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Welcome to the Bridge Church VB Podcast, your weekly source for uplifting and transformative Sunday messages! Each episode features insightful, practical teachings rooted in Scripture, designed to inspire and guide you on your spiritual journey. Led by our passionate Lead Pastors, Archie and Tangie Callahan, we strive to create a welcoming environment that encourages individuals from all walks of life to connect with the person, power, and purpose of Jesus Christ.
In this podcast, we delve into relevant themes and timeless biblical truths that speak to the challenges and joys of everyday living. Whether you’re commuting, exercising, or simply seeking encouragement, our messages aim to empower you to grow in faith and discover your unique purpose.
Join our vibrant community of believers as we explore how to apply God’s Word in practical ways, fostering a deeper connection with Him and one another. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to enrich your life through these dynamic teachings. Connect with us and find out more at www.bridgechurch.tv!
0.800000 2.920000 Well, good morning again to everyone
2.920000 6.160000 and Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in the house.
6.160000 7.600000 And we're so happy.
7.600000 10.560000 I hope your day is full of great love
10.560000 11.720000 and expressions of love.
11.720000 13.760000 And I just want you to know how much we love you here
13.760000 15.920000 at Bridge Church and we value you
15.920000 19.080000 and appreciate what you do and what you bring to us
19.080000 21.480000 as people in our community and in our family.
21.480000 25.920000 So God bless you guys and hope you just have a fantastic day.
25.920000 28.400000 Well, as you can see, I'm not Pastor Archie.
29.600000 33.200000 With Pastor Archie, he called out sick today.
33.200000 35.400000 Like I didn't think he'd call out sick.
35.400000 37.400000 But he called out sick today and somebody asked
37.400000 40.840000 if I was emergency speaking or emergency preaching today
40.840000 42.600000 and the answer is yes.
42.600000 44.560000 You know, that sign that says,
44.560000 47.160000 break glass in case of emergency.
47.160000 49.400000 Well, the glass has been broken.
49.400000 51.000000 The emergency's out.
51.000000 53.120000 And you know, I'm running with the fire extinguisher.
53.120000 54.360000 So here we are.
54.360000 55.440000 But it's gonna be a great day.
55.440000 57.720000 It's already been amazing first two services.
57.720000 59.600000 God is always good, God's faithful.
59.600000 61.080000 It doesn't matter who's in the pulpit
61.080000 63.080000 as long as the presence of the Lord is here.
63.080000 67.440000 God moves and he ministers and he touches people's lives.
67.440000 70.760000 Well, this morning we get to start a brand new series
70.760000 72.960000 called Overload, everybody say overload.
72.960000 74.880000 Overload.
74.880000 77.480000 So we're gonna be talking about the next three weeks
77.480000 79.840000 about this idea or concept of overload.
79.840000 82.480000 And we're gonna be talking about how to find peace
82.480000 86.200000 in the midst of mental stress in a world
86.200000 88.560000 that's full of constantly moving
88.560000 91.760000 and bombarding us with different things in life
91.760000 95.640000 that oftentimes weigh us down and we become overloaded.
95.640000 98.680000 And so each week we're gonna give you a key
98.680000 100.400000 to handle overload.
100.400000 103.080000 And today we wanna talk about this idea
103.080000 105.520000 of recognize your reality.
105.520000 107.640000 Recognize your reality.
107.640000 111.040000 So if you have your Bibles, if you have your smart device
111.040000 113.040000 or however you follow along in the scripture,
113.040000 115.960000 we're gonna be looking at Matthew chapter 11,
115.960000 122.680000 Matthew chapter 11, verse 28 through 30.
122.680000 125.080000 And this is here, the word of the Lord.
125.080000 127.960000 These are actually the words of Jesus
127.960000 132.960000 some 2000 years ago speaking to us right now today.
132.960000 135.120000 And he says this.
135.120000 138.720000 Come to me, all who are weary and burdened
138.720000 140.720000 and I will give you rest.
140.720000 143.720000 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me
143.720000 146.400000 for I am gentle and humble and hard
146.400000 149.640000 and I will find rest for your souls.
149.640000 153.600000 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
153.600000 158.360000 You know, every day most of us get up
158.360000 160.720000 and we carry things that no one else can see.
160.720000 167.760000 Visible things, stresses, problems,
168.120000 171.920000 disappointments, fears, all of these things
171.920000 174.040000 that we take on in life.
174.040000 176.040000 And sometimes we don't even share them
176.040000 177.280000 with our closest friends.
177.280000 179.720000 Sometimes we don't even share with our spouse
179.720000 181.360000 the difficulty and the challenges
181.360000 184.800000 or the things that we're dealing with in our thought life.
184.800000 187.680000 And overload is a very real thing
187.680000 190.840000 and it happens and it exposes itself
190.840000 193.160000 to us in very many different forms.
193.160000 195.600000 Sometimes it's in our bodies, sometimes our bodies
195.600000 198.920000 are constantly in fatigue or our bodies are tired
198.920000 202.000000 because of the overload that we carry.
202.000000 203.600000 Sometimes it's our emotions.
203.600000 207.040000 Sometimes our emotions are so raw and so dry
207.040000 210.240000 and we can't really get them under control.
210.240000 213.440000 Whatever the situation or circumstances are,
213.440000 218.440000 emotions just begin to just overwhelm us sometimes.
218.440000 222.520000 And other times it comes in our racing mind, right?
222.520000 224.960000 We just current mind is constantly thinking,
224.960000 228.120000 thinking we're constantly trying to figure things out.
228.120000 231.080000 Calculate things, we're trying to always do something, right?
231.080000 233.080000 Our mind never shuts off.
233.080000 235.400000 You wake up in the middle of the night
235.400000 237.360000 and you feel like you're ready to go to work, right?
237.360000 238.360000 Anybody ever experience that?
238.360000 240.280000 Like it's two in the morning, it's like boom, all right.
240.280000 241.640000 I've got about 5, 10 ideas.
241.640000 243.200000 Let's go, let's go right now.
243.200000 246.600000 And get the computer out and start writing them down, right?
246.600000 250.000000 And so we live in an environment and in world
250.000000 255.000000 we're constantly living overloaded.
255.000000 258.280000 And it's sort of like this, because of Adam and Eve,
258.280000 260.960000 all of us started life with a burden.
260.960000 265.160000 All of us carried the burden, the weight of sin.
265.160000 267.960000 In fact, because of Adam and Eve,
267.960000 270.080000 there's sin in the garden.
270.080000 272.160000 All of us were carried, or given,
272.160000 275.960000 this great gift, this bag of sin, right?
275.960000 276.920000 Our bag of sin.
276.920000 279.800000 Just because of our great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great.
279.800000 283.400000 Graham Pappy and Graham all Adam and Eve.
283.400000 287.200000 In fact, the Bible says that all have sin
287.200000 289.000000 and fallen short of the glory of God.
289.000000 291.760000 So there's no way that I was able to get around
291.760000 294.200000 this sin problem that I had.
294.200000 299.520000 There's nothing that I can do about the sin problem on my own.
299.520000 301.880000 I had to come live with this.
301.880000 305.800000 I was given this, not because this early, I wanted it,
305.800000 308.240000 but because it was given to all mankind,
308.240000 312.720000 just as a computer virus sets off a virus
312.720000 315.440000 into all sorts of other computers it's connected to.
315.440000 318.640000 So sin when it entered the earth came through Adam and Eve
318.640000 321.560000 and it has spread in the people all through the past
321.560000 324.960000 that all those that will come after us after we're well long
324.960000 328.960000 and gone, come, they will experience this burden of sin.
328.960000 331.560000 They will have this.
331.560000 335.240000 And so God in His love and His grace to us,
335.240000 338.040000 He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ,
338.040000 342.480000 that there might be a solution to our sin problem,
342.480000 344.640000 to the burden that we carry.
344.640000 347.880000 In fact, over in Psalm 38 verse four,
347.880000 350.600000 the writer says that my iniquities, my sin,
350.600000 353.320000 my guilt, my iniquities, overwhelmed me,
353.320000 357.640000 they were like a burden to heavy for me.
357.640000 359.440000 It's too heavy.
359.440000 362.880000 You cannot, you and I cannot deal with the sin issue.
362.880000 366.800000 The Bible says that the wages of sin is death.
366.800000 370.800000 And so if we're not careful, if we choose not to accept,
370.800000 374.000000 the provision that Jesus has provided for us,
374.000000 378.120000 what we are saying is God, I will pay for my own sin
378.120000 381.560000 and it will cost all of eternity to try to do that.
381.560000 387.680000 Of living an eternity, inhale, trying to pay for my sin
387.680000 389.720000 when I can easily accept the finished work
389.720000 391.480000 that Jesus has done for me.
391.480000 393.520000 That through the cross, through his burial,
393.520000 397.680000 through his resurrection, that now I have a remedy
397.680000 398.960000 for this bag of sin.
398.960000 402.960000 That I get to walk away, that I get to come to Christ
402.960000 404.520000 and I get to repent of my sin
404.520000 406.880000 and I get to put down the bag of sin.
406.880000 411.120000 And I get to live free from the power of sin
411.120000 413.080000 and the guilt of sin.
413.080000 415.160000 The sin has no longer any power of it.
415.160000 417.680000 If I am a follower of Jesus Christ,
417.680000 419.480000 if I have asked for forgiveness of sin,
419.480000 422.200000 that sin no longer has power over me,
422.200000 424.440000 if I sin, it's because I choose to.
424.440000 428.440000 It's my flesh that wants to get back
428.440000 431.000000 under the Lordship of sin.
431.000000 434.480000 But Jesus has made a remedy for that
434.480000 438.960000 through the cross and through the resurrection.
438.960000 441.680000 Now there's a second bag that comes along in life.
441.680000 445.160000 And this bag is optional.
445.160000 447.360000 It's not given to us at birth.
447.360000 450.960000 This bag here is the bag of overload.
450.960000 455.800000 And so in life, we have a choice.
455.800000 458.920000 And so we oftentimes experience things in life
458.920000 460.160000 and we have a lot of questions.
460.160000 461.560000 We have a lot of worries.
461.560000 463.200000 We have a lot of concerns.
463.200000 466.480000 You know, we don't really have concerns as Christians.
466.480000 467.920000 We just have prayer requests, right?
467.920000 469.680000 And then we just have prayer requests.
469.680000 471.480000 I got a prayer request.
471.480000 475.040000 But the truth of the matter is is that we load up life
476.040000 479.960000 with the options and we load up things in our bag,
479.960000 482.880000 things like, what about my health?
482.880000 485.520000 You know, do I have the same kind of hard condition
485.520000 486.680000 that dad had?
486.680000 488.280000 I worry about that.
488.280000 489.840000 I think about that sometimes.
489.840000 493.440000 Maybe it's, who am I going to, who am I going to marry?
493.440000 494.280000 Who's the person?
494.280000 496.000000 How come God hadn't brought me somebody in my life?
496.000000 497.560000 I'm worried about that.
497.560000 499.080000 Maybe it's, maybe it's college.
499.080000 501.040000 And what am I going to do after college?
501.040000 503.600000 Or where am I going to go to grad school?
503.600000 505.640000 Or what kind of job am I going to get?
505.640000 506.480000 What am I going to do there?
506.480000 508.800000 Maybe it's my job in and of itself.
508.800000 510.360000 Now, are they going to cut back hours?
510.360000 512.680000 Are they going to, are they going to reduce me down?
512.680000 515.840000 Or is AI going to take my job?
515.840000 517.440000 Or is AI the anti-Christ?
517.440000 518.480000 So we put that in there.
518.480000 520.000000 We worry about that.
520.000000 522.520000 And so we think about like, who's in the White House?
522.520000 523.640000 Who's not in the White House?
523.640000 524.960000 Who's in the Governor's Mansion?
524.960000 526.840000 Who's not in the Governor's Mansion?
526.840000 527.680000 Right?
527.680000 529.040000 We think about all the politics and all the things
529.040000 531.200000 and all our thoughts and opinions on that.
531.200000 532.360000 So we throw that in there.
532.360000 536.200000 We think about our children, our children are going to be OK.
536.200000 537.200000 Are they going to be all right?
537.200000 538.760000 I think he's struggling.
538.760000 541.200000 They don't seem like they're getting ahead in school.
541.200000 544.080000 And so we become like these helicopter moms and bulldozers
544.080000 544.640000 or dads.
544.640000 547.640000 And we throw that in there and we get all sorts of stuff.
547.640000 551.160000 And we're worried about what's going on in the Middle East.
551.160000 554.280000 And are we more safe now than we were before?
554.280000 555.480000 So we put that in there.
555.480000 557.520000 Can I go to crowded places?
557.520000 559.480000 Can I go to ball games anymore?
559.480000 560.920000 Can I go to malls anymore?
560.920000 562.000000 It's something going to happen there.
562.000000 563.160000 So we throw that in there.
563.160000 565.640000 And we keep throwing stuff at social medias,
565.640000 568.720000 telling me how I'm supposed to look and how I'm supposed to act
568.720000 571.320000 and how I'm supposed to dress and all of these things.
571.320000 574.760000 And we load everything up in our bag.
574.760000 576.080000 And it's an optional bag.
576.080000 582.000000 But we load it up and we say, oh, that's heavy.
582.000000 584.240000 But this is the life.
584.240000 586.480000 And this is what I'm going to carry.
586.480000 588.720000 And I'm going to walk around with it.
588.720000 593.520000 The sad thing is, is some people are carrying both bags.
593.520000 595.160000 They've never given their heart to Jesus.
595.160000 598.600000 So they're still carrying around the burden of their sin.
598.600000 603.120000 But some of us, we're still carrying around a bunch of worry.
603.120000 604.480000 We carry about a bunch of things.
604.480000 606.960000 What do people think of us?
606.960000 609.920000 What do people-- what are their thoughts about me?
609.920000 610.920000 I don't have any friends.
610.920000 613.360000 I can't break in to any friend group.
613.360000 615.400000 And so we carry all of these things.
615.400000 617.480000 And it's not that these things don't exist.
617.480000 619.520000 These things are real.
619.520000 620.200000 They're real.
620.200000 625.160000 But they are not our responsibility to carry them.
625.160000 629.240000 This is not what the Lord has designed and wants us to carry.
629.240000 632.240000 And so I think a lot of times, what happens
632.240000 636.560000 is when we load up all of these things, God himself
636.560000 639.920000 says these are the attributes of his nature.
639.920000 641.240000 He's all powerful.
641.240000 642.760000 He's omnipotent.
642.760000 643.680000 Means he's all powerful.
643.680000 646.400000 He can do anything he wants anytime he wants.
646.400000 648.080000 He's omniscient, which means he's all knowing.
648.080000 649.320000 He knows your thoughts right now.
649.320000 650.240000 He knows my thoughts.
650.240000 654.000000 He knows the thoughts of somebody over in Europe right now.
654.000000 655.040000 And then he's omnipresent.
655.040000 657.320000 That means he's everywhere at the same time.
657.320000 659.040000 So he's right here with us, but he's also
659.040000 662.440000 meeting with the secret church by candlelight in some foreign
662.440000 665.360000 country that can't publicly meet like we can.
665.360000 668.840000 But what we do is, is we go, God, you're all powerful.
668.840000 670.160000 God, you're all knowing.
670.160000 671.640000 God, you're everywhere.
671.640000 674.280000 But I'm going to take care of this.
674.280000 676.680000 Because I don't really know that you can take care of this
676.680000 679.080000 stuff that's in this bag.
679.080000 681.080000 I know that you're always with me.
681.080000 683.480000 Your word says that you'll never leave me nor forsake me.
683.480000 684.920000 But I just don't know.
684.920000 686.880000 So I'm going to take care of this.
686.880000 689.920000 And I'm going to just handle this on my own.
689.920000 694.400000 And so what we do is we say, God, I trust you for the future
694.400000 698.160000 in eternal life that will come one day.
698.160000 701.920000 But Lord, I'm not sure that I can trust you with the life
701.920000 704.760000 that I have right now, the present life.
704.760000 707.480000 We trust God for the future.
707.480000 709.840000 But we're not sure we could trust Him with this.
709.840000 712.960000 We trust Him at the point where I cannot have control anymore.
712.960000 715.120000 You know, when death comes, you haven't got no more control
715.120000 717.880000 or anything.
717.880000 719.760000 So we trust God, we don't have control.
719.760000 723.800000 But when I do have control, I'm still in control.
723.800000 727.240000 It's hard for me to let go of these things.
727.240000 731.960000 And so in our text today, in Matthew chapter 11,
731.960000 734.960000 I'm going to go all the way back to verse 1 and chapter 11
734.960000 738.360000 at the start of it to get the context of what's going on here.
738.360000 740.720000 Jesus is having this conversation with the multitude
740.720000 742.760000 and the crowd there, and they're gathered around.
742.760000 746.720000 And he says, hey, why did you guys not really
746.720000 749.240000 follow John the Baptist teaching?
749.240000 751.480000 What was the problem with John the Baptist teaching?
751.480000 753.520000 You guys didn't follow his teaching.
753.520000 755.640000 I mean, John was the forerunner.
755.640000 758.240000 And he was pointing people to Jesus.
758.240000 761.240000 He said, but you didn't follow his ministry.
761.240000 763.800000 And then he says, not only were you not doing that,
763.800000 767.320000 but the prophets of old and the Old Testament.
767.320000 770.400000 You guys didn't follow this teaching either.
770.400000 774.560000 And now he says, and now here I am, essentially, he says this.
774.560000 778.040000 And you guys don't even follow my teaching.
778.040000 780.200000 You didn't like John the Baptist teaching
780.200000 781.960000 because he's a little weird, right?
781.960000 784.800000 He wore camels clothes and camel skin.
784.800000 785.880000 And he had a leather belt.
785.880000 789.040000 And the Bible says that he ate locusts and wild honey.
789.040000 791.520000 I mean, that's a little weird to me, right?
791.520000 794.040000 I don't know if I'd be all into that guy.
794.040000 796.000000 But he says, you didn't follow him.
796.000000 799.280000 But then you get mad at me because I meet with tax collectors
799.280000 801.560000 and sinners that I eat with them.
801.560000 804.080000 So you're never satisfied.
804.080000 806.640000 And they didn't understand.
806.640000 809.760000 But if you and I are going to deal with the overload places
809.760000 814.440000 in our life, we have to recognize our reality.
814.440000 816.320000 We have to recognize our reality.
816.320000 818.720000 And what Jesus was saying to the people
818.720000 823.080000 is you do not recognize the reality that you need a savior.
823.080000 826.360000 That you need someone not only to deal with the sad issues
826.360000 829.200000 of your life, but you also have to deal with the other places,
829.200000 831.560000 the worries and the concerns of your life.
831.560000 835.360000 Because they were burdened down by the weight of the Pharisees.
835.360000 839.720000 They were burdened down by all the laws of the religious order.
839.720000 842.800000 And it was causing them not to be able to understand
842.800000 847.680000 that the reality really was pointing to a new reality in Jesus.
847.680000 849.240000 And so you and I have to understand.
849.240000 851.920000 We have to recognize our reality if we're ever
851.920000 855.040000 going to step into a new reality in Jesus.
855.040000 858.840000 And that we have to walk with Him and learn from Him,
858.840000 859.840000 and to study from Him.
859.840000 861.520000 And it's an important understanding.
861.520000 864.360000 And when Jesus says this, you don't recognize.
864.360000 867.400000 In fact, you go to Luke chapter 19 and it says this
867.400000 872.160000 that when Jesus came into Jerusalem, he wept over the city.
872.160000 874.760000 He wept over because it says that he says this.
874.760000 879.720000 They did not recognize the hour of their visitation.
879.720000 880.880000 They did not recognize.
880.880000 883.880000 In other words, they were so caught up in everything.
883.880000 886.680000 They were under all of the pressure, ever overwhelmed
886.680000 888.160000 by everything that was going on.
888.160000 890.920000 That they didn't even recognize that when the Messiah came,
890.920000 895.000000 when God brought them aside, that they didn't recognize
895.000000 897.120000 the hour of their visitation.
897.120000 900.000000 Now we like what we like to put this verse out of Isaiah
900.000000 902.680000 when God's talking to Isaiah.
902.680000 905.320000 He's speaking to the nation of Israel and it says,
905.320000 907.400000 behold, I'm doing a new thing.
907.400000 909.600000 It springs up.
909.600000 914.040000 But he keeps reading that it says, do you not perceive it?
914.040000 918.920000 Some translations say, do you not recognize it?
918.920000 922.760000 They did not recognize God was doing a new thing.
922.760000 925.200000 And I'm here to tell you that if you until you get to a place
925.200000 928.480000 where you begin to understand and recognize your reality,
928.480000 931.480000 you'll never recognize what God is doing in the earth
931.480000 934.720000 or what God wants to do in your life.
934.720000 937.000000 God wants to do something in your life.
937.000000 939.240000 He wants to do something in my life.
939.240000 942.600000 He wants to not only deal with a sin bag that's in your life,
942.600000 944.920000 but he also wants to deal with the overload bag that's
944.920000 947.680000 in your life.
947.680000 949.320000 Understand this.
949.320000 954.720000 That you and I have the obligation to recognize our reality.
954.720000 956.560000 You and I had to be able to understand
956.560000 960.040000 when things in life are getting too heavy.
960.040000 961.880000 Sometimes we don't bother to tell anybody.
961.880000 963.520000 We're very independent people.
963.520000 965.080000 We're very private people.
965.080000 967.040000 I'm a very private person.
967.040000 969.440000 My mom would call me and say, how things going in--
969.440000 970.840000 I'd say, everything's going great.
970.840000 973.360000 She said, well, you wouldn't tell me if they weren't, right?
973.360000 975.160000 Because I'm a very private person.
975.160000 978.600000 And I don't need to wait down mom on what my troubles are,
978.600000 979.640000 right?
979.640000 982.160000 But sometimes we got to say, hey, these things,
982.160000 984.080000 this is getting too heavy for me.
984.080000 988.160000 We have to be able to recognize when my piece is slowly
988.160000 992.400000 slipping away and it's being replaced by worry.
992.400000 994.600000 Yeah, I have to be able to recognize
994.600000 996.760000 when I'm trying to hold tomorrow, when I'm
996.760000 999.680000 trying to hold next month, when I'm trying to hold next year,
999.680000 1003.040000 all in the palm of my hand at the same time.
1003.040000 1006.920000 Some of us live in in 2029 already.
1006.920000 1008.240000 Come on, that's when the kids graduate.
1008.240000 1009.400000 Do we have enough money?
1009.400000 1011.920000 What happens when they go to college?
1011.920000 1013.560000 We want to retire at this age.
1013.560000 1014.960000 Do we have enough money?
1014.960000 1016.440000 We're already way out there.
1016.440000 1020.920000 We saw problems before there ever problems.
1020.920000 1023.960000 You know, we're always trying to find an answer.
1023.960000 1028.200000 And so it's OK to recognize your reality.
1028.200000 1031.680000 It is not a sign of weakness when you recognize your reality.
1031.680000 1035.000000 It's a sign of wisdom.
1035.000000 1036.680000 And so we have to understand it.
1036.680000 1038.200000 And look throughout the scripture,
1038.200000 1041.000000 you'll see throughout the scripture,
1041.000000 1045.280000 of people that came to the conclusion or recognize their reality.
1045.280000 1049.160000 Jesus tells the story or the parable of the prodigal son.
1049.160000 1050.440000 What does the prodigal son do?
1050.440000 1051.200000 He goes away.
1051.200000 1052.640000 He wants his father's inheritance.
1052.640000 1055.840000 He says, give him my inheritance, give him my share.
1055.840000 1059.080000 And I'm going to go out and he spends it any way he wants.
1059.080000 1061.280000 He goes and spends it on lavish living.
1061.280000 1062.480000 He has all the parties.
1062.480000 1064.080000 He's having a great time.
1064.080000 1067.000000 And then all of a sudden he runs out of money.
1067.000000 1068.800000 When he runs out of money, he runs out of friends.
1068.800000 1071.680000 And that weird how that works.
1071.680000 1074.320000 And they come back and they repossess his donkey, right?
1074.320000 1076.000000 Because he couldn't make the payments on his donkey.
1076.000000 1077.720000 So they repossess his donkey.
1077.720000 1080.080000 And he finds himself, what does it say?
1080.080000 1087.040000 Slopping hogs, a Jewish boy, Jewish man could not eat pigs.
1087.040000 1091.920000 So he was in there serving something that couldn't serve him.
1091.920000 1093.320000 And so he found himself.
1093.320000 1095.920000 And so what does the Bible, what does Jesus say in the parable?
1095.920000 1101.960000 He says this, that he came to his senses.
1101.960000 1102.960000 What did he do?
1102.960000 1105.560000 He recognized his reality.
1105.560000 1111.120000 And he said, you know what, the servants in my father's house, he's better than I eat.
1111.120000 1112.760000 He recognized his reality.
1112.760000 1116.160000 David, King David writes all the Psalms of what is he doing?
1116.160000 1117.640000 It's like Readiness Man's journal.
1117.640000 1119.720000 It's like Readiness Man's private journal entry.
1119.720000 1122.720000 He didn't write all of the Psalms, but he wrote a good portion.
1122.720000 1125.880000 And he's sitting there, father, he's saying, Lord, how long?
1125.880000 1126.880000 Who you wait?
1126.880000 1129.400000 How long will you let my enemy triumph over me?
1129.400000 1131.600000 How long my bones ache within me?
1131.600000 1133.080000 He's writing all this stuff.
1133.080000 1138.360000 He's just pouring his life out because he recognizes his reality.
1138.360000 1142.200000 I can't do anything when my enemies come against me.
1142.200000 1145.680000 But God will arise and fight my battles.
1145.680000 1150.280000 And so he's writing all of this stuff, Elijah is another character that comes to mind.
1150.280000 1154.320000 Where he's sitting there and he's running from Jezebel, Queen Jezebel.
1154.320000 1155.720000 And she's after him.
1155.720000 1157.200000 He's put a hit out on him.
1157.200000 1160.600000 It's like a John Wick movie and Elijah's running.
1160.600000 1166.760000 And Elijah's out in the wilderness and he comes before God and he says, God, I can't do this
1166.760000 1167.760000 anymore.
1167.760000 1169.380000 I'm the only one left.
1169.380000 1170.380000 What?
1170.380000 1175.840000 He has a recognition of reality.
1175.840000 1177.520000 Has a recognition of reality?
1177.520000 1185.520000 And Jesus comes along in Matthew chapter 11.
1185.520000 1195.400000 He's recognizing that our reality is a reality of sin, but also a reality of being overloaded
1195.400000 1196.920000 with the cares of life.
1196.920000 1201.440000 In fact, Jesus, I think, is Matthew chapter 60 says, don't worry about tomorrow for tomorrow
1201.440000 1202.840000 has its own cares.
1202.840000 1203.840000 It has its own worries.
1203.840000 1205.840000 It'll have its own problems.
1205.840000 1208.560000 So don't even worry about tomorrow.
1208.560000 1209.960000 Just deal with today.
1209.960000 1215.520000 And so you and I have to understand we have to come into a place that we take this beautiful
1215.520000 1222.840000 invitation that Jesus gives us in Matthew chapter 11 and we begin to step into that invitation.
1222.840000 1225.160000 And this is the invitation we read it.
1225.160000 1229.600000 It says come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.
1229.600000 1235.320000 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble and hard and you will
1235.320000 1243.000000 find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
1243.000000 1249.560000 He says come to me, come to me, this is like what the disciples did when Jesus called him
1249.560000 1250.560000 out.
1250.560000 1252.840000 Jesus called him and said, hey, come follow me.
1252.840000 1253.840000 What did he do?
1253.840000 1256.440000 He came, he said, come follow me.
1256.440000 1260.600000 In other words, they came and pursued him, but not only did they pursue him, they left
1260.600000 1262.280000 something.
1262.280000 1263.880000 They left their net.
1263.880000 1269.240000 So when God and when Jesus gives us this invitation, he says come to me.
1269.240000 1274.400000 He wants us to come to him, but at the same time we are supposed to leave something.
1274.400000 1277.720000 We are not to bring it with us, we are not to carry it with us.
1277.720000 1279.040000 And so what does he say?
1279.040000 1282.840000 He says come to me all who are weary and burdened.
1282.840000 1284.320000 Let me just give you real quick.
1284.320000 1287.080000 The word weary in the Greek, this is what it means.
1287.080000 1288.080000 Taking a beating.
1288.080000 1295.480000 You ever watch those old Rocky movies where Jesus faces all swollen up, Adrian, remember all
1295.480000 1296.480000 that?
1296.480000 1297.480000 He said beat up.
1297.480000 1298.480000 He said beat down.
1298.480000 1299.480000 He is weary.
1299.480000 1307.380000 It means exhausted, working yourself to wearyness, worriedness, and it says burden.
1307.380000 1308.380000 This is what a burden means.
1308.380000 1313.320000 It's like a cargo ship or cargo on a ship, in other words, it's weighed it down.
1313.320000 1319.760000 It's like a beast of burden, it's like a donkey or mule that has so much stuff piled on
1319.760000 1321.080000 it.
1321.080000 1326.280000 And there's the owner who's trying to beat it and whip it to get it to climb the mountain.
1326.280000 1327.920000 It's like loaded down.
1327.920000 1332.080000 And so he's saying, hey, if you're exhausted, if you've been beat up and you're weighed down,
1332.080000 1333.840000 I've got good news for you.
1333.840000 1339.560000 There is a new reality in me if you will come to me.
1339.560000 1343.000000 Have you ever seen a sheep?
1343.000000 1350.760000 With saddlebags on it and weighed down and supplies and put on it.
1350.760000 1352.360000 Have you ever seen that?
1352.360000 1355.880000 I've never seen that because a shepherd, when they go out, they don't say, well, we're going
1355.880000 1356.880000 out in the field.
1356.880000 1360.080000 Let's load up the sheep to take all the supplies out there.
1360.080000 1361.080000 Right?
1361.080000 1364.920000 The sheep's body is not designed to carry the weight.
1364.920000 1369.280000 Now a mule will, a donkey will, but not the sheep and throughout scripture.
1369.280000 1371.680000 You and I are always referred to God's sheep.
1371.680000 1376.760000 Come on, Psalm 23, "I shall not want," because the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not.
1376.760000 1382.880000 So I don't have to be burdened down with the things that I need or I want because God has
1382.880000 1384.680000 already taken care of it.
1384.680000 1386.200000 I shall not want.
1386.200000 1387.200000 He'll take care of it.
1387.200000 1390.600000 He'll leave me beside streams of living water.
1390.600000 1391.600000 It's there for me.
1391.600000 1395.920000 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow, I know I don't have to worry because
1395.920000 1404.000000 my shepherd is leading me, I'm not packed down, and so Jesus is saying, hey, you have this
1404.000000 1410.880000 opportunity to come deal with the bags that are in your life, the worries that are in your
1410.880000 1411.880000 life.
1411.880000 1419.680000 Not only does it say, come to me, also says this, take my yoke, and by say, yoke.
1419.680000 1425.400000 It's a wooden device and it links two animals together for their purpose of being in unity
1425.400000 1427.320000 to pull something.
1427.320000 1432.780000 And Jesus is saying, hey, yoke up with me and begin to pull in my direction.
1432.780000 1438.400000 It's not about the rush that takes place in life, it's about the rhythm that I have.
1438.400000 1444.360000 And so he's saying, come to me, I have a new rhythm that you'll want to catch with.
1444.360000 1450.880000 And so the thought is, many historians and people believe that a more mature, not necessarily
1450.880000 1459.280000 an old, but a more mature ox would be linked up with a younger ox, just as strong, they've
1459.280000 1461.060000 had the same strength, right?
1461.060000 1467.640000 But the more mature one would kind of teach the younger one how to walk in unity together,
1467.640000 1468.640000 right?
1468.640000 1472.240000 Because when you put a yoke on a young one, he's probably wanting to pull, he's wanting to
1472.240000 1474.480000 go his own ways, wanting to do his own thing.
1474.480000 1482.320000 And when he gets next to a more mature ox and they begin to say, hey, this is how we do it.
1482.320000 1483.320000 This is how we walk.
1483.320000 1486.520000 This is how we get into rhythm and we get into unity together.
1486.520000 1489.880000 And so Jesus is inviting us to link up with him.
1489.880000 1496.520000 He's not saying that he doesn't have a yoke, he's not saying that he doesn't have a burden.
1496.520000 1502.200000 But what he is saying is my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
1502.200000 1504.960000 So we get into that, we begin to walk with him.
1504.960000 1510.120000 And then the third thing is, he tells us this, he says, learn from me.
1510.120000 1511.120000 Learn from me.
1511.120000 1514.360000 He says, take my yoke upon you and learn from me.
1514.360000 1519.160000 I don't know about you, but learning is a process.
1519.160000 1525.720000 I don't learn everything all at once, but God be slowly just begins to reveal.
1525.720000 1531.240000 As we learn from Him, it's sort of like the idea of pupils would sit at the feet of
1531.240000 1538.320000 the rabbi and learn the teachings of the rabbi and get the game, the understanding and the
1538.320000 1539.320000 knowledge.
1539.320000 1542.920000 And so Jesus is saying, hey, come and learn from me.
1542.920000 1545.720000 And then what are the byproducts of when we come to Him?
1545.720000 1547.880000 What is the byproducts when we yoke up with Him?
1547.880000 1552.400000 What is the byproduct of when we learn from Him?
1552.400000 1553.400000 It's this.
1553.400000 1560.880000 He says, I will give you rest.
1560.880000 1567.680000 He didn't say, go choose some gummies, they'll give you rest for your soul.
1567.680000 1574.560000 He didn't go say, vape something to help calm things down.
1574.560000 1582.040000 He didn't say go, go drink a couple of glasses until you kind of get settled down.
1582.040000 1583.040000 He didn't say any of that.
1583.040000 1589.640000 He says, I will give you rest for your soul, your mind, your will and your emotions.
1589.640000 1591.480000 That's what your soul is made up of.
1591.480000 1596.960000 And so he says, I will give you rest in those areas if you will come to me and you will begin
1596.960000 1601.320000 to bring the overload to me.
1601.320000 1604.600000 Bring the overload to me and I will deal with these things.
1604.600000 1608.000000 I will give you three practical things real quick.
1608.000000 1612.680000 And as I do this, we're going to wrap up, you can go get your mother's day lunch, all
1612.680000 1613.680000 of that good stuff.
1613.680000 1616.960000 You've probably already had your mother's day breakfast, all of that jazz, but those
1616.960000 1619.620000 that hadn't, we're going to get you taken care of right here.
1619.620000 1624.580000 Three practical steps, right, this isn't going to be deep, but it is practical.
1624.580000 1628.780000 First of all, if you haven't already, start journaling.
1628.780000 1630.940000 Start journaling your thoughts.
1630.940000 1633.860000 Start journaling your questions to God.
1633.860000 1636.580000 God's not afraid of your questions.
1636.580000 1638.940000 God's not afraid of your doubts.
1638.940000 1641.840000 God's not afraid of your confusions.
1641.840000 1649.300000 You begin to write down what it is and say, God, I don't understand why things are happening
1649.300000 1650.300000 the way they did.
1650.300000 1654.420000 I don't know why these things took place, but here they are, so I begin to journal some
1654.420000 1655.420000 things down.
1655.420000 1660.460000 And I believe that as you begin to journal and as I begin to write things down, then suddenly
1660.460000 1666.060000 it's not that these things go away, but suddenly they just begin to kind of begin to empty
1666.060000 1668.220000 out of my bag.
1668.220000 1673.580000 Not only that, I get to a place where I do biblical meditation.
1673.580000 1674.580000 Meditation is not bad.
1674.580000 1679.780000 The world's kind of made it a little weird and goofy, but biblical meditation is actually
1679.780000 1680.780000 scriptural.
1680.780000 1685.980000 In fact, over in Psalms chapter 1, verses 1 through 2, it says, blessed is the one who does
1685.980000 1691.300000 that walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way of the sinners take or sit in the
1691.300000 1696.740000 company of the walkers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on
1696.740000 1700.220000 his law day and night.
1700.220000 1703.420000 In other words, you need to find some promises of God.
1703.420000 1706.540000 You need to find some scripture that you can quote.
1706.540000 1709.540000 The word meditate means to mutter back to.
1709.540000 1710.540000 Just means to mutter.
1710.540000 1714.500000 I'm going to sit there and as I'm walking into work or I'm driving to work, I'm going to
1714.500000 1717.140000 be telling myself, this is what the Lord says about me.
1717.140000 1718.380000 This is what God says about me.
1718.380000 1719.380000 He's got me.
1719.380000 1720.380000 He takes care of me.
1720.380000 1721.380000 He provides for me.
1721.380000 1729.420000 And so as I do that, more things begin to empty out of my bag.
1729.420000 1733.260000 There's still there, but I'm not carrying them.
1733.260000 1735.140000 There's still a part about reality.
1735.140000 1736.140000 We're not here.
1736.140000 1737.540000 We're not trying to deny reality.
1737.540000 1741.820000 These things are real, but I don't have to carry them.
1741.820000 1742.820000 And so we meditate.
1742.820000 1749.060000 And the final thing is practical stuff is we've got to find a place of vulnerability.
1749.060000 1753.340000 Some men are in here like, yeah, I don't do vulnerability, pastor Scott, it'll do that
1753.340000 1755.740000 kind of stuff, right?
1755.740000 1762.700000 You need to find a place where you can be vulnerable to other people.
1762.700000 1767.740000 Not with everybody, but there's a good place for small groups, plug into a small group.
1767.740000 1774.020000 So again, as I begin to deal with these things, my bag gets a little bit lighter and I just
1774.020000 1780.220000 begin to recognize that suddenly my journey becomes a little lighter.
1780.220000 1781.220000 They're still there.
1781.220000 1784.140000 I know they're there, but I'm trusting God to take care of them.
1784.140000 1787.500000 I'm trusting God that He will provide and meet my needs.
1787.500000 1792.980000 He'll meet every one of my needs if I just simply come to Him and if I'll simply yoga up
1792.980000 1798.420000 with Him and if I'll simply learn from Him.
1798.420000 1800.260000 And we just learn how to operate in this.
1800.260000 1804.820000 And as I close today, I want to read out of Psalms 145.
1804.820000 1812.460000 Psalm 145, it says this at the top, the hitting says a praise of David, a praise of David.
1812.460000 1815.340000 Now there's other Psalms that say a Psalm of David.
1815.340000 1820.140000 Psalms say a prayer of David, but this is the only one that says a praise of David.
1820.140000 1824.740000 And so when you read it, it simply says all the great things that God is, all the great things
1824.740000 1827.620000 that God has done, all the great things that He will do.
1827.620000 1829.980000 It declares the greatness of God.
1829.980000 1835.260000 And it comes down to verse 14 and this is what He says.
1835.260000 1843.740000 Verse 14, it says this, "The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down."
1843.740000 1849.340000 Now when you begin to look at that word bowed down, this is what Charles Spurge and Pastor
1849.340000 1851.620000 and author in the 1800s said about this.
1851.620000 1857.100000 He says it's related to a disposition, or excuse me, a despondent people that cannot lift
1857.100000 1862.780000 up their heads, encourage their hearts and comfort.
1862.780000 1866.520000 And they're bent over with their daily loads.
1866.520000 1874.120000 In other words, they're bent over with the weight of the load of life, with the worries, with
1874.120000 1876.340000 all the things that are going on in life.
1876.340000 1877.340000 They're bent over.
1877.340000 1883.580000 But remember, this is not a prayer of David, it's a praise of David.
1883.580000 1890.260000 And he's saying that the Lord will uphold those that are bowed down, that are bent over.
1890.260000 1892.940000 And I believe there's a new testament reference to that.
1892.940000 1897.420000 When Jesus, there's a woman who had been bent over and sick at her body, and she bent over,
1897.420000 1900.420000 and all she knew was to look at the ground.
1900.420000 1903.900000 All she knew to do was look at people's feet, and if you were talking to her, you'd have
1903.900000 1906.540000 to turn up, and she'd have to look at your face.
1906.540000 1911.220000 But God supernaturally touched that woman, and straightened out her back, and I believe
1911.220000 1916.820000 that God wants to do the same thing for you and I, that when we come to Him with our overload,
1916.820000 1922.100000 He can begin to straighten out the places where we are bent over and bring healing to our
1922.100000 1925.460000 lives.
1925.460000 1928.940000 The question is, is will you come?
1928.940000 1932.460000 The question is, is will you receive what He has to offer?
1932.460000 1937.780000 Because it's not until you recognize your reality that you can accept an invitation into
1937.780000 1951.540000 a new reality with Jesus, will you stand with me today?
1951.540000 1956.740000 When I was a kid growing up in church, we used to sing a song, and these are the words
1956.740000 1962.580000 of the song, I'm not going to sing it because I can't sing, and everybody's all happy.
1962.580000 1967.500000 And it says this, leave it there, leave it there.
1967.500000 1971.880000 Take your burdens to the Lord, and leave it there.
1971.880000 1977.180000 If you trust and do not doubt, He will surely bring you out.
1977.180000 1981.260000 Take your burdens to the Lord, and leave it there.
1981.260000 1983.820000 And that's what we're going to do right here in this moment.
1983.820000 1988.140000 And over the next couple of weeks, we're going to bring the burdens of life, the overload
1988.140000 1992.220000 of life, and we're going to bring it to the Lord, and we're going to leave it there.
1992.220000 1993.220000 Are you praying with me?
1993.220000 1996.660000 God, I thank you so much for your grace, Lord.
1996.660000 1998.620000 I thank you for the Word of the Lord.
1998.620000 2005.340000 I thank you, Lord, that you are so gracious, you're so loving, Lord, there's nothing that
2005.340000 2011.340000 we could ever do to earn the free gift of salvation.
2011.340000 2016.620000 And Lord, there's nothing that we could ever do and earn to this gift of you being a burden
2016.620000 2018.620000 bearer with us.
2018.620000 2023.180000 And God, I just pray right now that as we're in this moment, Lord, that you would just begin
2023.180000 2027.140000 to release people from the burdens that they're carrying.
2027.140000 2034.020000 God right now, anxiety and worry and frustration, disappointments and fears, Lord, all of these
2034.020000 2038.500000 things, God, I just pray that you would just begin to lift those things, let them know
2038.500000 2040.460000 that you're here.
2040.460000 2041.460000 God, I just declare that.
2041.460000 2044.500000 Now, I just want you right where you are, right where you are.
2044.500000 2047.340000 You don't have to say it out loud, but just begin to, maybe there's some things that you
2047.340000 2052.420000 just need to lift the Lord have and say, God, I just give you my family, God, I give you
2052.420000 2058.560000 my children, God, I give you my marriage, God, I give you my future, my job, Lord, I give
2058.560000 2064.480000 you the person that I haven't even met yet, but I want to marry one day, I give you my
2064.480000 2069.420000 job, my future job, Lord, I give you all of these things, all of these things that trouble
2069.420000 2074.140000 my heart, all of the wonderments, all of the questions, all of these things, God, I give
2074.140000 2081.680000 to you right now, Lord we give you our children, we give you our parents, Lord we give you our
2081.680000 2085.100000 relationships, we don't want to carry it anymore.