Rest: Simplicity & Slowing

Big Idea:

Not about “performance” but resetting to the Father’s design.

Intro:

Good morning church,

It’s our final week in our 3-part sermon series on Rest based on John Mark Comer’s book, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.” And it’s been (at least for me) a much needed reminder about the important of rest. How silence, solitude, and Sabbath (subjects previously discussed) not just give us a break from the chaos of life, but also cultivates a deeper relationship with God that restores our soul.

For the last two weeks, we’ve begun our time studying the Creation story found in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. There, God establishes a divine rhythm of work and rest. And I’ve shared how Moses (who wrote Genesis) was initially teaching the Israelites (who had just been rescued from slavery in Egypt) how to live for God.

For 400 years, all they knew was slavery - work, work, work. But now they were free and needed to reset their thinking. My friend James said it this was at Life Group, “They needed to move from default to design.”

Their default was slavery.

But the design was children of God.

And Moses was called to teach them how.

Unfortunately, changing your thinking isn’t easy. You’ve probably experienced that. And while many Israelites were transformed by God’s Word, others compromised and conformed to the surrounding culture. It may not have been Egypt’s culture, but it was a worldly culture opposed to God’s design.

And 1000 years later, when Jesus arrived, Israel was still compromised on God’s design. So, like Moses, He taught them a better way. One of Jesus’s most famous teachings was the Beatitudes.

Matthew 5:1–2 NLT

One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them (about the Kingdom of God).

And check out what He says…

Matthew 6:24 NLT

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

At face value, Jesus is teaching us that in the Kingdom of God, His people serve God over money. That’s true. But it’s deeper than that. It’s difficult for us to see because our default thinking is linear. We see the main point at the beginning or end. But the ancient near east thought differently. Sometimes, they used literary tools like a chiasm, where the main point is in the middle. It would look like this…

No one can serve two masters

For you will hate one

and love the other

you will be devoted to one

and despise the other

You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money

In a chiastic structure, the themes match each other as you move towards the center…

Two masters - God and money

hate one - despise other

love the other - be devoted to one

The beginning and the end still matter, but aren’t necessarily them main point. In Matthew 6:24, the main point is “love and devotion.” And here’s what Jesus is really teaching: You should love and be devoted to God.

Money is part of conversation…

How it pulls at our heart.

How it can cause us to hate or despise God.

But what Jesus wanted people to understand is: The default of the culture is a love for money, but the design of the Kingdom is love and devotion for God.

And that’s really what this series on rest is about. It’s not just about taking vacations or days off. Rest is part of Father’s design that cultivates love and devotion to Him. With that, the final two practices of rest we will talk about are Simplicity and Slowing.

Body:

The battle between default and design is ancient. From the beginning, our sinful world has resisted God’s design for life. And, as Jesus taught, something that has consistently pulled us away from God is the love of money. And what that looks like in our culture is consumerism.

However, our desire to have more and more not only competes with our love for God, but also contributes to our lack of rest. Our desire for more stuff and status enslaves us to work as we constantly think, “But if I can just get… [fill-in-the-blank] then I will finally feel… [fill-in-the-blank]. But we’ve all likely experienced is this isn’t true.

This is a silly example, but it’s the only one I could think of. Before high school, I used to coach Kade’s basketball team. Starting with 6th grade, we had our sights on winning the rec league championship.

The first year, we had a slow start but rallied late in the season with consecutive wins. But then, we were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by literally a last second hook shot three-pointer!

In 7th grade, we had a strong team. Another slow start with a late season run. That was the first year I went to Brazil, so I was gone the first two games of the playoffs. But our team destroyed the competition. Then, in the semifinals, we played a team we previously beat by 30 points, and lost. I take ownership of that. I made some last second substitution changes and messed up the rhythm of the team.

In 8th grade, we went undefeated. We convincingly beat every team in the playoffs and were set to play the other undefeated team. Strangely, we were the underdogs. With a couple mins left in the game, we were up by 20. Game was already over. The commissioner walked up and handed me the trophies.

I thought, “It’s going to be so satisfying when that final buzzer goes off. We’ve worked for years to get here.” Then, it happened. The buzzer went off. There were a few moments of celebration, but then… emptiness. Like, “Was that it?” I was left wanting more…

Now, you may have never played or coached sports, but I think you can relate. There’s this consumeristic-spirit in our culture that is never satisfied. It always wants more. When we hear verses like…

1 Timothy 6:6 NLT

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.

… we think, “Yeah right.”

Actually, I can think of another example! I’m a car guy. I love cars. Recently, I’ve had the new car itch. It’d be so nice to have a new car - that new car smell. Everything works. Most of all, people say things like, “That’s a nice car/truck!” or “That car is fast!” because I kinda want a Civic Type-R.

But then, I thought about it. Why do I want a new car? I love my 2013 F150. It looks nice. It still runs good. Best of all… it’s paid off!

… If I’m honest, I want a new car because the default of my culture is consumerism. But remember what Jesus said…

Luke 12:15 ESV

And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness (which is really another word for consumerism), for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Life in the Kingdom of God… life the way God designed it… is not about having stuff or status. In fact, it often creates a lack of rest…

We have to make time to use or pay for all the new stuff or maintain our new life status…

More than that, we experience inner turmoil when that new stuff or status doesn’t satisfy like we thought it would.

And we expend time and energy searching for more…

But the Father has a better way - a better design for life. It’s a life of fulfillment, contentment, love, and rest. And one principle that helps us get back to the Father’s design is SIMPLICITY.

John Mark Comer defines simplicity this way:

“Limiting the number of our possession, expenses, activities, and social obligations to a level where we are free to live joyfully in the kingdom with Jesus.”

I like that. “Where we are FREE to live joyfully in the Kingdom with Jesus.” That pulls at my heart strings!

I also like Jan Johnson’s definition:

“Simplicity is intentionally arranging our life around God.”

Maybe we could even say it this way…

Simplicity is living with needs determined by Jesus.

Jesus gives us two main priorities in this life. The first is found in the Beatitudes, a little after he talked about how life isn’t about stuff and status…

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

According to Jesus, life is about prioritizing God’s Kingdom - His will and design for things. Additionally, Jesus was onced asked what’s the most important thing to be concerned about in life. Look at His answer…

Matthew 22:37–39 ESV

… “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus gives us two simple priorities to live well in the Kingdom of God:

Seek first His Kingdom: Ask God, what do you want me to do?

Loving God and people with all of your heart.

This is what simplicity is all about. It’s letting Jesus determine what our needs are and defaulting to being driven by our consumeristic wants and desires. It’s a willingness to ask questions like…

Does this thing add value to my life?

Does this thing bring God-honoring joy to my life?

Does this thing take up space in my already full life and yet contributes nothing to my God-given purpose?

Before we move on, I want to clarify this… “wants” are not evil. Despite what many people think (both inside and outside the church), God wants us to enjoy this life. Jesus said…

John 10:10 ESV

…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

While that statement is not limited to fun and pleasure, it does include both. So, when we’re talking about simplicity, it’s not about getting rid of every enjoyable thing, having the most boring life, and living off the bare necessities (unless you strongly believe that’s what God’s asked you to do).

You are free in Christ to enjoy your “wants” as long as it’s…

Not sinful.

And does not create this hurried unrest as you pursue or maintain these desires.

Simplicity is resetting our busy and hurried and exhausted lives by asking Jesus about what we really need in life. And if some of the stuff or status in our lives (that are creating stress) has nothing to do with God’s purpose or design for our lives, letting them go. And as we do, all of a sudden, there’s both a weight lifted and a margin experienced. We can breathe. We can stop. We can sleep!

So, where do we start? How can we begin to practice simplicity? Like we’ve talked about all series… start small. Here are two small words: Gratefulness and generosity.

When you’re grateful, you’re content. A grateful heart is a full heart and there’s no space (or desire) for more stuff. Before you buy something, ask Jesus, “Do I need this?” Then, look around and thank God for what you already have - out loud. “Thank you Lord for my F150.”

Then, think about, “What can I give away?” Instead of getting more, what could you give away that would bless someone else? Or, ask God, “How could these funds be used to further Your Kingdom instead of building mine?”

Okay, let’s talk about SLOWING. John Mark Comer points out that you won’t find the practice of “slowing” in the Bible or in any book on spiritual disciplines… mostly because it’s a modern problem. It’s a response to something experienced in today’s world, but not necessarily a problem of the past.

That’s not to say “hurry” hasn’t been a historical problem, but it’s never been like today. Follow me for a second:

Corrie Ten Boom said, “If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.”

Never in the history have we had “infinity” in our pocket. Our phones have an almost limitless ability to keep us busy.

And busyness makes us hurried.

And if we’re hurried, we’re likely not rested.

And if we’re not rested, we’re not experiencing life and love the way God designed it.

That’s why SLOWING is something we need to practice today.

A couple of sermons ago, I mentioned my mission trip to South Sudan and how the spiders wanted to kill me…

Btw, I didn’t mention… the first night I was there, I got bit by a spider. After a 26-hour flight, we left the airport and arrived at the compound. I went to sleep and woke up with this huge bump on my forearm that was burning hot. Spider bite. They’re trying to kill me.

…anyways, I also had this interesting conversation with a pastor. Now, us Westerners have this some-what prideful default thinking that everyone wants to be us. Like, “Who wouldn’t want to be an American?”

Don’t get me wrong… I love being an American. I’m grateful for my citizenship. But this Sudanese pastor told me, “I’d never want to live in America.”

I asked him “why?” He said, “You guys have the best stuff. You have so much to do. But you also have to pay for all of that stuff. You’re so busy.” Crazy this was almost a decade before “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” was written.

Then he said, “Look at my life. That’s my house/hut. That’s the field where I grow all my food. This is the village I live in. These are my people. I’m not busy or burden by money. I am a blessed.”

It was eye-opening. The pace of this man’s life was slow enough for him to enjoy the life according to God’s design.

My point isn’t for us to live like Africans. But, one advantage they have is their default is a simple, needs-based culture that’s closer to God’s design. We have a high-paced, consumeristic culture that’s farther from God’s design. Therefore, we have to practice some things they don’t in order to reset and rest - like intentionally slowing down.

About a decade ago, I started noticing that, “God’s not in a rush unless He says He is.” His pace is slow. My friend Mark once sent me an IG video that said, “Slow is the pace of the Holy Spirit.” I like that!

So, for us, practicing…

Slowing is living at the pace of the Holy Spirit.

We slow down our lives by letting God determine what we need to do and when we need to do it. We let Him determine our pace.

The Israelites learned this lesson immediately after they left Egypt…

Exodus 13:17–18 NLT

When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle.

We see two things:

God’s path and pace doesn’t always make sense to us.

God’s path and pace always has a greater purpose.

And then it goes onto say…

Exodus 13:21 NLT

The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.

In other words, God determined the pace. And that pace was slow.

Again, that doesn’t mean God doesn’t ever ask us to hurry. Actually, in the next chapter, we read that the full force of the Egyptian army is barreling down upon the Israelites on one side, while they are trapped by the Red Sea on the other side…

Exodus 14:13–14 NLT

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

Moses is being super spiritual. But God’s like…

Exodus 14:15 NLT

… “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!

“What are you doing Moses? Stop preaching and hurry up!” Again, “God’s not in a rush unless He says He is.” The point being… God’s people let the Holy Spirit determine the pace of life. And most of the time… that pace is slow.

So, how can we slow down? Here are a few suggestions:

Make yourself wait. Before you buy something, wait and pray.

Or, maybe practice fasting. Tell yourself, “Not right now. Wait.” Right now I’m doing a Daniel fast. I’m not eating certain kinds of food. But fasting doesn’t have to be food. You can fast from desires. Maybe some of the things you enjoy also distract you resulting in a hurried life. Spend the next week denying yourself one of those things.

Take a walk. No phone.

Read a book. Read the Bible… slowly.

Our culture tells us to “Hurry up and get more!” But, God’s design is “Rest in His love.” Simplicity and Slowing are two practices that can help us move from our default to His Design.

Response:

As we finish this series (and the worship team comes up), I hope it’s encouraged you to rest. Rest is a gift from God. It’s part of His divine rhythm for life. And we can begin to practice it by:

Silence and Solitude.

Taking a Sabbath.

And living simply and slowly.

But here’s a warning… there are a lot of people who practice all of these things…

Monks living in silence and solitude.

People observing the Sabbath.

Minimalist living at a healthy pace with lots of space.

…but do so with no spiritual benefit or experiencing God’s rest. Rest is ultimately about living in God’s design, not simply resting. And God’s design for your life is that you would be in His family - in relationship with Your Creator. It’s living a life that’s lovingly devoted to God.

And that relationship is only possible by turning from your sin and putting your faith in Jesus Christ. Our sin has not just kept us from rest (it’s enslaved us to work), but it’s also separated us from God. But the good news is God loves us. And He made a way to forgive our sin and fix that relationship by sending His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross. An then He rose again showing that our sin had been paid in full.

Romans 10:9 ESV

…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

You can enter into His perfect rest and live a life according to God’s design. If you need that today, do it!

Let’s pray…

Father, I pray that every person here today (or listening online) would enter Your rest. I pray that those who need to make their relationship with You right would do so by turning away from their old life and deciding to follow You as Lord, trusting Your death on the cross paid for their sins. I pray that those of who are your children would learn to live simply according to Your design and not the cultural default. May we live according to Your pace so we could enter Your rest. In Jesus name, amen.