Full transcript
0:13[music]
0:30And welcome friends to this [music] the
0:32Thursday edition of the Grace Hour. Once
0:34again broadcasting live from our studios
0:37which are located at the home of the
0:38Greater Grace World Outreach in
0:40Baltimore, Maryland. We're glad to be
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0:45Thursday morning or perhaps in the
0:47evening wherever you may be listening to
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1:00section and weigh in with your thoughts
1:02about our theme this week, which is what
1:06it means to be abiding in Christ in
1:10body, soul, and spirit. And today,
1:13Pastor Shaler and I will focus on the
1:15subject of finding rest for our souls.
1:18And that's exactly what Jesus did say in
1:22Matthew 11:28-30.
1:24He said, "I will give you rest for your
1:27souls." There's a lot of talk, Pastor
1:29Shaler, about people getting their eight
1:31hours, the necessary time that they need
1:34for to be rested in their bodies. And
1:38yet, um, that's not nearly as important
1:41as finding rest in our souls. Because if
1:44you can find rest in your soul, there's
1:46a pretty good chance that your body will
1:48get the necessary rest that it needs.
1:51But a person that could sleep eight
1:53hours, 10 hours, 12 hours all day long
1:57and not have any rest in their soul
1:59could be a very restless person.
2:02>> Yeah. you know, um
2:05yeah, I I was thinking as you were
2:07talking about uh a story about Charles
2:09Spurgeon
2:11and um after speaking on one occasion,
2:15I'm reading out of a a book here uh to a
2:19gathering of 23,000
2:22654 people in the Crystal Palace,
2:26Spurgeon returned home. One of his
2:29biographers states, "The exertion of
2:31preaching to such a large audience must
2:34have been great. Although Spurgeon tells
2:36us he did not at the close feel
2:39conscious of any unusual fatigue. But
2:43that Wednesday night, he went to sleep
2:46and he slept all through Wednesday
2:48night, all through Thursday and woke up
2:52Friday morning. An experience he had no
2:55other time in his life. All through
2:58Thursday, Mrs. Spurgeon went at
3:01intervals to look at her husband, but
3:04finding him sleeping peacefully, she
3:07wisely let him rest until nature should
3:09be satisfied. Uh, you know, at the end
3:13of his sermon to that big crowd, uh, he
3:18did not feel,
3:20um,
3:22uh, he did not feel like that he was
3:25exhausted. He was um it says he did not
3:29feel conscious of any unusual fatigue
3:33but then he slept for whatever how many
3:36hours is that 36 hours or something.
3:39Yeah.
3:39>> When you when you said that I was
3:41envious when you said that. [laughter]
3:44>> Yeah. I mean there's two things there.
3:47One is uh you know sleep is important
3:50that like sleep is a real thing but then
3:55you know peace of mind uh you know
3:59stressfree you know earlier you talked
4:03about uh David
4:05um and the the struggle with the two
4:09households Saul and his household or
4:13dynasty of Saul and is not getting off
4:16the ground and David David is but he's
4:20not worried about it.
4:22>> Yeah. Yeah. It it was amazing. And with
4:25everything that Saul attempted to do to
4:28David
4:30>> um because of David's heart, he never
4:32saw him as an enemy, which is amazing.
4:35Yeah. Um when when the news came to
4:37David about the the death of Saul, you
4:40you could imagine somebody rejoicing,
4:43>> celebrating.
4:44>> Yeah. And yet that was the farthest
4:46thing from David's mind.
4:48>> He wanted to honor him because he was
4:50God's anointed. And you can just see
4:52that there was a rest that David was
4:54experiencing even while being chased
4:58through the wilderness for what eight or
5:00nine years by Saul.
5:02>> There's something extraordinary about a
5:05man or a woman who finds that kind of
5:07rest in God even when so much is coming
5:10against them. Well, let's uh talk about
5:12some of the stress that people have. Uh
5:15can you do do you have a short list
5:18there of, you know, we've got
5:20relationships,
5:22um our job, our job security,
5:26um can you can you
5:29>> finances?
5:30>> Talk talk about that.
5:31>> Yeah. Money problems, money issues,
5:33bills that have to be paid. Um, there's
5:36a lot there's a lot in in life
5:40>> daily. You know, someone once said that
5:42that's the challenge of life. It's so
5:44darn daily. And and it's true because
5:46these things can come against us.
5:48>> And yet, I think you mentioned it last
5:51night in the service. Is there a secret
5:54place that we can go?
5:56>> Yeah.
5:56>> Is there a place where rest can be
5:59discovered, found, and experienced?
6:01>> Yeah. Remember that verse where Psalm
6:0490:1, God is my habitation. Yeah.
6:07>> I think that resonated.
6:09>> It did.
6:09>> Yeah. God is my habitation. I I mean
6:12that What does that mean to you?
6:15>> It's almost like he he personally is the
6:18place I can retreat to. He's like my my
6:22refuge. He's my my hiding place. M
6:26>> um when when trouble abounds, and
6:28sometimes it does, um you've got to know
6:31how to retreat into the presence of God
6:35and experience the rest that only he can
6:37give you.
6:38>> Mhm.
6:38>> And maybe there's different ways that
6:41people experience that. Maybe it's
6:43through, you know, contemplating uh on
6:46on the scriptures, meditation upon
6:49promises. We we read in Hebrews the 4th
6:51chapter that the children of Israel,
6:54they never found rest in the land
6:56because they never really believed God.
6:59>> I think there's a wonderful connection
7:00between mixing faith with what God says
7:03and then experiencing rest as a product
7:06of that
7:07>> mixing faith with what God says.
7:10>> Yeah. uh God uh you know when Moses
7:14wrote that that God is our habitation
7:19um he they were living in the wilderness
7:22and and it would be easy to say you know
7:25my tent is my habitation
7:28um my we live in the wilderness this is
7:31our habitation
7:33um you know where do you live I'm living
7:35in Baltimore I'm you know living in the
7:39Aderandac mountains I'm living, you
7:42know, but but what what about my
7:45habitation is God and uh the spirit of
7:49God saying that to us
7:52>> and us believing that
7:54>> that phrase that so often used by the
7:57apostle Paul in Christ. I find it, you
8:00know, fascinating that even when he
8:01would write to different churches, he
8:04made it very clear that he was writing,
8:07let's say, to the saints. He said that
8:10were at Ephesus
8:12but they were in Christ.
8:14>> Oh yeah.
8:15>> You know he made that distinction.
8:17>> Oh yeah.
8:17>> I mean believers at Corenth but those of
8:20you that are in Christ.
8:22>> Um if we have that as our context,
8:26that's our our perspective because
8:28that's the way God deals with us. That's
8:30how God sees us. Never sees us outside
8:32of Christ.
8:34um if we can begin to see ourselves,
8:37you know, in Christ. Well, okay. So, I
8:40don't have the necessary finances.
8:44Rather than saying, "I'm in financial
8:46trouble," say, "I'm in Christ and I'm
8:48waiting upon God to provide for my
8:50needs."
8:51>> Just a different way to look at life.
8:53>> Yeah. Yeah. That's very good. Yeah. Uh
8:56God is my habitation.
8:59Uh we could say my my house is my
9:02habitation for my body, right?
9:05>> My uh schooling may be a habitation for
9:09my soul, but really none of those uh
9:15habitats can meet my deepest. You can go
9:19into a mansion
9:21somewhere in New Jersey. You know,
9:23somebody's a very wealthy,
9:26you know, 100 acre
9:29pro piece of property with a house that
9:32you know that's two acres in
9:35>> size and you know 100 rooms or
9:39something. But you can you can say the
9:42man could say, "Yeah, this is a
9:45habitation for my body, but it's not
9:47really for my soul."
9:50>> Yeah.
9:50>> And it's definitely not for my spirit.
9:54You know, where my God has to be my
9:58habitation and my spirit
10:03in connection with him.
10:05>> Yeah.
10:05>> Yeah.
10:06>> That is so true. And it's interesting
10:07because a few years ago um we were in
10:11New Jersey
10:13>> and we were in someone's mansion, a very
10:17successful, high-profile NBA player and
10:20he had everything and it was a big
10:22fundraiser and there were hundreds of
10:23people there and it was a huge home and
10:26it was absolutely beautiful just like
10:28you just described.
10:29>> Yeah.
10:30>> But
10:32the family was fractured, the marriage
10:34was broken. Um it was a highprofile
10:38uh relationship that was being, you
10:41know, uh laid out in the media. Yeah.
10:44>> The media were talk, everybody was
10:45talking about it,
10:46>> right? What's this? Uh Kelsey and Taylor
10:51Swift or
10:52>> Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. One of those
10:53situations and yet a fractured
10:55relationship. So here you had all the
10:57trappings. Here you had all the money
10:59and all the wealth
11:00>> and the fortune,
11:02>> but it meant nothing because the
11:04relationship was broken. There was no
11:06peace. There was no rest.
11:08>> There was no home.
11:10>> I mean, there was a house, but there was
11:12no home and there was no family.
11:14>> Yeah.
11:14>> It was it was rather heartbreaking.
11:16>> And contrarily, have you been in a in a
11:19poor place and there is
11:23>> peace?
11:24>> Total peace.
11:24>> Rest. Yeah.
11:25>> Because they they found it. Yeah.
11:28>> In Christ.
11:29>> You know, the other thing I find
11:30fascinating, Pastor Sheller, is that
11:32>> in the context of Jesus
11:35>> inviting people to come to him, those
11:37that are laboring, heavy laden. And then
11:40he said, "I'll give you rest." He said,
11:43then he said, "Take my yoke upon you."
11:45And we know what that means. Uh animals
11:47yolked up together. We're talking about
11:49work. We're talking about plowing. Um it
11:53just seems so strange, almost like a
11:55contradiction, if you will, of rest. I
11:57let because we think of rest as idle
12:00idleness. I'm going to sit down. The
12:02work is finished. I'm going to relax.
12:04But Jesus seems to be talking about
12:07activity here. And I'm thinking that
12:10sometimes as believers, the best rest we
12:14can find is in service to others, in
12:18ministering to others. He came, we know
12:21about this. He said it himself. I did
12:23not come to be ministered unto but to
12:27minister and to give my life a ransom
12:30for many. And yet at the same time, we
12:33don't seem to find anybody who
12:34experienced God's rest quite like Jesus
12:37did.
12:37>> Yeah.
12:38>> And yet he said, "I'm not living for
12:40myself. I'm not here to be ministered
12:42unto,
12:44>> but to minister and to give my life." Uh
12:47it just it it doesn't seem on paper to
12:50add up, but in reality when you live
12:53this way, it does make sense. [laughter]
12:58>> Yeah. Yeah. If if it was so obvious,
13:02I don't know the Lord uh CS Lewis said
13:05one time uh in one of his books, I think
13:09Mere Christianity,
13:11uh God God
13:13doesn't make his way so obvious. He
13:17wants to throw a curveball to us to to
13:21check the wise, the guy, the smart guys,
13:24and just make his way known to us, the
13:29little children. Fear not, little flock,
13:33and and thank you, Lord, that you have
13:36hidden these things from the wise and
13:38the prudent, but made them known unto
13:40these babes. So, uh, the Lord doesn't
13:45show his hand completely cuz he wants us
13:49to make our decisions based on other
13:52grounds, just faith in him.
13:54>> Yeah.
13:55>> And then the devil doesn't show his hand
13:57totally for a different reason because
14:00if we saw it, we would run from him in
14:02fear. M [snorts]
14:03>> you know
14:05>> again when we think of resting we just
14:07think of you know
14:08>> getting in that that chair and and of
14:11course it's it's appropriately named.
14:14It's the lazy boy chair. [laughter] They
14:17don't call it the worker boy
14:20but it's the lazy boy chair. But but I
14:23don't think that's what what he was
14:24talking about. Um because we know people
14:28who navigate their way through life and
14:30they're not problem free, but they are
14:34characterized by a a peace uh a rest.
14:38>> And sometimes in that context too, we
14:41can talk about a waiting. Uh we think of
14:43the prophet Isaiah when he said to wait
14:46upon the Lord. Those that learn to do
14:48that will renew their strength and mount
14:51up with wings like eagles. walk, not be
14:54weary, run and not faint. Um, waiting is
14:58is something that we have to learn
15:00because sometimes that's where the rest
15:02can come from.
15:03>> Mhm.
15:03>> The waiting.
15:04>> Mhm. Yeah. Uh-huh. [snorts]
15:08We we um
15:11you know when when we get occupied with
15:14Jesus and his meditation.
15:18I was teaching this morning on a zoom u
15:22meeting with us and Nepali people. Uh
15:27the book of Esther. I picked that book
15:30and just talking through it and pointing
15:34out things and you know you couldn't see
15:38the hand of God on the surface of the
15:41book but there is an evil man in the
15:45book working to annihilate the Jews and
15:49then there's a secret quiet working that
15:52God is doing with Micke and Esther.
15:55Nobody can see that either. Neither is
15:59really obvious. The work of evil not yet
16:03obvious in chapter 3
16:06>> 1 2 and three. And then the work of God
16:08not yet obvious either. But this is a
16:12great thing that we can relate to God,
16:15love God, know God, and walk with God.
16:18And we don't know all that is going on.
16:21>> But if we will walk with him, he will
16:23order our footsteps. Then
16:26>> we we will have uh the peace of God
16:29ruling in our heart.
16:31>> This I often think of the book of Esther
16:34and and there were two throne rooms in
16:36that story. There was the throne room of
16:39of the king.
16:41Yeah. Um and then there's the throne
16:43room of God.
16:44>> Yeah.
16:45>> That's that's what's not seen.
16:47>> And when Morayi went in and said to
16:49Esther, you know, you have this great
16:51opportunity to save your people. Mhm.
16:53>> And initially she's gave all the reasons
16:56why she couldn't do it. Um but then she
16:58decided, you know what? I'm going to go
17:01we're going to have some fasting and
17:02some prayer here. So she went to the
17:05throne room that was even more important
17:07than the throne room of the king um in
17:10in in that that that nation
17:13>> and we see the results. So there's
17:15always, you know, it kind of like people
17:18could say, "I'm here on the earth and my
17:20life is unraveling."
17:23>> Well, wait a minute. God says you're
17:25seated together in heavenly places in
17:27Christ Jesus.
17:28>> Yeah.
17:29>> Is there a way that we can relate to
17:31that glorious position that God says
17:33belongs to us and have that impact
17:37what's happening in our lives here?
17:39>> Wow.
17:40>> I think it's possible, isn't it?
17:42>> Yes. Yes. Yes. Wow, that's good. Yes.
17:46Um, we come boldly to the throne.
17:51Um,
17:53we embrace the grace of God in life. Um,
17:59we we think of Pastor Shabelli whom
18:02we're we're kind of mourning the loss
18:05and uh trying to get adjusted to not
18:08having him here. I mean to think that he
18:11is with the Lord today is awesome and um
18:17and I mean if you don't have this
18:20orientation in life then uh these things
18:23are very sad and very difficult to
18:25navigate in and that that could be you
18:30know a good that that's really an
18:33evidence of of what we're talking about
18:36that when we have his peace rule ling in
18:40our hearts. When God addresses all our
18:42major problems by his person,
18:46>> by his grace, then you know God is my
18:50habitation,
18:51my rock, my savior, my captain, my vine,
18:56the door, the bread, the light, the way,
19:00the I am. Then uh uh you know and and
19:04our fellowship in God is every day that
19:07way that we are rooted and grounded in
19:10him
19:11>> and that changes everything.
19:13>> It does and and we really have to
19:16reflect upon those things. We have to
19:18think this way. Um I've got this great
19:22story here that John Piper shares. He's
19:25speaking about a man, a missionary named
19:26John Patton, uh to the new Hebridites in
19:30the in the Pacific in the 19th century.
19:33And he he says it illustrates how the
19:35yoke of Jesus, the word of Jesus, the
19:37promise of Jesus once you put it on
19:40leads you to do some pretty crazy things
19:42such as going to be a missionary among
19:44cannibals, which is what he did. And the
19:48story says, "Having served on the island
19:50of Kana, the natives have been mobilized
19:53against them, and there are hundreds of
19:55them, even with musketss and knives, and
19:58they're trying to find this missionary
20:00and kill him. So, he needs to get on a
20:02boat and escape quickly. He has one man
20:05that he he goes on to say that he can
20:07barely trust who says, "Climb up in that
20:10tree and stay there while they go
20:13underneath you. I will lead them down
20:15the path and then you can come down that
20:17path when they're gone. He had no idea
20:19whether he could whether or not he could
20:21trust this man. So he climbs up the
20:22tree. And then years later, this is how
20:26he relates what happened. He says, "The
20:27hours spent there live all before me as
20:31if it were buddy yesterday. I heard the
20:34frequent discharging of musketss, the
20:36yells of the savages. Yet I sat among
20:39the branches as if safe in the arms of
20:43Jesus. Never in all my sorrows did my
20:46Lord draw nearer to me and speak more
20:49soothingly to my soul than when the
20:52moonlight flickered among those chestnut
20:54leaves and the night air played on my
20:57throbbing brow as I told all my heart to
21:01Jesus. Alone yet not alone. If it be to
21:05glorify my God, I will not grudge to
21:08spend many nights alone in such a tree
21:10to feel again my savior my savior's
21:14spiritual presence and to enjoy his
21:17consoling fellowship.
21:19>> Wow. [laughter]
21:20>> Can you imagine?
21:21>> Yeah.
21:21>> He said in those hours in that tree,
21:26he sensed the presence of God.
21:28>> Yeah. He was resting
21:30while he heard the musketss going off
21:33>> and the sounds of the cannibals looking
21:37for their dinner. [laughter] That's
21:39unbelievable.
21:40>> It is.
21:41>> And we, you know, we can talk about that
21:43and of course people listening might
21:44say, "Yes, of course that was an
21:46extraordinary set of circumstances. My
21:48set of circumstances is different." But
21:50really, they're not. M
21:53>> no matter where we are or what we're
21:54going through, is it possible that the
21:56peace of God could come and pass all
22:01understanding and we could find rest in
22:04a situation like that?
22:08>> Wow.
22:09>> Wow. Beautiful.
22:11>> Yeah.
22:12>> He went on to say that uh that kind of
22:15friendship is what I want more than
22:18anything else in life.
22:22to live in those trees [laughter]
22:25by God's grace. But again, I I'm I'm not
22:29sure that this kind of rest is possible
22:31unless we are like you said it a moment
22:34ago,
22:35boldly coming to God's throne of grace.
22:39Um that's something I mean we need to
22:42know that that door is never closed to
22:44us
22:44>> and that we have the right because of
22:47the cross and the shed blood of Christ
22:50to come boldly and to ask for much
22:53because God is ready to do that for
22:56whatever our needs might be.
22:59um you know, we're promised all
23:02spiritual blessing
23:05and um
23:08to be provoked
23:10in this personal relationship and for
23:14God to reassure our hearts and to be
23:18forgiven
23:20uh wash clean. I mean, he's really
23:23washing their feet. I mean, he really is
23:26washing their feet. He's saying, "I
23:29really do care and I am here for you."
23:32And and this is uh
23:36uh you know even when uh the events
23:39aren't that great on the outside you
23:42know all the the trials that happen on
23:44the outside of us but then that peace
23:47that rules in our heart um based on what
23:51he did for us how God came
23:54loved us so much that he gave his only
23:57son uh his son did it all and took us So
24:02now we are brought before God and
24:04accepted in him and this is uh uh you
24:08know the grounds of the relationship
24:11and then to think that you're in a tree
24:13and the cannibals are running underneath
24:17and not looking up and uh you're you're
24:20staying up there and uh in communion
24:23with God and then uh the peace of God. I
24:27mean how many how many people have found
24:30that great peace and that gives great
24:33comfort in the worst worst situation.
24:38>> You know I just revert back to David
24:41when God was preparing him to take the
24:45throne in Israel and to reunite the
24:47northern tribes with Judah. Um he just
24:51seemed to have a peace. He just seemed
24:53that with everything that was happening,
24:55even civil war breaking out, that he
24:59just seemed to be kind of relaxed about
25:02what was happening because he knew he
25:05was anointed by the prophet to be
25:08Israel's next king. He didn't understand
25:10how it was all going to happen because I
25:12think the time between being anointed by
25:15Samuel as a young man and the time he
25:18actually took the throne, we're talking
25:19about maybe 15 years. Mhm.
25:22>> You know, sometimes we think that when
25:24God gives us a promise, it's going to be
25:27fulfilled in a matter of moments,
25:30>> but [clears throat] there are other
25:30times when God gives us a promise and we
25:33do have to wait for the fulfillment of
25:35that promise. And the question is, is it
25:38possible that we can find some rest
25:41during the time that the promise is
25:43given
25:44>> and when it's fulfilled?
25:47>> Yeah. Um [snorts] we we've got Ephesians
25:525 where we where we read there about uh
25:57you know walking in the light um being
26:01spiritfilled, not drunk with wine,
26:05uh learning submission,
26:08you know, edifying. Uh, I thought the
26:11service last night was a real joy and a
26:14lot of love and a lot of edification
26:18in the body as we as we move forward.
26:22When when I think of Pastor Shabelli uh
26:26finishing his course, it's hard to
26:28believe it. And and I said that last
26:31night, it really is kind of hard to
26:33believe, but um God's ways are perfect
26:36and his timing is perfect. And it's a
26:39God thing whenever anybody leaves. But
26:43then uh we also have the you know what
26:47what do we do now? What do we do now?
26:50What's our mission? And uh and of course
26:53we all know that because nothing in one
26:56sense has changed. But um but we we want
27:00to uh not be you know
27:05operating in a reaction. And we want to
27:08continue in the in the love and in the
27:11spirit and in edification and in in
27:14courage and in truth and fight a good
27:17fight. But it had doesn't have anything
27:20really to do with stress.
27:22>> Yeah.
27:22>> Yeah. Yeah. and he enjoyed all those
27:26years of serving the body of Christ
27:29whether it was here
27:31>> in the states or in the continent of
27:34Africa or in the different parts of the
27:36world where he visited and ministered.
27:38>> He did it with joy.
27:40>> Yeah.
27:40>> He did it, you know, from a position of
27:42rest.
27:43>> Yeah. Yeah. And we're always going to
27:45remember uh that as an example to
27:48>> I mean I I'm getting emails every day
27:52and different parts of the world. And I
27:54mean he had a worldwide footprint. I
27:57mean he had thousands of people that
27:59were appreciating his ministry, loved
28:02him very much. Uh recognized his love
28:06and his passion and no fooling around
28:10kind of way. I mean, a funloving guy,
28:14humorous, and funloving and edifying.
28:17Uh, but also, uh, you know, this isn't
28:20for sale. You know, this isn't we're not
28:22playing a game. We're dead serious. You
28:25know, the ministry means a lot to us
28:28>> and let's carry it on and magnify Christ
28:32and see Christ
28:34uh, manifested. It's interesting because
28:37the first um time I ever went on a
28:40missions trip was 19 I believe 1984 from
28:44Lennox and come to find out we went to
28:47southern France and Pastor Shabelli's
28:50first time on the mission field was the
28:53same trip.
28:53>> Oh.
28:54>> So we were together in southern France I
28:57had never met him before so that was the
28:58first time meeting him but I vividly
29:01remember him you know after being there
29:03a day or so. uh standing up on a street
29:06corner and you know passionately
29:09preaching the gospel.
29:10>> Oh, really?
29:11>> Yeah. And that was the first time he had
29:12ever gone overseas. He took a group from
29:15Springfield, Massachusetts. We took a
29:17group from Lennox, joined together
29:20>> uh in southern France. And the
29:22interesting thing is is that the first
29:24time I ever saw him, I remember him
29:27passionately preaching the gospel. And
29:30of course, the last time I was with him
29:32was right here in the Grace Hour
29:33studios. And what was he doing but
29:36passionately preaching the gospel and he
29:39and between those two times?
29:42>> He lived nothing changed. He lived to do
29:45just that.
29:46>> Yeah.
29:46>> And so it was it was really a life
29:50>> well lived to the glory of God.
29:52>> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, uh, Ken Fires called
29:56me this morning and he said, uh, they
29:58just had a great time before they went
30:01to Dominican. They just were, uh, he
30:04preached a great message on wisdom.
30:06Pastor Shabelli preached another very
30:09very good message on on grace and love
30:13and then they went to Dominican and uh
30:17um you know Pastor Ken is saying there
30:21was a lot of joy, a lot of laughter, a
30:24lot of encouragement, a lot of
30:25edification. So
30:27>> wow,
30:27>> praise God for that.
30:28>> Yeah. No, no surprise there.
30:30>> No, no surprise. You know what's so
30:32unfortunate of those in the world that
30:35don't know Christ,
30:38>> we're so
30:40grateful for his invitation when he
30:42said, "Come to me all you that are that
30:45labor and are heavy laden." And yet the
30:48world sees Jesus as someone who brings
30:54a burden rather than someone who has
30:57come to take the burdens from us.
31:00>> Yeah.
31:00>> Right. Right? I mean, so many unsaved
31:01people, they I don't want anything to do
31:03with I don't need any more rules. I
31:05don't need any more obligations. I don't
31:07need any more regulations.
31:09>> I could never do everything he wants me
31:12to do. And yet, that flies in the face
31:15of his invitation to everyone.
31:17>> It's come to me. Everybody, those of you
31:20that are completely exhausted due to
31:23non-stop continuous work and effort, you
31:26come to me
31:27>> and I'll give you rest. M
31:30>> it's just it strikes me that the world
31:32really doesn't discern who Jesus is,
31:35which makes sense. The natural man can't
31:37receive the things of the spirit.
31:39>> Yeah.
31:40>> But if they only knew that he didn't
31:43come to create a burden for you to bear.
31:47He came to remove those burdens and give
31:49you his rest.
31:50>> Yeah. I love that text in Isaiah where
31:54you know you have to carry nebo that was
31:57a pagan god and then there's another god
31:59you have to carry them and you know in
32:02India I remember waking up in the
32:04morning with the bell ringing and what
32:06what's that all about well we're waking
32:08up the gods you know
32:10>> like you have to wake up a god you have
32:12to carry the god you have to you know
32:15like service the god and and keep it
32:18maintain his appearance or you know
32:21painting or restoring or whatever but
32:25our God is not like that. Our God is
32:27God.
32:28>> Yeah. He he's he he removes the burdens
32:31you know.
32:31>> Yeah.
32:32>> And and those burdens are dropped when
32:35when you can stand at the foot of the
32:37cross
32:39>> and see the demonstration of God's great
32:42love. I mean, it's almost like you can
32:45look at Calvary and whatever burdens you
32:48may be carrying,
32:49>> you can just lose them. You can let them
32:51go
32:52>> because you have someone who died in
32:55your place, paid for your crimes and
32:58sins and wants to set you free. And
33:00that's what he said. He said, "This kind
33:02of truth is liberating. You'll know the
33:04truth." He said, "And it'll set you
33:06free." He came not to be a burden
33:09bearer, but to bring us freedom.
33:11>> Yeah. And that li that freedom is it's
33:14it's a real it's a real freedom that we
33:18experience in our hearts. It's that rest
33:20for your souls that he promised us which
33:24is so desperately needed. So there are
33:26those who labor Jesus I've come for you.
33:30And then the second group he mentioned
33:31heavy laden. This this depicts a person
33:36carrying such a heavy load on his back.
33:39And and again this can be people today
33:41as you mentioned earlier with their job,
33:44their family, their finances, some
33:47personal burden. How about the guilt?
33:50Just the guilt alone that people carry
33:52through their lives unnecessary
33:55because Jesus came to say, "I can take
33:58that from you. [snorts]
33:59>> I can take that from you." I read a cute
34:01story about a a young boy and he was
34:04crying out for um his grandfather and he
34:08was with his sister and he starts to cry
34:11out and then the sister runs in and
34:13says, "Grandpa, grandpa, you got to come
34:15quickly." And then he said, "It's, you
34:16know, it's my brother."
34:19So [laughter] he he went and he thought
34:21he had fallen. He thought he was
34:22injured. He thought he might be
34:24bleeding. He got there and the boy just
34:26loved to collect rocks and he filled all
34:29of his pockets up to such an extent that
34:32his pants came down and he stumbled and
34:35he couldn't get back up and and the
34:38grandfather looked at him and he thought
34:39to himself that's like the way some
34:41people live their lives. They carry
34:43their burdens of guilt and failure and
34:47sin around to such an extent
34:49>> that they can't even get up. They can't
34:51even face another day. Mh.
34:53>> And what he said he did when he reached
34:55his grandson is just took out the rocks
34:57one by one, let them go, got rid of
35:00them, you know, kind of pulled his pants
35:02back up and the boy was like
35:05>> off and running all over again.
35:07[laughter]
35:08But that's a picture of
35:09>> Yeah.
35:09>> how some people live their lives.
35:11>> Oh yeah.
35:12>> They collect the rocks of guilt to such
35:14an extent that they can't take another
35:17step forward.
35:18>> Wow.
35:20>> [laughter]
35:22>> It's why Jesus came,
35:24>> isn't it?
35:26[laughter]
35:27>> Help us get rid of the rocks.
35:29>> Yeah. I find myself like that from time
35:31to time.
35:32>> And then I just think, you know what?
35:35>> You know, of course,
35:36>> I got to let it go.
35:37>> I know. There's going to be the big re
35:39reality check when
35:41>> when we when we leave the earth, we're
35:44going to Wow, man, was I burdened. Did I
35:49live a
35:51grumpy life? [laughter]
35:53>> And I didn't have to.
35:54>> No.
35:55>> Right.
35:55>> No. Yeah.
35:56>> Yeah.
35:56>> All right. Cast your burdens on him.
35:59Cast your burden. It's funny. Spurgeon
36:02said like put them all in one bag. Like
36:05put all your burdens in one bag and then
36:08give them to Jesus. Like don't have them
36:10separated but put them all in one bag.
36:12But then he said, "But mercy, have it in
36:15like separate bags,
36:17>> separate little packets."
36:19little pages like mercy have separated.
36:23So then you take your time and read each
36:26one. Mercy, this note on mercy, this
36:30note on mercy and be really edified by
36:33you like knowing mercy,
36:36knowing grace, knowing love, have it
36:39like that way to process it. But when it
36:42comes to burdens, put them all in one
36:44bag and just throw them to Jesus.
36:46>> Wow. Yeah. It's kind of good picture.
36:48>> I love it. I love it.
36:49>> Yeah.
36:50>> Because, you know, uh you can carry
36:52around that bag of rocks and you know,
36:56you find yourself kind of stooped over.
36:58>> Yeah.
36:59>> And you're looking down and you're
37:01shuffling along your feet in life.
37:03That's not I mean, and God says just the
37:06opposite, you know, look up.
37:08>> Yeah.
37:08>> You know, look to him. Uh lift up your
37:11head. He's the lifter up of our head
37:13>> and he puts light. Psalm 13, David
37:16prayed when he was running from Saul all
37:19those years and he said, "Lord,
37:21>> put light back in my eyes because
37:24sometimes those burdens, sometimes the
37:27guilt, the failure can kind of stack up
37:30in our souls." And David was saying, you
37:33know, I I feel like I'm walking through
37:35darkness.
37:36>> But he asked God to put light back in
37:38his eyes, and it made all the
37:40difference.
37:40>> Wow. And at the end of that psalm, after
37:42he asked God four times in six verses,
37:45how long? At the end of it, he says, you
37:48know what? I will sing a new song.
37:52>> And I'm reminded of this that sometimes
37:55the joy of the Lord
37:57>> is just what we need. Find something
38:00today to rejoice about. Whether it's
38:02your forgiveness, your family, the
38:05friends that you have in life, the fact
38:07that if you have a little money in the
38:10bank or you live in a home that belongs
38:12to you, you are far more wealthy than
38:15most of the people in this world today.
38:17>> Wow.
38:18>> You just start to reflect upon those
38:19things and it can make a big difference
38:21in our lives.
38:24Well, we're at the end of today's
38:25broadcast. Uh thanks so much for joining
38:27us today, friends, and we appreciate it
38:30so much. We're going to be back tomorrow
38:32for the Friday edition of the Grace
38:34Hour. We hope that you will join us then
38:36as we continue to develop this theme of
38:38abiding in Christ so that we can find
38:40rest for our body, our souls, and our
38:44spirits. Until tomorrow, may God bless
38:46you.
39:02>> [music]
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