Sermon Response Guide
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 12:1-8 ESV
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
Key Points
- For many of us, it is hard to rest until the work is done – but the work is never done.
- Maybe we should embrace the fact that God designed us to need rest.
- We struggle to cease from our striving because we define ourselves by our work. We often believe we are what we produce.
- We will never find rest until we find rest in Jesus.
- When we rest, we are proclaiming Jesus is Lord over our lives and he is in control.
- For the follower of Jesus, resting is an act of faith.
- By observing Sabbath rest, we confess:
1) I am not what I do. I am not what I produce.
2) The world will not stop if I do. Christ is holding all things together – not me.
3) The work underneath the work is finished. Jesus Christ has completed the work that is necessary for me to finally rest. I can rest in him. - The Sabbath doesn’t eliminate work, but puts work in its proper place within the rhythm of our lives in Christ.
Memory Verse
Ask God to write this word on your heart this week:
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”
-Hebrews 4:9-10 ESV
Questions for Reflection
Take time to reflect and respond to these questions on your own in the presence of the Holy Spirit, or with trusted friends or family members:
1: Today’s primary Scripture from Matthew 12 is about the Sabbath, but even more, it’s about Jesus’ authority. Look back at today’s primary Scripture in light of today’s message. What does the Scripture teach us about Jesus’ authority?
2: Our relationship with God is not only about what we give up, but what God gives to us. Name 1 thing you have given up to follow Jesus, and 3 things God has given you since you started following Jesus.
3: Sabbath-keeping is more about living out a healthy rhythm of keeping in step with the Holy Spirit than it is about living for the weekend or a vacation. How would you define “keeping in step with the Spirit?”
4: When you imagine keeping in step with the Spirit, do you imagine resting? Why or why not?
5: Has there ever been a season in your life when you felt you were keeping in step with the Spirit? What do you remember most about that time? What do you think particularly contributed to your keeping in step with the Spirit?
6: What about now? What patterns in your life encourage you to rest in Christ? What patterns in your life prevent you from resting in Christ?
7: What is 1 pattern you need God to help you build and 1 pattern you need God to help you break in your life to create space for you to truly rest in Christ starting this week?
Pray
Lord, we confess we are tired, and we are weary. We are desperate for your rest, but so often, we believe the lie that we don’t have time to rest. Humble us, Lord. Teach us your healthy rhythms of rest as only you can do. Give us the courage to build patterns in our lives that encourage us to rest in you, and the strength to break patterns in our lives that prevent us from resting in you.
