The Grind - Week 4

Amen and amen.

Mark chapter 6 verse 30. Mark chapter 6 verse 30.

Mark 6:30 Mark 6:30

If you've got a Bible, turn there. We're going to

continue in our series, The Grind. You know, a lot

of times when we lay our messages out, the origin

of these messages start a year in advance. So when

we started laying out and started planning our sermon series

and everything, it was last, Jeff, I don't remember, October

or November, one of those. I don't remember what month

it is. We're more than four days away, right? So

I don't remember anymore. And I opened up my notes

and I started looking at them last night and I

just laughed because today we're talking about fatigue.

And I feel tired. Amen.

And God has just planted that just so timely, I think,

to minister to my heart as much as yours.

Amen.

So if you've got a Bible, Mark chapter 6, verse 30.

Mark 6:30

We've already read this in this series one time, but

I wanted to revisit it.

Mark 6, verse 30.

Mark 6:30

It says, Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told

him all things. both what they had done and what

they had taught. And he said to them, come aside

by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.

Underline that, rest a while.

For there were many coming and going and they did

not even have time to eat. So they departed to

a deserted place in the boat by themselves. You know,

what's happening is this is really the first commissioning. Jesus

had sent the apostles out to do ministry, not just

side by side with him. They're actually going out in

the name of the Lord. They're going out there. They're

doing ministry. They're performing miracles. They're casting out demons. There's

all kinds of things happening. They're setting up. According to traditions,

they're setting up different ongoing ministries, food distribution, all of

those things in the surrounding area. And they come back

to Jesus and they're telling him how everything that they've done,

everything that happened. You know, when preachers get together, we

like to talk about everything that happened. Listen, when I talk,

when I call one of my buddies tomorrow, it's going

to feel like the greatest revival that ever happened on

the face of the planet happened this morning because that's

the way we talk to each other.

Amen.

You just, I mean, Holy Ghost just fell.

I mean, people were, we, I mean, and because that's

how we believe it happens in our hearts because we

believe that God shows up and touches lives every time

we come together. And they're telling all these stories. And

I bet Peter was like, listen, I walked in. There

was 17 demon-possessed people.

And I was like, bam, bam, bam, bam. Demons were

flying out. It was just a... Jesus, you should have

been there, man. It was amazing. Just blew my mind.

And Jesus looks at them. And this is what he

gets from all that.

He looks at them and he realizes they're tired. He realizes...

They have been in the middle of it and now

they're tired. And he says, hey guys, this is what

we're going to do. We're going to get in a boat.

We're going to go over to that beach that all y'all,

you know, where you like to, the campfire. We'll roast

some fish over the fire. We're just going to kick

back and relax, put our feet in the water. And

they get in the boat and everybody determines where they're going.

And the crowds run ahead of them. And they're there

when they get there. But Jesus recognized the need for

their rest. In Psalm chapter 23, it says, The Lord

Psalms 23 · chapter mention

is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me

to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside

the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me

in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. How many

of you have ever read the 23rd Psalm before? You've

heard it quoted. I mean, you know, it's in all

the children's Bibles. It's, you know, it's usually on the

back of every funeral directory.

All of those things.

It's a pretty common passage of Scripture. But I don't

think when we read it, we really realize some of

the things God is speaking to us through the 23rd Psalm.

And right here he says, hey, here's one thing that

I do. I'm going to put you in a still place.

I'm gonna put you in green pastures. I'm gonna bring

you to the still waters. You know, as a shepherd,

and this is something you may not know that God

is so intricately involved in people's lives that did you

know that sheep can't drink from running water? Sheep can't

drink from running water. They need still water because their

lip has no muscular structure. So if they try to

drink from running water, it just bends their bottom lip

down and the water runs by and they can't drink.

So they have to have still water. water he cares so.

Much that he puts us in a place where we

can get the refreshing and the nourishing that we need

because he he brings us beside still waters and we

are his flock his sheep and he cares and positions

us in a place where we can get restoration and

Jesus is looking at them they've done all the things

And it's one of the most neglected things in the

Christian life is rest. Because we think we're always supposed

to do something else. But here's the deal. Rest shows faith.

Most of the time we think we need to do

something else to make up. Now listen, some of y'all

need to listen to me right now. You need to

listen to me right now. You think, oh, well, I

just need to work an extra day to make ends meet. Now, listen,

that sounds good in our mind.

Because of math, right? I mean, math, you know, more

equals more, right? I mean.

If I work eight more hours at $ 20 an hour,

that's $ 160 more. Over the month, that's $ 640 more.

Right? And we do the math and we think, oh,

more equals more. But really, what we're.

Saying to God is, I don't think I can follow

your principles. I don't think I can follow the principle

of rest and that you will provide for me anyway.

Right?

Because when we take that to heart, the principle of rest,

what it's.

Saying is, God, I trust you.

I'm having faith that he is my provider.

It combats pride.

When we're laying back into God, expecting him and trusting

him to provide for us, we can't stand up and say,

look what I've done.

Look how much I've made. Look at the living. Look

at this. Look at that.

Listen, I have two exceptional children. I have two exceptional children.

One of them's here. The other one lives.

I probably have more exceptional children than they think that

I am an exceptional father because one of them moved

as far as she could possibly get.

And still live on the continent.

But nonetheless, I have two exceptional children. And here's the thing.

I didn't do anything to make them that way. Show

you my cards, okay?

Okay?

I didn't do anything to make them that way. I

just simply trusted God.

To do it.

And he kind of gave me a paint by number

script and I just kind of didn't mess up what

God was already doing.

Amen.

See, there's something about faith and trust and realizing that

I'm not as much involved. And if I can realize

that and come to that place, then it diminishes pride

in my life.

It brings healing. Do you know your body?

God created your body in a natural way that as

we rest.

It heals itself.

That when we're in a state of rest, God has

constructed us to actually heal ourselves. So rest brings healing.

And then right here in Psalm 23, he says that

when we rest, he restores our soul, our mind, our will,

and our emotions. How many of you sometimes you just

get so tired that you snap? I mean, it's like

you're tired. Something little happens.

And you're like.

It's because rest is spiritual and he restores our soul

in those moments. But here's the thing, the message is

about the grind, right? It's not about rest. So the

series is called The Grind. So let's keep reading and

let's find out what happens because they weren't in the

grind yet, but they're about to be. In Mark 6, 33,

it says, but the multitude saw them departing and many

knew him and ran there on foot from all the cities.

They arrived before them and came together to him. And Jesus,

when he came out, Jesus is a thoroughbred, right? Jesus just,

he would go and go and go and go and

go and go. And he was teaching and he was

healing and he was telling the demons to go to

the pigs. And he was speaking this and he was

speaking that. And the whole time he's talking to the

father and they're running the universe. And he's just like multitasking.

He's just like, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, boom.

I think I just broke my watch. Nope, I didn't.

Jesus is, and anytime there's a need, Jesus is just.

You remember the diagram we did a few weeks ago?

Because, see, Jesus never was in the mode of contribution.

Jesus never just contributed because he knew the explicit need.

He had the passion to meet that need. His overlap

was right there. His purpose was always and it empowered him.

So Jesus steps out.

The multitudes are there and he just does what he does.

He still remembers his guys. He still remembers they're tired.

He still remembers they're exhausted. But Jesus gets out and

starts doing.

What Jesus does.

And Jesus, when he came out, he saw a great

multitude and was moved with compassion for them.

Because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.

So he began to teach them many things. Listen, when

I tell you I'm going to teach you many things,

that means I'm going to be here for a long time.

Jesus just kept on teaching. He taught them many things.

When the day was now far spent, his disciples came

to him and said, this is a deserted place. And

already the hour is late.

They said, Jesus, we're tired. We're tired. It's okay for

you to tell God. You're tired. Just tell Him. Listen,

I've gone as far as I can go.

I feel like I'm at the end of my rope

and there's no knot to hold on to. I feel

like giving up. I feel like quitting. I feel like

abandoning everything. And the reason you feel like that, because

you are most susceptible to an attack from the enemy

when you're spiritually tired, emotionally tired, or physically tired. He

exploits those moments in our lives when we are tired.

And you know, we all think, oh yeah, when I'm

spiritually tired, when I've moved away from God, yeah, I'm

certainly susceptible to an attack of the enemy.

But that's only part of it.

Sometimes you just feel worn out because things just don't

line up and you're having a conversation about this and

then you have to have a conversation about the same

thing and then you have to have a conversation about

the same thing.

And guess what?

Then you have to have a conversation about the same

thing and it just emotionally wears you out. And the

enemy is there and he's ready to attack. The thing

we discount most though because it doesn't feel spiritual is

the physical fatigue that we feel. When our body gets tired,

we are also just as susceptible to an attack from

the enemy as when we're spiritually tired or emotionally tired

because our physical body demands things when it's tired. And

that's when we start self-medicating with things. That's when we

start putting things in place.

We need just a little boost of something.

And listen, I'm not just talking about drugs. I'm not

just talking about those kind of things. I'm talking about

all kinds of things because we're physically tired and we

don't understand it and we can't manage it.

So we start looking for solutions.

To try to treat the fatigue that we're feeling instead

of just understanding that he created the Sabbath. He created

the Sabbath, a day of rest. Now, I believe that

today it's not a day. I believe it is a principle.

Let me say that again. It's a principle.

I don't think there's anything magical about Saturday, right? Don't

think there's anything magical about having to take your rest

on Saturday. I believe that there are a lot of

people who can work Saturday and maximize the money they

make on Saturday and they can take Monday and Tuesday off.

Amen?

So there's nothing magical about Saturday, but the principle is

very spiritual. That you need a day of rest. And

this is what he says about it. He says, remember

the Sabbath, listen, and to keep it holy. Now we

have read so many things into that. We bring so

many other things into that. But this is what he's saying.

When you rest, make sure Jesus stays in the front

of your mind. When you take your rest, don't fall

into sin and call that rest. Take an actual rest.

Don't take a fake rest empowered by the things of

the world, but take a real physical rest and allow

yourself just to sit still and allow your body to recover.

You know, there's a, An amazing passage of Scripture. One

of my favorite passages of Scripture in all the Bible.

I mean, it's 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel chapter 21 verse 15.

2 Samuel 21:15

This is the story of King David. He's getting older.

He's slowing down. Come on, somebody say slowing down. It

used to be that when we had a day around

here like yesterday, I worked circles around everybody else. Yesterday,

I did a lot of sitting in a chair and watching.

Come on, somebody. I did.

I watched the young guys work because they're in their season.

And sometimes I feel like I'm not getting old, but

I'm certainly not a spraying chicken no more.

Come on now.

Amen.

Amen.

In 2 Samuel chapter 21 verse 15, it says, When

2 Samuel 21:15

the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and

his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines.

And David grew faint. He got tired. David was tired.

I mean, he was out there.

He was fighting on the battlefield like he had always done,

and he gets tired. But you know, there's times that

we're going to get tired.

Right? There's things that have to be done.

But if we put the spiritual principles in our lives,

even in those moments where we have to press a

little bit harder and we have to take a boat

ride and get off the boat and do something we

didn't expect to do, if we've got the spiritual things

in place, we can still be okay. Because the enemy

attacks when we get tired.

Tired.

In verse 16, it says, Then Ishbi Benab, who was

one of the sons of the giant, the weight of

whose bronze spear was 300 shekels, who was bearing a

new sword, thought he could kill David. But Abishai, the

son of Zerui, came to his aid and struck the

Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore

to him, saying, You shall go out no more with

us to battle, lest you quench the lamp It's this

picture that I see in my mind of David doing

what he had always done. And he starts getting a

little fatigued. And in my mind, he just sneaks over

behind a rock somewhere. He's just going to lean up

against the rock. He's just going to catch his breath.

And the giant, he sees him. He starts slipping up

behind David. He says, this is my chance. The enemy

saw that he was tired and he said, this is

my chance. And he started creeping up on him. The

purpose was to kill David. Listen, the enemy doesn't want

to play with you. He doesn't want to torment you.

He wants to kill you. He wants to steal your vision.

He wants to render you hopeless. He wants to bring

you to a state where there is no life in you.

And if there is no life in you, there can

be no life that passes through you to the people

around you. He steals and robs you of your purpose.

And he's getting ready to kill David and this guy Abishai.

Abishai was actually David's cousin. Abishai shows up and he

kills the giant. See, when you surround yourself with people

that have your back, when you surround yourself with people

who are watching, who care about you, who will give

their life for you, because there's something in you that

they recognize that's so valuable.

This is why he did it.

Not because it was David, not because it was his cousin,

but because he carried the vision for Israel. If you

awaken purpose on the inside of you, people take notice

that there's purpose on the inside of you and they

will be your Abishai and they will watch. And listen,

he was engaged in the same battle as David. It's

not that they were just there. They were doing the

same thing. They were living life together, but Abishai was

there and he struck down the giant.

You guys can get ready.

He struck the giant down and then they all came

around and said, oh, you can't come to battle no more.

You can't come to battle no more. Lest the lamp

of Israel should perish. Lest the vision for a nation

should be extinguished. You know, that sounds a lot like

groups to me. When I read that story of Abishai,

that's what groups do. They surround you with people who

care about you. They surround you with people who will

watch your back.

That when the enemy comes in, they will cut him

off at the.

Pass and they won't let you fall. They won't let

the purpose be extinguished out of your life. They stand

up and they stand strong and they say, not today, devil.

If you're doing life alone, the giant will kill you.

If you're isolated and you don't have people that care

about you, there will be days where you get tired

or where you choose to be tired.

Where you have to.

Push just a little bit harder and in those times

you need somebody you can text that you can call

and say, hey, I need you to pray for me.

I'm feeling this way. I'm feeling that way.

I just, listen, I know, I mean, I've been going

for two straight weeks without a day off and I'm

about to get in the car and drive home. Listen,

I know when I get there, my kids, they're going

to want to play Monopoly. That game takes like eight days.

And I don't have it in me to do that.

Can you pray for me? that I handle the situation

correctly because they're worth me handling the situation correctly. Or hey,

my boss hadn't given me a day off.

And I'm tired.

If you don't pray for me, I'm going to tell

him what I think about it when I get to work.

You're in a group with Andy and he says, hey,

Didn't you just invite him to church last week? Might

not be a good idea to cuss him out this week.

You just invited him to church. And let me say

a quick word of prayer. Then you get a text

message at lunch. It says, hey, just wanted you to know.

He's praying for you.

That's Abishai. You need Him and you need to be Him.

I pray that that Abishai anointing rests on every one

of our groups. On every one of our teams. Every

one of our ministries. Because we all need people in

our lives. Because we all need purpose in our lives. Listen,

maybe you're here and you're like, yeah, yeah, I know.

Group this, group that.

You've always talked about groups.

Maybe you don't see the value in groups because....

You haven't really tapped into purpose so you don't feel

like there's anything to protect. Maybe you don't see the

value in yourself. You don't see the vision that you

carry for your community and your family and your business.

You don't see the immense value there. So you don't

think you really need anybody watching your back because who.

Why would the... Why would the enemy want to.

I don't even want to kill me. No danger.

My prayer for you today is that purpose is birthed

in you so strong and so bright that you know

you're on hell's hit list and you must surround yourself

with people who love.

You and care about you. Listen, teachers, some of you guys,

you just went back. You need to get involved in

FCA on your campuses. You need to get involved. If

you're in an elementary school especially, you need to get

involved in FCA.

Because that is a place for you to make an

imprint on their lives because they already see you as authority.

And then that's a place you can show them your

faith in a safe environment. So find out who does

FCA and start going to those.

Morning FCA meetings. And then get them to invite me

to come and speak.

To your elementary school students because I love doing that.

Maybe you're here and you're just wandering.

I believe today God can give you purpose. As a

matter of fact, everybody's standing with me all over the room.

If you're born again, if you've given your life to Jesus,

you've asked Him to forgive you of your sins, He's ready.

To propel you into purpose. But maybe you're here today.

And you've never really surrendered your life to Jesus.

Never asked Him to forgive you of your sins. You

never asked Him to be the Lord of your life.

But in this moment right now, something is just moving

right in here somewhere.

It's Him calling you into purpose.

It's Him calling you into greatness. The first step is

surrendering your life to His Lordship. So with every head

bowed and every eye closed, if you're here, you can say,

I want to give my life to Jesus.

I want Him to forgive me of my sins.

I want Him to birth purpose in me. I want

to be saved.

If that's you today, slip up your hand and say,

that's me, Pastor.

Pray for me.

I'm going to pause right here for just a moment

because there's somebody.

You're fighting it. What will people think? God, just... Put

your hand up. Put it right back down.

Say, pray for me, Pastor.

Amen.

Father, I pray right now that You fill Your people

with purpose. that You light a white hot fire underneath

them that burns for their appointed purpose in the kingdom. Lord,

that it brings life to everything they do. That it awakens.

Vigor and vitality. Lord Jesus, right now, Show us.

Show us.

Show us the first step to purpose.

And Lord, surround every person with an Abishai. Help every

person Get connected in a group where they can care

for people and people can care for them. Brighten lives

with the Abishais you bring into contact with us.

Lord, we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen, amen, and amen.

Pastor Clay, let's worship together. Thank you.