Finding Rest
Notes
Transcript
Intro Notes
Intro Notes
-Today is our third and final message of a three part sermon series on Finding Help, Hope, and Rest. During week one we learned how to finding help in the following ways by:
Living in God’s presence
Living in God’s presence
-We find true help at the level of our souls when we live in light of God’s presence. When we encounter feelings of fear, worry, or anxiousness, we ask ourselves the question, “where is God right now?” And when the lights come on and we acknowledge God’s good and loving presence, we will receive the help we truly need at the level of souls. We find help by*
Living in God’s power
Living in God’s power
-Finding help requires that we increasingly learn how to live in God’s power. We live in God’s power in three main ways:
1. We must accept that we are weak and needy.
2. We pivot from self-reliance to dependence on God.
3. We embrace our weakness in order to experience the Holy Spirit’s powerful work in and through us. We find help by*
Living a prayer filled life
Living a prayer filled life
-A prayer filled life provides help for our souls by addressing our deepest need, which is a close personal relationship with the Lord. Our souls long for fellowship with the Lord, and a healthy prayer life satisfies that longing. We find help by*
Meditating on Scripture
Meditating on Scripture
-Meditation provides an opportunity to meet with the Lord intimately as we reflect on His Word, listen to His truth, and receive help for our every day needs. Our time spent meditating helps us to prayerfully and functionally respond to the Lord through faith and obedience in our everyday lives. We find help by*
Living in Biblical community
Living in Biblical community
-Living in Biblical community presents opportunities to both receive help and give help. God uses his people in different contexts to be a help to one another.
-Church: through serving together, Sunday school classes, church functions, etc.
-Small Groups: You need to be in a small group to truly experience the fullness of God's help. Give examples...
-During week two of our sermon series are focus was on finding hope.*
Finding hope
Finding hope
-During week two we did a passage study on Romans 5:1-11 and learned that Biblical hope is a confident expectation that comes from the Father’s love for us, manifested through Christ’s finished work on the Cross, and is lived out by the Holy Spirit’s work in and through us.
-Our hope rests on knowing, believing, and trusting that God is who he says he is, and that he will do what he promised.
- This hope comes through Christ, and our faith in him, recognizing that we now have access to God, and are permanently positioned, or “standing” in His grace.
-We have hope knowing that we belong to the Lord, and that the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a guarantee of our future glory.
-Jesus not only died for our sins providing salvation, justification, and reconciliation; but, Jesus lives, sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding on our behalf. Hope is found here.
-We have a confident expectation that we can approach God through Jesus, and that he will completely meet our every need. Jesus will never fail us. He will always be true to his promises. His love for us will endure forever.
-We find true hope that is real and lasting when we approach God’s throne of grace, because Jesus fully knows our weaknesses and suffering. Jesus knows, and he also cares, which is why we receive mercy and grace from him.
-We are filled with hope when we rejoice in the salvation God has provided through our Lord Jesus Christ.
-We find hope for our souls when we remember the goodness of God, and trust in his unfailing love, since Christ is in us, and he is our hope of glory.
-Today we are looking to the Scriptures to help us learn how to find rest. So what kind of rest are we talking about here?*
Finding Rest?
Finding Rest?
The kind of rest we are looking to the Scriptures to discover and personally experience is a rest at the level of our souls. unfortunately, most often this soul rest is not the kind of rest we think of, or even seek. Instead, we look forward to resting on weekends, holidays, vacations, and in retirement. We look for rest in our hobbies and life joys. All to often our rest depends on how well our investment portfolios are performing, and the amount of money in our checking and savings accounts. We sometimes try to find rest by escaping life’s hardships which can lead to addictions, disorders, and destructive lifestyles. As we ponder all this, soul rest seems elusive doesn’t it, unattainable? Even if soul rest were to be found, we would think it to be unsustainable. Fortunately, Scripture discloses that soul rest in more achievable than one might think.
-We will spend the rest of our time together growing in our understanding of:
1) what soul rest is.
2) why soul rest is important.
3) how we receive soul rest.
Let’s begin by first understanding what soul rest is.*
What is soul rest?
What is soul rest?
-How would you describe soul rest (congregation?).
-Here is what I came up with based on my study of this rest at the level of one’s soul. Soul rest could be described as a person who, despite of their circumstances, is quiet, calm, and content on the inside, with devoted attention on the Lord’s presence, promises, and blessings (repeat). Scripture gives us a glimpse of this in Psalm 131*
A song of ascents. Of David.
My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.
-Here we recognize David having a humble heart, an understanding of his concerns verses responsibilities, and the ability to calm and quiet himself before the Lord. Let’s unpack each of these to gain a better understanding .
-First, David’s soul rest was absent of pride and haughty eyes, he had a humble teachable spirit.*
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
-David was a man after God’s own heart, he had the same mindset as the Lord Jesus Christ and found true soul rest.
-Secondly, David did not concern himself with matters too lofty. it is necessary to know the difference between concerns and responsibilities. Many times I have found in my life, and in the lives of those I counsel, that the reason we experience inner turmoil is because we get this wrong (concern vs. responsibility Illustration).*
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
-Now remember this is the outworking of Psalm 131:1b that says, “I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.” David kept his area of concern and area of responsibility matched to what God called him to be and do. His soul rested in the Lord’s capable hands. He trusted God would take care of all the things outside of of his area of responsibility.
- This enabled David to calm and quiet his soul, he was fully content in the presence of the Lord. Did you notice that all the Scripture we turned to addressed the attitude of the heart, and not circumstances. Therefore, we can conclude that soul rest happens from the inside out. Circumstances need not change in order to experience this inner rest. When at rest in this way, we find everything needed to endure our circumstances (nothings changed illustration).
-So why is this rest so important?*
Why is soul rest important?
Why is soul rest important?
-We were created to receive spiritual rest from the Lord through a steady rhythm of:
-Renewal, -Refreshment, -Replenishment, -Solace, -Silence, -Solitude, -Stillness, through -Prayer, -Meditation, -Confession, and -Worship.
-All these require pausing to be present with the Lord.
-It is important that our souls find regular rest in the Lord in these ways, otherwise we find ourselves:
-Lost in the hurry of life, -Overwhelmed, -Overcommitted, -Overworked, -Frantic, -Frenetic, -Stressed, -Anxious, -Depressed, -Guilty, -Shameful.
-We will experience a decline in health: -Spiritually, -Emotionally, -Physically, -Relationally.
-It is no secret that prolonged exposure to toxic stress raises the risk of adverse health consequences.*
Something has to change
Something has to change
-The pull is strong to live a frenetic pace of life.
-The desire for production and progress often fuels franticness.
-We are exhausted because we are extended beyond our capabilities.
-A wrong view of sacrificial living causes a continual push to do more.
-Life has no limits or boundaries, we live as if we are infinite.
-Seeing others “successfully” juggle similar demands makes us feel like a failure.
-We must remember that our worth rests solely on the work Jesus did on the Cross, not on our work.
-God will interrupt our frantic pace of life to slow us down enough to notice Him, and when He does, what are we to do?*
What are we to Do?
What are we to Do?
-How do we receive rest at the level of our souls?
-We accept Jesus’ invitation to “come.”*
“Come to me, all you 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 easy and my burden is light.”
-Jesus gives each one of us a personal invitation, a repeated promise, a command, and two reasons to respond to Him in this passage.*
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
-First, Jesus’ personal invitation to us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened.” Take notice to Jesus’ tone and posture toward us. He is not standing there with His hand on his hips yelling, “get over here.” No, His tone is one of care and compassion, and His posture is one like a father kneeling down on one knee with arms wide open, excitedly anticipating his children’s arrival as they come running into His arms. This is our Lord and our God, having an accurate view of the Lord’s tone and posture toward you is crucial to having a healthy relationship with Him...to finding rest in Him.
-Next we see a repeated promise from Jesus.*
“Come to me, all you 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.
-He tells us first that He will give us rest, and again that we will find rest for our souls. Jesus doesn’t give us the latest and greatest self-help resource entitled, 10 Steps to Finding Soul Rest. Instead, He Himself provides rest for our souls as we commune with Him.
-What does communing with Jesus look like for us? The sad truth is, if we do not trust that God is who He says He is, and believe that He will do what He promised, we will not accept the Lord’s invitation to come to Him for rest. Why would we? As a result, we are crushed under the weight of life’s burdens, with hopelessness consuming our souls. What do we do? How do we enter into this rest? Again, David expressed this well in Psalm 62.*
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.*
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
-This is what soul rest looks like when you accept Jesus’ invitation and you come to Him. There is:
-a drawing near to God
-recognition of who He is to you, your salvation, your hope, your rock, your stronghold, your refuge and strength
-true hope as you trust in Him
-a pouring out of your heart to Him that lifts the crushing weight of life’s burdens.
-Getting back to our Matthew 11:28-30 passage.
-We looked at Jesus’ invitation to “come,” and His repeated promise to provide rest for our souls. Now let’s turn to His command.*
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.
-Jesus says, “take my yoke upon you and learn from me.”
-Wait a minute, if Jesus promises us rest, why does He tell us to put on His yoke?
-Jesus answered this question in John 6:29*
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
-The Lord Jesus also gave this answer in John 15:4*
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
-Jesus’ two part answer to our question then is this, the yoke Jesus calls us to put on requires us to believe and abide in Him.
-Believing and abiding is trusting in, and resting on the hopeful promises of God. This is our work when we put on Jesus’ yoke, and obedience is the fruit of that labor.
-This is really interesting when you think about it. Jesus has done, is doing, and will do all the hard work, and He gives us the rest we need for our souls. He gives, gives, gives, and we take, take, take.
-There is no other yoke in existence that can give our souls rest. As we believe and abide in Christ, we learn how to better trust in Him and His promises. This is why Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.”
-Now let’s focus on Jesus’ reasons why we should come to Him in addition to His promise of rest. The first reason is found in Matthew 11:29 *
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.
-Have you ever known someone who was gentle and humble in heart? You are naturally drawn to them right? You look forward to spending time with them, listening to them, learning from them. How much more then should we look forward to spending time with Jesus, listening and learning from Him, with our souls resting in His presence. Isn’t Jesus attractive...
-The second reason Jesus told us why we should come to Him is explained in Matthew 11:30*
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
-Jesus’ finished work on the Cross enabled us to exchange our heavy burdensome yoke caused by sin’s effects, and now through faith in Him, he offers us a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light.
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
-There was a Great Exchange. Jesus took our heavy yoke of sin and death and put it on Himself, on the Cross. He satisfied the penalty for our sin, which is death, by dying on that Cross; so that we could receive His righteousness. Our sin for His righteousness, all in the name of love. Isn’t Jesus attractive... gentle and humble, yet fierce in His love for us.
-is your soul quiet, calm, and content?
-Do you regularly accept Jesus’ invitation to come to Him?
-Are you devoting your attention to the Lord’s presence, promises, and blessings?
-How are you doing wearing Jesus’ yoke?
-Are you Believing and abiding in Him, with obedience being the fruit of your labor?
-Are you trusting in, and resting on the hopeful promises of God?
-If we are honest, the answer every single one of us should give to each of these questions is*
Not nearly enough
Not nearly enough
-We all spend much less time with the Lord than we need, and as a result we are not truly at rest most times.
-I am going to close our time by praying: Hebrews 10:19-23
New International Version (2011) Chapter 10
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
-Amen.
