Where's The Rest? - Finding Rest in Life's Storms | Rest to Revival | Pastor Evan Wilson

Foreign.

We're going to be in the Book of Mark.

I want to read you a story about Jesus from the Book of Mark,

chapter four.

If you brought a Bible with you, you can open it up and follow

along.

Starting in verse 35, it says, on that day when evening had come,

he said to them, let us go across to the other side.

And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just

as he was, and other boats were with him.

And a great windstorm arose and the waves were breaking into

the boat so that the boat was already filling.

But he was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.

And they woke him and said to him, teacher, do you not care that

we're perishing?

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, peace,

be still.

And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

But he said to them, why are you so afraid?

Have you still no faith?

And they were filled with great fear and said to one another,

who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Now, many of you, you feel like you've received a direction

from Jesus.

You feel like he's given you a purpose, a mission, a message, maybe

even a destination that he's calling you to.

You feel like he's called you to cross over to the other side of

something in your life, called you to cross over to the other side

of abuse and dysfunction that you were raised in, called to cross

over to the other side of financial lack and poverty, to leave

an inheritance for your children.

But right now, you find yourself in a storm.

You find yourself in the middle of something that feels like.

And it's beginning to feel like.

It might not even just be the end of the promise, but it may very

well be the end of you.

And you're looking around and you know what God said.

You know the promise.

But the wind starts to rage.

The wind is blowing, the water's coming over the boat, and

it feels like Jesus is asleep in the boat.

And you're asking God, where's the rest of the promise?

I know what you said, but where's the rest?

Look at your neighbor and say, where's the rest?

Oh, come on, look at your other neighbor.

Say, where's the rest?

If you need a title for this sermon in your notes, that can be

it.

Where's the rest?

It says in verse 35, let us go across to the other side.

Now, it's important to know in this story that this was not just

a win on Jesus part.

Saying like, yeah, let's just Go over to the other side of this

sea.

It was actually Jesus setting the stage for freedom and revival.

Because if you read a little bit further on in the Book of Mark,

what you'll see is that when they get to the other side of this

storm, they arrive to a place called Gerasenes.

And when they arrive, Jesus is approached by a demonized man.

And needless to say, Jesus, he delivers this man from the demon.

But why do I tell you this?

I tell you this to say that whenever Jesus calls you to cross

over to the other side of something, it's never random.

It's never without meaning.

And it's very often not just about you, but it's actually about

the people that God called you to reach.

Fathers.

God's calling you to cross over to the other side, not just

for you, but for your sons.

Who said that they have to fight the same battles that you did,

who said that they have to be bound by lust and pornography in

the same way that you'd been for so many years?

He's calling you to cross over.

Mothers who said that your daughters have to battle the same

insecurity that you did.

Who said that they have to be crushed by comparison and bound by

shame and carry the same weight that you did for your whole

life.

God's calling you to cross over so that they don't have to carry

that weight you carried.

See, Jesus is saying, let us cross over to the other side.

Don't you love that?

We serve a God who doesn't point and say you, but rather grabs

us by the hand and says, let us cross over.

And that's the good news for those of you today that feel like

you're in the middle of a storm is that you don't have to go

through it alone if you don't want to.

But hear me, you will only ever cross over to the other side

of your storm if you will place the cross over your situation.

Come on, church, you don't hear me?

It's time to put the cross over your fear.

It's time to put the cross over your marriage.

It's time to put the cross over your finances.

Come on, somebody say, I'm about to cross over.

And here's the thing as we go back to this.

This story in the Bible is that for many of Jesus disciples,

they were fishermen.

That was their background.

And so for them, getting into the boat probably felt about as normal

to them as us getting into the car and going on our daily commute

feels to us there's no reason to believe in scripture that they

thought that this was going to be anything other than routine and

ordinary.

But right now I want to talk to the person who's grieving the

fact that they feel that God has called them to a season of stewarding

the mundane.

You feel like Jesus has given you a direction so unremarkable and

ordinary.

But you look around and you see people doing the thing that you

want to do, that are doing the thing that you even feel called to

do, that's been prophesied over you, that you're going to do.

And you feel like right now you're in between destinations, you're

in between miracles, you're in between testimonies.

Anybody know what I'm talking about?

You're standing in the gap between what God has done and what

you believe he's gonna do.

And you start to feel the wind blow and the water starts to go uneasy

and you're starting to wonder, God, did I even hear from you in

the first place?

And you're beginning to ask, where's the rest of the promise?

And what felt like a stall has turned into a storm.

And what maybe began as a promise has now become panic.

You know, my, my wife Caitlin and I, we've been learning lately

as the parents of a two year old boy, you got to be really careful

what you promise a two year old.

The parents are laughing because they know more than that.

You got to be careful what you even say around a two year old, whether

that's his favorite snack, which right now is waffles.

Some of you, that's your favorite too, you'd have a lot in

common.

Or his favorite place to go, which right now is the beach.

We've learned what words we can and cannot say around him for

fear of him thinking that us saying the word is a promise that

he's going to get that thing.

And so if you were hanging out in the Wilson home, you might think

we're studying for a surprise spelling bee with how much we've

started spelling words in the hopes that he doesn't catch on to

what we're talking about.

But something real interesting started to happen.

And parents, you know already what I'm going to say is that he

has started to associate even the spelling of what we're saying

with the things so I might say, hey, Caitlin, you need me to

go to the store and get some waffles?

And Easton, he goes, waffles, daddy, waffles.

It's game over.

And I don't know where to go from here.

More seasoned Parents maybe find me after service.

And we haven't tried Morse code yet.

I don't know.

But see Easton, our son, in his immaturity, he thinks that hearing

the word waffles is the same as getting promised that he's going

to get them in about five seconds.

Oh, come on.

And then when he doesn't get the waffles in about five seconds,

regardless of the time or the place, he does what two and a half

year olds are really good at, which is he starts to panic.

When the disciples began to fear that the storm was going to

cancel the promise that they were going to get over to the other

side, they did what many of us do very well, which is they began

to panic.

Verse 37 says, and a great windstorm arose and the waves were

breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.

But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke

him and said to him, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?

Jesus, do you not care that I received a word from a prophet at

a conference that I was going to.

Get married this year, but it's already September and I'm still

single?

Jesus, do you even care that I posted every day this month on Instagram,

but I have yet to go viral and be able to quit my day job?

Jesus, do you even care that I pray for my kids every single day,

but they're still a little bit crazy?

See, sometimes it feels like God doesn't.

Care.

Because what may feel very urgent to us may not actually be

an emergency on heaven's timeline.

You know, I'm reminded of a story in Scripture where a woman

in a state of panic tells Jesus about a man named Lazarus,

her brother.

And she says, lazarus is sick and he's dying.

And Jesus, he doesn't go to him right away.

In fact, he actually delays.

But he says something.

He says, this illness will not end in death.

But for those of you that are familiar with the story, you know

that actually, yes, Lazarus dies.

And Jesus, he arrives late, not just by minutes or hours, but

actually days late.

And he arrives to a grieving family.

And what might have felt like indifference or lack of urgency or

even apathy from Jesus was actually him setting the stage for

a miracle.

Because notice, hear me, church.

Notice that he did not say that.

Lazarus would not die.

He said that it would not end in death.

Oh, come on, somebody hear me right now.

Some of you have been losing faith because God actually let your

dreams die.

Some of you have been losing faith because he actually let your

marriage end.

And he actually let your kids go wayward.

But I came on mission from heaven today to tell somebody it

will not end in death.

Whether it's Lazarus in a tomb or a boat sinking in a storm, Jesus.

Is always on time.

And he's never too far to resurrect the dead or to rescue the

drowning.

Because just like Lazarus, death set the stage for a resurrection.

This storm, the storm you're in.

Setting the stage for a Revelation, verse 39, it says, and

he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, peace, be still.

And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

And he said to them, why are you so afraid?

Have you still no faith?

And they were filled with great fear and said to one another,

who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Now, this is a side note, but I felt led to say this, and I'll

be a little sassy about it.

One thing I love about Jesus is that, and this is something I

think a lot of Christians could stand to learn from him.

He protects before he corrects.

Some of y' all didn't hear me at the other campuses.

Jesus protects before he corrects.

Notice how when he and the disciples are in the storm, he rebukes

the wind and the sea before he rebukes them.

Notice how when the Pharisees are picking up stones to condemn

the woman caught in adultery, he protects her before he tells her

to go and sin no more.

And I think a lot of Christians make a habit of rebuking

somebody who's already drowning and convicting somebody

that's already being condemned.

But could we be like Jesus who says, I'm gonna protect before I

correct?

But anyways, Jesus said, why are you so afraid?

Have you still no faith?

And they went and they were filled with a great fear and said

to one another, who then is this that even the wind and the sea

obey him?

Now, how is it that in one verse, Jesus is saying, why are you

so afraid?

Is it because you don't have faith?

But then in the verse right after that, it says they were then

filled.

With a great fear because of what they saw transpire.

So.

So how can you be so afraid.

That you lack faith, but then one.

Verse later, be filled with fear after what you see?

I'm gonna tell you, the shift that actually happened is they went

from fearing the storm to fearing the one with the power to

calm it.

And so some of you, you feared the balance in your bank account

more than your provider.

You feared divorce more than your Reconciler, you feared death

more than the one.

Who took its power.

And sometimes fear it'll cause you to second guess if you ever heard

from God in the first place.

And fear says, I know the promise, but I'm starting to wonder

and worry if he's going to actually come through.

And so you're asking God, where's the rest?

Where's the rest of my healing?

Where's the rest of my deliverance?

Where's the rest of my provision?

God, where's the rest of the promise?

But what if while you're asking God, where's the rest of the

promise, he's asking you, where's your rest in the promise?

Where's your rest in the promise?

Verse 38 says, But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.

See, while the disciples were were panicking, Jesus was sleeping.

And not because he didn't care about.

Their safety, but it's because he knew that it was never actually

in jeopardy in the first place.

And so the disciples, they had a choice to make.

Were they going to interpret Jesus rest as indifference or confidence?

But when the wind and the rain came, so did their panic.

But my question for you today, for those of you that feel like you're

in the middle of something that might take you out, is are you

taking your cues from your circumstance or from your Savior?

So we get ready to step into the next thing God wants to do.

We're talking about finding rest in the Promise.

We're starting this series from Rest to revival.

But I would be remiss if we didn't take a little bit of time

to talk about what rest is and what rest does.

Because I would venture a guess to say that there's many of

you in this room, many of you online and across our other campuses,

that you've never actually experienced true biblical rest before.

You've taken vacations, you've had long weekends, you've taken a

nap, and you've escaped your hustle.

But you've never truly tasted of the rest that Jesus has to offer.

Because some of you, it shows in.

Your life and you feel it every single day as the weeks roll

over.

The weekends aren't long enough.

The vacation doesn't satisfy.

We're talking about rest, and I want to give you an acronym, a

note Takers Dream right now.

Because I think it might help you remember when the world and hustle

culture and all these things try to make you forget.

These are four things that rest does.

We're gonna spell out R E S T number one.

Rest reminds Rest reminds.

It reminds us that God's on the throne and that one day trusting

fully in him, in our rest, is better than seven, trusting fully

in the strength of our striving.

But see, a lot of us, we have this perspective that rest actually

comes to rob us.

I'm going to talk to the workaholics right now, as a recovering

workaholic myself.

A lot of time we think that rest comes to rob us of our momentum,

of our success, of our finances, of getting ahead.

It robs us of our significance.

Anybody ever felt guilty for taking a day off, thinking you're

going to get behind?

That's not God's plan for your existence.

Because rest reminds you.

It reminds you that as a believer, you have the right to say,

there's more where that came from.

You have the right to say, God, you can do more in my rest than

I can do in my overtime.

Amen.

Psalm 127, verse 2.

Psalms 127:2

It says, it is in vain that you rise up early and go late to

rest, eating the bread of anxious toil that sound like your

life, for he gives to his beloved sleep.

I want to ask you, when was the last time you truly rested, knowing

that God is ordering your steps?

He's making a way, he's going before you.

Second letter letter E. Rest exposes some of you.

You've never actually slowed down ever long enough to see what

your heart naturally gravitates towards when life gets

quiet enough where you can actually hear innermost thoughts

in the busyness of life.

You know, there's a term in psychology called productive avoidance.

Have you ever had a really long, important to do list?

Something that you're really stressed out about doing?

You know you have to do it, but it's been looming over your head.

And thinking about it just stresses you out.

But you know, you got to get it done.

So you go to do it, and then this thought enters your mind that

says, you know, what you haven't done in a long time?

Scrubbed all the baseboards in your house.

And I think that's what you need to do right now.

Push all that other stuff aside.

And so, so often we'll actually delay what's most important.

We'll delay what matters most for the thing that is good but not

urgent.

And we get this feeling of being productive and successful,

but in reality, we've just put off what God wants us to step into.

And that's why rest exposes.

It exposes what matters most.

And some of you, you've been struggling to even discern the will

of God for your life because you've been operating in a productive

avoidance, staying so busy that you actually miss your blessing.

And we see this in the story of two sisters named Martha and Mary.

And you could say that one was so concerned with being busy while

the other was concerned with resting at the feet of Jesus.

Luke 10:41, 42.

Luke 10:41

It says, but the Lord answered her, martha, Martha.

You are anxious and troubled about many things.

Who can relate to Martha?

But one thing is necessary, and Mary has chosen the good portion,

which will not be taken away from her.

See, rest exposes if you're living like Martha, busy but burdened,

or like Mary, resting in what matters most.

The third letter, letter S, R, E, S, talking about four things that

rest does.

Rest surrenders.

Matthew 11, 28, 29.

It says, 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.

You know, I think sometimes because we have this idea of rest

being sleeping on a beach, doing nothing, that we actually think

that rest is passive.

But when we read this verse, we see phrases like, come to me,

take my yoke, learn from me.

See, rest isn't about doing nothing.

It's about doing the thing that matters most, and that's surrendering

to Jesus.

And so there are actually things that you have to do to step

into true rest.

Some of you, you might think that rest comes from inaction, but

it comes from the action of surrendering.

You gotta surrender.

You know, the kids now have this phrase called bedrotting.

Now, you're just bedrotting today.

And it's kind of exactly what it sounds like.

It's when you are laying in bed all day and really doing nothing,

essentially, other than maybe scrolling on your phone on social

media.

And we wonder why Gen Z is such a suicidal generation.

I would.

I would maybe guess that it's because we have a generation that's

trying to find rest in an algorithm instead of God's rhythm.

And I don't know about you, but I don't want my source to be

an algorithm.

I want to step in and tap into God's rhythm.

Come on, somebody say I'm crossing over to God's rhythm.

The passage that we just read, I want to read again in the message.

Translation says, 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 how to live freely and

lightly.

Come on.

Somebody who wants some of that in their life today.

Come on.

As we get ready to close Rest, we're talking about the four things

rest, does and worship.

Team, y' all can come help me out.

Rest.

Rest.

Trusts.

Rest.

Trusts.

Now, some of you, and I want to speak prophetically now, some

of you, you have never actually stepped fully into rest.

Or maybe it's been a long time since you've been able to rest.

Because the last time that you did, the people that were supposed

to take care of you didn't.

The people that were supposed to provide for you and cover for

you came up short.

The person that was supposed to guard your heart threw it away.

And so for you, your inability to.

Step into rest, it's not about rebellion.

It's been about survival.

The bills are coming.

The abuse is knocking at the door.

And you've had to learn how to keep watch and not rest and not sleep.

Because you're so worried that if you take a step back and you actually

rest and you're still that then everything's gonna fall apart,

maybe like it did last time.

But can I tell you, Church, God wants to take you from survival

to revival.

And the bridge that he wants to use to get you there is called

rest.

Because rest produces trust.

Trust that while you rest, even while other people may let you

down, the mighty hand of God's favor and provision will remain on

you.

Proverbs 3.

24.

It says, if you lie down, you will not be afraid.

When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

For the Lord will be your confidence.

Come on, Church.

When you find yourself in the middle of your storm, like many of

you are right now, and you see Jesus asleep in the boat, don't be

like his disciples and mistake his confidence for indifference.

But let his confidence become your confidence and learn to rest

in the rain.

Come on.

Somebody say, I'm going to rest in the rain.

And here's why this is so important.

We're gonna bring this home.

Because Jesus may have slept on a cushion, but then he stepped

into a commission.

Because on the other side, we read in Mark, chapter five, that

when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately.

Come on.

Somebody say, immediately, there met him out of the tombs, a

man with an unclean spirit.

Spirit.

Now you can go and you can read the rest of that this week.

But needless to say, Jesus, he delivers.

The man from the unclean spirit and he goes on to continue

his ministry in the region.

But I wonder, church, what immediately is on the other side

of you crossing over to the other side of this storm?

What kind of revival, breakthrough and revelation is on

the other side of you saying, jesus, I'm going to learn how to

rest in the rain?

What unsaved family members are going to see the peace in your

life and wonder where you got it?

What kind of intimacy can be birthed in your marriage when you

both learn to slow down enough to actually minister to each other

and be still?

Come on.

What kind of revival does God want to bring forth through your

life in your schools and your universities, when you stop pursuing

a relationship out of season and you start learning to rest in

your singleness?

Come on, somebody.

God.

God's getting ready to cross you over today.

And so I believe there's a special outpouring of peace, supernatural

peace and rest right now.

And so if you want it, I want you to jump up on your feet right

now across all of our campuses.

Come on.

This is countercultural.

The world doesn't talk like this.

The world says, oh, you're gonna get behind.

But like a slingshot, God is gonna actually pull you back in this

season to launch you forward.

Come on, somebody.

We're gonna press in right now.

If you.

If you've been wondering, God, where's the rest of the promise?

But you want to learn to rest in the promise.

Come on.

Declare this with me.

Lord Jesus, I thank you right now for a deposit of supernatural

peace and provision.

God, that we would not take our cues from our circumstance, but

we would look at our Savior.

Father, we trust you.

We trust your timeline.

We trust your provision.

We're going to rest in the promise, God.

We're not going to wonder where you are because we know that

you're in the boat with us, Father, and we receive it right now

in Jesus name.

Come on.

Can somebody shout amen and give God a hand clap and a shout

of praise right now?

Come on, somebody.