What Is Jesus Doing Now?
Rev. Brian Bill
5/27/01
A recent cover of Newsweek magazine shows a picture of Harvard president Neil Rudenstine. He didn’t make the cover because of any famous accomplishments. No, his face is center stage because of something that he’s not real proud of -- there’s one word running right under his tired eyes -- Exhausted.
After three years of intensive nonstop toil in a hyper-metabolic climate, he hit the wall. By his own admission, his life was devoured, his sleep habits scrambled, and his days were filled with a long list of never-finished tasks. After a three month sabbatical, he’s just now getting back on his feet.
The head of Harvard joins a growing list of famous flameouts. After losing a war with superstar Chris Webber, Golden State Warriors basketball coach Don Nelson checked into a hospital in January complaining of exhaustion. One of the attorneys in the O.J. Simpson case had a meltdown after working 18-hour days. Fame seems to breed exhaustion.
The famous are not the only ones living truly tired lives. The Annals of Internal Medicine recently reported that 24% of people surveyed complained of fatigue that lasts longer than two weeks. Fatigue is now among the top five reasons people call the doctor.
Is this something new -- something that’s unique to the nanosecond 90’s? Not really. George Washington used to disappear for months at a time to nurse his nerves. But, even if it’s not new, exhaustion is real. Experts say the fatigue of the 90’s -- the kind that a weekend’s rest can’t cure -- is more widespread than in the past. We seem to move at a more rapid pace, driven by a staccato sense of time.
As a result, many people today feel tired and burdened by life. They feel like they’re just barely hanging on. Try an experiment sometime. When you ask someone how they’re doing, listen to their response. You’d be surprised by how many answer that question by saying, "I’m tired" or "I’m feeling overwhelmed" or "I’m exhausted." I feel that way at times -- and I suspect you do, too.
My parents are only a couple years from retiring -- they can’t wait! They’ve worked hard and are looking forward to the day when they no longer have to get up early and report for duty. Both of my parents deserve a break -- they’ve always given it their all. Jesus worked hard when He was on earth. The Bible tells us that He got weary and tired as well. But, He didn’t return to Heaven because He needed to rest or retire. No. If anything, Jesus may be more active now than He was when He was on earth. In particular, Jesus is seeking, or reaching out, to two different kinds of people today.
For those of you who are believers, Jesus is urging you to live your life totally surrendered to Him -- He wants you to bring your burdens to Him -- your tiredness, your exhaustion. Jesus is also actively seeking those of you who have not yet put your faith in Him. He longs to give you exactly what you’re looking for. That’s the whole reason He came -- and that’s what He’s doing right now. Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
As we conclude our series on the "Case For Christ," I want to show you that Jesus has an answer for the overwhelmed and the exhausted. For our purposes this morning, I want draw your attention to a very profound statement that Jesus made. You have it printed on the bottom of your program:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my
burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)
My outline is very simple -- I’m going to build it around four key words from this passage.
Come
The first word is Come. As Jesus observes the weariness on people’s faces and the burdens they are carrying, He gives them an invitation. He wants them to come to Him. The word, come, literally means to "come here." Instead of continuing in their state of exhaustion and heaviness, Jesus wants them to come to Him for some relief.
Now, let me give you a little background. The people Jesus is talking to were trying to live up to a whole list of spiritual rules and regulations. These expectations were constantly reinforced by their religious leaders. They were burdened by a heavy load of responsibilities. As a result, they were fatigued and exhausted.
The word, "burdened," was used to describe a boat that was about to sink. Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever wonder if you’re going to stay afloat? Jesus is willing to ease our burdens and is seeking a relationship with everyone of us. His invitation still stands today: "Come to me, all who are growing weary to the point of exhaustion. If you’re loaded down with burdens and you feel like you’re going to sink, then come to me -- I can help."
Jesus invites all of us to come -- not just some of us. In other words, He is freely offering rest and refreshment to everyone who is weary and burdened. This must have been shocking for the people to hear Jesus say this. They knew they were overwhelmed with life, but they probably thought that there was little or no hope of finding relief.
A couple nights ago, David Letterman had a "Stupid Human Tricks" section on his show. One guy came out and attempted to spin 10 basketballs on his body -- he laid down and spun them on his feet, his knees, his stomach, and even his head. When he was just about ready to put the last ball on his body, he dropped it -- then all the other ones fell as well.
Do you ever feel like that? Does it seem like you can’t keep everything spinning? I know I feel that way sometimes. It’s an overwhelming feeling when you know that you have a lot of things going on -- and you feel like you need to keep them all spinning. It’s especially burdensome when you feel like God has a bunch of expectations for your life. Then, when you can’t meet them, you feel weary and burdened.
You see, many of us think Jesus is telling us to do something. We think He wants us to work harder, to perform better, and to keep a long list of rules and regulations. When we have this mindset, we will eventually become overwhelmed and exhausted. Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything, He’s asking us to come. There’s a big difference.
Friend, that same invitation is extended to each of you this morning. Are you feeling burdened with the demands of life? Do you wonder how you’re going to keep things going? Jesus says to you, "Come. Come here. I can help you. I can lighten your load, but you first have to come to me. I’m eager to help but you have to come to me if you want that help."
Take
The first word is Come. The second word is found in Matthew 11:29: Take. Jesus is teaching that after we come to Him, we have to take something from Him. Here’s how He put it: "Take my yoke upon you."
Jesus is using a figure of speech that was very popular during His time. A yoke was literally a wooden frame, that was placed over a person’s shoulders in order to make a load or burden easier to carry. This frame would help to distribute the weight in equal proportions to both sides of the body. We’ve used something like this with our daughters when they were young. Instead of carrying one of them in my arms, I would sometimes put them in a carrier on my back. Even with the few extra pounds from the carrier, it’s a lot easier to carry a child when the weight is evenly distributed.
This yoke, or carrier, must be well adjusted to the shoulders or it becomes very uncomfortable. And, if there is too much weight it becomes unbearable. Let me illustrate. Our carrier is designed for a small child. What would happen if my wife Beth was wearing it and I decided to jump in? Would she be able to carry me? Probably not. My weight would overwhelm her. She probably wouldn’t be able to move.
That’s exactly what had happened to most of the people Jesus was talking to -- they were overwhelmed with a burden that they could not carry. Jesus is here using the word yoke figuratively -- as the sum total of all their obligations, which, according to the religious leaders, a person must take upon himself.
There was the "yoke of civil obligations," the "yoke of the law," and the "yoke of the commandments." These leaders emphasized a whole system of teaching that stressed long lists of rules and regulations -- do’s and don’ts, should’s and should not’s. The people were burdened with this -- they were tired of carrying the weight of these impossible expectations on their shoulders.
Jesus could tell that they were overwhelmed. He could see it on their faces. Life was hard enough -- with all these spiritual obligations, it became unbearable. After urging them to come to Him, Jesus now asks them to take His yoke upon them. Verse 30 describes this more clearly: "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
They were used to obligatory requirements that drove them to the point of weariness. Jesus changes the entire paradigm -- instead of having to perform, Jesus invites them -- and us -- to take his yoke upon us -- a burden that is easy and light.
How do we do this? By trading in our old yoke for the one Jesus has for us. Instead of trying to live up to standards that we can’t meet anyway, Jesus want us to take his yoke. He’s not interested in burdening us with impossible obligations -- but he does demand that we follow Him. When we come to Him, we bring all our burdens. When we take His yoke, we agreeing that we’re going to serve Him.
As the Bob Dylan song goes, "You Gotta Serve Somebody." You have a choice today. You can continue to carry the hard and heavy load of performance requirements on your shoulders or you can be retrofitted with something that is easy and light. His requirements involve simple trust and obedience to His commands.
Jesus distilled all the laws and regulations into two major commandments: ’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40). To take His yoke means to love God with everything you’ve got and to love others as you love yourself.
The bottom line is this. You can’t save yourself by trying to live up to all the standards. There’s too much to do. Too many obligations. Too many things to carry. It’s an impossible task. And yet, many people persist in trying to do more in an effort to appease God or gain entrance into Heaven. Friends, the only way to find rest for your souls is by coming to Jesus and then taking Him at His word -- and placing your faith in trust in Him and Him alone for your salvation. His requirement is faith -- not performance.
Learn
After coming to Him, and then taking His perfectly-fitted directives, Jesus urges us to slow down and learn from Him. As we’ve discovered through this series, there is a lot to learn about Jesus. If you missed any of the past four weeks, I encourage you to stop by the PlayBack Tape Center and pick up a tape -- or the whole series. As you take a look at His Life, His Death, His Resurrection, and His Second Coming, you will learn a lot about Jesus that is directly applicable to your life.
If you’re serious about coming to Christ, and taking what He wants to give you, then you must be willing to learn about Him. The word disciple literally means a "learner". I find it interesting how Jesus refers to Himself in this passage. He is gentle and humble in heart. I find great comfort in this. Even though I’ve done some things in the past that I’m not proud of, this picture of Jesus is very appealing to me. Instead of treating us harshly, He treats us with gentleness.
This was depicted beautifully in the drama this morning. We get so uptight about what kind of people we are. We know we fall short. We know we mess up. To make matters worse, when we view Jesus as harsh and demanding, we don’t want to come to Him or take from Him, or learn about Him. We already feel bad enough -- we certainly don’t need to feel piled.
Friends, Jesus wants you to get to know His gentle side. Last week we discussed His Second Coming -- when He comes again, He will come as a Judge. But, in the meantime, He is gently seeking people who will come to Him. Have you seen the new commercial for Sears? They have always been known for their appliances and Craftsman tools (Ugh, Ugh, Ugh). In an effort to change its image, Sears is now running commercials that urge us to come and see the "softer side of Sears."
Jesus urges us to get to know Him, to learn about Him, to see His gentleness and humility. I don’t know about you, but this is the kind of Savior I’m attracted to! One of the women in our small group mentioned just last week that as she learns more about Jesus, she is more and more impressed with how He treats hurting people. No judgment. No accusations. Just an invitation to come, take, and learn.
Find
The fourth key word is Find. Jesus promises that you will find what you’re looking for as you come, take and learn. You will find that elusive rest and refreshment that you’ve been longing for. That doesn’t mean that you’ll never get tired again. What it does mean is that you no longer have to live with the burden of impossible spiritual expectations and weighty demands. As someone has said, "Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you."
Jesus is seeking a relationship with you because He wants to give you rest. He wants to lift your burdens. He wants to replace your weariness with a deep and lasting joy. He wants to give you what you’ve been yearning for your entire life. As Psalm 62:1 says, "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him."
Now, let me come back to what I said at the beginning. There are really only two types of people in the world -- those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus and those who haven’t. The Bible says that, "He who has the Son has life; He who does not have the Son of God does not have life." (1 John 5:12)
I want to show you how the seeking heart of Jesus reaches out to both groups. You see, he offers an invitation to come, take, learn, and find. But, He does more than just wait for us -- He’s actively at work pursuing us so that we might respond to His gracious invitation
Challenge To Believers
I want to briefly address those of you who have already put your faith and trust in Jesus. Most of you in this camp are probably doing OK spiritually -- if you are, keep it up -- it’s worth it. But, I suspect that some of you got off to a good start but have since cooled down spiritually
You’ve come to Him but perhaps you haven’t taken what He asks of you. Maybe it’s been some time since you’ve done any serious learning. As a result, though you consider yourself to be a Christian, you are not experiencing the rest that Jesus talks about. What was once a vibrant relationship with Christ has grown cold. You’ve been busy doing your own thing -- and you feel overwhelmed and burdened. You may even wonder if God will take you back. After all you’ve done, will He still be interested in you?
Are you weary and exhausted? Are you trying to do too much on your own? Jesus is seeking you this morning. He’s reaching out to you. He wants to lighten your load and give you the refreshment your heart is aching for.
Jesus told a story one day about a son who got tired of following his father’s rules. He asked his dad for an early inheritance and left to find some wine, women, and song. He traveled to the wildest cities and partied hard. He spent his money quickly and was eventually destitute. He took a job with a farmer and was so hungry he considered eating the slop he was feeding the pigs.
Finally, he came to his senses and decided to return to his father. But what would his Father do? Would he welcome him back? His gameplan was to ask his father for a job -- he certainly didn’t expect his father to re-instate him in the family after all he had done. This son was broken by the load he was trying to carry. The combined weight of his rebellious heart and guilty conscience was too much to bear. Exhausted and overwhelmed by his own sin, the son decides to return home -- he couldn’t think of any other option.
When he was still a long way from home, his father spotted him and ran to meet him. Let me read it to you: "But, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." (Luke 15:20)
Wow, what a reception! The picture here is of Jesus waiting for us to come, take, and learn. This father was searching everyday for his lost son -- he wanted him to come back home. Straying believer, Jesus wants you to come back home. He’s searching the horizon for you. The second he sees you turn and head home, He’ll rush to meet you where you are. He’ll heal your secret scars because He’s the friend of the wounded heart.
Believer, are you burdened by sin today? Is your heart far from Him? Have you been out playing in the world, thinking you’d find what you were looking for -- only to become weary and burdened? If so, come back to Jesus today. Instead of carrying that heavy load, take the easy and light load that Jesus has for you. And then commit to learn all you can about the gentle Savior. As you do, you will find rest and refreshment.
Challenge to Seekers
Jesus is also seeking those of you have not yet transferred your trust to Him. Maybe you’ve heard about Jesus but you’ve been reluctant or hesitant to come to Him. Or, maybe you’ve been investigating Christianity, and you’ve been waiting for the right time to come to Him.
Do you feel like you’ve messed up too much for Jesus to ever forgive you? Have you made too many mistakes? Do you feel overwhelmed at just the thought of trying to live up to a myriad of spiritual standards and religious requirements?
Jesus came across a man like this one day. His name was Zach. He had heard about Jesus but was burdened by a heavy load he was carrying. He was exhausted. He worked for the Roman IRS and had been cheating taxpayers for years by skimming money off the top. He was known as a cheat. No one liked him -- and he probably didn’t like himself too much either.
One day Zach heard that Jesus was in his town. Because of his reputation, and because he was short, he had a hard time working his way through the crowd to see Jesus. Being a resourceful guy, he spotted a tree and climbed it so he could get a good view of Jesus. As Jesus and the crowd made their way through the streets, Jesus stopped right under the tree that Zach was in. Jesus looked up and said, "Zaccheus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." (Luke 19:5)
You see, Jesus knew that Zach was weary and burdened, so he asked him to come. Jesus wanted to spend some time with Zach and give him the opportunity to come, take, learn and find rest for his heavy soul.
As you can imagine, the people in the crowd were ticked off. Why would Jesus pick this lousy, cheating tax collector to have dinner with? Why didn’t Jesus pick one of them? After all, they lived better lives than this scoundrel. Zaccheus was a sinner -- no one respected him.
Friends, that’s precisely why Jesus sought him out -- Jesus came to save sinners. Zach, after being summoned out of the tree, was overwhelmed with guilt -- so much so that he made restitution for all the wrong he had done. "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back 4 times the amount." (Luke 19:8)
Zach responded when Jesus said come. And now He moves to the second stage -- take. He realized that to follow Jesus means to live like Jesus lived and to follow his directives to love God and love people. He took this to heart and knew that he had to make things right with those he had wronged. And now, he commits his life to learn all he could about Jesus. He gets a good start by having Jesus to his home for dinner. As a result, he found rest for his soul.
Then, as the crowd observes this incredible life-changing encounter, Jesus sums up His entire purpose for coming -- and what He’s actively doing right now: "For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost." (19:10)
Closing
We’ve presented a case for Christ these last 5 weeks. As you study his life, his death, his resurrection and his second coming, one things stands out -- he is a seeking Savior. He is reaching out to you right now. He wants to give you so much. He wants to give you rest from all that overwhelms you. Some people are on a search and destroy mission; Jesus is on a search and save mission.
Like the father scanning the horizon for his wayward son to return home, Jesus is searching for the believer who has walked away from Him. Friend, if you’ve walked away from Jesus, all you have to do is turn back to Him -- He’ll accept you and restore you -- and give you the rest you’re looking for. Come back to Him. Take His 2 commandments seriously. Learn about Him in a fresh way by plugging into a small group and attending New Community.
Now, if you’ve never come to Jesus by asking Him to forgive you for your sins, you need to know that He is seeking you right now. He knows your name and is calling it out. He offers rest for your soul. Are you willing to come to Him. Will you respond to His invitation? Coming to Him is the first step -- don’t put it off any longer.
Closing Prayer
