WEBVTT 00:00:00.052 --> 00:00:19.636 ♪ theme music ♪ 00:00:19.636 --> 00:00:21.496 (Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School, 00:00:21.496 --> 00:00:23.332 an in-depth, interactive study 00:00:23.332 --> 00:00:24.549 of the Word of God. 00:00:24.549 --> 00:00:28.295 We're in a series entitled Rest in Christ. 00:00:28.295 --> 00:00:29.542 I need that rest today, 00:00:29.542 --> 00:00:30.976 and I'm sure you do, as well. 00:00:30.976 --> 00:00:31.936 Today, we're talking 00:00:31.936 --> 00:00:35.281 about The Roots of Restlessness. 00:00:35.281 --> 00:00:37.299 We discovered in our last study 00:00:37.299 --> 00:00:39.915 that restlessness can lead to rebellion, 00:00:39.915 --> 00:00:42.363 which can lead to violence and destruction. 00:00:42.363 --> 00:00:45.250 God wants us to experience rest for our souls, 00:00:45.250 --> 00:00:47.693 so we're really glad you joined us today 00:00:47.693 --> 00:00:49.896 and glad to see the team here. 00:00:49.896 --> 00:00:51.831 And we're excited that we're 00:00:51.831 --> 00:00:53.663 now having some of our team members 00:00:53.663 --> 00:00:55.293 joining us remotely. 00:00:55.293 --> 00:00:57.670 We've got Shaina joining us from Maine. 00:00:57.670 --> 00:00:59.007 Shaina, great to see you 00:00:59.007 --> 00:01:00.717 as part of the team today. 00:01:00.717 --> 00:01:03.519 And also Puia joining us from Hawaii. 00:01:03.519 --> 00:01:05.215 Great to see you, Puia, 00:01:05.215 --> 00:01:06.540 as part of our team. 00:01:06.540 --> 00:01:08.422 We're always happy to hear from you, 00:01:08.422 --> 00:01:11.057 our Hope Sabbath School members around the world. 00:01:11.057 --> 00:01:12.317 You can always write to us 00:01:12.317 --> 00:01:14.396 at sshope@hopetv.org. 00:01:14.396 --> 00:01:16.330 We get excited, don't we, when we hear 00:01:16.330 --> 00:01:18.416 what God's doing in your life 00:01:18.416 --> 00:01:20.975 and how He's blessing you through His Word. 00:01:20.975 --> 00:01:22.648 Here's a note from Cherryl 00:01:22.648 --> 00:01:26.054 in Illinois here in the United States, 00:01:26.054 --> 00:01:27.043 "Hope Sabbath School 00:01:27.043 --> 00:01:29.401 has been such a blessing. 00:01:29.401 --> 00:01:31.199 I've been watching for several years 00:01:31.199 --> 00:01:34.057 and look forward to doing so every week 00:01:34.057 --> 00:01:36.061 and sharing with family and friends," 00:01:36.061 --> 00:01:37.582 that's good, right? 00:01:37.582 --> 00:01:38.886 "Thank God for the outreach 00:01:38.886 --> 00:01:39.996 of Hope Sabbath School. 00:01:39.996 --> 00:01:42.524 Be blessed, keep up the good work." 00:01:42.524 --> 00:01:44.107 Well, Cherryl, thanks for writing 00:01:44.107 --> 00:01:45.556 to us from Illinois, 00:01:45.556 --> 00:01:47.336 and we're excited that you're sharing 00:01:47.336 --> 00:01:48.438 what you're learning 00:01:48.438 --> 00:01:50.342 with family and friends. 00:01:50.342 --> 00:01:53.195 Roger writes to us from Guyana; 00:01:53.195 --> 00:01:55.589 that's South America, right? 00:01:55.589 --> 00:01:57.096 He writes and says, 00:01:57.096 --> 00:01:59.208 "Ever since I was introduced 00:01:59.208 --> 00:02:00.767 to Hope Sabbath School 00:02:00.767 --> 00:02:02.568 about four years ago, 00:02:02.568 --> 00:02:03.950 it has become part 00:02:03.950 --> 00:02:06.983 of my welcoming of the Sabbath. 00:02:06.983 --> 00:02:08.183 I love how the study 00:02:08.183 --> 00:02:11.483 is made simple by your team. 00:02:11.483 --> 00:02:13.359 You stir an excitement in me 00:02:13.359 --> 00:02:15.410 to study and know more about God." 00:02:15.410 --> 00:02:17.045 (Team) Praise God. Amen. 00:02:17.045 --> 00:02:18.196 (Derek) "My mother loves 00:02:18.196 --> 00:02:20.042 the Scripture songs. 00:02:20.042 --> 00:02:22.547 I'm all the way from Guyana, South America. 00:02:22.547 --> 00:02:24.735 May God continue to bless 00:02:24.735 --> 00:02:26.898 and have mercy on us all." 00:02:26.898 --> 00:02:28.475 Well, Roger, thanks for writing 00:02:28.475 --> 00:02:30.929 to us from Guyana, 00:02:30.929 --> 00:02:33.280 lovely to hear from you. 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:36.007 Here's a hand-written note from a donor; 00:02:36.007 --> 00:02:38.032 we still get hand-written notes. 00:02:38.032 --> 00:02:39.580 From a donor in New Jersey 00:02:39.580 --> 00:02:42.063 in the United States of America, 00:02:42.063 --> 00:02:43.839 and the donor writes, "I watch 00:02:43.839 --> 00:02:46.921 Hope Sabbath School every Saturday 00:02:46.921 --> 00:02:48.573 and have now become 00:02:48.573 --> 00:02:51.100 your 81-year-old student." 00:02:51.100 --> 00:02:51.964 (Team) Wow. 00:02:51.964 --> 00:02:53.593 (Derek) Wow, you know who you are; 00:02:53.593 --> 00:02:54.830 we won't greet you by name 00:02:54.830 --> 00:02:56.871 because you're a generous donor. 00:02:56.871 --> 00:02:58.878 We thank you for your support, though. 00:02:58.878 --> 00:03:02.190 "I love how the lessons are explained 00:03:02.190 --> 00:03:04.089 and personal testimonies 00:03:04.089 --> 00:03:05.865 of the team are given. 00:03:05.865 --> 00:03:08.786 May God continue to bless your ministry," 00:03:08.786 --> 00:03:11.308 and a donation of 25 dollars 00:03:11.308 --> 00:03:12.746 for Hope Sabbath School. 00:03:12.746 --> 00:03:14.190 Well, God bless you. 00:03:14.190 --> 00:03:15.144 We all can be a part 00:03:15.144 --> 00:03:16.224 of the great miracle. 00:03:16.224 --> 00:03:18.781 This is a donor-supported ministry. 00:03:18.781 --> 00:03:20.213 If you'd like to give, you can 00:03:20.213 --> 00:03:23.866 just go to hopetv.org/donate, 00:03:23.866 --> 00:03:25.525 or you can go to our website 00:03:25.525 --> 00:03:28.259 and click that yellow donate button. 00:03:28.259 --> 00:03:31.889 Here's a note from Terrena, a Jamaican 00:03:31.889 --> 00:03:35.883 living in the United Arab Emirates, 00:03:35.883 --> 00:03:38.065 and Terrena writes and says, 00:03:38.065 --> 00:03:39.133 "Greetings in the name 00:03:39.133 --> 00:03:40.661 of the Lord Jesus." 00:03:40.661 --> 00:03:42.386 Well, Terrena, you got a wave there. 00:03:42.386 --> 00:03:43.574 (Team) Greetings. 00:03:43.574 --> 00:03:45.397 (Derek) "Thank you for your great work 00:03:45.397 --> 00:03:46.933 in spreading the gospel 00:03:46.933 --> 00:03:49.119 and encouraging us 00:03:49.119 --> 00:03:51.400 to study the Word of God. 00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:53.639 I watch your program all the time. 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:55.015 It's been a blessing, 00:03:55.015 --> 00:03:58.380 especially during this pandemic. 00:03:58.380 --> 00:04:00.087 Keep up the great work. 00:04:00.087 --> 00:04:03.015 May God bless you and your team. Amen." 00:04:03.015 --> 00:04:04.502 Well, thank you, Terrena, 00:04:04.502 --> 00:04:07.056 writing from the United Arab Emirates. 00:04:07.056 --> 00:04:09.549 And here is one last email, 00:04:09.549 --> 00:04:14.080 from Amanuel, Amanuel, spelt 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:17.389 a little differently with an A, Amanuel. 00:04:17.389 --> 00:04:21.166 "I'm writing from Ethiopia," Amanuel writes. 00:04:21.166 --> 00:04:25.894 "I am a university teacher in my country. 00:04:25.894 --> 00:04:26.772 I've been watching 00:04:26.772 --> 00:04:30.035 Hope Sabbath School since 2017," 00:04:30.035 --> 00:04:33.317 listen to this, "when I was a student 00:04:33.317 --> 00:04:35.107 at the very university 00:04:35.107 --> 00:04:38.077 where I'm now a professor." 00:04:38.077 --> 00:04:40.540 Congratulations, Amanuel, for graduating 00:04:40.540 --> 00:04:43.904 and now becoming a professor at your university. 00:04:43.904 --> 00:04:45.855 "Thank you for making the Bible 00:04:45.855 --> 00:04:48.799 so simple and clear. 00:04:48.799 --> 00:04:51.419 I feel as if I'm with you literally. 00:04:51.419 --> 00:04:53.790 I smile with you; I'm touched 00:04:53.790 --> 00:04:57.046 by your testimonies; I love you all. 00:04:57.046 --> 00:04:59.160 May God continue to bless you, 00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:02.605 speak to you and through you." Amen? 00:05:02.605 --> 00:05:03.360 (Team) Amen. 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:04.904 (Derek) Well, Amanuel, thank you 00:05:04.904 --> 00:05:07.125 for writing to us from Ethiopia. 00:05:07.125 --> 00:05:09.229 We're glad each one of you are part 00:05:09.229 --> 00:05:11.190 of our Hope Sabbath School family. 00:05:11.190 --> 00:05:13.166 Right now we'd love to invite you 00:05:13.166 --> 00:05:14.383 to sing our theme song. 00:05:14.383 --> 00:05:16.823 It's taken from Matthew, chapter 11. 00:05:16.823 --> 00:05:19.856 It's the words of Jesus, verses 28 to 30, 00:05:19.856 --> 00:05:22.458 "Come to Me, all you who labor 00:05:22.458 --> 00:05:24.089 and are heavy laden, 00:05:24.089 --> 00:05:27.847 and I will give you rest," let's sing together. 00:05:27.847 --> 00:05:41.333 ♪ music ♪ 00:08:40.450 --> 00:08:41.645 (Derek) I love that song, 00:08:41.645 --> 00:08:43.174 and, you know, I love it so much 00:08:43.174 --> 00:08:44.223 I want to speak to you 00:08:44.223 --> 00:08:45.840 as our Hope Sabbath School family. 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:48.245 We'd like to give you a copy of the song 00:08:48.245 --> 00:08:52.604 plus 11 other Scripture songs in a collection. 00:08:52.604 --> 00:08:54.027 All you have to do 00:08:54.027 --> 00:08:59.492 is go to our website, hopetv.org/hopess. 00:08:59.492 --> 00:09:00.398 You'll see a button 00:09:00.398 --> 00:09:02.528 that says, "Free Gift." 00:09:02.528 --> 00:09:04.215 Go to our website, click 00:09:04.215 --> 00:09:06.241 on the Free Gift button, 00:09:06.241 --> 00:09:08.664 and you'll get a link to download, 00:09:08.664 --> 00:09:10.352 not only this theme song, 00:09:10.352 --> 00:09:12.559 but 11 other beautiful Scripture songs 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:15.207 so you can hide God's Word in your heart. 00:09:15.207 --> 00:09:16.778 That's our gift to you 00:09:16.778 --> 00:09:17.998 from Hope Sabbath School. 00:09:17.998 --> 00:09:19.765 Let's pray together now. 00:09:19.765 --> 00:09:20.986 Our Father in Heaven, 00:09:20.986 --> 00:09:22.767 we've already seen in this series 00:09:22.767 --> 00:09:24.684 on Rest in Christ 00:09:24.684 --> 00:09:27.758 how much we need that rest for our souls. 00:09:27.758 --> 00:09:29.573 And we've seen the damaging effect 00:09:29.573 --> 00:09:33.171 of restlessness and rebellion. 00:09:33.171 --> 00:09:34.720 I pray today, as we study 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:37.699 about The Roots of Restlessness, 00:09:37.699 --> 00:09:40.984 that we might be convicted even more 00:09:40.984 --> 00:09:44.282 to find rest for our souls in Jesus. 00:09:44.282 --> 00:09:46.227 Guide each one in our study today. 00:09:46.227 --> 00:09:50.514 We pray in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen. 00:09:50.514 --> 00:09:51.481 (Team) Amen. 00:09:51.481 --> 00:09:52.853 (Derek) We're going to start 00:09:52.853 --> 00:09:56.103 our study today in Luke, chapter 12, 00:09:56.103 --> 00:09:59.712 with a story about a restless individual. 00:09:59.712 --> 00:10:00.921 Now, we're going to look 00:10:00.921 --> 00:10:02.876 at three roots of restlessness. 00:10:02.876 --> 00:10:05.314 Maybe you'll say, "Well, Derek, 00:10:05.314 --> 00:10:06.707 I can think of four or five," 00:10:06.707 --> 00:10:09.104 and we can share those together, 00:10:09.104 --> 00:10:12.389 but I'm suggesting that selfishness 00:10:12.389 --> 00:10:14.405 is one of the roots 00:10:14.405 --> 00:10:16.110 of a restless spirit. 00:10:16.110 --> 00:10:17.439 Let's pick up the story 00:10:17.439 --> 00:10:19.809 in Luke, chapter 12, 00:10:19.809 --> 00:10:21.333 and, Nicole, if you could begin 00:10:21.333 --> 00:10:25.532 our study today, verses 13 through 19. 00:10:25.532 --> 00:10:27.394 A restless young man 00:10:27.394 --> 00:10:31.509 actually interrupts Jesus who's preaching 00:10:31.509 --> 00:10:34.399 and interrupts Him with a demand. 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:36.190 Let's pick up the story 00:10:36.190 --> 00:10:38.647 in Luke 12:13-19. 00:10:38.647 --> 00:10:41.076 (Nicole) And the New International Version says: 00:11:32.850 --> 00:11:34.425 (Derek) Now, let's take this man, 00:11:34.425 --> 00:11:37.549 he has a barn; it's too small. 00:11:37.549 --> 00:11:38.833 What are some options 00:11:38.833 --> 00:11:42.071 if he wasn't driven by a selfish spirit? 00:11:42.071 --> 00:11:43.873 He's had a great crop. Jason? 00:11:43.873 --> 00:11:45.159 (Jason) He could give away 00:11:45.159 --> 00:11:46.534 some of it to other people. 00:11:46.534 --> 00:11:49.172 (Derek) He could find some other people that didn't have 00:11:49.172 --> 00:11:50.485 such a good year. Brittany? 00:11:50.485 --> 00:11:53.216 (Brittany) I was going to say what Jason said, that, yeah, 00:11:53.216 --> 00:11:55.044 he should look for those who are needy 00:11:55.044 --> 00:11:56.363 or like they had in Israel, 00:11:56.363 --> 00:11:59.405 they had this law that they would let 00:11:59.405 --> 00:12:00.563 the reapers go through, 00:12:00.563 --> 00:12:02.329 and then they would leave some behind 00:12:02.329 --> 00:12:04.024 for those who are widowed and poor. 00:12:04.024 --> 00:12:06.061 So, he should do the same with his stuff. 00:12:06.061 --> 00:12:07.592 (Derek) That's a great example. 00:12:07.592 --> 00:12:09.674 I think they call that gleaning, don't they? 00:12:09.674 --> 00:12:10.612 We heard about that 00:12:10.612 --> 00:12:11.574 in the story of Ruth 00:12:11.574 --> 00:12:13.490 in the Old Testament. 00:12:13.490 --> 00:12:16.468 In fact, with Ruth, Boaz gives permission 00:12:16.468 --> 00:12:18.590 to leave extra piles, doesn't he? 00:12:18.590 --> 00:12:20.149 I think he's already realized 00:12:20.149 --> 00:12:21.899 what a precious person she is. 00:12:21.899 --> 00:12:25.655 So, one option would be to give away 00:12:25.655 --> 00:12:27.266 rather than tear down a barn, 00:12:27.266 --> 00:12:32.300 which caused more expense for him. 00:12:32.300 --> 00:12:34.349 What indications are there, though, 00:12:34.349 --> 00:12:36.482 that this man is driven 00:12:36.482 --> 00:12:39.709 by a selfish spirit? Sabina? 00:12:39.709 --> 00:12:41.300 (Sabina) I think that we can look 00:12:41.300 --> 00:12:48.443 at verse, let's see, verse 19; it says: 00:12:55.770 --> 00:12:57.001 So, it sounds like he has 00:12:57.001 --> 00:12:59.522 a very great plan for his own life 00:12:59.522 --> 00:13:01.214 and his own self, too, 00:13:01.214 --> 00:13:03.310 to care for his own problems 00:13:03.310 --> 00:13:04.972 and not anybody else's. 00:13:04.972 --> 00:13:05.993 (Derek) That's right. 00:13:05.993 --> 00:13:08.623 He's certainly not talking to God. 00:13:08.623 --> 00:13:10.347 He's kind of praying to himself. 00:13:10.347 --> 00:13:12.353 And he's not talking to anyone else around 00:13:12.353 --> 00:13:14.759 saying, "Does anyone else have any needs?" 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:17.860 He's saying, "Self, eat, 00:13:17.860 --> 00:13:19.334 drink and be merry." 00:13:19.334 --> 00:13:20.992 How does the Lord...By the way, 00:13:20.992 --> 00:13:23.188 this is a parable, though it may have been 00:13:23.188 --> 00:13:25.195 a true story, who knows? 00:13:25.195 --> 00:13:27.839 Jesus may have actually seen 00:13:27.839 --> 00:13:29.022 something like that, 00:13:29.022 --> 00:13:30.272 certainly the interruption 00:13:30.272 --> 00:13:31.692 that Nicole read was real. 00:13:31.692 --> 00:13:33.545 Someone just interrupted Him. 00:13:33.545 --> 00:13:35.319 How does Jesus respond, Pedro, 00:13:35.319 --> 00:13:38.889 in verses 20 and 21 of Luke, chapter 12? 00:13:38.889 --> 00:13:39.993 (Pedro) I'll be reading 00:13:39.993 --> 00:13:42.333 from the New King James Version, and it says: 00:14:03.950 --> 00:14:05.205 (Derek) In another place, 00:14:05.205 --> 00:14:07.646 I think it's in Matthew 16, Jesus says, 00:14:07.646 --> 00:14:09.791 "What does it profit a person 00:14:09.791 --> 00:14:12.638 if she or he gains the whole world," 00:14:12.638 --> 00:14:15.366 like super big barn, 00:14:15.366 --> 00:14:18.048 "and lose your soul," right? 00:14:18.048 --> 00:14:19.144 But the whole point is, 00:14:19.144 --> 00:14:21.529 when this man dies, 00:14:21.529 --> 00:14:23.213 how much do you take with you? 00:14:23.213 --> 00:14:24.727 (Team) Nothing. 00:14:24.727 --> 00:14:26.184 (Derek) Only your relationship 00:14:26.184 --> 00:14:28.461 or lack of relationship with God, right? 00:14:28.461 --> 00:14:30.232 If you're resting in Christ, 00:14:30.232 --> 00:14:33.527 well, death is just a sleep, right? 00:14:33.527 --> 00:14:35.866 But you can't change, you certainly 00:14:35.866 --> 00:14:37.519 can't take things with you. 00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:41.236 So here's an unnamed selfish man. 00:14:41.236 --> 00:14:43.782 Can you think of other Bible characters, 00:14:43.782 --> 00:14:47.179 do a little scan in your Bible memory, 00:14:47.179 --> 00:14:48.725 some other Bible characters 00:14:48.725 --> 00:14:52.651 that they were just driven by selfishness, 00:14:52.651 --> 00:14:55.861 and of course underlying this theme 00:14:55.861 --> 00:14:57.005 of Rest in Christ, 00:14:57.005 --> 00:14:59.558 you're restless when you're driven 00:14:59.558 --> 00:15:01.215 by selfishness. Nicole? 00:15:01.215 --> 00:15:02.483 (Nicole) I would say Jacob 00:15:02.483 --> 00:15:04.058 before his encounter with God, 00:15:04.058 --> 00:15:06.459 when he took the inheritance and ran away. 00:15:06.459 --> 00:15:08.457 I would say that was a bit of restlessness 00:15:08.457 --> 00:15:09.986 in terms of self, and, "I want 00:15:09.986 --> 00:15:11.330 what my brother has." 00:15:11.330 --> 00:15:12.930 But then when he encountered God, 00:15:12.930 --> 00:15:14.820 his whole life changed. 00:15:14.820 --> 00:15:18.645 (Derek) So, grabbing for that birthright, 00:15:18.645 --> 00:15:21.594 which technically would have been Esau's, 00:15:21.594 --> 00:15:24.204 but God had promised him, right? 00:15:24.204 --> 00:15:27.587 So, there's a selfish grab, if you will. 00:15:27.587 --> 00:15:28.825 (Nicole) It's a struggle. 00:15:28.825 --> 00:15:30.074 (Derek) Alright, Brittany. 00:15:30.074 --> 00:15:31.820 (Brittany) I was thinking of Balaam. 00:15:31.820 --> 00:15:34.124 He was supposedly a prophet of God, 00:15:34.124 --> 00:15:35.805 and God told him to go... 00:15:35.805 --> 00:15:37.784 Well, actually a king came and said, 00:15:37.784 --> 00:15:39.770 "Hey, will you curse 00:15:39.770 --> 00:15:41.763 the children of Israel for me 00:15:41.763 --> 00:15:43.293 because God is blessing them." 00:15:43.293 --> 00:15:45.981 So, Balaam at first was like, "No, 00:15:45.981 --> 00:15:47.137 I'm not going to do it." 00:15:47.137 --> 00:15:48.215 But then when the king 00:15:48.215 --> 00:15:49.820 offered him a large sum of money, 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:51.672 he was like, "Oh, sure, I'll do it." 00:15:51.672 --> 00:15:54.544 And on his way, an angel of the Lord came 00:15:54.544 --> 00:15:57.300 and blocked his way, and it took a donkey, 00:15:57.300 --> 00:15:59.029 God using the donkey to speak to him 00:15:59.029 --> 00:16:00.683 to open his eyes to his danger 00:16:00.683 --> 00:16:04.333 and what he was doing against God. 00:16:04.333 --> 00:16:05.822 (Derek) And, of course, when he 00:16:05.822 --> 00:16:07.174 finally does open his mouth, 00:16:07.174 --> 00:16:09.645 he blesses the people of God rather than curses them, 00:16:09.645 --> 00:16:10.982 but those are two examples. 00:16:10.982 --> 00:16:11.912 Another one, Jason? 00:16:11.912 --> 00:16:13.897 (Jason) So, I think of Ahab and Jezebel. 00:16:13.897 --> 00:16:15.534 I think it's particularly Jezebel, 00:16:15.534 --> 00:16:17.142 with a vineyard - Naboth's, 00:16:17.142 --> 00:16:19.050 I think, was the name - that she wanted. 00:16:19.050 --> 00:16:20.423 And she actually had the guy 00:16:20.423 --> 00:16:23.201 falsely accused and murdered, 00:16:23.201 --> 00:16:24.583 and both her and her husband 00:16:24.583 --> 00:16:25.990 were part of a conspiracy 00:16:25.990 --> 00:16:27.792 because they wanted a vineyard. 00:16:27.792 --> 00:16:29.814 (Derek) Sure. I'm seeing 00:16:29.814 --> 00:16:31.604 Shaina's hand and Puia's hand 00:16:31.604 --> 00:16:33.775 raised there in Maine and in Hawaii. 00:16:33.775 --> 00:16:36.138 Shaina, another example of someone 00:16:36.138 --> 00:16:38.896 driven by selfishness, which, of course, 00:16:38.896 --> 00:16:42.095 creates a lot of restlessness in our hearts. 00:16:42.095 --> 00:16:44.431 (Shaina) I'm thinking of King Saul. 00:16:44.431 --> 00:16:45.932 Saul was anointed by God 00:16:45.932 --> 00:16:48.021 to become the first king of Israel, 00:16:48.021 --> 00:16:50.035 but when he saw that... 00:16:50.035 --> 00:16:51.831 I mean, he had done a bunch of things 00:16:51.831 --> 00:16:53.809 that were wrong in the sight of the Lord, 00:16:53.809 --> 00:16:55.282 and when he saw that the Spirit 00:16:55.282 --> 00:16:59.014 of the Lord was instead on David, 00:16:59.014 --> 00:17:01.027 the rest of his life was somewhat 00:17:01.027 --> 00:17:03.154 spent in pursuing David. 00:17:03.154 --> 00:17:05.983 And it was a restless pursuit, 00:17:05.983 --> 00:17:07.590 even to the point where there was 00:17:07.590 --> 00:17:09.436 a time when Saul 00:17:09.436 --> 00:17:11.482 was right in front of David, and David 00:17:11.482 --> 00:17:14.110 had the opportunity to take his life. 00:17:14.110 --> 00:17:15.356 But David was, like, "No, 00:17:15.356 --> 00:17:17.213 I'm not touching the Lord's anointed." 00:17:17.213 --> 00:17:20.711 So, that's another example of restlessness. 00:17:20.711 --> 00:17:22.646 (Derek) Sure, and selfishness, for sure. 00:17:22.646 --> 00:17:24.298 You know, while Shaina was sharing 00:17:24.298 --> 00:17:25.828 (Puia, I'll come to your point), 00:17:25.828 --> 00:17:27.031 while Shaina was sharing, 00:17:27.031 --> 00:17:28.671 I thought, instead of spending 00:17:28.671 --> 00:17:31.513 the rest of his life pursuing David, 00:17:31.513 --> 00:17:32.496 what if he had spent 00:17:32.496 --> 00:17:36.128 the rest of his life pursuing God, right?! 00:17:36.128 --> 00:17:40.399 It would mean a totally different story. Puia. 00:17:40.399 --> 00:17:43.034 (Puia) Yes, I was thinking of Satan, 00:17:43.034 --> 00:17:44.747 Lucifer in Heaven. 00:17:44.747 --> 00:17:46.381 His selfishness drove him 00:17:46.381 --> 00:17:48.091 to rebel against God 00:17:48.091 --> 00:17:50.971 as he wanted more and more power, 00:17:50.971 --> 00:17:53.236 even above his own Creator. 00:17:53.236 --> 00:17:54.414 And he, of course, 00:17:54.414 --> 00:17:56.563 is the originator of sin, in Heaven, 00:17:56.563 --> 00:17:59.726 and later brought it into this planet. 00:17:59.726 --> 00:18:02.209 And so, I believe Satan is a good example 00:18:02.209 --> 00:18:05.116 of what selfishness does to someone 00:18:05.116 --> 00:18:07.005 when you allow that selfishness 00:18:07.005 --> 00:18:09.608 to continue to drive you forward. 00:18:09.608 --> 00:18:10.488 (Derek) Thank you. 00:18:10.488 --> 00:18:11.695 He's also a great example 00:18:11.695 --> 00:18:13.862 of the second root of restlessness, 00:18:13.862 --> 00:18:16.158 which we'll come to in a minute. 00:18:16.158 --> 00:18:17.547 Going to come to you, Pedro. 00:18:17.547 --> 00:18:18.896 It seems like we don't have 00:18:18.896 --> 00:18:21.474 much difficulty finding examples of people. 00:18:21.474 --> 00:18:24.367 Selfishness is kind of a natural attitude 00:18:24.367 --> 00:18:27.286 of a sinful heart, right? Pedro? 00:18:27.286 --> 00:18:29.333 (Pedro) I was trying to find the name here, 00:18:29.333 --> 00:18:31.436 and I found it in 1 Samuel 25 - Nabal. 00:18:31.436 --> 00:18:35.366 He was helped by David and his men, 00:18:35.366 --> 00:18:37.152 and he refused to reward him. 00:18:37.152 --> 00:18:39.257 He said, "I don't know who David is." 00:18:39.257 --> 00:18:42.296 And Abigail, his wife, had to intervene, 00:18:42.296 --> 00:18:45.342 and we saw what greed caused in his life, 00:18:45.342 --> 00:18:47.242 similar to the parable of Jesus. 00:18:47.242 --> 00:18:48.745 (Derek) Sure, and that's right. 00:18:48.745 --> 00:18:51.381 Eventually Nabal dies in a drunken stupor. 00:18:51.381 --> 00:18:52.694 We don't know; his heart 00:18:52.694 --> 00:18:54.618 stopped for whatever reason. 00:18:54.618 --> 00:19:00.138 And it shows the futility of living a life 00:19:00.138 --> 00:19:02.647 simply driven by selfishness. 00:19:02.647 --> 00:19:05.828 Well, like I said, we didn't have trouble 00:19:05.828 --> 00:19:07.585 finding many examples. 00:19:07.585 --> 00:19:11.901 Confession time, oh, was there ever a time - 00:19:11.901 --> 00:19:14.101 Puia and Shaina, you're joining us remotely, 00:19:14.101 --> 00:19:16.345 and here we've got the team - 00:19:16.345 --> 00:19:19.182 when, if you're honest with yourself, 00:19:19.182 --> 00:19:20.805 you were being driven 00:19:20.805 --> 00:19:22.788 a little bit by a selfish spirit 00:19:22.788 --> 00:19:25.677 (notice I'm trying to tone it down just a little bit), 00:19:25.677 --> 00:19:30.095 but it didn't satisfy the restlessness inside? 00:19:30.095 --> 00:19:33.765 Anybody can relate to that in any way? 00:19:33.765 --> 00:19:35.539 Well, we've got a few brave souls. 00:19:35.539 --> 00:19:37.255 Sabina and then Nicole. 00:19:37.255 --> 00:19:39.248 (Sabina) I have a sister; 00:19:39.248 --> 00:19:40.851 she's older than me. 00:19:40.851 --> 00:19:43.009 And I think that if she watches us, 00:19:43.009 --> 00:19:45.544 she will be able to agree 00:19:45.544 --> 00:19:47.000 with what I am going to share. 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:47.965 I think that we both 00:19:47.965 --> 00:19:50.613 were selfish, usually, when we were not willing to share 00:19:50.613 --> 00:19:52.457 our clothes with each other. 00:19:52.457 --> 00:19:54.301 And I think that sometimes 00:19:54.301 --> 00:19:56.044 in our relationship growing up, 00:19:56.044 --> 00:19:57.661 just the fact that I wanted 00:19:57.661 --> 00:19:59.397 to hoard my things to myself, 00:19:59.397 --> 00:20:00.532 or she wanted to hoard 00:20:00.532 --> 00:20:01.823 her things to herself, 00:20:01.823 --> 00:20:04.135 made us sometimes to be in conflict. 00:20:04.135 --> 00:20:07.677 So, I could give other examples in my life, 00:20:07.677 --> 00:20:09.710 but I'm just sharing this one. 00:20:09.710 --> 00:20:11.580 (Derek) Just that one, and I'm assuming 00:20:11.580 --> 00:20:12.689 that that didn't result 00:20:12.689 --> 00:20:15.458 in a very restful environment. 00:20:15.458 --> 00:20:17.108 (Sabina) No, eventually, you know, 00:20:17.108 --> 00:20:18.997 we grew up in learning 00:20:18.997 --> 00:20:20.907 how to divide things with each other, 00:20:20.907 --> 00:20:22.390 but I remember situations 00:20:22.390 --> 00:20:25.269 in which we had fights as girls, you know, 00:20:25.269 --> 00:20:28.185 not willing to share, just selfish. 00:20:28.185 --> 00:20:29.688 (Derek) Sure. Nicole. 00:20:29.688 --> 00:20:31.552 (Nicole) When I was in medical school, 00:20:31.552 --> 00:20:33.274 I was very much driven 00:20:33.274 --> 00:20:34.600 for a particular path 00:20:34.600 --> 00:20:36.184 that I wanted to take in my life. 00:20:36.184 --> 00:20:37.801 And it was really driven on myself 00:20:37.801 --> 00:20:40.325 in wanting to be in a particular position. 00:20:40.325 --> 00:20:41.850 And it was a very restless time, 00:20:41.850 --> 00:20:43.467 because I was fighting against God 00:20:43.467 --> 00:20:44.874 and what He wanted me to do, 00:20:44.874 --> 00:20:46.904 and I wanted to do "X." 00:20:46.904 --> 00:20:48.825 And so, when I finally gave in and said, 00:20:48.825 --> 00:20:52.607 "Okay, where do you want me to go, Lord?" I found the rest I needed and was able 00:20:52.607 --> 00:20:54.858 to choose the career that He wanted me to be in. 00:20:54.858 --> 00:20:57.100 But before that, there was definitely a struggle 00:20:57.100 --> 00:20:59.439 between my desire for my ego 00:20:59.439 --> 00:21:01.467 to be stroked and my selfishness 00:21:01.467 --> 00:21:04.581 versus what He wanted and saw for my life. 00:21:04.581 --> 00:21:06.292 (Derek) So, we found many examples, 00:21:06.292 --> 00:21:08.297 and we could probably all 00:21:08.297 --> 00:21:09.990 find examples in our own lives 00:21:09.990 --> 00:21:13.011 of how a selfish attitude 00:21:13.011 --> 00:21:15.557 created a restlessness for us. 00:21:15.557 --> 00:21:17.726 But have you ever seen, 00:21:17.726 --> 00:21:19.514 either in the Scripture 00:21:19.514 --> 00:21:21.193 or maybe even in your life, 00:21:21.193 --> 00:21:23.275 someone that really models 00:21:23.275 --> 00:21:27.802 an unselfish spirit which results 00:21:27.802 --> 00:21:30.160 in rest for our souls? 00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:32.344 Anybody? Is there an individual 00:21:32.344 --> 00:21:33.618 that comes to your mind? 00:21:33.618 --> 00:21:35.714 Puia, anybody that you know 00:21:35.714 --> 00:21:37.080 that comes to your mind 00:21:37.080 --> 00:21:42.624 that just models that unselfish spirit? 00:21:42.624 --> 00:21:44.374 (Puia) Yes, I believe Jesus 00:21:44.374 --> 00:21:47.341 is the prime example of Someone 00:21:47.341 --> 00:21:50.236 who showed the opposite of selfishness 00:21:50.236 --> 00:21:53.207 as He came to this planet as a babe 00:21:53.207 --> 00:21:56.153 and then grew up as a man and suffered 00:21:56.153 --> 00:21:58.946 to the point of death on the cross. 00:21:58.946 --> 00:22:00.854 And so, Jesus showed us 00:22:00.854 --> 00:22:03.207 what the opposite side of selfishness is, 00:22:03.207 --> 00:22:05.675 and through love He was able 00:22:05.675 --> 00:22:07.545 to accomplish the plan of salvation 00:22:07.545 --> 00:22:10.967 to give us that rest in Him. 00:22:10.967 --> 00:22:12.317 (Derek) Beautiful, it's hard 00:22:12.317 --> 00:22:14.002 to find a better example, isn't it? 00:22:14.002 --> 00:22:16.404 Anybody think of a family member, 00:22:16.404 --> 00:22:18.379 a loved one, a friend? 00:22:18.379 --> 00:22:20.664 Can I share someone? 00:22:20.664 --> 00:22:22.904 I went on an assignment 00:22:22.904 --> 00:22:25.531 to a refugee camp 00:22:25.531 --> 00:22:28.398 on the Thai-Myanmar border. 00:22:28.398 --> 00:22:31.949 Oh, Puia, that's getting close to home country. 00:22:31.949 --> 00:22:34.502 And there in a refugee camp 00:22:34.502 --> 00:22:39.072 were about 35,000 refugees in no man's land. 00:22:39.072 --> 00:22:40.803 And there was a godly woman, 00:22:40.803 --> 00:22:43.343 she's still there, named Helen Hall, 00:22:43.343 --> 00:22:45.440 who started a school 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:47.214 called Eden Valley Academy. 00:22:47.214 --> 00:22:48.415 And at times, there were 00:22:48.415 --> 00:22:50.613 up to 1,000 students 00:22:50.613 --> 00:22:53.491 in this refugee camp in the school, 00:22:53.491 --> 00:22:55.341 and she's in her 80s now. 00:22:55.341 --> 00:22:56.401 She could be somewhere 00:22:56.401 --> 00:22:57.841 very safe in Australia, 00:22:57.841 --> 00:22:59.115 which is her homeland, 00:22:59.115 --> 00:23:00.432 but she said, "This is 00:23:00.432 --> 00:23:02.181 where God's called me to serve." 00:23:02.181 --> 00:23:04.233 I have never personally seen 00:23:04.233 --> 00:23:06.850 a more unselfish spirit 00:23:06.850 --> 00:23:08.427 than I saw in this precious lady. 00:23:08.427 --> 00:23:11.021 And maybe we should just remember 00:23:11.021 --> 00:23:13.189 Helen Hall and Eden Valley Academy 00:23:13.189 --> 00:23:14.887 in our prayers because things 00:23:14.887 --> 00:23:19.132 are quite unstable there on the border. 00:23:19.132 --> 00:23:22.969 And yet, she's really kind of modeling what Jesus taught, 00:23:22.969 --> 00:23:26.942 willing to lay down her life for others. 00:23:26.942 --> 00:23:28.771 Anybody else, someone you've seen? 00:23:28.771 --> 00:23:31.839 If not, let's move on, shall we? 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:35.736 One root of restlessness is what? 00:23:35.736 --> 00:23:36.649 (Team) Selfishness. 00:23:36.649 --> 00:23:38.422 (Derek) Selfishness, but you notice, 00:23:38.422 --> 00:23:40.561 when we were talking about selfishness, 00:23:40.561 --> 00:23:43.036 I think, Puia, you talked about Lucifer, 00:23:43.036 --> 00:23:45.811 now called Satan, he's lost his place 00:23:45.811 --> 00:23:47.524 in the heavenly courts, 00:23:47.524 --> 00:23:52.421 is also that desire to exalt self. 00:23:52.421 --> 00:23:55.934 Self-exaltation is also 00:23:55.934 --> 00:23:59.306 a root cause of restlessness. 00:23:59.306 --> 00:24:00.803 We don't have to go all the way 00:24:00.803 --> 00:24:03.324 back to Lucifer and the rebellion. 00:24:03.324 --> 00:24:04.659 Jason, we could find it 00:24:04.659 --> 00:24:07.343 even among the disciples of Jesus. 00:24:07.343 --> 00:24:09.134 Take a look with us, if you would, 00:24:09.134 --> 00:24:13.372 at Mark 10, verses 35 to 40. 00:24:13.372 --> 00:24:14.531 (Jason) Alright, I have 00:24:14.531 --> 00:24:16.284 the New King James Version here, 00:24:16.284 --> 00:24:20.620 Mark, chapter 10, verses 35 through 40: 00:25:20.318 --> 00:25:23.086 (Derek) Now, while Jason was reading that, Nicole, you were 00:25:23.086 --> 00:25:25.372 just kind of shaking your head. 00:25:25.372 --> 00:25:26.825 There's definitely a root 00:25:26.825 --> 00:25:29.027 of selfishness there, too, isn't there, 00:25:29.027 --> 00:25:31.910 but this self-exaltation, 00:25:31.910 --> 00:25:33.004 what are your thoughts 00:25:33.004 --> 00:25:35.271 as you see these two... 00:25:35.271 --> 00:25:37.401 They were fishermen right, James and John, 00:25:37.401 --> 00:25:38.422 they were just asking 00:25:38.422 --> 00:25:42.546 to be two vice presidents in the Kingdom? 00:25:42.546 --> 00:25:45.533 (Nicole) It's a human tendency for us 00:25:45.533 --> 00:25:47.555 to want people to praise us 00:25:47.555 --> 00:25:50.084 and to give us honor and to give us glory. 00:25:50.084 --> 00:25:52.209 And I think that we, if we're not careful, 00:25:52.209 --> 00:25:54.626 will want that more than we want 00:25:54.626 --> 00:25:55.885 to actually glorify God. 00:25:55.885 --> 00:25:58.304 And so this is just us having to fight 00:25:58.304 --> 00:25:59.721 against our natural tendency 00:25:59.721 --> 00:26:01.706 to want things that Christ knows 00:26:01.706 --> 00:26:03.489 are not good for us. 00:26:03.489 --> 00:26:04.698 (Derek) Brittany. 00:26:04.698 --> 00:26:06.277 (Brittany) When I read the story, 00:26:06.277 --> 00:26:07.946 since we know the end of the story, 00:26:07.946 --> 00:26:09.877 we know why Jesus came, 00:26:09.877 --> 00:26:11.626 it's like they completely missed out 00:26:11.626 --> 00:26:13.154 on His whole mission. 00:26:13.154 --> 00:26:14.163 His whole mission was 00:26:14.163 --> 00:26:15.624 not to raise Himself up 00:26:15.624 --> 00:26:17.402 except to die for us. 00:26:17.402 --> 00:26:18.498 (Derek) Doesn't He say, 00:26:18.498 --> 00:26:20.458 "I've come, not to be served but to serve 00:26:20.458 --> 00:26:21.377 and to give My life 00:26:21.377 --> 00:26:22.527 for the ransom of many"? 00:26:22.527 --> 00:26:25.195 (Brittany) And if they had known, if they had understood 00:26:25.195 --> 00:26:26.632 He was going to give His life, 00:26:26.632 --> 00:26:28.283 they wouldn't have asked for this. 00:26:28.283 --> 00:26:31.204 They wouldn't have said, "We want what You are going to have." 00:26:31.204 --> 00:26:33.735 He was like, "Yeah, you're going to receive the grief 00:26:33.735 --> 00:26:36.009 and the suffering that I am going to experience, 00:26:36.009 --> 00:26:38.309 but what you are asking, you don't understand." 00:26:38.309 --> 00:26:39.461 (Derek) It's interesting 00:26:39.461 --> 00:26:40.554 just thinking about it, 00:26:40.554 --> 00:26:41.946 and, Pedro, then I'd like you 00:26:41.946 --> 00:26:44.024 to read the next verse, 00:26:44.024 --> 00:26:46.301 that one of them, James, 00:26:46.301 --> 00:26:48.915 is beheaded by Herod, right? 00:26:48.915 --> 00:26:51.414 And Peter almost is beheaded, right? 00:26:51.414 --> 00:26:54.027 And then, John, well, he gets 00:26:54.027 --> 00:26:56.949 put on a desolate island called Patmos, 00:26:56.949 --> 00:26:59.118 but God works with him even there. 00:26:59.118 --> 00:27:01.182 But you're right; they had no idea. 00:27:01.182 --> 00:27:03.226 They were thinking of an earthly kingdom. 00:27:03.226 --> 00:27:06.918 But that desire to exalt self is very strong. 00:27:06.918 --> 00:27:10.642 Pedro, how did the other disciples respond and why? 00:27:10.642 --> 00:27:13.344 Let's take a look, if you can read for us 00:27:13.344 --> 00:27:15.680 in Mark 10, verse 41. 00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:16.856 (Pedro) I'll be reading 00:27:16.856 --> 00:27:19.641 from the New King James Version, Mark 10:41: 00:27:26.428 --> 00:27:28.053 (Derek) Alright, Shaina, I'm going 00:27:28.053 --> 00:27:29.171 to ask you a question. 00:27:29.171 --> 00:27:30.942 Shaina, I know you're 00:27:30.942 --> 00:27:33.005 a student of human behavior. 00:27:33.005 --> 00:27:34.601 You've taught and you've seen 00:27:34.601 --> 00:27:37.054 a lot of different character traits. 00:27:37.054 --> 00:27:40.223 So, let me ask you, Shaina, up there in Maine, 00:27:40.223 --> 00:27:43.725 why do you think the other disciples 00:27:43.725 --> 00:27:47.276 were so upset with James and John? 00:27:47.276 --> 00:27:48.954 (Shaina) They may have been feeling 00:27:48.954 --> 00:27:50.112 like, "Do you guys think 00:27:50.112 --> 00:27:51.786 that you're better than any of us?" 00:27:51.786 --> 00:27:55.294 Like, "We're all on this same walk together; we've all 00:27:55.294 --> 00:27:58.369 been through most of the same experiences together. 00:27:58.369 --> 00:27:59.974 None of you are better than that, 00:27:59.974 --> 00:28:01.909 so why would you be subject 00:28:01.909 --> 00:28:05.067 to the next highest position in Heaven, 00:28:05.067 --> 00:28:06.669 which is on the right hand 00:28:06.669 --> 00:28:08.217 and on the left hand of Jesus?" 00:28:08.217 --> 00:28:10.893 (Derek) Yeah, so let me paraphrase that. 00:28:10.893 --> 00:28:12.571 They could be feeling a sense 00:28:12.571 --> 00:28:15.469 of, "Who are you to push yourselves 00:28:15.469 --> 00:28:17.438 over the top of us?" 00:28:17.438 --> 00:28:21.056 But it may be actually something more than that. 00:28:21.056 --> 00:28:22.373 We've got three hands here; 00:28:22.373 --> 00:28:24.408 who would like to share. Brittany? 00:28:24.408 --> 00:28:26.193 (Brittany) They might have been upset 00:28:26.193 --> 00:28:28.686 that they hadn't thought to ask that question first. 00:28:28.686 --> 00:28:32.026 "How come they got to ask that question? I wish I had thought of that." 00:28:32.026 --> 00:28:33.782 (Derek) Anybody agree with Brittany? 00:28:33.782 --> 00:28:36.549 Okay, well, I'm going to raise my hand. 00:28:36.549 --> 00:28:39.358 What evidence, Puia, is there 00:28:39.358 --> 00:28:45.022 that they were also contentious, can you think of...? 00:28:45.022 --> 00:28:47.855 (Puia) Right, yes, in another chapter 00:28:47.855 --> 00:28:50.048 we find them arguing on the topic 00:28:50.048 --> 00:28:52.311 of who is the greatest among us, 00:28:52.311 --> 00:28:54.960 like, who is the greatest in our group. 00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:59.688 And even today in our church settings, 00:28:59.688 --> 00:29:02.029 we may not say out loud 00:29:02.029 --> 00:29:04.252 as to who is the greatest among us. 00:29:04.252 --> 00:29:06.211 But, truth be told, I believe 00:29:06.211 --> 00:29:08.086 we all think about it sometimes, 00:29:08.086 --> 00:29:10.552 even in our church settings, even today, 00:29:10.552 --> 00:29:12.464 as to who among our members 00:29:12.464 --> 00:29:13.651 make the most money, 00:29:13.651 --> 00:29:15.321 who among our members 00:29:15.321 --> 00:29:18.385 is the most influential or the greatest. 00:29:18.385 --> 00:29:20.425 It seems that this is human tendency, 00:29:20.425 --> 00:29:22.129 not just for James and John, 00:29:22.129 --> 00:29:24.452 but for the rest of us as well. 00:29:24.452 --> 00:29:26.487 (Derek) So, lest we sit in judgment 00:29:26.487 --> 00:29:30.878 on James and John for being so brash... 00:29:30.878 --> 00:29:32.785 By the way, the reference here, I think, 00:29:32.785 --> 00:29:34.539 was Luke, at least one reference, 00:29:34.539 --> 00:29:37.443 Luke 22:24, where they're arguing 00:29:37.443 --> 00:29:39.503 who's going to be the greatest. Sabina? 00:29:39.503 --> 00:29:40.953 (Sabina) And I'm thinking also 00:29:40.953 --> 00:29:42.695 of Jesus' reaction to the confusion 00:29:42.695 --> 00:29:45.489 that is triggered by this comment 00:29:45.489 --> 00:29:49.636 because the Bible says in verse 41 00:29:49.636 --> 00:29:50.666 that the ten heard, 00:29:50.666 --> 00:29:53.146 and they began to discuss about it. 00:29:53.146 --> 00:29:55.119 And the way that Jesus intervenes 00:29:55.119 --> 00:29:56.721 is by reminding them 00:29:56.721 --> 00:29:59.860 that they were called to be servants, 00:29:59.860 --> 00:30:01.624 and that even though we need 00:30:01.624 --> 00:30:03.387 to look at authorities in the world, 00:30:03.387 --> 00:30:04.465 that they look at them 00:30:04.465 --> 00:30:05.753 as being the greatest ones, 00:30:05.753 --> 00:30:06.942 that, in our case, it was 00:30:06.942 --> 00:30:08.283 not going to be so, 00:30:08.283 --> 00:30:09.879 with them and with us. 00:30:09.879 --> 00:30:11.804 In the Kingdom of God, 00:30:11.804 --> 00:30:13.823 the last shall be the first. 00:30:13.823 --> 00:30:15.892 So, I think that the way that Jesus responds 00:30:15.892 --> 00:30:17.720 makes us believe that all of them 00:30:17.720 --> 00:30:18.918 were having the same sort 00:30:18.918 --> 00:30:21.470 of heart issue going on. 00:30:21.470 --> 00:30:22.813 (Derek) Well, before we come 00:30:22.813 --> 00:30:24.248 to confession time when we've 00:30:24.248 --> 00:30:26.667 ever felt like exalting ourselves, 00:30:26.667 --> 00:30:29.450 there's a story of an ancient monarch, 00:30:29.450 --> 00:30:31.259 "ancient," not being old himself 00:30:31.259 --> 00:30:33.872 but many, many generations ago. 00:30:33.872 --> 00:30:39.405 In fact, what, 2,600 years ago, 00:30:39.405 --> 00:30:42.419 a monarch who had a problem 00:30:42.419 --> 00:30:44.187 with self-exaltation, 00:30:44.187 --> 00:30:46.560 and it's clear from the story 00:30:46.560 --> 00:30:48.630 that he was restless. 00:30:48.630 --> 00:30:49.702 You know, when you're 00:30:49.702 --> 00:30:51.075 always wanting to be first, 00:30:51.075 --> 00:30:54.800 if anybody drives faster than you do or jumps faster 00:30:54.800 --> 00:30:57.268 or gets a higher score on a test 00:30:57.268 --> 00:30:59.975 or gets the position you were hoping for, 00:30:59.975 --> 00:31:03.426 you're never going to be at rest, right, if your desire 00:31:03.426 --> 00:31:05.477 is to always exalt yourself. 00:31:05.477 --> 00:31:07.009 Who's that ancient monarch 00:31:07.009 --> 00:31:08.459 we're thinking about? 00:31:08.459 --> 00:31:09.849 (Team) Nebuchadnezzar. 00:31:09.849 --> 00:31:10.979 (Derek) Nebuchadnezzar. 00:31:10.979 --> 00:31:12.960 Now there is a story about Nebuchadnezzar 00:31:12.960 --> 00:31:16.715 in chapter 4 of his book. 00:31:16.715 --> 00:31:17.664 Would you just read 00:31:17.664 --> 00:31:22.945 a few verses for us, verses 28 to 32? 00:31:22.945 --> 00:31:24.023 (Jason) Sure, I've got 00:31:24.023 --> 00:31:25.728 the New King James Version here; 00:31:25.728 --> 00:31:30.125 it's Daniel 4:28-32; it says: 00:32:29.717 --> 00:32:31.727 (Derek) So, what happens to Nebuchadnezzar 00:32:31.727 --> 00:32:36.112 after this declaration of this messenger? Yes, Brittany. 00:32:36.112 --> 00:32:38.081 (Brittany) He is driven from his kingdom, 00:32:38.081 --> 00:32:41.003 and seven years he spends outside. 00:32:41.003 --> 00:32:43.486 He's getting wet; he's living like an animal. 00:32:43.486 --> 00:32:46.301 It even says that his hair grew 00:32:46.301 --> 00:32:48.563 like feathers of a bird, almost, 00:32:48.563 --> 00:32:49.618 and his nails grew 00:32:49.618 --> 00:32:51.433 long like eagle's claws. 00:32:51.433 --> 00:32:54.729 He became like an animal. 00:32:54.729 --> 00:32:55.802 (Derek) And that was 00:32:55.802 --> 00:32:58.835 the end of the story, right? Wrong? 00:32:58.835 --> 00:33:00.493 How does the story end? 00:33:00.493 --> 00:33:02.930 I think it ends hopefully, 00:33:02.930 --> 00:33:06.908 with some kind of rest for his soul. 00:33:06.908 --> 00:33:08.352 Who would like to read for us, 00:33:08.352 --> 00:33:13.461 Daniel, chapter 4, verses 33 to 37? Pedro. 00:33:13.461 --> 00:33:14.580 (Pedro) I'll be reading 00:33:14.580 --> 00:33:18.139 from the New King James Version, Daniel 4:33-37: 00:34:52.807 --> 00:34:54.107 (Derek) Now, if you've read 00:34:54.107 --> 00:34:55.503 the book of Daniel, 00:34:55.503 --> 00:34:57.852 he has some things to say about the God 00:34:57.852 --> 00:34:59.617 of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, 00:34:59.617 --> 00:35:01.163 or the God of Daniel, 00:35:01.163 --> 00:35:03.534 in Daniel 2 and in Daniel 3. 00:35:03.534 --> 00:35:04.955 But what's the difference 00:35:04.955 --> 00:35:06.324 in Daniel, chapter 4? 00:35:06.324 --> 00:35:09.248 Did you notice a difference? Nicole. 00:35:09.248 --> 00:35:11.215 (Nicole) He's actually internalizing 00:35:11.215 --> 00:35:13.278 the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 00:35:13.278 --> 00:35:15.443 It's not just their God anymore; it's his God. 00:35:15.443 --> 00:35:16.974 He gives the praise to this God, 00:35:16.974 --> 00:35:19.381 and so he makes it personal at this point 00:35:19.381 --> 00:35:21.327 because of his experience with God. 00:35:21.327 --> 00:35:23.422 (Derek) So, why is it so important... 00:35:23.422 --> 00:35:25.101 Shaina, let me take your point, 00:35:25.101 --> 00:35:26.167 and then I want to ask 00:35:26.167 --> 00:35:27.621 why it's so important. 00:35:27.621 --> 00:35:29.255 I mean, I guess we could find hope 00:35:29.255 --> 00:35:31.210 in the story of Nebuchadnezzar, right? 00:35:31.210 --> 00:35:32.597 That if you have been living 00:35:32.597 --> 00:35:34.457 trying to just exalt yourself, 00:35:34.457 --> 00:35:36.798 you don't have to die that way. 00:35:36.798 --> 00:35:38.248 You can change. Shaina? 00:35:38.248 --> 00:35:39.885 (Shaina) I also find it amazing 00:35:39.885 --> 00:35:43.990 that this king, who built a statue 00:35:43.990 --> 00:35:45.604 all of gold because he was like, 00:35:45.604 --> 00:35:47.775 "My kingdom is going to last forever," 00:35:47.775 --> 00:35:50.186 in verse 37, he says, 00:35:50.186 --> 00:35:52.029 "Honor the King of Heaven," 00:35:52.029 --> 00:35:57.030 so it's a complete shift in character 00:35:57.030 --> 00:36:00.358 or language, vocabulary, that he's using 00:36:00.358 --> 00:36:02.836 to say, "This is the King; this is 00:36:02.836 --> 00:36:06.442 the real deal that we're dealing with." 00:36:06.442 --> 00:36:08.269 (Derek) Beautiful. Well, we're talking 00:36:08.269 --> 00:36:09.853 about Roots of Restlessness, 00:36:09.853 --> 00:36:10.915 and we know that God 00:36:10.915 --> 00:36:13.395 doesn't want us to be restless, right, 00:36:13.395 --> 00:36:15.600 but to find rest in Christ. 00:36:15.600 --> 00:36:17.527 Selfishness doesn't work. 00:36:17.527 --> 00:36:20.034 Why doesn't self-exaltation work? 00:36:20.034 --> 00:36:21.879 Why don't we find rest? 00:36:21.879 --> 00:36:23.207 When do we finally get 00:36:23.207 --> 00:36:25.039 to the place, Brittany, 00:36:25.039 --> 00:36:26.792 when do we finally get to the place 00:36:26.792 --> 00:36:29.834 where we go, "Oh, rest, because I'm 00:36:29.834 --> 00:36:31.722 finally at the top of the pile! 00:36:31.722 --> 00:36:35.949 I've left all of these broken people in climbing up"? 00:36:35.949 --> 00:36:37.998 Why doesn't that ever work? 00:36:37.998 --> 00:36:40.064 (Brittany) Well, we were created to worship. 00:36:40.064 --> 00:36:41.753 When we read throughout the Bible, 00:36:41.753 --> 00:36:43.213 we realize that God 00:36:43.213 --> 00:36:44.498 created us in His image, 00:36:44.498 --> 00:36:48.085 and He created us with this desire to worship. 00:36:48.085 --> 00:36:49.502 And we're never fulfilled 00:36:49.502 --> 00:36:52.481 until we worship the One who made us. 00:36:52.481 --> 00:36:53.892 (Derek) Alright, so actually, 00:36:53.892 --> 00:36:55.648 back to Puia, what you said earlier, 00:36:55.648 --> 00:36:57.243 and then I'll come to your point. 00:36:57.243 --> 00:36:59.730 Actually, this desire for self-exaltation 00:36:59.730 --> 00:37:03.445 finds its original root in Lucifer, 00:37:03.445 --> 00:37:06.016 the rebellious angel, 00:37:06.016 --> 00:37:09.091 where, if I keep wanting to exalt myself 00:37:09.091 --> 00:37:11.199 as the driving force in my life, 00:37:11.199 --> 00:37:13.169 I'll want to be above God. 00:37:13.169 --> 00:37:14.923 I want to be God, right, 00:37:14.923 --> 00:37:18.388 which, of course, will never work. Puia? 00:37:18.388 --> 00:37:19.868 (Puia) Yes, picking up 00:37:19.868 --> 00:37:21.561 on what Brittany said, 00:37:21.561 --> 00:37:22.655 I believe the reason 00:37:22.655 --> 00:37:24.918 why self-exaltation doesn't 00:37:24.918 --> 00:37:27.513 lead us to actual rest 00:37:27.513 --> 00:37:29.509 is because it completely goes 00:37:29.509 --> 00:37:31.636 against the nature of God. 00:37:31.636 --> 00:37:34.268 And as God is our Creator 00:37:34.268 --> 00:37:35.708 and the Author of our lives, 00:37:35.708 --> 00:37:37.342 He designs our life in such a way 00:37:37.342 --> 00:37:39.678 that our lives will flourish 00:37:39.678 --> 00:37:41.115 when we follow His principles. 00:37:41.115 --> 00:37:43.486 And God's principles are 00:37:43.486 --> 00:37:45.747 never about self-exaltation 00:37:45.747 --> 00:37:47.430 but rather about humility 00:37:47.430 --> 00:37:49.732 and serving others rather than self. 00:37:49.732 --> 00:37:52.802 And so, when we try to exalt ourselves, 00:37:52.802 --> 00:37:54.693 we're going against the way 00:37:54.693 --> 00:37:58.407 God designed us to function best. 00:37:58.407 --> 00:38:00.352 And so, we're not able to find rest 00:38:00.352 --> 00:38:01.692 as long as we are going 00:38:01.692 --> 00:38:05.050 against God's original plan. 00:38:05.050 --> 00:38:06.599 (Derek) We found some examples 00:38:06.599 --> 00:38:08.502 of people trying to find rest 00:38:08.502 --> 00:38:11.124 in self-exaltation; it doesn't work. 00:38:11.124 --> 00:38:13.193 Nebuchadnezzar does become an example 00:38:13.193 --> 00:38:14.682 of someone who says, "I'm going 00:38:14.682 --> 00:38:16.441 to exalt God rather than myself," 00:38:16.441 --> 00:38:17.628 and he finds rest. 00:38:17.628 --> 00:38:19.563 Any other examples in the Bible 00:38:19.563 --> 00:38:21.686 of people, Pedro, who find rest 00:38:21.686 --> 00:38:24.346 by saying, "I'm just going to exalt God"? 00:38:24.346 --> 00:38:25.518 (Pedro) Well, one thing 00:38:25.518 --> 00:38:26.931 that got my attention when we 00:38:26.931 --> 00:38:28.672 were reading in Mark was Bartimaeus 00:38:28.672 --> 00:38:31.258 because the same question 00:38:31.258 --> 00:38:35.219 that Jesus made to James and John 00:38:35.219 --> 00:38:37.190 was the question He made to him. 00:38:37.190 --> 00:38:38.926 But we see that Bartimaeus, 00:38:38.926 --> 00:38:40.712 he heard that Jesus was passing by. 00:38:40.712 --> 00:38:43.198 He was blind, this multitude was coming up, 00:38:43.198 --> 00:38:45.294 and he was calling upon Jesus, 00:38:45.294 --> 00:38:47.518 "Son of David," "Son of David," 00:38:47.518 --> 00:38:49.807 exalting God as who He is. 00:38:49.807 --> 00:38:51.213 Everybody thought that He was 00:38:51.213 --> 00:38:53.272 Jesus of Nazareth; He was just, you know, 00:38:53.272 --> 00:38:54.201 He was the prophet. 00:38:54.201 --> 00:38:56.082 But he recognized who Jesus was. 00:38:56.082 --> 00:38:57.914 And Jesus came to him and said, 00:38:57.914 --> 00:39:00.212 "What do you want me to do for you?" 00:39:00.212 --> 00:39:01.783 And what happened to him? 00:39:01.783 --> 00:39:05.283 He had an encounter with God, and God blessed him. 00:39:05.283 --> 00:39:06.981 (Derek) Beautiful. And, by the way, 00:39:06.981 --> 00:39:08.997 "Son of David" was a Messiah term, right? 00:39:08.997 --> 00:39:10.042 And so I just thought 00:39:10.042 --> 00:39:12.167 of that beautiful thing, "I want to see," 00:39:12.167 --> 00:39:15.383 and the first thing he sees is Jesus! 00:39:15.383 --> 00:39:16.957 It's like, "I want to see Jesus. 00:39:16.957 --> 00:39:19.408 I want to see the Son of David." 00:39:19.408 --> 00:39:21.010 What a beautiful picture. Sabina? 00:39:21.010 --> 00:39:22.857 (Sabina) I'm thinking of the apostles. 00:39:22.857 --> 00:39:25.357 After Jesus departed, they were all 00:39:25.357 --> 00:39:27.465 given great authority 00:39:27.465 --> 00:39:28.950 by the power of the Holy Spirit 00:39:28.950 --> 00:39:30.629 to heal, to preach, to teach, 00:39:30.629 --> 00:39:31.868 and to do things that were 00:39:31.868 --> 00:39:33.363 even greater than those things 00:39:33.363 --> 00:39:34.339 that Jesus had made. 00:39:34.339 --> 00:39:35.317 And they could have 00:39:35.317 --> 00:39:38.048 eventually desired or placed themselves 00:39:38.048 --> 00:39:40.401 in the space of being the authority, 00:39:40.401 --> 00:39:44.022 doing those things, and not bringing glory to God. 00:39:44.022 --> 00:39:46.158 And I believe that they surely were able 00:39:46.158 --> 00:39:47.788 to succeed in their mission 00:39:47.788 --> 00:39:50.028 because they were putting 00:39:50.028 --> 00:39:51.849 the name of Jesus ahead 00:39:51.849 --> 00:39:52.895 and not their own. 00:39:52.895 --> 00:39:54.333 (Derek) There was one example, 00:39:54.333 --> 00:39:55.603 and I see your hand, Puia, 00:39:55.603 --> 00:39:56.803 raised there in Hawaii, 00:39:56.803 --> 00:39:58.854 there was one example of someone 00:39:58.854 --> 00:40:00.789 in the book of Acts who wanted 00:40:00.789 --> 00:40:03.097 the power to exalt self. 00:40:03.097 --> 00:40:05.829 Anybody remember what his name was? 00:40:05.829 --> 00:40:08.061 Was it Simon the sorcerer? 00:40:08.061 --> 00:40:10.263 He wanted to buy the Holy Spirit, right, 00:40:10.263 --> 00:40:12.203 "Boy, I could be really famous 00:40:12.203 --> 00:40:15.125 if I had this power." Puia? 00:40:15.125 --> 00:40:17.036 (Puia) Another person that came to mind 00:40:17.036 --> 00:40:19.377 is Daniel in the story 00:40:19.377 --> 00:40:22.354 where King Nebuchadnezzar forgot his dream 00:40:22.354 --> 00:40:25.168 and was trying to find out what his dream was 00:40:25.168 --> 00:40:28.164 and inquired from all the magicians and the wise men, 00:40:28.164 --> 00:40:29.658 and nobody could tell 00:40:29.658 --> 00:40:32.536 the forgotten dream of the king. 00:40:32.536 --> 00:40:33.807 And Daniel came along, 00:40:33.807 --> 00:40:35.301 God answered his prayer, 00:40:35.301 --> 00:40:38.311 but Daniel did not take the credit 00:40:38.311 --> 00:40:40.407 when he explained it to the king 00:40:40.407 --> 00:40:41.801 that the dream came from God. 00:40:41.801 --> 00:40:43.942 So, I believe Daniel is a good example 00:40:43.942 --> 00:40:46.900 of someone who gave the credit to God 00:40:46.900 --> 00:40:49.258 rather than exalt himself. 00:40:49.258 --> 00:40:50.566 (Derek) Great illustration, 00:40:50.566 --> 00:40:53.068 and that's repeated in Daniel 5 00:40:53.068 --> 00:40:56.297 in his interaction with Belshazzar. 00:40:56.297 --> 00:40:58.693 And it's repeated in his interaction 00:40:58.693 --> 00:41:01.231 with Kind Darius where he says, 00:41:01.231 --> 00:41:03.697 "My God sent an angel," 00:41:03.697 --> 00:41:05.280 rather than saying, "Well, I was 00:41:05.280 --> 00:41:07.495 able to tame these lions, O King." 00:41:07.495 --> 00:41:09.971 He's always exalting God rather than himself. 00:41:09.971 --> 00:41:11.263 Well, we want to move 00:41:11.263 --> 00:41:14.870 on to a third root of restlessness. 00:41:14.870 --> 00:41:16.393 Is selfishness going to help us 00:41:16.393 --> 00:41:17.688 find rest for our souls? 00:41:17.688 --> 00:41:18.438 (Team) No. 00:41:18.438 --> 00:41:21.200 (Derek) No. Self-exaltation, is it going to help us? 00:41:21.200 --> 00:41:22.745 (Derek, Team) No. 00:41:22.745 --> 00:41:26.824 (Derek) There is a third root of restlessnes, 00:41:26.824 --> 00:41:30.782 and that is hypocrisy. 00:41:30.782 --> 00:41:31.921 What is hypocrisy? 00:41:31.921 --> 00:41:34.184 Can someone give me a definition? 00:41:34.184 --> 00:41:36.369 What is hypocrisy? 00:41:36.369 --> 00:41:37.739 Shaina, could you give us 00:41:37.739 --> 00:41:39.217 a brief definition 00:41:39.217 --> 00:41:41.976 or maybe a definition of a hypocrite? 00:41:41.976 --> 00:41:43.421 Unfortunately, Jesus calls 00:41:43.421 --> 00:41:44.800 some people hypocrites. 00:41:44.800 --> 00:41:48.154 What's the definition of a hypocrite? 00:41:48.154 --> 00:41:51.420 (Shaina) In a very simplified version, 00:41:51.420 --> 00:41:54.645 it's a person who says one thing, 00:41:54.645 --> 00:41:57.960 or they preach one thing, and their lives, 00:41:57.960 --> 00:42:00.044 their actions, preach another thing. 00:42:00.044 --> 00:42:03.498 So, there is an inconsistency 00:42:03.498 --> 00:42:06.981 between their words and their actions. 00:42:06.981 --> 00:42:10.584 (Derek) So, let's go back; Jesus calls 00:42:10.584 --> 00:42:12.123 some of the religious leaders... 00:42:12.123 --> 00:42:13.837 We need to be careful here, 00:42:13.837 --> 00:42:16.131 because there were some religious leaders 00:42:16.131 --> 00:42:19.841 who were very devoted, godly people. 00:42:19.841 --> 00:42:20.983 In fact, they're willing 00:42:20.983 --> 00:42:22.160 to identify with Jesus 00:42:22.160 --> 00:42:25.599 and even lay down all of their resources, 00:42:25.599 --> 00:42:27.963 namely, who comes to mind? 00:42:27.963 --> 00:42:29.400 (Derek, Team) Nicodemus. 00:42:29.400 --> 00:42:31.173 (Sabina) I was thinking of Nicodemus. 00:42:31.173 --> 00:42:33.608 (Derek) Joseph of Arimathea and others, 00:42:33.608 --> 00:42:37.663 so not all of the religious leaders agreed 00:42:37.663 --> 00:42:42.805 with the majority Jesus called hypocrites. 00:42:42.805 --> 00:42:44.523 Let's look at that passage. 00:42:44.523 --> 00:42:46.498 It's very strong language. 00:42:46.498 --> 00:42:49.016 And, Brittany, if you could read for us 00:42:49.016 --> 00:42:54.637 in Matthew 23, beginning with verse 1. 00:42:54.637 --> 00:42:56.747 I don't think I've ever heard 00:42:56.747 --> 00:43:00.772 Jesus speak more strongly than this. 00:43:00.772 --> 00:43:03.022 And so while Brittany's reading, 00:43:03.022 --> 00:43:06.743 ask the question, why is Jesus speaking 00:43:06.743 --> 00:43:09.797 in such, what appears 00:43:09.797 --> 00:43:12.147 to be such harsh language 00:43:12.147 --> 00:43:14.150 to these religious leaders? 00:43:14.150 --> 00:43:15.545 And it must have something 00:43:15.545 --> 00:43:17.545 to do with, that hypocrisy 00:43:17.545 --> 00:43:19.671 will never give us the rest 00:43:19.671 --> 00:43:21.868 for our souls that we need. 00:43:21.868 --> 00:43:25.117 Starting in verse 1 of chapter 23, 00:43:25.117 --> 00:43:26.902 down through verse 13. 00:43:26.902 --> 00:43:28.169 (Brittany) I'll be reading 00:43:28.169 --> 00:43:29.732 from the New King James Version, 00:43:29.732 --> 00:43:33.130 Matthew, chapter 23, verses 1 through 13: 00:45:24.445 --> 00:45:26.032 (Derek) As you were reading that, 00:45:26.032 --> 00:45:27.861 there seems to be a strong correlation 00:45:27.861 --> 00:45:33.133 between hypocrisy and self-exaltation and selfishness. 00:45:33.133 --> 00:45:35.069 Maybe it's all one root. 00:45:35.069 --> 00:45:37.486 It's all kind of woven together. 00:45:37.486 --> 00:45:39.229 Why would a person 00:45:39.229 --> 00:45:41.723 make a profession of something 00:45:41.723 --> 00:45:43.183 but live differently? 00:45:43.183 --> 00:45:45.230 What do you think? Anybody? 00:45:45.230 --> 00:45:47.854 Why would they make a profession 00:45:47.854 --> 00:45:49.709 but not follow it? Shaina? 00:45:49.709 --> 00:45:52.490 (Shaina) I can say I am these things 00:45:52.490 --> 00:45:54.233 to look good to people. 00:45:54.233 --> 00:45:57.376 And if no one is really checking my life 00:45:57.376 --> 00:46:00.607 to ensure that I am living like that, 00:46:00.607 --> 00:46:03.080 then, you know, my appearance looks good. 00:46:03.080 --> 00:46:07.077 But really, well, Jesus knows. 00:46:07.077 --> 00:46:08.531 (Derek) But that ties in 00:46:08.531 --> 00:46:10.470 to wanting to exalt myself 00:46:10.470 --> 00:46:12.012 beyond where I actually am. 00:46:12.012 --> 00:46:14.333 Jason, why would a person do that? 00:46:14.333 --> 00:46:16.689 "Hypocrite," Jesus said, "hypocrite, 00:46:16.689 --> 00:46:18.733 you say one thing, but you don't do it." 00:46:18.733 --> 00:46:20.310 (Jason) Sure, so sometimes people 00:46:20.310 --> 00:46:22.524 want the benefits of a certain way 00:46:22.524 --> 00:46:23.817 or a certain expression, 00:46:23.817 --> 00:46:26.477 but they don't actually want the responsibility 00:46:26.477 --> 00:46:28.415 or the things that may not 00:46:28.415 --> 00:46:29.646 make them feel as good. 00:46:29.646 --> 00:46:30.650 So, they kind of want 00:46:30.650 --> 00:46:32.917 an external good feeling, 00:46:32.917 --> 00:46:35.043 but internally they still want to do 00:46:35.043 --> 00:46:36.759 what they want to do themselves. 00:46:36.759 --> 00:46:38.598 So, they kind of want this 00:46:38.598 --> 00:46:40.050 for their own purposes 00:46:40.050 --> 00:46:43.027 and not really for anyone else. 00:46:43.027 --> 00:46:43.989 (Derek) Nicole? 00:46:43.989 --> 00:46:45.785 (Nicole) I recently heard someone say 00:46:45.785 --> 00:46:47.993 that hypocrisy is the enemy of love, 00:46:47.993 --> 00:46:49.727 because if you don't have love, 00:46:49.727 --> 00:46:51.759 you're going to present yourself in a way 00:46:51.759 --> 00:46:53.142 so you can appear to have it, 00:46:53.142 --> 00:46:54.225 but you really don't. 00:46:54.225 --> 00:46:58.782 Because love is authentic, love is transparent. 00:46:58.782 --> 00:47:00.213 And hypocrisy, there's clearly 00:47:00.213 --> 00:47:01.960 a shadow and a wall there. 00:47:01.960 --> 00:47:04.441 So, I heard that, and it really kind of stuck to me; 00:47:04.441 --> 00:47:07.264 it's the enemy of love, and that's why Christ can't have it. 00:47:07.264 --> 00:47:08.644 (Derek) And it's interesting, 00:47:08.644 --> 00:47:09.896 because the rest in Christ 00:47:09.896 --> 00:47:11.044 is resting in His love. 00:47:11.044 --> 00:47:12.824 I think it's all related, isn't it? 00:47:12.824 --> 00:47:15.491 What a beautiful thought. 00:47:15.491 --> 00:47:17.042 You know, some people might hear 00:47:17.042 --> 00:47:18.695 these stern rebukes, Pedro, 00:47:18.695 --> 00:47:20.025 that Jesus is giving 00:47:20.025 --> 00:47:23.400 and think, "Jesus, You're a hypocrite. 00:47:23.400 --> 00:47:27.811 I mean, don't be so hard on these people; nobody's perfect." 00:47:27.811 --> 00:47:30.240 But in the same chapter, we see 00:47:30.240 --> 00:47:34.074 that Jesus actually, He's so hard on them 00:47:34.074 --> 00:47:36.998 because He loves them. 00:47:36.998 --> 00:47:39.428 That's an interesting thought, 00:47:39.428 --> 00:47:42.651 because hypocrisy will always lead to...? 00:47:42.651 --> 00:47:43.906 (Team) Destruction. 00:47:43.906 --> 00:47:44.884 (Derek) Destruction. 00:47:44.884 --> 00:47:46.980 Look at a revelation of His character 00:47:46.980 --> 00:47:50.770 there in Matthew 23 and verse 37. 00:47:50.770 --> 00:47:51.919 (Pedro) I'll be reading 00:47:51.919 --> 00:47:56.671 from the New King James Version, Matthew 23:37: 00:48:16.795 --> 00:48:18.480 (Derek) You see the love of Jesus, 00:48:18.480 --> 00:48:19.501 which is a revelation 00:48:19.501 --> 00:48:20.681 of the Father's love. 00:48:20.681 --> 00:48:22.944 Well, did anyone here, 00:48:22.944 --> 00:48:26.336 either here in the studio or Shaina, Puia, 00:48:26.336 --> 00:48:29.033 find yourself acting like a hypocrite, 00:48:29.033 --> 00:48:32.213 and you're going to testify today 00:48:32.213 --> 00:48:34.620 to the world, "Whoops, that didn't give me 00:48:34.620 --> 00:48:37.471 the rest I was looking for." Jason. 00:48:37.471 --> 00:48:42.377 (Jason) Sure, so, these days, 00:48:42.377 --> 00:48:44.432 or at least over my life 00:48:44.432 --> 00:48:47.253 I've spent a lot of time on social media, 00:48:47.253 --> 00:48:49.223 particularly certain sites like Facebook. 00:48:49.223 --> 00:48:51.236 And people get into arguments 00:48:51.236 --> 00:48:52.552 and discussions there. 00:48:52.552 --> 00:48:54.036 And there were times in my life 00:48:54.036 --> 00:48:55.271 when I was in discussions 00:48:55.271 --> 00:48:57.532 with people, friends, professors. 00:48:57.532 --> 00:48:59.364 And even though people knew 00:48:59.364 --> 00:49:00.395 I was a Christian, 00:49:00.395 --> 00:49:03.745 knew I studied the Bible, 00:49:03.745 --> 00:49:06.554 I was saying things and attacking people 00:49:06.554 --> 00:49:08.998 and acting, well, very ungodly 00:49:08.998 --> 00:49:11.974 in a public forum, even though people knew 00:49:11.974 --> 00:49:12.841 I was a Christian. 00:49:12.841 --> 00:49:14.921 So, I clearly was doing things publicly 00:49:14.921 --> 00:49:16.670 that didn't match, you know, 00:49:16.670 --> 00:49:18.672 my relationship with God, or showed 00:49:18.672 --> 00:49:21.023 that there was a disconnect there. 00:49:21.023 --> 00:49:23.818 (Derek) I'm hoping you're going to tell me you changed! 00:49:23.818 --> 00:49:25.471 (Jason) Yes, well, by God's grace, 00:49:25.471 --> 00:49:28.040 I spend a lot less time on Facebook and social media, 00:49:28.040 --> 00:49:30.657 and I decided to turn my Facebook page, 00:49:30.657 --> 00:49:32.188 not so much into debates 00:49:32.188 --> 00:49:33.958 and discussions anymore. 00:49:33.958 --> 00:49:35.978 (Derek) Well, thank you for sharing that. 00:49:35.978 --> 00:49:37.894 I remember a time I was going to church. 00:49:37.894 --> 00:49:40.222 I was 18; I looked, and a friend 00:49:40.222 --> 00:49:42.010 from high school was across the road, 00:49:42.010 --> 00:49:43.908 and I turned my head so he wouldn't 00:49:43.908 --> 00:49:47.774 see me go into the church - hypocrite. 00:49:47.774 --> 00:49:50.571 And I still feel the pain of that day, 00:49:50.571 --> 00:49:54.362 because Jesus was not ashamed of me. 00:49:54.362 --> 00:49:57.303 Fortunately, Jesus saved me. 00:49:57.303 --> 00:49:58.696 But, we all contend, 00:49:58.696 --> 00:50:00.528 if we're not connected, we could all 00:50:00.528 --> 00:50:02.595 tend towards hypocrisy, right? 00:50:02.595 --> 00:50:04.227 We could tend towards selfishness 00:50:04.227 --> 00:50:06.029 and self-exaltation. 00:50:06.029 --> 00:50:10.903 So Puia, would you read to us John 14:1-5, 00:50:10.903 --> 00:50:13.500 because embedded in this story 00:50:13.500 --> 00:50:16.276 we see both restlessness 00:50:16.276 --> 00:50:17.455 from the disciples 00:50:17.455 --> 00:50:18.959 but also the secret, 00:50:18.959 --> 00:50:21.301 the antidote for restlessness, 00:50:21.301 --> 00:50:23.354 whether it's caused by selfishness 00:50:23.354 --> 00:50:27.891 or a desire for self-exaltation or hypocrisy. 00:50:27.891 --> 00:50:31.063 Read to us John 14:1-5. 00:50:31.063 --> 00:50:32.623 (Puia) Sure, and I'll be reading 00:50:32.623 --> 00:50:34.657 from the New King James Version: 00:51:10.400 --> 00:51:12.353 (Derek) So, why are they restless? 00:51:12.353 --> 00:51:14.329 Why are they at least tempted 00:51:14.329 --> 00:51:16.259 to be anxious? Brittany. 00:51:16.259 --> 00:51:17.730 (Brittany) Well, their Master, 00:51:17.730 --> 00:51:20.206 who they've been following for three and a half years 00:51:20.206 --> 00:51:21.599 is saying He's leaving them. 00:51:21.599 --> 00:51:22.699 And so, they don't know 00:51:22.699 --> 00:51:24.883 where He's going, from what Thomas said, 00:51:24.883 --> 00:51:26.034 and they don't know 00:51:26.034 --> 00:51:27.104 how to get to Him. 00:51:27.104 --> 00:51:28.808 They're worried; they're concerned, 00:51:28.808 --> 00:51:30.553 "Now what is our life going to be?" 00:51:30.553 --> 00:51:32.440 They had left everything to follow Him, 00:51:32.440 --> 00:51:34.663 and now, "What are we going to do next?" 00:51:34.663 --> 00:51:36.359 (Derek) And what is the answer 00:51:36.359 --> 00:51:38.442 to their restlessness? 00:51:38.442 --> 00:51:40.048 Next verse, Sabina, 00:51:40.048 --> 00:51:43.837 chapter 14 of John, verse 6. 00:51:43.837 --> 00:51:44.850 (Sabina) It says: 00:51:51.850 --> 00:51:53.567 (Derek) "Rest in Me." 00:51:53.567 --> 00:51:55.847 That reminds us of our Scripture song. 00:51:55.847 --> 00:51:58.999 Can someone sing it for us? Well, no, don't sing. 00:51:58.999 --> 00:52:03.074 Could you read it for us, someone? Matthew 11:28-30. 00:52:03.074 --> 00:52:04.841 Jason, do you have it? 00:52:04.841 --> 00:52:07.211 Because really, the rest 00:52:07.211 --> 00:52:10.636 is not found in selfish grabbing, 00:52:10.636 --> 00:52:13.204 self-exaltation, or trying 00:52:13.204 --> 00:52:17.080 to project a life that you're not living. 00:52:17.080 --> 00:52:18.967 It's found by resting in Christ. 00:52:18.967 --> 00:52:20.883 What's the beautiful invitation there 00:52:20.883 --> 00:52:23.186 in Matthew 11:28-30? 00:52:23.186 --> 00:52:25.103 (Jason) The New King James Version says, 00:52:25.103 --> 00:52:28.222 Matthew, chapter 11, verses 28 through 30: 00:52:49.399 --> 00:52:51.382 (Derek) So, you finally come to the place 00:52:51.382 --> 00:52:53.324 where you say, "I am going 00:52:53.324 --> 00:52:55.413 to surrender my life 00:52:55.413 --> 00:52:58.098 wholly to Jesus and rest in Him. 00:52:58.098 --> 00:53:02.302 Whether I live, whether I die, 00:53:02.302 --> 00:53:05.464 whether the result from this test 00:53:05.464 --> 00:53:09.666 I just had is negative or positive, 00:53:09.666 --> 00:53:12.144 I'm going to choose to rest in Christ 00:53:12.144 --> 00:53:16.347 and be secure there." 00:53:16.347 --> 00:53:18.159 Do you know there are some people 00:53:18.159 --> 00:53:20.482 that, when they make that decision, 00:53:20.482 --> 00:53:23.669 not everybody supports them. 00:53:23.669 --> 00:53:27.398 Sometimes even friends and family members 00:53:27.398 --> 00:53:29.391 criticize them for saying... 00:53:29.391 --> 00:53:31.813 You know, it's like the survival 00:53:31.813 --> 00:53:36.132 of the fittest, Jason, "Keep climbing up, 00:53:36.132 --> 00:53:38.418 even if you have to climb over people. 00:53:38.418 --> 00:53:41.280 You're just going to get," we have an expression in English, 00:53:41.280 --> 00:53:43.615 "eaten alive if you just think 00:53:43.615 --> 00:53:45.044 you can rest in Christ 00:53:45.044 --> 00:53:48.243 and life will go well." 00:53:48.243 --> 00:53:50.505 What would you say to someone like that? 00:53:50.505 --> 00:53:52.025 Once you've made your decision, 00:53:52.025 --> 00:53:55.952 "I'm just going to rest my life," Puia, "rest in Christ," 00:53:55.952 --> 00:53:57.364 what would you say to someone 00:53:57.364 --> 00:54:00.333 who says, "You'll just be eaten alive. 00:54:00.333 --> 00:54:04.763 You'll get trampled on by everybody"? 00:54:04.763 --> 00:54:06.398 (Puia) I would say, continue 00:54:06.398 --> 00:54:08.452 to look at the cross 00:54:08.452 --> 00:54:10.623 and how much Jesus suffered 00:54:10.623 --> 00:54:11.846 to give us that rest. 00:54:11.846 --> 00:54:12.789 And once we have 00:54:12.789 --> 00:54:16.048 that personal relationship with Jesus 00:54:16.048 --> 00:54:17.763 and we are being persecuted, 00:54:17.763 --> 00:54:18.932 either by our family 00:54:18.932 --> 00:54:21.624 or friends or other people, 00:54:21.624 --> 00:54:24.351 it means that we are sharing 00:54:24.351 --> 00:54:25.778 in the journey of Jesus, 00:54:25.778 --> 00:54:27.172 and we are carrying the cross 00:54:27.172 --> 00:54:28.876 as Jesus calls us to. 00:54:28.876 --> 00:54:30.137 And at the end of the day, 00:54:30.137 --> 00:54:32.223 as we read earlier, Jesus said, 00:54:32.223 --> 00:54:33.352 "I will give you rest." 00:54:33.352 --> 00:54:36.018 And the yoke, Jesus said the word "yoke," 00:54:36.018 --> 00:54:37.484 and in some ways the yoke 00:54:37.484 --> 00:54:39.940 would seem to be like a problem 00:54:39.940 --> 00:54:41.924 for an animal that they often used 00:54:41.924 --> 00:54:43.607 to drive the animal to work. 00:54:43.607 --> 00:54:46.225 But, according to Jesus, His yoke is easy, 00:54:46.225 --> 00:54:47.236 meaning, even when we 00:54:47.236 --> 00:54:49.581 go through problems because of Jesus, 00:54:49.581 --> 00:54:53.140 we find joy and rest and happiness inside. 00:54:53.140 --> 00:54:54.530 (Derek) I've heard stories... 00:54:54.530 --> 00:54:55.841 And I see a couple of hands 00:54:55.841 --> 00:54:57.521 in the couple of minutes remaining. 00:54:57.521 --> 00:54:59.437 I've heard stories, when Christians 00:54:59.437 --> 00:55:02.093 are facing great hardship, 00:55:02.093 --> 00:55:05.150 and yet the rest in their souls 00:55:05.150 --> 00:55:08.120 is a powerful witness to people, 00:55:08.120 --> 00:55:11.084 and to unbelievers, even who come 00:55:11.084 --> 00:55:12.688 to conviction that they need 00:55:12.688 --> 00:55:14.573 rest in God, too. Nicole? 00:55:14.573 --> 00:55:16.166 (Nicole) I would say rest is not 00:55:16.166 --> 00:55:18.093 just lying down and letting life happen. 00:55:18.093 --> 00:55:19.587 Rest is allowing Christ to work 00:55:19.587 --> 00:55:21.258 through you and in you to give you 00:55:21.258 --> 00:55:22.548 what you need to accomplish 00:55:22.548 --> 00:55:24.250 and deal with whatever situation 00:55:24.250 --> 00:55:26.468 is presented in front of you. 00:55:26.468 --> 00:55:28.462 (Derek) And your life can be a testimony, 00:55:28.462 --> 00:55:32.031 that you found rest for your soul. Jason? 00:55:32.031 --> 00:55:33.893 (Jason) And one thing also I would say 00:55:33.893 --> 00:55:36.587 is the whole idea of, you can get 00:55:36.587 --> 00:55:38.212 ahead of others, you know, 00:55:38.212 --> 00:55:40.267 by fighting for yourself, 00:55:40.267 --> 00:55:42.380 Jesus said, if you live by the sword, 00:55:42.380 --> 00:55:43.530 you'll die by the sword. 00:55:43.530 --> 00:55:44.888 So, one, that you're 00:55:44.888 --> 00:55:46.282 kind of setting your destiny. 00:55:46.282 --> 00:55:47.874 And then I would ask that person, 00:55:47.874 --> 00:55:49.636 "Do you really want to live this way? 00:55:49.636 --> 00:55:51.428 Does this way truly make you happy?" 00:55:51.428 --> 00:55:53.859 Because, at least in my experience, 00:55:53.859 --> 00:55:55.573 pushing over others doesn't really 00:55:55.573 --> 00:55:57.178 make a person happy. 00:55:57.178 --> 00:55:59.688 (Derek) Shaina, closing thought. 00:55:59.688 --> 00:56:02.544 (Shaina) I also find that when we 00:56:02.544 --> 00:56:04.018 truly rest in Christ, 00:56:04.018 --> 00:56:06.496 we also get His promise, 00:56:06.496 --> 00:56:08.922 that peace that passes all understanding, 00:56:08.922 --> 00:56:10.815 and we're able to make 00:56:10.815 --> 00:56:12.464 more coherent decisions. 00:56:12.464 --> 00:56:17.501 So, it's the comparisons of being stressed 00:56:17.501 --> 00:56:20.542 and worrying, and, you know, 00:56:20.542 --> 00:56:22.799 being in that 24/7 society 00:56:22.799 --> 00:56:25.202 versus taking that peace 00:56:25.202 --> 00:56:26.911 and being able to maneuver 00:56:26.911 --> 00:56:29.755 life's situations much better. 00:56:29.755 --> 00:56:31.540 (Derek) And what a powerful testimony 00:56:31.540 --> 00:56:34.223 from Shaina who not many months ago 00:56:34.223 --> 00:56:36.421 went through a really tough accident. 00:56:36.421 --> 00:56:37.662 And she had to decide 00:56:37.662 --> 00:56:39.704 to rest her life wholly in Christ. 00:56:39.704 --> 00:56:41.402 Praise God, Shaina, for the miracle 00:56:41.402 --> 00:56:42.880 that you're experiencing 00:56:42.880 --> 00:56:45.222 through resting in Jesus every day. 00:56:45.222 --> 00:56:46.789 And you know, that's what Jesus 00:56:46.789 --> 00:56:48.570 wants for all of us. 00:56:48.570 --> 00:56:51.035 He wants us to learn to let it go, 00:56:51.035 --> 00:56:52.800 the selfishness, the desire 00:56:52.800 --> 00:56:56.017 for self-exaltation, the hypocrisy, 00:56:56.017 --> 00:56:57.238 and say, "I'm just going 00:56:57.238 --> 00:56:59.723 to surrender to Jesus and rest in Him." 00:56:59.723 --> 00:57:01.490 And like Nicole said, it doesn't mean 00:57:01.490 --> 00:57:03.631 you just don't do anything, 00:57:03.631 --> 00:57:05.501 but whatever you're facing, 00:57:05.501 --> 00:57:08.480 you're facing it with Jesus by your side. 00:57:08.480 --> 00:57:10.365 Let's pray; Father in Heaven, 00:57:10.365 --> 00:57:11.594 what a way to live, 00:57:11.594 --> 00:57:16.601 instead of these restless ways, to rest in You. 00:57:16.601 --> 00:57:20.298 And may our rest in Christ be a witness, 00:57:20.298 --> 00:57:23.165 that others might seek rest in You, too. 00:57:23.165 --> 00:57:25.373 In Jesus' name. Amen. 00:57:25.373 --> 00:57:26.315 (Team) Amen. 00:57:26.315 --> 00:57:29.424 (Derek) Well, thanks for joining us for Hope Sabbath School today. 00:57:29.424 --> 00:57:30.965 Don't forget that free gift! 00:57:30.965 --> 00:57:33.798 Go to hopetv.org/hopess, 00:57:33.798 --> 00:57:36.549 click on "Free Gift!" button. 00:57:36.549 --> 00:57:38.219 We'll send you some Scripture songs 00:57:38.219 --> 00:57:39.539 including our theme song. 00:57:39.539 --> 00:57:41.506 Hide those words in your heart. 00:57:41.506 --> 00:57:42.897 Jesus wants to give you 00:57:42.897 --> 00:57:44.502 rest for your soul. 00:57:44.502 --> 00:57:46.812 And as you rejoice in His presence, 00:57:46.812 --> 00:57:48.252 go out and be a blessing 00:57:48.252 --> 00:57:49.547 to those around you. 00:57:49.547 --> 00:58:29.453 ♪ theme music ♪