Rest Interrupted
Notes
Transcript
This morning, we are going to jump right in where we left off last Sunday morning. Turn to and read Mark 6:14. Pray.
King Herod Heard
King Herod Heard
And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
We’ll not take the time to read the following verses but, what we have is the account of the death of John the Baptist at the hands of king Herod.
What I would like to draw your attention to is simply this:
And king Herod heard of Him...
And king Herod heard of Him...
Christ’s fame had already begun to spread. (Side note: It would be interesting to know just how far Christ’s fame spread during His earthly ministry.)The point, though, is that even though there were a lot of people who had heard of Christ, they all responded differently.
Aren’t you glad that, when you heard about Christ, you responded in faith and received Christ as your Savior?!?!
In chapter 5 (vs. 27), when the woman heard of Jesus, she came to Christ and was healed.
At the beginning of chapter 6, when Christ’s hometown heard Christ speak, they were astonished and offended. Because of that, Christ was not able to do any might work there.
Now, when king Herod heard of Christ, his guilty conscience began to speak to him!
Exploring the Gospel of Mark: An Expository Commentary a. Herod’s Conscience (6:14–16) Shakespeare says that conscience makes cowards of us all. Conscience will often lie dormant, seemingly sound asleep. Then, suddenly, the sight of a certain face, the sound of a certain voice, the mention of a certain name, a visit to a certain place, and suddenly conscience is wide awake, baying at the door of memory, or growling angrily over some deed, long dead and buried but now horribly raised and crying out for vengeance.
We all have a conscience.
We all have a conscience.
Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Turn to and read 2 Corinthians 7:8-10.
We have all experienced a “guilty conscience.” What really matters is what we do with that guilty conscience. Do we allow it to lead us to God? Or, do we silence our conscience so that we are led further away from God?
It may be that even this morning, some of you are battling with your conscience. What will you do?
Will you humble yourself and allow it to lead you to God?
Or will you - in pride - refuse to listen until you can no longer hear its voice?
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
To our knowledge, King Herod didn’t listen to his conscience. To our knowledge, Herod never came to Christ to receive Him as Lord and Savior. As such, today, King Herod, in Hell, is saying, “I wish I had listened!”
The Disciples Returned
The Disciples Returned
Earlier in this chapter, in verses 7-13, Christ sent the disciples out to preach the message of repentance.
Now, in verses 30-32, we have the record of their return.
And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
I’m sure that they were excited, as they returned, to tell Christ of all that they had experienced.
Are you excited to tell of what Christ has done and is doing in your life? Are you eager, when given the opportunity, to give testimony of Christ’s working in and through you?
I’m sure that Christ was eager to hear all about the disciple’s “Gospel Exploits!” However, Christ also knew that they had a need; they needed some rest.
And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
Just like the disciples, we too need rest.
Pastor Peacock, the pastor I served under while in Savannah, GA, always said, “Come apart lest ye come apart!”
One author wrote:
“Constant activity is a characteristic of our age. If we are not active, we feel slothful. If we are not productive, we feel guilty. A healthy twenty-eight-year-old man sitting on a lawn swing for an entire Sunday afternoon would likely feel the need to apologize to his neighbors should they discover him.”
May I make a suggestion? Go home this afternoon and sit on a lawn swing for the entire afternoon!
“We do not rest because our work is done; we rest because God commanded it and created us to have a need for it.” - Gordon MacDonald
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
God has created us to need physical rest, emotional rest, and spiritual rest.
The events of the past three months have proven, if nothing else, that we need physical, emotional, and spiritual rest.
An article entitled, Suicide Mortality and Coronavirus Disease 2019 — A Perfect Storm?", suggests that the unprecedented public health actions needed to contain the new pandemic, along with social distancing requirements, stay-at-home orders, and stress due to job loss, may well result in far more suicides in the years to come.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/media-spotlight/202006/are-we-facing-post-covid-19-suicide-epidemic
I can’t seem to remember a time in which our bodies, minds and spirits have been under more stress than they have over the past three months. Our bodies, minds, and spirits have been crying out for rest! And yet, while it has been proven that mankind needs rest, our world has not been able to find rest because it is looking for rest in all the wrong places.
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.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
This morning, while you may need physical rest, you may also need the emotional and spiritual rest which only God can give.
First, turn off the news and social media which is only serving to keep us under emotional and spiritual stress.
Next, heed the words Peter:
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
As we continue in Mark chapter 6:
And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
The Lord led them to quietly travel by boat to a secluded place on the opposite shore of the Sea of Galilee. However, though they needed the rest, it appears that the only rest they received was during the boat trip.
And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.
And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
Jesus had compassion
Jesus had compassion
Vs. 33 says that the people “ran affoot” and “outwent them.”
Somehow, the people knew where they were headed and, by foot, got there before Jesus and the disciples did. When they reached shore, they were greeted by 5,000 men, plus women and children. So much for rest!
We now come to a very familiar event in Christ’s ministry: the feeding of the 5,000. We’re not going to look at the actual event this morning. We are only going to take the time to look at vs. 34:
And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
I would like you to notice three things in this verse:
The people were as sheep not having a shepherd. This was a reference to their spiritual condition, not their physical condition.
Jesus had compassion on them. Christ’s compassion moved Him to do something about their condition.
Jesus taught them.
We must concern ourselves with the spiritual condition of those around us.
We must concern ourselves with the spiritual condition of those around us.
The news media a social media would like us to focus on the physical problems facing our world today: COVID-19, politics, race, police brutality, etc.
However, of greater concern to us, should be the spiritual condition of those around us.
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
We must have compassion for those around us.
We must have compassion for those around us.
Does the spiritual condition of those around you move you to do something?
And of some have compassion, making a difference:
and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
The words from an old hymn are appropriate:
Souls are crying, men are dying, won’t you lead them to the cross.
Go and find them, Please help to win them, Win the lost at any cost.
Go out and win, rescue from sin,
Day’s almost done, low sinks the sun.
Souls are crying, men are dying, win the lost at any cost.
We must teach those around us.
We must teach those around us.
This follows on the heals of the previous point…Christ’s compassion led Him to teach the multitudes. I believe I can confidently say that part of His lesson that day included the Gospel message!
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
And, that is exactly what we have been commanded to do!
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
I am disappointed that we will not be having NBT this year. However, that should not keep us from seeing the multitudes, having compassion upon then and then doing something about it.
And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
This morning, will you be one of those laborers?
This morning, will you pray that God would send forth more laborers?