Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] You're listening to a live recording from Westside Church in Bend, Oregon. Thanks for joining us.
[00:00:06] All right, let's jump into the message. We are starting a new series of talks today called Good and Beautiful. It's based on a series of books by James Brian Smith and there's a bunch of different titles that are slightly adjusted as you go on. Right. It's the good and beautiful life. It's the good and beautiful God, the good and beautiful community.
[00:00:25] All of these things are based around the process of transformation that happens in our lives or how our lives change. When we're following after Jesus and spending time in his presence.
[00:00:36] And we want to take real good care when we talk through things like this, that this is not some kind of self help project that we are engaged in. It's not if we just get 1% better than the margins will go up year over year. That's not really how Christianity works. We're not after the incremental change kind of thing. Instead, we're after being in the presence of, of Jesus and allowing that to shift and change how we think about the world, which means a few different things. Number one is that we're not gonna be the most efficient people all the time. And we're certainly not gonna appear to be the most successful all the time. This project that we just described is a good example of that. We have 0.9 acres on the west side of Bend that we're not gonna use to build up a coffee shop or a restaurant or a source of revenue.
[00:01:25] Instead, we're going to do something with it. That much of the world, especially on the west side of be, is inefficient.
[00:01:31] We're going to do something like help people find housing that need to go from the street and into something permanent.
[00:01:38] So much of our relationship with Jesus will end up looking like this that the rest of the world, while we are being transformed and formed by the way of Jesus, will look at how we live our life and think, you could have done something different or bigger or more successful with that part or that era of your life. And our faith doesn't always walk us into those places.
[00:01:57] You can certainly be successful, you can certainly have money and be a Christian and following after Jesus. But those are not the mile markers that tell you whether or not you actually are following after Jesus.
[00:02:09] We have the tendency as humans to be functional and utilitarian and capitalist. And we have to be careful to not plug all those things into faith as being the fruit that we have done well by God.
[00:02:23] We don't speak the same language of these things inside of our faith. But instead, we're deeply rooted and allowing ourselves to be transformed by something that is greater than ourselves, and that is the presence of Jesus. So we have to deprogram a lot of times from this way of thinking that we've grown up in. It's been in the water. It's been the goal or the North Star for many of us for our entire lives. And we have to reprogram and be transformed, as the apostle Paul says, by the renewing of our mind so that we may know what is the good and acceptable and perfect gift and will of God.
[00:02:57] This is really evidence in the difference in generations. I'm a millennial.
[00:03:02] I think we've got a pretty broad spectrum of all the other generations in this room right now, which is awesome.
[00:03:08] I've noticed one of the major markers that really happens with the millennial generation, it ends with the millennial generation, then doesn't go on to the other ones, is our relationship with photographs and video.
[00:03:20] I do not like my picture being taken, period.
[00:03:23] I don't trust it. You get a phone out, you turn it sideways and make it look like you're gonna do something. I will go, oh, hey, can I move out of your way, please?
[00:03:32] He says while he's on two giant screens.
[00:03:37] I don't love it. I don't love looking at pictures of myself. I don't love hearing the sound of my voice. And every once in a while, the Westside Church Instagram will pop up on my feed and be like, ah, get it away.
[00:03:47] It's me.
[00:03:50] I just don't like all these. I just don't. I just don't. And I think the reason is because back when I was growing up, some of you will know how pictures were taken was you had cameras that had film in them. Sometimes they were disposable. And whoever was in possession of those cameras just took pictures.
[00:04:05] Okay. There wasn't all this song and dance that we do where every time a picture is taken today, it's like, okay, can you sit right there? And you get in front of. Look up here. Okay, look up here, look up here, look up here, look up here, look up. Okay, now we're gonna take the. That didn't happen. It wasn't curated like that. Whoever was in possession of the camera was usually like your uncle, and they just took pictures of the living room while you hung out together.
[00:04:28] All kinds of faces and appearances and lighting and all kinds of things. It was just random. It was just how it worked. And then we just looked back at the photos and said, wow, boy, don't we look terrible.
[00:04:40] Maybe that's the trauma that exists in me and why I don't like my photo being taken today. But I was at Mountain Air, the trampoline park the other day. Cause my kids have summer passes. And so we are really making them feel like they lost money on this deal. But I'm there and I'm watching this kid who looks like he's about 8 years old. And his friend is walking around following him as he does tricks and back flips and all these things. And he's videoing him like this, right? He's following the kid around. And then at the very end, the kid does one more flip and then he looks right into the camera and he says, hey, smash that subscribe button if you wanna go ahead and follow me for more content. There's more to come check me out on. And I was like, who is this kid and shouldn't he be in trouble for this or something? You know, like, how do you have that kind of a relationship with the chemist? Smash the subscribe button.
[00:05:31] Get outta here.
[00:05:33] You should be a little more afraid than this. Why are you afraid?
[00:05:37] No fear. Looking right into the camera. Very. And why? Well, of course the answer for the 8 year old is that they were born into this environment.
[00:05:45] For the millennial age, technology had this shift. I mean, even the Internet came out kind of right in the middle of our growing up for most of us.
[00:05:54] And everything changed kind of in the meantime. But these kids were born into it. They were born into the presence of technology and its ever presence, its connectivity. And so they have a different relationship with that technology than the rest of us do. And that's not some kind of a knock on a generation or anything like that. But I am saying whatever we are spending the most time in the presence of that thing will shape and it will form us.
[00:06:17] It will determine how we view the world.
[00:06:21] And so so much of that deprogramming has to be, what have we been growing up in? What have we been spending so much time in the presence of? Now, I wanna be careful that you understand, I'm not talking about have you been in the presence of bad or dysfunctional people? And you should never do that.
[00:06:35] I think there's a sect of Christianity that feels like that's the way we have to insulate ourselves from the rest of the world in order to become more like Jesus. But the example of Jesus is about a God who puts skin on and comes down from the perfection of heaven to spend time with all of us losers, right?
[00:06:52] So clearly our formation isn't done in this insulated package where we only spend time with people that we deem to be perfect for us or the most safe. Instead, it's going into the world.
[00:07:03] And so we're not concerned with are we being only transformed by being with the perfect people, but instead we understand that when we're in the presence of Jesus, then it doesn't matter where we go and we work and we travel and who we spend time with as much, because we're allowing the presence of God to be the first thing that changes us and moves our worldview in the right direction.
[00:07:25] That's the difference.
[00:07:27] And so we live in this world of noise and burden and restlessness and chaos. And out of these things comes the voice of Jesus, who, by the way, is not screaming at us, not behaving like a cable news anchor trying to convince you in a short period of time why the other side is wrong and they are right. But Jesus doesn't shout at us, doesn't demand anything of us, but instead invites us into his presence.
[00:07:53] Come to me are the words that Jesus loves to use.
[00:07:59] Those three words are the ones that can change our lives and heal our hearts and bring true light into dark places.
[00:08:06] And so today I want to explore three invitations of Jesus. The first one is come and see.
[00:08:11] Second one is to come and rest.
[00:08:13] The third one is to come and live differently.
[00:08:18] Come and see. And in John 14:1, it says this.
[00:08:22] Jesus says, don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust also in me.
[00:08:26] There is more than enough room in my Father's home. And if this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you.
[00:08:34] When everything is ready, I will come and get you so that you will always be with me where I am, and you know the way to where I am going.
[00:08:43] And then I love how Thomas jumps into this story here and he says, we don't know, Lord.
[00:08:52] We have no idea where you're going.
[00:08:55] You guys, Thomas needs more credit in the scripture. I know he's just doubting Thomas to many of us, but Thomas is asking the questions that all of us really have, all right?
[00:09:05] He's willing to be vulnerable enough to jump into the middle of a conversation and say, I don't think we do know. We don't fully understand. And so Jesus tries to bring this clarity in verse 6, as Jesus told him, I'm the way, the truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you'd really known me, you would know who my Father is. And from now on, you do know him and have seen him.
[00:09:25] Philip said, lord, then show us the Father and we will be satisfied. We still don't completely understand what you're saying. Make it plain.
[00:09:32] And Jesus replied, have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know who I am?
[00:09:38] Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don't you believe that I am the Father and the Father is in me?
[00:09:47] The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me. Does this work through me?
[00:09:52] Just believe that I am the Father. I'm in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work that you have seen me do. So Philip asked this question, if you would show us the Father. And Jesus responds, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. This isn't a metaphor. It's a revelation to those who are following after him now. It's important today especially that we center our faith in Christianity around Jesus.
[00:10:19] If you approach this faith through this culture of people or even this church that you grew up in, and that is the only experience that then shifts, shapes the rest of your faith, you're gonna miss the mark.
[00:10:30] If you read scripture out of context and then take your understanding of who God is from that, then you're going to miss the mark. But instead, if you begin with the way that Jesus moved through the world, who he loved, how he loved them, and how he served and sacrificed his life for the entire world. That thing needs to filter and then shape our lives from that point forward.
[00:10:51] It's this invitation to say, come and to be with me. So that then you might know. Come and see.
[00:10:58] Not just from a distance. Cause it understands that the first step in transformation is not doing something for God, but seeing God in Jesus. And he doesn't compel us then or compel the disciples with guilt or performance or shame. Instead, he begins with himself.
[00:11:14] That's where all of this starts.
[00:11:18] It's kind of like how you don't really get to know someone by simply reading through their resume, but life changes and their relationship and your communication with a person changes when they sit across the table with you and conversation.
[00:11:31] We've done several job interviews since I've been here on staff.
[00:11:37] And 100% you will sometimes get a resume that you go, this seems amazing. And Then you sit across the table with the person. You go, you are not this person.
[00:11:48] Who are you? And how did you get in here?
[00:11:51] Well, you do get to know a lot. Very quickly we had a conversation with a guy whose resume was solid, got to that kind of second interview part, and we were talking to him and we didn't get to ask a question for about 25 minutes. He just talked and cried and talked and cried. And I thought, oh my gosh, there are no tears in your resume.
[00:12:10] I never would have known that this is your personality or this is who you are. And this. We didn't hire him. Sweet man, though.
[00:12:18] Sweet, sweet man.
[00:12:20] You get to know so much more in the presence of someone else.
[00:12:24] Jesus isn't a resume to believe in a list of ancient texts, but instead, Jesus is a person to encounter and to be with, to take on everything that you see from him and hear from him and experience from Him.
[00:12:39] So we are invited again today to come and see his compassion for how he treats the broken and the hurting.
[00:12:45] We're invited to come and see his courage, for how he confronts injustice, and to come and see his love and how he gives himself away.
[00:12:55] The second thing we're invited to do is to come and rest in Jesus.
[00:12:59] A pretty famous passage in Matthew, chapter 11. Jesus says, My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
[00:13:14] And then Jesus said, come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I'm humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.
[00:13:32] Jesus in this moment is speaking to people that are crushed and pushed down by the demands of religion and society and even just a difficult life itself.
[00:13:42] And then he offers something radical. It's not another self help book. It's not another just like and subscribe to my page and then you'll discover the different secrets of life. He offers them something completely different than what they're used to. And it's rest.
[00:13:57] Now, it's funny because in his picture he says, take my yoke upon you. So he references rest while also referencing a tool that is literally built for work, a yoke to be put on animals so that they can pull and move in the same direction and accomplish work. But this yoke that Jesus is offering is actually the very gives us rest because of who is it is attached to. And of course, that is Jesus himself.
[00:14:24] Your rhythm is dictated often by who you are attached to or what ideology you have attached yourself to.
[00:14:34] My son is someone who I have been yoked to when it comes to the rhythm of a day for 10 years now.
[00:14:41] And my son is not a restful person.
[00:14:46] He's busy and active and annoying when at home with just me, I swear, when he just sits still, he vibrates. You know, it's quiet for a moment. You just hear, like, there's a cell phone going off. You know, that's Joel. And ever since he could walk, it was this kind of perpetual cycle of. I think he might be a little exhausted. We just played a game for a long time, and then I sit, and it's like he gets a homing beacon notification direct to his brain. When dad relaxes for just a moment, he goes, what is that? I think Dad's sitting down. Did you hear the couch cushions? And then my wife goes, I heard it too.
[00:15:32] Let's get him. You know, let's get him up and move. Even last night, again, my son is 10 years old. I'm watching a baseball game, and he comes up with this game where he's gonna sit at the top of the stairs and try to make a ping pong ball into a small cup at the bottom of the stairs.
[00:15:47] I just wanted to watch a ball game. So when you're attached to Joel, especially, like I said, when it's just the two of you, there is a burden that you have to bear together because you're going to be pulled by this yoke of energy and movement.
[00:16:01] And then my daughter was born.
[00:16:04] Thank God.
[00:16:06] I looked at Jovi the other day, and I wanted to go see that live action how to Train youn Dragon. It was playing a McManimans, and I said, jovi, you want to go watch how to Train youn Dragon at the movie theater where they bring you the big pizzas?
[00:16:18] And she said, oh, yes.
[00:16:23] And then we embraced and wept together.
[00:16:26] No, we went and we sat and nobody said a word for this whole movie. And we just ate and had root beer and oh, my gosh, the rhythm with Jovi is so different than the rhythm with Joel.
[00:16:41] And that is how I came to have a favorite child.
[00:16:49] But who you attach to, right? That's what creates the energy. That what creates and decides what we're gonna do for that day. And I'm telling you, if you attach yourself to this yoke of what the world often considers to be a successful life, you will simply find yourself burnout, exhausted, and cynical at the end of it because it will never fulfill you, and it will promise that the next step you accomplish will fulfill you, and it will never happen.
[00:17:17] But Jesus then invites us to take on this other kind of yoke, this different kind of rhythm, this new way of living that looks inefficient to some, but it looks like grace to those who receive it. To be yoked to Jesus means to move at his pace.
[00:17:33] It's not a removal of responsibility and it's not an invitation to laziness, but it's a transformation of our lives and how we see the world in the middle of this life.
[00:17:44] I love how Eugene Peterson says it in the message, and I think I referenced this like six times a year, but he says, walk with me and work with me. Watch how I do it is the paraphrase of the Scripture. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.
[00:17:59] You're not made to carry everything.
[00:18:01] And by the way, rest is not a reward for hard work. Elbow somebody next to you.
[00:18:08] Rest is not a reward for hard work.
[00:18:14] It's a gift for those of us who are weary.
[00:18:20] Sabbath isn't a day on the calendar. It's not a day of the week. It's this lifestyle that we're encouraged to walk into as we head into the presence of Jesus and, and begin to discover this good and beautiful life.
[00:18:32] Jesus doesn't say, come and prove yourself so that you might have earned the credits to sleep at the end of the day. Instead, he says, come and rest simply because you're weary.
[00:18:45] The third invitation is this. And we'll, we'll finish up with this is to come and to live differently.
[00:18:50] It's implied in both texts, but especially in this image of the yoke with Christ.
[00:18:56] After seeing Jesus being with him in that presence, resting in him, life simply cannot stay the same.
[00:19:05] His yoke teaches us, and his presence then shapes and forms us into his way.
[00:19:13] The world will constantly push back and say, if you hustle, then you can own and run and operate and dominate the world around you.
[00:19:23] And Jesus says, simply, serve and then abide in me.
[00:19:28] Just live in me.
[00:19:31] Imagine for a moment that you are someone that is training under a master artist.
[00:19:37] And over time, what would happen to you if you did so? Your brushstrokes would change.
[00:19:45] You wouldn't become exactly that master, but you would take everything that you could from them, and then you would learn that their art is about more than simply sitting down with a brush and A canvas, and you would learn that it comes from how they've experienced life.
[00:20:03] You would hear their brokenheartedness, the places where they have courage, and your vision would shift to understand the world through the artist's eyes.
[00:20:15] You'd be encouraged to not just learn a technique, but you'd be encouraged to take on more of these attributes of the Master.
[00:20:25] Living differently isn't just trying harder. It isn't trying harder.
[00:20:30] Instead, it's about staying closer.
[00:20:36] So that means I want to encourage you today, as we end this time together, that in relationships we should practice forgiveness like Jesus, that even now you should consider making that phone call or sending that text message, offering forgiveness to people that don't deserve it, offering forgiveness to people that you never thought you would be able to come around to, so that grace might be abundant in your life.
[00:21:04] I would encourage you that in your ambition, through all the successes and failures of life and the striving and the climbing that you do experience, that you would seek first the kingdom instead of some worldly outcome of success.
[00:21:18] And I pray that in your struggle that you would learn that it's not about grit, instead it's about leaning on grace.
[00:21:27] One of the things that I developed at a young age, and I don't think anybody taught me this, and maybe it's just part of my personality or something, but what I came to understand wrongfully as a kid, and I still feel this way even now, is that the greatest gift that I can give to someone I love in my life is to ask nothing of them.
[00:21:49] I want you to consider me to be strong and independent and have broad shoulders and be able to accomplish everything if you simply just give me enough time without the help or the aid of anyone else.
[00:22:02] That's how I want you to perceive me. That's how I know that I've earned my keep so that I can have my rest at the end of the day.
[00:22:11] That is an outlook on life that is wrought with pride and self righteousness.
[00:22:19] And Jesus shows us again and again that our way, our sure way, is to lean into grace and not grit, to give ourselves over to the sacrifice he has already made for us, so that then we can experience that peace.
[00:22:39] So to follow Jesus is to walk to a beat of a different drum, a bit of unforced rhythms of grace, and to hear the voice of Jesus that is still saying, come and see who I really am, not just what you've heard me to be, but be in my presence.
[00:22:58] Come and rest in what I have done, not come and rest in what you hope to do or the plans that you have laid. But instead rest in what has already been completed.
[00:23:08] Then come and live differently, because you are no longer who you were.
[00:23:14] This is a rhythm of discipleship.
