It's so good
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to have you with us again
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for Timeless Healing Insights.
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I'm Dr. David DeRose.
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Let's pray together,
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Father in heaven,
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please send us Your Holy Spirit
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to guide us
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as we open the pages
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of Your holy Word again
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on our journey
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through the Gospel of Mark.
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We ask, in Jesus name, Amen.
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Jesus is walking us through
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a series of encounters.
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Mark is recording it,
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but we're there side by side
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with Jesus
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as we're going through
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Mark's gospel,
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looking at healing insights
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and what we're finding
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in Mark 2 that Jesus
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is being embroiled in conflict.
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First,
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the conflict over His authority
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to forgive sins.
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Then a conflict with who He's
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keeping company with.
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And don't miss
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this very important point.
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Jesus belabored this point,
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He belabors it in this story.
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Why?
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It's the very conflict
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that has Jesus double down
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and reiterate
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what He said at the beginning
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of the Sermon on the Mount.
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How does the Sermon on
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the Mount begin?
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Begins with those Beatitudes.
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And the first one is what?
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Blessed are the poor in spirit.
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Blessed are the poor in spirit.
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Yes.
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If you recognize your need,
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the healing message is for you.
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You see the tragedy.
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And that second illustration
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and that second
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controversy in Mark's gospel
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was that the scribes
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and Pharisees
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didn't recognize
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their own need.
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Paul made it clear later
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when he wrote his
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letter to the Romans.
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What did he say?
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He said, All have sinned
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and come short
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of the glory of God.
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The wages of sin is death.
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We're all doomed to die
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Without Jesus?tervention.
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The scribes and Pharisees
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didn't recognize
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that. Their attitude?
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I'm fine.
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I don't need you, Jesus.
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We've got this all handled.
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I'm fine.
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I don't need
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the Divine Physician.
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Now, I've got to tell you
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as a physician
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that I often hear language
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like this.
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People usually
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won't say it to the doctor.
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They usually won't come in
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and say,
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I don't really need you.
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They may just not show up or
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you may give them a diagnosis
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and they may ignore it.
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I was just dealing
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with a physician this week
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telling me a story
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of how he had a patient
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who was diagnosed with cancer
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and the
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patient never told his family.
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And when he ultimately died
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from cancer,
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they were shocked
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that he had a malignancy.
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It seems like he never
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accepted his diagnosis.
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He just ignored it.
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By the way, did
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that work out well for him?
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No, it didn't, actually.
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So we need to accept
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an accurate diagnosis.
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And in the
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medical illustration, it's
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true in the spiritual as well.
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We need to be open
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to preventive counsel
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as well. It?ot just
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diagnosing a problem,
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but it's avoiding it
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in the first place.
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Let me give you
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some medical illustrations
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and then we'll
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try to connect the dots
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for you spiritually.
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So common scenario
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that we've seen in
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internal medicine is
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we'll have people
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that we diagnose with diabetes
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and they say, well,
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I'm not worried about it.
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I feel fine.
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You know,
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your blood sugar is 300.
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It's 400. I feel fine.
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You know,
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you need to get your blood
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sugar down.
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What's going on
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with those high blood sugars?
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Are you aware of
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what's going on
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at a cellular level?
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It's damaging their kidneys,
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It's damaging their eyes,
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It's damaging their heart.
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It's damaging their nerves.
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Are you getting the picture.
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So by ignoring it,
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is that helping the situation?
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No.
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You need an accurate diagnosis.
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Jesus is the great
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diagnostician spiritually.
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He's showing us our need.
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Physically, if you don't
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address the diagnosis,
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you end up
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with the amputations.
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I've seen them.
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The kidney failure,
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the heart attacks,
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blindness.
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All of those things
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go along with diabetes.
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Then I've got another
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group of people
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that they
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don?ave a diagnosis, but
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at some point they do
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because they end
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up in my office
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or in my virtual office
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as I'm doing telemedicine.
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And I've got a good percentage
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of people
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that I have come in
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with cirrhosis
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and they don't have cirrhosis
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because they had
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some autoimmune
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liver disease
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or they had hepatitis C or,
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they're there with cirrhosis
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because of alcohol.
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And they may even tell me.
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Oh, well doctor,
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I had such a good time
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when I was younger
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drinking all that alcohol.
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There's a health
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principle here, right?
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Basic health education.
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And if you haven't heard
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this,
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the medical research is clear.
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If you're talking about
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comprehensive health,
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there is no amount of alcohol
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that is beneficial
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for your
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health comprehensively.
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Okay? That is the bottom line.
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And since I've touched on it,
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you might say, well,
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I saw some study that said,
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you know, drink
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some wine for your heart.
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What the research shows is
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if you're eating
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plenty of plant foods,
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getting plenty
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of phytochemicals,
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that wine is not going to
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do you a whit of good
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for your heart.
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If you're looking
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for a reference
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that's from the Oxford
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vegetarian study.
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Here's my point.
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Simple health education.
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But it's the same
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with the Bible.
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What is God trying to do?
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He's trying to point out to us
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the happiest way to live.
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Deuteronomy 6
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right after the
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Ten Commandments are given
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for a second time.
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First appearing in Exodus
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20, then in Deuteronomy 5.
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If you read through
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Deuteronomy 5
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and 6, you'll read things
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like we have here
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in Deuteronomy 6:24.
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The Lord commanded us
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to do all these statutes. Why?
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To make our lives
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a little bit miserable,
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to feel a little bit more pain
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because Christians
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should be sad
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and should
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walk around
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with their heads down.
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Is that what it says?
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No.
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I gave you all these statutes,
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to fear the Lord
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our God, for our good always,
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that he might.
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That he might preserve us alive
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as we are this day.
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God is wanting to bless you.
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That's what the Bible is about.
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It's about what Jesus rescue
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mission is about.
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And so Jesus comes down
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on this planet in Mark's
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gospel, He's healing
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people and people
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are resisting this.
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And we don't want
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your information.
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We don't want
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you to come close to us.
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We've got our own agenda
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and you're messing it up.
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Psalm 16 puts it this way
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in your presence
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in your presence
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is fullness of joy
00:07:07.52\00:07:09.76
at thy right hand
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there are pleasures
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for evermore.
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What's happening in Mark 2?
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As Jesus sat at Matthew's table
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as the quote, sinners
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and other tax
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collectors were there,
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they were being healed
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by Jesus presence.
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Jesus wants to do that for you.
00:07:27.98\00:07:30.11
All you've got to do
00:07:30.11\00:07:30.91
is open your Bible.
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All you've got to do
00:07:32.45\00:07:33.15
is invite Jesus
00:07:33.15\00:07:34.08
to meet with you.
00:07:34.08\00:07:34.68
He wants His healing
00:07:34.68\00:07:35.58
presence to affect you,
00:07:35.58\00:07:36.69
and He wants it to pervade
00:07:36.69\00:07:37.69
this church
00:07:37.69\00:07:38.65
and every church on the planet,
00:07:38.65\00:07:40.26
every one that takes His name.
00:07:40.26\00:07:41.99
He wants to be an agent
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for healing.
00:07:43.69\00:07:45.53
Let's go to conflict
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number three now.
00:07:46.46\00:07:47.93
And this is where it
00:07:47.93\00:07:48.76
really comes into focus.
00:07:48.76\00:07:50.20
If you haven't
00:07:50.20\00:07:50.73
picked up on it to this point,
00:07:50.87\00:07:52.03
maybe it wasn't so, so florid.
00:07:52.03\00:07:55.24
Maybe it wasn't so dramatic.
00:07:55.57\00:07:57.57
But we're really talking
00:07:57.57\00:07:58.94
largely about truth
00:07:58.94\00:08:00.58
versus tradition,
00:08:00.58\00:08:02.04
because in all
00:08:02.04\00:08:02.51
of these stories,
00:08:02.51\00:08:03.38
preconceived ideas
00:08:03.38\00:08:05.35
get in the way
00:08:05.35\00:08:06.35
of allowing Jesus
00:08:06.35\00:08:08.35
to exercise
00:08:08.35\00:08:10.15
His healing ministry.
00:08:10.15\00:08:12.22
Now, what is the conflict
00:08:12.22\00:08:14.16
involved in
00:08:14.16\00:08:15.39
number three?
00:08:17.53\00:08:18.83
We saw the first one.
00:08:18.83\00:08:19.89
It's the healing
00:08:19.89\00:08:20.43
of a paralytic.
00:08:20.43\00:08:21.50
The second one, it's
00:08:21.50\00:08:22.43
calling Matthew.
00:08:22.43\00:08:23.43
And then dining with those
00:08:23.43\00:08:25.03
who are not
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of the acceptable class
00:08:25.57\00:08:27.17
to the religious elite.
00:08:27.17\00:08:28.54
But what is it in conflict
00:08:28.54\00:08:30.14
number three?
00:08:30.14\00:08:30.61
What is the context?
00:08:30.67\00:08:32.01
The context,
00:08:32.01\00:08:33.27
dare I say
00:08:33.27\00:08:33.98
it, is absolutely nothing.
00:08:33.98\00:08:37.08
That's right.
00:08:37.08\00:08:37.51
Look at the account.
00:08:37.61\00:08:39.01
Mark.
00:08:39.18\00:08:39.41
Chapter 2:18.
00:08:39.61\00:08:41.28
It says
00:08:41.28\00:08:42.15
nothing about what
00:08:42.15\00:08:43.28
Jesus is doing.
00:08:43.28\00:08:45.85
Listen, Jesus disciples
00:08:45.85\00:08:48.69
and the Pharisees
00:08:48.69\00:08:50.23
were doing something.
00:08:50.23\00:08:51.86
They were fasting.
00:08:51.86\00:08:54.03
So people come to Jesus
00:08:54.03\00:08:56.23
and they say,
00:08:56.23\00:08:57.13
Why do John's disciples
00:08:57.13\00:08:58.93
and the disciples
00:08:58.93\00:08:59.67
of the Pharisees fast?
00:08:59.67\00:09:01.30
But your disciples do not fast.
00:09:01.30\00:09:04.37
Here's the amazing thing
00:09:04.87\00:09:06.07
about how Satan
00:09:06.07\00:09:06.88
stirs up conflict.
00:09:06.88\00:09:08.31
If he's not
00:09:08.31\00:09:08.81
stirring up conflict
00:09:08.81\00:09:10.18
about what
00:09:10.18\00:09:10.98
good things Jesus is doing,
00:09:10.98\00:09:12.81
then he's
00:09:12.81\00:09:13.11
going to stir up conflict
00:09:13.45\00:09:14.05
because of what
00:09:14.05\00:09:14.55
Jesus is not doing.
00:09:14.55\00:09:15.85
Okay?
00:09:15.85\00:09:16.45
I mean, isn't this amazing?
00:09:16.52\00:09:17.62
So it
00:09:18.59\00:09:19.29
doesn?atter what
00:09:19.29\00:09:19.65
Jesus does,
00:09:19.65\00:09:21.29
Satan is going
00:09:21.29\00:09:21.96
to try to interfere
00:09:21.96\00:09:23.02
with His ministry.
00:09:23.02\00:09:23.86
And again, remember,
00:09:23.86\00:09:24.79
I say in all these settings,
00:09:24.79\00:09:26.83
Jesus, instead of limiting
00:09:26.83\00:09:29.26
His ministry,
00:09:29.26\00:09:29.96
it expands His ministry.
00:09:29.96\00:09:31.10
So let's walk through this
00:09:31.10\00:09:32.37
scenario together.
00:09:32.37\00:09:33.40
If you will.
00:09:33.40\00:09:34.50
If you look historically,
00:09:35.40\00:09:37.47
if you look at
00:09:37.47\00:09:37.87
secular historians,
00:09:38.01\00:09:39.51
they tell us that the Pharisees
00:09:39.51\00:09:41.24
in Jesus?y,
00:09:41.24\00:09:42.24
many of them were fasting
00:09:42.24\00:09:45.05
two days out of every week.
00:09:45.38\00:09:48.02
Think about that.
00:09:48.02\00:09:48.72
I mean, that's
00:09:48.72\00:09:49.08
pretty impressive, isn't it?
00:09:49.38\00:09:50.89
So five days you're eating.
00:09:50.89\00:09:52.25
What are you doing
00:09:52.25\00:09:52.72
two days? You're fasting.
00:09:52.89\00:09:55.12
Now, some of you might say,
00:09:56.26\00:09:57.26
well, I don't know about that.
00:09:57.26\00:09:58.53
Well,
00:09:58.53\00:09:59.06
Jesus
00:09:59.16\00:10:00.56
gave this very example in Luke.
00:10:00.56\00:10:03.06
Luke 18,
00:10:03.10\00:10:04.13
you remember the story he's
00:10:04.13\00:10:05.37
illustrating the Pharisee
00:10:05.37\00:10:08.30
who was self-righteous
00:10:08.54\00:10:10.64
in some translations.
00:10:11.01\00:10:12.34
It says he stood
00:10:12.34\00:10:13.58
and prayed, thus with himself.
00:10:13.58\00:10:16.51
What is he praying?
00:10:17.18\00:10:18.38
God, I thank you
00:10:18.38\00:10:19.91
that I'm not like other people,
00:10:19.91\00:10:21.25
robbers, evildoers, adulterers -
00:10:21.25\00:10:23.42
or even like this
00:10:23.65\00:10:24.79
tax collector.
00:10:24.79\00:10:25.95
And what does he
00:10:25.95\00:10:26.96
commend himself for?
00:10:26.96\00:10:28.69
His religious orthodoxy.
00:10:30.29\00:10:32.23
His following the tradition.
00:10:32.23\00:10:33.63
Now, listen what he says.
00:10:33.63\00:10:35.26
I fast twice a week
00:10:35.26\00:10:36.87
and I give a 10th of all I get.
00:10:36.87\00:10:38.43
Now, first of all, let's
00:10:38.43\00:10:39.17
just pause here.
00:10:39.17\00:10:40.74
How many of you think
00:10:41.60\00:10:42.24
it's a bad idea to pay a tithe
00:10:42.24\00:10:46.34
or to return, more precisely,
00:10:46.98\00:10:49.28
a faithful tithe to God?
00:10:49.28\00:10:50.78
Do you think that's a bad idea?
00:10:50.78\00:10:52.55
No.
00:10:52.55\00:10:52.75
This is endorsed
00:10:53.01\00:10:53.48
biblically, right?
00:10:53.48\00:10:54.92
What about fasting?
00:10:55.38\00:10:57.99
Well, we'll
00:10:58.29\00:10:58.59
get to that in a minute. Okay?
00:10:58.95\00:11:00.56
But what is he doing here?
00:11:00.56\00:11:02.16
He is focused on his behavior.
00:11:02.16\00:11:04.66
His fasting is
00:11:04.83\00:11:06.16
a meritorious behavior
00:11:06.16\00:11:08.23
that he thinks
00:11:08.40\00:11:09.33
somehow is gaining
00:11:09.33\00:11:11.13
approval for himself.
00:11:11.13\00:11:13.20
Now, I have to stop here
00:11:14.47\00:11:16.04
because we're going
00:11:16.04\00:11:16.64
through a series
00:11:16.64\00:11:17.54
on healing insights
00:11:17.54\00:11:19.14
from the gospel of Mark.
00:11:19.14\00:11:20.31
And I'd like to suggest to you
00:11:21.74\00:11:23.01
that there are two pitfalls
00:11:23.01\00:11:24.98
when it comes
00:11:24.98\00:11:25.48
to healing insights.
00:11:25.48\00:11:26.85
The first pitfall
00:11:26.85\00:11:28.62
is that we will miss,
00:11:28.62\00:11:29.98
that we?gloss over
00:11:29.98\00:11:31.99
healing truths
00:11:31.99\00:11:33.96
that are in Mark's account.
00:11:33.96\00:11:35.79
But here's the other danger,
00:11:35.79\00:11:38.36
and that is
00:11:38.53\00:11:39.03
that we?neglect
00:11:39.03\00:11:40.56
true healing principles,
00:11:40.56\00:11:42.43
because we'll think that
00:11:42.43\00:11:43.47
they're not endorsed
00:11:43.47\00:11:44.53
in this case by Mark's gospel.
00:11:44.53\00:11:47.10
So
00:11:47.10\00:11:47.84
I don't want you to miss this.
00:11:49.00\00:11:50.01
This is really important.
00:11:50.01\00:11:51.47
And I know
00:11:51.47\00:11:52.04
it's not only important,
00:11:52.04\00:11:53.34
but this is cutting edge stuff.
00:11:53.34\00:11:55.68
Sonja and I, many of you know,
00:11:55.68\00:11:56.91
were just in the Middle East
00:11:56.91\00:11:58.11
for a couple of weeks,
00:11:58.11\00:11:59.45
and while we were there,
00:11:59.45\00:12:01.55
it was amazing
00:12:01.55\00:12:02.78
to connect
00:12:02.78\00:12:03.39
with believers
00:12:03.39\00:12:04.85
throughout that
00:12:04.85\00:12:05.35
part of the world where it is,
00:12:05.52\00:12:07.12
it is challenging
00:12:07.12\00:12:08.09
in many respects to
00:12:08.09\00:12:09.92
to to minister.
00:12:09.92\00:12:11.73
But one of the
00:12:11.73\00:12:12.39
lines of ministry
00:12:12.39\00:12:13.33
that they're very focused
00:12:13.33\00:12:14.36
on, in fact, just this morning,
00:12:14.36\00:12:16.53
I received a
00:12:16.53\00:12:18.63
I guess it's a text,
00:12:18.63\00:12:19.60
maybe it's a WhatsApp.
00:12:19.60\00:12:20.64
They like WhatsApp over there,
00:12:20.64\00:12:22.17
but they received a message
00:12:22.17\00:12:23.67
and they're wanting to
00:12:23.67\00:12:25.64
they're wanting
00:12:25.64\00:12:25.97
to use our 30 day
00:12:26.14\00:12:27.51
lifestyle program
00:12:27.51\00:12:28.48
that we've developed here
00:12:28.48\00:12:29.68
at the Fort Wayne
00:12:29.68\00:12:30.38
First Seventh-day
00:12:30.38\00:12:31.08
Adventist church.
00:12:31.08\00:12:31.78
I'll mention that again
00:12:31.78\00:12:32.58
in a moment.
00:12:32.58\00:12:33.25
They want to use that
00:12:33.25\00:12:34.25
in their ministry
00:12:34.25\00:12:35.78
there in the United
00:12:35.78\00:12:36.69
Arab Emirates
00:12:36.69\00:12:37.32
where he is based. So
00:12:37.32\00:12:39.25
one of the things,
00:12:40.29\00:12:41.09
though, I'm telling you in
00:12:41.09\00:12:42.36
this context
00:12:42.36\00:12:43.09
is while we were there
00:12:43.09\00:12:43.99
in the Middle East,
00:12:43.99\00:12:44.56
one of the things
00:12:44.56\00:12:45.19
that really resonated
00:12:45.19\00:12:46.80
with those who were
00:12:46.80\00:12:47.96
in attendance
00:12:47.96\00:12:48.63
at our lectures
00:12:48.63\00:12:49.63
was a presentation on fasting.
00:12:49.63\00:12:51.83
They were very excited
00:12:52.63\00:12:53.67
about this.
00:12:53.67\00:12:54.87
It is not just of interest
00:12:55.07\00:12:57.14
in the Middle East.
00:12:57.14\00:12:57.97
I don't know if it's coming
00:12:57.97\00:12:59.51
across your news feeds,
00:12:59.51\00:13:00.78
but even lay the lay press
00:13:00.78\00:13:02.48
is very interested
00:13:02.48\00:13:04.05
in medical benefits
00:13:04.05\00:13:05.05
of fasting today.
00:13:05.05\00:13:06.25
And as a physician,
00:13:06.25\00:13:07.08
I see many things coming
00:13:07.08\00:13:08.32
across my desk
00:13:08.32\00:13:09.42
speaking about,
00:13:09.42\00:13:10.35
they might use the term time
00:13:10.35\00:13:11.72
restricted feeding
00:13:11.72\00:13:13.32
instead of fasting.
00:13:13.32\00:13:14.59
Yeah,
00:13:14.59\00:13:14.82
if you really want a nightmare,
00:13:15.29\00:13:16.19
just as an aside,
00:13:16.19\00:13:17.56
if you do literature research
00:13:17.56\00:13:19.43
like I do,
00:13:19.43\00:13:19.93
you know
00:13:19.93\00:13:20.16
you want to look through
00:13:20.53\00:13:20.73
the medical research,
00:13:21.06\00:13:21.56
don't put fasting in
00:13:21.56\00:13:23.67
and try to find
00:13:23.67\00:13:24.43
medical research about it.
00:13:24.43\00:13:26.00
Because just about every study,
00:13:26.00\00:13:28.20
if they're measuring things,
00:13:28.20\00:13:29.74
they're measuring
00:13:29.74\00:13:30.34
fasting blood work. Okay?
00:13:30.34\00:13:32.74
So you're going to it's
00:13:33.04\00:13:34.01
going to pull up
00:13:34.01\00:13:34.58
hundreds of things
00:13:34.58\00:13:35.31
that have nothing to do
00:13:35.31\00:13:36.61
with anything about fasting.
00:13:36.61\00:13:38.45
But time restricted feeding
00:13:38.45\00:13:39.78
is one of the terms that?sed.
00:13:39.78\00:13:41.58
So fasting is powerful.
00:13:41.58\00:13:43.62
And if you think about this,
00:13:43.62\00:13:44.75
really when we were there
00:13:44.75\00:13:46.35
dealing with a lot of folks
00:13:46.35\00:13:47.92
or at least
00:13:47.92\00:13:48.22
rubbing shoulders with folks
00:13:48.59\00:13:49.89
from a Muslim background.
00:13:49.89\00:13:51.53
Do Muslims,
00:13:51.53\00:13:53.13
do they regard fasting
00:13:53.13\00:13:55.33
in a special way?
00:13:55.33\00:13:56.83
Oh, yeah.
00:13:56.83\00:13:57.27
Many of you know
00:13:57.27\00:13:57.73
about Ramadan, right?
00:13:57.83\00:13:59.20
So a very special time
00:13:59.20\00:14:01.30
where they're fasting.
00:14:01.30\00:14:03.57
How about Christians?
00:14:03.57\00:14:04.71
Do Christians, Jews,
00:14:04.71\00:14:05.97
do they value fasting?
00:14:05.97\00:14:07.04
I mean, it?n the Bible,
00:14:07.04\00:14:08.34
many places.
00:14:08.34\00:14:09.91
What about Hindus
00:14:09.91\00:14:11.01
and Buddhists?
00:14:11.01\00:14:12.25
What about Native Americans?
00:14:12.25\00:14:13.72
What I'm trying to help you see
00:14:13.72\00:14:15.28
is that fasting is embraced
00:14:15.28\00:14:17.65
cross-culturally
00:14:17.65\00:14:18.72
throughout the world
00:14:18.72\00:14:19.35
and for centuries
00:14:19.35\00:14:20.46
and centuries.
00:14:20.46\00:14:21.29
It's endorsed by the Bible.
00:14:21.29\00:14:22.92
So don't walk away from Mark
00:14:22.92\00:14:24.69
2 somehow
00:14:24.69\00:14:25.59
thinking that Jesus is saying
00:14:25.59\00:14:27.23
there's no value to fasting.
00:14:27.23\00:14:28.53
So let me tell you
00:14:28.53\00:14:29.06
what we've done
00:14:29.06\00:14:29.66
to try to help you here
00:14:30.70\00:14:32.83
in this congregation
00:14:32.83\00:14:33.87
as well as others, is
00:14:33.87\00:14:36.84
we're not going to go through
00:14:36.84\00:14:37.61
a whole Bible study on fasting.
00:14:37.61\00:14:38.97
But I wanted to spend
00:14:38.97\00:14:39.77
some time with this
00:14:39.77\00:14:40.58
because I think if you
00:14:40.58\00:14:41.81
if you just
00:14:41.81\00:14:42.94
let me tell you
00:14:43.91\00:14:44.31
the biggest problem
00:14:44.45\00:14:44.91
sometimes we have.
00:14:44.91\00:14:45.85
Now, don't misunderstand me.
00:14:45.85\00:14:47.88
I think there is value
00:14:47.88\00:14:49.62
in reading through large
00:14:49.62\00:14:50.89
portions of Scripture. Okay?
00:14:50.89\00:14:52.65
Some of you might be on a Bible
00:14:52.65\00:14:53.86
reading plan
00:14:53.86\00:14:54.66
and you're reading through
00:14:54.66\00:14:55.16
five chapters a day
00:14:55.16\00:14:56.42
or ten chapters or something.
00:14:56.42\00:14:58.59
I'm not
00:14:58.59\00:14:59.46
trying to depreciate that.
00:14:59.46\00:15:00.86
There is truly a value to that,
00:15:00.86\00:15:02.66
but there's also a value
00:15:02.66\00:15:03.97
to deeper study. Okay?
00:15:03.97\00:15:06.30
And so when you just
00:15:06.30\00:15:07.20
breezed through Mark
00:15:07.20\00:15:08.17
2, you might walk away
00:15:08.17\00:15:09.64
thinking, well, Jesus saying,
00:15:09.64\00:15:11.01
no fasting
00:15:11.01\00:15:11.81
in the New Testament.
00:15:11.81\00:15:12.84
Let's go on
00:15:12.84\00:15:13.71
to the next confrontation.
00:15:13.71\00:15:15.88
But realize,
00:15:15.88\00:15:16.81
wait a minute, wait a minute.
00:15:16.81\00:15:18.51
Mark 2 occurs
00:15:18.51\00:15:19.95
after Jesus fasted
00:15:19.95\00:15:21.92
for 40 days in the wilderness.
00:15:21.92\00:15:23.75
Okay?
00:15:23.75\00:15:24.55
Jesus himself
00:15:24.82\00:15:25.79
fasted, Moses fasted,
00:15:25.79\00:15:27.99
Elijah fasted.
00:15:28.09\00:15:29.49
Fasting was part
00:15:29.49\00:15:30.93
of the day of Atonement.
00:15:30.93\00:15:32.93
So the Bible is full
00:15:32.93\00:15:34.66
and there's many more examples
00:15:34.66\00:15:35.80
we could give you.
00:15:35.80\00:15:37.70
But here is what
00:15:37.70\00:15:38.40
Jesus is addressing.
00:15:38.40\00:15:40.40
Jesus is not taking
00:15:40.40\00:15:42.07
a stand against all fasting
00:15:42.07\00:15:44.04
for spiritual
00:15:44.04\00:15:44.71
or medical reasons, in Mark 2
00:15:44.71\00:15:46.68
He is confronting
00:15:46.68\00:15:48.04
the traditions,
00:15:48.04\00:15:49.44
the preconceived ideas
00:15:49.44\00:15:51.45
that included the expectation
00:15:51.45\00:15:53.15
that if you were holy,
00:15:53.15\00:15:54.82
you're going to fast
00:15:54.82\00:15:56.12
in a certain prescribed way.
00:15:56.12\00:15:58.25
And that way, as you saw
00:15:58.25\00:15:59.89
in Luke's gospel, often
00:16:00.92\00:16:03.29
often ministered
00:16:03.56\00:16:05.53
to self aggrandizement,
00:16:05.53\00:16:07.30
to self righteousness.
00:16:07.30\00:16:09.23
Are you getting the picture?
00:16:09.23\00:16:10.83
So
00:16:11.33\00:16:12.40
the charge against Jesus,
00:16:13.27\00:16:15.24
if you're being led by God,
00:16:15.24\00:16:17.07
why aren
00:16:17.07\00:16:17.87
?u following
00:16:17.87\00:16:18.57
our spiritual traditions?
00:16:18.57\00:16:20.54
Why aren't you meeting
00:16:20.54\00:16:21.58
our standards?
00:16:21.58\00:16:24.21
They present no
00:16:24.21\00:16:25.81
scriptural basis
00:16:25.81\00:16:27.32
for their concerns.
00:16:27.32\00:16:28.08
Don't miss that.
00:16:28.08\00:16:29.42
They don't take out the Bible
00:16:29.88\00:16:31.09
and say, Hey,
00:16:31.09\00:16:31.89
here's what
00:16:31.89\00:16:32.22
the Bible says about
00:16:32.42\00:16:33.49
fasting. No,
00:16:33.49\00:16:34.66
it is their traditions.
00:16:34.66\00:16:36.26
And who are they
00:16:36.26\00:16:36.96
elevating them above?
00:16:36.96\00:16:39.03
The elevation of Jesus.
00:16:39.03\00:16:41.06
Okay? I mean, can I now.
00:16:41.06\00:16:42.70
So really,
00:16:42.70\00:16:43.33
this is challenging for me.
00:16:43.33\00:16:45.00
So the question for me,
00:16:45.00\00:16:46.30
the question
00:16:46.30\00:16:46.74
for all of us should be,
00:16:46.90\00:16:47.67
is there a danger
00:16:47.67\00:16:48.60
that I could do that?
00:16:48.60\00:16:50.07
That I could elevate
00:16:50.07\00:16:52.34
my personal opinions
00:16:52.34\00:16:55.41
above Jesus?n words?
00:16:55.78\00:16:58.28
And we see
00:16:59.28\00:17:00.05
this when we do
00:17:00.05\00:17:00.58
cross-cultural ministry. Okay?
00:17:00.72\00:17:02.75
When we were there
00:17:03.92\00:17:04.59
in the Middle East.
00:17:04.59\00:17:05.29
People weren't
00:17:05.29\00:17:06.49
all dressing for church
00:17:06.49\00:17:08.16
like you are dressing.
00:17:08.16\00:17:09.92
Were they dressed
00:17:09.92\00:17:10.56
inappropriately then?
00:17:10.56\00:17:11.93
They weren
00:17:11.93\00:17:13.03
?nging necessarily,
00:17:13.03\00:17:15.06
like how we sing
00:17:15.06\00:17:15.83
in this church.
00:17:15.83\00:17:16.36
They weren't even using
00:17:16.36\00:17:17.37
the same language,
00:17:17.37\00:17:18.97
some of them that we use here.
00:17:18.97\00:17:22.34
So do
00:17:22.50\00:17:23.91
you see what I'm talking about?
00:17:23.91\00:17:26.31
Now, here's
00:17:26.57\00:17:27.18
what I want to give you a tool,
00:17:27.28\00:17:28.28
because I think
00:17:28.28\00:17:30.08
since we're talking
00:17:30.08\00:17:30.85
about fasting,
00:17:30.85\00:17:31.58
I would be negligent
00:17:31.58\00:17:32.65
not to give you
00:17:32.65\00:17:33.92
a little bit of help
00:17:33.92\00:17:35.72
in the lines of fasting.
00:17:35.72\00:17:36.92
I'm trying to balance
00:17:36.92\00:17:38.15
the danger.
00:17:38.15\00:17:38.99
Remember, there's
00:17:38.99\00:17:39.79
this pitfall
00:17:39.79\00:17:40.82
that you could
00:17:40.82\00:17:41.22
throw fasting out
00:17:41.32\00:17:42.12
because of the words of Jesus.
00:17:42.12\00:17:43.59
And I want to just
00:17:43.59\00:17:44.46
just put something
00:17:44.46\00:17:45.49
in your hands.
00:17:45.49\00:17:46.26
Many of you have
00:17:46.26\00:17:46.96
already connected
00:17:46.96\00:17:47.83
with this resource
00:17:47.83\00:17:48.70
that this
00:17:48.70\00:17:49.63
Middle Eastern
00:17:49.63\00:17:50.40
pastor has reached out.
00:17:50.40\00:17:51.57
He wants to have his church
00:17:51.57\00:17:52.80
going through this 30
00:17:52.80\00:17:53.77
day program.
00:17:53.77\00:17:54.27
They want to use it
00:17:54.27\00:17:54.87
as part of their
00:17:54.87\00:17:55.54
health ministry
00:17:55.54\00:17:56.24
in their church.
00:17:56.24\00:17:57.21
If you've not
00:17:57.21\00:17:58.21
joined us for this program,
00:17:58.21\00:17:59.54
you're all
00:17:59.54\00:17:59.77
welcome to jump on
00:18:00.11\00:18:01.24
TimelessHealingInsights.org.
00:18:01.24\00:18:03.68
If you go to that website,
00:18:03.91\00:18:05.01
you can sign up for the free
00:18:05.01\00:18:06.08
30 day program.
00:18:06.08\00:18:07.18
Part of that program
00:18:07.18\00:18:08.28
includes fasting.
00:18:08.28\00:18:10.22
But I've got more for you.
00:18:10.22\00:18:11.25
We just put together
00:18:11.25\00:18:12.89
just within the last few days
00:18:12.89\00:18:14.42
a handout
00:18:14.42\00:18:15.46
because I saw that the interest
00:18:15.46\00:18:16.93
in this
00:18:16.93\00:18:17.19
actually we did a,
00:18:17.43\00:18:18.33
produced a radio show
00:18:18.53\00:18:19.59
yesterday on this topic.
00:18:19.59\00:18:21.20
It'll be airing
00:18:21.20\00:18:22.13
the last week
00:18:22.13\00:18:22.76
of November of 2022.
00:18:22.76\00:18:24.63
If if you jump on our
00:18:24.63\00:18:26.13
TimelessHealingInsights.org
00:18:26.13\00:18:28.04
website, you can access
00:18:28.04\00:18:29.27
our radio shows there.
00:18:29.27\00:18:31.04
It will be
00:18:31.04\00:18:32.01
there for the week,
00:18:32.01\00:18:32.91
the last week of November 2022.
00:18:32.91\00:18:35.31
But it is a whole program
00:18:35.44\00:18:37.48
on fasting
00:18:37.48\00:18:38.48
and the special resource
00:18:38.48\00:18:39.78
that we're making available
00:18:39.78\00:18:40.72
to all of you
00:18:40.72\00:18:41.28
here, to anyone
00:18:41.28\00:18:42.15
viewing is a free hand out.
00:18:42.15\00:18:44.42
Fasting as a natural remedy.
00:18:44.42\00:18:46.02
You can pick it right up there
00:18:46.02\00:18:47.46
at the
00:18:47.46\00:18:47.72
TimelessHealingInsights.org
00:18:48.12\00:18:50.33
website.
00:18:50.33\00:18:50.79
I want to give you
00:18:50.79\00:18:51.19
a preview of it
00:18:51.19\00:18:52.19
because this is
00:18:52.19\00:18:52.63
important stuff.
00:18:52.63\00:18:53.63
And what I love
00:18:53.63\00:18:54.56
about what
00:18:54.56\00:18:54.93
I'm going to share with you
00:18:55.23\00:18:55.83
is it gives us balance on
00:18:55.83\00:18:57.10
this topic,
00:18:57.10\00:18:58.00
gives us balance on the topic.
00:18:58.00\00:18:59.57
So here, let me first
00:18:59.57\00:19:00.64
as a physician,
00:19:00.64\00:19:01.77
tell you what I have seen
00:19:01.77\00:19:03.10
in my own practice
00:19:03.10\00:19:03.97
and what we see
00:19:03.97\00:19:04.57
in the research literature
00:19:04.57\00:19:05.97
about how fasting
00:19:05.97\00:19:07.14
can help people
00:19:07.14\00:19:08.08
with a variety of illnesses,
00:19:08.08\00:19:10.05
diabetes,
00:19:10.05\00:19:11.05
especially type two diabetes.
00:19:11.05\00:19:12.81
I'll just tell you as an aside,
00:19:12.81\00:19:14.75
I have fasted many people
00:19:14.75\00:19:15.98
with type two diabetes.
00:19:15.98\00:19:17.05
Yes, we have to
00:19:17.05\00:19:17.85
sometimes
00:19:17.85\00:19:18.39
adjust their medications.
00:19:18.49\00:19:19.79
But fasting
00:19:19.79\00:19:20.62
has a metabolic
00:19:20.62\00:19:21.82
resetting function on diabetes
00:19:21.82\00:19:23.93
so we can put
00:19:24.19\00:19:24.76
someone in a fast.
00:19:24.76\00:19:25.86
I've done this
00:19:25.86\00:19:26.36
in a medically supervised
00:19:26.49\00:19:27.50
setting 3 to 5 days
00:19:27.50\00:19:29.60
and dramatically better
00:19:29.60\00:19:32.10
blood sugars after that.
00:19:32.10\00:19:34.57
Sustained high blood pressure.
00:19:34.57\00:19:36.94
Obesity.
00:19:37.41\00:19:38.57
If you're coming down
00:19:38.57\00:19:39.54
with an illness.
00:19:39.54\00:19:41.64
Let me ask you a question.
00:19:41.64\00:19:42.71
Have you ever noticed
00:19:43.68\00:19:45.28
that you don't have
00:19:45.28\00:19:46.01
as much appetite prior
00:19:46.01\00:19:48.05
to getting sick?
00:19:48.05\00:19:49.85
Think about this.
00:19:49.88\00:19:50.72
Some years ago,
00:19:50.72\00:19:52.32
I was sitting down
00:19:52.32\00:19:53.02
for breakfast
00:19:53.02\00:19:54.39
and I
00:19:54.39\00:19:55.19
you know,
00:19:55.19\00:19:55.52
I just ate a little bit.
00:19:55.79\00:19:56.89
I don't eat all that much.
00:19:56.89\00:19:58.36
I only eat twice a day.
00:19:58.36\00:20:00.36
So when I didn't
00:20:00.36\00:20:01.16
eat much for breakfast,
00:20:01.16\00:20:02.13
I'm thinking, well,
00:20:02.13\00:20:02.56
this isn't good.
00:20:02.56\00:20:03.30
I mean,
00:20:03.30\00:20:03.53
I got to get
00:20:03.70\00:20:04.20
through the whole day
00:20:04.27\00:20:05.10
and I hardly ate anything.
00:20:05.10\00:20:07.00
So what do you think I did,
00:20:07.00\00:20:08.84
even though I wasn't hungry?
00:20:08.84\00:20:09.94
This is not a good idea.
00:20:09.94\00:20:11.41
But I ate more.
00:20:11.41\00:20:12.71
I just my normal amount,
00:20:12.71\00:20:13.94
maybe even less.
00:20:13.94\00:20:15.31
And what do you think happened?
00:20:15.31\00:20:17.38
I got sick.
00:20:17.38\00:20:18.88
My body was telling me to fast.
00:20:18.88\00:20:22.12
Was telling me to fast,
00:20:22.55\00:20:23.79
telling me
00:20:23.79\00:20:24.12
I didn't need many calories.
00:20:24.45\00:20:25.82
My body was trying
00:20:25.82\00:20:26.79
to fight an illness.
00:20:26.79\00:20:27.96
And this is what we know,
00:20:27.96\00:20:29.39
acute illnesses, decreasing
00:20:29.39\00:20:31.93
caloric intake
00:20:31.93\00:20:32.79
is typically enhancing
00:20:32.79\00:20:34.56
for your immune system.
00:20:34.56\00:20:35.56
Now, if you're
00:20:35.56\00:20:36.06
calorically depleted
00:20:36.06\00:20:37.10
over a period of time,
00:20:37.10\00:20:38.23
that can undermine
00:20:38.23\00:20:39.17
your immune system.
00:20:39.17\00:20:39.90
Don't mistake that.
00:20:39.90\00:20:41.50
Autoimmune diseases.
00:20:41.50\00:20:42.80
We've worked with many patients
00:20:42.80\00:20:44.11
with autoimmune diseases
00:20:44.11\00:20:45.24
using fasting regimens
00:20:45.24\00:20:46.68
and have seen their rheumatoid
00:20:46.68\00:20:48.38
arthritis improve.
00:20:48.38\00:20:49.48
Or their lupus improved
00:20:49.48\00:20:50.71
or their inflammatory bowel
00:20:50.71\00:20:52.05
disease improve,
00:20:52.05\00:20:53.28
so fasting has far reaching
00:20:53.28\00:20:55.75
medical benefits.
00:20:55.75\00:20:56.82
Now here's the resource
00:20:56.82\00:20:57.75
I want to give you.
00:20:57.75\00:20:58.89
By the way,
00:20:59.19\00:20:59.55
if you get the handout, these
00:20:59.89\00:21:01.32
these slides are in
00:21:01.32\00:21:02.42
that free handout.
00:21:02.42\00:21:03.53
They're also in the free
00:21:03.53\00:21:04.53
handout that goes along
00:21:04.53\00:21:05.36
with this lecture.
00:21:05.36\00:21:06.23
So for those of you
00:21:06.23\00:21:07.40
that are viewing this,
00:21:07.40\00:21:08.46
those of you that are here
00:21:08.46\00:21:09.56
attending in person,
00:21:09.56\00:21:11.63
every time we show slides,
00:21:11.63\00:21:13.47
they're all in the free handout
00:21:13.47\00:21:14.94
that goes
00:21:14.94\00:21:15.30
with that presentation,
00:21:15.50\00:21:16.60
but there's a bonus handout.
00:21:16.60\00:21:18.41
In addition
00:21:18.41\00:21:19.64
to the slides
00:21:19.64\00:21:20.21
that I'll be showing you
00:21:20.21\00:21:21.24
in the formal presentation,
00:21:21.24\00:21:23.35
about 10 or 11 pages,
00:21:23.35\00:21:24.85
maybe even more of material
00:21:24.85\00:21:27.02
on fasting as a natural remedy.
00:21:27.02\00:21:29.25
So in that handout,
00:21:29.25\00:21:30.72
I have selections
00:21:30.72\00:21:31.82
from an amazing book.
00:21:31.82\00:21:33.32
This is this
00:21:33.32\00:21:34.26
probably the most balanced book
00:21:34.26\00:21:35.49
we talk about spiritual
00:21:35.49\00:21:36.66
and physical
00:21:36.66\00:21:37.26
benefits of fasting.
00:21:37.26\00:21:38.63
It's a book called
00:21:38.63\00:21:39.36
Counsels on Diet and Foods.
00:21:39.36\00:21:41.73
Some of you may know
00:21:41.96\00:21:42.60
the name of the author, E.G.
00:21:42.60\00:21:43.90
White.
00:21:43.90\00:21:44.57
This was a
00:21:44.73\00:21:46.13
person wrote over 100 years ago
00:21:46.13\00:21:48.20
a major health
00:21:48.57\00:21:49.54
advocate of yesteryear.
00:21:49.54\00:21:51.37
And you might say, Well,
00:21:51.37\00:21:52.01
why would you pick up a dusty
00:21:52.07\00:21:53.81
old book
00:21:53.81\00:21:54.78
written so many years ago?
00:21:54.78\00:21:56.28
This specific book,
00:21:57.31\00:21:59.41
I can
00:21:59.41\00:21:59.71
think right
00:21:59.81\00:22:00.18
now of a Jewish
00:22:00.32\00:22:01.58
author who endorses this book
00:22:01.58\00:22:04.02
even with some Christian
00:22:04.02\00:22:04.92
concepts in it.
00:22:04.92\00:22:05.65
This is amazing
00:22:05.65\00:22:06.82
book, Counsels
00:22:06.82\00:22:07.52
on Diet and Foods.
00:22:07.52\00:22:08.52
I think of a
00:22:08.52\00:22:10.26
a nutrition professor
00:22:10.26\00:22:12.39
some years ago
00:22:12.39\00:22:13.23
at Cornell University
00:22:13.23\00:22:15.33
saying amazing book,
00:22:15.33\00:22:16.33
not a Seventh-day Adventist.
00:22:16.33\00:22:17.33
I'm not sure it was even
00:22:17.33\00:22:18.00
a Christian, Counsels on Diet
00:22:18.00\00:22:19.67
and Foods.
00:22:19.67\00:22:20.07
Amazing book. Amazing book.
00:22:20.34\00:22:22.17
So let me show you
00:22:22.90\00:22:23.71
what you'll find in there.
00:22:23.71\00:22:24.91
If you read about fasting
00:22:24.91\00:22:26.07
is going to put this
00:22:26.07\00:22:26.64
in perspective.
00:22:26.64\00:22:27.41
What Jesus had to say
00:22:27.41\00:22:28.51
in Mark 2,
00:22:28.51\00:22:29.48
with the modern benefits
00:22:29.48\00:22:31.05
of fasting
00:22:31.05\00:22:32.65
on a spiritual level.
00:22:33.08\00:22:34.68
White saw fasting as more of,
00:22:34.68\00:22:36.45
listen to it,
00:22:36.45\00:22:37.32
an attitude than a practice.
00:22:37.32\00:22:39.99
Listen to this statement.
00:22:40.29\00:22:41.69
The spirit of true
00:22:41.69\00:22:42.99
fasting and prayer
00:22:42.99\00:22:44.83
is the spirit
00:22:44.83\00:22:45.56
which yields mind, heart,
00:22:45.56\00:22:47.66
and will to God.
00:22:47.86\00:22:50.37
Think about that.
00:22:50.37\00:22:51.93
It's not showing
00:22:51.93\00:22:52.80
your superiority.
00:22:52.80\00:22:53.97
It's yielding to God.
00:22:53.97\00:22:55.44
It's not getting you
00:22:55.44\00:22:56.24
points with God.
00:22:56.24\00:22:57.81
How about this statement?
00:22:57.81\00:22:58.97
All the fasting in the world
00:22:58.97\00:23:01.14
will not take the place
00:23:01.14\00:23:02.31
of simple trust
00:23:02.31\00:23:03.48
in the Word of God.
00:23:03.48\00:23:04.38
So this is speaking to those
00:23:04.38\00:23:05.81
religious leaders
00:23:05.81\00:23:07.35
in Jesus day, right?
00:23:07.35\00:23:08.92
They thought they would
00:23:08.92\00:23:09.62
get points for it.
00:23:09.62\00:23:10.52
By the way, read Isaiah 58.
00:23:10.52\00:23:12.02
It was the same problem
00:23:12.02\00:23:12.85
in the Old Testament.
00:23:12.85\00:23:14.52
Ask, Jesus said,
00:23:14.52\00:23:16.32
and you shall receive.
00:23:16.32\00:23:17.69
You are not called upon to fast
00:23:17.69\00:23:19.43
40 days.
00:23:19.43\00:23:20.10
The Lord bore that fast for you
00:23:20.10\00:23:21.93
in the wilderness
00:23:21.93\00:23:22.53
of temptation.
00:23:22.53\00:23:23.63
There would be no virtue
00:23:23.63\00:23:25.27
in such a fast.
00:23:25.27\00:23:26.57
But there is virtue
00:23:26.57\00:23:27.60
in the blood of Christ.
00:23:27.60\00:23:28.80
So did you see what
00:23:28.80\00:23:30.07
what she's doing?
00:23:30.07\00:23:31.14
The author is
00:23:31.14\00:23:31.77
separating out the
00:23:31.77\00:23:34.24
physical and
00:23:35.51\00:23:36.28
spiritual benefits of fasting
00:23:36.28\00:23:37.71
from the merit of fasting.
00:23:37.71\00:23:39.31
There's no value
00:23:39.31\00:23:39.98
You don't get merit for fasting
00:23:39.98\00:23:41.92
for 40 days.
00:23:41.92\00:23:43.45
The true fasting,
00:23:43.45\00:23:44.49
which should be recommended
00:23:44.49\00:23:45.42
to who?
00:23:45.42\00:23:46.35
To everyone
00:23:47.02\00:23:47.92
to all,
00:23:47.92\00:23:48.69
is abstinence
00:23:48.69\00:23:49.59
from every stimulating
00:23:49.59\00:23:50.89
kind of food,
00:23:50.89\00:23:52.03
and the proper
00:23:52.03\00:23:52.76
use of wholesome, simple, food
00:23:52.76\00:23:54.73
which God has
00:23:54.73\00:23:55.36
provided in abundance.
00:23:55.36\00:23:56.87
So just some
00:23:56.87\00:23:57.33
amazing statements.
00:23:57.40\00:23:58.57
There's more
00:23:58.57\00:23:59.07
that we could share here.
00:23:59.20\00:24:00.04
We won't do it, but
00:24:00.04\00:24:02.77
it is in the handout.
00:24:02.77\00:24:03.71
You can get it there
00:24:03.71\00:24:04.37
at TimelessHealingInsights.org.
00:24:04.37\00:24:07.41
Handout on fasting
00:24:07.61\00:24:08.84
as a natural remedy.
00:24:08.84\00:24:10.01
We talk about all kinds
00:24:10.01\00:24:11.08
of different specific
00:24:11.08\00:24:12.15
medical fasts,
00:24:12.15\00:24:13.31
how they can benefit you,
00:24:13.31\00:24:14.75
and that's a resource
00:24:14.75\00:24:15.85
that you will definitely
00:24:15.85\00:24:17.25
want to avail yourselves of.
00:24:17.25\00:24:19.02
So let us come back now
00:24:19.02\00:24:20.39
to Jesus and Mark 2.
00:24:20.39\00:24:22.66
Let's look at Jesus?sponse.
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Remember, because I said
00:24:24.93\00:24:25.66
the danger is you read this,
00:24:25.66\00:24:27.30
you throw out fasting.
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No, fasting has value,
00:24:28.36\00:24:30.03
very powerful value,
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but it has no merit
00:24:31.90\00:24:33.13
in and of itself.
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Here is Jesus response.
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How can the guests
00:24:35.77\00:24:37.14
of the bridegroom fast
00:24:37.14\00:24:39.27
while he is with them?
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They cannot,
00:24:40.78\00:24:41.91
so long as they
00:24:41.91\00:24:42.64
have him with them.
00:24:42.64\00:24:44.38
But the time will come
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when the bridegroom
00:24:45.51\00:24:46.28
will be taken from them,
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and on that day they will fast.
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What is Jesus getting at here?
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Jesus all along
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we've been seeing it.
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He's been demonstrating
00:24:55.29\00:24:56.59
the true spirit of fasting.
00:24:56.59\00:24:58.33
He's been selflessly
00:24:58.33\00:24:59.53
ministering to others.
00:24:59.53\00:25:00.80
I alluded to Isaiah 58.
00:25:00.80\00:25:02.76
Isaiah 58
00:25:02.76\00:25:03.87
tells us about the true fast.
00:25:03.87\00:25:05.57
It's what?
00:25:05.57\00:25:06.27
To losse the bonds
00:25:06.27\00:25:07.30
of wickedness,
00:25:07.30\00:25:08.24
to undo the straps of the yoke,
00:25:08.24\00:25:10.74
to let the oppressed
00:25:10.87\00:25:12.17
go free, and
00:25:12.17\00:25:13.48
to break every yoke.
00:25:13.48\00:25:14.74
It's talking about what
00:25:14.74\00:25:15.71
Jesus was doing.
00:25:15.71\00:25:17.01
Jesus is showing a true fast.
00:25:17.01\00:25:20.35
He's yielding Himself to God.
00:25:20.58\00:25:22.42
He's healing.
00:25:22.42\00:25:23.55
He's ministering
00:25:23.55\00:25:24.52
to the downcast.
00:25:24.52\00:25:25.79
He is exemplifying
00:25:25.79\00:25:27.92
what true fasting looks like.
00:25:27.92\00:25:29.66
It's not putting
00:25:29.66\00:25:30.46
yourself first.
00:25:30.46\00:25:33.76
Jesus gave one
00:25:33.76\00:25:34.56
last illustration
00:25:34.56\00:25:36.16
to drive home
00:25:36.16\00:25:36.90
the point in chapter three,
00:25:36.90\00:25:38.60
and we'll end on this note.
00:25:38.60\00:25:40.44
No one
00:25:40.44\00:25:41.24
sews a patch of unshrunk cloth
00:25:41.24\00:25:43.81
on an old garment.
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Otherwise the new piece
00:25:45.64\00:25:47.54
will pull away from the old
00:25:47.54\00:25:48.74
making the tear worse
00:25:48.74\00:25:50.58
and no one pours
00:25:50.58\00:25:51.41
new wine into old wine skins.
00:25:51.41\00:25:52.98
Otherwise the wine will burst
00:25:52.98\00:25:55.32
the wine skins.
00:25:55.72\00:25:56.72
It will ruin those wine skins.
00:25:56.72\00:25:59.12
What was Jesus saying?
00:25:59.32\00:26:00.96
In antiquity,
00:26:00.96\00:26:01.89
if you put
00:26:01.89\00:26:03.09
grape juice into a new wine
00:26:03.29\00:26:06.49
skin as it fermented
00:26:06.49\00:26:07.86
and expanded,
00:26:07.86\00:26:08.66
the wine skin would expand.
00:26:08.66\00:26:10.40
If the wine skin was old,
00:26:10.40\00:26:12.77
the juice as it fermented
00:26:12.77\00:26:14.77
would burst the wine skin.
00:26:14.87\00:26:17.04
Jesus was not advocating
00:26:17.24\00:26:18.84
the use of alcohol.
00:26:18.84\00:26:19.87
He's using an illustration
00:26:19.87\00:26:21.24
that they could relate to,
00:26:21.24\00:26:22.81
nor was He relating
00:26:22.81\00:26:23.81
that you wear old clothes
00:26:23.81\00:26:24.91
that are patched.
00:26:24.91\00:26:25.68
Okay, but here's the point.
00:26:25.68\00:26:27.88
What is Jesus saying?
00:26:27.88\00:26:29.85
Jesus, I believe,
00:26:29.85\00:26:31.09
is trying to communicate
00:26:31.09\00:26:32.65
that you can't fit
00:26:32.65\00:26:34.66
Jesus?w truth
00:26:34.66\00:26:36.46
into your preconceived ideas
00:26:36.46\00:26:38.49
and traditions.
00:26:38.49\00:26:39.76
Lay aside
00:26:39.76\00:26:40.50
your preconceived ideas.
00:26:40.50\00:26:41.93
Let Jesus work in your life.
00:26:41.93\00:26:43.80
Let Jesus work in your family.
00:26:43.80\00:26:45.70
Let Jesus work in your church.
00:26:45.70\00:26:48.00
He wants to give you a new mind
00:26:48.17\00:26:50.04
and a new heart.
00:26:50.04\00:26:51.27
This healing Savior
00:26:51.27\00:26:53.48
wants to heal you like that
00:26:53.48\00:26:55.61
young man. Sean, Right?
00:26:55.74\00:26:57.31
Jesus wants to rescue you.
00:26:58.98\00:27:00.85
It may not be life or death
00:27:00.85\00:27:03.02
in human terms,
00:27:03.22\00:27:04.59
but it could be spiritual
00:27:04.59\00:27:05.99
life or death.
00:27:05.99\00:27:07.09
He is our mighty savior.
00:27:07.09\00:27:09.29
I want God's truth
00:27:10.93\00:27:12.06
to guide my life.
00:27:12.06\00:27:13.80
I don't want those traditions
00:27:13.80\00:27:15.33
to creep in
00:27:15.33\00:27:15.96
that might crowd out his word.
00:27:15.96\00:27:17.93
Let's pray
00:27:17.93\00:27:19.00
to that end together.
00:27:19.00\00:27:20.74
Father in heaven,
00:27:20.74\00:27:22.30
help us be guided by Your word,
00:27:22.30\00:27:24.31
not the traditions of man,
00:27:24.31\00:27:26.14
not the habits
00:27:26.14\00:27:27.04
of our own minds,
00:27:27.04\00:27:28.31
not our preconceived ideas.
00:27:28.31\00:27:30.61
But please guide us
00:27:30.61\00:27:32.18
to the truth
00:27:32.18\00:27:32.78
of Your Scriptures.
00:27:32.78\00:27:33.65
Help us to implement it
00:27:33.65\00:27:34.82
in our lives.
00:27:34.82\00:27:35.95
And may it help us
00:27:35.95\00:27:38.85
to reveal to the world
00:27:38.85\00:27:40.72
the love of Jesus.
00:27:40.72\00:27:42.46
We ask it all in His name.
00:27:42.46\00:27:44.63
Amen.
00:27:44.63\00:27:45.83
We've got more resources
00:27:46.90\00:27:48.20
for you.
00:27:48.20\00:27:49.00
Every program, a free handout.
00:27:49.00\00:27:51.33
Take advantage of it.
00:27:51.57\00:27:52.87
It's at
00:27:52.87\00:27:53.67
WWW.TimelessHealingInsights.org.
00:27:53.67\00:27:58.94