Ben Carbone: Come to Me | 11:01:26

All right.

How good was um the worship this

morning? We thank Dan and the team. Did

a fantastic job. Such a sense of God in

the space and unity. It was wonderful.

So, thank you. Start us off great for

the year. And thank you, Wanita, for

communion. That was great. Parents, you

have to go home and teach your kids what

the word sensuous means.

Good luck with that. It should be fun.

Carol, that made Carol laugh. I'm happy.

Yeah. Good. Good. But that was

fantastic. Really spot on with what I

want to share today as well, which is

exciting. And it's great to have

Wanita's mom with us, Diane, up the

back.

There she is.

Uh she is Kathy Fijjo's

sister. I was going to say younger older

sister and she is actually here to to

celebrate Cathy's 60th

and I also think she's here to check out

Hamish as well. So

So uh I think that motivated her to come

down a little bit more. So, make sure

you say hello to Diane and uh uh let her

know how much you love Wanita and um and

Hamish and uh

that would be great. We got a a friend

mine here as well, Luke and his family.

Luke is pass worship pastor at um Kings

Baptist up in Golden Grove. And so, it's

really great to have you guys here, Luke

and Michelle and their son Joshua. So

really happy to have them. And what else

do I have to say? I got one amazing

announcement to make today. One

encouragement. It's great way to start

off 2026. Um many of you know Matt Van

Ren. You can't miss him. He's the

tallest person in the church up the back

there. And last year he had a bit of a

cancer scare, cancer battle with his in

his had some surgery and had some more

surgery just before Christmas to uh

check to see how things were. And they

found some things in his bladder that

they weren't sure about. So they said,

"Look, we're going to send it off for

testing." and he went back to the

doctors last week and he is cancer free

which is

which is just incredible and we've been

praying for him praying for the family

and it's just amazing and we are so

grateful to God aren't we for that and

the the gift that he gave the doctors to

do what they do and all of those things

and um I just want us to take a moment

to pray for Matt is that all right if

Some of the guys want to gather around

him and just stand with him and just uh

put your hands on him. Let's pray

because it's a great great message, a

great

a great encouragement for him and uh we

just want to stand with him because we

know it's for you know what the enemy

meant evil God has turned around for

good and it's a new season in Matt's

life and we're just going to pray he's

going to go back to work in the next few

weeks at some point and uh we just pray

God's blessing upon him. Let's pray.

Lord God, we just we are so grateful. We

are so amazed. We are so encouraged by

what you are doing in Matt's life.

You've healed his body. You've made him

strong. And you've strengthened his

faith uh like never before. And I just

pray right now, God, just have a sense

that this is a new beginning for him.

even as that seed falls on the good

soil. Lord God, we just pray that you

would cause a mighty harvest in his

life. That you would cause it this seed

to grow and get stronger and stronger

and stronger. And we just pray that

right now in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Amen.

Amazing.

It's great.

Uh I want to share with you today we're

going to come around God's word first

first message for the year. And I always

like to bring something that I feel is

going to guide us for the year. And a

funny sort of week. It's been a I had a

whole message prepared. I thought this

is where we're going. This is what I I'm

praying and uh believing. And so I

prepared a message and then on Friday

morning I woke up with one of those

thoughts in my head. Anyone ever a

thought in your head? And I just had a

sense that maybe God was speaking and

and uh the thought that came God simply

said, "Ben, I already gave you a message

for this year just before Christmas and

it hasn't changed."

And I went, "Oh."

And so some of you would have been at

our Christmas service and I shared a

message about something. And um I'm

going to expand on that today because

God

hadn't changed the goalpost even I even

though I thought he had. And he the

message that he gave me last year at

Christmas time is what I believe is the

message for us as a church this year.

something for us to embrace

for the year and to help guide us

through this year. And interestingly, as

Wanita shared, communion, she hasn't

been in the office all week uh because

she's been with her mom and we haven't

crossed paths. And uh she comes and

shares a very similar message to what I

want to share with you today. And so

that tells you that God is speaking and

God is doing something. So thank you

Anita for helping confirm and being

obedient to the Holy Spirit.

But I start uh this message with a story

from last year. And those who were at

Christmas Day would remember this story.

But just before Christmas, all our

programs had sort of we' done all our

Christmas hampers and our Christmas

party and and everything had been

fantastic. And I was sitting in the last

prayer space

in a bit of a place of, you know, maybe

a bit of the low after a big time. You

know, the adrenaline had been up and

everything had been happening and all of

a sudden I was feeling a bit melancholy,

I'd say. And I was sitting in prayer

space and I was going, God, thinking

about different things in my life and in

the church and thinking, God, what how

do I deal with this? How do I work with

this? How do I learn to trust you with

this? And I had a a thought come into my

head, another one of those thoughts. And

I felt God say to me, "Put a prayer

request on the prayer wall."

And I went, "No, God, I'm not doing

that. I'm not doing that. That's that's

not

that I'm the pastor of the church. I'm

the one who prays for the prayer

requests." Like, and then if I put one

on the wall, other people are going to

read it. and well, maybe I don't have to

put my name on it. Oh, no. I should put

my name on it. And so, I wrestled with

it for a while and then I thought, "No,

it feels like this is a God thing." So,

I went over to the the wall and I grab a

prayer request and I put my name on it

and and I I simply put a a very

heartfelt prayer of saying, "God, help

me trust you.

God, help me know how to trust you."

you. Now, you might think that's a bit

strange for a pastor. Surely you trust

God, but we're all human and we all un

have our battles and our struggles. And

I said, "Help me trust you with my

health. Help me trust you with my

family. Help me trust you with this

church. Help me learn to trust you in

all things in my life." And I wrote that

I I did stick it on the on the wall.

And um if you don't believe me, you can

go after the service. It's there. Put my

name on it.

And I went to my seat and um

and I just started praying and just

following that prayer. Just God, I I

really want to learn to trust you in a

deeper way, in a greater way for what

you have ahead. Um I really want to know

that you're with me and that I can trust

you in all things. And then as I was

sitting there, we put slides up on the

screen to help encourage us in prayer.

And as I sat in my seat, this slide came

up.

Now

tell me, what is the thing that jumps

out to you on that slide? I mean,

come to me. Come to me. And as I sat in

a seat just over here and I looked up

and I saw come to me. All of a sudden it

just illuminated in my heart and I had

this sense that Jesus was inviting me to

come to him.

Every time you worry and are anxious

Ben, don't you understand? You can come

to me.

Every time you're struggling to work out

what is going on on in your life, come

to me. I'm here. The invitation, as

Wanita said, is open. Come to me. And in

that version, the message version, it's

got a full stop after the come to me.

Don't ask questions. Just come to me. If

we look at that verse in the original

translation, it says in Matthew

Matthew 11:28–30

11:28-30, "Come to me all who labor and

are heavy laden, and I will give you

rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn

from me, for I am gentle and lowly in

heart, and you will find rest for your

souls.

My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Can I say to you, I've been trying to

practice this since then. Every time

thoughts come into my head and I say,

"Jesus, I come to you. I give them to

you. I give you my burdens. I make I put

them in your hands and I trust you with

them." And I don't know what you're like

at the moment, but Jesus' invitation in

this verse, as you can see, come to me

all who labor and are heavy laden. So,

there's people here that maybe you're

feeling exhausted coming into 2026. You

don't know what it holds. You're you're

actually feeling a bit worried about

what is ahead and how am I going to cope

with everything that's on my plate. And

Jesus' invitation is to you, come to me.

Maybe you're the opposite end of the

scale. you're you're happy and you're

excited and you're ready to go and and

you're full of hope and expectation of

what God is going to do and you're just

ready to embrace everything that's ahead

of you.

Jesus invitation is the same for you as

well. That simple invitation of come to

me.

You see this phrase, this invitation

that Jesus gives is the simple truth

of the Christian story.

The truth that God came to us so we

could come to him.

This is the simple truth of

Christianity. Different to anything else

you find in this world. that God who was

far away, who seemed to be far away, a

God who we didn't fully understand, a

God who we were worried what what have I

done wrong to cause God to be angry at

me or what have I what am I not doing

that I need to do to please God and make

God happy with me? This God who seemed

distant. And in the Bible, you'd read

about him and think, "Oh, he's an angry

god or he's he's uh a god

is hard and demanding."

But in this invitation of come to me, in

this truth of the Christian story,

he came to us.

He became one of us. Why? So we could

understand

God in a way

that we could embrace and picture

that we understand that God understands

us because he became one of us. And this

is the beauty of the Christmas story.

This is the beauty of the story of

Christianity. This that God came to show

us exactly what he looks like.

And in that we understand that God came

to show us relationship.

God came to show us that he wants

relationship with you and I.

This is the beauty of his invitation of

come to me.

So no matter how you feel today,

the invitation is the same. We have a

God who came to us and he stands before

us even today and he says come to me

come to me.

Now the I guess the question that can be

asked in this situation is if Jesus is

inviting us to come to him then where do

we go to find him?

Where do we come to him? Where do we

find him in our lives in around us and

in everything we do? So I just want to

share with you at the start of this year

three quick things or three places we

find Jesus. Three places where we can

come to him. And the one might seem very

obvious but we find him in his word.

There is no better place to find Jesus

and discover him and discover who he is

and find the rest that he promises for

us than the Bible. 2 Timothy

2 Timothy 3:16–17

3 verse 16-17

says this

really well. All scripture talking about

the Bible is God breathed. Another

expression for that is God inspired and

is useful for teaching, rebuking.

Teaching sounds good. Rebuking doesn't

sound so good. Correcting and training

in righteousness.

So that the servant of God may be

thoroughly equipped for every good work.

See very simply Jesus is saying if you

want to know exactly what I have for

you, if you want to grow in me, if you

want to learn from me, then the best

place you can find me is in my word.

So if you as you come into this year,

Jesus is inviting you to his word. And

he's saying that everything you need to

know about me and to know about yourself

and to know what I have called you to

can be found in my word. If you want to

know more about,

let me say this

that the best place you can do that is

in the gospels

because Jesus is the visible expression

of the invisible God. So if you want to

know what God looks like, read the

gospels.

You might be amazed that he looks very

different to what is in your head.

Maybe you're looking for wisdom in your

life. Then there's a great book called

Proverbs in the Bible that can give you

great wis wisdom.

Maybe you're going through difficult

times and you need comfort or you need

affirmation.

A great book to go to other psalms

written by people like you and me under

the inspiration of God that are very

real and very authentic. And sometimes

they are they are saying, "God, where

are you in my time of need? But they

always come to a place of saying, "God,

I understand who you are and I trust

you." You see, the word, God's word has

everything we need. Now, the reality is

sometimes we can get so busy that we

forget to spend time

in his word. We forget that God has

given us a guide to help us live the

lives he's called us to. And I know, and

this has been true for my own life,

that sometimes the word of God has been

something that people have used to try

to control me and get me to do what they

want rather than necessarily what God

wants. Has anyone experienced that?

Where have used the Bible to say, "You

should be doing this and this and this

and this." And they weaponize the Bible

to get what they think is right. but is

not always the truth.

But I want to encourage you, I believe,

and something I've discovered in the

last few years, last 10 years or so, is

that the Bible is God's story to us.

Some describe it as a love letter, but

in reality, it's God's story for us and

him together in relationship.

And from the Old Testament through to

the testament, we see this narrative or

this theme of God's plan to redeem his

creation,

to restore them back to who he created

them to be and what he was willing to do

to cause that to happen.

You see, in God's story in the Bible, we

discover who God is, but at the same

time, we discover who we are, that we

are his children. And from that base, we

read the Bible knowing that God is God.

We are his children. And it's like, God,

what is it that you have for me?

And so, can I encourage you this year in

2026, that when you think of this

phrase, come to me, Jesus' invitation to

you, that when that comes into your

heart, that the best place or the first

place you can find him is in his word.

And there's something I I put together a

few years ago, we haven't done it for a

while, but we have a devotion that goes

for 30 days called 30 days with Jesus.

And the idea of it is it takes you

through the gospels and it takes you

through Jesus' life in chronological

order. And we've got a whole bunch of

them up the back. We've got A5

uh size ones for those of you who see

that well. And we've got smaller ones,

bookmark size ones for those who you

wear glasses. I don't know.

Or those of us who refuse to wear

glasses can have the bigger one. But uh

they're there and available for you to

use for the next 30 days. And if you

don't do it in 30 days, that's fine. You

know, if you miss a day here or there,

it's not going to be judgment in it. But

it's an it's a tool and a resource to

say, and the reason I chose this

devotion is because as I said earlier,

Jesus is the visible form of the

invisible God. It helps you to see

Jesus.

Helps you discover him. A fresh. It

might reinvigorate your passion and your

love for him when you read his teachings

and you read his life and you see what

he does that it would encourage you. So,

they're up the back. They're available

for you to pick up on your way out. But

can I encourage you? Use it as a

stimulant to get you into God's word

because Jesus' invitation is come to me.

Now the next place we find Jesus

if it works. My click is not working.

Brenton click. Help me. Help me. Obi-Wan

Kenobi.

Ah, there it is. In his church.

Now, this is this is the spot where you

go, okay, Ben, you want us in church

every Sunday. Is that what you're going

to talk about? that if we want to find

Jesus, we need to come to church every

week. This is not what I want to talk

about.

But the Bible explains to us that Jesus

is the head of the church. So what

better place to come to him than in the

church.

But understand this, let's remember, and

we teach this a lot here, that the

church is not a building.

The church is not a service.

Oh, that shakes up some sacred cows.

The reason this is church today is not

because we're having this formal

formulaic

service.

The reason this is the church is because

you and me are here.

We are the body of Christ. The body of

Christ is people,

not a service, not a building. They are

just resources that help us facilitate

the church. But every time we meet

together, like last week in the park at

the picnic, it was the church gathering

together.

The church are followers of Jesus

throughout the world. This is one local

expression. And there are many different

local expressions of all different kinds

because there are all different kinds of

people.

But the church is not a denomination.

The church is not a movement.

The church are people who follow Jesus.

So that tells me

that the church doesn't just happen on

Sundays.

The church is when followers of Jesus

meet together at any time.

So can I encourage you to be the church

this year and in doing so be Jesus to

one another.

So when Jesus says come to me, if I

catch up with Nathan for a coffee, Jesus

is amongst us. He is with us and we can

encourage and build one another up and

support one another and motivate and

teach and admonition and all of those

things to one another and each other.

Isn't that right?

Victor Hugo who wrote Lay Miz says to

love another person is to see the face

of God. Our

relationships with each other are

crucial to our growth and our

development.

The Bible teaches that as iron sharpens

iron.

So when a knife is sharp, it is more

effective in its its purpose in what it

was made to do. But in

using a knife and and fulfilling its

purpose, sometimes knives get blunt.

Isn't that right?

And one of the good ways to sharpen a

knife, I don't know if it's the best

way, but is with another knife.

Iron sharpens iron.

And this is the reality of it. As as we

sharpen each other, we get together and

after sometimes we might be working

really hard doing life and we need to

catch up with someone to be encouraged

and to be built up and to be motivated.

And so, can I encourage you this year in

2026

to make a real effort to meet with one

another beyond this space, even beyond

Wednesday night, even beyond Friday

night,

even beyond the programs of the church

to be deliberate and authentic about

meeting with one another. Why? Because

in that space

we are coming to Jesus.

We are meeting with Jesus. Jesus is

amongst us and anything is possible.

I had a catch up with someone this week

that we were discussing all sorts of

things and then and it was sort of going

here, there, and everywhere. And then we

sat down to read the Bible cuz that's

what we ended up

were planning to do together. And as we

read the word,

it just brank brank.

It just brought clarity to everything we

were talking about. All of a sudden, he

was like, "Ah, that's what it's all

about." And as Jesus was in that space

encouraging us and building us up, isn't

that good?

So we find Jesus in his word. We find

him in his church. And last lastly, and

I'll finish with this, we find Jesus in

simplicity.

In his book, The Sacred Year, Michael

Yankee

explains the importance of simplicity

with this illustration.

He says, "Did you know that so long as

it is stretched very very thin, only a

molecu a molecule or so thick, a single

gallon, he's American, a single gallon

of water could cover an area of five

square miles.

Anyone have an idea how big that is?

Five square miles. It's probably from

here to past Port Adelaide, just past

Port Adelaide. Five square miles if you

did a thing. So pretty big area, isn't

it? So if you grabbed a a gallon of

water and stretched it as thin as you

could, molecule thick, it could cover

five square miles. And then he goes on

to say, "But if you could focus that

same gallon, pouring it into a straw

about the size of a human hair, it would

reach all the way down to the center of

the world, 4,000 miles beneath the

ground on which you stand.

And then he says these words,

decreasing breadth, width

increases depth.

Think of a

gallon or how many gallons of water

stretched to a molecule thin? How easy

would it be to just pop that in an

instant? just to break that, break the

plane so that it just all disappeared.

And many of us are like that

stretched as thin as we possibly can.

Who experiences that? We're doing so

much. Life is so busy. Life is life is

hectic. We're we're juggling so many

balls that we we're or spinning so many

plates that we're struggling to keep

everything together. and and it just

takes one little thing to cause

everything to collapse. Isn't that

right?

But I believe God's call to us is to

focus our attention where it needs to be

the most.

Stop focusing on a thousand and one

things and start with the most important

thing which is Jesus saying, "Come to

me.

come to me.

And in that simple in invitation, he is

inviting us to bring everything that we

have. Remember

all the burdens that we carry. So if we

start anywhere, we start with that

come to me. So in anything that we do,

we bring it to Jesus.

We make our focus Jesus. We make him the

first port call in everything that we

do. You know there's another place in

the Bible where Jesus invites people to

come to him. Does anyone know? Anyone

want to hazard a guess what it is the

story?

What was it? Oh very good Emily. It's

good to have the Michelle's back from

India. That's fantastic.

Come. He says in Matthew 19, he says,

"One day some parents brought their

children to Jesus so that he could lay

hands on them and pray for them. But the

disciples scolded the parents for

bothering him. But Jesus said, "Let the

children come to me. Don't stop them,

for the kingdom of heaven belongs to

those who are like these children." And

he placed his hands on their heads and

blessed them before he left.

I've lost a page.

Where did it go?

There it is.

Jesus explains really clearly

that in his kingdom, for the kingdom of

heaven belongs to those who are like

children.

We to access his kingdom, we need to

become like little children.

What are little children?

What sort of faith do little children

have? They have uncomplicated faith.

They have undistracted faith. They have

uncluttered faith unlike us adults. And

this is what Jesus is calling us back.

Simplify. Simplify. Simplify.

Make the things that matter most first

priority.

focus on those things.

And the first and most important for us

thing for us as followers of Jesus is

knowing Jesus

and responding to him.

That's why he says, "Come to me.

Come to me. In me is everything you

need."

Stop focusing on those things and trying

to get those things right. first and

foremost come to me.

Just in closing,

I'll share this final thought to finish

off

because I don't know about you,

but for me, the one thing I've

discovered

that the problem for me is that it all

starts in my head. Anyone have the same

experience?

You see, I have these thoughts of

concern

and they start in my mind and before I

know it, they are controlling my

actions. Isn't that right?

And the thing that I've discovered with

this invitation that Jesus has reminded

me of come to me is that if I

cut those thoughts off at the pass and

when they come into my head so use for

example I'm worrying about the church

and different things in the church that

when those thoughts come in if I go

Jesus I come to you and I give them to

you first and I ask you to take them

upon you.

Carry those burdens for me. Help me with

them.

And then there's this amazing release

where I don't have to worry about it

because I've put it in God's hands and

I'm trusting that he will lead me and

guide me in what I should do about those

things.

Now, really interestingly, and I only

read this the other week, that in modern

psychology, they call this intentional

thinking.

And the crazy thing, and this is why

God's word is so important, the Bible

tells us and supports this theory

in oops, where are we? In Philippians

Philippians 4:8–9

4:8-9,

Paul says these words to the church in

Philippi. And now, dear brothers and

sisters, one final thing. This is at the

end of the letter, so it must be very

important. He says, "Fix your thoughts

on what is true and honorable and right

and pure and lovely and admirable.

Think about

things that are excellent and worthy of

praise.

And keep putting into practice all you

have learned and received from me.

Everything you heard from me and saw me

doing. Then the God of peace will be

with you.

As I thought about this,

think about it for a moment. This I'm

not talking about positive thinking. I'm

talking about intentional thinking. So

when all those negative and worrying and

concerning thoughts come into our head,

we are to replace them with what is true

and right and honorable, pure and

lovely.

And what more if anything is that it is

the person of Jesus.

Jesus is true and honorable and right,

pure, lovely and admirable.

So what he's literally telling us is

when those thoughts come of negativity

and worry and concern,

remember Jesus' invitation to come to

me.

Come to me.

Remember me. Think about me.

Think about the things that he has done

for us. Because the things that he has

done for us are more there is nothing

that is excellent and more worthy of

praise. Is there not? That he came and

died on a cross and rose again so that

we could have relationship with him. How

what what else is worthy of praise than

that? And this is the the invitation

that Jesus is giving to us. An

invitation of a renewed mind. a mind

that acknowledges Jesus' invitation to

us when all sorts of difficult and

challenging things come across our path.

That we remember that his invitation is

open. Come to me. Come to me.

You who are weary and heavy laden and

burdened, come to me. But can I say as

well, even when things are going great,

Jesus' invitation to us is to come to

him. Because the trap that we can often

fall into is when things are going

great, we forget to come to him.

We get complacent

and lazy in those things.

And this is not about ignoring the

difficult things that are happening

around us, but it's putting priority in

place because if I'm going to get

through those things, I need Jesus'

help.

I need him. So when those thoughts

bombarding my mind,

the thing that I respond with is come to

me.

Thing that I remember is his invitation

to me. Come to me. all who labor and are

heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.

Where do we learn from him? In his word

with each other in simplicity and you

will find rest for your souls. For my

yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Let's pray.

As we pray

the start of this year, can I invite you

to come to Jesus?

You might say to me, Ben, I've been a

Christian for many, many years.

The invitation never changes.

It never changes.

He's always standing here and saying,

"I want you to include you. I want you

to include me in your life.

I want you to ask me. I don't want you

to just expect that it will happen. I

want you to involve me. Give those

things to me. Those things that are

weighing you down, those things that

worry you and concern you. Put them in

my hands and receive my rest that you

can trust me with them.

Let's make

the invitation of come to me the counter

to every thought that comes into our

heads.

And let's make Jesus

the focus of our lives

so that we can live and be who he

created us to be.

Why don't you respond today in your own

way, in your hearts and and literally

tell him, "I come to you, Jesus.

I need you, Jesus.

This year in 2026, I put my life in your

hands and trust you with it." And I will

continue to do that. Whether it's

reading your word,

meeting with others, or just

getting rid of stuff that doesn't need

to be there,

I'll do whatever it takes to come to

you.

Lord God, I pray for every person here

this morning

and pray that you would help us to

remember this. Remember this word,

remember this phrase,

remember your invitation to us

that no matter what's happening in life

that we would come to you.

Help us have the faith of a child.

Simple, uncluttered, undistracted, but

focused fully on you.

Help us to

think about what is pure and good, holy

and admirable.

Help us keep our minds fixed on you in

Jesus' name.

Amen.