When Our Soul Needs a Break

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 . Final verse , verse 30 . For my yoke is easy and my burden is light . May the Lord add a blessing to the hearers , the readers and the doer of his holy word . You may be seated in God's house . The doer of his holy word .

You may be seated in God's house For a title to take with us this week . I generally just want us to think about this statement all throughout the week . It's Monday , tuesday , wednesday , thursday , friday and Saturday . Come until we meet again . Well , we meet Wednesday for Bible study , but I want us to take this with us this week .

The title simply is how to rest in our Lord . How to rest in our Lord . When you say the word rest , if you were to define it , rest simply means refreshing ease , it means a state of tranquility , it means relief or freedom from anxiety , means a state of tranquility . It means relief or freedom from anxiety or anything that wearies , troubles or disturbs .

It's the cessation or the stopping or absence of motion . It's relaxing the body or mind . In other words , to rest means to be at ease . The Greek literally says of this word rest , to repose or to lie back , to be refreshed . Now , the exact opposite of rest found in our opening verse , it's one word's called labor or work . That's the opposite of rest .

And just for a minute , I want us to think about somebody , something or some place that has affected us recently and personally , to see if this definition has become us here . It is To become weary of or to become tired . Let's think about that for a second .

Is there somebody , something in your life or someplace , recently and personally , that has affected us to the point that we have become the opposite of rest , which is weary or tired ?

Now , if the text hasn't stepped on our toes yet , just continue living on this planet , especially as a Christian , because in dealing with people in a manner that's pleasing to God , we can deal with people on a normal everyday basis , but when we deal with people in a manner that's pleasing to God .

That will sometimes cause us to grow weary or get tired of , will cause us to feel heavy burdened , carrying weight around . That weighs us down , even into a deep depression . It will weigh us down with anxiety . Next thing you know our blood pressure . We have a history of that in our family and I start to wonder why .

The base of the back of my neck it's not really a headache , it's just a dull ache . That's your blood pressure . Diabetes gets out of whack If you're not really careful . I've sat at a computer before just with blurred vision and kind of blacked out and whoa , depressed anxiety , high blood pressure . Oh , get this one If we haven't stepped on your toes yet .

Dealing with people as a Christian will make you feel weary and tired , simply because people have this propensity to just say what they want to say . When they feel like saying it .

They say it to you how they want to say it , and sometimes all you can do is just walk away with pain in your heart , tears in your eyes welling up , just shaking your head saying , lord ,

you know , I'm doing the best I can . I'm trying . You have pain , you have misunderstanding and you have anxiety that out of nowhere , blindsides us . That out of nowhere blindsides us and get this . It usually comes from those that we love and care for the most .

Oh , if we haven't stepped on your toes yet , just keep living , because all of these things if you're trying to live godly in Christ , you will get tired . So it's important that we understand how to rest in the Lord they hunt us even in daylight . Now nowhere is safe . Thank you . You know , we can't truly appreciate rest unless we've ever been fatigued .

You don't appreciate rest unless you've really been worn out , unless you've really been heavy-hearted about somebody .

You don't appreciate rest unless you've really been troubled in spirit , unless you've really been mad at you-know-what , unless you've cried about it , unless you've thought about whatever , whoever , over and over and over and over , unless you've tossed and turned with sleepless nights about it , about that , about him , her or them .

You don't know what it really means to be tired , but anybody that knows that feeling , all those things that I just talked about , then we have to get to a point where we learn how to rest in our Lord .

So let's get to our scriptural review real quick , because if we take it in context , we'll look at our scriptural overview and before we get to our opening text . Jesus , in that entire chapter chapter 11 , he spent time addressing his 12 disciples and as he addresses them , he now starts his ministry . He begins to go .

The scripture says I believe it's verses 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 of chapter 11 . He begins to go into their cities , the disciples , to preach and to teach . Now it's important to note that during this time Jesus starts his ministry , there was one who had come before him . There was one who had prepared the way . His name was John the Baptist .

And here John the Baptist was . As Jesus starts his ministry , john is sitting in prison simply for telling the truth about a matter . And as John the Baptist sits in prison and hears about Jesus starting his ministry , understand , john is the one that , okay , there's this Jesus coming .

And Jesus is the one that John spent his whole life in ministry preaching and teaching and saying the Savior is on the way . The Savior is on the way . And so John asked a question as Jesus starts his ministry , okay , I want y'all to send word to this Jesus .

Jesus , are you really the one that I preached about , or should we be looking at or waiting for another Savior ?

Now , that's important to note because John the Baptist , as Jesus starts his ministry , john is sitting in prison , john is about to lose his life , and John probably contemplated all of his work , his preaching , his teaching , his baptizing in the name of Jesus .

It's not hard to imagine John the Baptist feeling right about now as Jesus starts his ministry Okay , Jesus , you're finally here . And so what about me ? I'm sitting here in this prison , they're talking about cutting my head off and you just going on about your business and ministry . What about me ? What about my work for you ? What about my situation ? Jesus ?

Jesus knew church what John the Baptist was thinking , and so he tells them I want y'all to encourage John . And he makes note of John the Baptist's work and his impact before Jesus

ever got on the scene . All of that is in chapter 11 , and so , before we got to our opening text , in verse 28 , what Jesus starts talking about is he kind of re-instructs the disciples and encourages them about man . This is what John did . There's none greater than he is very important in what I'm about to do . He was the forerunner .

He starts telling them . But verse 28 , you all might one day kind of feel that way . Work might kind of make you tired , work might have you persecuted , you might end up in certain situations . So in verse 28 , jesus says come to me , all of you who are what Weary and burdened , those who work to exhaustion for me , and I will give you rest .

In other words , john , I'm aware of your work , I know you're in prison . I haven't forgotten about you . And it's as if Jesus , just like he , instructed them to encourage John while John sat in prison .

It's as if Jesus is instructing all of those who work and labor in his name today , all of you that labor and are heavy burdened , come , put it all on me and I will give you rest . The next verse , verse 29 .

Take my yoke , not your concerns , but take my yoke , not your yoke , but take my yoke and learn about me , not you , not the situation , not how it's going to work out , not what it looks like .

The victory is won In this garden . I'm thanking you For the thorns taken from me . Ooh , ooh , ooh , ooh , ooh , ooh , these burdens . Though I cry , I won't deny the scars , the pain , my fear or shame . So I'm in this garden with you , in your presence . Tonight , everything's alright in a secret place .

I'm in this garden with you , my strength , you can renew been through a lion's den . You've been where I stand with the rising of the sun . The victory is won in this garden . I'm thanking you for the thorns taken from me . I'm in this garden with you . A rose blooming anew sunrise filters in . I'm so fenced in . You're here and we are one .

So I'm an overcomer in this garden . I'm thanking you for the thorns taken for me . Though I tire , take me higher , and when my will tries to escape the trial , I feel Say child , just be still . I'm in this garden with you . To you I commit , humbly submit , I'll bear my cross . I'm in this garden with you .

My strength you can renew , been through , you've been where I stand the sun . The victory is won in this garden . I'm thanking you for the thorns taken for me in this garden . Thanking you for the thorns taken for me . I'm in this garden with you .

Give that to me , because if we don't , all we're going to do is end up changing . Our appearance will change and how we interact with others that definitely will change and we're going to impact people negatively . So as we transition and apply Jesus's instruction then to our lives now let's consider a few

points when we consider how do I rest in the Lord ? Point number one we've got to schedule God time to vent . We have got to schedule , learn how to schedule God time to vent . With that said , I think sometimes we think God doesn't know what we're even thinking .

You know we think , just because we don't say it or whatever , da-da-da-da , da-da-da-da , da-da-da-da . But then we think but you know , there ain't no way . But God even knows that we have got to learn to admit how we're feeling about anything , because our Father already knows , he already knows . Verse 28 says come unto me . But you know what we do .

A lot of times we go to a lot of other people for opinions , for advice and even our frustrations , what we've been about , what's bothering us . Oftentimes we go to others who cannot alleviate our frustrations and then what happens is that basically ends up being gossip .

When our frustration vented to another and then it's vented to another , and then another is vented to and then it's conveyed to another , then that frustration is then basically just become gossip . It's basically become gossip . And God would that we learn to vent first and foremost , and sometimes vent only to him . Schedule God time to vent .

That's why he says come to me all you who are weary and burdened , and I will give you rest . He doesn't say go to mama . He doesn't say go to daddy and they will give you rest . He doesn't say look to your husband and wife , they will give you rest , because sometimes they're not going to understand .

I love a truth that my wife always tells me sometimes , and sometimes I get frustrated and mad because she doesn't see my point , and then just , yeah , you're right , you right and you right . Sometimes she's just like you know , baby , you're a pastor , and sometimes I'm not gonna even understand , but that doesn't change what you have to do .

That's between you and the Lord and I . Sometimes you gonna have to correct me , but still , if I trip or everybody else trip , it's you and the Lord and as long as you are right with the Lord with it . I encourage you , go on with what God has for you to do . And that teaches me something .

Every time she says that why Sometimes I don't need to vent to my wife , sometimes I need to go in and vent and throw it all on the Lord . Amen . I could have saved myself from frustration and I get mad at her , you know , but she really just told me the truth . Yeah , you told God all of this be like mmm-hmm , but that's just true .

That's what God wants from us . Psalm 37 and 7 says like this this Rest in who the Lord . Wait patiently for the Lord . Fret not thyself . And I'm going to stop right there for a second , because you know when we start fretting .

What we've learned is when you fret , when you complain , when you're just chatter , chatter , chatter and you're complaining , and then what the Bible calls

that is murmuring . When you do that consistently , it kind of should let you know that you haven't even been it to God . You know you haven't even been it to God . If we think about that for a second , the things we murmur about , the things we complain about that , that we fuss about that , that we talk about others .

If we've taken that to God first , y'all ever notice you kind of feel a peace and there's nothing else with her to talk about . But if you have it , then you got something to talk about with everybody your frustration , how that happened , how they did , how he , she and how he , and what we and why they .

Oh , and it's like God is saying whoa , wait a minute , have you scheduled a routine time to come to me ? ¶¶ . We need to start scheduling God time to vent , because he knows it all already .

If we don't master that God time to vent , a routine time to talk to him , tell him about our concerns , wait for answers , wait for direction , then all that's going to do is change this negative atmosphere around us . We're going to be infected by it and then we're not going to be light and salt , we're going to be vinegar and just sour to people .

We've got to take our time when we learn how to rest in God . We've got to start scheduling God-timed events . Point number two accept God's work as a privilege , not a duty . We need to accept God's work as a privilege , not a duty , when we're talking about resting in God , because we've got to really examine ourselves , person by person , individually .

We got to learn to examine ourselves with how is everything else ? Ourselves with how is everything else ? College I know people that are not here right now , but college is the big thing now occupational job , pursuit

, our plans , our goals . How do we work and pursue things that will not last forever ? And we pursue that to exhaustion with no problem . But God's work that will last eternally suffers with every excuse in the book . Only what we do for Christ will what . I'm sorry . This is one thing I cannot get over and I don't think I'm going to get over .

And so if you come to pastor with it , you may as well go to somebody else with it , because I'm just not feeling it . Anybody that comes to pastor saying , you know what , I didn't come to church because , or I'm sick , I just ain't feeling it . Because scripture says those of us that are sick , come to church and do what .

Let the elders of the church lay hands on them . Because scripture says those of us that are sick , come to church and do what . Let the elders of the church lay hands on them . Oh , you get well real quick . But here's where I really have the problem with it .

If you get up in the morning or whenever your next schedule shift at work is , if you go to that job and you know you ain't been healed of those symptoms , you're still a little bit sick then you need to check yourself . Because what you do is we kind of let self get in the way .

I'm not feeling this kind of tired , a little bit sick , kind of under the weather .

But tomorrow morning , monday , I can promise you we will be at that job , especially if we don't have any sick time , especially if we don't , because then we start thinking about the bills you know , sometimes you'll miss work like , oh , I got sick time , well , no , let's take away that sick time , you've earned that .

But if we take that away and then we start thinking about what this is due oh , I got to go to work , sick or not Something's wrong when we don't have that same mindset about God's work .

He says I am gentle , I am humble . So Jesus dealt with people gently and humbly . And when our yokes become burdensome , when our yokes weigh us down , more often than not those around us or those that are in our lives , they have to suffer , they have to pay because of a lack of what Rest , because of a lack of rest .

We then become hard , we become bitter ,

we don't stay gentle , we don't stay humble . We start thinking me , my and and I , and how this is impacting me , and more often than not , that yoke has made those around us suffer , pay , all because of a lack of what was . Somebody didn't rest in the Lord . God's work has become laborious and the Bible says that his yoke is not burdensome , it's not work .

We should joy in it . It's gentle , it's comfortable , it's pleasant . My yoke is easy . But when we don't learn to rest in the Lord . Rest the lack of it is going to produce frustration , it's going to produce stress , it's going to produce anxiety . And so we got to start asking ourselves wow , is my work or labor ? Is that God's yoke or my own yoke ?

Whose yoke are we really carrying or shouldering ? And we've got to become real good at asking ourselves this kind of question Is whatever I'm about to undertake or yoke myself to Because that's all a yoke is it's a wooden beam that latched on back in those days to oxen and it kind of balanced out .

It could be buckets or pails or whatever on each end , but it kind of balanced out when you put the beam on the shoulder so that you can kind of get that heavy load to wherever it needed to be .

And so when you talk about yoking up to something , yoking up to Christ , whatever he puts upon our shoulders to bear , to do , to carry , hmm , is it of any eternal consequence that should tell you if it's a yoke of his , or is it a yoke of mine ? It's my work , is my labor ? Is that God's yoke ? Did Christ put that on my shoulders ?

Or did I put that on my shoulders ? Whatever I'm working at , whatever I'm about to undertake , does it have any eternal benefit or consequence ? And I think that will stop us from yoking ourselves to certain things I think I've become pretty good at . I think we've got to learn how to say no .

Sometimes I'm getting good at that , because people will take advantage . Pastor , can you do a funeral pastor ? Can you do a wedding pastor ? Can you do this ? Pastor , can you do that ?

I've kind of learned along the way that the Bible even says because people always got this , this skewed view of preachers and money just because some eggs in the basket are bad , and that's not correct . Because some eggs in the basket are bad , and that's not correct . Because the Bible says the workman is worthy of his hire .

The workman , if there's anybody on the planet that should get paid . People ain't going to like to hear this , but this is what God says about it . It is the one that looks after your soul eternally , the pastor . That's scripture , because everybody else , we want to take care of them and the services they provide .

But the one that's going to look after you to get you from earth to eternity , we kind of want to sweep that under the rug . Oh , but here they go , uh-uh . We got to stop that .

Scripture says if one should get paid and I'll tell TV land that pastor ain't getting paid nothing so this is a labor of love , and that's what we've got to start asking ourselves .

Man , is this work , is this yoke that's been on my shoulders that causes me to get no rest , that causes me to be weary sometimes , that makes me frustrated , that gives me anxiety , that makes me mad sometimes ? Is this an eternal work that God is going to say well done , or is this something that I have yoked myself to ?