Christ’s Rest 5.11.2025
This message teaches that true rest—both physical and spiritual—can only be found in Jesus Christ, not in religious performance or law-keeping. Many Christians live burned out, stressed, and tired because they try to earn God’s approval through constant doing, whether it’s church activities or trying to follow Old Testament laws. But Jesus calls us to stop striving and rest in Him by faith.
### Three Stages of Rest in Christ:
- Come and Rest
- Jesus invites the weary and burdened to come to Him for rest (Matthew 11:28).
- He originally spoke to people overwhelmed by trying to keep the Mosaic Law, but this also applies to believers today who turn spiritual disciplines (prayer, church, Bible reading) into obligations rather than expressions of love.
- The result of this kind of performance-driven religion is exhaustion, not joy or peace.
- Learn to Rest
- After coming to Jesus, we must learn from Him and understand we are yoked (connected) to Him (Matthew 11:29).
- Just as oxen are yoked together to share the load, Jesus shares our journey and empowers us.
- When we listen to Christ (instead of our own efforts or religious pressure), our soul—mind, will, and emotions—finds rest.
- Live and Do From Rest
- From this place of rest and unity with Christ, we live and act.
- Jesus says His “yoke is easy” and His “burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
- The Christian life should feel light, free, and fruitful, not pressured or heavy.
- We don’t work for God’s acceptance—we work from His acceptance and presence within us.
### Key Takeaways:
- Rest isn’t just physical—it’s spiritual and emotional.
- Many Christians are burnt out from doing good things the wrong way—as a lawinstead of out of relationship with Jesus.
- Christ is our only true source of rest, and everything in the Christian life flows from being in Him, not striving apart from Him.
- When we live from Christ’s rest, we experience joy, lightness, peace, and spiritual fruitfulness.
