Messages with Meaning


Sermons delivered at Sanlando Springs by Pastor Jack Parrott

Get Some Rest

Genesis 2:2; Mark 6:31
Presented July 6, 2008, © Dr. Jack Parrott
I. Introduction
  1. Ours is a world of busyness. This is the age of multi-tasking. Employers want to know, can you multi-task?
  2. Work as addiction produces workaholics. Christian workaholics offer a packed calendar to God as an item of worship.
  3. Let's take a little quiz that one pastor gave to his congregation to see if you're prone to over-work. Complete the sentence: I'm ready to throw in the; I'm at the end of my...; I'm just a bundle of...; my life is falling...; I'm at my wit's...; I feellike resigning from the human...
  4. The advice offered most often for people needing rest - take a vacation! But, have you ever gone on a vacation and had to come home to rest?!?
  5. In the opening chapters of the Bible Creator God prescribes rest after completing one's work. The word 'sabbath' means rest.
    1. The term Sabbath is used in the Old Testament law codes to describe worship, but the word is not only meant to focus on community worship. Originally it referred to the time when labor ceased and the worker rested.
    2. Eugene Peterson reminds us that worship and rest go together. He says, "I can be active and pray; I can work and pray; but I cannot be busy and pray."
II. We are over-loaded in all areas.
  1. Physically we need rest from work...and play. Mark says Jesus and the disciples were so busy 'they didn't have time to eat'.
  2. Emotionally we need rest from worry (paying bills, solving problems)
  3. Mentally we need rest from a tired mind. We are carrying the burdens of other people as well as what we fear in our own future.
  4. Spiritually we need rest for our soul. See Matthew 11:28-30. The disciples needed rest from caring for the spiritual needs of the masses.
III. You need R.E.S.T.

   R Regular breaks in the action
  1. The Sabbath comes even seven days and Jubilee comes every 7 years. A break once or twice a year is not enough.
  2. In Mark 6:31 the word 'rest' can mean 'take an intermission'. Everyday is a long day, we need to break it up. Jesus says literally, 'take a break, rest up!'
  3. At least 11 times in the Gospel of Mark Jesus is shown as stepping away from his work for a time of rest, renewal, and connecting with the Father. If it was important for the Son of God to take time out, it is certainly vital for our own well-being.
   E do what Energizes you
  1. What restores you (Psalm 23.3)? What makes you feel young again?
  2. You may need a break from taking a break. You may be bored. Do something that energies you.
   S Slow down the pace
  1. We're simply going too fast! We live like we're 'going to a fire'.
  2. Jean Flemming wrote in Decision: A few years ago our neighbors were drawn to us, but when we talked to them about the Lord, their response was, "We couldn't be Christians; we couldn't live at your pace."
   T rest the Total person
  1. Rest the total you (mind, body, spirit). Have you ever known someone who says something quickly and then apologizes by saying, 'I wasn't thinking'? (their mind was in neutral but their mouth wasn't!) Or, have you ever sat down to rest and your mind was still facing a 1000 miles an hour? We need to learn to rest the total person.
IV. What can help you rest?
  1. Plan breaks in your schedule.
  2. Get away to a 'quiet' place. Jesus went to a secluded place.
  3. Be still. (The Lord says, "Be still and know that I am God.")
  4. Unload. Unwind. "Cleanse the palate." Get rid of the tired.
  5. Reload. Just as your lungs need oxygen and your cells need nutrients, your mind needs healthy thoughts and your soul needs the renewing of the Spirit.
  6. Repeat the five previous steps.

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