God’s Got You (Holly Furtick)

0:00:04.960 --> 0:00:06.200 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 0:00:06.240 --> 0:00:09.280 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. 0:00:09.440 --> 0:00:11.600 Be sure to subscribe so we can get you these 0:00:11.640 --> 0:00:13.680 new sermons every week. 0:00:13.960 --> 0:00:20.400 Hope you're blessed today. 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:25.320 Okay, So here's our scripture, Matthew, Chapter eleven, verse twenty eight. 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:29.480 Jesus is talking, and he says, come to me, all 0:00:30.080 --> 0:00:33.760 you who are weary and burdened, and I will give 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:37.120 you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me. 0:00:37.560 --> 0:00:40.600 If I am gentle and humble in heart, and you 0:00:40.600 --> 0:00:43.839 will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is 0:00:43.920 --> 0:00:48.520 easy and my burden is slight. Lord, did you bless 0:00:48.600 --> 0:00:51.000 the reading of your word today? Thank you for the 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:54.080 message that you have given me. Speak through me now 0:00:54.200 --> 0:01:01.840 in Jesus name, I pray, Amen, you can be seated. Well, 0:01:01.880 --> 0:01:04.120 it's Mother's Day and I feel like it would be 0:01:04.160 --> 0:01:07.000 a miss if I did not take a minute to 0:01:07.080 --> 0:01:12.240 pick on my own kids. Now I have teenagers. Any 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:16.200 moms of teenagers here with me today? Let me know 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:20.280 online my kids are twenty. I know that's not a teenager, 0:01:20.319 --> 0:01:26.360 but it basically is twenty eighteen and fifteen. I know 0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:28.360 you're thinking, she does not look old enough to have 0:01:28.440 --> 0:01:29.520 children that age. 0:01:30.000 --> 0:01:30.240 I do. 0:01:34.120 --> 0:01:37.920 Okay, listen, So I'm just want to say that raising kids. 0:01:37.720 --> 0:01:38.840 Is no joke. 0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:41.360 And for those of you who are here, you didn't 0:01:41.440 --> 0:01:44.720 raise your hand. Maybe you have little ones and you 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:50.920 think that you cannot wait for things to get easier. Look, 0:01:51.200 --> 0:01:54.120 this is all I have to say. It doesn't get easier, 0:01:54.240 --> 0:01:59.040 It just gets different. And every season has wonderful and 0:01:59.200 --> 0:02:02.200 hard and it's all mixed in at the same time. 0:02:02.280 --> 0:02:07.360 So just buckle up, settle in, and stand your ground. Okay, 0:02:07.400 --> 0:02:11.520 all right. So on our teenagers. They teenagers can be 0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:13.680 really fun and they bring a lot of life into 0:02:13.680 --> 0:02:16.880 our house and we have some amazing conversations and debates 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:20.120 around our dinner table. It's really fun, actually to get 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:22.440 to watch your kids grow up and to start to 0:02:22.480 --> 0:02:25.520 develop their own opinions, especially when their opinions match up 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:28.760 with my opinions. I like that, and just watching them 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:32.080 begin to like thrive in their giftings. And one of 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:35.239 the things that is easier with teenagers is a lot 0:02:35.240 --> 0:02:40.400 of the communication happens over text messaging, and often my 0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:43.760 kids will use words or phrases that are new to me, 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:45.640 or they're like, like I know them, but they're using 0:02:45.680 --> 0:02:47.960 them in a different way, and sometimes I like them, 0:02:48.040 --> 0:02:52.920 Like I like it when Abby calls me queen, but 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:56.520 then like I have figured out that she usually calls 0:02:56.600 --> 0:02:59.720 me queen after I send her money, you know, So 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:03.519 it's like, Mom, can I have money for lunch? And 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:07.960 I'll say yes, and she'll say thanks queen. So, but 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:12.320 there's one phrase that they all text me, and I 0:03:12.400 --> 0:03:15.120 just I have mixed feelings about this phrase. There's just 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:17.639 there's something about it that bothers me and I have 0:03:17.800 --> 0:03:19.760 been able to put my finger on it, and I 0:03:19.840 --> 0:03:22.360 know that they're basically just saying yes, but to me, 0:03:22.440 --> 0:03:25.200 it doesn't sit well with me. So the conversation might 0:03:25.240 --> 0:03:28.160 go something like this. I will text Elijah can you 0:03:28.200 --> 0:03:33.240 take out the trash? And he will reply, I got you, Abby, 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:36.840 did you practice piano? I got you. Graham, you need 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:41.160 to be home by midnight? I got you. And recently 0:03:41.200 --> 0:03:45.160 it all clicked for me. So it's Graham's senior year 0:03:45.360 --> 0:03:48.360 and his prom was right around the corner, and we 0:03:48.440 --> 0:03:50.480 all know that boys are not like girls. They do 0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:54.520 not plan their outfits months in advance, and they care, 0:03:54.600 --> 0:03:57.200 but they don't care, and they don't remember to care 0:03:57.280 --> 0:03:59.560 or something. I don't know. So about a month before 0:03:59.680 --> 0:04:02.880 PRA I checked in with Graham and I texted him 0:04:02.920 --> 0:04:04.840 and I was like, you know, what are you wanting 0:04:04.880 --> 0:04:06.880 to wear it a prom? And he said, can you 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:10.720 help me find a baggy suit? So I was like okay. 0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:15.040 So I sent him several links to several suits that 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:17.640 would arrive in plenty of time, and then I just 0:04:17.839 --> 0:04:21.599 mentally checked it off my list. Well two weeks before prom, 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:25.520 I panicked and I realized that Graham never replied to 0:04:25.560 --> 0:04:28.240 me and we had nothing on the way. Now, a 0:04:28.279 --> 0:04:30.760 good mom would have just said, I guess you'll have 0:04:30.800 --> 0:04:34.120 to wear your not baggy suit, the old one, But 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:38.000 that's not what I did. I rush ordered a suit 0:04:38.040 --> 0:04:40.159 for him because it was a scene of prom, you know, 0:04:40.320 --> 0:04:42.120 And I was like, it's flying. Oh okay, I'm a 0:04:42.120 --> 0:04:45.559 baggy suit. And so the souit comes in, it's five 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:49.279 days before prom, and of course the sleeves need to 0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:52.520 be tailored. So I found the tailor. I found one 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:54.960 that was close to our offices where Graham works, and 0:04:55.000 --> 0:04:57.039 I texted him this, I just I'm going to read 0:04:57.080 --> 0:05:02.640 you exactly what I said. I said, I got your 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:05.320 suit to the office. You need to pick it up 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:08.240 and take it to the tailor. Please let me know 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:14.000 you see this, and he replies, I got you, okay, 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:17.080 it all came together. Why this phrase annoys me so much? 0:05:17.120 --> 0:05:23.240 Because in this scenario, how do you got me? I 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:28.039 got the suit, I got the tailor, I got the 0:05:28.120 --> 0:05:31.039 suit to the office. No, you don't got me. 0:05:32.440 --> 0:05:32.960 I got you. 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:36.440 And I would like. 0:05:37.560 --> 0:05:41.640 To take this opportunity on behalf of Mother's Everywhere to 0:05:41.920 --> 0:05:44.640 children everywhere this Mother's. 0:05:44.360 --> 0:05:45.839 Day twenty twenty six. 0:05:46.640 --> 0:05:47.240 I got you. 0:05:48.720 --> 0:05:53.000 I got your lunch, I got your ride, I got 0:05:53.000 --> 0:05:57.800 your cleats, I got your iPad, I got your toilet paper, 0:05:58.560 --> 0:05:59.560 I got your dentist. 0:05:59.560 --> 0:06:01.360 To point, I got you. 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:06.359 I've been getting you your whole life. 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:12.000 All the moms, if you're anywhere near your child, maybe 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:13.600 you just want to send them a text message. If 0:06:13.600 --> 0:06:15.280 they're not with you, this is your opportunity to look 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:21.159 at them and say, I got you. Okay. Here's the 0:06:21.200 --> 0:06:25.400 title of my message today. Are you ready for this? 0:06:26.880 --> 0:06:32.480 God's got you, God's got you. We got to get 0:06:32.520 --> 0:06:37.040 back to Jesus. Matthew eleven. I love this passage of 0:06:37.080 --> 0:06:42.720 the Bible because Jesus is inviting his disciples into a 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:46.560 new rest. He says, come to me, all you are 0:06:46.560 --> 0:06:49.560 weary and kevy, carry heavy burdens, and I will give 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:52.400 you rest for your souls. And today I want to 0:06:52.440 --> 0:06:59.200 talk to anyone here who feels weary, imburdened, because I 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:02.360 think that account for most of us in this room. 0:07:02.440 --> 0:07:05.080 Most of us are weighed down by something. We're weighed 0:07:05.120 --> 0:07:09.640 down maybe by our job, or our bills, or relationships, 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:14.760 our commitments, our responsibilities. We're weighed down by the events 0:07:14.840 --> 0:07:17.000 going on in our world, and we're wondering how it's 0:07:17.040 --> 0:07:20.200 going to affect our families. We carry the weight of 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:23.640 our past decisions. We worry about the future. We think 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:26.400 about our dreams, we think about our challenges, we think 0:07:26.440 --> 0:07:29.480 about our disappointments. And I want to show you that 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:33.600 Jesus is inviting you into a new kind of rest. 0:07:33.680 --> 0:07:36.480 It's not a rest that means sleep. It's not a 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:39.560 rest that means a break from work. It is a 0:07:39.720 --> 0:07:42.920 rest that means it's a lifting of your burdens. It's 0:07:43.040 --> 0:07:46.400 a weight off your shoulders. So I want to look 0:07:46.400 --> 0:07:48.280 at this passage again because I want to show you 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:50.600 something that I almost miss because a lot of the 0:07:50.640 --> 0:07:54.000 times when I read the Bible. I'm not like Pastor Stephen. 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:56.320 When I read the Bible. I like to go to 0:07:56.360 --> 0:07:59.000 the good verses, like, you know, I can do all 0:07:59.040 --> 0:08:00.800 things through Christ to strength and being like I just 0:08:00.840 --> 0:08:03.320 need that today. I just read that one, or you know, 0:08:03.520 --> 0:08:06.200 all things work together for good. And then I stop 0:08:06.680 --> 0:08:09.280 after the end of the good verse, and I sometimes 0:08:09.360 --> 0:08:12.560 miss the context of the verses around it and being 0:08:12.560 --> 0:08:15.360 able to understand what the verses really mean and who 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:17.320 they were spoken to and how I can actually apply 0:08:17.360 --> 0:08:19.240 them to my life. So I want to get back 0:08:19.720 --> 0:08:22.520 to read these verses again, and I want to show 0:08:22.560 --> 0:08:26.680 you the events that we're surrounding what Jesus is saying 0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:28.760 right here, and I want you to watch for the action. 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:31.920 So we'll start back at Matthew eleven. Verse twenty eight says, 0:08:31.920 --> 0:08:35.079 come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:38.760 and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon 0:08:38.800 --> 0:08:41.640 you and learn from me, for I am gentle and 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:44.920 humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 0:08:44.960 --> 0:08:48.079 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:52.640 At that time, Jesus went through the grain fields on 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:56.400 the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick 0:08:56.440 --> 0:08:58.960 some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees 0:08:59.000 --> 0:09:01.439 saw this, they said to him, look, your disciples are 0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:05.720 doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath. He answered, haven't 0:09:05.760 --> 0:09:08.120 you read what David did when he and his companions 0:09:08.120 --> 0:09:10.200 were hungry. He entered the House of God, and he 0:09:10.240 --> 0:09:13.040 and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not 0:09:13.120 --> 0:09:15.240 lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 0:09:15.360 --> 0:09:17.840 Or haven't you read the law that the priests on 0:09:17.880 --> 0:09:21.240 the Sabbath duty and the temple desecrate the Sabbath. Yet 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:24.880 are innocent. I tell you that something greater than the 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:28.600 temple is here. If you had known what these words meant, 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:33.040 I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned 0:09:33.080 --> 0:09:37.000 the innocent. For the Son of Man is lord of 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:41.840 the Sabbath. Jesus says these beautiful words to his disciples 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:47.440 on the Sabbath while they're walking through some grain fields. 0:09:47.559 --> 0:09:50.880 He's teaching and he's demonstrating. It's not a coincidence that 0:09:50.960 --> 0:09:54.600 he's telling them this on the Sabbath. He's talking to 0:09:54.640 --> 0:09:57.840 them about rest on the day of rest, and he 0:09:57.880 --> 0:10:01.160 allows them to eat some grain walking through the field 0:10:01.480 --> 0:10:05.920 knowing that this is breaking a Sabbath rule. Now, what's 0:10:05.960 --> 0:10:08.920 important to note is that during this moment in time, 0:10:09.280 --> 0:10:13.880 the Jewish people were weighed down with rules. They had 0:10:14.040 --> 0:10:20.160 rules on rules on rules about everything, but especially the Sabbath. Now, 0:10:20.200 --> 0:10:23.800 these rules, they started out as well intentioned the Pharisees. 0:10:23.840 --> 0:10:26.640 They were the teachers of the law. Their original intent 0:10:26.720 --> 0:10:29.440 was good. They were trying to interpret the law so 0:10:29.480 --> 0:10:34.080 that ordinary people could obey it under daily conditions. But 0:10:34.200 --> 0:10:38.560 what happened was the law that was originally intended to 0:10:38.559 --> 0:10:42.560 give God's people structure, it began to suffocate them, and 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:46.240 the people were burdened with the weight of all the 0:10:46.320 --> 0:10:50.160 things they could and could not do on a daily basis. 0:10:50.320 --> 0:10:53.320 They had rules for rules for rules, and when it 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:56.360 came to upholding the Sabbath, the day of rest, they 0:10:56.360 --> 0:11:01.840 had developed thirty nine categories for what was or wasn't 0:11:01.880 --> 0:11:05.160 considered work. Here's a few of the more extreme rules 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:09.720 that I found. So wearing a jacket was permitted, but 0:11:10.000 --> 0:11:15.000 carrying one would be considered a sin. A tailor was 0:11:15.120 --> 0:11:18.000 allowed to carry a need was not allowed to carry 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:21.120 a needle for fear of being tempted to mend a 0:11:21.160 --> 0:11:26.079 garment I like this one. No fire could be lit 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:30.360 or it's extinguished, but fires already burning could be used. 0:11:31.760 --> 0:11:35.480 Baths were forbidden on the sabbath because if water is spilled, 0:11:35.520 --> 0:11:38.360 it would be considered work to mop up the floor. 0:11:38.720 --> 0:11:42.760 And then this one's pretty funny. Women were not permitted 0:11:42.840 --> 0:11:45.640 to look into a mirror on the sabbath lest they 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:51.800 spot a gray hair and pull it out. Okay, now 0:11:51.840 --> 0:11:55.040 we laugh because this seems really absurd. But I don't 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:58.920 know what's in your feed. But lately, as a woman 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:01.680 in her forties who who does look in mirrors and 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:05.439 find occasional gray hairs, my feet has a lot of 0:12:05.520 --> 0:12:08.760 rules for rest too, Like here's a few that I 0:12:08.800 --> 0:12:13.040 wrote down. I'm supposed to drink enough water during the day, 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:15.760 but not after seven pm, or you'll be up all night. 0:12:16.360 --> 0:12:19.720 I'm supposed to avoid caffeine six to eight hours before bed. 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:22.400 I'm supposed to exercise so my body will be tired, 0:12:22.480 --> 0:12:25.120 but not exercise too close to bedtime or you'll be awake. 0:12:25.480 --> 0:12:27.480 You're supposed to wake up and go to bed at 0:12:27.480 --> 0:12:30.040 the same time every day, even on the weekends. Avoid 0:12:30.160 --> 0:12:33.400 long or late naps, keep naps under thirty minutes, no screens, 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:36.880 two hours before bed avoid having bright alarm clocks. I 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:40.200 think we have also made a job out of getting rest, 0:12:40.679 --> 0:12:43.800 the one thing that was supposed to be relaxing. We've 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:46.360 turned into work in something that we need to worry about. 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:49.120 And this is what's happening in this passage. They managed 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:52.040 to turn the Sabbath, a gift, a day of rest, 0:12:52.160 --> 0:12:55.760 into this impossible amount of work and something to worry 0:12:55.760 --> 0:12:57.840 about if they were doing it right or doing it wrong. 0:12:57.960 --> 0:13:00.760 And so when the Pharisees saw the disciples picking grain, 0:13:01.080 --> 0:13:04.760 they wave the red flag. He said, Jesus, they're breaking 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:08.720 the rules, and and and Jesus. Of course, he turns 0:13:08.760 --> 0:13:13.559 around and he and he uses scripture to overrule their rules. 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:16.000 And he starts talking about David and the priests, and 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:19.120 he quotes the prophet Hoseiah to them, and he says 0:13:19.120 --> 0:13:23.720 to them, I am the Lord even over the Sabbath. 0:13:23.840 --> 0:13:27.480 I came to set you free from these rules. Now, listen, 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:34.240 rules are man's attempt to define faith. There are way 0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:37.600 of controlling the parts about God that we just can't 0:13:37.640 --> 0:13:41.360 necessarily grasp. So we hear something like God wants to 0:13:41.440 --> 0:13:43.959 have a relationship with you, and so we give it 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:46.600 a tangible definition. Well what does that mean? What it 0:13:46.640 --> 0:13:49.920 means go to church, read your Bible, pray, memorize scripture, 0:13:49.960 --> 0:13:53.120 and do these things and avoid these things. And these 0:13:53.280 --> 0:13:57.040 parameters are not bad. They're meant to bring us joy. 0:13:57.080 --> 0:13:59.320 They're meant to help us grow in our faith. They're 0:13:59.320 --> 0:14:02.280 meant to give us sidelines so we don't ruin our lives. 0:14:02.280 --> 0:14:06.280 But if we're not careful, we will begin to worship 0:14:06.559 --> 0:14:10.920 the rules instead of the Savior. I wish I had 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:13.440 heard this message when I was in my twenties. There's 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:19.120 nothing wrong with Sabbath. Many people today practice upholding the Sabbath. 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:21.640 They set aside one day each week to rest and 0:14:21.840 --> 0:14:25.680 to reset. That's amazing. Sabbath is it was given to 0:14:25.840 --> 0:14:28.720 us by God. God rested on the seventh day of creation. 0:14:29.080 --> 0:14:31.360 He wants us to have rest from our work too. 0:14:31.440 --> 0:14:34.120 But that's not what this message is about. I'm not 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:38.680 talking about physical rest today. I'm not talking about going 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:43.280 on vacation. I'm talking about what you carry and why 0:14:43.320 --> 0:14:45.920 are you carrying it? And should you be carrying it? 0:14:46.160 --> 0:14:49.080 And why are you so tired? And how do we 0:14:49.640 --> 0:14:55.600 find rest? And so Jesus he's introducing this new idea. 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:58.920 He's saying, what if there is a way to find 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:06.320 rest while you're living out your every day life. And 0:15:06.360 --> 0:15:09.840 I believe that God sent me to tell you today 0:15:10.320 --> 0:15:14.000 that you're letting some things weigh you down that He 0:15:14.240 --> 0:15:19.320 never intended for you to carry. And there's a rest 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:22.760 that we can enter into as believers in Christ that 0:15:22.920 --> 0:15:26.840 goes beyond the rules, and it allows us to somehow 0:15:27.240 --> 0:15:31.400 move through the hardship and the difficulties and the seasons 0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:33.560 that we go through in life in a way that 0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:41.440 we never knew was possible. Jesus is redefining rest and 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:46.240 he's using this word picture of a yoke to define it. Now, 0:15:46.280 --> 0:15:49.920 the irony here is funny because a yoke was an 0:15:50.000 --> 0:15:54.400 instrument that represented work. So a yoke is a piece 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:56.880 of farming equipment that would have been a common sight 0:15:57.320 --> 0:16:00.160 in this day and time. It was a piece of equipman, 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:04.240 that you would use to harness two oxen together in 0:16:04.360 --> 0:16:06.560 order to pull a heavy load. I have a picture 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:09.360 so that you can sort of get your mind around this, Okay, 0:16:09.560 --> 0:16:13.840 So here we have two oxen who are yoked together. 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:16.840 They're pulling a plow, and the man behind them the 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:19.880 farmer he's guiding the plow. This would have been a 0:16:19.920 --> 0:16:25.840 picture that they knew well. So essentially, Jesus is saying 0:16:25.840 --> 0:16:32.160 to us true rest is found when we do the 0:16:32.200 --> 0:16:38.080 work together, saying, yoke up with me. He's calling them 0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:44.080 to relationship over rules. He's inviting them coming to me. 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:46.560 All you who are weary and burden, and I will 0:16:46.560 --> 0:16:49.000 give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn 0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:51.320 from me, for I am gentle and humble and hard, 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:52.920 and you will find rest for your souls, for my 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:57.040 yoke is easy and my burden is light. Today I 0:16:57.040 --> 0:16:59.880 want to point out three words straight from this text 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:09.840 and break it down. Come, take learn. Pharisees said, do 0:17:09.840 --> 0:17:17.439 do this, don't do that, do better, do more. Jesus says, Come. 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:22.959 He's calling you. He's calling the weary and the burden 0:17:22.960 --> 0:17:25.159 that I want you to know today that if you 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:30.200 feel weary or burden, that is the very thing that 0:17:30.359 --> 0:17:34.040 qualifies you to come to Jesus. We get this backward. 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:36.040 We think we need to get rid of our burdens 0:17:36.200 --> 0:17:38.080 so that we can come to Jesus. We think in 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:39.960 order for God to use us, we have to get 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:42.960 rid of the weight of our guilt, get rid of 0:17:43.000 --> 0:17:46.080 our shame, get rid of or somehow make up for 0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:50.000 our mistakes or our worries or anxieties. Before we can 0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:53.600 come to Jesus, we have to make ourselves a vessel 0:17:53.640 --> 0:17:55.560 that he could use, or somebody that he would even 0:17:55.600 --> 0:17:57.520 want to Why would he want to partner up with me? 0:17:57.560 --> 0:18:02.080 I'm so weighted down, but we think that God needs 0:18:02.080 --> 0:18:04.239 someone that he would want to yoke up with and 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:07.440 pull the weight together. Right, But the opposite is actually true. 0:18:07.440 --> 0:18:10.560 The very fact that you feel burdened is what qualifies 0:18:10.600 --> 0:18:13.320 you to come to Jesus. He's waiting with the gift 0:18:13.520 --> 0:18:15.520 of rest that he has for you, but in order 0:18:15.560 --> 0:18:18.800 for you to receive it, you have to come to him, 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:26.080 He says, come to me. Stop going everywhere else to 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:29.480 find rest. You're not going to find rest at sandals. 0:18:30.160 --> 0:18:34.199 Stop numbing, stop avoiding, Stop thinking that rest is something 0:18:34.280 --> 0:18:37.720 out there. Stop going to other people to relieve your burdens. 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:41.800 You don't have to work harder to avoid these feelings, 0:18:41.800 --> 0:18:48.560 he says, Just come to me. Come to me, And 0:18:48.600 --> 0:18:53.680 then he reveals something about his heart. He says, I'm 0:18:53.800 --> 0:18:57.399 gentle and humble in heart. Now did you think that 0:18:57.440 --> 0:19:00.840 this is the only time in all four We're Gospels 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:06.400 that Jesus reveals the nature of his heart. I read 0:19:06.400 --> 0:19:08.719 a book by the man the name of a man 0:19:08.800 --> 0:19:12.199 named Dane Ortlund, and he says that when the Bible 0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:16.359 talks about the heart, it's talking about the center of 0:19:16.480 --> 0:19:19.199 all we do, like the reason we get out of 0:19:19.200 --> 0:19:21.600 bed in the morning, the center of who we are. 0:19:21.720 --> 0:19:25.640 And he said, so, when Jesus reveals his heart to us, 0:19:26.400 --> 0:19:28.720 he could he could have revealed a lot of things. 0:19:29.440 --> 0:19:33.880 But what he says, my heart is gentle and humble. 0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:37.840 Some versions say lowly of heart, gentle meaning he has 0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:42.959 open arms for you, not pointing fingers. His heart towards 0:19:42.960 --> 0:19:48.399 you is not judgment, it's patience, it's kindness. It's love, 0:19:48.560 --> 0:19:51.639 not lecture. And when it says that he is lonely 0:19:51.800 --> 0:19:55.520 in heart, this is look did I say lonely lowly 0:19:56.040 --> 0:20:00.560 in heart? It's talking about the King of kings and 0:20:00.640 --> 0:20:03.560 the Lord of lords, the one that one day we 0:20:03.600 --> 0:20:06.479 will all bow our need to and confess that he 0:20:06.600 --> 0:20:11.280 is Lord. That guy he humbled himself so that he 0:20:11.280 --> 0:20:16.880 could be accessible to you. His heart towards you is gentle, 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:20.480 it's not harsh, it's not condemning, it's not punishing. He's 0:20:20.560 --> 0:20:25.200 gentle and lowly. He bends towards you. He wants you 0:20:25.359 --> 0:20:28.679 to get in the yoke with him. He's okay with 0:20:28.760 --> 0:20:32.159 your mess and your problems and your mistakes. This is 0:20:32.200 --> 0:20:36.000 who we are coming to. Jesus, then, Jesus are gentle 0:20:36.480 --> 0:20:41.160 and lowly savior who wants to give us rest. Says, 0:20:41.160 --> 0:20:43.439 come to me, all you who are weary and burdan, 0:20:43.480 --> 0:20:45.320 and I will give you rest. And then he says, 0:20:45.920 --> 0:20:50.720 take my yoke upon you. So now we have to 0:20:50.760 --> 0:20:53.600 take action. We have to we have to put the 0:20:53.720 --> 0:20:58.600 yoke on. Okay, can I illustrate this for you? So 0:20:59.560 --> 0:21:02.879 all the eies who cheered earlier that you are coming 0:21:02.880 --> 0:21:05.200 to reflect. Any of you were you? Were you here 0:21:05.359 --> 0:21:07.320 last year at Reflect? Okay? 0:21:07.359 --> 0:21:07.639 Cool? 0:21:07.720 --> 0:21:14.200 Yeah, all right? So do you remember this? Okay? So 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:17.520 at Reflect we talked about fighting the good fight and 0:21:17.560 --> 0:21:20.040 finishing the race, and we talked about all of the 0:21:20.040 --> 0:21:22.479 things in life that were called to carry and the 0:21:22.520 --> 0:21:25.200 things that were not called to carry. As we run 0:21:25.280 --> 0:21:28.000 this race that's marked out for us. Nod your head 0:21:28.040 --> 0:21:30.800 if you if you remember the sermon, so I can 0:21:30.800 --> 0:21:34.960 feel good about how hard I worked on that sermon. Okay, okay, 0:21:35.040 --> 0:21:37.960 So remember how I told you that I got one 0:21:37.960 --> 0:21:40.959 of these because Instagram told me that I needed it 0:21:41.200 --> 0:21:44.200 so that I could be strong and open jars when 0:21:44.240 --> 0:21:47.840 I'm seventy years old. So I told you though that 0:21:48.080 --> 0:21:51.720 it was you know it was. It was. It was September, 0:21:51.920 --> 0:21:54.800 and I got in mine in June, and that I 0:21:54.920 --> 0:21:58.320 was waiting for it to get cooler before I really 0:21:58.359 --> 0:22:02.720 started wearing this my walks. Well, I have a bit 0:22:02.720 --> 0:22:07.840 of a confession. I do not feel in all honesty 0:22:07.880 --> 0:22:09.320 that I have the right to put this thing on 0:22:09.400 --> 0:22:11.800 again in front of you, because I have had the 0:22:11.800 --> 0:22:17.240 cooler weather of fall, winter and spring. And I confess 0:22:17.320 --> 0:22:19.000 to all of the women of our church that I've 0:22:19.040 --> 0:22:22.280 maybe worn this thing three times since it made its 0:22:22.280 --> 0:22:28.879 appearance on this very stage. And so because like this 0:22:28.960 --> 0:22:34.480 is what I've decided, this thing it takes all the 0:22:34.600 --> 0:22:39.760 fun out of walking, Like walking was the last shred 0:22:39.840 --> 0:22:44.639 of exercise that I did not dread until the enemy 0:22:44.680 --> 0:22:48.480 the Internet told me that my walks don't count if 0:22:48.520 --> 0:22:51.439 I'm not wearing one of these, and I'm sorry, but 0:22:51.560 --> 0:22:54.000 I just don't want to do it. I have decided 0:22:54.160 --> 0:22:57.040 that I am not giving up the enjoyments of walks 0:22:57.080 --> 0:23:01.359 around my neighborhood with my husband so that I can 0:23:01.440 --> 0:23:04.560 open a jar when I'm seventy. Look props to you. 0:23:04.840 --> 0:23:10.080 If you love your hot girl walks, you do you Okay, Okay? 0:23:10.119 --> 0:23:12.680 So anyway, so because of that, I feel a little 0:23:12.720 --> 0:23:14.439 bit hypocritical bringing this on in front of you. So 0:23:14.480 --> 0:23:17.320 I thought maybe I could get my dear friend Amy 0:23:17.320 --> 0:23:21.000 Corbett to come up here. Everyone help me welcome Amy 0:23:21.000 --> 0:23:27.200 Corbett to the stage. Okay. Chunks and Amy were the 0:23:27.320 --> 0:23:30.639 very first couple to commit to starting this church with us. 0:23:30.640 --> 0:23:33.040 They have been by our side for twenty years. Amy 0:23:33.119 --> 0:23:36.439 is one of my best friends in the whole world. 0:23:36.840 --> 0:23:39.280 And you know, Amy, I thought about how many times 0:23:39.640 --> 0:23:42.680 my husband has called your husband on this stage during 0:23:42.680 --> 0:23:46.240 a sermon for an illustration, and to my knowledge, you 0:23:46.359 --> 0:23:49.560 have never been used as an illustration. It's been twenty years. 0:23:49.720 --> 0:23:53.400 It's been a long wait. Today's your day to shine. 0:23:53.520 --> 0:23:59.400 Happy Mother's Day. Okay. Amy is going to represent us 0:23:59.400 --> 0:24:06.120 today all of the people who feel weary and heavy burdened. Now, 0:24:06.160 --> 0:24:10.200 Amy and I have been close for twenty four years, 0:24:10.240 --> 0:24:13.000 and I'm pretty sure I know everything there is to 0:24:13.040 --> 0:24:14.960 know about Amy. I know things about Amy that she 0:24:15.040 --> 0:24:17.920 has forgotten. I'm still mad at that girl who stole 0:24:18.000 --> 0:24:22.360 your baby name twenty one years ago. We're that kind 0:24:22.359 --> 0:24:25.920 of close. Okay. Now, when we think of the yoke 0:24:27.080 --> 0:24:30.600 that Jesus is talking about, we could think that the 0:24:30.680 --> 0:24:33.760 yoke is sort of like this weighted vest, and inside 0:24:34.560 --> 0:24:36.800 the vests are all of the weights that we carry. 0:24:36.800 --> 0:24:41.840 So I've got some weights here, Like Amy has severe allergies. 0:24:41.880 --> 0:24:46.320 Amy's allergic to chicken. Who's allergic to chicken? Amy is? 0:24:46.640 --> 0:24:50.840 So Amy carries the weight of allergies and of a 0:24:50.880 --> 0:24:55.320 health issue. Okay. Amy's the mom to two young adults 0:24:55.760 --> 0:24:59.440 who also texts I got you, So we're gonna give 0:24:59.440 --> 0:25:04.400 her a wait for that. Amy is married to Chunks Corbett. 0:25:04.480 --> 0:25:08.480 So I mean, obviously this is a weight that Amy, 0:25:08.800 --> 0:25:14.119 that Amy carries. Okay, I don't know if you know this. 0:25:14.160 --> 0:25:16.840 Amy works full time at Elevation. Her job. One of 0:25:16.880 --> 0:25:19.960 her jobs is to get Elevation worship songs on Apple 0:25:20.040 --> 0:25:24.440 Music and Spotify and radio. Aren't grateful for Amy, okay, 0:25:25.280 --> 0:25:28.760 but she she carries the weight of the responsibilities of 0:25:28.800 --> 0:25:33.520 her job. Here is a wait to represent Amy's sin 0:25:33.920 --> 0:25:37.399 and her mistakes. Amy doesn't have a lot. But we 0:25:37.520 --> 0:25:39.600 have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 0:25:39.720 --> 0:25:43.679 So so we've got a wait for all of her, 0:25:44.160 --> 0:25:47.680 her sins and her mistakes. This is the things that 0:25:48.000 --> 0:25:52.040 Amy's worried about that are keeping her up at night. 0:25:53.080 --> 0:25:58.359 She carries that weight. This is a wait for grief. 0:25:59.280 --> 0:26:02.280 I know that Amy's lost several loved ones, and that's 0:26:02.280 --> 0:26:06.000 something that she thinks about in that that weighs her down. 0:26:11.520 --> 0:26:14.960 But here's the thing that I want to illustrate to 0:26:15.040 --> 0:26:22.840 you today. Most of us think that God is another 0:26:22.920 --> 0:26:27.679 one of these A lot of us have gotten the 0:26:27.760 --> 0:26:34.480 wrong impression about God. It's easy to confuse having a 0:26:34.520 --> 0:26:40.480 relationship with God with religion. But Jesus did not die 0:26:41.160 --> 0:26:44.159 so that we would be weighed down by a different, 0:26:44.320 --> 0:26:49.119 more modern set of rules. Jesus came to set us free. 0:26:49.200 --> 0:26:51.960 Romans, and one says, there is therefore now no condemnation 0:26:52.240 --> 0:26:53.439 for those who are in Christ. 0:26:53.520 --> 0:26:59.960 Jesus, the enemy wants you. He wants nothing more than 0:27:00.160 --> 0:27:03.360 for you to think that you need to try harder. 0:27:04.680 --> 0:27:07.880 He wants you to think that you need to pray more. 0:27:08.600 --> 0:27:11.119 He wants you to think that you need to clean 0:27:11.160 --> 0:27:13.640 yourself up. He wants you to think that you need 0:27:13.680 --> 0:27:16.320 to prove that you are worthy, and I want you 0:27:16.359 --> 0:27:23.800 to know that that is not from God. Jesus is 0:27:23.960 --> 0:27:29.480 not another weight in your vest First John five three. 0:27:29.600 --> 0:27:32.520 Look at this. It says, we know we love God 0:27:32.840 --> 0:27:37.400 because we keep his commands, and his commands are not burdensome. 0:27:38.960 --> 0:27:45.160 Listen to this. God's way is meant to make you lighter. Says, 0:27:45.160 --> 0:27:47.280 take my yoke upon you from My yoke is easy 0:27:47.320 --> 0:27:51.880 and my burden is light. Okay, so we put those 0:27:51.880 --> 0:27:56.639 weights down right here, and let's take this vest off, 0:27:57.359 --> 0:27:59.119 because as long as we have this vest on, I'll 0:27:59.160 --> 0:28:02.399 hope because I know it's haapy. We cannot take up 0:28:02.440 --> 0:28:09.520 the yoke that Jesus offers. So okay, this is not 0:28:09.600 --> 0:28:25.760 the yoke that Jesus is talking about. This is Jesus 0:28:26.400 --> 0:28:32.439 came to save us, not to weigh us down. And 0:28:32.520 --> 0:28:35.040 no matter what is weighing you down, no matter what 0:28:35.160 --> 0:28:37.479 feels like it is about to take you under, I 0:28:37.520 --> 0:28:43.520 want you to know that God's got you. Take his yoke. 0:28:43.920 --> 0:28:50.760 He says, his yoke is easy. Some scholars suggest that 0:28:50.760 --> 0:28:54.960 that word means that it's well fitting. His yoke is easy, 0:28:55.360 --> 0:29:00.720 His burden is light. It lifts you, and then he says, 0:29:01.880 --> 0:29:06.840 learn from me for him, gentle and lowly of heart. 0:29:07.200 --> 0:29:10.920 This is a process. Jesus is not saying that when 0:29:10.960 --> 0:29:13.440 you take his yoke that you're immediately gonna be freed 0:29:13.480 --> 0:29:16.520 of all pain and hardship. Pain and hardship are part 0:29:16.520 --> 0:29:20.960 of living on this earth. When you learn to take 0:29:21.240 --> 0:29:25.760 his yoke, you not only allow him to abide with 0:29:25.840 --> 0:29:29.440 you in your place of need. He wraps you up 0:29:29.680 --> 0:29:33.080 no matter what is weighing you down. He offers you 0:29:33.240 --> 0:29:36.240 open arms. He stands by ready to show you that 0:29:36.280 --> 0:29:39.120 there is a new way for you to carry this 0:29:39.320 --> 0:29:45.120 load together. Jesus, your Savior is in it with you. 0:29:46.000 --> 0:29:48.040 Thank you, Thank you. Amy gonna have that check it 0:29:48.160 --> 0:29:53.040 just in case I need it. Okay, I'm I put 0:29:53.080 --> 0:29:55.080 these down here. Stay with me here. I want to 0:29:55.120 --> 0:29:57.719 show you another passage of scripture. I want to take 0:29:57.760 --> 0:30:00.680 you to Hebrews chapter four because I want to show 0:30:00.680 --> 0:30:04.000 you something else that we can learn about Jesus. 0:30:04.040 --> 0:30:04.280 Now. 0:30:04.440 --> 0:30:09.360 The Book of Hebrews. It was written to Jewish Christians, 0:30:10.200 --> 0:30:16.040 and the Jewish Christians they were second guessing their conversion 0:30:16.120 --> 0:30:19.760 to Christianity and they were wanting to go back to 0:30:19.920 --> 0:30:25.720 the old, more comfortable Jewish customs and laws, because sometimes 0:30:25.800 --> 0:30:28.080 rules they make you feel good, they make you feel safe. 0:30:28.480 --> 0:30:31.520 And the writer of Hebrews, he's trying to convince them 0:30:31.560 --> 0:30:34.000 the whole book, he's trying to convince them not to 0:30:34.120 --> 0:30:38.160 go back to the burden of the old law. And 0:30:38.200 --> 0:30:43.480 he gets to chapter four, verse eleven, and it says this, Oh, 0:30:43.560 --> 0:30:47.080 you're gonna like it. Let us therefore make every effort 0:30:47.320 --> 0:30:51.680 to enter into that rest, so that no one will 0:30:51.720 --> 0:30:54.800 perish by following their example of disobedience. For the Word 0:30:54.800 --> 0:30:58.400 of God is a life and active sharper than a 0:30:58.440 --> 0:31:03.000 double edged swords to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. 0:31:03.080 --> 0:31:06.680 It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing 0:31:06.960 --> 0:31:10.320 in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is 0:31:10.440 --> 0:31:13.800 uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him, to 0:31:13.840 --> 0:31:17.040 whom we must give an account. Therefore, since we have 0:31:17.200 --> 0:31:22.040 a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus, 0:31:22.280 --> 0:31:24.680 the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the 0:31:24.720 --> 0:31:27.080 faith that we profess. For we do not have a 0:31:27.160 --> 0:31:30.520 high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses. 0:31:30.680 --> 0:31:32.840 But we have wine who has been tempted in every 0:31:32.880 --> 0:31:35.520 way just as we are, Yet he did not sin. 0:31:36.360 --> 0:31:40.440 Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, 0:31:40.760 --> 0:31:44.760 so that we may receive mercy and find grace to 0:31:44.920 --> 0:31:50.320 help us in our time of need. Now we get 0:31:50.320 --> 0:31:54.080 a new picture of Jesus. Matthew tells us that Jesus 0:31:54.120 --> 0:31:57.800 said that he is gentle and lowly of heart. But 0:31:58.040 --> 0:32:02.200 Hebrews adds to us tells us that Jesus is our 0:32:02.320 --> 0:32:07.200 great high priest. The job of the priest in the 0:32:07.240 --> 0:32:12.520 Old Testament was to represent the people to God. Jesus 0:32:12.560 --> 0:32:16.160 came to earth and he lived in human form. He 0:32:16.240 --> 0:32:19.520 was tempted, the scripture just told us in every way, 0:32:19.880 --> 0:32:24.200 but he knew no sin. That means that he can 0:32:24.240 --> 0:32:28.680 be our high priest. He not only knows all of 0:32:28.720 --> 0:32:31.880 the things that we carry that are making us feel weary. 0:32:32.160 --> 0:32:36.560 He is a priest who empathizes with our weaknesses, meaning 0:32:36.800 --> 0:32:41.120 he actually knows how we feel. And because of his 0:32:41.280 --> 0:32:44.840 work on the cross, we can look look at that 0:32:44.840 --> 0:32:47.160 that last verse again, this has got to be the 0:32:47.160 --> 0:32:51.000 most beautiful verse in the entire Bible, maybe one of Okay, 0:32:51.080 --> 0:32:52.640 it says this look at it verse sixteen. 0:32:52.920 --> 0:33:00.000 Let us then approached God's throne of grace with confidence, 0:33:00.520 --> 0:33:03.240 so that we may receive mercy and find grace to 0:33:03.320 --> 0:33:04.760 help us in our time of need. 0:33:04.800 --> 0:33:07.560 I'm sorry one more time. What was that third word? 0:33:07.680 --> 0:33:13.760 Let us then approach our pastor just spent the last 0:33:13.760 --> 0:33:16.400 two weeks telling us how we can change the end 0:33:16.480 --> 0:33:19.920 to then. And this is so beautiful because this is 0:33:19.960 --> 0:33:25.240 a then moment for you. We have the opportunity to 0:33:25.400 --> 0:33:33.120 come before the throne and we can trade this for this. 0:33:37.480 --> 0:33:40.000 Let Us then approach God's throne. Some of the versions 0:33:40.040 --> 0:33:45.160 say boldly, so that we may receive mercy and find 0:33:45.280 --> 0:33:49.360 grace in our time of need. In other words, every 0:33:49.440 --> 0:33:53.280 weight in this vest I can't even lift it up. 0:33:53.920 --> 0:33:57.840 Why do we wear those things? Every weight in this 0:33:57.960 --> 0:34:03.000 vest is either part of by mercy or empowered by grace. 0:34:04.680 --> 0:34:08.959 That's something you can write down. Every weight you bear 0:34:10.200 --> 0:34:15.840 is either pardoned by mercy or empowered by grace. Now 0:34:15.960 --> 0:34:20.440 here's the difference between grace and mercy. Warren Weiersby said this, 0:34:20.640 --> 0:34:22.400 I'm gonna read it slow because you kind of have 0:34:22.440 --> 0:34:27.960 to listen. Mercy means that God does not give us 0:34:28.120 --> 0:34:32.040 what we deserve. Talking about like punishment or judgment. That's mercy. 0:34:33.160 --> 0:34:40.480 Grace means God gives us what we do not deserve, forgiveness, pardoned, 0:34:40.600 --> 0:34:48.359 new life power. Every weight that you carry, God's got 0:34:48.400 --> 0:34:56.319 you covered either mercy or grace in your time of need. 0:34:57.960 --> 0:35:01.040 So if you carry the weight of shame from a 0:35:01.080 --> 0:35:08.239 past mistake, you can come boldly and receive mercy. If 0:35:08.239 --> 0:35:12.920 you carry the weight of a lost loved one today, 0:35:13.040 --> 0:35:17.640 you can come with confidence and receive grace to get 0:35:17.680 --> 0:35:20.640 through your grief. If you're walking through a job plus, 0:35:20.880 --> 0:35:24.200 there's grace. Maybe you could have handled this situation differently. 0:35:24.440 --> 0:35:27.720 There's mercy. Maybe you're trying to finish the school year strong, 0:35:27.880 --> 0:35:32.160 there's grace. Rest is not an event, it's an invitation 0:35:32.360 --> 0:35:36.319 to receive grace and mercy in your time of need. 0:35:37.200 --> 0:35:40.520 You do not have to go through life feeling weary 0:35:40.920 --> 0:35:44.080 and burden. All you have to do is come boldly 0:35:44.440 --> 0:35:49.640 and accept the gifts of mercy and grace. Pastor Stephen 0:35:49.680 --> 0:35:53.560 said something last week that really stuck with me. He said, 0:35:53.600 --> 0:35:57.520 you can't always change the result, but you do get 0:35:57.560 --> 0:36:00.960 to choose your response. I really spoke to me and 0:36:01.000 --> 0:36:03.279 as I was praying about like how God wanted me 0:36:03.360 --> 0:36:07.160 to break this down and to make this really clear 0:36:07.320 --> 0:36:10.759 and practical. I was just thinking about that and the 0:36:11.280 --> 0:36:13.600 weights that we carry and how they fall into these 0:36:13.880 --> 0:36:17.759 two categories, like the ones that we probably could have prevented, 0:36:18.800 --> 0:36:21.440 the ones that and the ones that we carry that 0:36:22.600 --> 0:36:25.360 we're outside of our control. Like, for instance, maybe you 0:36:25.440 --> 0:36:29.040 made a bad choice and you would give anything to 0:36:29.120 --> 0:36:32.080 go back and relive that moment again and make a 0:36:32.120 --> 0:36:35.240 better choice, and that moment weighs you down. Others carried 0:36:35.320 --> 0:36:38.680 burdens of things that we could not have prevented. Maybe 0:36:38.680 --> 0:36:40.880 you have an illness, you have a family situation that 0:36:41.320 --> 0:36:43.840 you have to manage every single day, and you feel 0:36:43.840 --> 0:36:46.439 like it just sets you back. We don't always get 0:36:46.480 --> 0:36:49.120 to choose the things that are weighing us down. But 0:36:49.200 --> 0:36:54.319 Pastor Stephen said, we can choose our response, And sometimes 0:36:54.360 --> 0:36:57.839 I think that we need to get bold with our 0:36:57.960 --> 0:37:02.040 situations and respect bond to what we're going through rather 0:37:02.120 --> 0:37:04.600 than just react. Do you know what I mean by that? 0:37:05.360 --> 0:37:10.319 Like when my boys were little, they were wild, like 0:37:11.160 --> 0:37:15.799 two little boys two years apart. They ran everywhere. They're 0:37:15.800 --> 0:37:19.279 like running and darting everywhere, and so it's hard to 0:37:19.320 --> 0:37:22.359 like take them anywhere and I remember one time we 0:37:22.400 --> 0:37:24.680 went to the offices in the middle of the day 0:37:25.360 --> 0:37:28.680 and Elijah like somehow, I don't know, he was probably 0:37:28.760 --> 0:37:31.400 like four years old. He got away from me and 0:37:31.440 --> 0:37:33.960 he ran over to the door of his dad's office 0:37:33.960 --> 0:37:35.120 and he was about to go in, and one of 0:37:35.120 --> 0:37:37.319 our staff members stopped him and said, you can't go 0:37:37.400 --> 0:37:40.000 in there. They're having a meeting. And Elijah looked back 0:37:40.000 --> 0:37:42.640 at that staff member and said, yes, I can. That's 0:37:42.680 --> 0:37:49.000 my dad. The enemy wants you to stay weighted down 0:37:49.480 --> 0:37:53.200 with shame and anxiety and worry. He wants you to 0:37:53.280 --> 0:37:55.880 think that weary is your way of life. And I 0:37:55.920 --> 0:37:58.880 want you to know that that is a lie, and 0:37:58.920 --> 0:38:01.920 it's gonna take some for you to break free from it. 0:38:03.000 --> 0:38:05.799 But you can come boldly to his throne. You are 0:38:05.840 --> 0:38:13.120 a child of God. Because of Jesus, we can come boldly. 0:38:13.320 --> 0:38:15.640 We just read in Hebrews that the Word of God 0:38:15.680 --> 0:38:19.319 is alive and active, sharper than any two edge short. 0:38:19.360 --> 0:38:23.080 It says it's able to divide between soul and spirit. Now, 0:38:23.640 --> 0:38:28.120 when this was written, they didn't have the completed work 0:38:28.440 --> 0:38:31.680 of the Bible like we do, but many of them 0:38:32.440 --> 0:38:36.680 had walked with the word himself. You know, the word 0:38:36.719 --> 0:38:40.880 became flesh and dwelt among us. The words of Jesus, 0:38:41.400 --> 0:38:43.480 the things that he taught, They were fresh, and they 0:38:43.480 --> 0:38:46.880 were circulating among them. And I wonder if the writer 0:38:47.320 --> 0:38:50.400 of Hebrews, when he said let us enter into this rest, 0:38:50.600 --> 0:38:54.360 if he was recalling the words that Jesus had said 0:38:54.480 --> 0:38:57.239 when he taught his disciples about this new rest. And 0:38:57.280 --> 0:38:59.640 I want to tell you today that there is not 0:38:59.719 --> 0:39:03.000 only mercy for every bad decision that you have made 0:39:03.080 --> 0:39:06.359 and grace for every situation that you face. I want 0:39:06.400 --> 0:39:09.800 you to know that there is a word that God 0:39:09.840 --> 0:39:13.480 wants to give you that you can cling to. You 0:39:13.520 --> 0:39:18.440 can get bold with the Bible. There is instruction in 0:39:18.480 --> 0:39:22.239 this book. There is victory in this book. There is 0:39:22.400 --> 0:39:25.600 comfort in the words of this book. There is power 0:39:26.080 --> 0:39:28.880 found in this book. When I was in college, I 0:39:28.960 --> 0:39:31.280 was taught that I was supposed to write out scripture 0:39:31.320 --> 0:39:32.880 and put it up where I could see it. And 0:39:32.920 --> 0:39:35.000 I thought that it was something I was supposed to do, 0:39:35.120 --> 0:39:37.000 you know, like a rule. But now I'm a girl 0:39:37.000 --> 0:39:39.319 and woman and it's not a rule to me. It's 0:39:39.360 --> 0:39:43.880 a lifeline for me. And recently I got a fresh 0:39:43.960 --> 0:39:47.680 journal and I started writing out scripture that I felt 0:39:47.680 --> 0:39:50.480 that God was giving me about different things that I 0:39:50.600 --> 0:39:54.239 was going through, things that were weighing me down. And 0:39:53.680 --> 0:39:57.320 I would just find the couple Bible verses each week 0:39:57.560 --> 0:39:59.960 and I would write it out, and then I just 0:40:00.120 --> 0:40:06.040 began to read these scriptures out loud when I felt overwhelmed. 0:40:06.040 --> 0:40:11.080 And it's not magic, okay, but I can tell you 0:40:11.160 --> 0:40:15.480 that even though the situations that I was praying about 0:40:15.560 --> 0:40:19.520 didn't necessarily see some massive change because I spoke scripture 0:40:19.600 --> 0:40:23.760 over them, but somehow they just weren't weighing me down 0:40:23.880 --> 0:40:28.960 the same way I felt a lift off of my shoulders. 0:40:29.440 --> 0:40:30.960 And I want you to know that you can get 0:40:31.000 --> 0:40:33.759 aggressive about the things that are weighing you down and 0:40:34.000 --> 0:40:37.640 just given to them. And that's how I wanted to 0:40:37.760 --> 0:40:40.000 end this week, because I want to pray for you 0:40:40.040 --> 0:40:43.279 that you would be able to start to gather scripture 0:40:43.360 --> 0:40:46.040 that speaks to you with what you're going through. I 0:40:46.120 --> 0:40:47.879 can get a journal, you can get some index cards 0:40:47.920 --> 0:40:50.480 and get post note. You can get gas receipts and 0:40:50.600 --> 0:40:52.680 write a verse on the back of it and it 0:40:52.800 --> 0:40:56.919 start to read those verses out loud because you can 0:40:56.960 --> 0:40:59.839 come boldly. Maybe you think like I can't come to God. 0:41:00.080 --> 0:41:02.240 I don't know what to say. You can come boldly 0:41:02.719 --> 0:41:08.400 to His throne of grace and receive mercy and grace 0:41:09.160 --> 0:41:11.800 in your time of need. That's what I want to 0:41:11.840 --> 0:41:19.279 tell you today. Jesus, gentle and lowly of heart, he 0:41:19.400 --> 0:41:22.319 bends towards you, and he stands before you today with 0:41:22.560 --> 0:41:26.880 open arms, and he's offering rest for your soul. 0:41:26.920 --> 0:41:30.400 And I just want that to minister to you. I 0:41:30.480 --> 0:41:34.200 just want you to think about that for a moment, God 0:41:34.239 --> 0:41:37.560 of the Universe, he wants to yoke up with you. 0:41:38.760 --> 0:41:41.560 He wants to lift your burdens. You don't have to 0:41:41.600 --> 0:41:47.400 carry your burdens all by yourself. He stands by, ready 0:41:48.239 --> 0:41:50.799 to help in your time of need. 0:41:52.600 --> 0:41:55.200 Hey, I hope you enjoyed the podcast, and if you did, 0:41:55.719 --> 0:41:58.319 make sure to share it and subscribe so we can 0:41:58.360 --> 0:42:00.960 get you all of these new message as soon as 0:42:00.960 --> 0:42:03.759 they're available. I also want to take a moment and 0:42:03.840 --> 0:42:05.640 thank all of you who are a part of Elevation. 0:42:06.160 --> 0:42:09.480 Whether you support us financially, or serve with us, or 0:42:09.880 --> 0:42:12.600 just share these messages, it's because of you that we're 0:42:12.600 --> 0:42:15.560 able to reach people all around the world. And if 0:42:15.560 --> 0:42:18.080 you want more information on how to be a part 0:42:18.080 --> 0:42:19.799 of Elevation click. 0:42:19.640 --> 0:42:22.440 The link in the description. Thanks again for listening. 0:42:22.520 --> 0:42:25.879 Make sure to leave a review, share the message and subscribe. 0:42:26.160 --> 0:42:35.520 God bless you.