A Place of Rest
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Intro:
Intro:
freedom from activity or labor
Web. — freedom from activity or labor; peace of mind or spirit; free of anxieties. While there are multiple definitions and applications for rest; for the purpose of this sermon, I want you to focus on the the three I just read (read them again). God has called us to a place of rest and I’m not sure we’ve really understood what that means. Now listen to the antonyms of rest: activity or labor, agitated in mind or spirit, and anxious. There are far too many Christians that are not resting; I know, for that was not me long ago.
The Condition or Problem
Man has always wanted to be the god of his own life.
This condition causes us to want to try and do everything on our own; however, sooner or later we will discover that there are things beyond our control and ability.
All a man’s labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied.
I believe God allows us to come to a place of total frustration in order that we might look to Him for help.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
What is it that produces weariness? Trying to do it on your own!
κοπιαω — work hard, toil, strive and struggle that produces weariness and exhaustion.
“Heavy-laden” is to literally carry a load you were actually not intended to carry; to be overloaded.
God never intended for us to live righteously on our own; He knew we couldn’t, so He gave us His Spirit.
and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,
Acts
that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,
that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
The problem is not that God is aloof or hard to find; the problem is everybody wants to be his/her own god.
Even worse is that we as believers often fail to recognize that we can do nothing w/out him.
“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.
John
ποιεω — 1. make, manufacture, produce, 2. to undertake or do someth. that brings about an event, state, or condition, do, cause, bring about, accomplish, prepare; 3. to carry out an obligation of a moral or social nature, do, keep, carry out, practice, commit 4. make/do someth. for oneself or of oneself.
make/do someth. for oneself or of oneself
God never intended for us to live righteously on our own; He knew we couldn’t, so He gave us His Spirit.
Religion takes the power away from Christ and tries to put it on the believer by imposing on him/her a set of standards which God never ordained.
On my own I cannot walk in the righteousness I’ve been given; I cannot walk free from pesky sins that just won’t go away, and I certainly cannot do anything for the kingdom.
to carry out an obligation of a moral or social nature, do, keep, carry out, practice, commit
This is why God gave us His Spirit! (Phil 4:13).
Every person who ever did great things for God was ill-prepared and unqualified.
Jesus modeled this for us.
Remember that according to Jesus emptied himself when he took a flesh body.
This means the power by which he worked his miracles was not due to his deity, for he laid that down.
“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
Pay close attention to the last phrase — “for God was w/ him.”
“For” (οτι) is what is called in Greek syntax a causal conjunction meaning that it connects the cause to the previous stated action. It is often translated as b/c and since.
In other words, Jesus went about doing all he did b/c God was w/ him.
A.W. Tozer (The Pursuit of God) said, “Indeed Jesus taught that He wrought His works by always keeping His inward eyes upon His Father. His power lay in His continuous look at God.”
If Jesus’ power lay in His relationship to His Father, how much more should that apply to us?
After all, wasn’t it while Peter gazed upon Jesus that he walked on water?
The point I’m endeavoring to make to us is that it is easy (and we all get caught in the trap) to think we can do something on our own merits or abilities, and that it is somehow pleasing to God if we do.
What you and I must train our hearts to do is to let go and let God!
Multiple situations under various kings in the OT, God delivered His people w/out them shooting one arrow or pulling one sword from its sheath.
The Place of Rest is by Faith
The rest he speaks of here is not just heaven.
V. 3 the concept of rest here connotes both a future expectation and a present reality.
We still labor; but have rested from doing the work on our own strength and ability (v. 10).
Notice that in both OT and now, entrance into the rest of God is by faith, by believing the word of God.
When we believe the word which God has spoken, the power of that word is released.
This is our labor, to believe the word of God and do what He says.
One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.
Unless God builds the house; unless He does the work, we labor in vain unable to do what needs to be done.
to carry out an obligation of a moral or social nature, do, keep, carry out, practice, commit
William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 840.
to undertake or do someth. that brings about an event, state, or condition, do, cause, bring about, accomplish, prepare
make, manufacture, produce