All I Want is a Couple Days Off Part 1

This series is about defining what it means to be in God’s rest and how we get there.  Before we can set out on this quest to get to God’s rest we have to calibrate the GPS – know where it is we are trying to get. That’s what this series is about. Matthew 7:7-14 talks about a wide road that leads to destruction and a narrow one that leads to life that very few find. We may have thought this was talking about salvation, but I do not believe this is the case. In the vision John has of heaven in Revelation 7, he sees a “great multitude” that is beyond ability to count in white robes entering heaven. That doesn’t sound like a way that VERY FEW found.

Instead, I believe this narrow road that few find is living a life in the rest of God. Outside of that rest, we live lives of heartache and destruction. In God’s rest, we have peace and life.  This is not to say that there aren’t attacks when we are in rest. The enemy and our own past will frequently attack. The difference is that, in rest, we are not shaken. Our trust is in God and the assurance that, in Him, we will always be victorious.

 Fear, worry and anxiety are what pull us out of that rest. Jesus says in Matthew 6:25 that we should not worry about what to eat or wear – not to even worry about our own lives. Now, he did not say that those things are not important. He said not to worry about them. Our natural tendency is to worry about the things most important to us. Ask any parent if they worry about their children and they most assuredly do. But, in God’s way of thinking (His Kingdom and way of doing things – Matthew 6:33), if something is important to us, we should NOT worry about it and instead trust in God.

When we have done all we know to do and have still not achieved victory, our tendency is to enter fear and worry. But God wants that to be the point that we resist fear and give it over to Him. It’s hard for us to do, but important for us to learn. If something is important to us, it should so much so that we do not limit our ability to protect it to our own capabilities.  The Bible states in various different ways to “fear not” 365 times. Is that number a coincidence? Probably not.   Joshua 24:13 and also echoed in Deuteronomy says that we will be given cities we did not build.  We will still work, but our work will be in God’s strength and be productive instead of troublesome and worrisome.

 There is one thing that God says we should fear (not talking about the fear, reverence and respect for the Lord). In Hebrews 4 we are actually told to be afraid of not entering into His rest – leaving His gift unopened and unused. In the Old Testament, God was actually angry with the Israelites for this very thing. Their fear kept an entire generation from entering the Promised Land.  There is a story in Exodus 17 about the Israelites being attacked. From the time they left the captivity of Egypt until Moses receives the Law at Mt. Sinai is a time of pure grace – meaning they were free and there was no law to live up to. This is kind of a picture of where we now stand because of what Jesus did. (Law is still good for us – we simply are no longer justified by it.)

 This one attack is the ONLY attack that happens during this span of time. We’ve probably heard this story before. The Amalakites had attacked. As long as Moses had his arms raised, Joshua and the army would be winning. When his arms went down they would begin losing. When Moses could no longer keep his arms raised Aaron and Hur come alongside him. First they have him sit down (rest) and then they hold his arms up. Aaron was not only Moses’ brother, but he was the high priest. Jesus is our high priest and, if we allow him to, he will come along side us and lift us up so we can carry on. Hur was presumed to be a family member – married to Moses’ sister Miriam. He also served Aaron and his grandson was an architect of the tabernacle.  Aaron and Hur represent where we need to turn to for support when we can’t do it anymore – Jesus and our church family.  

One more piece to this story – in Hebrew the word Amal (Amalakites) means “painful, worrisome labor.” That is the only thing that attacked a people in pure grace – worry. Even after the victory, it goes on to say that God would war with the Amalakites from generation to generation. “Amal” is still the enemy that we fight. The word “steady” here in Hebrew (they held his hands steady) means faith.  We must allow Jesus to come along side us and lift us up and defeat fear and worry in our lives in order to enter His rest. It is a narrow path that few will find. Choose to be one who will! 

 

To listen to the entire sermon go to http://ahwatukeechurch.com/ and click on online media.  To learn more about Living Word Ahwatukee, visit http://ahwatukeechurch.com/.