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This podcast is a production of Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, USA. Watermark exists to be and make more fully devoted followers of Christ, looking to God's Word as our only authority, conscience and guide.
**Timothy Ateek:** Good morning, Watermark. How are we doing today? Welcome to church. I'm glad you made it. If this is your first time ever with us on a Sunday, thanks for trusting us. I hope this place can feel like home for you very quickly.
If you are new, I just want to get you caught up. Last Sunday, we introduced to you a partnership Watermark currently has with Seed Company, which is a Bible translation organization. What we said was that during our Year of the Word, which is us journeying through the Bible together, we want this to be the year of someone's _first_ word. We believe that all Scripture is for all people, that everyone deserves to have the Word of God in their heart language.
So, last week, we invited you to give. We didn't set a goal. We just told you what was possible, and we just said, "Look. We don't want you responding to me. I don't want you to respond to Davis," who spoke last week. "We want you to respond to God." So, many of you went this week and just asked God how he would have you give.
I just want to give you an update on where we are so far with still a few more weeks to go. If you will, let's go to the website and check in. As of this morning, we've raised \$283,547 as a church. So, if you've jumped in with us, I'm so encouraged by what we get to be a part of so far. Just so you know what that means, we've unlocked two opportunities, which means through our giving, we are able to reach 1,000,134 people with God's Word, which is incredible.
That involves the first Scriptures for two languages. People are going to get their first verses because of how God is using us. It also means a completion of three New Testaments, one full Bible, and also meaningful work toward one full sign language Bible. I want to talk specifically about sign language, because I would imagine I surprised some of you last Sunday when I said there are 350 different sign languages in the world.
You might have been one of those people who were like, "I thought there was one sign language." No, that's ASL, and the _A_ stands for _American_ Sign Language. So, there's American Sign Language, but there are also 350 other sign languages. It's so important for us to understand the needs of the deaf community, because the deaf communities in our world are some of the most unreached people groups in our world today.
Less than 2 percent of the deaf community in our world knows Jesus. That's significant, and it's in large part because of their lack of access to truth. So, I want to give you an opportunity to even take a step in your understanding. I'm still growing in _my_ understanding. I need to correct some communication I gave to you last week. Last week I said that as we give, we're going to complete a full Bible in sign language. That was wrong.
I've realized this week the extent of the work, and we're going to show you a video that shows it. In our giving, we're going to actually be able to help three different sign languages take major steps toward milestones in having the Word of God, but there's so much work that has to be done. So, I want to show you a video of a new friend whose name is Guillermo. He is a lead translator for the Mexican Sign Language Bible. Watch his story, and then we'll continue talking.
\[Video\]
**Interviewer:** Guillermo, I know you get this question a lot. If deaf people can see, why not just read a written Bible?
**Guillermo Flores Bucio (in sign language):** When I was a kid, my family and I lived here in Mexico City. We often attended Catholic mass.
**Shelley Dufoe:** A lot of deaf people have been taken to church as children. You know, it's like, "What are we doing here? It has something to do with this man on the cross," and just really not even knowing what all this God/church stuff is about. It's a hearing person thing. But the thing is you've never heard the language, and you've never really been taught the language using a language that's accessible.
**Guillermo:** My grandpa had a shelf of Catholic Bibles with illustrations in them. I didn't understand the words. I only looked at the illustrations, which I found fascinating.
**Shelley:** For deaf people, a word is just a series of letters. It would be similar to you learning a phone number for every word.
**Guillermo:** But I'd write these words in my notebook, and I'd ask as many people as I could. I had this craving to know what it meant.
**Shelley:** So, even if they want to search for God, it's like, "Oh, here. Read the Bible." Well, this is Spanish. You need the Bible in a language you can understand and one that impacts you.
**Guillermo:** The original texts were not signed. Hearing people wrote them, and they spread throughout the world with the message of Jesus. But the deaf need to know too.
**Shelley:** A good Bible translation needs to be clear, accurate, natural, and acceptable to the community. But our first attempts… We didn't know what we were doing. This was back in the day of VHS, no Internet. So, I was thinking, "Oh, more a modified literal would probably be good," and we were writing down Spanish glosses. Oh, I was so wrong. No one knew how to translate naturally. We just did multiple, multiple, multiple, multiple revisions. It was a slog. But bit by bit, we realized if they can imagine it, then they can sign it.
They have learned to research, find out all the background information they have, and visualize the passage. So, you have different facial expressions, and you put things in space. It's like, "What does this mean?" And they will wrestle, and they will fight with it. They are putting in the work necessary to understand and really communicate it in their own language. You can get so many more details from it. So, there are times I wish… It's like, "Oh, why was the Old Testament written in Hebrew? I wish it was in an ancient Israeli sign language with a video."
**Guillermo:** It's just so beautiful. I thoroughly enjoy it. Sometimes I'll have an epiphany as we're working on the translation. And when I'm standing there doing the final filming, it gives me chills. As I internalize and convey the meaning, it feels like an embrace. He is alongside me.
**Shelley:** Even through difficulty and hardship… There have been four times this project was going to end, and we just kept praying and continuing. They want the Word of God in their language. They want the complete Bible in their language. They need it, and they know their people need it, so they can reach people with the gospel to be saved; so they can grow spiritually; so, as pastors and leaders in their church, they can disciple people. They can't do that without the full counsel of God in their language. They know that, so they're committed, and I am too.
\[End of video\]
**TA:** We have the privilege of having Guillermo and Shelley with us today, but you applaud not with clapping but just like _this_. Guillermo, we're so glad you're here with us today. Thank you for joining us. It's true that you have 75 percent of the New Testament in Mexican Sign Language. Is that right?
**Guillermo (through interpreter):** Yes. Yes, we've already translated and published 75 percent.
**TA:** Would you just tell me how meaningful that is to you?
**Guillermo:** It just thrills me. Deaf people keep asking me, "Hey, I want the whole Bible." That is so amazing to see. It fills my heart with joy. I want to see it. But they want the whole Bible, Old Testament and New Testament, the entire Bible. I say, "Yes, I promise." It's a lot of work. It's really difficult. But, yeah, it's important.
**TA:** Hey, thank you for the work you've put into helping your people have the Bible in their heart language.
**Guillermo:** Oh, please pray. God bless you. Pray.
**TA:** Guillermo, I also understand that you're a pastor. Would you tell us a little about your church?
**Guillermo:** Yeah, I'm a pastor. There are various states throughout Mexico, and we join together by Zoom. There are about 30 deaf people, and we all sign. We show them the Mexican Sign Language Bible, and they're learning a lot and growing spiritually, and they all participate as we explain.
**TA:** Would you teach us how to sign _Jesus_ in your heart language?
**Guillermo:** Like _this_.
**TA:** Can we do that together? It's pretty awesome. Well, I want to introduce you to some very dear friends of mine. This is Jeff and Ginny Brown. I've known Jeff and Ginny for a long time. They're Watermark members. They got involved in Bible translation all the way back in 2002. So, I just want to ask you guys, as we help Watermark members understand what they get to be a part of, what did it look like for you all to jump in?
**Jeff Brown:** Yeah, thanks, TA. It was 2002, and I got a call from one of our dear friends. He continues to be one of our dearest friends. He was so excited. He had been introduced to the Seed Company. It was a fledgling Bible translation organization birthed out of Wycliffe Bible Translators, but they were going to do something different. They were going to start putting families and churches together and partner in translations.
Then they were going to start using mother-tongue translators. So, it's local people who do the work. Instead of individuals like us being sent across to try to learn a language and _then_ translate, it was to start using local people. Then that partnership would be between us and them. We'd stay engaged, prayerfully meet with them, and get reports from them on how it's going. So, it was really a unique, special way to get translation done.
That was almost 25 years ago. Our oldest son was 10 and our younger son was 4 when we got started, and they continue to be a part of that today. Our oldest son is the board chair of the Seed Company now. As a 10-year-old, he was giving part of his allowance to be a part of that translation work. So, it's just who we are. I mean, a week doesn't go by that it's not part of our lives. So, it's a real partnership and not just a donation for us. Seed Company has just done amazing work.
**TA:** Have y'all been a part of one of those celebration moments?
**Jeff:** We have. We've been to a number of them through the years. We and our business partner got to go to Western Africa and be a part of that dedication, to see them celebrate, to see people weep when they're handed a Bible. You never look at your Bible the same after you've been to one of those dedications. It's so important for them to have God's Word in their heart language. You're just changed.
**TA:** So, how would you challenge the fellow Watermark members in this moment? How would you encourage them as we have this opportunity to partner with Seed Company?
**Ginny Brown:** Our family's conviction has always been to give to the church first and then to give to other ministries in the US and around the world. The Seed Company has always been our number-one ministry to give to. Now our kids are involved, as we said. Our oldest son and his wife have a specific translation they're supporting in the Middle East. The younger son and his wife are supporting one in Nigeria. It's a family thing, and we are passionate about it. I'm trying to talk very slowly, because I get very excited about this.
I think probably you could lead someone to Christ without the Bible in their language, but the Great Commission, Matthew 28:19, says, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations." I just don't see how you can become a disciple and learn about Jesus or teach and disciple someone else without God's Word in your own language. I just don't see how you could do it. It's hard.
So, that's our ask. That's Jesus' ask to us. Right? "Therefore, go and make disciples." What could be better than being part of the Great Commission? And it could be done in our lifetime. It's possible with the speed with which they're translating.
I heard a woman's testimony in Africa one time when we were over there for one of the Bible dedications. Our whole family was there. Afterward, she shared that someone shared the gospel with her and was telling her how God loves her, and she said, "If I don't have the Bible in my language… How do I know God loves me if he doesn't speak my language?" I thought, "You know, I think I would feel that way."
So, now we have the knowledge that there are 500 languages left to be translated. They don't have access to God's Word. So now we have a decision to make, everybody. We have a responsibility. Join us in trying to attain the Great Commission and get God's Word in every language. Whatever your heart is telling you, please give generously and be a part of this journey. It's amazing.
**TA:** I'm going to ask Guillermo to pray for us in just a moment, because we're going to have the privilege now of opening up the Word of God in our heart language, and we're going to study it together. Before we do that, I just want to answer a few questions, because some of y'all might be like, "Why are we doing this?" We're doing it because people need the Word of God; because we already have it, and we believe everyone is worthy of having it. _That's_ why we're doing it.
Why are we doing it now? Because it's the Year of the Word. Some of you are experiencing more enjoyment in God's Word than ever before. Great. Let's gift that to someone else. You might wonder what the ask of you is. The ask of you is to ask God what he would have you do. I don't want you responding to me. I don't want you responding to a video or Guillermo or the Browns. I want you just responding to God.
If you're one of those people who has already decided you're not giving toward this, that's okay, but I just want to ask you… Have you asked God that? Is that what he has told you to do? If so, great. This is about you being surrendered to him. But this is a moment for us, as a church family, to believe that everyone deserves to have the privilege we're about to have, which is to take the Bible in their heart language, to open it up, and to know Jesus Christ through it.
So, Guillermo, would you pray for us as we go to study his Word? This is one of those times I'd encourage you to pray with your eyes open as Guillermo prays for us as we begin to study God's Word. If you would, pray for people who need the full Bible in your heart language, and then pray for us now.
**Guillermo:** Father, Daddy, you are so rich, you are so powerful, and you have blessed all of us here, this family. We are together. We're family, all of us, and we are your children. We ask you, God, please, out of your mercy look down at us. Not just at us, but you love the whole world, all different kinds of languages, deaf people, hearing people. We don't want them to be lost. We don't want them to be in darkness.
Please, we ask you, feel compassion and touch people's hearts throughout this congregation. Touch them. Help them to sense you and realize we're flesh and blood, just like people out there. Touch them to give and pour out your blessings on them. You are so rich. Just pour out buckets of blessings to come so this blessing can flow throughout the world. We ask you to help throughout the world. We ask this of you. We praise you. We bless you. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
**TA:** Would y'all also thank Shelley for interpreting for us this morning? I now want to ask you to take a moment and pray for yourself and just say, "God, would you speak to me now?" Then, would you pray for the people around you and ask God to speak to them as well? Then, would you pray for me and ask God to speak through me to you?
Lord, what a joy and a privilege it is to have your Word. As we open it, God, I pray that it would be like opening up your mouth. Would you speak to us now, I pray? In Jesus' name, amen.
A little over a month ago, I got an invitation from a friend. A good friend of mine was like, "Hey, do you want to go to a Rangers game with me?" (I shared this with The Porch recently, so this is going to be a repeat.) I was like, "Yeah, that sounds great. I'd love to go to the Rangers game. I've only been to Globe Life one other time, so this sounds awesome."
He told me, "Hey, don't eat before you come." I was like, "What is it, dollar hot dog night? I can crush some hot dogs, but at 44, I'd probably max out at one. I don't know." He told me a couple of different times. He was like, "Come hungry. Don't eat before you come." I was like, "Okay." So, I show up, I get in his car, we make our way out, and we park really close to the stadium. I was like, "This is the type of experience I like already."
Then, when we started walking, we walked into a door that said "VIP" over it. I was like, "This guy gets me. He knows me so well." Then we began to walk through the stadium, and we just started taking different staircases down. Normally, I'm climbing up. This time, I was walking down. That's always a very good sign, if you're in any stadium, to be walking down.
Then we got to this area where he was like, "You can have anything here to eat that you want. You can have as much of it as you want. You can have it whenever you want it." I started looking. There was a prime rib cutting board. There was salmon. You're like, "Salmon at a ballpark?" Absolutely. It was incredible. There were all of these different veggies. There was all this different stuff.
Then you went around the corner and there were different types of salads. There were cheese and meat trays, and then you had this whole dessert section with different cupcakes and cakes, and you had ice cream dispensers and all of these different toppings. I was like, "How did I not know this could be my experience every time I go to the ballpark? I will not go at any other time and in any other way than _this_."
I left that night and came home, and three things were true. First, I was physically full. Like, I went hard. Secondly, I was relationally full. It wasn't just about the food. This friend I was with is such a life-giving person to be around. The whole night, we were talking. We were laughing. It was encouraging. It was just awesome. So I was physically full, I was relationally full, and thirdly, I was just glad I said yes.
I tell you that because as we step into the book of Matthew, I want to show you what I believe is the greatest invitation. As we look at this invitation, my hope is that many of us this week would find ourselves feeling full in Christ and that we'd be so glad we said yes to this invitation. If you think the invitation I'm talking about is just salvation, as if that's "just" something… No, that is an amazing invitation. That invitation _is_ on the table. For anyone here today who doesn't have a relationship with Jesus Christ, that invitation is on the table.
The invitation I'm talking about is for every person in this room, but it _will_ require a _yes_ from you, and the result will be fullness in Christ. Let me show you this invitation. It's in Matthew, chapter 11. We just finished reading the gospel of Matthew this week. If you don't have a reading plan right now, I can solve that problem for you really quickly. You can join us in our Year of the Word. Join the Journey. You can jump in with us with Mark tomorrow.
The gospel of Matthew is just fascinating. It's beautifully placed to where you turn from the Old Testament to the first page of the New Testament. It's like, "Oh, that just made complete sense of everything I just read in the Old Testament." It shows us that all of the Old Testament is pointing forward to the person of Jesus Christ.
Then, as you read through the gospel of Matthew, you see all of these different references back to the Old Testament, showing Christ is the fulfillment. He's the one who fulfilled all of those things. Then you see the kingdom of heaven mentioned over 30 times. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the King who has come from heaven to earth to rule and reign in our hearts, and a day is coming where he's coming back, and his rule will be established across the earth.
Matthew 11:28-30 is this beautiful invitation. I'm telling you, people, this talk today is a very practical message. This is a message to the heart. This is the message I personally needed this week. So, I'm speaking to you less as a pastor and more as just a Watermark member, as someone who desperately needed to say yes to this invitation this week, and the result for me personally was fullness.
This is the invitation that's on the table. Jesus says this. Matthew 11:28-30: **"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."** That's the invitation: to come to him. **"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."**
This message is very simple today. For half of the time, I'm just going to talk about Jesus' invitation. For the second half of the time, I'm going to talk about our response. That's the way it's broken up. If you're a points person, I just gave them to you: _Jesus' invitation_, _our response_. Very simple. Yet many of you will take this simple invitation and completely miss it over the next week. Don't be one of those people.
What's the invitation? Jesus says, **"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."** Who's it to? Let's answer that question first. This invitation, Jesus says, is to all who labor and are heavy laden. What does that mean? The idea of _labor_ in the Greek carries the idea of being tired and worn out from struggling or grinding through life. _Heavy laden_ is a term that means burdened or overloaded.
So, Jesus is talking right now, extending an invitation to those who are worn out from fighting losing battles with various sin. He's speaking to those who are worn out from feeling like a failure and those who are worn out from how hard marriage is. He's speaking to those who are tired of being single, tired of the wedding circuit they're not on, tired of one negative pregnancy test after another.
He's speaking to those who are worn out from chronic pain; those who are worn out from being a caretaker for a loved one; those who are worn out on the job search; those who are tired of doctor's appointments, hospital rooms, and painful treatments; those who are tired of battling depression, anxiety, or OCD; those who are worn out from trying to please everyone; those who are worn out by how dysfunctional their extended family is; those who are worn out by their kids' rebellion; those who are worn out by their kids' struggles; those who are tired of being a punching bag at work; those who are overwhelmed by all they have to do; and those who are worn out from trying to be a good Christian.
Did I just describe anyone in this room? Is anyone willing to say, "Yeah, I would say I'm a little tired, worn out, burned out, and bogged down, and I wouldn't mind hearing a little bit more about the invitation on the table for me today"? What's Jesus offering? It's so beautiful. He says, **"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden…"** And what will he do? He says, "I'll give you rest."
How did he end the next verse, verse 29? He says, **"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."** If you're wondering how to discern what Jesus' intended meaning for this text is, just look at what is repeated. What's repeated? The offer of rest. This is an invitation from Jesus to those who are beaten down by the grind of life, and it's an offer of rest.
When I was in high school, my high school Bible study leader would have our group of people put the letters _BP_ next to verses like this. _BP_ stood for "Bible promise." It's always good to identify the places in the Bible where God, through someone else or a human author, is making a promise. This is a promise from God to us. Jesus is extending and promising rest. He doesn't say it's possible or that he might give it. He says he _will_.
That rest he's offering has two dimensions to it. It involves rest one day and rest today. That rest one day is life in the new heaven and new earth. It's where there's no more pain, no more death, no more need for sorrowful tears. All of those things are a weighty reality for so many people in this room right now.
I was walking and praying in this room before this service and just realizing that I have no clue the extent of hurt and pain that's walking into this room today. Some of you have fought major uphill battles this week, and honestly, it's a miracle you're even here and still standing. A day is coming where Paul's statement in 2 Corinthians 4:17 will be true. **"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…"**
That's pretty encouraging. Paul is saying, "Look. Someday there's going to be this monumental trade-up. Everything you're going through now is going to look light and momentary compared to the crushing weight of the glory of God." So, there's rest _one_ day, but there's also rest _today_. Some of you hear that, and you're like, "Yeah, okay. I'm not buying it."
You're already skeptical, because you know your circumstances, and you're like, "I don't see how Jesus could move the needle enough that I could actually be rested. Like, what's he going to do? Is he going to talk to my boss and hook me up with some extra PTO? Is he going to just magically send Mary Poppins to our house to watch all of my kids? Like, she's just going to show up so I can get a break? What are we talking about when he says he'll give rest?"
Well, it's important to realize that _rest_ here in Matthew 11… If you translate this word _rest_, it carries the idea of refreshment. It isn't the ceasing of work and struggle; it's refreshment in the midst of it. I'll explain it this way. This is a dumb illustration, but I'll explain it this way anyway. When I work out during the week, I work out first thing in the morning. It's the first thing I do when I wake up. If I'm going to work out, that's when it happens, which means I will work out before I eat breakfast.
Now, I love breakfast food. It makes me a little nervous to not eat breakfast just because of how much I love breakfast food. So, sometimes I'm doing a certain workout, and it's a killer. Like, I'm having thoughts of, "I'm not going to make it. This is the end. Tell my wife I love her." _Those_ sorts of thoughts. "I don't think I can go anymore."
Then I'll think about that banana granola crunch pancake I'm going to eat at First Watch in just a little bit, and it unlocks this new reserve tank of energy, where I'm like, "Man, that pancake is going to taste so good, and I'm going to have the bacon. Maybe I'll get the sausage. I don't know." It unlocks something new. Do you know what I'm talking about? This can happen in different ways.
Have you ever experienced that second wind, that refreshment, where you didn't know you could go any farther and you were like, "I _can_ go farther"? There's new wind in the sails. That's what Jesus is talking about here. In life, it could feel like a second wind when you aren't sure if you can go another day. It could be a supernatural peace or joy in the midst of the storm. It could be a new resolve in your marriage or in taking care of someone who's really struggling. It could be a new outlook in a job you hate. It's refreshment. It can look different for every person.
Let me just tell you what it has looked like for me over the last couple of weeks. The last few weeks of leadership as a pastor have been weighty. Just different things. And that's part of the job. Leaders do hard things. I'm up for it. I enjoy it. I actually love what I get to do. But this especially… This past week was one of those weeks where there were just multiple things coming to a head, whether it was major decisions that need to be made or just dealing with different people's frustrations or disappointments or teaching through eschatology and Israel and the problem of evil. I did that to myself.
But you take all of those things, and I just found myself in a moment this past week where it was just this feeling of, "Man, I'm tired." Not a deep tired but, like, "I'm just tired." So, I found myself in a moment where I just sat with the Lord. I was just still with him. As I was still with him, through Christ, I was able to experience God as Father and me as his child.
The experience I had in that moment was an experience of a father holding a child. I genuinely sensed God in that moment just scooping 44-year-old TA up in his arms and holding me. Some of the really manly men in here are like, "Why do you need to be held?" Because it's God. You should be held by him too. You should check it out. You might actually feel something for the first time in 20 years.
That ministered to me in such a real way where I genuinely sensed… And it's not like after that my to-do list cleared, all of my meetings cleared, and all of my emails got incredibly pleasant. That wasn't the reality, but in that moment, it was like God just hit the refresh button. It was like, "Hey, man, you can keep going." It was like a shot of adrenaline in the arm. It was Jesus saying, "That's the benefit of knowing me. That's the benefit of saying yes. In the midst of a tiring day, I can refresh you."
A couple of weeks ago, there was something heavy I was processing, and I couldn't get resolve on this thing. I was talking to Kat about it. I have an amazing wife, just such an encouragement. She was like, "Why don't you just sit down?" So, she sat with me, and we just sat for a minute. She was like, "Let's just picture sitting down with Jesus, just sitting with him. Jesus is in the room with you. What does he want to say to you right now?" That shifted everything in that moment. It was like relief in that moment. It was like God was reaching in and saying, "Look. You can rest. You can rest." As that thing comes back up, I can go back to him and rest.
There was a season a few years ago… I've shared about it before. It was a longer season where everything was going wrong at the same time. I've talked to some of you. Some of you are in one of those seasons right now, kind of "When it rains, it pours"…one of _those_ seasons. Everything is breaking at the same time.
I remember being in one of those seasons, and I felt like Frodo in _The Return of the King_, where he has just tossed the ring into Mount Doom and is collapsed on a rock, and this eagle comes and picks him up and carries him along. Some of y'all are like, "You lost me when you went to _LoTR_." Some of y'all are like, "I've never been more seen at church in my life."
That's the offer on the table. It's rest. Look. This isn't a deep talk. This is just a… Do you want rest or not? Some of you raised your hands. I bet if everyone here was honest, you'd be like, "Yeah, I'm worn down." It's only the beginning of October. We still have three months to go until the end of the year. You're like, "I'm just tired. I'm worn down. I'm exhausted. I don't know that I want to keep doing this." I'm just telling you, Jesus is extending an invitation to be refreshed. That's the invitation, Jesus' invitation.
So, what's our response? How do we who are weary and heavy laden experience this rest? Look at verse 28. It says, "Come to me." Do you want to experience that rest? You actually have to come to Jesus. I don't know if that's rocking someone's world right now, like, "I never thought of it that way." When he says, "Come to me," you actually have to come. You might be like, "Well, I read my Bible every day." Okay. Great. But are you coming to Jesus when you do it? It's possible to read God's Word without ever connecting with the God of the Word.
What are the alternatives? There are alternatives. You can distract yourself. I know this doesn't describe anyone in this room, but you can distract yourself from reality by endlessly scrolling on social media or conquering fantasy worlds in video games or binging different shows. You can numb yourself to what's going on with alcohol or drugs. You can lose yourself in your work to avoid things at home. But when you have to face reality again, nothing will have changed. Reality is reality.
If you want to experience rest and refreshment in reality, if you want to be one of the healthier people who actually engages reality instead of trying to avoid reality, then you actually have to come to Jesus. What do I mean by that? I mean, you have to sit down, turn your phone off, put your work away, and wait for him to show up in the room. Like, bang on the door of heaven until he opens. Go looking for him every day until you find him. Call out to him every day until he answers. Grab ahold of him every day and don't let him go until he blesses you with refreshment. You actually have to come to him.
This is one of those moments where I'm just going to call something out, and I'm calling it out because I'm calling it out in myself as well. Here's something I've noticed in my own life and in the lives of members right here at Watermark. People are willing to do hard things here. Some people will gladly work 12- to 15-hour days to close a deal. People will gladly spend a ton of money and countless hours in the yard to enhance their 5-year-old's athleticism. People have no problem pushing themselves in workouts to the point of practically fainting.
But then Jesus says, "Come to me," and we're like, "Well, I prayed for a few minutes this morning and nothing has changed. In fact, I pray for a few minutes _every_ morning and nothing has changed." When it comes to actually coming to Jesus, we have no endurance. We have no patience. Even prepping for this message, there was something that Jesus was like, "I just want you to sit with me on it." I sat for a minute, and after a minute, I was like, "Okay. What else?" What _is_ that? It's a spiritual battle. We have an enemy who's like, "_Don't_ come to him."
We're willing to do the hardest things in everything else except in our relationship with Jesus. Jesus says, "Come to me," and I think we're like, "Well, I came, and I talked to you for a few minutes, and you didn't answer, so let me just go figure it out on my own." Look. If he's promising refreshment, we should seek him until he answers. Beg him until he responds. Pound on the door of heaven until he opens it, because he has promised it, and he's faithful and true.
So, you actually have to come to him. What's our response? You have to come to him, but that's not all. Verse 29: **"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me…"** What's a yoke? When we think of a yoke, we think of that large piece of farming equipment that goes on the shoulders of oxen, and that _is_ it, but _yoke_ in the Bible is also a mark of servitude after being conquered.
Here's what that means. If Jesus is saying, "Take my yoke upon you," it means you are waving the white flag of surrender, saying, "Jesus, you have conquered me, and you have the right to rule and reign in every area of my life. You're telling me not just to take your yoke upon me, but you're asking me to learn from you. So, Jesus, you aren't just _a_ source of wisdom; you're the source of life."
As I was preparing for this message, I thought about Apollo 13. You're like, "Oh, the movie?" Sort of. But you know the movie is just a movie of a real-life event. I'm talking about the real-life event. Okay? I was thinking about Apollo 13. Do you know what Apollo 13 has been labeled? It has been labeled the _successful failure_. Isn't that interesting? Why is it known as the _successful failure_? Well, they failed in reaching the moon; they succeeded because they got home alive. It was a successful failure. Nothing went as planned.
If you don't know what happened, an oxygen tank exploded, which led to a loss of power and heat, and a crew of three had to move into the lunar module, which was only built for two people. So now three people are in something that's only made for two people. It's meant to sustain two people for two days, and these three people needed it to sustain them for four days.
The problem in the lunar module was that the filters that removed carbon dioxide were filling up because there were three people, not two people. So, in space, astronauts had to build an adapter made out of plastic bags, cardboard covers from manuals, a sock, and duct tape. God bless duct tape. Right? It comes in so handy.
How did they make it home alive? They made it home because of the leadership, care, and direction of mission control. That's life. I mean, this is life. Is this not life? Just think. Why are you worn down, tired, or overwhelmed by life? Because life hasn't gone according to plan. It hasn't. The flight of your life has been disrupted in some way.
Do you know what the astronauts of Apollo 13 had to do? They had to accept reality. None of the astronauts were like, "But I was promised a trip to the moon. I want to go to the moon." And the other two people are like, "We can't go to the moon. Do you want to live or go to the moon?" That wasn't a live conversation in space. They had to accept reality. Plans had to change. The mission was now to get home alive. The only way to do that was to submit fully to the direction of mission control.
Do you want to know why so many of us can't find rest and the reason we're perpetually bogged down in life? It's because we refuse to accept reality. Answer these two questions in your heart. First, what do you believe you're entitled to in this life? Secondly, what are you waiting on to be happy? Just answer those two questions. What do you believe you're entitled to in this life, and what are you waiting on to be happy?
Is it normal, well-adjusted, easy kids? Is it a fully working body so that you can exercise and travel just like everyone else can? Is it a job that pays you enough to live comfortably? Is it a spouse? Is it biological children? Is it someone admitting that it's all their fault and they're the one to blame? Is it time to relax and just do whatever you want to do? You feel entitled to just one day without drama or complexity.
What's the saying that became popular due to the Apollo 13 mission? "Houston, we have a problem." You know the exact words. It was not that. It was "Houston, we've had a problem here," but we're not going to nitpick. It's a famous saying now. "Houston, we have a problem." That's where it has to start. That's embracing reality. Right? "Houston, we have a problem here." There is a problem. That's where we have to start. "Jesus, I have a problem."
Then it's to submit to him. It's to learn from him. It's looking to him as mission control. "You get to call the shots. I trust you. I will learn from you. I will respond to you. I will do exactly what you tell me to do. I'm not listening to social media and what people there think I should do. I'm not listening to a bunch of people who don't even know Jesus and what _they_ think I should do to follow my heart and be happy and all this. No. Jesus, you get to call the shots. You're mission control."
The goal isn't for Jesus to fix everything as fast as possible so we can get back on course to the moon where all of our dreams are fulfilled. No. The goal is to get us home to heaven alive. That's the goal. I remember a time years ago where I was just waiting for things to get back to normal. I don't know if you're in that place right now. "I'm just waiting for normal." I waited for normal for a long time, and then I had this realization: "What if abnormal is now normal?" That's accepting reality. "This is normal. What I'm experiencing right now, what I'm living in…this is normal. Stop waiting for normal. This _is_ normal."
Have you accepted reality yet, and are you in constant communication with mission control? Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn. Learn from me." Listen to what Jesus says in John 16:33. **"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."**
Do you know what he's saying? He's like, "Look. The abnormal just reminds you that you're in a world that is not normal. Take heart; I've overcome the world." He's mission control. Rest isn't found in what you have but in who has you. That's it. Rest isn't found in what you have. It's not found in all of the things you think will make you happy or the things you feel like you're entitled to. Rest is found in who has you, Jesus Christ.
So, let me just remind you really quickly. The text reminds us of who our mission control really is. Jesus says, **"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."** In the Scriptures, the heart is the control center of one's being. It's like the truest thing about them. It's what drives and directs them.
Jesus says, "I'm gentle." Dane Ortlund, in his book _Gentle and Lowly_, explains it this way. He says, "Jesus is not trigger-happy. Not harsh, reactionary, easily exasperated. He is the most understanding person in the universe. The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger but open arms." Is that the Jesus you're responding to, one who's welcoming, understanding, comforting, and patient?
He's gentle, but he's also lowly. Dane Ortlund goes on to say, "The point in saying that Jesus is lowly is that he is accessible. For all his resplendent glory and dazzling holiness, his supreme uniqueness and otherness, no one in human history has ever been more approachable than Jesus Christ." That's who he is. He's welcoming, open, accessible, and approachable.
Jesus ends his invitation in verse 30 by saying, **"For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."** That idea of _easy_ signifies being good, pleasant, or kind. Learning from Jesus, being yoked to Jesus, is kindness. It's like telling someone starving that they will have to endure the burden of eating. It's telling someone lost in the desert they must be burdened with drinking water. Being yoked to Jesus, responding yes to Jesus' invitation, is kind, refreshing, and life-giving.
Do you know what's interesting? When my friend invited me to go to the Rangers game, I didn't say yes immediately. I was like, "Well, I need to check and make sure…" I'm usually pretty hesitant to be away from the family on weeknights just because of everything we have going on in our orbit. Now on the back side of it, I'm like, "I should have known."
This is a good friend, and I've eaten plenty of meals with this guy. What I tell him is "I'll follow you anywhere. Like, into any restaurant, I'll follow you." If I eat with him, he gets to order. Whatever he's ordering is going to be great. I've traveled with this guy. He can choose where we stay and what we do. I just should have known. If he extends an invitation, it's an easy _yes_.
Jesus is extending an invitation. "Come to me." Is it an easy _yes_ for you? It might be easy to say it right now, but are you going to go home and just start scrolling on social media, numbing yourself out? Come to Jesus. Come to him. If you want refreshment, come to him. We should know. We read the whole Old Testament. You get to Matthew. All of it's pointing toward him. He's the King.
Did you notice how Matthew starts in chapter 1? Jesus is called _Immanuel_, which means God with us. It ends in Matthew 28 with Jesus saying, "And, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew doesn't even mention the resurrection, because the emphasis is Jesus is with us. It's who he is. He can be trusted. Will you come to him?
I'll just tell you this. Over the past few weeks, I've been weighed down by wrestles with kids, the weightiness of people's disappointment, and shame that has crept in. I'm just saying this right now not as a pastor but as a fellow follower of Jesus. As I have come to Jesus, what I have found is that Jesus is exactly who he says he is. I have found him to be gentle, welcoming, open, lowly, accessible, and available. Even in the midst of exhausting moments and situations, he has done what he promised he would do. He has refreshed me.
Do you know what's sweet? When we pulled back in from going to the Rangers game, that friend looked at me and said, "Now I want to give you a couple of tickets so you can take one of your kids to experience the same thing." I tell you that just to say this is what I've experienced this week. When I've come to Jesus, he has been faithful to refresh, and I want you to experience it as well.
One of the reasons we're even doing this Bible translation campaign… Some of you are like, "I still don't understand why we're doing it." Because without the Word of God, how are the nations supposed to know that the same invitation is available to them, that they can come to Jesus and find rest for their souls?
So, I just want to give you a minute to sit and be still, to come to Jesus, and to allow him to refresh you. We're just going to sit and be silent. I'm going to ask no one to get up and leave during this time, because for you to do that is to disrupt other people meeting with God right now. I'm just going to give you a chance to sit and to meet with God, and then we're going to sing for a moment together.
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Maybe you're here this morning, and you don't have a relationship with Jesus. What you came in carrying is the weight of your sin and your rebellion against God. Jesus' invitation to you is to come and not just be refreshed by him but to be completely forgiven by him, to actually be made new by him, because Jesus lived the life you and I could not live.
He died sacrificially for all of the sin that invites God's wrath into our lives, and Jesus rose from the dead, signifying that you and I both can be raised to a new life with him. So, if you don't know him, maybe in your heart right now, just say, "Jesus, I say yes to you being my Savior and King, to everything you've done for me on the cross. Thank you for dying for me and rising for me so that I could be made new."
Lord, I pray that even as we sing now, there would be joy in our hearts as we just sing for a moment. Be glorified during this time. You're worthy of all we offer you. In Jesus' name, amen.