#struggles: Part 5 - "Rest" with Craig Groeschel - LifeChurch.tv

well it's awesome to have all of you with us today at all of our life churches and our network churches and our family all over the world at church online today we're in the fifth and final week the series called hashtag struggles we're talking about how do we follow Jesus in a selfie centered world today as we conclude this message series I want to talk to you about how do we find rest for our souls as so many of us are tethered to these devices how do we find spiritual rest in our souls and I cannot think of a more appropriate way to start this very important message than with some lines from an all-time classic movie Napoleon Dynamite when kept at the end of the movie saying to laFonda his soul mate we met in a chat room now our love can fully bloom sure the world wide web is great but you you make me salivate yes I love technology but not as much as you you see but I still love technology always and forever now that's what I'm talking about right okay I don't know about you but I honestly do I relate to those lines I love technology I absolutely love all the amazing things about technology that's probably somewhat obvious to you since we do video teaching all over the world since we give away free resources with technology since we were honored to invent Church online since we are blessed to give away as of the day a hundred and fifty five million free YouVersion Bible app we will simply redeem technology to get the message of the gospel out I love technology but at the same time as much as I love it I honestly kind of have a love-hate relationship with it I love it for all the obvious reasons but I hate the fact that I am often a slave to it I hate how much it often owns me in my own life in fact carry me off is a pastor in Canada and he said this I think it's in your notes he said like money social media is a great servant but a horrible master to me that really speaks to me it's a it's a great servant but it is a horrible master I want to start today with the words of the Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 verse 12 the context he was talking to the Corinthians who were into all sorts of perverted and sinful actions and he was explaining that in Christ we have freedom there are certain things that we can do but just because we can do them doesn't mean we should do them and he said this he said I have the right to do anything but then he said something that's very important and powerful he said that I will not be what all of our churches let's say this aloud I have the right to do anything but I will not be what I will not be mastered by anything I have the right to do some things but I will not be mastered by anything this to me honestly is one of my favorite verses in Scripture I really believe that the power of Christ in me should be bigger than anything else in my life I will not be mastered by an addiction to food I won't be mastered by an addiction to look at something inappropriate I don't want to be mastered by this and quite honestly so many times I really am mastered by this now it's really crazy that I'm going to bring a message on this subject today I never thought in a million years I would but the reality is in our world today this is a very serious issue for a lot of people some of you this is not going to you for you like Amy she's pretty cool she's not mastered if you're not you can just sit back and relax this is an easy one where I'm not going to step on your toes you can just every now and then lean down the aisle look at somebody who is and kind of give about how he's talking to you while you're playing with your phone what for some of you it's a real serious issue I will not be mastered by anything and yet so many people are mastered by drawn to addicted to compulsively checking the default mode when you have nothing to do is reach over pull up your phone let it interrupt whatever you were doing and look in fact just to make sure we're on the same page I came up with the top seven ways to know that you might be addicted to social media you may say why seven ways because seven is God's number and I couldn't think of eight top seven ways number seven you plan your throwback Thursdays weeks in advance number six your cat has its own Instagram page number five you look forward to going to the bathroom so you can get to level seven on your favorite game if you find your legs falling to sleep every time you go to the bathroom you have an issue number four you change your facebook profile more than a twelve-year-old girl number three you sleep with your phone like a teddy bear number two you say sorry not sorry in real life and the number one way to know that you might be addicted to social media is if you come on to your spouse by saying hashtag are you in the mood do not do that that is a dangerous thing she might respond to your hashtag I have a headache okay you might be addicted to social media if all the time all the time you find yourself looking at your phone rather than talking to people that are there if it bings if you can't help but look at it you've got to know all the time in fact there's a new phobia that doctors are now dealing with to help people is a very serious problem it's called nomophobia it's not a jokes no MPH obeah and no mo implies what you think it would be it's the fear of not being connected through a mobile device Nomo phobia in fact studies show that about 66 percent of people have extreme anxiety if they lose connection if their batteries fail or if their phone is not with them in fact for those who are 18 to 24 the number jumps to 76 percent of people over 3 and 4 and that age group have a massive fear of not being connected online when I listen to that I kind of thought that's crazy I mean who would have this type of anxiety when their device isn't with them and just earlier this week we had all of our staff members from all the churches and their spouses in for a big three-day event and I handed my phone to my assistant to do something for me on it and then she left with my phone during the service and I'm telling you I was like 30 minutes I don't have my phone 40 minutes I don't have my phone and all of a sudden I'm like freaking out where is she somebody find I can't text her I can't do anything I'm powerless how can I run the world without my phone you know and it's all of a sudden I mean I had extraordinary anxiety because for 45 minutes I was disconnected and I was also disheartened at that state of my own mind that here are some stats for me that I came across as I was doing research that if you take a step back from it are really quite staggering 58% of people don't go one waking hour without checking their phone 59 percent of you check email as soon as it comes in and according to the studies 89 percent if you check it daily on vacation teenagers the study shows 80 percent of you sleep with your phone you need help you need counseling you need Jesus and someone needs to take that phone away for you for eight hours while you sleep 84 percent of people believed they couldn't go one day without their phones ok nomophobia in fact I'm curious at all of our churches let's be real honest for a minute does this bliss kind of be real honest remember God is watching you do not lie in Church I'd hate for lightning to strike you and you'd be a little black spot on the chair okay how many of you that one of the last things you do in your day is check the phone don't raise your hand yet and one of the first things you do in the morning is check your phone be real honest raise your hands up high right now raise your hand up high right now raise your hands behind all of our churches look around and and touch those people say this message is for you okay this message is for you I was working on this message and I just wanted to study my own habits and what I found is the very day I was into this the most I got three texts after a 10:45 in the evening and then at 11:15 when I was going to bed or so I checked my email one last time and there was an email that was upsetting to me but there was nothing I could do about it but it was upsetting to me and so I couldn't sleep for some time because when I should have been doing something else I was looking at this device and letting it own me here's what happens for so many of us we have an inability to shut down for so many people the default is okay there's nothing going on right now I'm not thinking of anything meaningful I'm not making a difference in this world I've got nothing to do so what do you do you pick it up slide it over and you just start wasting time looking at whatever that's the default for so many people and what happens is I believe our minds are not shutting down we're constantly distracted we don't work for long stretches with great productivity because something beings or beeps and then we break our concentration and we find ourselves with our rpms always running constantly constantly constantly we're overwhelmed we don't know why we're short with our children we don't know why spiritually we feel exhausted we don't know why we're longing for something more and yet we keep going back to the very thing and we're not finding it there almost everybody in our culture today would acknowledge most of us our bodies need rest I'm going to argue that our soul need to rest that our souls need to be disconnected from Bing Bing Bing Bing Bing Bing being long enough to find peace and some solitude in the presence of the God who created us to know him to walk daily with him to be an intimate ongoing thriving relationship representing his love in this world rather than being wrapped up all the time with a device please please hear me I love technology it's obvious we will use it to do a lot of good but I also refuse to be mastered by anything Christ in me is bigger than any addiction in me Christ in you is bigger than any addiction in you and we will not be mastered so if you find yourself constantly connected and constantly with low-grade frustration there's got to be something more there's got to be something more there's got to be something more I'm going to argue that God has a special rest for you in Christ and it is available to your soul and it is available now Hebrews chapter 4 verse 9 through verse 11 and this represents my one word for the year for those of you that were with us earlier this year we did a series called small things big difference and we talked about the power of one word that could focus us in a direction that would be pleasing to God my word was rest based on this verse for there is a what everybody say it aloud everybody together for there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God some of you need to understand there is a special rest away from everything that draws you in there is a special rest waiting for you the people of God for all who have entered into God's wrath I love that imagery have rested from their labors just as God did after creating the world so what are we to do by the power of Christ verse 11 says let us what everybody say it aloud all of our churches network churches help me out so let us what so let us do our best to what to enter that rest let us do our best to enter into the special rest that God has for our souls through His Son Jesus Christ why is it that we don't find this rest why are we longing for it I like what st. Augustine said about God he said God you have made us for yourself oh Lord and our soul is restless until it finds rest in you some of you I mean this captures exactly where your are your soul has been restless for so long you've been looking for something that brings satisfaction something that brings meaning something that helps your relationships work something that fills the void inside something that makes you feel significant and purposeful in life you have in you a Christ shaped void nothing besides Christ will fill that void our soul is restless until it finds rest in him I love the words of Jesus that this creates a longing in my heart for him Matthew 11:28 and 29 Jesus just broadcast an invitation to all and says come to me all who are weary and burdened and what will he give you he said I will give you rest when you come to him for those of you who were weary you're overwhelmed your burden come to Jesus come to him now come to him by faith and he'll give you rest he says take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and when you come to me he says what will you find you'll find rest for your souls there's a special rest for us through Jesus so what do we do what do we do we're at the end of a fine at part series and this quite honestly to me is where the rubber meets the road this is where there is application and you do what God is leading you to do or you go on with life just as it has been making no changes whatsoever how do we find rest in God I want to give you two thoughts that are very practical and can be very life-changing the first is very very simple I'm going to encourage you to learn the discipline of being still number one be still learn to be still learn to be disconnected and still in the presence of God psalm 46 verse 10 david said to be what all of our churches it's obviously what be still and what do you do you know that I am God be still and focus on God I don't know if any of you have ever been around like a young kid that just can't be still anybody have a kid like that anybody married to a big kid like that right you know huh yeah sometimes you just want to say out in the name of Jesus and love you know be still right sit down sometimes you have to say to your soul chill cool it don't be so wound up sit down be it rest in fact this is what David said in Psalm 131 verse 2 he said but I have stilled and quieted my soul notice he did it it didn't happen by accident he just wake up one day and get 5 texts 3 facebook notifications and go oh I'm so still he stilled and quieted his soul he did it he fought his way into a state of solitude I still and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother like a weaned child there are so many things I could say about that that I'm not going to say right now because I've messed it up like a baby that needs mama right okay there's weaned author that somebody stopped me before we go there okay like a like a weaned child is what do you say is my soul within me I has stilled and quieted my soul those of you that have been with the church for a while you know I've told you honestly that two different times I went to counseling for for being a workaholic the first time I was assigned to go and kind of thumb my nose at it the second time I went because I realized I needed help and one of the things that counselor told me was that my body in my mind is addicted to adrenaline and that I need to learn how to shut down and so my counselor told me what to do and quite honestly I was kind of like offended like this is the stupidest thing ever he said well I want you to do is I want you to spend five minutes a day doing nothing thinking about nothing just being still before God I'm thinking number one I don't have time to do nothing number two I'm paying you ninety five dollars for this advice and that's all you're giving me that stresses me out right now okay five minutes do nothing well that's ridiculous and stupid and easy enough let me tell you what you try to do nothing for five minutes it's one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my entire life number one we need to start your phone beeps somewhere in that time and you're wondering what happened what am I missing did somebody just post a picture of their coffee with a swirly atop it what am I missing five minutes completely still one of the most difficult things that I've ever done because my mind races try it you'll be thinking well you know I got it I'm going to do yard work yeah I got a cook dinner you know there's kids with diapers you know I don't have time for this be still God says and know that I am God be still still your soul have the discipline not to be mastered all the time and go to by default look at what's going on in somebody else's life but have the discipline by the power of Christ to contemplate the goodness of God and simply to be still and know that He is God let it breathe the gift of solitude solace and peace God you can run the universe for five minutes without me I'm just going to chill and focus on you and enjoy your presence not ask you for anything not worry about a thing just be still and thank you for who you are a gift five minutes five minutes be still be still and know who is be still it embraces goodness be still and enjoy the beauty of a moment with the God who created you to love him and be loved by him be still before God who wants to try that with me this week five minutes a day be still second thing I'm going to encourage you to do and this is really really important we're going to be still and we're going to listen to him then I'm going to ask you if this is a problem for you to make a plan proverbs 13 16 the today's living Bible I like this translation says a wise man thinks ahead o wise man's going to make a plan come up with an attack but a fool doesn't and even brags about it a lot of people I'm going to call you what y'all and put you in a foolish category you're saying there's no big deal is nothing deals no big deals no big deal I'm gonna tell you right now this can be hurting your relationships it can be hurting your intimacy with God it can be distracting you from raising your children it could literally hurt your marriage over time if you don't get control of it make a plan if this is a problem acknowledge it call it what it is for me I'm acknowledging it and I've called it what it is Amy's far too long has said you're interrupting the family dinner by doing what you're doing the church can be without you for 45 minutes where we have family time make a plan and I don't know what this will look like for you but you're going to want to have a defensive plan and an offensive plan every good team's going to have a good defense if you want to win and a good offense and I want to break this down for you because we will not be mastered by anything the power of Christ within us is greater than any addiction or draw within us we will not be mastered by anything so on the defensive side I don't know what this would look like for you but it might mean as you pray and you think about it and you talk about this with your spouse if you're married with your best friends with the people in your life group or the people around you who care about you your defensive plan might be no phone during the meal we can start there where it might be no phone during the life group or you might put a time limit on your day you know 10 o'clock at night this is our time not my time with something else out there online and so you put your phone on Do Not Disturb and it goes quiet from 10 o'clock at night until 7:00 in the morning whatever it is it's your rule it's the defense to say we're going to use this but not be mastered by I'm going to keep it far enough away some of you your defense plan might be to turn off social media notifications so all day long you don't hear when somebody's cat has the sniffles you know you don't have to know all that for me one thing I do during the day because this thing goes off non-stop is I often will leave it with my assistant and say if it's a me one of my kids come get me if it's anything else you handle it I need six hours in God's Word to get this message ready I'm not going to let a single distraction take me away from that for some of you it might be a social media break where when you go on vacation you don't look for four-five days all you do is focus on the people who are with you that you love instead of looking at other people doing other things some of you you might need to take a month-long break why because you're totally mastered by it and if you can't go a month without it then that tells you something about where your true priorities are and I'm not going to tell you what to do but do you think about it you can with your own defensive plan then you need two offensive plan for me what I want this to be is my primary tool in relating to God think about this instead of looking everybody else what is the first and most highest use of this first thing in the morning you version bible plan for maybe second thing I'm going to the bathroom first God will understand that can somebody say Amen second thing in the morning first significant action is to pull up the Bible some of you you need an offensive plan to get in the Word of God to feed on the word to let it build your soul renew your mind transform you into the image of Christ some of you it will be five minutes of solitude a day where you contemplate the goodness of God some of you it's a consistent prayer time where you learned offensively to be bathed in the presence of God as you learn to to pray without ceasing to have focused prayer time where you you intentionally seek God for some things and then you walk within daily and attitude of prayer for some of you it might be cultivating a worshipful spirit where you don't just worship on the weekends but you have a worshipful heart your heart is always lifted toward heaven and you find different ways to give God praise as the week's go on you're cultivating a spirit of worship and who you are and all that you do it's an offensive plan toward God some of you and sometimes just go outside and look at the awesome creative power of God look at the glory of his creations where the rocks will cry out and worship here people do not and look at a sunset and just bask in the power of God and resist the temptation to take a picture of it and if you do I forbid you to post that picture on Instagram because you don't need likes for something God wanted you to love you have that moment with him in his presence and just thank him for it rather than using it to feed your own ego defense and offense whatever that is for you defense and offense and talk about it get serious about it this is where we decide our you to continue as it is and some of you listen you are so mastered it's not even funny there are people praying for you oh dear God let him hear this okay right now I will not be mastered by anything go back to week number one let's review week number one the more we compare the more discontent we become some of you is time to distance yourself from comparing so that you can find out when Christ is all you have Christ is all you need week number two relationships so many of us were thumb to thumb thumb to thumb thumb thumb but we're for the fear of missing out what you're missing out on is you're missing out on the very people who love you the most you are right in front of you some of our offensive plan a defense plant week number three the more filtered Our Lives become the more filtered we are that the more difficult is to be authentic but only Christ can remove the veil we who with unveiled faces contemplate the glory of God and we're being transformed into the image of Christ if through the power of Christ we will remove the veil week number four the more pain we see tragically the less we care but true compassion demands action to say you care but not act is to not care at all and they will know that we are disciples of Jesus not by how many followers we have but by how much love that we show offensive plan and a defensive plan I will care for the glory of God and make a difference in this world and week number five the RPMs are going and they simply won't shut down the default in our life how insulting is it that the default action you are created for way more than that you can use it but not be mastered by it so here it is closing verse we wrap it all up this is what the Lord says Jeremiah 6:16 stand at the crossroads and look some of you your two crossroads right now and you have a decision to make ask for the ancient paths what if there are some ancient disciplines that are higher than the new technologies fasting and prayer and solitude and seeking the goodness of God ask them where is the good way God what is the good way then when you see it what are you going to do you're going to walk in it and when you walk in God's good ways what will you find you will find rest for your souls be still and know that there is one who loves you and is more deserving of your worship than anything on earth put him first seek Him with all of your heart and then he will add everything that matters unto you be still and know that He is God our Father in your presence we ask that you would do a healing work in our lives as unusual as it seems to preach a message about this in church God I believe in the world we live in there are so many people who've been mastered by something and we thank your God the power of Christ in us is bigger than any draw of this world and all of our churches as you take a moment reflect in prayer I just want to ask and I'm going to broaden the net a little bit first of all those of you who would say I do I've got an M I've got a dysfunctional relationship with my mobile device let's call it that would you raise your hands right now raise your hands up right now raise them up all over the place then put it back down those of you who would say let's get beyond that I've got something in my life just think about this for a minute that is mastering more than I should I'm not disciplined in my workouts looking at things I shouldn't look at I don't have control in a certain area of my life I'm addicted to a substance a chemical something I'm smoking something I'm drinking there's something right now that's been bigger than me and has control of me in some area lift up your hands right now all of our churches all of your churches father right now I pray for those who are addicted I thank you God that we by the power of Christ never need to be mastered by anything that when were tempted by the grace of Jesus he always gives us a way out I pray right now the name of Jesus over every addiction believing God that greater is He that is in us and he that is in the world believing father that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength and yet I pray for victory over pornography I pray for victory over alcoholism that I pray for victory over eating disorders God I pray for victory over drug addictions got a I pray for victory over even the lies our minds would believe God whatever would hold us captive God we thank you that the name of Jesus is greater we thank you that no stronghold can hold us because Christ is stronger God for those that are addicted with a dysfunctional relationship to their devices God we thank you that we will not be mastered by anything I pray God that in five minutes of quiet time with you that you would realign our hearts to you that we would seek you first and God beyond that in your presence I pray you would give us a practical plan of attack a defense and an offense to think ahead to hear from your spirit and to do what is necessary to help us put you first and people in the front of our hearts to love you God with our heart mind soul and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves glorifying you being still in your presence and knowing that you are God as you keep praying today all of our churches there are those of you you're going to recognize right now that your soul is not at rest you've tried to fill your life with all sorts of different things hey let's go make money that'll make me happy let's go pursue relationships that will make me happy let's go party that'll make me happy let's go do this and that you've done this and that you're still empty you're longing for something more you're often overwhelmed you feel the weight of your own sin catching up to you you feel guilty why can't I overcome this where do I stand with God you feel like you're not good enough for God and your soul is not at rest Jesus says to you come to me now exactly as you are come to me don't clean up your life first you come to me first and when you call on Jesus who is without sin and died for our sins he will forgive every sin you've ever committed he will make you brand new you will fill you with God's Spirit and you will never be the same and all of our churches there are those of you there's a void in your life and your soul does not have rest you come to Jesus and let him fill you and you will find rest for your souls all of our churches those who would say yes I know on the center and yes I need a Savior today by faith I give my life to Jesus that you lift your hands high right now all of our churches lift them up and say yes right over here and right here as well god bless you guys right back over there others of you who say yes I surrender Jesus Peter Savior the Lord of my life church online you click right below me and all of our churches as we see people calling on Jesus would you pray with those around you pray Heavenly Father forgive me be the Lord of my life first in every way Holy Spirit fill me that I could know God and serve Him and live for him my life is not my own today I give it to you thank you for new life in Jesus name I pray somebody shout out loud celebrate give God's glory and welcome to born into his family today you

Channel: Life.Church

Views: 28,187

Rating: 4.8153844 out of 5

Keywords: Craig, Groeschel

Id: 6TPYSTanpo8

Length: 36min 23sec (2183 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 06 2014