- Episode AI notes
- Pastor Jon Tyson emphasizes the fulfillment found in Jesus, who offers connection and purpose, especially during moments of isolation.
- The concept of the human soul, weighing 21 grams, is presented as a significant aspect that enriches experiences and provides meaning in life.
- Modern individuals face multiple layers of exhaustion, including physical, mental, social, existential, vocational, compassion, and justice exhaustion, highlighting a disconnection in society.
- Jesus critiques the Pharisees for their performance-driven practices, advocating for grace as the true source of rest for the soul.
- Individuals are encouraged to seek depth in life rather than succumbing to fleeting distractions and superficial pleasures that prevent authentic fulfillment.
- The pursuit of relentless work, or ‘soul hustle’, leads to loneliness and neglect of the soul’s true needs, emphasizing the importance of spiritual fulfillment over external achievements.
- True satisfaction for the soul is found in God, as the biblical themes guide individuals to redirect their cravings towards a divine relationship.
Surrendering to God’s grace is vital for spiritual fulfillment and encourages the acceptance of mercy within the church, inviting those in need to experience communal grace. Time 0:00:00
Find Fulfillment Beyond Algorithms Summary: Human beings often experience a deep hunger for connection and purpose, especially during moments of isolation. This longing can manifest when feeling rejected or excluded from social circles or opportunities. In these times, the presence of a guiding figure is crucial. Jesus offers himself as the bread of life, the light in darkness, and the door to acceptance and guidance. He promises fulfillment that transcends superficial consumerism, aiming to shepherd individuals towards true happiness and deeper life experiences, including renewal after loss.
Speaker 1
Have you ever been sitting in your apartment and it’s a Saturday night and you’ve got nothing planned and you can’t just sit there, you’ve got to get out and you don’t even know why, what Is that? That sense of hunger and longing for life. Jesus said, if you’re hungry I am the bread of life. Jesus says, if you are in darkness I am the light of the world and he makes the claim that whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but have the light of life. Jesus says if you have been excluded, rejected, shut out, maybe you were rejected by a fraternity, maybe they didn’t let you into that sorority, I don’t know, maybe you didn’t get the Job or you got kicked out or you’ve been made redundant or fired, whatever it is and you just feel like I’m not wanted. Jesus says, I am the door, I will let you in, you will have access through me. We’re all looking for somebody to guide us and to care for us. Most of our lives are honestly shepherded by algorithms, aren’t they, if we’re really honest. One click changes the whole profile and they got you everywhere and before you know it, they’ve got you. And Jesus says, I want to shepherd you and lead you to life that is not just a series of economic consumer promises for temporary happiness. I want to lead you to pasture in life that will fulfill you. Jesus says, if you’ve experienced any sort of death, I’m the resurrection in the life.The Weight of the Soul Enhances Meaning Summary: The concept of the human soul, theorized to weigh 21 grams, signifies a deeper essence beyond our physical existence. The addition of ‘soul’ to various aspects of life, such as music, food, and even corporations, implies an enriched experience that elevates their value. Despite living in a world where many neglect the importance of the soul, this dismissal contributes to widespread exhaustion across multiple dimensions, including physical, emotional, and existential fatigue.
Speaker 1
And he sort of theorized that the human soul weighs 21 grams. And they made a sort of okay movie called 21 Grams, about 15 years ago. And it was all about the weight of the soul. Even though the soul is hard to sort of articulate, we know there’s a true part of us that is more than just our bodies. Let me just add the word soul to a few things and tell me whether or not soul makes things better, okay? You’ve got music, but then you got soul music. Does soul make music better, okay? You’ve got food and then you’ve got soul food. But literally by adding soul to things, when people even talk about corporations, when you’re getting onboarded with HR, sometimes they’ll talk about the soul of our corporation. They’re talking about the heart or the true part of what it is that makes us us. So I wanna say this, that you live in a world where you have a soul and no one really cares about it. And that’s why we’re exhausted. And we’re exhausted on so many levels. This is just a list of the ways that people experience exhaustion. We have physical exhaustion.Finding the Soul in a World of Exhaustion Summary: Individuals experience multiple layers of exhaustion in modern life, stemming from various sources. Physical exhaustion arises from daily inconveniences and stressors, leading to feelings akin to running a marathon. Mental and emotional exhaustion is prevalent due to constant pressures and the demands of others. Social exhaustion is fueled by the expectations placed on individuals by those around them. Existential exhaustion emerges from the struggle to find purpose and connection. Vocational exhaustion reflects the challenges of career advancement. Compassion exhaustion occurs when one is overwhelmed by the need to care for others, while justice exhaustion results from the moral obligation to address societal issues. Together, these forms of fatigue highlight a deeper disconnection in society, where individual souls feel neglected and uncared for.
Speaker 1
But literally by adding soul to things, when people even talk about corporations, when you’re getting onboarded with HR, sometimes they’ll talk about the soul of our corporation. They’re talking about the heart or the true part of what it is that makes us us. So I wanna say this, that you live in a world where you have a soul and no one really cares about it. And that’s why we’re exhausted. And we’re exhausted on so many levels. This is just a list of the ways that people experience exhaustion. We have physical exhaustion. It’s nothing like getting on a train and it’s not running, and it’s only running local, and then it’s a 14 minute delay, and there’s a 22 minute delay. You have to sit there and you stand up and you get on it. The air condition’s broken and it stinks. And by the time you get home, you feel like you’ve run a half marathon. Physical exhaustion. Then you have mental exhaustion. You have emotional exhaustion. There’s social exhaustion, because people always want things from you. Then there’s existential exhaustion, trying to figure out why you’re here and what your purpose is. And if anyone cares about you, then there’s vocational exhaustion, trying to make sure you’re making progress in your career. Then you have compassion exhaustion because you’re meant to be giving yourself to everybody’s needs. Then you have justice exhaustion because the world’s bleeding out and you should do something about it.Grace over Burden: True Rest for the Soul Summary: Jesus condemns the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, labeling them as outwardly righteous but inwardly corrupt. He criticizes their performance-driven religious practices that burden people without offering genuine support. In contrast, Jesus extends grace, emphasizing that true rest for the soul comes not from adhering to rigid traditions, but through a simple understanding and acceptance of divine grace, which is revealed not to the wise, but to those with a childlike faith.
Speaker 1
And here’s what Jesus says to the Pharisees. Seven times he says, woe to you Pharisees and teachers of the Lord. Jesus says this, you sons of hell, you brood of vipers, you whitewashed tombs, you look good on the outside, you’re full of deadness on the inside. He says, you do everything for show. He says, you’re so zealous to make converts that when you reach people, you turn them into twice as much the sons of hell as you are. This is Jesus angry at a distorted religious tradition. He says to them, you heap burdens on people that they can’t live up to, and then you never even lift a finger to help them. And so Jesus says, I’m going to give you my grace, which is not your performance, and what this will give you is rest for your souls. So how does Jesus offer this to us? How do we get this? Look at what it says, Matthew 11.25. At that time, Jesus says, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you’ve hidden these things from the wise and learned, and you revealed them to little children.Seek Depth, Not Distraction Summary: In the midst of a chaotic and superficial lifestyle, individuals often settle for fleeting pleasures as a means of coping with deeper emotional pain. The pursuit of enjoyment from superficial encounters, such as casual relationships and social events, leads many to abandon the search for authentic fulfillment and true emotional rest. This cycle highlights the struggle of generations in New York, where the same patterns of escapism continue, reflecting a broader societal issue of prioritizing temporary distractions over meaningful connections and inner peace.
Speaker 1
It’s a classic book about a young Manhattanite in the 1980s cocaine drug-infested culture of Manhattan, who’s married to a model who works as a fact checker for a notable magazine, Who in one week his entire life falls apart. Really encouraging little book right there. It’s staggering to me if you’ve read, “‘Bondfire the Vanities’ by Tom Wolfe, anybody. There’s some books written about the culture of New York that you will see New York is always the same with a different generation making the same New York mistakes. And in this particular scene as this man’s life, it’s got like a little edge of hope at the end, but as his life is imploding, he says this, you keep thinking that with practice you will Eventually get the knack of enjoying superficial encounters, that you will stop looking for the universal solvents, stop grieving, you will learn to compound happiness out of small Increments of mindless pleasure. And that’s what so many people do to numb their pain in New York. They give up on true soul level rest. And they hope a few hookups and a great party in Brooklyn and a little Instagram worthy,Nourish the Soul, Avoid the Hustle Summary: Neglecting the needs of the soul in favor of relentless work leads to compounded loneliness and brokenness. The ‘soul hustle’ mentality, driven by the promise of future rewards, ultimately harms rather than heals, risking the loss of one’s essence in a short time. True satisfaction for the soul cannot be achieved through external achievements but is found in deeper, spiritual fulfillment. The soul’s need for security and care must be addressed to foster genuine well-being.
Speaker 1
Do not numb your soul that needs tending and healing and care. The second response people have, the classic, soul hustle. Just hustle. That’s like, you know what, man, let me just grind through it. Yeah, I know I’m dying inside, but it’s almost Christmas and that bonus is coming. So I’m just gonna hustle here. Well, you know what, I can, it’s just a short little sprint to Thanksgiving and I’ll be home soon. And I’ll be able to just get through and everyone just thinks, just push a little longer. But you know often what this does? It just compounds the loneliness and it compounds the brokenness. I often hear people say, I’m just gonna do this for a year. But you know this, you can lose your soul in a year. It doesn’t even take a year. And so sometimes that fatal pace, that grind, that hustle, all it does is kill you slowly rather than bring you back to life because of effort. Orberg says this, the paradox of the soul is that it’s incapable of satisfying itself. But it’s also incapable of living without satisfaction. You were made for soul satisfaction, but you will only ever find it in God. The soul craves to be secure.Soul Satisfaction is Found in Divine Rest Summary: The soul inherently seeks satisfaction through security, love, and significance, which can only be truly fulfilled in God. This idea is reflected in biblical themes emphasizing that the soul’s cravings point to its intended relationship with the divine. Rather than diminishing our desires, the Bible aims to redirect them towards ultimate fulfillment. Attempts to chase temporary satisfaction will not fill the deep, eternal longings of the soul. The appropriate response to these cravings is to receive and rest in God, accepting His provision and love with gratitude.
Speaker 1
But it’s also incapable of living without satisfaction. You were made for soul satisfaction, but you will only ever find it in God. The soul craves to be secure. The soul craves to be loved. The soul craves to be significant. And we find these only in God in a form that can satisfy us. And that’s why the Psalmist says to God, because your love is better than life, my soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods. Soul and appetite and satisfaction, believe it or not, these are dominant themes of the Bible. The soul craves because it’s meant for God. And then he says, my soul finds rest in God alone. I want you to see that the Bible is not a book trying to reduce your longings. The Bible is a book trying to route them to fulfillment in the place it can actually happen. And hustle the temporary will never fill eternal long years. So what’s the response then? Ready? It’s almost counterintuitive. It’s receiving. It’s resting. It’s just coming and saying, I’ll have some of that, thank you Lord Jesus.Solution being counterintuitive, being to receive rather than to do (different from averting from consumption) but resting itself limitsSurrender to Grace: Finding Rest at the Table Summary: Surrendering to God is essential for spiritual fulfillment, recognizing that one cannot achieve this alone. The message emphasizes that true purpose lies not in striving for moral perfection or self-improvement but in acknowledging God’s grace and mercy. The church serves as an open invitation for the weary, shameful, and broken to receive mercy, rest, and the transformative beauty of the gospel. Instead of demanding more from individuals, the focus is on encouraging acceptance and connection with divine grace, promoting a communal feast at the table of grace for all in need.
Speaker 1
And here’s what he says, in the middle of it all, with all of his vision of literature and his prime bozainzook longing, all of the things he’s got floating around his life. He says this, in the trinity term of 1929, I gave in and admitted that God was God and I knelt and I prayed, that’s it, it’s a surrender. I give in to try to fill my soul myself, I give in and I just acknowledge that you are God and that’s it. And so the whole point of everything we’ve been doing this summer, I am, Jesus is the great I am, and I can, all the miracles Jesus does to prove He is who He says He is, and I will, all the things Jesus says He’ll do for you, are all to get you to take the risk of sitting at the table of grace, and resting and feasting on the beauty of the gospel. That’s what this has all been for. Our church is not here to tell you, do more for God. Our church isn’t here to tell you, try and fix yourself up and get your act together. And then when you’re like sort of moral and reasonably healthy, we’ll use you to build our church. The message of church is this, if you’re sick, if you’re weary, if you’re tired, if you’re covered with shame, if you feel like you’re falling apart, if you don’t have it together, come To the table and feast and receive mercy and receive rest. It’s good news.
