Rest

Intro:

So there was an Orthodox rabbi who went golfing on the Sabbath. which is a no-no. So he's out there golfing, he's on the golf course. And Gabriel in heaven sees that and goes to inform God, as if God needs to be informed.

And Gabriel says, Lord, we got a rabbi golfing on the Sabbath. You should strike him with lightning. And God said, I've got a better idea. So the rabbi got up to the tee box, took his driver, had a pretty good swing, and the ball flew from the tee 420 yards right toward the green, bounced, rolled onto the green, and into the cup for a hole in one on a par 4.

Gabriel turns to God and said, I thought you were going to punish him? God smiled and said, I just did. Who's he going to tell?

I use that joke as a brilliant Segway to highlight this morning’s topic.

As we close out our struggles series we are ending with the topic of rest.

Text: Deuteronomy 5:12-15:

12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do. 15 Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.

Illustration:

How many of you are goals and checklist people? I am for sure! In fact the reason I love December is my wife is forced to sit down with me and we come up with our 5 biggest and most important goals for next year. We then break down those goals and make monthly and weekly checklist out of them.

The 10 commandments are basically our 10 point checklist from God on His most important goals for our lives. How crazy is it then that He lists rest as one of those 10 most important things?

Point 1: Why Should I Rest?

Rest Is Good For You Personally

I think before we get to far into this it’s important for us to distinguish what is rest and just as importantly what is NOT rest.

I remember once while being interviewed by a church the committee asked me “how do you like to relax? My wife so kindly responded on my behalf saying“Ty’s never been relaxed a day in his life”

See, I believed because I would spend my weekends sleeping to make up for how tired I was from the week that I must be resting well, but its crucial to understand collapsing in bed and sleeping from exhaustion and resting are not synonymous.

Resting is about allowing yourself to slow down and

Lack of rest effects us physically.

Let me get a bit nerdy on you.

Not sleeping causes us to:

Get more hungry and eat more

To struggle to concentrate

Lowers our decision making ability

For guys greatly lowers our tester one

Doesn’t allow your body to heal

Causes our muscles to decay

Lets’ make this a bit more spiritual when the prophet Elijah was at his lowest God literally ordered him to take a nap and eat a snack.

That right naps are spiritual!

But again resting is not simply getting enough sleep.

See the reason I believed I hated rest was I found the idea of doing nothing boring.

I don’t like spending my weekends sitting there.

Resting for me is taking a drive with my wife into the mountains.

Hitting the gym and reminding myself I bench more than Pastor Josh.

Or hitting up a sweet surf spot.

Taking some rad pictures of the glorious pnw.

Its about doing the things that fill up your tank!

B. Rest Is Good For You Relationally

Unlike Josh I am the cause of all my marital problems.

When I’m exhausted I feel tension in relationships because I get short, irritable, and posses the maturity level of my 1 year old daughter and the worst part is I am not cute enough to get away with it.

When I don’t rest I become a lousy husband, father, pastor, friend, son in law…. Well… to be fair I am not sure I am ever good at that.

Rest is an important part of community!

America was closed on Sundays for over a century.

Tonga is still closed on Sunday.

Israel on Saturday.

C. Rest Is Good For You Spiritually

Rest allows us to take time to realize and embrace the fact that God is in control and not us and that we can trust Him for our needs.

Not working is always hard for me because at the core if I am being honest part of me is still working to gain the acceptance and affirmation I did not receive as a child

How to tell you are worshiping your work:

Exhaustion: You get to work early, get home late, and are drained. In addition to impacting your loved ones and family, this kind of schedule breeds serious health issues.

Jesus never promoted working to excess.

Pride: Your identity comes not from being a child of God, but from what you do.

Tim Keller: “When you make your work your identity…if you’re successful it destroys you because it goes to your head. If you’re not successful it destroys you because it goes to your heart—it destroys your self-worth.”

Fear: You are fearful of the future, of any change, of losing work, and it’s driving you to find security in money and wealth.

Randy Alcorn: “If you base your faith on lack of affliction, your faith lives on the brink of extinction.”

Escape: You use the excuse “I have to work” to escape from personal responsibilities.

1 Corinthians 6:12: “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.

Point 2: How Do I Find Rest?

Be Still

Psalm 46:10: Be still, and know that I am God…

Ever been around a small child who can’t be still?

Psalm 131:2: But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

If we cannot take time to slow down and spend time with the Lord it highlights a lack of maturity within us.

We all have bills to pay, yard work, dinner to make, diapers to change and Facebook posts to read.

Don’t have time to be still?

You don’t have time NOT to be still!

Joshua was affirmed by God because he would often linger in the presence of the Lord while Moses would be too caught up in what needed to be done.

Raise your hand if you want to be shown favor by God?

The best way to receive that; Spend more time in His presence.

B. Make A Plan

Proverbs 13:16: Wise people think before they act; fools don’t and even brag about their foolishness.

Tips for getting through the work week:

Dedicate your workday to the Lord. Before you get to work, spend a few minutes giving your day to the Lord and asking Him to help you focus on Him during the day.

Shut off the phone. Don’t check or respond to emails outside of work hours.

Review your calendar. Look at what you have scheduled each week and ask yourself, Is this balanced? Does it reflect Jesus’ balance of work and rest?

When done with work, spend a few minutes in your car asking the Lord to help you focus on who and what is in front of you when you walk through your front door.

Tips For The Weekend

1. Take Some Unplanned Time:

Do not over schedule. Leave room for spontaneity.

2. Take Some Avocational Time:

Pick up a hobby that you find enjoyable that is unrelated to your job.

3. Take Some Contemplative Time:

Spend time in quiet and serious thought.

Try turning off your phone.

4. Take Some Aesthetic Time:

Go for a hike, take some pictures, take a drive about chukanut.

5. Take Some Relational Time:

Grab coffee with a friend, talk with your neighbor, play a board game

Question: How Will I Practice Resting This Week?

Altar Call : GOD HAS A SPECIAL REST IN CHRIST

Hebrews 4:9-11: So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest.

Augustine: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our soul is restless until it finds rest in you.”

Matthew 11:28-29: Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jeremiah 6:16: This is what the Lord says:“Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.

Key

Yellow: Scripture

Red: Say Verbatim

Blue: Question

Green: Illustration

Purple: False Belief

Orange: Academic

* I Used The NLT Translation For All Passages