Transcription
Warmest greetings. This is Pastor Mark, of course, and I'm here in a rehabilitation center in Northern Virginia. Some of you have said to me, "Pastor Mark, whatever happened to you?" But before I describe that, let me just thank you for your prayers, your support, your encouragement, your notes, your emails. You know, it's a wonderful thing to be part of the worldwide church of God and to know that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. As Seventh Day Adventists around the world and as fellow Christians, we hold one another up in prayer. We bear one another's burdens. And so, thank you for lifting me up to the Lord.
Well, here's what happened. We have a pastor's retreat center also for physicians and administrators and groups that come to us in Northern Virginia. And I had been in one of our facility facilities. We have about 20 acres of land. And I was rushing to up a trail to go to another one of our facilities. Stepped in a route, fell over, broke my femur, dislodged the ball from the top of the femur right at the hip. So I've had to have major major surgery. And I am just so thankful for so many things. I'm thankful that I was lying on the trail. I could get my cell phone and called brother George and my wife to come and help me. What a blessing. What if I didn't have my cell phone and was lying there for many hours? Would have been terrible situation. I'm sure my wife would have come looking for me and others. But uh that was such a blessing.
Also that very same day we had a number of physicians coming to our retreat center. And so before many hours I had a physicians were there, an internal medicine specialist, radiologist, anesthesiologist, orthopedic surgeon, they were all coming to the retreat and through this whole process they gave wonderful counsel and guidance. Now I had a very extensive surgery, lost a lot of blood in the surgery, but I'm recovering well, but I'm learning a lot of new techniques. Let me show you a few of the techniques. If I want to take off my socks, I've got to use this little gizmo here. And my would my shoe would be off. I catch my sock right here and uh try to push my sock off. You know, I'm not a specialist at as you can see yet. But here we go. I've got it. And so if I were uh by myself, I can take my sock off. Now, how do you put your sock back on? Well, when if I want to put socks on here, I have what we call a reacher. So, I can reach anything here and uh pull my socks back up with my with my reacher. You see? Uh so, these instruments are really helpful. I'll show you how I use my reacher later. Then, because I couldn't move my leg, my left leg is where I have my surgery, but I can take this and I can move my leg. I can move it up, I can move it down. This, of course, is not the surgical leg. and it would give me a lot more power, a lot more pain if I try to pull this up too far. Um, I'm learning to use my wheelchair, learning to use my walker, and uh, the Lord is very, very good to me.
I want to talk to you today about something that may surprise you. And what I want to chat with you about is why you can be thankful in all things. Now, the Bible is very specific. The Bible puts it this way. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and uh it says in verse 16, "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Now, I want you to notice carefully the wording. The Bible does not say, "Rejoice in everything that happens to you." It says, "Rejoice at all times, no matter what happens, and you pray without ceasing." Now notice what the Bible says. In everything give thanks. It does not say for everything give thanks. I don't give thanks because I broke my femur. I don't give thanks because a person um a Christian is hit by a car when they're crossing a street and killed. I don't give thanks that they're killed. I don't give thanks that bombs are dropping and children's legs are being blown off. But the Bible is very interesting, isn't it? Let me explain that to you. It says, "In everything give thanks." In other words, whatever circumstance you find yourself in in life, you can find things to be thankful for. In that circumstance, in everything, give thanks.
So, what are some of the things that I can be thankful for? I jotted them down. I'm going to use my uh little gripper here to get my notes. And um what are some of the things that I can be thankful for in all of this? One, when I put my foot on that route, I was on like a little dam. It was crossing between two pretty good size embankments and I could have easily stumbled and gone down into the water. I didn't. In everything give thanks. I give thanks to God that I wasn't injured more and that I didn't stumble and go down the embankment. I give thanks to God that there were physicians that were coming to our retreat center to help me. I give thanks to God because just before this, we were planning an evangelistic meeting via Zoom in China. We've done it a number of times. I sent the graphics to Daniel Jiao, the president of our work in China and we sent also to pastor Jiao the sermons word for word. So although I was injured and couldn't do the evangelistic series, I give thanks and praise God that Pastor Jiao stepped in did the evangelistic series and there were 3.4 million downloads, millions of people. It was a series on the book of Daniel.
Now what are the things that I give thanks for personally? Well, there are a number of things. The first thing that I give thank for personally is this. That God is teaching me to depend totally, completely and always on him no matter what happens in my life. That this tragedy that has happened to me is leading me to deeper trust in God. So we don't give thanks for every evil thing that happens. But within the context of that pain, that suffering, we learn to let learn lessons which we can be thankful for. In Isaiah 26:3 it says, "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever." So if our minds are fixed upon Jesus and we learn to trust in Jesus, then uh we have perfect peace. So I have peace. Do I have pain? Definitely. Is it difficult for a person that's active like me, not being able to get up and jump out of this wheelchair and walk? It sure is. But God gives me peace. Why? Because I'm learning to trust him more deeply.
There's something else that God is teaching me here. I don't know, maybe God needs to teach you this lesson, too. And here's what God is teaching me, that I am a mortal human being. And I was looking at that in my notes and jotted it down. 2 Corinthians 4:7 to10. You know, sometimes even at 81, we're doing five radio programs a week, preaching all over the world, um doing our YouTube ministry, counseling with people, have our retreat ministry, and sometimes, you know, you almost feel like, man, nothing. I I got I'm such good health, you know, I'm exercising. I've got a good diet. But what did the Apostle Paul say here in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, starting with verse 7? But we have this treasure. This is the treasure of Christ in earthn vessels. That the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. You see that word earthn vessels there? You know what that means? Cracked pots. So if somebody says to you, you're cracked pot, you are. You see, we are we are actually like clay cracked pots. We are so incredibly fragile. And so what the Lord uh is helping me to see in all this tragedy that I've gone through and all this suffering is that my body is very fragile and that I need to not only take care of it but I need to place priorities on the things of eternity because no matter what how good your diet is, no matter how much exercise you get, no matter how much rest you get, no matter how much close you are to Jesus, if Christ doesn't come, you're going to age. And the important thing to recognize is found in second uh Corinthians chapter 4 and um if you look there is verse 17 and 18 well verse 16 to 18. These are wonderful verses. Therefore we do not lose heart. Why not? Even though the outward man is perishing yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. So I say Lord my outward man is perishing. I'm getting older now. I'm 81 years old, you know, almost. And the outward man is perishing. But the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction is what? For a moment. So the afflictions we have are for a moment. Jesus is going to come. All this pain is going to be over. Uh it's working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. So the afflictions we go through are working in us an eternal weight of glory. Why? Because we look at the things that are seen and not at the things that are seen, but the things that are eternal. Verse 18, we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
So here's the incredible good news. We don't lose heart. Why don't we lose heart? Because maybe our body is racked with pain. Maybe sickness has gripped our body. But we recognize that Christ is there with us in all the suffering, all the sickness of life. He says, "Lo, I'm with you always, even to the ends of the world world." And he says that this is light affliction. It's going to pass away soon. And he says, "Don't look at the things that are seen, but look at the things that are eternal. Keep your mind fixed on the things that are eternal."
So, here's some things that I'm thankful for. I'm thankful one that although I fell and broke my femur and I had an operation on my leg, that I didn't hit my head and have to have a brain operation. and and be unable to think and concentrate for the rest of my life. I'm thankful that when I fell, I didn't go down that embankment into the water because who knows what would have happened then. I'm thankful that I had pastor friends with me all during that period of time. I'm thankful that God can use all this to lead me to trust him more deeply. I'm thankful as well that although the light affliction is but for a moment, that my inner man can be renewed day by day and I can trust Jesus more.
And you know what else I'm thankful for? Here in the book of Corinthians, there is an amazing section that talks about God comforting us in our trials, God comforting us in our pain, God comforting us in our suffering. 2 Corinthians 1:3, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation. So I can open my heart and receive comfort from Jesus. Now and it says that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort that we ourselves are comforted of Christ. So God sometimes allows us to go through suffering or pain. Why? So that we can have the ability to comfort others. On Sabbath afternoon, I went visiting here the rehab center and they reeled me to different rooms where I could pray with people. I had friends here that sang to people. Just today, I was praying with one of the physicians here. Just today I was praying with one of my healthc care providers. So God is comforting me in this pain so that I can comfort others.
But look at what our text says. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we all suffer. For as verse 5, for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation abounds through Christ. When we suffer, we understand and identify with Christ. The Christ with nails driven through his hands. The Christ who had a crown of thorns jammed upon his head. The Christ with the blood running down his face. the Christ who suffered with the sins of humanity. So every aspect of physical suffering enables us to identify with Christ and his suffering and draws us close to him. So I'm thankful that I bear very little pain, very little suffering in comparison to what Jesus bore. But I'm thankful that through all this suffering, I can be drawn closer to Jesus, my Lord, who suffered for me, who bore the sins of humanity on Calvary for me. I'm thankful that I can have a little part in his suffering so that I can understand his heart longing for the sufferings of the human race.
There's one more thing that I think is incredibly important when you go through suffering. Remember Jesus, so let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again. Suffering enables you to realize that this world is not our home. This world is not our permanent dwelling place. So Jesus says, "Don't let your heart be troubled." And here in Revelation chapter 21, the Bible speaks of a day that there is no more pain or suffering. Verse four, God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There'll be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There'll be no more pain for the former things who passed away. Then he who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And he said to me, "Right, for these words are true and faithful." Sometimes when I'm going through such pain with this hip and can't raise my leg, I say, "Lord, this is all temporary. One day you're going to come and Jesus is going to come and all of us are going to have new bodies. And the pain that we suffer now is going to be gone."
I don't know what pain you may be going through today. It may be emotional pain, the pain of emotional trauma and heartache because of broken relationships, difficulties in family. It may be the pain of chemotherapy or the pain of radiation therapy, the pain of cancer. It may be the pain of a broken body or broken brokenness in your bones. I don't know what that pain is, but I know this. Jesus said, "Lord, I'm with you always, even to the end of the world." He said, 'I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Look in the context of your pain around you. There will be people that will support you, people that are praying for you, people that will encourage you. Look in the context of your pain for something to be thankful for. Lift your spirits to trust a God who will take away all that pain and who will come again and deliver you.
Let's pray together. Father in heaven, thank you for my dear friends that have held me up in this pain. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you fully, completely. Thank you even from here in this place so I can find a place to minister in this rehabilitation center. Continue to lead me to people that I can share your love with. And for those who are watching this video who are going through pain, Lord, bless them in all of their suffering. Bless them in their pain. Help them to know that you are with them. Help them to find things to be thankful for. Even this, Lord, we're not thankful for evil. We're not thankful for sickness, suffering, or disease. But in those things, we do not have to have a bitter spirit. In whatever lot comes to us in life, we can find something to be thankful about and to praise you. But most of all, we praise you that one day sickness and suffering will be over and pain will be over and we can see Jesus forever.