“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:28-30MSG
Worn out
Washed out
Withered out
Rest is when God has ceased from His work of salvation. "For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from His works, as God did from His." Hebrews 4:10
COME TO JESUS!
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath... that is why it is the Lord’s Day!
In other version of verse 29b – it said “rest for your souls”.
Jesus is not talking about physical rest, but He is talking about spiritual rest. Most people are weary in their spirits today. Henry David Thoreau said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Many are troubled and agitated in their souls, and they try to find rest in all the wrong places. Some look to a mate/ a bottle or a pill/ friends/ pleasure/ entertainment/ a job/ money. People look everywhere and try everything in the effort to find rest for their souls. No thing and no one in this world can give you the peace and rest you seek. While people run here and there trying to find peace, Jesus says, so simply and so calmly, “Come unto Me, and I will give you rest.” There is a place of rest; a place of quietness; a place of peace, This Church is a place of “Soul Rest” and there is Person in this place who can definitely give us this kind of rest.... His name is Jesus. He invites us to come to Him to find the rest our soul seeks. People are looking, running, seeking, struggling, striving, fighting, loving, rushing, searching all in an effort to find what only Jesus Christ can give.
And so today... let’s get away with Jesus
He will show us how to take a “real rest”. A soul rest.
Real rest is recovering your life.
Jesus won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on each and everyone on us... Let us Keep company with Him and we will learn to live freely and lightly.
The 3w’s of Rest:
1- WALK WITH JESUS:
where? The Church or place where His disciples are.
John 20:1 “The first day of the week....
19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. ( being the 1st day of the week which is Sunday.... they have all the baggage of the past days of last week; Fear, restlessness of what had happened, apprehension that they might too would be arrested, mixed emotions.... )
20 And when He had so said, He shewed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
( Rest day is where Jesus would show to us He has all the evidences that He is our Lord and our God! Faithful, powerful! )
21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. ( Rest Day is peace day with the Holy Spirit!)
22And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
For it is where His disciples are in trembling in fear. For where His disciples are.... THERE HE IS.
Remember the appearance of Jesus where the doors and windows were closed? He came in through closed doors and windows.
Take note also why He instituted the Lord’s day in Luke 24:1 But very early on Sunday morning.... Then in v. 13-16 NLT)That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus Himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing Him.
2- WORK WITH JESUS:
Our labour or our work is to put to death the old man and send the enemy to flight through seeking God, taking up our cross, renewing our mind with the word of God, following Christ, being led by the Holy Spirit, spiritual warfare, etc. These exercises are how we are diligent, earnest or labour. And listening to the pastor preaching and just sitting on a Sunday Sevice is the best day of our rest day.... It is after all Jesus’way of the Sabbath... It’s the Lord’s Day.
3- WATCH HOW JESUS WOULD DO IT:
Jesus had all the evidences
That’s why He has all the courage to show everything
The best day is the Rest day because it is the time also to remember how the absentee Thomas spoke; “ One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
Then eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
John 20:24-29 NLT
Then see how on a Lord’s day...
we can say that rest day is the best day because in this day we can see:
How this Jesus would walk with us, finished work with us as we sit back and watch how our rest of the days of the week He would show us how to do it. Finally, Rest Day is the Best Day of the week for Jesus would give us;
Peace in the Holy Ghost
Pronounced Blessings (just like in 3John2) though we have not seen Him physically
Evidential Miracles of a Resurrected Life
Exclamatory Worship just like Thomas
Also @ sermoncentral.com
also @ DoJ preachings StaBarbara
