Rest: Reject and Connect



Building Series:

1. Name the problem
2. Clear the space



Mind-Body-Spirit “Soul Weary”



Matthew 11:28-30

28 Then 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.”



John 15:1-4, 9



Jesus, the True Vine

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”



9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.”



There is more to rest than the absence of activity → Identity

Our activities and actions vie for our identity



If we are not careful, we can begin to define ourselves and our sense of value by what we do.



Do less = Are less

Do more = Are more



Rest becomes a chance to reclaim your identity in, and connection to, Christ - rejecting the demands, expectations, pressures, and stressors vying for your attention and identity.



“Let’s remain connected!”

--Jesus



Menon = exist, remain, stay, dwell, persist, continue to live



Your identity is not found in what you do, but in what Jesus has done for you

Your identity is not found in what you love to do, but in Jesus’s love for you



“Do more to be more!” (Rush) vs “Do less cuz Jesus” (Rest)



Christian rest, then, is taking the time to remain connected to the love of Jesus





REFLECTIONS



1. What is vying for your sense of identity?



2. In your own words, how is “rest” related to your identity?



3. What do you need to reject?



4. Try a contrast experiment where you write down some aspects of who you are and what you do. Then place over it the lens of “rush”, and then “rest.” What do you notice?



5. How are you going to let Jesus love you this week?