Opportunity for Rest

Intro

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus is offering this to people who have unrest in their life.

He’s offering this to people who have had unrealistic expectations placed on them.

Cultural Explanation

Rest is for the Weary

Desire is what makes us weary.

Desire is imbred into the nature of who we are.

Desire looks like a man seeing that fly girl across the parking lot

When I began to notice my wife.

An unquenchable desire was birthed in my heart and mind.

My heart was restless until I got her.

Humans were created to be restless. We are made to have desires.

John Mark Comer, a pastor out of Portland Oregon, asks the question, what would it look like for a human being to be fully satisfied?

They would have to have every taste, every possession, every piece of information, every accomplishment,every sexual lover,

The human soul is unquenchable object.

It’s because we were made for an eternal God.

HERES WHERE THE PROBLEM LIES.

Ungodly Restlessness is Desire run amuch

Misplaced desire is idolatry. It’s the creation of counterfeit gods and unrealistic expectations

We see the perfect hair on the shampoo commercials and think, man I want that.

We see the perfect makeup or Pastor Rodneys super toned abs and we think, I want that!!

I remember being a middle school boy and seeing the the axe body spray commercials

Man those guys had “chicks” all over them. but when I put it on, the only people that seemed to care were the other guys who wore axe body spray.

Those are silly desires but we think if I can just get that, then..... If i can just acheive, then..... if I can just work hard enough then…

Underlying Issue —> The Pride of Life - “I got this”

Rest Recaptures Desire

Rest isn’t a Verb

Rest isn’t an act it’s a gift.

Jesus doesn’t give us a list a things to do, he doesn’t say come to me and I’ll watch the kids so you can take a nap.

Jesus isn’t trying to sell you a mattress or a sleep apnia machine.

Jesus is offering a gift

Rest Defined: Rest isn’t an action, its a state of being. It’s not a nap or some time off, it’s an avenue for the eternal to invade the temporal. It’s were we stop doing and start being. Rest is where our pride dies and Christ’ Lordship begins. It’s where our work is redeemed. Rest is the well that our work now flows out of.

Rest is the Grace of God.

In later verses Jesus will call himself “Lord of the Sabbath”. The Sabbath was a day of the week were all work ceased, all wanting ceased all effort and labor ceased for the sake of celebrating who God is and what he has done.

God wants to redeem your work.

We bring our labors

- God isn’t trying to get you out of work. Rest in the Kingdom of God is not lounging in your mothers basement watching tv and eating cheese puffs.

God wants you to find rest because you are designed to labor.

Jesus talks about a new yoke, a new work, a new way of life.

1 John 5:3–4 ESV

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Notice the exchange that happens.

Rest is God saying, “Trust me, I got this”

How do you obtain this rest?

"A Beautiful day in the Neighborhood” is the story about a reporter named Lloyd Vogel tasked with writing a story about the infamous Mr. rogers. Mr. Rogers quickly discovers that Lloyds relationship with his dad, Jerry is not healthy The whole movie, any time you see Jerry and Lloyd together they are in a state of unrest. They are at each others throats. Both of them have this attitude like nothing is wrong and they got this.

Lloyd is angry with his dad because his mom was dying of cancer and he completely bailed on them. He left them for another woman.

This is what Jerry says on his bed as he is preparing to die.

“Lloyd, I am sorry for leaving you and your sister. It was selfish and it was cruel..... I am so sorry son. It’s not fair ya know....I think I’m just now starting to figure out how to live my life.”

There was something broken in their relationship and that brokenness caused unrest. It kept them from reconciliation, it kept them from a state of being from which all other work would flow out of. It affected their labor, it affected their families, it affected everything about them.

You know what created the rest in Jerry. Grace. He asked for forgiveness. He stopped trying, he swallowed his pride and repented. In the movie it feels like a burden is lifted and the relationship is restored.

“Come to me”

Jesus provides and invites us to the solution.

“Jesus reorients the desires of our heart so he could have the desire of His.”

Jesus can say “come to me”because he first came to me.

Jesus stepped into our restlessness.

JESUS SEES YOU. HE SEES YOUR BURDENS, HE SEES THE WEIGHT YOU ARE CARRYING, HE SEES YOUR UNREST.

COME TO ME

What does it look like to practice Shabbat

Practical Application

Slow Down - Take time to re align yourself to the things of God.

Set aside time to not worry about all the things the need to get done. Turn off your phone, turn off the tv and just BE.

Get out your scriptures and spend time abiding in Jesus.

Get alone in your car or your home and speak freely with Jesus.

Just Stop

Practicing the Sabbath (Sabbath means “to Stop”)

Pray with your family

Read Scripture

Feast

Hang out with Friends

Turn off your electronics

No shopping