Redeeming Rest Part 1

Intro:

WEEK 1: “The Invitation to Rest”

Text: Matthew 11:28–29; Mark 6:30–31 Theme: Jesus invites us to rest in Him Big Idea: We live in a world that struggles to find rest. Jesus invites us to rest in Him. Application Point: We will answer Jesus’s call to rest.

Introduction – “I’ll Sleep When I Die”

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’ll sleep when I die”? It sounds tough, doesn’t it? It sounds driven, ambitious, strong. It’s a slogan of our times.

That simple phrase captures a deep truth about our culture — we don’t know how to rest. We glorify hustle. We idolize work. We treat exhaustion like a badge of honor.

Now, I have 4 daughters who literally have something every night of the week except for Saturday night, a wife, I pastor a growing church, I’m currently coaching football, I lead weekly bible studies, ministries and services. Add on top of that my love of bird hunting, college football, friends and then the thousands of other things that compete for my thoughts, attention and time. I live a pretty busy life.

And the crazy thing is, most people would probably look at my schedule and life and say that it’s quite simple.

Jon Bon Jovi sang it best back in 1992 — “Gonna live while I’m alive, I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

And yet, if we look around, it seems like our world is filled with people who are living — but barely alive. We’re physically present, but spiritually empty. We’ve got motion, but no peace.

And perhaps the craziest part is, we can’t stop. We feel guilty when we sit still. We measure our worth by our productivity.

But friends, the Bible tells a different story. It tells us that true life isn’t found in working harder — it’s found in resting in Jesus.

1. The Modern Struggle with Rest

Now, before we go any further, and Don finds out about this and I’m never invited back. This isn’t necessarily about working less. It’s about living a balanced life and if we can never truly find rest than what not only the Bible is going to argue but also science will argue is that in the long run it will have a negative impact on every area of your life

So, the argument I want to make is, if we can learn to rest well, then we can learn to live well. That means, parent well, marriage well, work well, live well!

I wear a garmin watch and in the app I can pull it up right now and it has a data point that they call my “body battery.” It tells me based on my stress, exercise, eating, heart rate, sleep and probably some other things how much battery I have for the day.

If we constantly are running on a low battery we begin to consistently pull from a depleted place then everything we do suffers. My kids suffer when I don’t rest well. My wife suffers, my work suffers.

And my argument this morning is this. Rest is essential for every area of our life but God has created us in a way that our spiritual rest is foundational to all the others.

You and I live in a society that runs on caffeine, schedules, and self-determination. We wake up to our phones, go to bed to our phones, and fill the time in between with meetings, projects, emails, and errands. Even our “vacations” are packed with activity.

Have you ever been on a vacation with the couple who has an itinerary? Maybe you are that person. To me, it’s miserable. Now I like to know options but when my wife go on vacation, we just want to relax. No agenda, no itinerary, no gymnastics, no dance, no football practice, no picking up toys, no cleaning all the time, just relax.

But for many, this is really difficult. Even on vacation I still find myself checking emails, sending texts, answering phone calls, thinking about work and all the other things that will need to be done when I get back.

We cannot turn our minds off long enough to ever experience the rest we so desperately need

And that’s a dangerous place to be — because when your identity is tied to your self-determination, rest feels like failure. You can’t take a day off because your sense of worth is wrapped up in performance.

But here’s what Jesus is saying to us today: “You are not your work. You are mine.”

2. God’s Design for Rest

From the very beginning of Scripture, rest isn’t optional — it’s sacred. Genesis 2 tells us that after six days of creation, God rested. Not because He was tired — but because He wanted to show us something about His nature and about ours.

Rest isn’t a result of weakness. It’s a reflection of God’s design. God Himself established a rhythm — six days of labor, one day of rest — not because He needed it, but because we do.

You see, rest isn’t just stopping; it’s trusting. It’s saying, “God, I believe You are enough. I don’t need to keep the world spinning — You already are.”

3. Jesus’ Invitation to Rest

Then, in Matthew 11:28–29, Jesus gives the greatest invitation ever spoken:

Matthew 11:28–29 NIV

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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.

That verse isn’t just poetic — it’s deeply practical.

When Jesus said those words, He was talking to people who were weighed down by religious expectations, cultural demands, and personal struggles. Sound familiar? They were tired — not just physically, but spiritually.

Jesus didn’t say, “Come to religion.” He didn’t say, “Come to self-help.” He said, “Come to Me.”

The Greek word for rest, anapausō, (ah nah pah voh) in it’s most general sense it means to cease. But it can also mean “to refresh, to recover strength, to give intermission from labor.”

Jesus isn’t offering a nap — He’s offering renewal. He’s saying, “You don’t have to carry the weight anymore. Let Me carry it for you.”

And so listen, I love to get stuff done! I love lists and tasks and checking things off. But the rest that Jesus is inviting us into is not another item to add to our list to check off. It’s a rhythm we are being invited to live in.

4. Even Jesus Took Time to Rest

We often forget that even Jesus rested. Mark 6:30–31 says:

“The apostles returned to Jesus and told Him all that they had done and taught. And He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”

Think about that — the disciples were busy doing ministry. They were serving, healing, teaching — doing good things! But Jesus saw that they were running on empty.

And He didn’t say, “Push through it.” He said, “Come away… and rest.”

Friend, if Jesus — the Son of God — made time to rest, then who are we to think we can live without it?

5. Rest Isn’t Laziness — It’s Obedience

Some of us struggle to rest because we think it’s lazy. But biblical rest is an act of obedience.

Rest says, “God, I trust You enough to stop.” It’s an act of worship — a declaration that my worth isn’t found in what I do, but in who He is.

Maybe someone’s told you, “You look tired.” We tend to take that as an insult. But maybe it’s God’s way of saying, “Child, it’s time to rest.”

Application: How to Answer Jesus’ Call

So, what would it look like to accept Jesus’ invitation to rest?

Spiritually: Begin each day with prayer before your phone. Let your first breath be one of worship, not worry. Spend time in God’s Word before you ever spend time on your work.

Physically: Make time for real rest — turn off notifications, enjoy your family, slow down your pace.

Emotionally: Let go of guilt for stopping. God rested. So should you.

Rest isn’t earned — it’s given.

Our culture has taught us that we must work hard enough, earn long enough, achieve greatness enough so that one day we might be able to rest

Jesus inverts this. We rest well so that then we can work well.

Closing & Teaser for Next Week

Maybe today you’re weary. Maybe your soul feels dry. Jesus says, “Come to Me.” Don’t just hear it — answer it.

Next week, we’ll go back to where it all began — to the first Sabbath in Genesis — and see that rest isn’t just a personal preference; it’s a command from God.