Rest For Your Souls
Notes
Transcript
This morning I would like to talk to you about a little phrase that is found in the Bible .… Rest for your souls
People today are seeking rest for the soul in many ways: various New Age therapies, the occult, the superstitious, sedatives, and a hyperactive and often dissolute life. There are many offers to troubled souls, and the market is huge. (Adapted from Åbyholm, F. E. (2011). The Voice of God: Experience a Life Changing Relationship with the Lord. Ambassador International.)
Stress relief, self-care, mental health costs are estimated to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
mindfulness, calm, zen, are buzzwords we use to attempt to keep ourselves grounded.
Many school classrooms and work places have a calming corner
All reminders of two important things
We live in a fallen, broken world
We cannot bring true peace and calm and rest to ourselves from ourselves.
The Bible talks about this all through the scriptures - but there are two very important and somewhat familiar verses I want us to look at this morning
16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
Jesus who is THE WAY in his teaching one day no doubt references this passage when he gave out the invitation for soul rest in Matthew 11:28-29
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
I must remind you that “rest for the soul” does not mean, either explicitly nor implicitly, the deliverance from every fear, the supply of every want, or the fulfillment of every desire. (adapted from A. Murray Abide in Christ)
So what are we talking about? What does it mean “and ye shall find rest unto your souls”
What is the soul?
I am always intrigued by phrases people use to describe other people.
“They are such an old soul”
or “They were such a beautiful soul”
What are they talking about? How can we see or know what someone’s soul is like?
In the Old Testament the word for soul was not always understood as we do today in our Western, dualistic concept.
In the history of theology and philosophy the word “soul” has had quite a colorful web of meanings.
In popular theology it is typically used to refer to “the inner part of the person, the non-physical aspect of each human being”
But Scripture uses the concept in different ways:
The word used over 750 times in the Old Testament generally translated “soul” is nephesh (neh-fish) primarily means “life” or “possessing life”
It is used both of animals (Gen 9:12; Ezek 47:9) and humans (Gen. 2:7)
The soul could refer to the whole person
Such as in Genesis 2:7 “7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
or
Exodus 1:5 in explaining how many went down to Egypt with Jacob to meet Joseph.
5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.
or the even more interesting use in Numbers 6:6 the Nazarite is told not to go near a dead nephesh (KJV has body)
But it does refer to the inner life or spiritual states of the person
David says in Psalm 42:1-2
1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God.
2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: When shall I come and appear before God?
This was not a hunger for physical substances, his mouth wasn’t watering for a good seared and seasoned steak
Something else is hungering and thirsting for something that steak and potatoes can’t satisfy.
We find in 2 Kings 4 one of my all time favorite Old Testament stories:
the Old Testament, during the time of the Kings
It was around the 9th Century BC Israel was already a divided nation and Elisha was the primary prophet to the Northern Kingdom. At this time Jehoram (sometimes listed as Joram) who was the son of Ahab - that wicked king
It was a time of idolatry and apostasy in Israel and Elish tried to get people to turn back to the One true God.
Elisha’s itinerary often took him through Shunem - a town near Jezreel, it was considered a place of hospitality and on a direct route to major towns and cities.
A big thing when I was growing up was retracing the old Route 66. It was a main thoroughfare through downtown America before the interstate system.
Route 66 crossed through eight states:
Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California
When my sister married Randy Perryman, they lived in Conway, MO and to get there you drove on some of the old Route 66 highway - and at certain times of the year, you would see caravans of old restored cars making their trek across the US using the old route 66.
I see Shunem like one of those towns on a main road, but where you could stop and expect kindness and hospitality. Good food and a warm bed.
The Story of the Shunammite Woman and Elisha (2 Kings 4:8-27)
The Story of the Shunammite Woman and Elisha (2 Kings 4:8-27)
Elisha, the prophet of God, often traveled through a town called Shunem. A wealthy and kindhearted woman lived there, and she noticed Elisha passing by frequently. Recognizing that he was a man of God, she invited him into her home for a meal. Over time, whenever Elisha came through Shunem, he would stop at her house to eat.
Seeing his regular visits, the woman spoke to her husband and said, “I know this man who often passes our way is a holy man of God. Let’s build a small room for him on our roof, with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so he will have a place to stay whenever he comes.” Her husband agreed, and they made a special room for the prophet.
One day, as Elisha was resting in the room, he wanted to do something to bless this woman for her generosity. He asked his servant Gehazi what could be done for her. Gehazi pointed out that although she had everything she needed, she had no children, and her husband was old.
Elisha called the woman and told her, “About this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms.” The woman was shocked and said, “No, my lord, do not deceive me!” But just as Elisha had said, a year later, she gave birth to a son.
Tragedy Strikes
Tragedy Strikes
The child grew, and one day, while he was out in the field with his father, he suddenly cried out, “My head! My head!” His father told a servant to carry the boy back to his mother. The mother held him on her lap, but around noon, the child died.
Instead of weeping openly, the Shunammite woman took her son’s lifeless body and laid him on Elisha’s bed in the prophet’s room. She shut the door and immediately prepared to go find Elisha.
She told her husband she needed to see the prophet, but she didn’t tell him why. When her husband asked why she was going to see Elisha when it wasn’t a Sabbath or special occasion, she simply said, “It is well.”
She saddled a donkey and told her servant, “Go quickly! Do not slow down unless I tell you.”
Seeking the Prophet
Seeking the Prophet
As she approached Mount Carmel, where Elisha was, the prophet saw her in the distance and sent his servant Gehazi to ask if she and her family were well. When Gehazi asked, the woman responded again, “It is well.”
But as soon as she reached Elisha, she fell at his feet, overcome with grief. Gehazi tried to push her away, but Elisha stopped him, saying
“2 Kings 4:27 “Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.”
The rest of the story is that God brings about a tremendous miracle for the Shunamite woman - whose soul was vexed - becomes one that is brought relief and peace and comfort
David asserts there are times we need more than rest we need restoration.
in Psalm 23:3
3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
This restoration is proved by the Shepherd and the basic concept of “restoreth” is a “returning to one’s original state” or “movement back to the point of departure”
David is talking in terms of a sheep and its shepherd - a concept he knew very well. You remember he was a shepherd long before he was a king.
He knew what it was to get off the path, or to stray a little, or to go a little to long without spending quality time with God - and it took the Shepherd to bring him back to his original state, or back to the point of departure
There is something therapeutic to me about walking in grass that is still wet with dew.
Dew is a form of God’s blessing - we don’t always recognize it here in the Midwest
But in the Middle East there wasn’t a lot of rain - but God promised to give them dew - a refreshing bit of water something that would bring things back again.
So we have this concept of coming back to a place
There are times when it feels as though we are in the desert - the dried dirt and gritty sand is crunching under our feet - the heat is bearing down on us - the littered carcases and bones of the suggestions and doubts put into our minds by the devil are scattered here and there
Our very desperate soul cries out to God:
Come like a spring in the desert
Come to the withered of soul
O let Thy sweet healing power
Touch me and make me whole
Another songwriter said:
Sometimes I feel discouraged
And think my works in vain
But then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again.
There is a Balm in Gilead
There is a Restorer of the soul
I just have a feeling I’m talking to some people this morning who need a visit with this Restorer of the Soul....
I am not a fan of Elevation Music, occasionally they put out something decent - but often I really struggle with their theology.
But doing some research for a music class I ran across a song that I think the Restorer of my Soul had me turn on to a specific spot at just the right moment.
I was struggling - struggling with a lot of things.
I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere - I know its not about emotions - but emotions are a part of us and our soul.
And my emotions were not in a good place
But as my speaker came to life that day in the music room - with the words
Saturday was silent
Surely it was through
But since when has impossible
Ever stopped You?
Friday's disappointment
Is Sunday's empty tomb
Since when has impossible
Ever stopped You?
The Restorer of my Soul - began to Restore my Soul
Oh I am so glad we are promised rest to our souls - and restoration to our souls .
Jeremiah speaks of changing our ways and Jesus talks about a coming in response to an invitation
Andrew Murray point out that Jesus repeats the promise of rest twice “with such a variation in the conditions as might have suggested that abiding rest could only be found in abiding nearness.”
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Abide in Christ: Thoughts on the Blessed Life of Fellowship with the Son of God Second Day: And Ye Shall Find Rest to Your Souls
First the Saviour says, ‘Come unto me, and I will give you rest;’ the very moment you come, and believe, I will give you rest,—the rest of pardon and acceptance,—the rest in my love. But we know that all that God bestows needs time to become fully our own; it must be held fast, and appropriated, and assimilated into our inmost being; without this not even Christ’s giving can make it our very own, in full experience and enjoyment. And so the Saviour repeats His promise, in words which clearly speak not so much of the initial rest with which He welcomes the weary one who comes, but of the deeper and personally appropriated rest of the soul that abides with Him. He now not only says, ‘Come unto me,’ but ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn of me;’ become my scholars, yield yourselves to my training, submit in all things to my will, let your whole life be one with mine,—in other words, Abide in me. And then He adds, not only, ‘I will give,’ but ‘ye shall find rest to your souls.’ The rest He gave at coming will become something you have really found and made your very own,—the deeper the abiding rest which comes from longer acquaintance and closer fellowship, from entire surrender and deeper sympathy. ‘Take my yoke, and learn of me,’ ‘Abide in me,’—this is the path to abiding rest.
Rest for your souls:
Rest was the promise of the Savior, “I will give you rest.”
Rest is the point in which the law failed. Moses could not lead the people into Canaan, neither can the works of the law conduct us into the rest of GOd.
Rest has been enjoyed by believers, and it is now enjoyed by them.
Rest is never found apart form the gospel, ad faith in Jesus.
Rest comes not from wealth, health honor, or any other earthly thing. (Charles Spurgeon)
Rest for your souls involves
A freedom - freedom from what you do not have to do
A freedom -for that which you could not do
