You're listening to Mountain View Church Audio, Christ-centered teaching from the Wilderness City, Whitehorse, UConn. Here's this week's message. Welcome to Mountain View Church. My name's Elijah. We're glad that you could make it, and I hope that our time together is a blessing to you today. I want to start off by acknowledging something. Here at Mountain View, we are a Christ-centered church. Everything we do and everything we teach orbits around Jesus. Our mission as a church does too. We're striving to introduce, baptize, and teach people to follow Jesus. So, whether you're someone who's just been introduced to Jesus today, or you've been following him for a long time, if you're new to Mountain View, we would love to connect with you. If you're online, you can click on the Connect link or text Connect to the number on the screen.
For those of you who are in-house, take a look at the Bibles in the seats in front of you. In it, you'll find one of these Connect cards. It would be super helpful for us if you filled it out and dropped it off with someone at the welcome desk. It gives us a way to reach out to you, and it helps us understand how new folks experience our gatherings. Thanks so much for joining us today. Now, here's today's Base Camp Kids Minute. Hi, everyone. I hope you are having a good weekend. Downstairs, our scrambler or preschooler are looking at the story of when Jesus was tested in the wilderness. One time, Jesus went to the desert and stayed there for a very long time.
During that time, he didn't eat any food, so he was very hungry. While Jesus was there, the enemy showed up and tried to trick him into doing a lot of wrong things. But Jesus told no to the enemy. Scramblers, do you want to know what Jesus did to win against the enemy? If so, join us downstairs at Basecamp, where we can learn together that God's word is true, and we can use it like a sword to defeat the enemy. And remember, our Basecamp program is available during our two gatherings at 9.30 and 11am. And if you cannot join us in person, don't worry, our weekly lessons and activities are available on our website at montanview.church.basecamp.
Have you ever heard of blue zones? Blue zones are regions where a higher than usual number of people live much longer than the average. These are pockets of people who live longer than the surrounding populations. One might wonder, what's their secret? According to the research of author and explorer Dan Buettner, a significant factor is related to their ability to stop working and rest as a way of life.
One such blue zone is found in Loma Linda, California, where its residents are blessed with an extra decade, you heard that right, an extra decade of life on average. The obvious question is, how did this happen? Well, for Loma Linda, it turns out that the large population of Seventh-day Adventists reside in that community who firmly adhere to a Sabbath day of rest. They're a people group who have collectively carved out a sanctuary in their schedules. This 24-hour break from daily life is focused on connecting with God and reconnecting with family and friends, which decompresses their minds. In turn, this relieves stress that might be lingering from the previous week and prepares their minds for challenges in the upcoming week. Over time, this practice has given them an average of 10 years more of life. The community of Loma Linda, California, has learned to stop working and put projects down for 24 hours, which is a huge return on investment, gaining so many years to continue working, learning, growing, and enjoying life.
Now, some of you might be thinking, hold on, Jeremy, hold on, hold on. Last week, you were advocating for a shift away from rigid laws and traditions. Are we backpedaling now, moving towards strict observance of the Sabbath? Not at all. Hear me out. As we highlighted last week, Jesus has liberated us from the law and traditions, giving us the choice of grace. And yet, we still need to follow the Holy Spirit's leading, which often points us toward the heart condition behind God's commandments.
The reason why Loma Linda sticks out is because most people in Western society are working themselves to an early grave. Even Western Christians have abused the grace we've been given when it comes to Sabbath rest. We've swung too far in the opposite direction, which has left us tired, stressed, and overworked. We've completely forgotten, or never learned how, to stop and be present with God and with our family and friends. As a culture, Western society has forgotten the skill of being, simply being. Instead, we're addicted to going, doing, and working. Ignoring the practice of Sabbath rest has become one of our greatest pitfalls.
So today, in the final week of our Not Quickly Broken series, we're going to tackle our final component of building spiritual resilience. We're going to take a deep dive into one of the most difficult yet beneficial spiritual practices. We're going to capture the ability to stop and how Sabbath enables the restoration of our presence with God and with each other. Through the Spirit's leading, we'll become people who know how to be present. Again, present with God and present with our loved ones. Let's get started with some historical context related to Sabbath. We'll be reading from the book of Exodus, found in the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Torah.
In Exodus 20 verses 8 through 11, we read, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male servant or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Recorded by Moses, God issued this commandment as an absolute for his people. It wasn't optional. They must remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Note that it wasn't just about taking a day off of work, though. It was deeper than that. It was about acknowledging God as creator of the universe and their deliverer from bondage in Egypt, talked about before in Exodus. This would have been a sacred day of rest that should be woven into the very fabric of their existence, like a divine rhythm of dependence on creator God. After a few millennia, this commandment, like many other laws, was corrupted. Religious leaders started to use laws and traditions to control people and rule over them.
They might have been following God's commandments, but they had completely lost their spiritual center on why these commandments were given in the first place. Now, if we fast forward to the first century, it was time for God to make a change, a big shift that we highlighted last week when God sent his son, Jesus, to upend religious controls. Jesus started to call out corrupt leaders while calling people to consider the heart condition behind God's commandments. In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 2. We witness a moment when Jesus redefines the understanding of Sabbath. Much like in last week's passage, Jesus highlights the heart condition behind the commandment. Again, the heart condition. I can't emphasize that enough. In Mark 2, 23 to 28, we read,
how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar, the high priest, and ate the bread of the presence, which is not lawful for any but the priest to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him. And he said to them, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. As Jesus and his disciples strolled through the grain field on the Sabbath, there wasn't a heart condition problem. There was no sin or rebellion in their actions by picking grain.
And yet, the ever-watchful religious elite questioned everything, concluding that they were somehow harvesting, maybe, I guess. These Pharisees had taken God's commandment to the highest level of nitpicking to a standard that's completely unreasonable. Thankfully, Jesus brilliantly responds by referencing one of their hero and forefathers, David. as an example to them. He reminded them that David, who would become the greatest king in Israel's history, also broke God's commandments when that situation warranted it. Jesus, in his unique way, emphasizes that the Sabbath was instituted for the benefit of humanity, to give them an abundant life, not to impose burdensome rules. We should memorize Jesus' declaration that the Sabbath was made for man, or humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath.
A day of Sabbath is for our benefit, to rest, reflect, and recreate. It's a scheduled pause to connect with God and loved ones, alleviating the overall stress of daily life. Jesus dismantles legalistic views to reveal the purpose behind taking a Sabbath. It's a gracious gift from God, a day set apart for him, which ultimately sustains us and helps us thrive. Note Jesus' tagline to his teaching, that he is the Lord even of the Sabbath.
By declaring himself as the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus asserts his authority to redefine its application and significance in our faith journey. This is also a touchpoint to our triune God that Jesus is intimately connected to the Father and therefore understands the Father's heart behind Sabbath instruction. If I think back, in 2022, our family initiated a scheduled 24-hour Sabbath practice every week for a few months. It was a strategic test of sorts to see if we could really do it. We got serious about it. We prepared meals the day before and even used paper plates to minimize the work of cleaning up. Because my work is so closely tied to my devices, I left my phone, my iPad, my MacBook untouched for that 24-hour time frame. Initially, I'm telling you, it was extremely challenging, but after a few weeks, I welcomed it. And guess what? Even craved it. Related to my connection with God, I enjoyed quiet moments of reading, praying, and meditating without the usual Bible and prayer apps that I use and love. It was different. Walking, jogging, and fishing without podcasts or audiobooks opened my mind to the Holy Spirit's leading. He revealed so much to me over that season of life.
Related to my family, I heard more stories and anecdotes from my kids that I would have missed otherwise. I played more games with them and took more walks with them. And I also read through an amazing book at that time titled The Rest of God by Pastor Mark Buchanan, Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath. And I would highly suggest getting a copy to anyone out there. Intentional Sabbath rest was great for my marriage as well. I learned to be still, which I'm not really good at, and connecting with my wife more, chatting about all sorts of topics, or just sitting and being with her. Not doing or going or working, just being with her.
I don't do that much. I need to do it more. All that being said, in preparing this message, I realize how much I miss that time and how we need to bring it back into our lives, at least occasionally, if we can, somehow. Even though I know better and I've experienced the benefits, the temptation of constant work and busyness is always looming. Perhaps you're skeptical about whether or not you really need Sabbath rest in your life. Let's find out with a small exercise that we'll engage in together.
For the next two minutes, as an instrumental song plays, I invite you to rest. Two minutes. This exercise will serve as a dual purpose. On one hand, offering a sense of liberation, freeing you momentarily from the busyness of your life. On the other hand, serving as a reflective moment, revealing the extent of your addiction to busyness and constant activity. We'll see if you can hold out. A few more ground rules before we get started. This is not a time to check email or text messages or scroll through social media. That's not allowed.
Please put your phone away unless you're watching this video through your phone. If so, just set it aside and watch from there. If you have a smartwatch, it's time to take it off and put it aside as well. And note that this isn't a time for Bible study or reading your Bible or even engaging in prayer in speaking to God. The next two minutes are a dedicated time of Sabbath rest, a moment to be still and listen to the still small voice of God's Holy Spirit. Let Him direct your thoughts. Without the need to check the time, make a to-do list, or even speak back to Him in your mind, just rest and listen. All right, are you ready? Everything set aside? Let's begin.
How did that feel? Was it freeing or was it stressful? Was it easy or was it difficult? The more important question is, what did the Holy Spirit reveal to you in that moment? The answers to those questions will reveal a lot about where you are concerning the spiritual practice of Sabbath. Imagine the transformation you would experience this year if you took a complete 24 hours off every week. We just did two minutes, but how much more, how much fuller could it be with 24 hours? Think about how much more he could reveal to you if you gave him 24 hours of listening.
Think about how present you could be with him if you cut out that time. Think about how present you would be with your family and friends if you cut that work out, or you just cut your phone out for the day. Isn't that worth missing a day of work each week? Not to mention the information we gleaned from those blue zones. If you make a commitment to Sabbath for one day each week, you could add 10 years on your life. Isn't that worth it? It's so worth it. Now, here's the truth revealed in both the scriptures and the research, and even in the small exercise that we participated in.
God has woven rest into the very fabric of human existence for our benefit. As a human being, we need it, like food and water. We need a day of restoration and renewal. Remember, Sabbath enables the restoration of our presence with God and with others. It's a time to recognize our dependency on God and not on our human efforts. It's an act of submission to his provision and protection. And let's face it, if we can't let something go for 24 hours, that is a very clear sign that work has completely consumed us. We need to stop. Consider Jesus teaching one last time.
He's inviting you to embrace a day of Sabbath, not as a legalistic duty, but as a source of spiritual nourishment. It's an invitation to pause and take in the goodness of God and the gifts of family and friends. Why not make it a spiritual practice? Choose a day now and schedule it into your phone for the next month just to see what would happen. What do you have to lose? On that day, no work and turn off phone notifications. Put it into airplane mode or just put it in a drawer for the day. Start this week. Choose one day. Stop and rest.
Before I close today's message, I felt it appropriate that we should take communion together. Communion is an excellent time to rest and reflect on our relationship with God, to be reverent and thankful for the gift of his son. We pause and focus on Jesus who gave his life on the cross so that our sins would be removed and God's wrath against sin would be appeased. Feel free to pause the video or audio right now if you need to. Gather together some bread or crackers and some juice or wine. Then we can continue together.
Assuming you're prepared, we'll begin reading from Matthew 26, starting in verse 26. We'll begin with the bread, starting with a prayer, the scripture, and then we'll take the bread together. Then I'll move to the cup with a prayer, the scripture, then we'll take the cup together. Let's pray. Dear Father, I thank you for this time together where we've looked at Sabbath rest, the ability to stop and put aside work and busy life for a moment to be with you and to be with the loved ones that you've given us. I thank you for this and I pray that we would reflect on it deeply and change how we orchestrate our weeks.
let us cut a day out for you, not as a legalistic thing, but as a heart condition thing, that we might give it to you willingly within the grace you've offered through Jesus. And in reference to your son, Jesus, we thank you for the gift that you've given us on the cross. Jesus, we thank you that you willingly went to the cross and you paid for our sin and you took the wrath, took the punishment for us. As we take this bread, we remember your body, which was broken, whipped and beaten beyond recognition. It's hard for us to think about and to see in our mind's eye, and yet we know it to be true, and we know it's important for us to remember so that we understand the penalty of sin. And so we take this bread in reverence and thanksgiving. In Jesus' name, amen. Matthew 26, verse 26. Now, as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. Dear Father, now we move to the cup.
which is a symbol of the blood that was shed by your son, Jesus, at the cross. The thorns in his brow, the nails in his hands and feet, and the spear in his side. The blood which is important for atonement of sin. Jesus, we thank you again for going to the cross, that you were the perfect sacrifice, fully God and yet fully man, perfect in all ways. We could have never achieved what you achieved. And we can't work hard enough or do enough good to achieve the righteousness that you've given us freely.
through your death. So as we take this cup, we remember your blood that was shed. And again, in reverence, we thank you. In your name we pray. Amen. Verse 27 of Matthew 26. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. Thank you so much for taking this pause with us.
Thank you for resting and reflecting and for taking communion. Now, we have a couple of closing updates, so don't leave quite yet, and then I'll be back with this week's discussion and prayer focus, and I also have a special announcement about the next series that you're not going to want to miss. Thank you for attending Mountain View Church today. If you'd like to know more about Jesus or our church, if you'd like to find out about our weekly community groups, or if you'd like us to pray for you, go ahead and click that Connect link or text Connect to the number on the screen. Or, as mentioned, fill out one of these bad boys and drop it off at the welcome desk. We're also having our Next Steps course today from 1 to 3 p.m., which you are totally welcome to attend. It's a great way to get connected, learn more about who we are as a church, and what we're doing to make a difference in our city. We want to take a moment to thank those of you who have committed to supporting our church financially. Everything we're able to do is funded directly by your donations.
To provide ongoing support or to make a one-time tax-deductible donation, you can head over to our website at mountainview.church and click give or text give to the number on your screen. If you're in-house today, feel free to use a donation envelope found in the seats in front of you and just drop it off the donation box located at the back of the auditorium. Thank you again for joining us. Now, before you go, we have a few more updates and announcements followed by this week's discussion and prayer focus. Plot twist. I'm not going anywhere. I'm the youth director, and I've got to tell my kids what's up. So what's up, players? Senior youth, are you guys ready for tonight? We're going to be back in the V in Riverdale to bomb down some sketchy hills in our rickety sleds in the dark. It's going to be super safe. You'll love it. We're going to have hot chocolate, headlamps, a first aid kit that we definitely won't use. It's going to be great. Bring your friends. And make sure you bring a sled, toboggan, crazy carpet, whatever. Just make sure you have something to sled down on. And bring some spares if you have them. Parents.
Parents, listen up. We will not be at the church building at all tonight. Not even once. So drop your kids off at the base of Grey Mountain Road at 6 p.m. and come grab those hooligans from the same spot at 8. See you tonight, everyone. Hello, everyone. My name is Rachel, and if you are interested in volunteering in Base Camp or any of our youth programs, I would love to invite you to our Plan to Protect training. Plan to Protect is a program we use to ensure the protection of our staff, volunteers, children, and vulnerable adults that participate in our various programs and groups.
A key component to protection is annual training for those serving with the vulnerable sector. We want to do everything we can to protect children, youth, and vulnerable adults. This training is mandatory for those who are working with the vulnerable. The training includes awareness, what is abuse and how prevalent is it? Protection, how can we protect the vulnerable and how do you report abuse? Prevention, how can we prevent abuse and how can we prevent false allegations? Please meet with us downstairs in the base camp area for training from 1.30 to 3.30 p.m. on Sundays, February 11th and 25th.
If you have any questions or if you'd like to sign up for the training, please feel free to contact me, Rachel Nice, at the email below. Thank you. Well, it's that time again for our discussion question and prayer focus, so gather with whomever you're with right now or drop some comments in the feed below. Send us a message. We'd love to hear from you. Here we go. Discussion question. Consider the two-minute Sabbath exercise that we took part in. How did the Holy Spirit speak to you? And how could regular Sabbath rest enhance your spiritual well-being? How did the Holy Spirit speak to you in that two-minute Sabbath exercise? And in thinking about that, how could regular Sabbath rest enhance your spiritual well-being from this point forward?
After you've talked about that, spend some time in prayer. Pray for discipline to embrace Sabbath restoration, implementing intentional steps for ongoing spiritual renewal. Again, pray for discipline to embrace Sabbath restoration, implementing intentional steps for ongoing spiritual renewal. Now, please come back next week. We have a month-long study coming up in the book of Job, found in the Old Testament. Now, this is very special because this next series will be taught entirely by our pastoral apprentice, Elijah Aschenko. As a final ministry initiative of sorts in his apprenticeship, Elijah has been working diligently to plan out this entire series on its own.
He's going to be teaching and preaching as if he was the leader senior preacher without any help from me. And I'll just be watching on the sidelines with you and coaching him with some other leaders and elders in our church. You are not going to want to miss this next series. This is an important moment in Elijah's pastoral journey as he launches out this coming year to become a lead or senior pastor of his own. It's so exciting. Please do not miss it. We'll see you next week for the book of Job.
If you prayed to receive Jesus today or would like to connect with our church community, visit mountainview.church and click the connect link. If this podcast and radio ministry has been a blessing to you, please consider partnering with us or making a tax-deductible donation at mountainview.church. Thanks for listening to Mountain View Church Audio. Join us next week for more Christ-centric teaching from the wilderness city of Whitehorse UConn.