July Bible Stories

July Sermon Series- Resting in the Lord

Matthew 11:28-30: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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.”

Resting in God

Mark 1:35-45

In verses 16-34 Mark guides us into the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

the call of Jesus’ disciples (1:16-20)

the teaching of Jesus (1:21-22)

the command of Jesus over unclean spirits (1:23-28)

the healing of Simon’s wife (1:29-31)

multitudes of miracles and healings & power over the spirit world (1:32

This famous day at Capernaum would go down as one of the most prolific days in the ministry of our Lord!

We must remember that the gospel of Mark is a call to discipleship. It is the call to follow the Lord Jesus. Mark’s word is akoloutheō which means, “to come after, to accompany.” The word literally means to go the same way as another.

Thus, Jesus Christ came to fulfill all righteous (Matthew 3:15) so that we may have a perfect pattern to emulate. He lived, so that He may live in us.

“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.” (II Corinthians 4:10-11)

No wonder the first disciples were called followers of “The Way.”

“And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:2, see also 19:9, 23, 22:4, 24:22)

“But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:” (Acts 24:14) “And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” (Acts 18:26)

Can you just imagine the conversations in the early church? “No, we cannot do that: that is not the way that Jesus lived. Don’t talk that way! Don’t treat one another that way! Don’t believe that way! That is not what Jesus did!” The question in the early church was not, “What would Jesus do?” The question in the early church was, “What did Jesus do?”

As we walk through this passage together, I want you to ask yourself if you are going the same way as Jesus…if you are truly following in His steps.

Jesus’ Need for Rest

After this extremely busy day at Capernaum, somewhere between the hours of 4 and 6 am, Jesus Christ arose to greet a new day. Perhaps he thought of Jeremiah’s inspiring words—  “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Perhaps, He reasoned within Himself— “This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. (Psalm 118:23-25)

Jesus arose to greet a new day and to seek for the aid of His Father as He embarked upon a new day of blessings and opportunities for ministry.

The words here suggest something very interesting.

He went out- He left from where He was

He departed-He arrived into a new location

Into a Solitary place- uninhabited

Persons who were deprived of friends or loved ones in times of loneliness were known to be in these types of solitary places. Thayer’s defines it as a place where one is, “deserted by others; deprived of the aid and protection of others, especially of friends, acquaintances, kindred; bereft.”

What, then, would cause Jesus to arise in the dead of night to find a place wherein no friend, no loved one, and no companion might attend to Him?

Jesus found that the wilderness was a place where the presence of God was most-easily enjoyed.

Matthew 4:4, 14:23, Mark 4:10, 4:34, 6:47, Luke 9:18, 36, John 6:15, 8:9

“And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.”

Why did Jesus resort to the wilderness for rest?

Do you not remember what the Lord Jesus busied Himself in on the Sabbath Day? Work! Labor! Healing! Teaching! Touching! Exorcising! The Son of God was always about the Father’s business. Such work had created fatigue in the life, body, and soul of the God-man.

"And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.  And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,  And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.” (Mark 5:21-32)

The word “virtue” here is the word dunamis from which we get our word “dynamite.” It speaks of power to heal and to save. Just touching the hem of Jesus’ garment drew something out of Him. If it were but the hem of His garments, to touch an extension of Jesus was to avail oneself to His dynamic, healing power. No wonder the text notes that Jairus wanted Jesus to lay His healing hands upon her! No wonder He was being thronged!

To this point, A.T. Robertson notes, “No real good can be done without the outgoing of power.”

Saturday, then, was an unending succession of virtue going out of the body of Jesus. The sabbath was one thirsty sinner after another dropping their bucket down into the soul of Jesus! Each demon exorcised…each illness healed…was a depletion of those power reserves held in the bosom of God’s beloved Son. At this point, we ought not to forget the One of whom I speak. He is God of very gods, but He is a man.

Let us not forget His humanity in His deity, nor His deity through His humanity. Jesus Christ was a man surrendered to do the works and speak the words of the Father.

“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” (John 14:9-10) “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” (John 5:19)

Could it be that Jesus was accessing something in His humanity necessary to the work whereunto the Father had called Him?

Keep in mind, He had recently left a solitary place, where He was tempted by the Devil, and at the conclusion of that temptation…that awful, draining ordeal…”the angels ministered unto him.” (Mark 1:13) Jesus knew that a wilderness was a place where restoration takes place. He knew that solitary places were places where rest could be enjoyed (see I Kings 19). They were places where revelation may occur (see Exodus 3).

When life and ministry drain you, you have to take a journey into the wilderness.

“The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.” (Isaiah 50:4)

Barnes notes of this Messiah, “The language is taken from an instructor who awakens his pupils early, in order that they may receive instruction. The idea is, that the Redeemer would be eminently endowed, under the divine instruction and guidance, for his work. He would be one who was, so to speak, in the school of God; and who would be qualified to impart instruction to others.”

Jesus, therefore, is more than just giving us a good example in resting; He was availing Himself to a necessary component of His life.

“Deity never needs sleep; humanity must rest.” -Charles Swindoll

Let me read some wise counsel to you. “Most of us are more tired than we know at the soul level. We are teetering on the brink of dangerous exhaustion, and we really cannot do anything else until we have gotten some rest. Jesus seemed to be highly attentive to this particular danger of the spiritual life, because early on in His ministry with the disciples, He began to teach them about the importance of unplugging from the demands of life in the company of others for the purpose of resting in God.”

In time, “Jesus seems to have little time for their ministry reports. He is concerned about the bigger issue of how they will sustain their spiritual life rather than being distracted by outward successes. Without watching any time at all, He invites them to experience solitude as a place of rest in God.”

He knew that too much fishing would make for sour fishermen. He knew that too much ministry in all of its stresses would produce disciples capable of causing great harm, as they steward their fatigue. Therefore, early on, sometime between 4 and 6 He departed into a solitary place, to fill His tank of compassion, love, and healing. May the same be said of us!

We as Christians must find our rest in our Heavenly Father! We must come apart from the world unto Him. We must embrace His presence and dwell in God. May the Lord help us to heed this Heavenly warning before the journey overtakes us as its pilgrims.

Sabbath Rest-

Salvation Rest-

Stress Rest/Soul Rest-

For Elijah-

I Kings 19

Elijah has been on one of the most remarkable runs in biblical history.

Provision

he had experienced a miraculous provision from the hands of God while living by the brook Cherith (I Kings 17:2-7)

he was sent by God to the widow’s house where God also sustained him (17:8-16

the provision of rain at his prayer

I Kings 17:1: “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”

I Kings 18:1 “And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.”

I Kings 18:41: “And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.”

Power

he raised the widow’s son back to life (17:17-24)

his victory on Mt. Carmel (18:1-40)

he stood alone against:

King Ahab and Wicked Jezebel (18:1)

450 prophets of Baal (18:19)

400 prophets of the groves (18:19)

he prayed to God in 63 English words and saw the fire of God fall

Revival

I Kings 18:39-40: “And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.”

It seems at this point that Elijah felt like he might be held in high esteem and celebrated as a prophet of God. However, was that was to be the case. I Kings 19:2-3 says, “Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.”

So, what does a big and tough prophet of God do? He runs!

he had already traveled from Carmel to Jezreel (18:46)- 31 miles

he then ran from Jezreel to Beersheba (19:3)- 100 miles

he finally went a day’s journey into the wilderness (19:4)- 20-25 miles

This means that in just a few days, Elijah ran over 150 miles away from his troubles!

HE WAS EXHAUSTED!

he was exhausted by his spiritual load

Can you imagine being responsible for the whole nation to turn back to God? Can you imagine putting yourself…and God…on the spot to answer by fire and prove that He is the God?

he was exhausted by his physical load

He has run a great distance into a place of safety.

he was exhausted by his emotional load

the compounding stresses of the brook, and the widow’s house, his moment at Carmel, his hiding of the prophets (18:3-8), the prospects of rain, and his fear of his own life

He was tired! Like Jesus from last week’s lesson, he comes to the wilderness to hide. However, when he arrives, he discovers that there was a God that was waiting for him there to give him the strength and energy that he needed to continue on.

Psalm 23:3: “He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

Isaiah 40:31: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.”

The Instruments of God’s Restoration

bread

I Kings 19:6: “And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.”

water

I Kings 19:6 “And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.”

In the Bible, bread is a picture of God’s Word. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 4:4: “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Jeremiah, the prophet, said, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16)

Job 23:12: “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”

Psalm 109:101-103

Water, in the Bible, is also symbolic. Among the things it means, it means,

cleaning: Hebrews 10:22: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

eternal life: John 4:10-15: “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”

the Word of God: Ephesians 5:25-27: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

Elijah needed God’s Word, and he had to learn that in the busy moments of life and ministry, we must replenish ourselves with God’s powerful Word! Verse eight tells of the power of this bread and water: I Kings 19:8 says, “And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.”

The Ministers of God’s Restoration

Mark 1:12-13 is a sister account to this story. In both cases, Elijah and Jesus are in the wilderness. They are tired. They are alone, and they are dependent upon the Divine presence of God to sustain them.

Mark states: “And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.”

Here, the same occurs for Elijah. I Kings 19:7 says: “And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.”

What is an angel?

An angel means, “one who is sent; a messenger; a messenger of God.”

Hebrews 1:14 says of angels “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

As a matter of fact, the idea of a minister and an angel are so common, John in the Revelation of Christ calls the seven ministers of the seven churches “angels.”

We see, then, here that the angels of God are deployed on our behalf in moments the Father believes that their assistance is necessary!

Psalm 34:7: “The angel of the Lord encampeth Round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”

How God does this and when God does this is not always so apparent. Have you been aided by angels lately? Have they ministered to your needs lately?

The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that we have encountered angels and did not even know about it. Hebrews 13:2 says,“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” [This word unawares means “to escape notice.”]

An Insight about God’s Restoration

Last, we should note that the wilderness is a wonderful place to encounter God, but it is a terrible place to live. Along the road of life, the wilderness is a detour, not a destination.

The purpose of the restoration is to get Elijah back into the game.

I Kings 19:9: “And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?”

I Kings 19:11: “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:”

I Kings 19:15: “And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:”

Vacations are wonderful, but they are not meant to last forever. They are God’s way of relaxing our bodies, refreshing our minds, and renewing our spirits, but we were made for to battle, not to bask forever under the palm trees. Elijah needed a break. He needed to be restored by God. He needed the ministry of angels, but he eventually needed to get back to work.