Finding Rest

Today on Summit life with Judy Greer on the sale. Do they all because everything's been is all because you told us, and unable to commit to. So I'm depended on you to make up what I'm missing.

Taking this time off is the Sabbath was a tangible declaration of trust in God after G as always, I'm your host Molly benefits and we are so glad you're back with us today as Pastor J begins a new teaching series titled graft and distraction. In this short series. Pastor Jenny will show us that those most mature in Jesus are not those working hardest for him. But this resting most in him was resting look like what you've come to the right place. We know you don't want to miss a single message here on the program so if you ever find yourself falling behind. You can catch up on previous broadcasts online@jennygreer.com but for now grab your Bible and let's learn more about finding rest, castigating, so I will spend the next couple of weeks talking about the biblical concept because I know that a lot of us look to the summer is a time that we can break things up a bit. I know when I say that some of you that have young kids are like joking with me.

Vacations are not rest at all. And I totally get that. I know that for a lot of you between work and family and kids are managing your extended family. Your chest tired.*Can I get an amen from somebody out there you're just tired.

Complicating this is the fact we have a culture that chronically overworked, going so far is that even teach overworked as a value now. Every study that is out there.

Of course, shows that work is bad for us in just about every possible way, we know that it is bad for our families. I know a lot of parents try to justify their work by saying oh I'm doing this for my family so that we may have all the privileges but like Nicholas Cage says one of his greatest movies family man.

You look up one day and realize that you will have much of a family to speak of anymore because I am what you did work as a man for all seasons Jesus custom to say it every point in our life but overworked staff or families. We know that was also most of us know it's bad for health healthcare professional say that overworked is a prime contributor to the most common medical elements in our society, including heart disease and lung ailments and cirrhosis of the liver and axonal injuries and various types of cancers just to name a few.

A recent CNN study showed get this.

Those who work 11 hour days are 250% more likely to become clinically depressed than those who limit their work to eight hour days.

The reason this article explains that when you when you work your body is under stress that makes you release certain types of hormones and chemicals which are fine and limited amounts of normal rhythms, but when you do it to access it literally poisons your body going off your levels of leading you to the more likelihood of anxiety and depression. So we are more we know it's bad for us. But there is a reason that many of us are driven overworked.

The most obvious of these reasons being that work is how we provide for ourselves as we believe that the privileges we enjoy our families enjoy our indirect how hard that would work. Work is also for us sometimes how we establish our identity. We believe the nature of our work. The importance of our work determines our personal worth, right second question we ask people what is your name and what second question, what do you do and because we know how often people evaluate space and what we do. We tend to exaggerate the importance of our jobs. You notice how in our society. Normal job titles are given way to more impressive versions of that job title I saw I kid you not a Pizza Hut advertisement looking to hire a shift manager that said seeking to fill a position for the Dean of pizza which I thought was just awesome, but another restaurant chain was also taking resumes for a beverage dissemination officer, otherwise known as a bartender hardly ever see one of his companies. Words like literally every person in the company identified as a vice president like I'm just not sure how many vice presidents a six person company didn't actually have read a Wall Street Journal article this week to set up. Most of us inflate the number of hours we work every week because we think more hours makes us sound more impressive the world to get by just 40 hours immediately, 50, 60, 70 hours a me so we work to build up our identity is it that we tire identity to it sometimes are driven overworked because were trying to please other people you follow type payers out there.

You first boards you want to let people down.

You want to live up to expectations exceeded expectations so you answer that email you got a return phone call. Your attach your phone like it's an IV you look at it six times since I began this message I see you little glow I see a problem on your face like that the Holy Spirit will know that's a soldier to get bottom line is that for all these reasons were attired society, which is why want to spend a couple of weeks talking about the biblical concept of rest is a little phrase in Hebrews 4 I hope your Bibles open two of you have it that always had this incredibly attractive power to me at 49 sodium there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God is very similar to a promise that Jesus made in Matthew 11. One of his most famous promises were he said come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Today I want to explore those two passages because most of us.

We were honest have no idea what Jesus is talking about their coming up anything for honest Christianity feels like just more stuff to do. It feels like another list of things to be busy about not doing good enough yet another thing to feel guilty about. Yet, according to Jesus, the core of the Christian experience is not work. The core of the Christian experience is rest.

In fact all the work that you do is supposed to come out of the rest. Dallas Willard, one of the Christian author says that most of us jumped into the busy parts of Christianity's neighbor, the active in the church didn't visit the spiritual disciplines, but we tend to skip the rest promises of Jesus which are crucial in being able to accomplish the work parts of what he gave us. You see, until you learn to rest correctly in Christ.

I can promise you that all of your work for Christ is going to be off and back is a big idea for the day.

If you want to write things down to those most mature in Jesus are not those working hardest for him. Those most mature in Jesus for those resting best in him.

We tend to evaluate Christians by how busy they are.

The first part of the state with a will is working hardest for him who showed up whatever the church doors are open and going on this and doing that, memorize 19 chapters of the Bible as Melvin read 50 Christian books so far this year is busy for Jesus. And yes, I want to show you that that that loving Jesus certainly means a activity for him, but those who are most mature in Jesus are those who are resting best in him. The writer of Hebrews ties this rest of the Old Testament concept of Sabbath.

So let's take a couple minutes and unpack the idea of Sabbath as it will help you see what he is getting that you stay there.

He was for a Montague couple the places in the Bible, but I could like a beauty before the minute Moses explains the purpose of the Sabbath in two primary places in the Old Testament. The first one is Exodus 20. When Moses first gave God's 10 Commandments and here's how he stated the fourth commandment in Exodus chapter 20 in six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God in six days the Lord made heaven and earth to see and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day.

Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and he made it holy.

Just like God. Moses said took six days and made the earth you were to take six days and do your labor and you rest of the Sabbath. The way that he did. You're going to do it for free. Major reasons he will explain these as an AME a CA. We were to do it. They were to do it to remind us that God was the point of their lives. We were to take a day to recognize that God did not create us primarily to accomplish tasks.

God created us to be in love with him and to walk with him. Sometimes the tyranny of life can cause us to disconnect from the purpose for which we were created, which is the quickest way to live in misery when you are disconnected from your purpose.

Studies show that we can endure a lot of strain in life we can endure a lot of pain even if we know the purpose behind it. So they were to take one day off every week. Just remind themselves of that purpose were created for a job.

We were created for God and on that day. We were just supposed to enjoy him and enjoy his creation just to be alive one day to be rather than to do as the first reason.

Here's the second 1B to remind us that God is the provider for our lives is the point of our lives. These the provider for our lives in many ways taken this day off. Back then, was really inconvenient, even more so than today, especially in an ancient Israel survival back then was often a database. Season to season affair crops had to be harvested daily water had to be drawn daily to cut your project productivity by 1/7 right off the top could literally make the difference between survival and death. There was not a single other society in the ancient world practiced anything like this. But God commanded his people to do it because he wanted to remind them that at the end of the day. It was his responsibility to provide for them, not their responsibility to take care of themselves so we had them cut their productivity by 1/7 to give him space to work here was his promise it will be called the Sabbath principal's promise was if they would take one day off in obedience to him. He would multiply their effectiveness. On the other six days so that they would accomplish more in those six days than they would have they worked all seven.

He would make sure that their needs were met.

He would make sure in their six days that all the ends with me. You see, God has set up the world so that we provide for ourselves by mostly natural means. That's why says six days you labor and do all your work. It's from that labor that we get most of our benefit. You understand that right I meet money. Usually this is not show up magically in your bank account and you say overlook another direct deposit from God.

If that happens is called a bank error and you should probably tell them about it. So typically you just don't have these supernatural dropping of finances in your life. Typically you work and you get paid for your labor. That's how God set it up but because of this, we can very easily begin to assume that we are therefore the one to bear the responsibility of taking care of ourselves. In other words it where the one to have to make ends meet.

But that's not true. God bears that responsibility and so we take a day off each week to declare that and on that day we say God I'm not taking today off because I got nothing left to do. I meticulous day off because everything is finished. I'm taking a day off because you told me to, and I'm to do less and unable to do because you commanded me to so I'm dependent on you to make up what I'm missing. Taking this time off. She Sabbath was a declaration a tangible declaration of trust in God. You don't do it because everything is done you do it because God promise that if you do, it will make the rest returned to in just a moment that I wanted to introduce you to our new featured resource estimate.

We are all so distracted by the news by any new app on her phone by her feelings going in different directions with various activities. So we want to help you connect easily and quickly without adding something else to your place of conversation cards which are simply cards with one question worked on and to pull out while you're eating dinner on a long car ride to help you and does your closest with the patient can't pay anything. Rest also comes with the book of 15 devotionals about the same time will send our thanks for your gift in ministry right now so give us a call at 866-335-1520 or checking out@jeanniegreer.com now to get back to our teaching for the day about finding right now really quickly. The 2nd Pl., Sabbath is discussed by Moses in Deuteronomy Deuteronomy literally means the second giving of the law for Moses preached his favorite sermon the wall and then he got a bunch of commentary about it, and Moses in his best giving of the law can add one other purpose for the Sabbath is sought from a five or 12 a service of thinking, holy commandment explains this you shall remember on that day that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and outstretched arm. Therefore, because of that the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Here we see the Sabbath was to give them space for them to reflect on their salvation.

This is my favorite one. Write this down C to remind them that God was the Savior of their lives. He was appointed their lives is a provider for their lives. He was the Savior of their lives to reflect on the fact that when it came to their greatest need, which was deliverance from sin and slavery God of accomplish that all by himself and for meeting that need.

They had not contributed one iota. You see the phrase in verse 15 where it says the Lord brought you out from there with a mighty hand. What had Israel done to contribute to their exodus to their deliverance. They help with the 10 plagues the God told Moses and say okay Moses who forgot to do some powder blood and what you got an hour to pour them out and return the mountable and then collect all the fraud you can find in each of the double monthly report and the third plagues the night of cow tipping to be an awesome with no they didn't do a thing to help with plagues. Those were things all God did what did they do to help the deliverance of the Red Sea pickup swords and fight the Egyptian soldiers no did Moses divide them up into two groups and say okay half of you blow this way it has to be blow that way were to create a channel that we can walk through.

No, they did not contribute. The first thing to bear deliverance, God did that all by himself. So Moses says were to take a day to reflect on that and on that day were to think about this.

If God took care of our greatest need all by himself, don't we think we can trust him to take care of our day-to-day needs.

Now you notice how in verse 15 on verse 15 Moses explains to them. Your identity is changed.

You are a slave in the land of Egypt.

Slave didn't get days off favorite interview day off, but now your son and daughter of God your best friend with Jesus Christ his son, you're going to have a new relationship. You were under the cruel rule of Pharaoh. Now your under the tender care of your father you could trust them. Stop thinking like slaves who think it all depends on them to survive and start thinking like sons.

We depend on their heavenly father. Those are the three things that would reflect on during the Sabbath day, the point, the provider and God was the Savior now caught back up to you in the book of Hebrews.

According to the writer of Hebrews. All that Sabbath stuff was just a shadow that pointed forward to Christ. Here's how the writer of Hebrews explains it for Joshua was Moses successor Moses and Joshua had given them rest, God would not of spoken of another day. Later on the whole time he was teaching the Sabbath. He was like a there's another one coming with a better one common so then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God & for whoever is entered God's rest has also rested from his works just like God did from his. The Sabbath that Moses and Joshua instituted did not provide that ultimate rest. It pointed forward to another rest to Jesus who would himself be our ultimate rest when you give you three ways that Jesus became our rest three statements that if you can save them from your hearts means that you have entered into his rest. Number one, if you can say Christ, my righteousness Christ my righteousness the ultimate way that Christ is our Sabbath is he saved us he accomplished the work of salvation for us all by himself. Just like God did with Israel, the Exodus, we did not lift a finger to help him in salvation. There's a lot of things that you would not cooperate together with God on but our salvation is not one of them. Jesus did not give us an instruction manual with an explanation on how we could save ourselves.

When Jesus died on the cross he put up a sorry declare his voice. It is finished not pay I got it started. You take it the rest of the way compared here before our conversion is basically like waking up in an ambulance, you don't know how you got there but you wake up in an ambulance and the attending doctors look at you saying I you're a terrible accident you are about to die but me and my team. We will will we save and were saving you now and were going to take you to the hospital room to finish this process. I can promise you in that moment that Dr. is not asking you to get up out of the ambulance bed and help them save you. Could you just make things worse. He's doing it for you and your role was just to consent to that Dr. and his team performing that salvation on you in a sense of what conversion is is you wake up to the fact that Jesus suffered and died alone for you. He bore your sin and your sorrow made him his very own, and when he said it is finished, he was serious, God put up a sign of the tomb of Jesus as is no help wanted no help needed to accomplish my salvation in my place you died instead of me. You raise instead of meat is no longer I who live is Christ who lives in me.

All I do is receive it as a gift.

This is what the writer of Hebrews means what he says were stamped whoever's enter God's rest is also rested from his works as God did from his mean that we cease from doing good works.

Of course not.

It just means we cease to do them as a way of obtaining salvation.

And that gives us a rest and them because they're no longer done with the pressure of thinking that we have to do them to save ourselves or to obtain favor from God. We do them as an act of love toward our heavenly father is an awfully of gratefulness for how you saved us, not as a way of saving ourselves, and that means that even in the busyness of our Christianity. There's a rest because I know that I'm securing God because of what Jesus did and not because of what I need to do. Which leads me to number two Christ my identity, Christ my identity through my salvation. Christ is given me a new identity in him. I'm no longer a stranger and orphan or slave before God. I'm a son or daughter of God, a brother, sister, best friend of Jesus Christ and as his child, having given specific gifts specific gifts for use in his kingdom. I've been specially designed as his servant had been given supernatural gifts and a role to play in his kingdom, and I am a very specific member of the body of Christ, and I'm the only one play that role of the body of Christ leads about a price he may be a part of every single one of you was a specially designed servant for use in his kingdom and that a better identity than anything that you could tell from your job and the fact that God has not just given you natural gifts you actually put supernatural gifts in you and you specifically designed you natural talents, experiences, and through his grace at work inside of you for rolled his kingdom and for a role that you can apply in the body of Christ isn't that a better identity than anything you could obtain from any kind of success in the job but for the right of Hebrews again is referring to wherever God's rest also rested from his works as God did from his WC is working me to cease working as a way of establishing your identity.

I don't want to labor anymore to gain an identity because I've been given a better one. A superior one Christ, servant of the most high, son of the King of Kings and I'm on assignment for him and he is protected me and will guide me until I have finished it is you have explained you before that our souls are sold have this ingrained sense of unworthiness is called shame and it's a result of the fall it was first experiences a sense of shame about our nakedness before the fall, Adam and Eve were naked, but they were ashamed because they felt clothed in the love and the acceptance of God. But after they descended God's presence had been stripped away from them. Their souls felt naked and ashamed about it and so they felt the need to find something to clothe themselves, and our work becomes one of the primary ways that we do that our work become bees close of significance that help us not to a shame because I'm significant because of what I do when the best pictures of this Psalm is an old movie 1970s movie with the best movie little Donald hopping on the case, not in a surprisingly but is called serious of fire chariots of fire. It's a story of two runners in Scotland who were the fastest in the nation to the 1924 Olympics.

One of them was Eric little America little was a very committed Christian.

He would end up dying when they is a missionary in China belittles also incredibly fast. A little explained to the movie. He says I run for the glory of God. And when I run for God. It's like a gift I give to him and when I run. I feel his pleasure will the counter hero in the movie is getting Harold Abrahams. He doesn't run for God.

He explains I run for myself is all about proving my purpose running gave to me he says and I quote 10 lonely seconds to justify my whole existence. All of your work.

All of your work will be done in one of those two categories it will either be done as an offering to God to glorify him as a way of sensing the pleasure of God as an offering of gratefulness to him or it will be done as a way to justify yourself. And if your work is really just your 10 lonely seconds or 70 lonely hours a week to justify your whole existence. I can promise you rest will be out of the question. You will never be able to rest because you will always be wondering, have I done enough and MI significant enough. The gospel says you got a new identity in Christ. The better identity your chosen son and daughter of the King of Kings and got a plan for you and save you from the foundation of the world has a role for you. Now I don't have one for eternity. I met better than anything that some Corporation of Raleigh-Durham get handy you try to teach this to myself to sabbatical the gospel prayer the prayer there were years ago. Dismount and walk with God that I share with you the first phrase goes like this in Christ Thomas of this everyday is nothing I can do to make you love them or nothing. I have done to make you love me less new creation. Jesus is perfect record because he's given me his identity. Your listening to Summit life with pastor JD Greer. You can always find us online@jeannieclear.com it's because of your partnership that others around the country even the world can hear God's truth. So when you get a financial gift of $35 or more will send you our brand-new 15 day resource called devotions for the distracted family. As I mentioned earlier, it also comes with a set of 20 conversation cards we want to help you and your closest community easily dialogue about pain. For whatever reason, talking about our faith with our family. Our closest friends can be awkward at times. So these conversation cards have a normal prompt start that dialogue around keeping them at the dinner table or around the kitchen island will be more lighthearted others).

These resources, training, think, think, 3354 delete online you're not I Molly that event inviting you to join us again tomorrow when day on my prayer ministry