The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

Reading of the Word

Luke 24:13–27 NASB 2020

And behold, on that very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they came to a stop, looking sad. One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You possibly the only one living near Jerusalem who does not know about the things that happened here in these days?” And He said to them, “What sort of things?” And they said to Him, “Those about Jesus the Nazarene, who proved to be a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. But also some women among us left us bewildered. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. And so some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” And then He said to them, “You foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to come into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the Prophets, He explained to them the things written about Himself in all the Scriptures.

Prayer of Illumination

Lord, we pause and quiet our hearts before You. Send Your Spirit to open our eyes and ears to Your Word today. Slow us down so we can hear Your voice and receive Your rest. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

👀 Introduction

Let me ask you — how many of you have said this in the past week: “I’m just so busy”?

We live at a frantic pace. Our phones never stop buzzing, our calendars are overbooked, and even our vacations leave us more tired than when we started. We hurry from one thing to the next, trying to keep up — but deep down we know something is wrong.

Dallas Willard once said:

“Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”

John Mark Comer built a whole book around that statement which I have read this past week — because it’s true. Hurry isn’t just a scheduling problem; it’s a soul problem. It crowds out prayer, steals our peace, and leaves us restless and anxious.

And that’s exactly what Jesus addresses when He says:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NASB)

He invites us into His pace of life — not stress and striving, but rest and renewal.

1. The Rest Jesus Promises

Matthew 11:28–30 NASB 2020

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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 comfortable, and My burden is light.”

Jesus offers what our souls need most: rest. Not just a nap or a weekend off, but deep soul-level renewal. He doesn’t say “Do more,” He says “Come to Me.”

The Emmaus Road Picture

Two disciples walked to Emmaus weighed down with grief and confusion. Jesus came near but kept them from recognizing Him — giving them space to pour out their hearts.

Like them, we often hide the darkest parts of our lives. But God invites us to bring Him our heaviest, messiest burdens so He can take them away and fill us with His presence.

The Exchange

Jesus says: “Take my yoke upon you.” He doesn’t just remove burdens — He replaces them with His gentle, freeing way of life.

🖼️ Illustration: Life without Him is like a treadmill — constant motion, no progress. With Him, we finally breathe.

Key Truth: Rest isn’t about doing less — it’s about coming honestly to Jesus and letting Him carry what we cannot.

2. Hurry: The Great Enemy of Spiritual Life

Psalm 46:10 NASB 2020

“Stop striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.”

When life is overloaded, our souls wither. Hurry crowds out prayer, Scripture, and time with God. It’s not just a scheduling issue — it’s a heart issue.

The Emmaus Moment Expanded

The disciples didn’t recognize Jesus until He opened the Scriptures. Then they said:

Luke 24:32 NASB 2020

They said to one another, “Were our hearts not burning within us when He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”

The Word didn’t just inform them — it ignited them. Their hopelessness turned into holy fire.

Why Hurry is Dangerous

Hurry keeps us from lingering long enough for our hearts to burn. We skim. We scroll. We rush through quiet time and wonder why we feel spiritually dry.

Hurry isn’t just unhelpful — it’s toxic. It poisons our ability to connect with God, to love people well, and to even care for our own soul.

Satan doesn’t just want to make you sin — he wants to make you busy. Because busyness can do the same thing: it cuts us off from God, from others, and even from our own soul.

From God: We rush through prayer and never sit still long enough to hear His voice.

From Others: We miss the people right in front of us — our families, friends, and neighbors.

From Ourselves: We lose touch with our pain, calling, and joy.

Busyness is tearing apart the fabric of society — one scroll, one distraction, one overbooked calendar at a time.

🖼️ Illustration: 88 Facebook Posts in One Day

Just last week, I saw someone who posted 88 times on Facebook — in one day.

Now think about that for a second. Eighty-eight posts. Even if each one only took a minute to type and share, that’s nearly an hour and a half of their day gone. And we all know it takes more than a minute — there’s scrolling, reading comments, reacting, and checking notifications.

Imagine what could have been done with that time — time with family, time resting, time in prayer, time simply being present.

This is what hurry and distraction do: they eat up our hours in little bites until we have nothing left for what really matters. It’s death by a thousand notifications.

The Enemy’s Subtle Strategy

Satan rarely shows up with a pitchfork and a scary voice. He’s far more subtle than that.

Today, you’re more likely to meet him as:

a notification on your phone while you’re trying to read your Bible,

a weekend lost to Netflix,

an endless scroll on Instagram,

late nights at the office,

or one more commitment in a life that never slows down.

His goal isn’t just to tempt you into sin — it’s to keep you so busy, so distracted, and so exhausted that you never notice Jesus walking beside you.

Corrie ten Boom said it best:

“If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.”

This is serious stuff. The speed of hurry may be the greatest threat to spiritual life we face today. Spiritual lives hang in the balance — and eternity is only a heartbeat away.

The Witness of the Word

Jesus showed the disciples where the whole Old Testament pointed to Him.

The resurrection was confirmed by over 500 witnesses — we can rest in that truth (1 Cor. 15:6).

🔥 John Wesley’s Conversion (Short Version)

John Wesley was a devoted priest and missionary — but by his own admission, he didn’t yet have saving faith. After a discouraging trip to America, he returned to England asking, “Who will convert me?”

On May 24, 1738, he reluctantly attended a meeting on Aldersgate Street in London. Someone was reading Martin Luther’s preface to Romans when Wesley later wrote these famous words:

“About a quarter before nine… I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine.”

That was Wesley’s “Emmaus Road moment.” The Word of God turned head knowledge into heart faith — and it set his life ablaze for God.

Insight: The Word of God reveals Jesus and sets hearts ablaze — but we must slow down to hear it.

3. Jesus Lived at the Speed of Love

Ephesians 5:2 NASB 2020

and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Jesus was never rushed. He was busy, but never hurried. He walked everywhere, noticed people, and stopped when interrupted.

“Love, joy, and peace are incompatible with hurry. You can’t love people in a hurry. You can’t experience joy in a hurry. You can’t walk in peace in a hurry.” — John Mark Comer

Emmaus was a 7.5-mile walk — and Jesus used every step to listen, teach, and open their hearts. Every interruption became a ministry moment.

Truth: Love takes time. Hurry makes love almost impossible. If we want to love like Jesus, we have to slow down enough to notice, to listen, and to be present.

Illustration – Sunday Mornings “Sunday mornings with little kids can feel like a race: missing shoes, spilled cereal, last-minute diaper changes. By the time you get to church, you’re rushed, stressed, and exhausted — not ready to worship. Hurry robs us of joy and presence with God.”

4. The Practices That Slow Us Down

Comer’s Four Practices:

Silence & Solitude: Create space to be still before God.

Sabbath: A weekly rhythm of rest and worship.

Simplicity: Declutter your life and focus on what matters.

Slowing: Intentionally resist hurry — walk slower, leave margin in your schedule.

These aren’t rules — they’re rhythms that form us into unhurried disciples.

“If we can slow down both — the pace at which we think and the pace at which we move our bodies through the world — maybe we can slow down our souls to a pace at which they can ‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’” (John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, 222)

Application: Build margin. Practice saying no. Trade busyness for abiding.

🖼️ Illustration: Just as a tree grows strong not by being rushed but by deep, slow roots — our souls grow healthy when we slow down and make room for God.

Takeaway For The Week: Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life, but Jesus invites us to slow down, walk at His pace, and find true rest.

Conclusion

We began by talking about how busy our lives feel — how we rush from one thing to the next, constantly pulled by schedules, screens, and demands.

Dallas Willard was right: “Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life.” Jesus is the great cure: “Come to Me… and I will give you rest.”

Challenge

Will you keep living at the hurried pace of the world, always rushing, always restless? Or will you walk at the pace of Jesus — the speed of love, the rhythm of grace?

True rest isn’t found in more time — it’s found in following the One who is Lord of time.

🔥 Closing Challenge: “Hurry destroys depth with God, but Jesus offers a life of rest and renewal. Which pace will you choose: the world’s restless hurry, or Jesus’ restful way?”

Prayer Following Sermon

Jesus, thank You for inviting us to come and find rest for our souls. Help us lay down our hurry, our worries, and our distractions, so we can walk at Your pace — the pace of love. Teach us to live unhurried lives that bring glory to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.