Emotional Rest

4 – EMOTIONAL Rest – through relationship

Intro

Relationship with God Brings Personal Rest

1 - People are stressed

Pandemic

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Affects health and relationships, job

2 - need rest

We were created to rest

God’s day starts with rest – sundown

God’s week ends with rest – Sabbath

3 - be blessed!

come to Jesus!

Don’t look in the wrong direction - world

1 – Turn = Go Where God Is

Go where I am…

Matthew 11:28 NLT

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Weary

2872 κοπιάω [kopiao /kop·ee·ah·o/]

· Tired – to grow tired, exhausted (with toil or burdens or grief)

Carry heavy burdens

5412 φορτίζω [phortizo /for·tid·zo/][1]

· to place a load upon

Rest = G373 ἀναπαύω [anapauo /an·ap·ow·o/]

· Refresh – “take ease”

· to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labor in order to recover and collect his strength.

· to keep quiet, of calm and patient expectation.

Jesus Factor

· we can enter the Lord's rest through faith in the finished work of Jesus.

· Christ fulfilled the Law, offering us the opportunity to have God's rest in our lives.

Rest from Hunger

John 6:35 NLT

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Rest from Thirst

John 7:37–38 NLT

37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ ”

Rest From BUSYNESS

Psalm 91:1–2 NLT

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

Rest From LONELINESS

Psalm 62:1 NIV84

1 My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.

Rest from WEARINESS

Jeremiah 31:25 NLT

25 For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.”

Rest From Insecurity and Uncertainty

· God’s presence went with Moses into the Promised Land, which brought rest to God’s people:

Exodus 33:14 NLT

14 The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”

2 – Teach = Hear What God SAYS

Matthew 11:29 NLT

29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

“Rest for your SOUL”

372 ἀνάπαυσις [anapausis /an·ap·ow·sis/]

1 intermission, cessation of any motion, business or labor

2 recreation

Rest from Work (Ministry)

Mark 6:31 NLT

31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

Rest from BURDENS

Psalm 23:1–2 NLT

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.

· “Makes me to lie down” – some folk have to almost be “forced” to rest

FEAR of SILENCE

· the unrenewed soul does not like silence, because they have to face themselves

· insecurity does not know what to say

· Mind starts wandering

Defense Mechanisms

What do they do?

· Keep the sound on – TV all night (or social media) – to drown out the loneliness and their own thoughts

· “Busy” ness - Keep the activities full so they never have to sit at home. Use “good things” as an excuse for spiritual laziness

· Result = constant UNREST

· Answer – LEARN of God’s presence through His Word and personal EXPERIENCE

The Sabbath is Made for You!

Disciples picked grain on the Sabbath

Why? because they were hungry

Mark 2:27 NLT

27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.

ESV = 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

3 – Take = Do What God DOES

TAKE My yoke = follow My example – live victorious (and restful) like Me

Matthew 11:30 NLT

30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Easy to bear

5543 χρηστός [chrestos /khrase·tos

· “better”, “gracious”, useful, good.

· 2 manageable.

· 2a mild, pleasant (as opp. to harsh, hard sharp, bitter).

· 2b of things: more pleasant, of people, kind, benevolent.[2]

Burden

5413 φορτίον [phortion /for·tee·on/]

· Load – the freight of a ship.

· Obligations – the gentle obligations Christ lays upon his followers, in contrast to the oppression of the Pharisees

Light

1645 ἐλαφρός [elaphros /el·af·ros/] adj. Probably akin to 1643 and the base of 1640; GK 1787; Two occurrences; AV translates as “light” twice. 1 light in weight, quick, agile.

His Commandments are Light

1 John 5:3 NLT

3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.

Rest from Natural (Spiritual) Storms

Object lesson – Jesus just warned about the cares of life choking the Word (unrest through fear)

Humanity – Jesus knows what it is like to be tired…

Luke 8:22–25 NLT

22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. 23 As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. 25 Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?” The disciples were terrified and amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “When he gives a command, even the wind and waves obey him!”

· Note – waves collapsed as from exhaustion

· Rest can be interrupted by attack

o Enemy forces cause upheaval in nature and in men’s souls – mind, will, emotion

· Rest is restored by authority

o when we take our God given authority over those forces and rebuke the attack

Emotional Rest:

· Turn = Go Where God Is

· Teach = Hear What God SAYS

· Take = Do What God DOES