Transcription
All right. So, I'm going to pray for the message. Father, I just thank you for this message that's burning in your heart for us. Holy Spirit, have your way. Do what only you can do in Jesus name. Amen.
So, the Lord really wants to come this morning, really gentle. I just feel his coming like a whisper, coming gently, kindly. Um, so we're gonna have to lean in when he comes like a whisper, right? We have to lean in a little bit. And so, um, my message is really about are we going to rest or are we going to be restless? Yeah. Rest or restless.
So, let's just take a moment right now and pause and ask the Holy Spirit if you are in a place of rest or do you feel restless? Let's just take a minute, 30 seconds. There's no wrong answer. Is there restlessness in my life right now? So many times we numb down what's actually going on. But if we pay attention to our souls, you'll see God is trying to reveal an inner belief in you. That's what rest does.
Do you ever feel like you have, um, impostor syndrome as a Christian? I do. Yeah. Like when it comes to being a Christian, like I sometimes feel like such an impostor. Has that ever happened to you? I think it's a lot of it. It's complicated. But one of the things the Lord showed me was that the economy of this world, the economy of worth in this world seems to be performance. But the currency of heaven is belief. It's actually belief. Like I know who I know who God says I am and I know the right things. I know what the right things to do are, but there's an internal conflict happening. Um, does my outer actions line up with belief that I have about me? And when we don't know that, rest really feels out of reach. Some might describe it as I feel tormented. I have felt that for like two years. But when we're secure as sons and daughters, rest becomes like our default. And it's really rooted in trust.
And I, I often liken identity is wrapped in layers, right? So some of us might have a belief about who we are because we have this thing like this is who I should be, right? That's one layer. I should be this. I should be that. I should do this. I should do that. There's the shoulds. And then there's another layer of things that people said you were that you maybe didn't realize you agreed with that aren't actually who you are. And then there's the way God sees you. That's the layer we want to get to. So, does the version that God has for you, like he created you, the original version, right? Uh, align with the way you're walking, like who you truly are? So, I want to say rest isn't just about taking a break. It really is about returning to who you truly are.
>> And during my sabbatical, I learned that exhaustion wasn't just from overwork. It was from misalignment. I was not aligned. I didn't need more time off. I needed to come back to identity. >> And I wrapped up who I was and what I did. But I want to tell you this happened subtly and very sneaky. Um, and then all of a sudden it was like, what is happening? Um, and I only felt valued when I was doing something amazing and felt lazy when I rested. Um, I felt like I was going to get left behind if I didn't perform. I felt guilty even for resting. And that's not sonship. That's an orphan talking. And I had sonship knowledge, but an orphan heart doing battle. This is for a lot of us in this room. No matter how long we maybe have walked with the Lord. Some of us have sonship knowledge, but the orphan heart is doing battle because you feel orphaned. You don't feel like you belong. You're not at rest with who you are. I'm in that process. This is a lifelong process, guys. This isn't, I'm gonna teach a sermon and then you're good to go. This is like a lifelong process.
So, I'm going to begin. I'm sorry I don't have slides for the scriptures, but we're going to go old school. So, for those of you that have your Bibles and your phones, I'm going to Genesis 1:26. Genesis 1:26. So, I'll wait a minute for you guys to get there. For those that like to read their Bibles, let's be church. Let's go read our Bibles. Okay. Genesis 1:26. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him. Male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it." God gave Adam identity made in his image before he gave him purpose. God gave Adam identity, right? He made him in his image before he gave him his purpose. So Adam's first full day was rest. Identity comes before productivity.
>> So I've heard this a million times. I have this in my head knowledge. You don't work for worth. You work from worth. How many of you heard that? I mean, some of us, come on, we've been around the block a million times. But what that actually means is you're worth something. No matter what you do, >> you're worth it. There's that commercial, you're worth it. Like you are worth something. No matter if you do something or not, it's not tied up in what you do. You have worth. You have value in just being you. If I never did another thing from today onward till the day I go be with the Lord, I am I have value. But I have tied value to what I do over and over again. And that's not good. So if you can relate, you know, you can you can be on this journey with me.
God's design includes rest before responsibility. The beginning of humanity, think about it. The beginning of all humanity started in rest. Adam entered rest before he entered his role. And so I really do feel rest reveals whether you believe, whether I believe you're already enough. >> It reveals that if you can't stop to rest, it's possible there's there's something there about that. There's a, there's a maybe a lack of trust that God already said you're very good.
I, on my sabbatical, I had to lay down that belief that rest was earned. Like I worked my my six days. I've I've earned my time to relax and to be with God. You know, God wasn't demanding more output. Um, he was offering more intimacy. And I found peace when I stopped treating rest as a reward and started receiving it as an invitation to keep discovering who I am in God. My lifelong journey, our lifelong journey is to allow him to make us like Jesus. That's going to take a minute. Any masterpiece takes a minute.
Matthew, I'm going to Matthew 3:16-17 if you want to follow along. Matthew 3. I know my husband does. Gold star. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." And in Matthew 4:1, the next verse I'm in, then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. So before Jesus healed, before Jesus preached, the Father affirmed him. His identity was grounded. It was, it was announced. But that act grounded him even when he was tested. So, you don't need a platform. You don't need a title. You don't need a J.O. to put a stamp of approval on you for approval. God's voice came before any public ministry. So, let his voice speak that to you this morning. Identity anchors you in the wilderness seasons. Anyone in a wilderness season? Okay, just me. Okay. Oh, okay. There's a couple people. Couple of you wilderness season people. Where's my wilderness season people? Okay. Thank you. I see you. Um, the enemy attacked Jesus. You know, the devil said, "If you're the Son of God, throw yourself down." Right? Why? Because identity is the battleground right there. Boom. But remember, Jesus was grounded. Knowing that you are loved already silences the need to perform. >> And you don't have to prove yourself when you are when you already belong. Like this takes a minute to get it. If you grew up in an environment where you had to prove yourself, can I get a witness? Like that's me. I, I just want to tell you this morning, you don't have to prove yourself. And the same discovery I had is my heart for you here at the resting place. That you would find that this would be a place where you get to discover who you are and be who you exactly who you are now and know that you belong and that you are loved already. You don't have to do anything for that. You don't have to earn it.
Um, I'm going to refer a lot to my sabbatical because a lot happened. Um, I thought clarity would come from productivity. I really did. I thought the more that I would just operate in my lane, clarity would just come because, you know, I'm doing the thing, right? I'm doing the, the ministry with God and it's there. Clarity is going to come. It didn't happen that way. Instead, it came from letting go. I want you to think for a minute. God comes to you and asks you to let everything you're doing go. I'm talking everything. He's like, "Just let it go. It's time to let it all go." How's that make you feel? You feel a little restless? Yeah. I mean, that's human nature. We're like, "What?" Yeah, that's what happened to me. Um, but I got clarity from letting go. Hearing the Father say, "You're still my daughter. You're still His." It, it reminds me, um, of a time when Caleb was called to a whole year of dependence on God. And he wrote a book about it called Dependenceville. You can find it on Amazon. Shameless plug there for you, brother. Um, but this one just tickled me so much. Um, so he didn't have any money, but he was hungry. So he went to Taco Bell and he just stood in line. Just imagine you go to a restaurant because you're hungry, but you don't have any money. And you just stand there and you're like waiting and the line's moving and you're like, and someone paid for his meal. You know what? That's sonship right there. Come on. Ain't that cool? Have you ever done that? That is just like, that just gets me every time. The Lord told him to go to Taco Bell. That is. There you go. >> Go to Taco Bell. Stand in line. Watch what I'm gonna do. Listen. Orphan thinking blocks rest.
>> Hebrews 3:18-19. And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest? but to those who were disobedient. So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. Unbelief affects obedience. Unbelief affects our obedience. Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened. Israel never entered the promised rest. Not because God failed, but because they didn't trust him as Father. I believe all of this stuff happens in rest. It does not happen when we're in the minefield, when we're building, when you know it happens, clarity, all this clarity and identity happens in rest. And honestly, striving is really rooted in spiritual insecurity. >> It's insecurity. And I think everyone on the planet who has oxygen has dealt with insecurity. >> To some level. I have. It was a, it was a big root in my life. If you do not know you're chosen, you're going to try to earn what's already yours. You just are by your actions. You may know it up here. Remember we talked about having, you know, sonship knowledge, but an orphan heart. That's that's where it plays out when you start trying to earn what's already yours.
Restlessness is often unbelief in disguise, by the way. So, if you're feeling restless, it's, it's probably some unbelief there. Um, when you doubt God's heart, you, it's when you doubt God's heart. You already carry what he promised. You already carry that. Did you know that you can be delivered from Egypt and still think like a slave? Okay. Again, it's sonship, orphan. There's this battle. I know I'm a son. I know I'm a daughter. But my heart is orphaned. And God wants to come and heal that. You can be delivered from Egypt and still think like a slave. You may not even know you're doing it, by the way. Get some good mentors in your life. They will tell you. Freedom requires a mindset shift, not just a location change. You can change your job. You can change your relationship. You can change whatever you think you need to change in your life. Maybe you think change is going to fix this. It's not going to fix it. It's a mindset shift. It's a renewal of the mind.
I saw how much I was still trying to hold it all together. Um, and really my restlessness came from fear. Like, what if I don't produce something? Um, who am I without the outcome? Like, I think parts of us are kind of all wired that way in some ways from the world. God didn't wire us that that way. But just growing up in this Western culture, I think to some degree there's there's that. And I think God's just asking us to let the walls come down. Let's rest long enough to, are we doing that? Because he, he wants to set us free from that. But that's where my restlessness came from. And God was stripping away orphan ways of thinking and reintroducing me to myself as just daughter.
Romans 8:15-17, one of my favorite verses. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." Abba, Father. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. You know, it's, it's almost like it resonates with you that I belong to God, but there's a battle going on that there's maybe some things that aren't lining up that says that this is this is the call right here. This is the call to, this is the invitation to really that kind of rest. A rest that helps you unravel all this and find that, that like complete true rest. So the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. This has been a suffering process to press into who I am in God. It's been no joke, but it has been the best thing I've ever done in my life. >> So suffering is not bad. >> And we try to avoid it because we think it's bad. But it says right here, if we're heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. This suffering glorifies God. Because you know what? I got nothing to offer except for God. What God has done in me, my testimony. We didn't receive the spirit of slavery, but adoption. Listen, sons and daughters don't earn, they inherit. >> Have you ever received an inheritance? What did you do for it? Nothing. You were related, so you got it. Receive it. Receive. Receive it. Sons rest, orphans strive. You don't hustle for what's already yours in Christ. If you're hustling, come see me. Come see me. I'll give you the mama blessing.
Adoption is more than theology. It's like your access point to peace, right? It's more than just a theological viewpoint. Like, yeah, I'm adopted, you know? But I want you to think of it as the access point to your peace. That you can finally come to peace and come to rest knowing that you belong to the God who created the heavens and the earth. The one who is the one who was and is and is to come. The one who's perfect. You belong to Him. That brings peace. And when you believe you're seated with Him, you stop clawing for your place. >> That the, the Western church is so full of that. I'm like, I participated and it makes me gross. Makes me feel gross. But I want to say the diagnosis is they just don't know that they already belong. Rest becomes possible when love becomes secure.
>> I just, I see my husband. He works so hard to make sure that I'm provided for. Women love security, right, ladies? There's something about that. I think that's just the way we were made, you know? And I see the weight that the men carry to provide. But I just want to encourage the men in this room that, um, let your love, God's love for you become so secure that you feel that safety with God the way that we women feel safety with you. Like I know my husband's going to take care of me, but I don't always know that he knows that he's secure in God's love. That God's not going to fail him. God's going to lead him. God's going to make a way for him. So ladies, we need to be praying for our husbands for that, you know. So I just want to encourage all you hubbies out there. God's got you. >> God's got you. Yep. Yes. Yep. It's a big weight to carry, but you know you, you, God's your provider. You know, He's your source.
Loved people don't live on the edge. They live in overflow. I mean, come on. I used to live way on the edge all the time. Like drama llama was my life. Drama, drama, drama, drama. There was always drama in my life. Why? Because I didn't know I was loved. There was a lot of drama. I wasn't living in any kind of overflow. Um, but that's just something to think about. Like, is there a lot of drama around you? Like I had tons of drama. Maybe maybe that's a sign or a symptom. I didn't, and just being on sabbatical and resting and just, um, settling my soul down, simmer down. Everything needs to simmer down. Um, I was constantly praying and running after open doors. Anyone else like that? Like, oh yeah, just waiting. Just waiting. Um, I didn't need another open door. I needed to see. I already had a seat at the table. The rest came when I stopped chasing the next thing and just let myself be still in the real reality that I was already loved. Some of us need just to sit down a minute. Simmer down.
Matthew 11:28-30. "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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Jesus didn't say come and do more. He said come to me, learn from me, and you'll find rest. So rest isn't withdrawal. Like it's an invitation. Jesus calls the weary. Who's my weary warriors out there? All of us weary warriors. We've been warring in the spirit. We've been warring for our families. We've been warring for movements. Um, rest is the medicine. I said it a few Sundays ago. Rest is medicine. Take your medicine. Rest is found when we learn from Jesus, not just about him. Learn from him, not just about him. When you're resting, learn from him, not just about him. He doesn't just like offer tips. I think sometimes we use the Bible like this is a life hack, this is a tip, but he's actually offering his whole self. You know, it's not just tips. The Bible isn't tips, right? My message this morning isn't a tip. This is, this is Jesus offering himself to you this morning.
So true rest is the fruit of surrender, okay? Not escape. So we don't rest because we've earned it. We rest because we finally let go. We let go. We trust Him with the outcome. I didn't need a vacation. I didn't need a reorientation. I kept hearing, "Just come to me. Just come to me." Maybe you need to go on a silent retreat with Kalah to a come away with me. That's what it's called. Come away with me. If He's been saying, "Come away with me," you need to go. When I finally let go of needing to strive, to perform, all of those things, um, I found rest wasn't the absence of activity. It really was walking in the presence of God. Like, how many want to walk in the presence of God in their day-to-day more? I do. And I wasn't, guys. I really wasn't. I was so restless and so busy. And it was just, yeah. It was a lot. And I think some of you in this room have been there. And so I just want to invite you to two questions to ask, um, yourself. Am I living like a beloved child or like someone trying to prove their worth? Loving? And it's okay if you are. I've done that. That's like my life story is proving that I'm worth loving. Do you feel the need to prove that you are worth loving? Where in my life is rest impossible because I'm not trusting God to carry it?
So, just my closing invitation. Jake's going to come up in a minute. Are you going to rest or are you going to be restless in this season? I want you to have be restful. I don't want you to be restless. In a whole year of rest, it's not about your schedule. It's not about your security. I've lived in both. I know what it feels like to grind in ministry, marriage, business. Even when God was saying, "Come to me. You don't need another plan. You need peace." I was wrestling with that. You don't need a break. You need a deeper belief that you're already loved. You don't have to earn what Jesus already gave you. So today, just the question is simple. Will you rest or will you keep running? And I'm just telling you from experience, uh, learn from my mistakes. Um, rest is where He restores marriages, finances, souls. You know, our soul needs restoration. Think about that. We restore homes. We restore all kinds of, you know, physical things, but are we neglecting our own soul by providing it what its needs? I'm going to tell you, the only person that's going to provide your body what it needs is you. Your yes to the things God says this is good for you. No one's going to do it for me. No one's going to make me eat healthy. I have to do that. No one's going to make me rest for my soul. I have to do that. So, I'm inviting you into that. Amen. >> Amen. I love you guys. Jake, come on up.
>> That wasn't it though? There are things in life that are worth looking over time and time again. You could be 40 years into something and it's worth, uh, I think of L. Vince Lombardi. He'd take all these pro football players and at the beginning of every season, didn't matter if they'd been in the league for 15 years, he'd say, "Gentlemen," he, he'd lift up a football. He said, "Gentlemen, this is a football." and he'd start with the basics and he'd build from there. Look, this is, this is a powerful message, but I cannot express to you how many people don't have it resonating. And, um, listen, I'm a hound dog and I'm always, I'm always sniffing for what is God doing? I'm always looking for His trail in a, in a matter, in a situation, in my life. And I get to do that as a leader here. And Tracy, I've been able to sit through this twice and it was like God was just hitting me. I, I really feel like a part of the Sabbath year, the Lord inviting us into the Sabbath, is letting that message right there sink in a little bit deeper. Do, do you know that you can, you can partly believe the word of God and partly not believe? What, what Jesus summed up the whole Bible with, what? Love the Lord your God with what? Would that not imply you can love Him half-heartedly? And look, just as a family, I think as we're ramping up or ramping down, I don't know, whatever the terminology, as we're going into this Sabbath year, can we just open ourselves up to, to, to say, "Hey, Lord, where are those areas that I'm restless because I don't know You in this area of my life?" And what, what, what would it look, what would a year of yielding as a, as a house, as a congregation, what will that bear? I don't know, but I think it's going to be good. I think it's going to be good. So, let's do that together. Let's yield to Him. Let's let Him bring us into a greater measure, a greater understanding of our identity that we might live in a place of rest.
So, Lord Jesus, uh, prayer team, if you can go ahead and come up. Lord Jesus, we just say thank you. We say thank you that it's only You who gives true rest. It's You who reveals our identity and we find our identity by looking at You. So, Holy Spirit, would You just show us Jesus more perfectly? Would You show us Him more fully that we might know who we are? Lord, teach us to love ourselves where we don't know how to love ourselves, that we might love our neighbor the way that we love ourselves, Lord, but we learn to love ourselves by receiving Your love, by seeing You rightly. So, Lord, as we're entering into this Sabbath, we just ask that You would come and You would prune what needs to be pruned, that You'd reveal and expose what needs to be exposed, that You might place within us the fruit of the Spirit that we might reflect You more purely. Lord, we say thank you for these things. We bless Your holy and righteous name in Jesus' name.
Listen, if, if you have been affected by this message and you say, "Hey, I'm maybe one of those that like I partly believe and I partly don't." Come on down here. We've got some prayer warriors here that, that they've been walking with the Lord and they just want to partner with you in faith and saying, "Yes, Lord, do it. Bring us into a greater measure." But hey, maybe you're in here and you don't even know Jesus. You'll never know your identity outside of a relationship with Him. I'd also like to invite anyone that might find themselves in that category to come down here and these lovely people want to pray with you. So, with that, two, two practical things. Get your kids, uh, if you've got them in TRP Kids. And hey, look, we've expanded next door. We're doing a tour. I think it's, uh, Caleb. So, so you guys just line up with him and he's going to tour you around over there. With that being said, I love all of you. Have a great week and we'll see you next week.