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Karoshi

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Gwarosa

Matthew 11:28-30 MSG // “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Are you tired?

Worn out?

Burned out?

God’s plan for supernatural rest is sabbath.

Sabbath means to cease.

Exodus 16:23-30 NIV  //  23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’” 24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? 29 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

Sabbath is a commandment.

Exodus 20:8-11  //  “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

We don’t obey the commandments to be saved, we obey them to be blessed.

Sabbath is a witness.

Exodus 31:14-17 NIV  //  14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. 15 For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. 16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

Sabbath is a blessing.

Mark 2:23-28 NIV  //  23 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 26 how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?” 27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Sabbath is a gift for you, not another rule to follow.

Sabbath is a blessing, not a burden.

John 5:1-17 ESV  //  After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

Do you want to be healed?

I am not labeled by my issues, but by who God says I am.

What Jesus did FOR you is greater than what has happened TO you.

On the other side of your obedience is fruitfulness.

There is a cost to picking up your mat.

John 15:8  //  This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Genesis 2:25 // Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Shame never comes from God.

Guilt says, I deserve to be PUNISHED.

Shame says, I am WORTHLESS.

Guilt says I DID bad.

Shame says I AM bad.

Which of these feelings do you seek to avoid most?

Guilt and Shame

Fear and Anxiety

Genesis 3:1-13 // Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Three Questions of Shame:

Did God really say that?

Shame Based Thinking:

We are vulnerable to perfectionism.

We are critical of ourselves, making us critical of others

We use self-defeating thoughts as a form of protection and escape.

Three Questions of Shame:

Where are you?

Isaiah 54:4 NLT // “Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you. You will no longer remember the shame of your youth…”

Three Questions of Shame:

Who told you that you were naked?

The only way to heal from shame is to move the FOCUS from what I’m not to who CHRIST is.

1 John 1:9 // If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Church is a family on mission.

We gather to scatter.

John 4:27-35  //  Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

You can tell that you’re spiritually nearsighted by what you pray for.

Pray

Break my heart for what breaks yours.

Matthew 6:10 NIV  //  your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10 JIV  //  your kingdom come, your will be done, in Lakeland as it is in heaven.

Share

Accept the personal RESPONSIBILITY.

Build a personal RELATIONSHIP.

Share your personal STORY.

Give a personal INVITATION .

Luke 19:10  //  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” – Theodore Roosevelt

Serve

Matthew 20:26  //  …whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.

90 Day Serve Challenge

access.tv/serve

True HAPPINESS is not contingent upon what you have and what you do not have.

Philippians 4:4-7 NLT  //  Always be full of joy [rejoice] in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

How can we be always full of joy in the Lord?

Don’t WORRY about anything.

PRAY about everything.

Tell God what you NEED.

THANK him for all things.

“guard” | phroureō: To protect by a military guard in order to prevent hostile invasion.

That which TRANSCENDS your mind, will GUARD your mind.

Philippians 4:11-13 NLT  //  …for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

When we get a clear vision of who God truly is: His beauty, His wonder, His grace, His majesty, His love, His goodness… Suddenly, we no longer want to USE God… we simply WANT God, and that is where the treasure is found!

If you are pursuing happiness, you will not find it.

If you pursue Jesus, you get happiness with joy, peace, and contentment thrown in.

If you have found Jesus, you have found IT!

The power of our why.

Philippians 1:21-25 // For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.

Don’t let your feelings control you

Choose your why above your feelings

Don’t let the facts sway you from God’s truth

Choose your why above the facts

Don’t let being fallible stop you

Choose your why over your fallibility

John 2:1-11 ESV // 1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Jesus replaces shame with joy.

Jesus uses the available and the obedient.

Matthew 5:3 MSG // You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

Jesus meets our lack with His abundance.

John 10:10 ESV // The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus often invites us to participate in our own transformation.

One of the toughest journeys we take is the one from our head to our heart.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” – Thornton Wilder

Psalm 34:8 ESV  //  Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Receiving and experiencing God’s love involves both head and heart.

We experience God’s love through the power of the Holy Spirit.

This experience is available to every one of us.

Romans 5:1-8 ESV  //  Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame (hope does not disappoint in the NLT), because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

A vibrant Christian life is filled with knowledge and experience.

What we think about God is HUGELY important.

Perfection is not a requirement to receive God’s love.

You cannot EARN acceptance!

2 Thessalonians 3:5  //  May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

It’s not too bad when God is on your side.

Psalm 3 NIV  //  Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” 3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 4 I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. 6 I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. 7 Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.

Take your complaints to God.

When we are in a rough place, it is ultimately God that can help us.

Place your confidence in God.

God deserves our confidence because of who He is and what He’s done.

Give your confrontation to God.

As we give God our confrontation, He will fight for us.

Psalm 3:7-8  // Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.

Action Steps:

Make God the first person you talk to about life

Keep a record of all God has done for you

Learn to let God fight for you!

If you were guaranteed not to fail, what would you do with your life?

Genesis 37:5-8, 18-20 NLT // 5 One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. 6 “Listen to this dream,” he said. 7 “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!” 8 His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.   18 When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. 19 “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. 20 “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

3 Types of People:

In the Game

Genesis 37:19 // “Here comes the dreamer!” they said.

Hate the Game

Genesis 37:20 // “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. … Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

People dissatisfied with their life will try to get you to hate yours.

Watching the Game

How Do I Chase My Dream?

Find the right dream

Psalm 37:4 // Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Find the right friends

Proverbs 27:17 // As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.