you. And box number three...
00:50:52.71\00:50:56.08
Some of you have been going
through darkness for a while.
00:50:58.79\00:51:01.49
And some of you that are going
through darkness have never been
00:51:01.49\00:51:04.39
baptized. You just --
00:51:04.39\00:51:05.59
"Well, it's not necessary."
Well, I beg to differ with you.
00:51:05.59\00:51:11.47
When Saul met Jesus on the
Damascus Road, the first thing
00:51:11.47\00:51:15.17
he did was -- baptized.
And, so, when the darkness came,
00:51:15.17\00:51:18.44
he had a way to face the
darkness, and it was with Jesus.
00:51:18.44\00:51:21.48
If you haven't been
baptized, put a checkmark there.
00:51:21.48\00:51:24.28
Make sure I have
your e-mail address.
00:51:24.28\00:51:26.41
You'll get a note from me, and
then we'll be in touch with you.
00:51:26.41\00:51:29.78
There's no sense putting it off.
There's no sense in putting it
00:51:29.82\00:51:37.13
off. I'm gonna invite the
choir to come on out. This is a
00:51:38.19\00:51:41.43
beautiful hymn. Talking about
mental health meltdown. This
composition "Kyrie,"
00:51:41.43\00:51:45.57
which means "Lord have mercy"
in Latin, is dedicated to the
00:51:45.57\00:51:52.31
victims of 9/11. 20 years ago
this very moment, the nation was
mourning. We were weeping.
00:51:52.31\00:51:57.28
We had no idea what was next.
Still don't know. But we know
who will go with us.
00:51:57.28\00:52:03.42
The son of David, who will have
mercy on us. Come on out, choir,
00:52:03.42\00:52:08.29
and sing for us, please.
00:52:08.29\00:52:10.56
¤¤ ¤¤ ¤¤
00:52:10.63\00:52:36.75
¤¤ ¤¤
00:52:36.75\00:52:54.17
[ "Kyrie" begins ] ¤¤
00:52:54.20\00:53:05.51
>> ¤ Kyrie eleison
00:53:05.51\00:53:11.49
¤ Christe eleison ¤ Christe
eleison ¤ Christe eleison
00:53:11.52\00:53:22.70
¤ Christe eleison ¤
Kyrie eleison ¤ Christe eleison
00:53:22.70\00:53:39.51
¤ Kyrie eleison ¤
Christe eleison ¤ Kyrie eleison
00:53:39.51\00:53:59.43
¤ Kyrie eleison ¤
Kyrie eleison ¤ Kyrie eleison
00:53:59.43\00:54:26.76
¤ God of mercy ¤
Grant us peace ¤¤
00:54:26.76\00:54:51.85
¤¤ ¤ Kyrie
eleison ¤ Kyrie eleison
00:54:51.85\00:55:13.84
[ Singing indistinctly ] ¤¤ ¤¤
00:55:13.84\00:55:37.20
¤¤ ¤¤ ¤ Kyrie eleison
00:55:37.20\00:56:05.93
¤ Amen ¤ Ah ah ah ah ¤
Ah ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah
00:56:05.93\00:56:19.91
¤ Amen ¤ Amen ¤¤
00:56:19.91\00:56:38.76
¤ Amen ¤¤ ¤¤
00:56:38.76\00:57:05.15
>> Think of the last time
someone said, "I'm praying
00:57:08.42\00:57:11.76
for you." Didn't
it give you a sense of
00:57:11.76\00:57:14.00
peace and reassurance
that somebody cares for me?
00:57:14.00\00:57:16.33
I know how I feel when I get an
e-mail from one of our viewers
00:57:16.33\00:57:19.03
saying, "Yo, Dwight.
I've been praying for you
00:57:19.03\00:57:21.14
lately." There's
nothing like knowing
00:57:21.14\00:57:22.74
someone is praying for
you. So I want to offer you an
00:57:22.74\00:57:24.77
opportunity to partner -- let
me, let us partner with you in
00:57:24.77\00:57:28.38
prayer. If you
have a special prayer
00:57:28.38\00:57:30.35
request or a praise of
thanksgiving you'd like to share
00:57:30.35\00:57:32.88
with us, I'm inviting you
to contact one of our friendly
00:57:32.88\00:57:35.38
chaplains. It's simple to do.
00:57:35.38\00:57:37.19
You can call our toll-free
number -- 877 -- the two words,
00:57:37.19\00:57:40.19
HIS WILL. 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:40.19\00:57:43.43
That friendly voice that
answers, you tell him, you tell
00:57:43.43\00:57:46.39
her what your prayer need
is, we'll join with you in that
00:57:46.39\00:57:49.40
petition. May the
God who answers prayer
00:57:49.40\00:57:52.03
journey with you these next
few days until we're right back
00:57:52.03\00:57:54.67
here together again next time.
00:57:54.67\00:57:56.97
¤¤ ¤¤
00:58:00.14\00:58:19.26
¤¤
00:58:19.26\00:58:26.97