Healthy Rest

[0:00] Good morning. Good morning, everyone. My name is Alan, as Jesse said, and I am one of the pastors here at One Harbor Havlock. Thank you so much for being with us, especially on this holiday weekend. It's just a great honor that you are here.

[0:16] We finished up, typically we preach through books of the Bible, and we finished up the last series through 1 John last weekend. Jesse did an excellent job closing us down on that, and we're going to take a few weeks to talk about something that is a massive problem.

[0:31] It's stealing joy from most of us, if not all of us, and it's causing all kinds of health problems. It's a massive problem. The challenge is, if you're like me, probably very few of us think it's an actual problem.

[0:45] The ones who do see the danger feel powerless to change, and we're like, what's this big problem? What's the big problem? It's actually busyness.

[1:00] Did he say busyness? Really? That's the big problem? We should be focusing our efforts. Normally, when somebody asks me, how am I doing, and you probably can relate to this, typically say, I'm busy, or I'm actually really busy, those kind of things.

[1:18] But that seems to be normal to us. Now, some of us may be perfectly channeling, you know, our inner Jimmy Buffett selves, and ignoring all responsibility, thinking life is one big party, and that's actually another topic for another day.

[1:31] But even when we're not working, most of us are extremely busy. We're distracted. We have all these wonderful apps on our phone, social media. My big thing now is Netflix. Netflix.

[1:45] My wife and I recently purchased Netflix, and I was all excited about having Netflix. Well, we were watching one of our favorite shows, which is Blue Bloods, the other night.

[1:57] I thought, you think that's what I'm talking about. The other night, and the crazy thing is, is when one episode finishes, the next one automatically starts with no commercials.

[2:09] It's like heaven. I thought, no commercials, and we can watch Blue Bloods forever. Thank you, Jesus. However, when I finally fell asleep at 2.30 in the morning, and my alarm clock went off at 5.10, let's just say I was not on my A game the next day.

[2:28] You know what I'm saying? So many of us are overwhelmed with hobbies and chores, and we're burning out, or we're actually escaping in really unhealthy ways. And that, that, my friend, is a problem.

[2:40] But the bigger problem is that we think this is normal. You know, I find myself, and maybe some of you can relate to this. I know my wife can, wherever she is.

[2:52] Often, speeding from one thing to the next, and really aggravated at the person in front of you who is actually following the speed limit. We're thinking, that's a suggestion.

[3:04] That's not the reality. Come on, people, let's go. Maybe a little frustrated. Maybe using that horn. Maybe some other nice things.

[3:14] I would never do that. I'm sorry. But the bigger problem is, again, we think this is normal. It's the air we breathe in this culture, and we don't recognize the damage. Ironically, the guys, the team has wanted to preach on this subject for about a year, but it just seems like we can never find the time.

[3:34] We've been too busy to take on the subject of being too busy. How insane is that? Lead by example, right? We hope that you can see something very countercultural as not only good, but actually essential.

[3:48] Not a nice to have, but an actually a must-have. Many of us assume that's what life is like in the big cities, you know, Los Angeles, New York, maybe even Raleigh for us people here in the East Coast.

[4:01] Maybe not being too busy was what life was like before the cell phone and even the Internet. And maybe there is a sense of truth to that. But now, now life is crazy distracting and busy no matter where you live.

[4:14] You might find yourself saying, isn't this just life in the modern world? Can we really expect to change that? Is this really a problem? I would argue that yes.

[4:26] Actually, this is a problem. And it's a problem because the God who created us thinks we need to rest. According to the Bible, the God who created us thought that resting in healthy ways is incredibly essential.

[4:41] How do we know that? Well, actually, from the very beginning, God clearly communicates the importance of rest if we'll look for it. We see that God himself rested.

[4:51] Genesis chapter 2 verse 2 says, One of the first things God wants us to know about him is that he can and he does rest.

[5:11] That actually may screw around with your mind a little bit thinking that the God of the universe actually rests. But he takes a break. And if he takes a break, why shouldn't we?

[5:21] The second thing we see is that God gave Adam a reasonable amount of work to do. Work to us is a bad thing.

[5:32] I mean, we can't wait to retire from it. Ready to get home. Start your day and looking at the clock. When's 3 o'clock? When's 4 o'clock? When's 5 o'clock? Whatever time you get off. Just so you can go home.

[5:43] And then what? Mow the grass. Feed the kids. Clean the house. All those things are important. But they have to be done the right way. But work was from the beginning.

[5:56] God worked and then he gave work to Adam to do. This was actually before we see sin. That might blow your minds. It's not a product of sin.

[6:08] Many of you are just thinking, what did he just say? Work certainly feels very sinful to me. Genesis 2 verse 15.

[6:19] The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work and keep it. God didn't give Adam so much work that rest was impossible. God didn't say, I get to rest.

[6:30] It's part of the perks of being the boss. Ha ha, poo on you. No, he didn't do that. Work wasn't some curse for messing up. It was actually very good. Right from the beginning, work and rest are good things.

[6:42] Still, even though so many of us complain about work, there are moments where it feels good. The progress of doing something well and completing it. You know, putting in a hard day's work. Good hard day's work.

[6:53] Feels good. One more thing I can think we can say that we see is God modeled healthy rhythms of rest. Once Adam and Eve sinned, they wanted nothing to do with God.

[7:06] In Genesis 3 verse 8. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Just take that phrase, walking in the garden in the cool of the day.

[7:21] Doesn't that sound restful? It sounds peaceful. Makes my heart rate go down. Think about all these big cities.

[7:32] Everybody, all these cities have big parks. All these places where people can rest. They can be in nature and do those kind of things. It's good for us. If God had a Facebook profile, which he doesn't, it might read something like, he likes long walks on the beach.

[7:50] He likes taking walks in the cool of the day. Those kind of things. The God who's holding the whole universe together is walking in a garden in the cool of the day. Think about that.

[8:02] Let that sink in. One of the first side effects of sin may have been them escaping from what seems to be a rhythm of rest with God. But God modeled rest well for his people.

[8:13] But they didn't listen. Sin didn't just drive people away from God and each other. It forced them to live beyond their limits. So what did God do?

[8:24] Did he succumb? Did he just throw in the towel and say, you know, well, chalk that up to a failure? Did he abandon them? Nope. Nope. Nope. God stepped in and he forced his people to rest.

[8:37] God had to eventually do the equivalent of a mandatory fund by instigating a Sabbath, forbidding his people from working. In Deuteronomy 5.14 it says, But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.

[8:53] On it you shall not do any work. That's pretty straightforward. You shall not do any work. You or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock or the sojourner who is within your gates.

[9:08] That your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. How bad have things gotten when God has to force us to rest? God cared about them.

[9:19] God cared about them resting. He cared about their animals. He cared about those beneath him, the slaves. He knew we needed rest and that we would struggle to do this.

[9:30] This was before the internet. This was before many of the things that keep us from resting. But it was still in the heart of man to pursue busyness at a rate that was dangerous and actually sinful.

[9:45] We're not geared to run like an engine runs. If you redline your engine continuously, what's it going to do? It's going to fail. Right? Right, David? It's going to fail.

[9:58] There are tons of warning signs, warning lights going off telling us that it isn't healthy long term, but we go on. We ignore them. We put our heads down, put our heads to the plow, and we keep on going. So we see that not resting in healthy ways is actually killing us.

[10:14] In the past, this is a quote from a doctor. In the past few years, I've observed an epidemic of sorts, patient after patient suffering from the same condition. The symptoms of this condition include fatigue, irritability, insomnia, anxiety, headaches, heartburn, bowel disturbances, back pain, and weight gain.

[10:32] There are actually no blood tests or x-rays diagnostic of this condition, and yet it's easy to recognize this condition is excessive busyness. We are addicted to being busy.

[10:46] On my days off, I told everybody last week my son was born, and I've been off for the last two weeks, and I have felt like a failure if I don't fill in the gaps every day trying to do something, trying to be productive. Why is that?

[11:01] I feel guilty to just rest. Why is that? I think maybe some of us are afraid of ourselves. We're afraid of what we will find if we actually slow down. If we slow down and do a little introspection, what are we going to find?

[11:15] What would it be like to be alone? What would happen if we actually stop? I think some of us think that we are more important than we really are.

[11:27] I know at times I do. I just said I've been on paternity leave for two weeks, and my job, I have a lot of responsibilities at Lowe's, Home Improvement, where I work. And I'm just thinking about this is not being done, this is not being done, this is not being done.

[11:41] All these goals that I have to fulfill, they're not being done. But guess what? If I've killed over, fell over, dead today, Lowe's would keep going on. Right? Right? We are missing out on what really matters.

[12:00] We aren't present. We're too busy to do anything but guarantee we will look back with lots of regret. Now, I'm going to read this poem to you, and some of you may recognize this poem.

[12:13] And if you feel like it, you can certainly join in. Okay? I'm not going to sing because I've sang the last two sermons, and I'm getting a little trend going on here, so I'm not going to do it. All right? It goes like this.

[12:25] I was finally the husband that most of the time I wasn't. And I became a friend a friend would like to have. And all of a sudden, going fishing wasn't such an imposition. And I went three times that year.

[12:37] I lost my dad. I finally read the good book. I took a good, long, hard look at what I'd do if I could do it all again. And then I went skydiving.

[12:51] I went rocky mountain climbing. I went 2.7 seconds on a full man chew. And I loved deeper. Who's got a cigarette lighter? And I spoke sweeter.

[13:04] And I gave forgiveness. I'd been denying. And he said, someday I hope you get the chance. Got the cell phone lights. That's a great time. And he said, someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.

[13:19] We all know that was Tim McGraw's famous song a few years ago. Why was this song so popular? It was number one for seven consecutive weeks. It won a Grammy for best song of the year and every other major award it was a contender for.

[13:33] Why? 53 million downloads, that one song. Because it strikes a nerve. It's something we know we need to hear. Busyness is stressing us out and robbing us of joy and peace.

[13:49] I'm often guilty of planning for an ideal week, you know, with no interruptions or setbacks. And if everything goes according to my sovereign, margin-free plan, then I can squeeze it all in. So, who's like that?

[14:04] But since there are no ideal weeks, there is never any margin. My kids never sleep all night long. And we're always feeling stretched in and stressed out, stressed out.

[14:15] Busyness is crowding out our relationship with God. Remember the parable of the sower? This is a great, great illustration right here. Mark 4, 18 and 19.

[14:25] And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

[14:41] The cares of this world can choke out the most meaningful things in our lives. It's not just sin that does it. You got car repairs. Your AC is broken.

[14:52] Your kids have soccer practice, baseball practice, lacrosse practice, you name it practice. Dance. Your lawn needs mowing.

[15:03] Behind at work. Your budget is tight. These things can busy our hearts and minds to the points that we can't pause for something deeper. There's a reason we have spiritual high points on mission trips and summer camps and vacations.

[15:18] Because we clear our schedules, step away from the insanity. We're entering into a space for prayer and worship and thinking about the things that matter most. Then Jesus mentions the desires for other things.

[15:34] Our things and possessions keep us busy. It's not that possessions are the blame. The problem is everything we get to, the problem is everything we do to get more of them.

[15:45] Is it any wonder that the most stressed out people on the planet live in the most affluent countries? We have cottages. We have boats. We have campers, timeshares, investments, real estate, snowmobiles, motorcycles, jet skis, boats, new cars, new houses, new computers.

[16:01] They all take the time. We've all heard countless sermons warning us about the dangers of money. But the real danger comes after you spend the money. Once you own it, you need to keep it clean.

[16:13] You need to keep it working and keep up with the latest improvements. If the worries of life don't swamp us, the upkeep will. Upon a man named Kevin DeYoung.

[16:27] The cares of life and stuff keep us so busy we can't actually live. So that's some of the problem. We live in a busy, distracted, and exhausted age.

[16:38] We need to step back. We need to hit pause, take a time out, and ask, Is this what the kingdom of God is supposed to feel like? Is this what being a Christian in today's world means?

[16:51] Matthew 11, 28 through 30 says, Come to me. This is Jesus. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

[17:08] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Jesus is inviting us. He's inviting our soul to retire from all of this. Jesus is not offering a temporary fix for our busy lifestyle, no.

[17:22] He's offering a permanent solution and a promise that we will spend eternity with him. Problem is, for me and probably you, are that in the chaos of my life, this promise seems almost surreal, almost unobtainable.

[17:38] But for most of us, me included, this doesn't sound anything like us. I really need this series, probably more than anybody in the room. How do we get there?

[17:50] Well, I think it starts with the gospel. If you're new to Christianity, this word gospel, it doesn't mean a genre of music or those first four books of the New Testament, you know, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, or even a good suggestion.

[18:02] No, it means the good news of what Jesus has done for us, for me, for you. When we have a clear understanding of the gospel, then we can truly begin to understand what rest really means.

[18:15] Healthy rest is grounded in the gospel. I'm going to tell about a story. It's right before one of the most famous stories in the Bible where Jesus feeds the 5,000.

[18:25] He does something. Listen to this. Mark 6, 30 through 34. The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.

[18:35] And he said to them, Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while. For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. That's busy.

[18:47] And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

[19:02] And he began to teach them many things. So let's go back to the beginning of this little story here. It starts with the disciples bragging to Jesus about all they'd done.

[19:13] You think about the disciples, I think they can have a good reflection of who we are. We, me, and you. And how we think about things, how our mentality is about what we're doing, even on mission, even for Jesus.

[19:27] They're bragging to Jesus about all they've done. Look at us, Jesus. Look at all the good things we've done. We've been so busy helping others that we didn't even eat for six days.

[19:39] Aren't you proud of all the good works we've done? They were so busy they forgot to eat. He's going to be proud. Jesus is going to be proud, baby. High-fiving that one. But Jesus, think about this.

[19:51] Jesus, who knows how much everyone needs to hear about him, who knows most about what needs to be done, takes them away from all the ministry opportunities to rest. Don't miss that.

[20:03] Don't miss that point in that story right there. This is actually really counterintuitive to me in my line of work because they are on fire. I mean, they've got good things that are happening. Momentum is building.

[20:14] A strong team is forming. I would think Jesus would be pumped and excited knowing he only had a short time left. The old adage, strike while the iron is hot. We are busy because we try to do too many things.

[20:27] We do too many things because we say yes to too many people. We say yes to all these people because we want them to like us. And we fear their disapproval. It's not wrong to be kind.

[20:39] In fact, it's the mark of a Christian to be a servant. Right? But people pleasing is something else. Doing the cookie drive so you can love others is one thing.

[20:52] Doing the cookie drive so that others might love you is quite another. And you can fill in the blank. You can take the cookie drive out and fill in the blank with whatever you're doing. Mowing the grass for a widow. Those kind of things.

[21:05] How much of what we do is driven by the wrong motive for people to like us. Driven by fear of people not liking us. This is where the gospel begins to set us free.

[21:17] Because of the gospel, we don't have to find our identity in people pleasing. The gospel tells us that the one who matters most loved us. He died for us.

[21:28] And now shows us ultimate favor and approval. We can enter into rest for our souls because we are fully accepted. God won't love me more if I perform better.

[21:41] This next one. This is the real truth right here. He won't love me less when I fail. His love for me is based on Jesus' perfect performance.

[21:53] Not on my roller coaster emotional up and down performance. The Bible says that forgiveness of sins was accomplished by Jesus and offered only by grace and faith in him so that no man can boast.

[22:05] Because of what Jesus did, shouting on the cross, it is finished. You know what he did. Do you know what he did next?

[22:16] He sat down. The book of Hebrews says this in chapter 1 verse 3. It says, He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.

[22:27] And he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Hebrews 10 and 12 continues on this.

[22:40] But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Jesus came to make purification for sins, to offer his life as a sacrifice for sins.

[22:53] He did what is impossible for us to do. His finished work is evidenced by sitting down, which still to this day is something we all struggle to do.

[23:06] You only sit down when you're certain the job is fully done. Jesus, he didn't leave the job half finished. Salvation is accomplished. The life he lived was perfect.

[23:17] The blood he shed was sufficient. The tomb he was buried in is empty. Death and sin are defeated and on their way out. Satan is disarmed and will soon experience the ultimate defeat.

[23:28] Our salvation is assured. The Holy Spirit is in us. Jesus did the work and now Jesus is sitting down. Getting the gospel can quiet an ancient spirit, a busy spirit.

[23:42] Because so much of what we are doing to stay busy is rooted in us trying to do what Jesus has already done. We are trying to make ourselves worthy, acceptable, etc.

[23:53] Jesus has already done all of that for us. If Jesus can sit down, don't you think we can occasionally sit down too? That's where rest begins.

[24:05] That's the foundation. But what does it look like to live a life of rest? Healthy rest is actually an act of worship. When Jesus called his disciples away from doing and serving into rest, they may have thought he didn't love God enough.

[24:22] Think about that. No. The Christian writer Dallas Willard was once asked to describe Jesus with just one word. There are several great adjectives to describe Jesus.

[24:35] You know, compassionate, loving, kind, generous, accepting, those kind of things. But you know what his word was? Relaxed. Jesus was busy.

[24:47] There's no doubt about that. But he was fully present. Jesus was never hurried. He was moving and on a mission. But when he was with someone, he was with them fully.

[24:59] Not running around like some crazy person, knowing he had a small amount of time to accomplish this monumental task of saving the world. Rest is a reminder of who we are and who God is.

[25:11] It's worship. Worship. Worship is actually means attaching worth to something. Excuse me. When we don't rest, it shows that we actually have a small view of God.

[25:24] We think that God is not really, you know, really able to do what he promises. Mark 4, 35 through 41 goes like this. On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, let us go across to the other side.

[25:39] And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose. And the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling.

[25:52] But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? This time out here, you guys need, if you don't understand this story right here, most of these guys were professional fishermen.

[26:07] They lived on the water, probably on this sea. They did this day in and day out. That's how they provided for their families. That's how they ate. They were on this sea.

[26:18] And for them to be freaking out, thinking we're going to die, is a big deal. And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, peace, be still.

[26:28] And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

[26:45] There's a lot we can learn from this passage. One of them being that Jesus was so sure of his father's ability to protect him that he was able to do what I feel like is totally impossible. Sleep in the middle of the storm.

[26:58] Now, I've been offshore a few times. And fortunately, I've not been in a storm like this. I actually would not do well in that. And have imagined how I would react in a perfect storm scenario, you know.

[27:09] Road waves, engine failure, et cetera. Well, I can tell you the first thing I'd probably be doing is puking my guts out over the side of the boat. But I can't imagine being asleep, right?

[27:22] There's one story. When I was a little lad, my dad was a commercial fisherman. He did that on the side of supplementary income.

[27:32] And we would do shrimping and scoffing and those things. And there was one time when it was just the two of us on the Newport River, just north of Moorhead City, the Newport River there. And it was getting dark.

[27:44] And I remember I was probably five or six years old. And this storm, that was the storm of the ages in my mind, came up. And it was dark. And it was blowing. And there was lightning cracking all over the place in the thunderstorm.

[27:58] And I thought we were going to die. Now, we're in the Newport River, which is probably six foot deep, maybe. I don't even know. But I thought we were going to die. And my dad told me to get up in the bow of the boat. There was a cover up there like a flounder deck.

[28:10] And you could get up underneath of it. And he said, get up underneath of that, and we'll get to the dock. And I just remember being underneath that cover, just rain, delus, lightning and everything.

[28:20] And I'm thinking, we're going to get struck by lightning and die. Obviously, we made it. I'm here. He's here. And we all made it. But I can tell you that I was not at peace and thinking that God was in control during that time.

[28:37] If I could stop and reflect on how God is so great that he's over everything, and that he loves me and that he's in control, well, that's actually worship. And it plunges our soul into deeper rest.

[28:48] But that's hard to do alone. Healthy rest is done in community. In Mark 6, 30 through 32, it says, The apostles returned to Jesus and told them all that they had done and taught.

[29:00] And he said to them, Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while. For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

[29:12] The disciples are pouring themselves out. I mean, they're on fire. And Jesus, he actually notices this. He's a friend. He's a brother to them. And he calls them into rest. And he goes with them.

[29:22] If Jesus hadn't been there, he probably would have eventually collapsed. How many of you have those kind of friends that can see where you are running yourselves ragged and have the courage to tell you, That's actually not good.

[29:38] You need to slow down. You and I have blind spots, and we need others to help us. Do you have people around you who can see when you began to shut down or drift off?

[29:51] Who will call you back? Who will I listen to? That's a bigger one. People who aren't impressed by, look how busy I am. For me, that's definitely been some of the pastors here at One Harbor Church.

[30:04] A lot of the guys, they know me. They know what I tend to do. They know that I am prone to say yes more than I am prone to say no. For some of you, community is a chore.

[30:17] Because people have needs or can be demanding, rest for you is isolation. Jesse just announced community groups, sign-ups, and some of you actually cringed.

[30:27] You're like, well, there goes another night. I put in on my happy face. We certainly do need moments of stillness. Moments of silence and solitude are good for your souls.

[30:40] But Jesus calls us into relationships, and we need others who can help recharge us. People who encourage you to stop. Who remind you that God's still on the throne. So, yes, you can actually stop and eat lunch.

[30:53] Jesus was that to his friends, and let's be that for each other. The last thing that healthy rest looks like is huge.

[31:06] Healthy rest fuels us for a sustainable mission. So, one of the downsides of this style of church, a missional style of church, is that we are really busy. If you don't believe me, come ask me, and I will fill your calendar up.

[31:18] Just like that. Jesus doesn't call us out of a world of business so we can burn out for him. He calls us to do the work while we rest in him. Cruel recipe for burnout.

[31:31] Not just in the world, but it's actually in the church. I run at a pace that may feel like Jesus, but I don't rest and pray like Jesus. Mark 6, 32 and 34 says, And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

[31:45] Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

[31:56] And he began to teach them many things. They are busy. Jesus pulls them away for a time of rest, but then the mission actually starts again.

[32:07] They have a short break, and then they're at it again. Jesus doesn't call us in this life to retire from the mission. You can retire from work, but you're not retiring from the mission. Comprende?

[32:23] Jesus calls us to rest for the mission, not from the mission. One day the mission will be over, but that's not now. We still need to slow down enough to have a life with Jesus, so we keep living for Jesus.

[32:39] Ministry is simply an overflow of a life lived in love with Jesus. I can honestly say that there have been many times where that is absolutely not the truth for me personally.

[32:53] It has definitely not been an overflow of a life lived in love with Jesus. Oftentimes it's not. Ministry can make you a worse Christian, actually.

[33:04] And when we minister from a place of stress, burnout, we won't even come close to doing it like Jesus did. So in response, if you're here and you're not yet a Christian, I know this rings true for you as much as anyone in the room.

[33:21] I know that you are tired from all the nonstop distractions of the world, all the pressures to be successful in life, to live the American dream, to achieve ultimate happiness by acquiring your dream home, your car, your job, your vacation, etc.

[33:36] Well, I'll let you know that's me too. I'm not immune to that. In fact, I feel like a lot of the problems we're having with addiction is often fueled by people trying to escape or deal, actually, with these pressures.

[33:55] The pressure to count, to be found worthy by society, to keep up, to have it all. The gospel is good news for you. It's not good advice for you.

[34:05] It's not ten steps to be the most successful you. It's look what Jesus has done. He, he finished it. The work that you kill yourself day in and day out to have a sense of value, to have the sense of worth.

[34:21] Jesus accomplished all of that and more. Jesus' call is to come to him and find true rest. You will continue to struggle with being restless until you find true rest in him.

[34:32] That's a guarantee. What other choice do you have? Jesus has done the heavy lifting. What you need the most is something you can't work for.

[34:43] It's a gift. And when you believe it, it plunges you into deep soul rest. I would love to have the opportunity to talk with you about that after the service of that year.

[34:55] If you're here and you're already a Christian, some of us need to be reminded to put down the drink with the umbrella because people are dying. Look at the fields. But that may be a bit dramatic.

[35:07] I'll give you that. But it does mean to get out of your seat and help. Every week we struggle with having enough kids ministry workers to safely teach and train our kids. Why is that? For most of us, the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith.

[35:25] It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it. Jesus never went about the busyness of his ministry in a way that severed the life-giving connection between himself and his father.

[35:39] We never did it in a way that interfered with his ability to give love when that was what was called for. He observed a regular rhythm of withdrawal from activity for solitude and prayer.

[35:51] He ruthlessly eliminated hurry from his life. God rested. God puts skin on and repeats this again and again. What about you and me? What are we showing that we don't believe about God by saying we don't have time?

[36:07] Why are we proud about this? Why do we really brag about this? What are we missing out on that actually really, truly matters? I'm not going to get it all figured out this first week.

[36:20] Not even by the third week. But just beginning to acknowledge the problem is such a massive step in the right direction. It actually begins the healing process. We're getting ready to take communion, which is an absolutely fabulous way to recognize Jesus and the life he lived and what he taught us and what he brings to the table.

[36:41] It says, come to me and I will give you rest. Why? Because we desperately need it. That's why. He's not like Pharaoh from the Old Testament cracking the whip.

[36:53] You know, make the bricks without the straw. No. He's done the heavy lifting. He's inviting our souls to retire from trying to prove themselves, trying to prove ourselves and find identity in overfilling our lives with busyness.

[37:07] He's inviting us to consider the things in our lives that are keeping us busy by distracting us from what really matters before we fix all of that. He invites us to come to him. Come to the one who holds the universe together by his power and yet is sitting down because he has secured salvation for us.

[37:25] That, my friends, that is the good news. Take a moment to consider how to respond and how to pray. I would actually suggest we use the word help.

[37:38] This is absolutely a desperate time for us. I would use the word help. Something like, Jesus, help me to learn from you and rest. Help me to find rest for my soul.

[37:50] Take a moment to consider before you take communion. You know what I believe in哪裡.