Sermon Notes for May 23, 2004

Interesting Conversations With Jesus Series

“Dealing With Stress In the

Life Of The Christian”

Matthew 11:25-30

The following quotes come from Dilbert’s Rules of Order Getting Along In Life:

I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking good either.
I love deadlines. Especially the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by.
Tell me what you need, and I’ll tell you how to get along without it.
Accept that some days you are the pigeon and some days the statue.
I don’t have an attitude problem, you have a perception problem.
My reality check bounced.
On the keyboard of life, always keep one finger on the escape key.
I don’t suffer from stress. I am a carrier.

Introduction

The Stresses Of LIFE.
EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE UNDER SOME KIND OF STRESS!
parents under the demands of kids and their schedules
bills piling up that need to be paid
pressures at work
deadlines at school
The question is, how do you deal with your stress?
on a website called mindtools.com – a website dedicated to dealing with one’s stress. Here were some of the options:

1. think rationally and improve your life with Dianetics

2. learn from self-esteem experts how to restore your confidence

3. purchase affirmation software

4. learn self-hypnosis

5. undergo a bio-silver-magnet fast

6. find a life coach who can personally work with you

7. click on to Relaxandbreathe.com

The Stresses Of CHRISTIANS.
Do Christian REALLY handle their stress any differently?
my sense is that “most Christians” do not handle stress any better than non-believers

1. they just “think” that they do

2. because believers “think” that they should “be together,” they
attempt to be exactly that . . . “together”

how many times have I been in a counseling session and seen these “together Christians” fall apart

Most of us are, however, stressed and tired.
Common stresses for everyone:
We tire easily of the tasks of our lives.
Physically and mentally, we struggle to make ends meet day after day.
Emotionally we have unrest in relationships, broken dreams, and heartbreaks of life.
Spiritually we become tired of trying to live up to our faith.
Kent Hughes – “I think it was Oswald Sanders who said, “The world is run by tired men.”

Most souls are won by tired people!

The best sermons are preached by tired men!

The best camps are run by exhausted youth ministers!

The Third World is being evangelized by tired missionaries!

Christian organizations are being run by tired men!

You show me a super VBS and I will show you some tired women!

the question then becomes, how should Christians deal with the stress in their lives?

1. what a classic passage Jesus gives us about dealing with
stress

2. we will, however, learn from Jesus about how to truly deal with
the stress in our lives

I. A Time Of CONFESSION For Believers.

The REJECTION OF THE WISE.

Vs. 25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

The wisdom of the Rabbis.
if you questioned the religious leaders of the day, they would proudly say that they understood the meaning of life
and their purpose was to teach the world that understanding
The wisdom of the world.
likewise, the unbelieving culture of Jesus’ day would say that they knew too understood the meaning of life
after all, the Greeks prided themselves in that pursuit. Perhaps no culture has ever existed that focused its attention to the ultimate meaning of life other than the Greeks.

The REVELATION OF THE CHILDREN.

Vs. 25 - At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.”

Jesus, however, made a startling comment about the “worldly wise.”
the answer to life was not seen by the wise and the learned
the fact was these learned people HAD NO CLUE ABOUT THE REAL MEANING OF LIFE!

Jesus also made a startling comment about the “spiritually wise.”
True life and its meaning, instead, was seen by those that Jesus called “infants”

1. does Jesus literally mean physical infants?

2. no, Jesus was talking about those who could be taught like
infants

a. those who came with no preconceived ideas

b. those who looked to others than themselves for truth

c. those who didn’t doubt and ask questions about what
their teacher said

d. those who had faith

think about the trusting attitude of little children

1. they don’t have to know everything before they can trust their
parents

2. in fact, they are anxious to be taught by their parents

3. they run to be received by their parents

a. they wish to be held and taught

b. David “hold you”

II. A Time Of CLARIFICATION In Believers.

The SUPREMACY Of Christ.

Vs. 27a – “All things have been committed to me by my Father.”

JESUS holds the answer to life.
what Jesus is saying here is that the unbeliever IS LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACES FOR THE MEANING TO LIFE.

1. the rabbis

a. laws

b. regulations

c. they added some 10,000 laws to the already existing 10
commandments

d. their belief was that obedience to the Law was the
meaning to life

2. the world

a. the world prided itself in its success, power and
influence

b. others gave themselves over to pleasure

c. to the world, these were their answers

what Jesus is saying here is that HE IS THE ANSWER

1. not laws, regulations and even obedience

2. not fame, success, money or relationships

JESUS is the answer to life.
Jesus holds the answer to ALL THINGS.

Vs. 27 – “All things have been committed to me by my Father.”

1. what are all things?

a. the Greek word pas

1. all, all things, everything, whatsoever

2. each, every, any, all, the whole

b. Petri – “All things, earth, heaven, and hell; men,
angels, and devils, time, death and eternity; salvation
and damnation, truth, righteousness, glory, peace
and joy; consolation and refreshing, rest and hope,
deliverance from sin, victory in temptation,
overcoming the world, communion with God, the
love of God, the life in God.”

2. DO YOU SEE WHAT JESUS IS SAYING?

a. while the world “thinks” that they know what life is all
about

b. there is no way that they can truly know, for He alone is
the answer to life

c. do you, as a Christian, truly know what Jesus is saying
here?

1. HE IS SAYING THAT LIFE IS FOUND IN
HIM!

a. not the laws about Him

b. not a book about Him

c. not the ministry for Him

d. not the church that serves Him

2. Jesus is saying that the essence, the meaning, the
purpose of life is found in Jesus!

if Jesus is not a part of your life, you will not understand ANYTHING

1. notice the words that Jesus uses:

Vs. 27 - "All things have been committed to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows
the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses
to reveal him.”

a. knows

1. the Greek word ginosko

2. to perceive, to know well; to become thoroughly
acquainted with, to understand

3. the tense is a present active indicative

a. there is no more “present” tense in all of
the Greek language

b. meaning that the relationship with Jesus
must be current and ongoing

b. reveals

1. the Greek word apokalupto

2. to uncover, lay open what has been veiled, make
known: disclose what was unknown

3. the tense is an aorist active infinitive

a. the aorist tense suggests a point in time
that this happened that continues to affect
the subject

b. what God “revealed,” (past) will continue
to know (present)

2. what Jesus is CLEARLY saying is that HE IS LIFE!

a. I am afraid that many Christians do not understand this
simple truth

1. life is in Jesus

2. life is in knowing, walking with, talking to,
depending upon – Jesus!

b. too many believers don’t really walk that closely with
Jesus

1. yes, you go to church – but do you talk directly
to Jesus?

2. yes, you give your money – but do you spend
precious time with Jesus?

3. Charles Spurgeon – He saith not, come to my
ministers to consult them, nor come to my
sacraments to observe them, not come to my
Bible to study its teaching – interesting and
advantageous as under some circumstances any
or all of these counsels might be; but he invites
us in the sweetest tune of friendship, saying,
“Come to me.”

4. examples:

a. I can work for the company and never
spend time with the boss

b. I can spend time reading the manual for
the business and never spend time with
the one who wrote the manual

c. David Leaverton – never met Joe Gibbs

d. wives, let me ask you – “How can your
husband best love you?”

1. buy me jewelry, flowers and other
presents

2. most wives would say, “Just
spend quality time “with” me”

c. don’t forget the spiritual principle of good, better and
best

1. it is good to be a Christian

2. it is better if we serve Christ

3. it is best if we spend intimate time with Christ –
to get to know Him better

a. Spurgeon calls intimacy with Christ “the
secret mark of God’s children.”

b. Oswald Chambers says “the soul is in
danger when knowledge of doctrine
out steps intimate touch with Jesus.”

The SOVEREIGNTY of Christ.

Vs. 27 - "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Notice, however, that the only way that you will ever know Christ is if Jesus “reveals” Himself to you.
you can’t simply “decide” to know God better
in order to know God, Jesus must “reveal” Himself to you

1. there is not some “course” you can take

2. you can’t simply “attend” church

3. you can’t merely be involved in ministry. No, Jesus Himself
just reveals His presence personally to you.

IS JESUS CURRENTLY WORKING IN YOUR LIFE?

III. The Time Of CARING For Believers.

A. The BURDEN Of The Believer.

The struggle of the believer.

Vs. 28 - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

to those who are weary

1. the Greek suggests that this person is tired; very, very tired

2. this work has taken them to the point of exhaustion

3. however, the work or labor is not what you think

a. this labor that Jesus speaks of is to find the answer to
life itself

1. maybe it is a spiritual journey to look for God

2. maybe it is a physical and emotional journey to
simply find happiness

a. a great job

b. a beautiful home

c. popularity

b. whatever you have done to find joy, fulfillment and
purpose in life HAS NOT WORKED!

1. you are beaten down by life

2. you are discouraged by life

3. you are confused by life

to those who are heavy laden

1. the Greek tense is passive and suggests that something was
done to you to cause your burden

a. without a doubt, Jesus was talking about the burden that
the religious leaders put on the “backs” of the average
Jew – a burden to work their way to heaven

b. these were burdens that no one could carry

2. but I also believe that this can mean the burdens of life itself
(“Sackitis”) – Pastor Kent Lenard

a. that people are carrying around a “sack full of rocks”

1. burdens

2. pains

3. regrets

4. offenses

5. failures

b. that people are carrying around “various kinds of
rocks”

1. rocks of rejection

a. make a poor grade, make a bad choice,
make a mess

b. get called a few names. Get mocked.
Get abused.

c. and the sack gets heavy 2. rocks of regret

a. regret for the time you lost your temper

b. regret for the moment you lost your
priorities

c. regret for when you shouldn’t have and
you did

3. and people try to “deal with our rocks”

a. we go to a therapist

1. we sit on the couch with our sack of rocks at our
feet and name them one by one

2. the therapist listens and tries to help

3. and then, when the time is up, we gather our
rocks and take them with us

b. we go to church

1. hoping to let go with some of our rocks

2. instead, the preaching gives us more rocks to put
into our bag

The solution for the believer.

Vs. 28 - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest.”

the Greek word for rest can mean several things:

1. to be refreshed and revived from labor on a long journey

2. to have chains fall off of your hands

3. to struggle with a door that won’t open, then it suddenly flies
open

in a sense, it is an “aha” moment of realization

B. The BLESSING Of The Believer.

The COMMAND of the Master.

Vs. 28 - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest.”

Jesus calls you to “come”

1. you won’t come if you have life all figured out

2. you can’t come unless you think that Jesus can help you

3. you won’t come unless you know that you can’t do it

4. this is why Jesus says that you must have the faith of a child to
receive it.

Jesus calls you to “come to Me”

1. not come to church, not come to a minister, but come to ME!

2. I love this quote from John Newton in a letter to a fellow
believer – January 16, 1715 – “Yet you are not alone; for the
Lord is with you, the best counselor and the best friend.
There is a strange backwardness in us (at least in me) fully to
improve that gracious intimacy to which He invites us. Alas I
that we so easily wander from the fountain of life to hew out
cisterns for ourselves; and that we seem more attached to a
few drops of His grace in our fellow creatures, than to the
fullness of grace that is in Himself. I think nothing gives me a
more striking sense of my depravity than my perverseness and
folly in this respect: yet He bears with me and does me good
continually.”

3. let’s go to the Scriptures to see the point

a. in Genesis, WHY did God make man – to be with Him

1. notice what God said to Adam after Adam
sinned – Genesis 3:9 – But the LORD God
called to the man, "Where are you?"

a. why would God ask where Adam was if
Adam had not “left” God’s presence?

b. evidently, before that, Adam and God
were “together”

2. there was intimacy in the Garden before the fall

3. I like what one writer said: “Does God’s voice
walk in the garden of our hearts and minds?”

b. God’s presence was seen throughout the Exodus – the
Shekinah glory

c. what was the name of the Christ child in Matt. 1:23 –
Immanuel – God WITH us!

d. and what was Jesus called in John 1:1 “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.”

1. look at verse 14! – “The Word became flesh and
made his dwelling among us. We have seen his
glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came
from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

2. GOD LIVED WITH US.

2. The CALLING of the Master.

Vs. 29-30 – “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

the calling of the yoke

1. it may surprise you as to the solution that Jesus offers in finding
rest for the stresses of life

a. He does not call you to attend more services, to serve
more in ministry, or give more money

b. it seems that we always think that it is something that
we need “to do”

2. instead, Jesus calls us to “put on His yoke”

the character of the yoke

1. a physical yoke

a. a yoke was a wooden harness placed over two oxen in
order to pull a plow

b. usually these yokes were hand made to fit a particular
ox

c. in addition, farmers usually put a veteran ox with one
who had not pulled a plow so that the older ox could
“teach” the younger how to properly pull the plow – as
one farmer said:

He said that the one was a young animal that was new
to the yoke. I went on to inquire as to why he put them
together and this is the answer that I got, “Well you see,
it’s like this. That older ox is the best ox that I have
ever had; he knows his way around the field. The
reason I put the younger one with him is so the older,
more knowledgeable ox could teach him how to plow.
If I never put them together the younger one would
never learn. By himself the younger ox would pull
himself to death, but together he learns to cooperate and
let the older ox help him.”