Finds Rest in Jesus

Last week we began our series called Define Christian. The story of the golden calf and the LORD’s reaction, along with Moses’ reaction, showed us that a Christian worships the one true God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That’s who we are. That’s what we do. As we look at the word Christian once again, let’s start off with this question: What are you tired of as you make your way through each day? We’re tired of wars, in particular, the war between Ukraine and Russia. We’re tired of the social upheaval and mass shootings. We’re tired of political arguing and infighting. We’re tired of bad news in general, whether it has to do with El Niño, hurricanes, droughts, or wildfires.

Moses had been a busy man, writing down everything the LORD had told him. That physical and mental work would have been a strain on anyone. With the LORD looking over his shoulder, Moses had to write it all down without any mistakes. No pressure! When the LORD had told Moses his plan to destroy the people because they had worshiped the golden calf, Moses stepped in the breach and begged God to remember his promises. The emotional and mental strain must have been overwhelming! Moses saw it all for himself, and his temper exploded! He smashed the two tablets of stone, destroyed the golden calf and ground it into dust. Moses was a strong man, but losing his temper took a toll on his strength and stamina.

If you were Moses, how would you feel after 40 days and 40 nights on Mt. Sinai, followed by everything else that had happened? Tired. Exhausted. Drained. Wiped out. Moses’ responsibilities hadn’t disappeared once he came back from the mountain. He was still Israel’s leader with the responsibility to get them safely to the Promised Land. That was a monumental task, and the LORD had told him, “Depart. Go up from here, you and the people that you have brought up out of the land of Egypt. Go up to the land about which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob: ‘I will give it to your seed.’ I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I myself will not go up among you, because you are a stiff-necked people, and I would consume you on the way”” (Exodus 33:1–3 EHV).

What had happened to the LORD’s original promise to Moses at the burning bush: “I will certainly be with you. I will bring you to the land which I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob” (Exodus 3:12 EHV)? Sounds like God changed his mind. He said he’d be with Moses, and now he won’t? Imagine hearing that on top of the exhaustion!

We’re tired of bad news and the battles we have to fight every day. Praising God is tiring. It’s easier to use his name to curse, or we spit out the phrase, “Oh my God!” without a second thought. We’re tired on Sunday morning. We know how important it is to be in church and worship with our fellow believers, but it’s been a long week, and work has been rough, the summer sports schedule unending, and we… zzzzz. Working on relationships is exhausting. I keep inviting my neighbor to come to church, but they never come. We’re sick of parents nagging all the time – clean up your room; eat your vegetables; get your homework done; screentime is done! We know we should respect them and listen, but we’re tired of it! Living according to God’s Word is complicated when our friends hound us with all the “fun” things they want us to try. We know it’s wrong, but we do it anyway because we are done following the rules. We’re tired of giving God the best of our time and gifts. I think it’s time for me to be number one. Don’t I deserve the best?

Remember what happened to the Israelites when they turned on the LORD because they were tired of waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain? They turned to another god and faced the LORD’s judgment. 3000 men lost their lives because of their rebellion. The LORD is serious about our sins, and just because we’re tired is not an excuse. He will hold us accountable! We have to say along with the Apostle Paul, “What a miserable wretch I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24 EHV).

We have never been to the Bisti Badlands. It’s on our list of places to go, but it’s kind of scary to think about hiking out there all by ourselves. Last year Diane Brown and her dog Annie were stranded out there overnight in February. They survived the cold temperatures until the San Juan Sheriff's Department helicopter spotted her and were able to rescue her. I don’t want that to happen when I go hiking! Who will go with me to show me the way?

Moses had the same question as he faced the monumental task of leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. “Moses said to the LORD, “Look, you yourself have been telling me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ So now if I have found favor in your sight, please show me your ways, so that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight. Consider that this nation is your people”” (Exodus 33:12–13 EHV). Who would go with Moses and keep him from getting lost? Who would help him keep this restless, rowdy bunch in check? Who could possibly put his mind at rest as he looked at his work load?

No worries Moses! “The LORD said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14 EHV). Moses would have the best trail guide available – the LORD himself. Literally the LORD said, “My face will go with you.” The LORD would personally accompany Moses on the journey, just as he had from the very beginning. He guaranteed that he would give the people rest and they would make it safely to the Promised Land.

The LORD loved Moses and called him by name. He would personally accompany Moses on the journey. All this gave Moses the confidence to make an unusual request. “Please show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18 EHV). Moses wanted personal assurance that everything the LORD had said was true. He wanted a glimpse behind the curtain to see what the wizard really looked like. Then Moses could relax and his mind could be at ease.

“The LORD said, “I will make all my goodness pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord in your presence. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.” He said, “You cannot see my face, for no human may see me and live”” (Exodus 33:19–20 EHV). The LORD graciously promised to reveal the part of himself that Moses could handle – his grace and mercy. No sinful human being could stand in the unbounded holiness and glory of the LORD – that person would be incinerated in an instant! “The LORD also said, “Look, there is a place next to me, where you shall stand on the rock. It will happen that, while my glory passes by, I will put you in a crevice in the rock. I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back. But my face will not be seen”” (Exodus 33:21–23 EHV). The LORD was so loving, so gracious that he gave Moses what he could handle – a glimpse of the LORD’s fading glory after he passed by. Moses would find the rest he craved, but it wouldn’t last. Soon he would have to go down the mountain again and deal with his frustrating charges. He would hear their grumbling and complaining. What is that phrase we often use? “No rest for the wicked.”

Moses couldn’t climb up Mt. Sinai to see God’s glory. We approach God and see who he really is. We can’t handle that truth. The LORD knew that so he gave us a glimpse of his glory. Where? In the face of our Savior, Jesus Christ! Jesus showed us the face of God in a Bethlehem manger – the tender face of a newborn. Jesus showed us the face of God as a soon-to-be teenager who cherished his Father’s house and his earthly parents. Jesus showed us the face of God as a miracle worker – a face filled with concern and care for those in need of healing and help. Jesus showed us the face of God as a powerful preacher – calling the world to repentance. Jesus showed us the face of God on the day of his execution – pain etched eyes, thorn torn forehead, chin with patches of beard missing. Jesus showed us the face of God so that we could see and understand he is one of us. Jesus understands our pain, our hurt, our burdens better than anyone else. God revealed his glory to us in the face of our Savior Jesus!

Jesus even shows us his glory in this beautiful promise: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NIV). “Come to me when the bad news on the television and news feeds has exhausted you. Sit by me and rest when the effort to be a good and kind person has fatigued you. I can hear that you’re worn out by the challenge of praising me. I get it – you’re jaded from hearing my Word, my Truth all the time and feeling so imperfect. You’re worn to a frazzle with the expectations your family and friends have put on you. I can see that you’re bleary-eyed from reading and studying my Word. I get it – life has you spent, overworked, and broken down. Bring it all to me. I can help!”

Jesus doesn’t promise to take away all life’s burdens and give us smooth sailing. He does say, “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” (Matthew 11:29–30 NIV). Do you know what a yoke was? A yoke allowed two animals to pull together and increase the power used for plowing the soil or hauling heavy loads. Jesus’ yoke is easy because he is there helping us pull. We learn humility and gentleness as we pull along with him. At the end of the day we find rest – rest for our souls!

We rest in Jesus and know that when bad news accosts us every day, he is still in control. We come to see him on Sunday mornings and find rest for our souls as we hear his promises and praise him for his victory over our sins. His Word fills us, satisfies the longing in our hearts, and recharges our knackered souls for the week ahead. The early church father Augustine said it best: “Our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

Moses couldn’t see God’s face. No one could, at least not until Jesus came to earth. John saw him: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NIV). Peter added this thought for us today: “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, yet by believing in him, you are filled with a joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8–9 EHV). Jesus offers the rest we need, the rest we are all waiting for. One day we’ll get to leave behind our fatigue and exhaustion and find perfect, eternal rest in Jesus’ arms. Are you tired? No worries – because Christians find rest in Jesus! Amen.

To God alone the glory! Pastor Jon Brohn