Jesus Said... "Rest"

Your Pastor's Heart  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  32:58
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Thank You

From the depths of our hearts we want to thank you as a Church, the Elders, Pastor Caleb, for allowing us this opportunity to take this sabbatical.
This has been an amazing time of growth for me as your pastor, and I am encouraged with the church as well, our men who preached from God’s Word and I feel preached well!
We were able to reunite as a family
We rested and were refreshed
We had time to focus on what God wanted to teach us
As I gave serious thought to what I would preach on it looked different in my mind when I started my sabbatical… I HAD PLANS!
Sermons to prepare
List of things to look into and accomplish!!!
I was ready to be BUSY...
Books to read… in-depth reading plan…
Planning, vision strategy…
Meetings with mentors and strategic ministry leaders…
All these were good things, yet I had a desire to keep myself BUSY! I was cautious to slow down, maybe scared somewhat.
God needed to teach your pastor some valuable lessons… over the next few weeks I want to share the lessons God taught me.
Originally I wanted to preach on sabbath, and sabbaticals… maybe to somehow justify the Elders decision to myself or you, I don’t know.
First God wanted to teach me something about slowing down… as we think through our passage of scripture today it will help you better understand... Mark 6:7-13
Mark 6:7–13 NASB95
7 And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; 8 and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— 9 but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” 10 And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. 11 “Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” 12 They went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.
WOW!!! what an exciting and amazing time of ministry… God was working in some amazing ways!
Consider the impact their ministry has had…Herod hears of it! Verses 14-29
He fears that John the Baptist has come back to life!!!

Focus on the Family put out a recent article that stated the #1 attack on the family is: Exhaustion/Busy Schedules

More than infidelity
More than pornography
More than finances
More than unemployment
This attack has created families who have:
No meals together
No time together
Eventually No common ground or interest
No energy to raise Godly children
No energy to fight for marriages
No real need for each other (each is going their own way and too tired to invest in anyone else…)
This attack has crept in and is doing the same if not worse damage on the Family of God!

The Disciples Were Given a Mission

The apostles had a mission, a task, work to do
The harvest is plentiful; laborers are few
The work is good and needed
They were obeying
You and I are called to work as well… serve the body of Christ
Salt and light to a lost world
Notice when they return… Mark 6:30-32
Mark 6:30–32 NASB95
30 The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. 31 And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) 32 They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.

When God Works… It Is Amazing!

They share and are excited
God is working… when God works it is exciting to be a part of it and watch Him do His work!
Amazing things were happening!!!
When good things are happening, life is busy, and you are single focused...
Brady Boyd, author of the book, “Addicted to Busy” said this…
“if people really slowed down, they would have to pay attention to what's goin' on in their heart, in their marriage and with their kids. And busyness is a way to medicate, to ignore bigger issues.”
He also stated that sometimes...
“the greatest risk to restfulness is success, because failure invites us to pause, to regroup, to take stock and to rest.”
Overlook their own personal needs
Overlook the scale of the task and the need for pacing ones self
Overlook that the work was NOT done becoming too focused and overlooking important things

Christ Has Them… REST

Stop
Not using the momentum to wear them out more
God cares for you
Come away… off alone WITH Christ
Rest
We pride ourselves on the busyness of our schedules…
“R E S T” In our society and lives has become a FOUR LETTER Word!

Bible Word Study |Rest ~ ἀναπαύω

Lemma
ἀναπαύω anapauō rest; revive; remain quiet; stop; give rest
LTW to rest, cause to rest, give rest; refresh.
DBL Greek cause to rest; rest; abide; remain
( A - NAP - POWER) “Power-nap”
Root | NASB95
παυω pauō stop; cease
ἀναπαύω anapau rest; revive; remain quiet
23.80 ἀναπαύομαιa; ἀνάπαυσιςb, εως 蜉f: to become physically refreshed after ceasing activity or work—‘rest, to rest.’ἀναπαύομαιa: δεῦτε … εἰς ἔρημον τόπον καὶ ἀναπαύσασθε ὀλίγον ‘let’s go … to a quiet place and you can rest awhile’ Mk 6:31. ἀνάπαυσιςb : εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν ‘you will find rest for yourselves’ Mt 11:29.
In the use of ἀναπαύομαιa and ἀνάπαυσιςb, the focus of meaning seems to be upon the restorative character of rest rather than mere cessation of activity (see 68.34).[i]
[i] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, pp. 259–260). New York: United Bible Societies.
Christ himself needed this Mark 1:35
Mark 1:35 NASB95
35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.
If God’s Son needs this time with God so do we
Mornings work for some, but not all
Find time
Make time

REST… Why Do It?

NOT...
An excuse to be lazy
Proverbs says a great deal about the sluggard and the warnings that come with that lifestyle

Reflection

God’s example Genesis, He looked and saw that it was very good.
Stop and see what God is doing don’t miss it

Refuel

The abiding rest is crucial John 15:5
John 15:5 NASB95
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
There is more work/ministry to be done!
Christ had not lost compassion for the need (verse Mark 6:33-34)
Mark 6:33–34 NASB95
33 The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.
May we see the same need and have compassion and the strength to minister

Refocus

In all the busyness of life what is important?
Only God’s Word and People are eternal
Are you missing what God desires you to be a part of
I was wearing my busyness as a badge of honor, God would give the gift of rest and I would quickly fill it with something to busy myself.
I came to a spot where God showed me my pride, He is working in my heart, I want to focus on what is important to Him.
I can’t do that… you can’t either if we don’t take time to… anapauō ( A - NAP - POWER)
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