The Nose On Your Face

Well, we are continuing a series on Matthew chapter 11 The Familiar verses where Jesus says come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you let me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy to bear and the burden I give you is light. I like one translation of this passage that has Jesus language say keep company with me. I like that translation because it really does speak to to the the spirit and the theme of what's being said In this passage that Jesus wants us to be with him to keep company with him and to be blessed by keeping company with him. Multiple times in the gospels. Jesus told his followers to stay together to stay with him to wait for the spirit to dwell in and with them together Nuss was always emphasized in these passages. There's a theme here when you look at scriptures off when Jesus healed people he then returned to them or connected that person to other people or to the community when he would heal someone and then they would want to come and do their own thing or run make a big deal about his here's what I want you to do and some passages he would say don't tell anyone that I did it cuz it's not yet time for my glory to be revealed but he wasn't saying don't tell anyone eat office now go and show yourself to the priest because that reconnected that person who had leprosy leprosy or who was a crippled and kind of isolated from the community when they would go and show themselves to the priest and say I'm Healed that reconnected them to the community that was part of his agenda when he healed someone was to connect them or return them to the community the demon-possessed man or we Talk about that passage last week and he said to Jesus. Let me come with you and just said no, here's what I want you to do go back to your family and your friends and share with them immediately reconnected. We think about Mary Magdalene when she was kind of an isolated member of her community because of her behavior because of her sin. I think this is part of the reason you saw Jesus inviting some people to stay with him and travel with him because there wasn't a community for her to go back to that would accept her even with his forgiveness and restoration. The community would have said while you're one of those people and we're not going to Angie's that how you just hang out with us be one of the disciples just come with us when Paul was converted from being anti-christian from from campaigning against Christianity in the early church and and becomes a follower. He immediately is welcomed into the community. You know, what I told those who've previously said, hey, isn't this the guy who was killing all the Christian the Holy Spirit and Jesus says, I want you to walk a man. He's a brother in Christ now and he becomes part. That Community that's a standard part of what's happening in the New Testament 94 of the verses in the New Testament that offer instructions for Christians speak of community or relationships those one another passages that you used to say 59-58 all the time. I researched it afresh this week and it's actually 94 times in the New Testament when there are Specific Instructions given to Christians. Here's how I want you to behave those instructions include one another Dynamics. I want you to love one another only the bear one another's burdens. I want you to pray for one another. I want you to keep to keep unity in the spirit in the church between one another again and again and again, these relationships are emphasized. I'm going somewhere with this, okay. Are you following this theme that in some ways as plain as the nose on her face that we see in scripture from Genesis to the to Revelation for the beginning to the end. So here's a pop quiz in the beginning of scripture God's creation of the heavens Earth and humanity is recorded after each day of creation. God affirms his creation as good many of you are probably familiar with that. That's a pattern that you see in the beginning of scripture. What is the first time the words not good, from the mouth of God in Scripture. If I know the answer that I heard somebody say that that's right when atoms alone. Think about the significance of that. Out of all the things that could have been recorded and displayed and given to us in the Holy scriptures to be the very first not good from the mouth of God. It's when Adam when Humanity that he's created is alone. Risoldi's think this is good day to all that's good day 3 highlights good day for look at that. It's good. They five look at that. It's good. The first time he says not good is when he sees Adam and he's alone. I don't think we let the centrality of that truth sink in because we live in a culture in North American culture Independence is treasured and even heroic to be this rugged individual that's part of our culture so much so that that's what we Elevate and we think of that as the price to be a chief. I want to be financially independent. That's what I want. I want to move out who wants to live with her family. I mean part of becoming an adult is to say I don't need you anymore. I'm moving out. I'm going to be on my own so many areas of our life and our culture cherish Independence and if somebody needs something or needs someone then it's like well that person. The negative thing can't you just do this on your own? Why do you always need help for this? See? It's just weave into a culture 2 treasure Independence and almost look down upon dependents. We take that with us at our mind and with our eyes and we look at scripture and we just gloss over the centrality of God saying it's not good to be alone. I can't make me what it says. I'll just good to be independent. It's good to be on your own yet scripture teaches the opposite in terms of centrality. So the answer is yes in response to someone being alone. This sheet remember the story a few years back. If I remember the chief's name. They nicknamed him Shrek that became his name. This ship was found alone and have been in a k if I think like six years and this is what happened to the sheep and not being cared for by Shepherd not having any other sheep any other help in his life. It became this kind of unruly mess after it got some care and being taken care of and was sheared and a good sense of that language it became this healthy. Cheap I think a lot of us perhaps live life like this. We we live lives in isolation. Now, we may be able to have enough acquaintances and activity in our lives and in our week but no one would say, oh Robbie. So isolated church every Sunday and he's out and about that sort of thing. But the truth is on any sort of level of deep significance of relationship and friendship that goes deeply many of us live like the Sheep. We live in isolation and we bear the fruit in our lives of that isolation. Ascend having more dominance and impact in our life than it needs to or that God has that God wants it to in our life but we live in isolation. We keep our sins hidden. We have no one else to confess our sins to we don't have friendships or relationships that are that deep. Who could I tell my sins to I don't know anybody that well, I don't have that close of a relationship and so send is allowed to fester and grow in our lives in a way that God does not intend or want or desire for us. And when we have a challenger or hardship in our life, we have to go to institutions we have to get the phone and call and office organization and say I need to be bailed out. I need to be helped because we don't have an immediate network of close friends and family who know what's going on in our life. If we have deep friendships. The way God has intended then there wouldn't be crisis in our life that there would at least be a few people who knew about it right off the bat and it would be those kind of people who would say, how can we help you through this? Instead as a culture in many ways in the church can be part of this to we have institutions and offices and policies and programs where people don't have to commit to deep significant relationships in order to get some sort of immediate benefit or relief. And in many ways that can be a good thing. Don't miss hear me. That's the way of loving and serving and rescuing but long-term. It's not God's plan for the body of Christ and for men and women, it's not good for us to be alone. And if the only help we can get in our life in a crisis institutionally, then we're alone. If we've not been there for somebody else in such a way that when we have a crisis there somebody who says let me help you because remember a few years ago. You helped me because a natural part of having multiple close relationship is being involved in the mess of one another's lives, which is certain Seasons means we're helping somebody else because they needed and another Seasons they're helping us because we need it but too often we live our lives like this and then we say every now and then when it reaches a crisis, you know Pastor I just need and I honestly frustrating things for me as a pastor is when people bring me their problems when they're no longer bearable at all, you know, they drive the car off the cliff and then they call me and say hey, can you do something about gravity? Can you reverse you know, and I want to say you bring it to me at this stage and laying on my desk and say can you fix this and the reality is two years earlier? Who's win? You should have come to someone in your life me or someone else as a friend and say hey, I'm having some relationship problems and it worries me a little bit. Can you pray with me or can you give me some advice or can we get counseling and said we wait until we jump off a cliff and then we beg someone to reverse gravity for us and it's not again. I'm glad for all the Rescue all the help all the charity all the love. It is his good. Good good. The gods long-term plan for us is to be in relationships where we give and receive. Deep relationships it is not good for us to be alone. Scripture says the rest that Jesus invites us to receive in Matthew 11 is a deep Soul restoring rest. It is not the rest you can get from spending the day at a day spa. Although that can be awesome. Don't misunderstand me. It is not the rest of you can get when someone bails you out in the mist of a short-term crisis, that's good and that can be awesome. But what Jesus is promising an offering and inviting us to receive In this passage is this deeper short of Soul restoring rest that actually deal with the heart of our anxiety. What do we deeply fear? Am I going to be alone and not have relationships as my career going to falter and I'm not going to have fun anshel Independence is the doctor going to give me bad news when I go to the airport and I'm going to be terrified about my health or my children going to grow up and be well and all these things that can fill our heart and mind with anxiety. God wants to give us this rest that deals deeply with that anxiety. That learns what he's like that and takes his jokes that trust him and realize is so many things that we fear so much anxiety that we let drive all our decisions about whether it's obsession with our parents or anxiety about her career or whether it's unwillingness to get close to others because of the possibility of pain dozens of things that that are in our life that become foothold for the adversary to keep us from the wrist and the flourishing of life that God designed us to have those sorts of things. Jesus wants to give us that deep rest and that requires deep relationships. For God to work in my life and give me that gift of that deep rest. It cannot just be a drive-by thing. I cannot just drive to somebody's office and receive a check. I can't just arranged to have lunch with somebody that I've not gotten to know deeply and safe. Do we have lunch this Tuesday in about an hour at lunch. Could you solve all of my problems? Could you counsel me and deeply restore my marriage or my relationship with my children? It's not that sort of thing. There's not this sort of quick fix possible because the nature of the problem and the nature of the blessing God wants to give us his deep. And so Jesus says you got to come to me. You got take my yoke and you got to walk a road or path the way I show you and that path does not include isolation.

And when we live a life of isolation, we are holding her arm out and saying no to Jesus offer of rest in peace and restoration. Because he models from us from the very beginning and all through scripture. This opposite of isolation in our relationships.

What he's offering us is not a pause to catch a breath and then resume a soul depleting lifestyle. See we're tempted to say I love this sermon series Robin. You can you give me some quick fixes. I want the price. Give me four things. I can do this week that will give me a little lift off my shoulder get rid of some of these burdens so that I can Oh, that was nice little a little looser. I don't have as much to carry now jump right back into the stream of a lifestyle that depletes my soul. And then when it reached reaches crisis mode again, I would desperately beg God or the pastor or my friend or whoever. Can you give me a little relief so that I can make it through this week or this month, but the assumption song is that we're just going to step back into life as usual as soon as we get a little bit of relief and this is not what Jesus is talking about In this passage. He's talk and listen to promises real. Come to me. Take my yoke upon you. And I will give you rest Soul restoring life changing rest, but it is life-changing raps to embrace. It is to have our very lives changed and become different. It's not just a break and then jump back in to life is usually it is an invitation to come and learn from how to walk a road that is itself peaceful restful and life-giving. He's inviting us to learn from him how to live in such a way that the very way we live is peaceful and life restoring. Can you imagine if this is true and I do believe it is that the number one thing God wants from us is us to have a relationship with him through Jesus Christ.

Think about the symptoms of plain as the nose on your face think about the Simplicity of this. If you let the gravity of that simple truth sink into your heart, it should change the way you think about everything We Gather on Sunday mornings to worship Christ.

It is worthy of our worship.

This is not something we do in order to somehow earn a relationship with God. This is not an obligation. This is not what good people do get out of bed. We're going to church you got to go to church. You can't sleep. What kind of person will you be if you sleep through church on Sunday morning, we've got to go to church we subtly slip into all that we do. It becomes part of saying the most important thing that God wants for me is that I behaved in such a way that I Merit good standing with him.

Jesus died on the cross and paid the price so that all that is taken care of. Our Salvation is secure through the work of Christ. And then you might say well what the heck am I going to do with all my time and anxiety and energy I need to worry about making sure I'm not late. Maybe I need a volunteer every now and then so people's like oh, yeah. Robbie's a knife. He helps out. What am I going to do?

What if we came to Jesus? And we accepted his invitation to learn from him. Tawanka road that leads to a life that is in and of itself peaceful and restful and life-giving.

What if we let go of anxiety about whether I'm saved or not? And we believe that if we trusted Jesus Christ if we give it our life to him if we made that decision we're saved.

Now without fear or anxiety or this burden on our shoulders to make sure we perform well enough Jesus just says what I would like for you to do the most important thing is that you simply come to me. You spend some time with me. We have a relationship. That's not a means to an end. That's the end.

we come and we gather and we should have all those burdens off our shoulders we should worship with such Freedom that Christ has provided for our righteousness and that we gather as a holy people singing the Praises of a holy God and you say that I struggle and I send. You confessed your sins to Christ. Have you trusted his work on the cross? If so, you are holy. Is righteousness is imparted to you as his gift. Shall We Gather? Lord remove the scales from her eyes that what's going on here on a Sunday morning is a gathering of people made Holy by the blood of Christ who come with the knowledge that he has done great work on our behalf. He has shown his heart to love and care for us and we get the privilege of singing his praises. We get the privilege of looking into his word and 10 learning from him how to how to walk with him how to how to take that. Yo, he says that I'm telling you it's nothing like you think it is not a burden it is a like yo, it is an easy joke just completely different the way you think about jokes the way you think it's just trust me come to me learn for me and learn to walk a life that is in itself peaceful and restful and life-giving when our lives need healing and restoration. Most often God works in our life One Pastor shared it this way and I've stolen it in three different ways. He'll work through Intervention, which is Miracles and we see that in scripture and we see that in her own life that time there's times in which there crisis or needs and God simply responds and resolved that crisis or that need and it is miraculous and we praise and thank God for that. But that is not a 100% phenomena is it if it was this place would be packed full if I could guarantee you that if you call Upon Jesus for anything you need and you will get it 100% of the time everytime. This place would be busting at the same time. But nobody would be pursuing Jesus. They be pursuing the answers that they want to their prayers.

What would that do to your own relationships? If you always gave your child or your spouse or your friend 100% of whatever they ask for every time. It would destroy the trust in the love in a relationship. You would simply become their servant and there would never be interaction. There were never be hey, you know, maybe what you're asking for. Is it really going to be good for you long term? Maybe it's an act of love for me to say no. It's a while it is true that God intervenes and he gives Miracles it is not the staple of what he does in our life because he has a different agenda other than simply I sang. Oh great every need. I haven't been that by God. I get to slide fat dumb and happy from the Cradle to the Grave. I never going to have to strive or try or be hurt or or or long. I never going to know what it's like to suffer that I might counsel or comfort someone else who's suffering because every time I suffered I prayed to God that he's removed it from me. You see how that sort of automatic answered everything would actually destroy what God intends for us. What do you most often does those he changes us because his desire is for us to be like him his desire supposed to learn to trust God. This is our hearts and character be different 5 years from now that is today different now than it was 10 years ago and different about 10 years from now. He wants to change who we are. He wants to shape us into Christ. Like he wants us to learn to trust a father. He wants us at times to suffer.

So that we might know what suffering is like Paul says in Corinthians so that we might Comfort others who suffer. He wants us to be people of empathy and compassion and therefore he does not hold his hand on our lives in such a way that we never suffer. That we never have struggles or doubt because he's interested in working out the muscles of our very hearts and our very character so that we become different people and one of the primary ways he works in our life is that third one interaction he uses others to minister to us.

Now if one of the primary ways he works in our life is he uses others to minister to us. What does it do if we like Shrek go in a cave? for 6 years We cut off the work of God in our life when we cut off relationships in our life and my relationships I mean significant deep relationships Lewis said is any pleasure on Earth as great as a circle of Christian Friends by a good fire.

And it's a good American I would say why yes watching TV alone with my favorite self-indulgent plate of cookies.

But as soon as I think beyond the shallowness of that answer I realized Louis is right. The pleasures we take in isolation are short-lived and self-defeating.

And Lewis reminds us that the real pleasures are those times in which we are obedient to God's plan and we're in deep relationship with one another. allowing one another Serve other gods names Jesus said in John 15, I do not call you servants anymore service do not know their Master's business instead. I have called you friends. I have told you everything I learned from my father. So Jesus says to his disciples no longer. Is it this servant Master relationship? I have called you friends because you know a lot more now than a simple servant knows. I've told you everything that's going on what my father has shared with me. I've shared with you. And so now it's more than servant Master. It's more than you do these things and you'll be in good standing with me. It is friendship. It is friendship and then later and you earlier and John 13 He says this as I have loved you, so you must love one another Again, it's plain as the nose on your face is really controversial about that verse. Is this a radical obscure text that I pulled out and put on the screen? Am I am I taking us some down some path of doctrine that the elders need to meet after the service and say we don't know about that. That seems a little like he's twisting the scriptures there. Is this a fair assessment that Jesus says to us that the way he's loved us we are to love one another is that fair? And how is it that Jesus later says he's loved us not a service. But now I call you friends. It is a Biblical command that we are to have loving. friendships with one another

and when we don't actually have

significant healthy deep loving friendships with one another when we just have acquaintances or just have church relationships. Then we tie the hand of God from working in our life and in our church. Because he wants us to flourish. He wants us to be a city on a hill. He wants us to be a light that others in this city that in our neighborhood say I want some of what they got. Turn off living, you know at at Breakneck speed every moment of their life. They've got friendships that seem more than just acquaintances more than just moments of Crisis, but they're able to slow down.

Call work commanded to love one another the way Jesus has loved us. Lewis says the friendships we have in our life are directed by God. He said the Friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God revealed to each the beauties of all the others. They are no longer there no greater than the beauties of a thousand other man by friendship. God opens our eyes to them as we Feast it is he who has spread the board and it is he who has chosen the guest it is he we may dare to Hope who sometimes does and always should preside let us not reckoned without our host. What Louis is saying here is God is the author of friendships Jesus taught that Jesus said you loved one of the way I've loved you and the way I've loved you as I've called you friends and He commands us about scripture to love one another to care for one another to pray when I confess your sins to one another all those 94 commands that up too deep healthy friendships and relationships and God commands us to do that and Lewis says it's not because you're smart or bright for your wise enough besides. I'm going to pick that couple be good for them cuz they're sharp and bright and fun to be with them going to add that couple is that somehow were orchestrating this ourselves. He says it is the act of God to reveal his very goodness to us when we see it represented in Brothers and Sisters in Christ, who we allowed to get close to us and whom we allow ourselves to be close with it is God working in our life have anything don't reckon without the host.

Think about what the application is what a danger it is to say. I'll orchestrate all my relationships. Thank you God. I'll pick my friends and I'll choose how close I let them get to me and how close I get to them. Louis is saying you're playing with fire. Because God's hand information and Authority on your relationships. It's the way in which he works in your life to give you this great gift of peace and rest and when you keep it at arm's length busy haven't got time. I got back in my look. I'm part of American culture baby my life and it moves at Breakneck speed. I don't have time to slow down. when we do that we are going forward without the host. Without God blessing our marriages if they are absent of a brother and sister in Christ who can challenge and model and encourage us. without God blessing our parenting if we have not a single brother and sister in Christ that we can confide to our frustration are fatigued. Are drama or Joyce? If we keep God's design of those relationships at arm's length because of the culture around us because we bought into its sort of lie, then we are holding God's blessings on our life at arm's length.

I want to worship him to come forward. Those versus I just read or just flashed by I just want to tell you what they say. You know what they say 1st Corinthians 13 1 through 3. What is vital and the life of the church?

offerings right But sandbox, right you got the butts in the pews what I've been told you can't the Bucks in the plate. That's what it's all about. Maybe it's knowledge. Maybe what's vital in the life of the church is a preacher. Who's who's got a nice big Pulpit up here and a nice big black Bible. Maybe carries it down. Maybe he's got one of those that droops over his hands. It's always a good look at that. You see those preachers. They got those Bibles and They Carried with them and they preach maybe that knowledge. Maybe that's what's so maybe maybe it's Worship in the Holy Spirit babies getting chills down the back of your neck when the worship leader gets up when you just say hallelujah feeling this all may I loved worship just it just touch me. I mean I tingled it was just awesome lights and a huge stage and celebrities on stage together hundreds and hundreds. I like those little cousin can't find a parking space. Is all that what's important in life. Church doesn't Paul say look process. I could speak in the tongues of angels. I can have that Bible dripping over my hand baby and I could preach in such a way that people say run. Don't get the CD. I got to get it. I got to download that audio. I got to send it to my most amazing preaching ever. Paul says I could do that but it's not what's most important and I like the church. You can even go to church and gather a crowd. preaching He says I could perform Miracles. I could have such faith that I can say Mountain. Move and it moves you think we could gather a crowd here this morning. If I said Jews move and everyone sees Pew shifted 4 inches to the right. You think we did a crowd here man that got cut face. I mean move everything starts shaking Paul says you could even have that sort of faith. But if you're missing something is not what's first. He even says you can have great sacrifice is that I can give my own body weigh. If you give all my money away we could serve until the very last second of daylight every day 7 days a week making these great sacrifices, but Paul says even doing that if you don't have this one thing He says originally in the language there. He says you're nothing. What's the one thing love?

love

As I have loved you love one another. What matters most in the life of the church? Is the depth of relationship we have with Christ and with one another.

So alter call time. Can you honestly say that you have deep relationships with some Brothers and Sisters in Christ?

Not acquaintances not Church relationships. Not even a shared Ministry. Is there somebody in your life that you could confess your deepest sense to and they wouldn't go screaming from the room. Someone you've known long enough. But they love you and trust you and they know the whole you and so when you say you're my sin and don't say nothing to do with you. Instead they can comfort you remind you of the Forgiveness of Christ. They can cry with you and they can laugh with you.

Do you have that?

if you don't

but I invite you to start getting it. and start today one of the biggest mistakes I've made in my life. Is to say I will do that someday.

I'll do that. Later. I'm at a stage in life where I'm only going to be here another 6 months or I'm only going to be here two years. I'm getting ready to graduate school. I'm getting ready to do that or I'm getting ready to do this until I will settle down and build deep relationships. Once I get past. This next goal ever said that to yourself never said someday. I'm going to do that. Today is Sunday.

Make that decision I beg you. Because it's the way God wants to pour His blessings into your life and through your life into the city. end of this church

Jesus is our friend. But he doesn't want us just to be friends with him. No offense to those who love this him. But sometimes I don't like the whole I come to The Garden Alone. Because sometimes it over. Just overly sentimental about this idea of just me and Jesus. Nobody else. It's just us no one else and all that is good. Don't miss hear me. We do need to pray along with Jesus. Would you need to study your Bible? But sometimes Christians live their lives and isolation. Just me and Jesus. I think she is the saying I never wanted it. That way. I never wanted it that way. I've commanded you over and over to be together with one another to love one another to care for one another to even as we sing this morning about what a friend we have in Jesus and we do and it's awesome and I love it. Know that one of the ways Jesus is friends with us is when we're friends with one another. Romantic, did he say when two or more of you are gathered together. I will be there.

It's a we thing this is a group. We sing. This is a body. What a friend we have in Jesus. What a friend we have in Jesus. together

If you have a decision on your heart during the song, I'll be in the back. If you want to accept Jesus as your lord and savior give a decision about anything. I'm back there and answer questions to pray with you. They'll be folks both in the back and the front for prayer needs. What a great song to be singing as we as we pray and so don't just seeing that we bring our burdens to Jesus. Bring them to him by coming to a brother and sister in Christ. Who wants to hear your concerns and wants to pray for you. Who wants to be Jesus for you?

Please stand as we sing.