Refilling the Tank: Spiritual Recovery (Mark Various) | 6/9/19
Mark Various | 6/9/19 | Will DuVal
My title for this message is “REFILLING THE TANK” [colon] “the Who, What, Where, When, & Why of Spiritual Recovery”. Got that? “REFILLING THE TANK: the Who, What, Where, When, & Why of Spiritual Recovery”.
KIDS: How many of y’all are cheering for the Blues in the Stanley Cup Final?
Alright – now let me quiz you: how many players for each team on the ice in hockey?
Now, do any of you know how many players on the Blues roster? Adults? 26 players! That means for every ONE player skating in the action, there are THREE guys just sitting there on the bench, making $1,000 a MINUTE to watch the game – WHY?!
Well, from what I’ve come to understand about hockey in the two weeks that I’ve CARED about it now , it’s basically like constantly SPRINTING at full speed while oh by the way, your opponents are trying to hit you as hard as humanly possible every 10 or 15 seconds. So you take shifts every minute or so to allow time for RECOVERY. PHYSICAL recovery.
And what we’re gonna study together this morning, as we continue to work our way through the Gospel of Mark together, is the example that our Lord JESUS set for us, of taking time for SPIRITUAL recovery.
Now, This idea of “spiritual recovery” is related to, but distinct from, the practice of SABBATH. So, in Christianity, we inherit the Old Testament call to carve out 1 day a week to do no work, but to simply rest with God. This came up 2 weeks ago when Donnie preached on Mark 2, where Jesus calls himself the “LORD of the Sabbath”. Jesus DOESN’T say, I came to replace the Sabbath, but rather, to FULFILL it. So Heb 4:9 says: “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God”; but now, it’s no longer a DUTY, but rather, an INVITATION. Because Jesus has met the righteous requirement of God’s Law that you and I could not, He now offers us REST, in Him, as an INVITATION: “Come to ME, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you [what?] rest.”
And when I was originally sermon prepping for Church in the Park, and thinking, “What would make for a nice, inviting message to preach out in public for all to hear?”, I thought: I’ll preach about REST. We might even attract some stressed out parents from over at the playground, “Did someone say REST?!” B/c who doesn’t want to hear that message: “Hey – you deserve some REST”. But as I started looking more closely at these verses scattered throughout Mark where Jesus takes time off, I realized: I don’t think this is just about “rest”; it’s about RECOVERY.
And if I’m RIGHT about that, then it’s possible that TODAY’S invitation, to spiritual RECOVERY, may be less applicable for many Christians today. I PRAY that’s not true, of us, West Hills. I KNOW it will be relevant for so many of you. Who sign up for double shifts in WHKids... Who give up your day off work to volunteer at Bridge of Hope... Who don’t just “SURVIVE” parenting, but always look for new ways to POUR into your kids spiritually... our LG leaders, SS teachers, workplace evangelists – anyone who LIVES to minister, to witness, to be “on mission” for Christ – this sermon is for YOU! And we’re blessed at West Hills to have SO many faithful servants who fit that description. But frankly, preaching to most of the American Church today about their need for spiritual recovery, is like telling the 4th string Blues player who NEVER steps foot on the ice: “Hey, make sure you’re taking time off to rest and recover.” If he just sits on the bench, he’s gonna think you’re making FUN of him, right?!
I wonder if the reason so many Christians today struggle with prioritizing our quiet time with the Lord is that we don’t perceive it as a FELT NEED. When you sprint at full speed for a minute straight, you have a felt NEED for oxygen, right?
If we find it difficult to slow down and rest in the Lord, to refill our spiritual tanks - to be POURED into, with His WORD, with His presence through PRAYER – could it be that we’re not spiritually TIRED in the first place? KIDS – be honest: how many of y’all are already getting a little restless? We’re only 7 min. in, but parents, if you didn’t get here early and let them get some energy out on the playground, we’re gonna be in trouble, right? And maybe WE TOO find it tough to sit still with the Lord SPIRITUALLY because we’re not spiritually ACTIVE enough, pouring ourselves OUT.
Satan doesn’t have to get Christians to skate for his team to win. He just has to convince us that sitting in the stands and cheering for the right team from the sidelines is enough. When JESUS, our COACH, has called us to get in the GAME. “Go and make disciples of all nations”. “Be my witnesses to the ends of the earth”. It’s a BIG earth! LOTS of nations. Lots of people right HERE! All AROUND us, in this park, who in all probability, don’t know JESUS.
He’s left us with a big job to do: make sure EVERYONE hears this message. We should get tired often. And yet, the task is PURPOSELY too big for us. God intentionally set it up, so that we’d have to rely on Him. HAVE to take time to spiritually refill our tanks WITH Him.
So for all who DO share this FELT NEED for spiritual recovery this morning – this message is for you.
The “Who, What, Where, When, and Why” of Refilling your Tank
And I’ve asked our kiddos to help me out, READING each passage in their very LOUDEST voices, kids...
First - WHO? – WHO do we go to, to recharge our spiritual batteries, and who do we go WITH?
Well, we already answered part 1: we go to Jesus. “Come to ME, JESUS, and I’ll give you rest”. But the SECOND question, who do we go to Jesus WITH, is a 2-parter:
So you’ve heard this quiz for determining whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert: When you’re tired, do you recharge your batteries with time AWAY from people, or time WITH people? Heard that? Okay, so where are my EXTROVERTS? Who get energized by time with people? (hands) Okay, extroverts – I want YOU to listen to the first part of Jesus’ answer here:
Mark 1:35 (_________) – “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”
6:30-32 (_________) – “The apostles returned to Jesus ...And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.”
7:24 (_________) – “And from there Jesus arose ...And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know...” – like, maybe even his own disciples... ANYONE!
Extroverts reading through the Gospel of Mark start to think there’s something WRONG with Jesus! Like, why does he seem to want to get AWAY from people so often?!
I counted at least 5x in Mark, where Jesus sees a big crowd coming out to him, and “immediately, gets in a boat, and crosses to the other side of the sea” – textbook introvert, right?
Does Jesus just HATE people? No – he LOVES people, but He knows that in order to give them what they need FROM Him, that HE needs to regularly refill his tank ALONE, with God. Of all people, if ANYONE could have endured being around people all day long and continue pouring into them in a healthy way, Jesus was the guy. Keep in mind: every time he disappeared to the other side of the lake or mountain, he was leaving, walking away from MASSES of people who were hurting and begging him to stay, and yet Jesus prioritized alone time with His Father. Why? So that when he RETURNED to the crowds, they weren’t getting the dregs. He wasn’t running on fumes. Because Jesus, who CREATED you, extrovert that you are, He knows that the most extroverted among us still needs time alone with just you and God to recharge. And if you think you DON’T, that probably has less to do with you loving people so much, than it does with you HATING to be alone. Because of GUILT, or shame, or some past trauma of being abandoned, or just not liking yourself, or whatever the reason may be that makes being ALONE, difficult for you.
Introverts – where are you hiding? How ELSE does Jesus answer this question of WHO we recharge our batteries with?
3:7 (_________) – “Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea”;
3:13 (_________) – “And Jesus went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired”;
3:20 (_________) – “Then Jesus retreated home...”
And time and time again, we see Jesus prioritize time alone, but ALSO, prioritize time in community with a select few friends. And introverts: the most introverted amongst YOU, who is CONVINCED you could disappear off the grid, into the wild, and never see another human again in your life and be just fine (maybe even be HAPPIER for it!) – guess what: that too probably has less to do with your being “introverted” than it does with YOUR issues. Relationship issues. Trust issues. You’ve been hurt by people. Listen, I get it. Trust me.
But hear this too, Introverts: of all people who had every right to say, “FORGET YOU GUYS – I’m done with people!”, Jesus didn’t do THAT. He didn’t give up on his knuckleheaded disciples, he doesn’t give up on YOU when YOU fail Him over and over again, and that means WE don’t give up on each other either. Look around, Introverts: you NEED these people. Okay?
Have I offended EVERYONE now? So we can move on?
Secondly: WHAT? – Now that we know WHO we get refilled with (sometimes alone, other times in community); our second question is WHAT do we DO to recharge our spiritual batteries?
Well, we already read Mark 1:35 - “While it was still dark, Jesus went out to a desolate place, and did what? [prayed].”
How about Mark 6:46 (_________) – “After Jesus had taken leave of the crowd, he went up on the mountain to pray”
So how do we recharge? We PRAY. We go to the Father. You need to refill your tank? He is your spiritual GAS STATION.
Not Facebook. Not Netflix. Not the Stanley Cup Playoffs. These things aren’t inherently BAD. They may even have their PLACE, in a Christian’s life. I think it depends in large part on your motivation. A lot of what drives our entertainment culture today is escapism. We want something to distract us from stresses at work, stresses in the other room - the kids who won’t go to sleep. We just need to UNWIND at the end of a long day. RELAX and be distracted with something that has NOTHING to do with my 9-5. That MAY be fine; I can’t find biblical precedent FOR it, or explicitly against it. The Pharisees DID accuse Jesus of being a “glutton and a drunkard”; was that because he liked to take a load off after a long day of ministry and crack open a cold one and turn on the game? Did the apostle Paul, after a long day of preaching and disciple-making, like to blow off a little steam, in the steam ROOM, at the local Roman spa? We don’t know. But one thing is for sure: Unwinding, escaping, RELAXING... is not the same as REFILLING. You with me? RELAXING is different than REFILLING. So at BEST, if you’re trying to REFILL with video games, the Cardinals game – at BEST, you’re putting the wrong kind of fuel in the tank. Diesel in a gas-only engine. We refill with JESUS: With His word: Scripture; with His presence: prayer.
Third: “Who”, “What”, “WHERE”. Jesus specifically sends us to TWO places for spiritual refilling:
2:13 (_________) – “Jesus went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him...” You want to commune with God? Get out in Creation! Jesus went to the sea. Gary went to Lake Michigan. I love large bodies of water as much as anybody, but they are in such TRAGIC short supply in St. Louis; we got plenty of WATER, esp currently!, but none you want to rest with God on. So I go to the woods. Hiking. We take daily walks together as a family. How and Where do YOU meet with God in Creation?
3:1 (_________) – “Again Jesus entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand.” Secondly, we go to church, to get spiritually refilled. Jesus was ALWAYS hanging around the Temple and synagogues, because, as He told His mother – “Didn’t you KNOW that I had to be in my Father’s house?” Jesus said: I NEED this time together with God’s people.
And friends – WE need it too. Maybe this morning is your first time in a LONG time back in church – by the way, we’re IN church; WITH church. You realize that, right? West Hills Church is right here. Not at 13250 S Outer Forty Dr. That’s just a building. That the church happens to meet in most Sundays. THIS is church. And maybe this is your first time attending in a while – man, we’re so glad you’re with us! And I pray you’ll be so blessed by this time of community and worship that you’ll leave saying, “Man, I NEED more of THAT in my life!” And for our regulars: guess what - You need it just as bad in the summer as you do in the fall. I don’t know why we expect church attendance to drop off in the summer; when you go on vacation – please find a church to worship with. Please don’t miss for kids baseball games this summer; prioritize church. Because you NEED to be with God’s people REGULARLY. Heb 10:25. Amen? Which leads us to...
#4 – WHEN? Who, What, Where, WHEN do we steal away for spiritual refilling?
Mark 1:45 (_________) – “Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.” The point here is that we need to know our limits. Even JESUS had limits. At a certain point, there were just too many people, too overwhelming. And friends: we’ve ALL got limits. It’s part of what makes us HUMAN. The painful reminder that God is God, and we’re not. That we are NOT in fact omnipotent beings whose constant attention and effort are REQUIRED to keep the earth spinning... can I kindly ask you this morning: do you trust that the sun will still come up tomorrow if you take a day off?
We may have some folks here this morning who - God bless you – have been running dangerously close to “E” on the spiritual gas meter for TOO long now. Spiritual fumes. You’re teaching in WHKids, the youth group, leading a LG, working A/V, all while working a full-time job and trying to disciple up your OWN 5 kids, and man – you better find ways of REGULARLY getting filled up, cuz the laws of physics say you can’t GIVE any more than you GOT (Eli Sandhaus! ). But guess what – if HE’S gonna take the break HE needs, as a finite human, to recharge His spiritual batteries, OTHERS have got to step up and fill in the gaps. In order for Erynn Merchant who’s heading up lunch today and MOST of our fellowship events, but also wants to serve on Ally’s core team and make all the decorations for VBS AND stay in the teaching rotation and plan Christmas – if she’s gonna take a step BACK somewhere, someone else has got to step up.
Last time I checked, we’ve got close to 70% of our regular attenders serving SOMEWHERE in our church, which is DOUBLE most churches our size, but guess what, it’s still 30% less than our target.
Here’s another fun fact: all ELEVEN of the passages the kids have read for us this morning come from the first 7 of 16 chapters in Mark’s Gospel; there’s NO mention of Jesus resting in the entire second half of the book; why? Because He was a MAN on a MISSION! Jesus finished STRONG. He wasn’t about to limp across the finish line. And I’ll just say to our retirees: I admit; I can’t personally empathize with your stage of life; I know there are unique physical limitations, fatigue, etc. – but I pray that our retirees would set the pace and the tone and the example for the rest of us with their service. That you would use your retirement not as an excuse to do LESS work, spiritually at least, but MORE. More around the church; more in your neighborhood and community to spread the gospel. Cuz you’ve got more time now, right? And man, I am so inspired and grateful for those of you who do. Thank you. Way to finish strong! God bless you.
Lastly: Who, What, Where, When, WHY? WHY do we take time to refill our tanks?
We already recognized that we HAVE to. God CREATED us with limitations - we MUST rest; we literally DIE without sleep. But there’s an even deeper and more important answer to the Why question: we take time to refill our tanks not just because we have to, but because we CAN.
John 10:10 – Jesus said “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Jesus doesn’t call us to be mere cogs in His spiritual machine. And as much ministry as Jesus got done on earth, that’s not even what he MODELED for us. Consider Mark 2:15 (_________) – “And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.” What a beautiful picture. Of Jesus just hanging out, recharging his batteries, simply ENJOYING life with His friends. Because while we want to live with a sense of urgency, seeking to make the most of every day we’re given, every opportunity for gospel ministry, we also recognize that we can’t give more than we got, and that means we don’t just GOT to get more of Jesus every day; we GET to get more of Jesus – got that? Amen?
Let’s pray...