Jesus rested. He carved out time to chill out. He carved out time to spend with his Father in prayer. And He wants to be that rest for you. Rest from your worries. Rest from your problems. Rest from your insecurities… Be still and know that He is God and be replenished. Let the Bread of Life and the Living Water fill you right now as we lean into the book of Matthew.
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Transcription:
In the most restless age of history, Christ can give you rest.
The words of Billy Graham today kicking off the Bible for Busy People. Hi, I’m Erica, your host, and all this week we’re talking about what did Jesus do? Last time we talked about how Jesus hung out with sinners and he showed them over and over what God’s love looks like. He shows us over and over too. Today we’re going to talk about something I think you’ll find appealing. The fact that Jesus rested. He carved out time to chill out. He carved out time to spend with his Father in prayer. So, today we’re going to talk about how we need physical rest because it recharges you and I. We need mental rest because it resets us, and you and I need spiritual rest because it replenishes us. Can I just say I love the word replenish? I hope that in the next few moments, your soul will be replenished with encouragement. And I want to commend you, and commend me too… We are taking a few moments out of our day to spend with the living God. And you know that anytime you give God a space, he’s going to fill it with something meaningful. Okay, here we go. I want to invite you to join me in the book of Matthew chapter eight. We’re going to begin there in verse 23.
Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid?
And I imagine he’s rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, right?
You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. 27 The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”
I picture Jesus maybe before he commanded the wind and waves to calm down, maybe he gave a really good stretch, a big yawn, and then did it. I don’t know what it was like, but we know by reading this story, that Jesus is powerful. And he was able to physically rest in a storm, probably was even in a REM sleep space, right? Because his trust was anchored in his Father. We’re going to see as we read the Bible together here in 2024, that Jesus makes time to hang out with his Father. And if the Son of God needed to do that during the time he lived here on this earth, how much more do you and I need to do that?
But that deep physical rest that you and I crave, you know how you close your eyes at night and you think, oh, I’m going to sleep good, and you wake up in the middle of the night because the worries prick your heart and your soul, Oh, if we could just learn to lean into the Father as Jesus taught us. We’re going to trust him. We’re going to sleep deeper even through the storms of our lives. Okay, I want you to join me now in Matthew chapter 14, and before we dive in to verse 22, I want to let you know what happened just before this scene you and I are about to read together. Jesus fed the 5,000, right? He did this incredible miracle, and the people were fed not just physically, right? Jesus fed them spiritually that day too. They realized those thousands of human hearts that they were right there in the middle of a miracle.
So now you know what Jesus was up to prior to this scene. Verse 22, now of Matthew 14.
Immediately after this,
The feeding of the 5,000,
Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
Jesus needed a mental reset. After spending the day with all of those people. He did this momentous thing. He performed a miracle with just a few loaves of bread and a few fish, and the people were amazed, and I imagine they all wanted to talk with him. Think about it. When you get home from work, you’re just kind of done. You don’t have any words left. You need a little reset before you hang with your family, right? A little space. And Jesus took that time to get alone, to be by himself, to send his closest friends away in the boat, to cross the lake, and he made time to be with his Father. Just like you’re making time right now to be with God, to hear what God wants you to know from his word today. Remember, it’s a love letter to you. God is showing you his love through the Bible every single time you open it. So, Jesus got with his father and had a little mental reset, and I wish we had time to dive into the story because you might remember that this is the night when Jesus walks on water, and the faith of the disciples is increased dramatically because Jesus had time alone with his Father and then showed them another miracle. That he walked on water. He was always showing himself to them, and he’s always showing himself to us through his Word.
Okay. We’ve talked about how physical rest recharges us. Mental rest resets us, and now we’re going to talk about how spiritual rest replenishes us. Join me in Matthew chapter 11. Yeah, we’re hanging out with Matthew a lot today, verse 28.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
I want you to take a moment to receive spiritual rest from the Lord. Rest from your worries. Rest from your problems. Rest from your insecurities. Rest from all of the things that are pricking at your heart at this moment in time. Be still and know that He is God and be replenished. Let the bread of life and the living water fill you right now for you are so loved.
Thank you for making time for the Bible for Busy People today. If being part of this community is a blessing to you, it’s super easy to share this podcast with someone you love. We’re all about spreading the hope of Jesus like butter. So, if you’ve got a moment to write a review, boy, we’d really appreciate that. Maybe you need a little prayer today, or you are ready to take that next step with God. I invite you to check out our show notes. You’re going to find lots of encouragement there. This podcast is one branch on a tree called Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and thrive in God’s purpose for your life. If you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a purpose.
