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00:00 That's universally what church is. It is not community. So let me just show you a picture. This
00:08 happens in many churches. It has happened in FBC. And my question to you
00:13 is that if you see this picture and assuming it's in FBC, what would you do?
00:20 Let's just say after this service and everybody leaves and there is one person
00:26 sitting behind just like this. What do you do? If you're honest with yourself, majority
00:32 of you won't do anything. Now, I I I like to propose it's not
00:38 because you don't care. It's because you don't know what to do.
00:43 But when someone does this and they do this, you'll be surprised more often than you think. It's because they're
00:49 struggling with some issues. And so today, I want to take a difficult topic. We we rarely talk about it, but I think
00:56 it's important. And after this morning's first service, I'm very convinced we
01:01 really got to talk about it. I like to talk generally about issues of loneliness, depression, and anxiety
01:08 because they are far more prevalent in the church than we recognize. Uh let me
01:15 give you some history for some of you people. During my time, uh uh she was
01:21 the first 17-year-old girl to hit the billboard. 17 years old. Just my age of
01:27 my daughter. I told my daughter, "What you doing your life, man? Other people make money. Go steal you. Yay. Look at
01:32 that. Go make some money for your dad." 17 years old. Number one on the billboard. Whoa. Fresh from the Mickey
01:38 Mouse cup. Look at those teeth. Colgate advertisement. So fresh. I'm not here advocating Britney Spears as an act as a
01:46 as a as an artist. We all know what happened to her after that. But the point I want to ask you, I want to tell
01:52 you how the world has shifted. Do you think if Britney Spears
01:58 today, if she was 17 years old did this, do you think she'll get anywhere near
02:04 the top 10? I will tell you no. I want to just prove to you a point how the world has shifted. 17 year old
02:11 nowadays who hit the top of the charts don't look like this. You know how they look like? They look like this.
02:19 It was it was my daughter who introduced me to Billy Eyish. And you don't know her. You're old. So that my his excuse
02:25 uh in case she uh she suffers from Tourett syndrome very open about it
02:32 she's now the world's top 17year-old selling star you know what is the title of her latest
02:38 single good girls go to hell you can google it now I asked my daughter what's
02:46 wrong with your generation you know what's wrong with you teenagers you guys are what are glorifying this kind of
02:52 stuff and you know she gave me the kind of look that teenagers gave me like dad you know we not we are being real we
03:01 being real now I want you to just follow the flow during my time this is Archie
03:08 how many of you don't Achie do you know what this generation has
03:16 done to Archie this is what they did to Archie and he was smiling there from that kind.
03:23 They took it to this. I mean, it's it's it's and if you think
03:30 that this is just an abnormally, look what they did to Tin Titans from the cartoon to
03:38 I mean, if they reboot anything, it's got to be dark. 13 Reasons Why, which is
03:44 about a suicide among young people, is in its third season.
03:50 And the latest movie poised to break the blockbuster is about a madman.
03:58 This is the world of your teenagers.
04:03 And to prove a point, if you look at the data, anything from the World Economic
04:09 Forum, you just Google this from any known uh uh uh uh research pew, they
04:16 will tell you generation Z and millennials are the most depressed in
04:24 human history. That's the contradiction. You know, a
04:30 generation that doesn't understand war or starvation is the most depressed.
04:36 Now, again, let's up the stakes. And I will tell you why this is so serious. This is Jared Wilson.
04:44 He suffers from depression. Openly declares it. Associate pastor in a large
04:50 church, runs the mental health ministry. father one of the few pastors that
04:56 Justin Bieber connects to and he doesn't connect to a lot of pastors
05:02 sometime this year he took his life he's not the first pastor he follows in
05:09 the footstep of another pastor called Andrew Stoken who also took his life so
05:14 I want to suggest to you this issue is much more pandemic than we imagine and
05:20 when you read what their wives write you notice is they're similar. Let me just read it to you from uh Jared's widow. My
05:28 loving, giving, kind-hearted, encouraging, handsome, hilarious. Give the off his back. Husband went to
05:33 be Jesus late last night. No more pain, my Jerry. No more struggle. You're made complete. You're finally free. Susan,
05:39 depression fed you the worst lies, but you knew the truth of Jesus. And I know you're by his side right this very
05:45 second. And look at what Andrew's uh widow wrote. Last night, the love of my life, the father my children, the pastor
05:51 of incredible church, took his last breath and went to be Jesus. It wasn't a miracle I was hoping for, but is now in
05:57 heaven with his dad, free of pain, free of depression, anxiety. These are pastors.
06:05 So, this issue permits us and I want to take this morning through this heavy
06:10 topic, but we do need to discuss about this and I'm not trying to discuss this from a clinical point of view. I I don't
06:16 have the expertise, but I do want to see what scripture says about this. And it's a major theme in the Bible church
06:21 history. Look at this verse, this statement. My spirits were sunken so low
06:27 I could weep by the hour like a child, yet I knew not what I wept for. Do you
06:33 know who said this? Any one church historian here? Charles Spurgeon,
06:40 the prince of preachers suffered from depression. Psalm 42:5 King David why
06:46 are you cast down oh my soul why are you in turmoil within me let me give it to
06:51 you in simple everyday language which we understand is just this what's wrong with me why do I feel like this
07:00 and they are in our midst they are here but they will not tell you
07:10 they will not talk about it they will not open And so I want to just start off with a
07:17 simple proposition. The proposition will be what would Jesus do?
07:24 And that let us use that as our text. And we will look at the garden of Gethsemane
07:29 when Jesus was lonely when Jesus was anxious when Jesus was depressed and
07:35 what he did. And we see whether we can as a church learn something from this. And I I want to thank a few people. uh
07:42 sister Pog Moren Jay Gona and one other wonderful sister who went through the
07:48 darkness you and I don't understand and she got through it and this sermon
07:54 essentially came from her reading of this text. Let's come before God in prayer. Lord, we ask for humility. We
08:02 ask for your presence. Let this come not from the from men's wisdom but from you.
08:08 And let us be triumphant. This may sound depressing Lord, but there is hope. In you there is always hope in you. There
08:16 is always victory in you. There is life and abundantly. So no matter what who is
08:21 struggling through this, let us be a church that's able to deal with all issues openly, safely, truthfully, and
08:30 biblically. And we say this in Jesus name. Amen. Let me give you four points. Number one, talk about it. Two, the
08:36 church has a comforting and supporting community. Three, are you spiritually slumbering? Four, learning to live your
08:44 will be done daily. The verse starts after the Passover at the mount of
08:49 olives. 12 disciples walked to the mount of olives and then Jesus pulls three of
08:55 them aside. Peter, the two sons of Zebedee. And here's the key. Verse 38. He said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed
09:04 with sorrow to the point of death." When the last time you told someone, "I'm
09:09 depressed." Last time you told someone, "I'm anxious." Last time you told them, "I'm
09:16 struggling with this." We don't. We have this stigma in church. Don't talk about
09:22 it. And that's my fundamental point I want to pick up. So people come to church with issues. They don't want to
09:27 talk about it. And the text will tell you why. Because the disciples failed.
09:32 And let me just explain a little bit of if you read it, try not to psycho analyze it too much, but you can
09:37 understand the degree of it. The Luke text says being in anguish. The Greek word here is agoni. Agonai is where you
09:45 get the word agony is used in war. Is is a language at warfare. And that's why it
09:51 says his sweat was like drops of blood. It's like when you're cut with a sword, the sweats drop like like blood.
09:59 I have people I know who go through life normal, happy
10:05 and then suddenly on a day just shut off. One of the brothers whom I'm very
10:10 close with, one of the spiritual pillars who I've known for years confided in me
10:16 recently after two years, three years of knowing me that he had depression. And he'll tell me he'll wake up in the
10:22 morning, he just feel very down. He'll close the curtains of his room, make sure the
10:29 wife, everyone has left, and you know what he does? He'll binge watch YouTube.
10:35 He'll binge watch the whole day. At the end of day, he goes into what is known as FOMO. FOMO means uh fear of missing
10:43 out. That's a syndrome you go through. And then he feel lousy about himself and
10:49 then he compare himself to everyone. And this is a guy who knows his Bible at the back of his head. who runs classes
10:56 to encourage people who taught me many things and I said bro you you you
11:03 struggle with this he said yes so this is a real issue we need to deal with this and the starting point is very
11:09 simple it's not rocket science talk about it now how do we talk about it who
11:14 do we talk about that's a different story but you need to talk about it now why do we not talk about it so let's go
11:21 to some illustrations that old people don't get but try to keep These are stormtroopers for the
11:26 uninitiated. Stormtroopers appear in the Star Wars mythology. Okay, they are the soldiers
11:33 of the empire and now the first order. If you don't understand Star Wars mythology, what is the purpose of
11:40 stormtroopers? And there are legions and legions of stormtroopers. Number one, the role of stormtroopers are to be
11:47 shot. Number one, you watch a movie, they can't aim straight. They die like flies.
11:55 The rule of stormtrooper to be shot to be blown apart and to appear in talent shows
12:02 for entertainment. So the stormtrooper is a mindless
12:07 representation of a community. A community that thinks the same way,
12:12 looks the same way, is expected to be that way. I hope you know where I'm
12:17 getting at. That's what it is. Now, why is this interesting? Because six movies
12:22 they portrayed the stormtrooper and his predecessor know as a clone trooper that way until the seventh movie.
12:31 Suddenly the mindless stormtrooper had a face. Suddenly the mindless stormtrooper took
12:37 off his mask and beneath that menacing mask was a scared person.
12:45 It says a lot. It's a narrative. It's very powerful. You know the Japanese have this word is
12:51 called h and tatamay. The Japanese word the term h and tatamay
12:57 means h is what I think tatamay is what I say in Japanese culture which is very
13:04 much like a stormtrooper culture because the society is supposed to be performed
13:09 in a certain way as opposed to western society which is very individualistic. In Japanese society, what you think is
13:17 not important, you keep it to yourself. What's important is tatamay. You behave in what is expected of you in your
13:25 culture. Now, doesn't that tell you about church? Come to church, I'm supposed to worship
13:33 happy because everyone's happy. I go to Bible study, I'm supposed to contribute
13:38 Bible because I I'm supposed to behave a certain way because I'm in FBC.
13:45 So I put on a mask. So this illustration is powerful. Now the question you ask is
13:51 how do you get people to remove the mask? And the movie has a powerful analogy.
13:58 He gets shaken out when he sees blood.
14:04 The blood of a death shakes him. And the blood of the lamb, the blood of our
14:11 savior who did not have a mass who told his disciples he was sorrowful to the
14:17 point of death, who died humbly, who died a death most disgraceful is telling
14:23 you the church is not a place for mask. Let's start talking. What kind of mask
14:30 we have? Let me give you a few again. Star Wars. Sorry, Star Wars junkie.
14:35 Darth Vader. Some of us are like that. We want to be strong. We we hide behind
14:40 our Bible knowledge. We hide behind the fact that, you know, we want to ptoic. We hide behind the fact that we we we we
14:47 want to sin to be to be very capable. But when you remove the mask, you see
14:52 years of anguish and pain. That's Darth Vader under King Skywalker. Some of us
14:59 wear mask because we want to be somebody else. We see someone else like that and we want to follow we think we be like
15:05 that we be happy but underneath that mask is a very conflicted person kyan.
15:13 So mask we all wear masks. You see depression, anxiety is not a matter of
15:18 choice. We have to bring this to the church to recognize some people struggle with it. Sometimes the circumstances
15:25 David, Elijah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Job all suffered from this. Even
15:31 Paul suffered from second Corinthians. But the church likes to tell people you're depressed because of your
15:37 actions. You must have done something wrong. And some people have disorders and and the church needs to embrace
15:44 this. And we need to destigmatize this so that people come to church, they
15:50 don't feel like they're being targeted if they open up. They don't feel like they need to shield up and put up a mask
15:56 because I suggest to you that's unbiblical. Scripture is telling us clearly that's
16:02 not how a church functions. How do we do it? We will go through that. You see, there are two extreme positions. One is
16:08 go see a therapist. I'm going to recommend to you the medicine he's going to give you is called serotinoptic
16:15 inhibitors it helps your serotin level nothing to do with the church another one which is
16:20 what Christians like to do with spiritualization you must have sinned man you must have done something wrong
16:26 Christians love to give opinions because of that because of that stigma people
16:32 shut off because to go back to the prayer of David they don't want people to look at them and say there's
16:37 something wrong with you that's a starting So those that hurt need three groups of
16:43 support. And today I want to look at peer support because peer support
16:48 involves every single one of you in this room. Every single one. So how do we do
16:54 that? You do that as a church. And what does the church do? You say, "Look, I'm I I I don't know the Bible. I can't I
17:01 can't give counseling." No need. You only need to do two things. You need to comfort and support. And everyone in
17:08 this room can do that. We have to stop the stigma and bring the power of the
17:14 church upon those that hurt in our midst. Now what's interesting about the text is that Jesus declared his anguish
17:21 to three people only. Now there's important point of distinction and the way the verse goes the background is 12
17:28 people went to Gethsemane. Out of the 12 he put three aside and only with the
17:33 tree he opened up. That's the template. No one's asking you to take a megaphone
17:41 and tell the whole world, I have a problem. We get it. But you have to open
17:46 up to a few people. In Jesus' case, it was the three closest people. He had
17:52 Peter and the sons of Zebedee. Now, let me give you example how this work. This
17:57 individual comes to the first service. I had permission to uh bring up a story.
18:02 If she had demanded I remove her picture from the slides, I will do so. But you know, beyond that, I got a permission.
18:10 If you don't know her name is Morin Jay. Okay. So, so let's be real. You don't
18:16 come to church and tell people I got a problem because sometime people don't know how to react.
18:21 But what you don't do is come to church with a mask. You see the difference? No one's asking you to declare. But be
18:28 real. Be real. So she came one day for a meeting and she was very downcast and
18:35 then and the meeting was only a few people and she said she she was real.
18:40 She said I couldn't go on and pastor Leon was there. What do you think Pastor
18:46 Leon did? You think he opened the Bible and exedited to her, counseledled her?
18:51 What do you think he did? He went to his car and brought out his guitar worship
18:56 pastor. Then he played to her. After that, pastor Joash who sat there
19:02 didn't know what to do also went away came back with another guitar
19:09 and both of them played the guitars. Pastor Lee who sat there who didn't have a guitar
19:15 waited for them to finish playing and then he prayed. That's three people.
19:23 That's what Jesus is teaching us. And all it asks is for you not to put on
19:29 a smile if you don't feel like smiling. Sometime I ask people how are they? They
19:34 say I'm fine. And you know they're not fine. But you see they're stuck. They can't tell you I'm not okay because Anna
19:41 I don't know you. I don't want to tell you my problems. So we we are jammed. You see? But I think scripture does
19:46 start off with this. You got to find a small community that does do these
19:52 things. They comfort and they support. No one's asking you to preach. No one's asking you to give fancyful advice. You
19:58 just need to comfort. You need to support. This is the the pyramid we use.
20:04 We tend to use this in disciplehip. What we forget. Disciplehip often involves
20:10 looking after people when they are down. So, uh Larry Crab looks at this way. You
20:16 start from a huge group. Communal empathy. That's all of you here. Then it goes to a smaller group. That's
20:25 the life group. And then it goes to the third level. That's the three people. This is the three tier approach of
20:32 community support. The first one is this. So here's here's my struggle with second
20:38 service people. Here's my struggle. First service a bit better. I I want to be honest. You see, if if I if I'm if I
20:45 have an issue with anxiety, depression, I and I sit there, I know I should talk to somebody, I'm not going to make the
20:51 first move. You know what helps me to make the first move? It helps me if after the service I say, "Hey, anyone
20:57 got problem? Come in front." A lot of people come. If a lot of people come, I hide in the crowd. Then I will go up to
21:04 Arnold or someone and say, "Hey, can you pray for me?" And I and here's if I can
21:09 give you a loving rebuke. The tragedy is that this will not happen second service. I hope I'm wrong, but if I do
21:16 it end of today, you will just stare at me again. So, we need to find something else. Maybe you're not ready, right? But this
21:23 is where anonymity is important because if I have an issue, if I got a marriage problem, I got I'll probably go to
21:28 someone outside. I won't go from the church because stigma. Level one. Level two is the life group. The live group is
21:35 where you begin to learn some of these issues and learn skills. So, here's the thing. you your in your group, you're
21:41 having this profound Bible study. Are you able to pick up body language from
21:46 people who are going through problems? That's the role of the Bible study leader. You're giving a profound
21:51 thought. The guy just had a bad day at work. He doesn't want to hear you. He wants you to love him and support him.
21:59 And a lot of this requires hearing skills. So I want to really encourage especially if you're a Bible study
22:04 leader small group leader come to GMA because listening skills is two part
22:10 verbal and non-verbal listening and so the live groups becomes more connected
22:15 and the third of course is when you go to a small group with few people
22:21 let me just go through some other issues are you spiritually slumbering Jesus
22:27 just gives one commandment to the three of them stay here. Keep watch with me.
22:34 And we find a little later he tells him to pray. But praying vigilantly, keeping watch. And what do they do? They sleep.
22:42 Three times the text is saying they sleep. Why do they sleep? Verse 45, Luke 22, they're exhausted from sorrow. So
22:50 here's a reality check. When when I have a problem, when you and I have a problem, an issue at home, at work, and
22:57 my health, that that issue so surrounds me, it becomes the lenses in which I see
23:02 every issue in my life. I can't think straight because the issue so covers me.
23:08 I view life through those issues. And this is what the text is saying. The sorrow exhausts you. And when the sorrow
23:16 exhausts you, you are not awake. and all commentators have picked up the text is
23:23 not so much about physical sleeping but it's a metaphor for spiritual slumber.
23:29 So spiritual slumber comes about because you don't know yourself as much as you
23:35 think you do. Spurgeon say this in the long run we will do more by sometime
23:40 doing less. Here's the thing. I want to bear a soul about myself.
23:46 The church now is run by a handful of people that goes on overdrive. You know, because Peter goes on overdrive.
23:54 So, here's the honesty. And then they expect a few people to go on overdrive.
24:00 So, can I be honest with you? I run my own business, you know. So, when people come and tell me they have no time, I
24:07 tell them, "If you have no time, I have no time. because I'm as busy as you. I'm a
24:13 father. I'm a husband. I run my own business. I sign checks on Mon on on next Monday because it's salary day. I
24:20 lobby for work. I look at HR. I bring in projects. It's not easy. But here the
24:26 dichotomy of the church. The church runs by expecting a few people to go on overdrive. The rest don't do much. What
24:33 happens long term? Long-term is bad for both sides. One, people like us burn out.
24:39 people like you don't get involved and what the church wants is to spread
24:44 the community out. That's what Jesus saying. The work spreads out. You take a bit more of my work. I then am not
24:53 tempted to put on a mask when I feel burned out and come on Sunday and people say, "Can you pray for me?" And I feel
24:60 rotten. Today's not that day. Don't worry about it. But the point is that I mean the lesson you learn from the
25:05 suicide or the pastor is that when you're in leadership you you feel you have to you have to put on a mask. So if
25:12 you don't want your leaders to burn out everybody takes the load. And here's the
25:17 way spiritual slumber goes to home. Now let me just take a little bit on a parenting issue. Slumber means you're
25:23 not aware of certain things. Selfies people say selfie is a small matter. Why you make a big deal? For all the
25:30 uninitiated parents, let me tell you what selfies is. It's not like it's click pause Facebook. You know how
25:36 people take photo. They take the thing here. Click click click click click click pause.
25:42 Click click click click click click click click. After click what they do, so pick select. So select select click
25:49 click select. Ah after select maybe 20 30. Then after you narrow down after
25:54 that what you do you do editing. The eyes might look bigger. The hair
26:00 must be like that. After you edit, what you do? You must pause. After you pause, what you do? You wait for the
26:09 thing. If people give, your dopamine level goes down.
26:16 And parents don't realize how deadly this is because it's a it's a need for approval.
26:22 And I think parents if you don't mind me saying a lot of us are quite we a lot of
26:28 us I'm not judging anyone can be quite unaware what's going on what happens in
26:34 our kids and we don't see signs like the disciples we are not awake
26:43 you see and when they fall Jesus makes indictment on them he says couldn't you
26:48 men watch with me verse 40 for one hour watch and pray so you will not fall into temptation. What is the temptation
26:55 you're talking about? Is it generic? And he say the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. What is the temptation? It's
27:01 specific. It goes back to an earlier verse, verse 35. Peter declared, even if
27:07 I have to die with you, I will never disown you. And boy, he falls into temptation before the end of the night.
27:13 He will disown. That's a specific temptation. Cantonese
27:20 means you talk a lot but you don't know yourself. You think you are strong you are not. And you know why people don't
27:28 open up to people in church because Christians sometimes can be the most judgmental people on the face of the
27:33 earth. Not only judgmental we going to opinion on everything. So if you if you you have a mother and you walk out there
27:40 your mother fall out there they will rush to you fall down you know your
27:45 mother need to drink pineapple juice your mother should go for physiootherapy
27:51 you should put your mother in a home you as a daughter you don't take care your mother you bombard the person actually
27:58 hello did I ask for your opinion thank you very much the church is very famous for unsolicitated opinions so no 100
28:06 people don't open up. They don't open up simply because we show absolutely no
28:12 empathy. And I'll tell you in the issue of homosexuality, that's the biggest area. You see, look
28:19 at all these words. Who said this? Bible scholar. Who said this wife? Who said
28:24 that? Best friend. You all know, right? Jonah's wife and Job's wife and Job's
28:30 friends. We all don't know our limits. I was in Sabah recently. We were looking
28:35 at a project with a Saba developer. Do you know you want to really put off a
28:41 Sabahan? You know what you tell them? You really want to annoy a Sabahan? You tell them this. And we we don't realize
28:48 we put them off. You tell them this. In West Malaysia, we do it this way.
28:55 Ah, you really put them off because you're implying to them what? You're implying that Sabah very stupid.
29:03 Sabah not as good as West Malaysia Bah Sabah don't know how to do this Bah but
29:08 you don't realize it right they get annoyed because you are not empathizing with them and we become like Peter we
29:15 say a lot of things and we don't realize our words break people you know there's
29:21 an old saying you don't break the wings of a bird if you want a bird to fly and
29:26 you break the wings you know recently we had a suicide prevention workshop among the leaders path and we had a therapist
29:34 come and teach us and the therapist works with young people. You know what is the number one thing you don't tell
29:42 young people when they're struggling issues? So here's something to you parents who have teenagers. Do you know what's the number one thing you don't do
29:49 and we all say it is this during my time? Huh?
29:56 Ah because that's saying no empathy.
30:02 No empathy. We we do a lot of it. There's one more I I I was told after my
30:09 first the first service I told you so. I should add that to my sermon. But you
30:15 see sometimes we're so disconnected and that's why people are stigmatized. People don't want to talk because they
30:22 don't feel we empathize. We don't walk with people. Jesus tells you a simple
30:28 thing. Just comfort, just support. Be aware. That's enough. Job's friends were
30:35 doing great until they open their mouths. So, here's the last one. Learning to live your will be done
30:42 daily. And this is probably the key text because I got this from someone who went
30:47 through such darkness. And she explained to me how she went through it. She was at the first
30:54 service. So I won't mention names. You see there is three cycles of prayer
31:00 and the prayers repeat themselves. The prayers all the same. My father is impossible. May this cup be taken away
31:08 from me yet not as I will but as you will. Now that's very telling because you're talking about the humanity of
31:15 Jesus versus his divinity. This is God feeding 5,000 raised to death. He's
31:20 having second thoughts. That's what the text is saying. My father, if it's
31:26 possible, take this cup away from me. Jesus is having second thoughts.
31:32 And the text is telling you that's not wrong. Why? Because he caveats if it's
31:38 possible, not my will, but as you will. Now, that says a lot about what goes
31:43 through us when we're going through depression. Because he's depressed. He's having anxiety. What is it telling you?
31:49 Number one is telling you there are two voices. One is my will. Another one is the father's will. Now what's quite
31:56 interesting when we go to verse 42 the line shifts a bit. It is no longer if is possible. It is not if it is not
32:03 possible. So there's a bit of alignment away from this. But there is still that tension.
32:09 So here's the question I ask you. What's your cup?
32:16 What's your cup? You all have cups.
32:21 It could be financial, relational, health,
32:27 whatever. What's your cup? And the text is telling us if the son of man can
32:34 oscillate, so will we. And the text is telling us you focus less on the
32:41 bitterness of the cup, but more on the giver of the cup. It means this. And it
32:46 was a very dear lesson for me. And I want to especially stress this. If you are going through a turmoil,
32:54 you have to declare to God your will and then you have to put God's will
32:59 there and recognize that is that oscillation. You ask God this how I really feel. I
33:05 want my marriage to work. This how I feel like I want to take away this pain
33:11 but God I I don't know if it goes away your will be done. That I think is the
33:16 fundamental basis and the more we do it three cycles of prayer the number three
33:22 you know is significant scripture all of this means is an effort you keep doing it you move from bitterness of the cup
33:29 you concentrate more on the giver of the cup you see in pilgrim's progress the
33:35 pilgrim tries to go up the hill he and he's focused on the city of God but along the way there's distraction
33:42 temptation comes depression comes comes, anxiety comes and the text is telling us
33:49 keep focused. As you keep focused, the journey becomes easier. I want to end with this song and I ask the worship
33:56 team to come up is from Joanie Ericson. Tada. It was uh nominated for Grammy
34:01 last year. She is parallegic and has cancer. So if you think you have issues,
34:08 some people have it more. And I love the opening line because it to me states reality.
34:16 I'm alone. That's how I really really feel. That's that's my will.
34:22 Yet not alone. That's that tension, right? I'm alone yet not alone. God's a light that will
34:30 guide me home with love and tenderness. Leading through the wilderness and
34:36 wherever I may roam, I'm alone yet not alone.
34:43 I will not be bent in fear. He's a refuge I know is near.
34:50 In his strength I find my own. By his faithful mercies shown.
34:56 That so mighty is his shield. All his love is now revealed.
35:02 When my steps are lost and desperate for a guide,
35:07 I can feel his touch, a soothing presence by my side. Alone
35:15 yet not alone, not forsaken when on my own.
35:21 I can lean upon his arm, be lifted up from harm.
35:26 If I stumble, I'm crown. I'm alone.
35:32 yet not alone. Let us pray. We won't do an alter call today. We'll just sing the
35:37 song straight to the end. We'll do the benediction. But let us come in come with God in prayer. Lord, eyes closed.
35:46 We thank you. This is a heavy message and especially Lord, I ask for a
35:51 breakthrough in this service, but this service is a service of anonymity. Many people just wear masks. And if I offend
36:01 you, I'm sorry. Please rebuke me. But I lay this charge on second service. Many
36:08 here wear masks. And Lord, the role of the church is to make this a safe place
36:14 for people to talk. And Lord, that's all we ask now to start off with just that
36:19 that we are a safe place for people to talk because we are a community that supports and cares. Teach us to be
36:27 alert. Look out for those among us who suffer. Teach us to struggle to hear your
36:33 whisper between our will and your will. And Lord, right now I pray for those who have some cups of suffering. Um some of
36:41 people here have disorders which are clinical. We ask you, we ask your that their will
36:48 is to the cup be taken away. If not, your will be done. We ask for those who
36:56 struggle with personal issues, domestic abuse, trauma from sexual sins,
37:07 parental breakdown relationships. We know they are in the church, but we
37:12 wear masks. And right now his eyes are closed and no one's seeing. I just want I want to ask you to help me be the
37:18 community care. If you struggle with anything, no one's seeing you, would you just raise your hand and then I can just
37:24 pray for you? That's all. If you're just feeling down, that's all I ask. Would you just raise your hand and I can pray
37:29 for you? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you at the back. Thank you at the back. I
37:35 see you. Thank you. Thank you at the back. Anywhere else? Anyone? Thank you. I see those two hands at the back. You
37:41 may put your hand down. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else?
37:47 Thank you. I see your hand. At the end of this service, the the para counselor will stay behind. I will be
37:53 behind. And I ask wherever you are, whether you're a boy's brigader, whether you're a youth, you're a young adult, a
37:60 visitor, a foreigner, this church is for you. Let us start to talk about it. talk
38:08 to us because we are anonymous and we move towards finding you the two three
38:13 people that will walk with you. Lord, we thank you as we close with this song that sings about how deep is our
38:20 father's love. We will rejoice that you're never far from us and we learn
38:25 from saints that go before us. Yes, we are alone
38:32 but we are never alone. And we say this in Jesus name. Amen.
38:40 Can we rise as we sing this song? Let's just sing it two stanzas and then we'll close.
38:56 How deep the father love for us.
39:05 of us beyond all measure
39:13 that he should give his only son
39:21 to make a rightous treure.
39:32 How great the pain of scaring lost.
39:40 The father turn his face away.
39:49 wounds which mother chosen one
39:56 bring many sons to glory.
40:09 Behold the man. Behold
40:15 a man upon the cross.
40:21 I sit upon his shoulders.
40:29 Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
40:37 call out among the scers.
40:45 It was my sin that held him there
40:53 until it was acing
41:03 breath has brought me life.
41:08 I know that it is finished.
41:16 Romans 8:38-39. For I'm sure that neither death nor
41:22 life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
41:28 nor height, nor depression, nor anxiety, not loneliness, nor pain,
41:34 not anything you are suffering, not anything else in all creation, claim
41:40 it today will be able to separate you from the love of God
41:48 in Christ Jesus our Lord. God and God's people say amen. The service is over.
41:54 Please leave in an orderly manner. The par counselors are around. I'm here.
42:01 Anyone wants to talk. There is no stigma. Nothing to be ashamed. Nothing to be
42:08 cons worried. Let's make FBC a safe place to share and talk and pray. God
42:15 bless you all. Have a great week ahead.
