Introduction

We are about to enter the season of giving. In this season, we shop, eat, and see family we may not have seen in a while. The decorations come out, and preparation happens. We rush from one party to the next, and the streets and grocery stores get more crowded. Then, once it is all over, we try to recover from the holiday bliss.

This time of year can be full of emotions for some of us. We are remembering loved ones and revisiting broken relationships. For some, this season represents loneliness and a longing for things lost, forgotten, or never had. It can be an exhausting season! There is often a letdown after the lights are put away, and the Christmas music is put on the shelf until the following year. We will need time to recuperate and reenergize for the next major event. Is it possible to do things a little differently?

Today, we will see what happened to the disciples when they faced similar circumstances. We will see Jesus’ response and the hope that He has provided each of us as we choose to have a time of rest with Him while we face life’s challenges.

Rest

• Rest in Greek means “cause to rest; to soothe, refresh, to have a fixed place of rest, abide, and dwell.”
• Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all who weary (toil, spent w/ labor) and heavy-laden (burden, loaded down), and I will give you rest (soothe, refresh, abide).”
• We will not be fruitful unless we are regularly finding rest in Jesus. We must get in the boat (Jn. 15:4).
• Something miraculous happened on that boat ride: Jesus met His disciples and somehow was able to refresh them.
• We are not talking about the Sabbath today. Jesus did not say to the disciples, “Let’s take a Sabbath.” We all need a Sabbath (a day of rest), but we also need our faith refreshed on a continued basis because we leak. To do the work God has at hand for us, we must be in the habit of getting in the boat with Jesus.
• There is a significant difference between our need for spiritual rest and the need for physical rest.
• When your body is tired, but your spirit is full of strength, the body will follow the spirit. But if your spirit is dry, the body will operate in the flesh. It will find its default operational mode.

Hindrances

• Hindrances are things that prevent us from getting into the boat with Jesus. Sometimes, we think we are too busy to get in the boat. Many things can keep us from where we need to be with Jesus.
• Let’s look at a few of these hindrances:
1. Insecurities: For some people, insecurity can be the gateway to depression, which causes them to isolate themselves from human interaction. We need God’s approval and times of rest with Him. Only then do we begin to understand who we are in His eyes. Then, we no longer worry about others’ opinions of us.
2. Pride: the “Good One”. For the most part, you have always made good decisions in life. Do you find that when you make a mistake, it becomes hard to confess or apologize to others? This behavior can become a bondage, and the need to rest with Jesus is critical to keep this in check.
3. Addictions: Addictions are areas of our lives where we choose to fill a need or self-medicate and even find a hiding place from the pressures of the world. These areas may start small but inevitably grow. It’s like a monster getting hungrier and hungrier with an insatiable appetite. Over time, our addictions become our god, and guilt and shame silence our spirit. How do you work through this? You make an active decision to get in the boat with Jesus.
• We can’t fix ourselves to be worthy of getting in the boat with Jesus. The act of getting in the boat is our job, which means we have to take our eyes off our hindrances, heavy loads, and burdens long enough to get in the boat. He is the One who does the rest. He said to come to Him, and He will give us rest.

Hearing God

• How do we hear God’s voice? There are many ways we can hear Him, but here are some examples:
• The Bible
• Visions
• Words of knowledge
• Audible voice (usually not- but sometimes)
• However, many do not hear the Lord this way. In fact, for many, someone saying, “God spoke to me,” can leave them feeling frustrated and like they are missing something. What does that mean? Is it a voice? How would you explain it?
• If His Spirit dwells inside us, we can most definitely hear His voice (Ro 8:11). However, we must be deliberate in finding rest (refresh, abide) in Him.
• The best description is that hearing His voice is a compelling sense to act, pray, or give.
• When we have spent time with the Lord, something happens. He will usually ask something out of us. This is where, in the past, we have given in to our flesh and followed our own desires. Now, as believers, we must retrain ourselves to be spirit-led and become more and more sensitive to the compelling of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

Jesus saw that His disciples needed rest. He knew that they were tired, hungry, and heartbroken over the loss of John the Baptist. So, He put them all in a boat. That boat ride was a purposeful time of rest for a couple of hours, not a sabbath. It was an opportunity to be refreshed by Jesus. What happened after the boat ride? As you continue to read in Mark 6, they step out of the boat and minister, and Jesus challenges them to feed the crowd, but they do not have enough food to feed them. They obeyed, and 5000+ people were fed. Jesus broke the bread and divided the fish, but the disciples delivered it to the people. As a result of our faith being refreshed, people will be affected. Has God ever asked you to do something you didn’t think you had the capacity to do? Through your faith, thousands will be fed, and Jesus’ miracles will be seen. As the holidays approach and the busyness goes into over-drive. We must remember to stop, get in the boat, and find our rest in Jesus.

Discussion Questions

Do you find yourself struggling to get in the boat with Jesus to find rest? If so, what are you going to do about it? If not share with a friend what you do.
What are some hinderances that get in your way?
How do you hear God’s voice in your life?