A Note from Michael Gossett
Rest for the Restless
I have something that I must admit to you. I love people watching. When I envision myself as an old man…. I see myself sitting at a park bench or at the mall just simply watching people around me. Not in a weird way, just out of curiosity! But when you stop and just look around you, you can almost hear the collective sigh of people just worn out. Everyone is in a hurry. Everyone is trying to get somewhere. We are just in a whirlwind of busyness. Have you ever felt that way?Everywhere you turn, people are tired. Some are tired from the chaos of the news cycle. Others are tired in quieter ways, like being tired of pretending all the time. Tired of scrolling. Tired of performing to make others notice you. Tired of looking desperately for peace and never finding it. Tired of looking for solutions. Tired of getting people to like you.
Just this past week, we watched along with the world to see what was going to happen with the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. The world paused, hoping for a significant resolution to the conflict. Meanwhile, in our own nation, we watched millions of protesters line the streets, all while the government is still shut down. All of it is simply another indication of a restless and lost world.
It’s no wonder so many people feel spiritually restless. In the midst of such exhaustion, the words of Jesus sound like a flowing creek in the middle of the desert. “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
To understand this, we must first realize that these are not words of escapism, but rather an invitation to something the world cannot offer and technology will never replace.
The Illusion of Rest
We live in a time when rest has become an industry. There are podcasts, retreats, apps, and influencers promising peace, but rest is not something you can buy or schedule. It cannot be downloaded or manufactured. The more we chase it through distraction, the further it slips from our grip.
We call it “rest” when we binge entertainment, scroll social media, or escape into hobbies. Those things may offer temporary relief, but they do not restore the soul. They quiet the body while the mind keeps racing. They numb us, but they do not renew us.
The Puritans often wrote about what they called “holy rest,” the kind that comes when the heart is rightly ordered under God. Richard Baxter once said that “rest is not found in idleness but in the right employment of the soul.” Rest is not inactivity; it is alignment.
Our restlessness is a theological problem before it is a psychological one. When Adam and Eve fell, humanity lost more than paradise; we lost peace. We stepped out from under the authority and provision of God and tried to find our own meaning apart from Him. Ever since, the human heart has been in motion, chasing peace through self-sufficiency.
We work to prove our worth. We perform to earn approval. We fill our schedules to avoid silence. But underneath it all, there is an ache that nothing earthly can satisfy. Augustine was right: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
The Invitation of Christ
When Jesus said, “Come to Me,” He was not offering a religious technique. He was calling people out of self-reliance and into surrender. The rest He gives is not the removal of responsibility but the restoration of relationship.
He speaks to the weary and the burdened, who are those exhausted by trying to be their own savior. The Pharisees of His day loaded people with religious rules they could never keep. Our modern culture does the same, only with different commandments: “Be successful.” “Be productive.” “Be relevant.” The burden may look different, but the weight is the same.
Jesus offers something entirely new. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,” He says, “because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). His yoke is not heavy because it is not built on performance. It is anchored in grace.
To take His yoke is to stop striving for acceptance and to receive it as a gift. The rest Jesus offers is not escape from reality but peace within it. It is the steady calm that comes from knowing that God’s work of redemption is finished and that His grace covers even our failures.
This is the rest of justification. The believer no longer labors to earn righteousness because Christ has provided it. It is the rest of reconciliation. The distance between us and God has been bridged by the cross.
The Theology of Rest
Rest is one of the most profound themes in Scripture.
In Genesis, God rested on the seventh day, not because He was weary but because His creation was complete. The Sabbath was woven into the rhythm of creation to remind humanity that life was meant to flow from worship, not from worry.
When sin entered the world, that rest was shattered. Humanity began to live as if everything depended on human effort. But the Sabbath promise pointed forward to something greater. In Christ, the true and eternal rest has come. Hebrews 4:9–10 declares, “Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people; for the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His.”
Rest is not found in passivity but in faith. It is the fruit of believing that Christ’s finished work is enough. John Calvin wrote, “The whole of our salvation and all its parts are comprehended in Christ.” That includes our peace.
The Christian can rest not because the world is calm but because Christ is King. The believer’s confidence does not rise and fall with the stock market, the news, or the state of global affairs. Our rest is anchored in the providence of God. The same Christ who sustains the stars sustains His church.
When nations rage and cultures unravel, that truth steadies the soul.
The Witness of Rest
Rest is not only a blessing to receive; it is a testimony for us to display.
In a restless world, a peaceful Christian is a walking apologetic for the gospel. When the church refuses to be ruled by fear or hurry, it reveals a different kingdom.
The early church understood this. Surrounded by persecution and instability, believers were marked by calm joy. When plagues swept across the Roman Empire, Christians stayed behind to care for the sick, believing that their lives were held in God’s hands. Their quiet confidence became one of the most powerful witnesses of the gospel in the ancient world.
Today, the same is true. In a culture defined by outrage, anxiety, and overwork, the church’s peace is countercultural. When believers worship faithfully, rest purposefully, and trust God completely, they show the world that Christ is enough.
That is why reclaiming rest is not just self-care; it is missional. The way the church practices peace says something about what we believe.
Practicing Rest in a Restless Age
- Start and end your day with God’s Word. Let the voice of truth frame your thoughts before the world’s noise takes over.
- Protect Sundays for Corporate Worship. Make worship and fellowship a sacred rhythm that recalibrates your soul each week.
- Create space for silence and reflection. Stillness is not wasted time; it is where God restores clarity.
- Simplify your commitments. Busyness can be a form of unbelief. Leave room for unhurried obedience.
- Trust in the sovereignty of God. Rest is not the absence of activity but the presence of assurance that God reigns.
- Join the weekly prayer gathering. There is no better way to rest in God’s presence than to pray with God’s people. Our church’s prayer gathering is not simply another meeting—it is a place where burdens are lifted, hearts are renewed, and faith is strengthened together.
This Sunday at Green Acres
This Sunday, we will continue our study through the Gospel of Luke with a message titled “Be the Light” from Luke 8:16-21. In this passage, Jesus reminds His followers that light is meant to be seen. The truth of the gospel is not something to be hidden or hoarded, but something to be lived out with clarity and conviction. When the people of God shine with integrity and grace, the world around them begins to see the beauty of Christ.
As we prepare for Serve Week, this is our opportunity to put that truth into action. All across Tyler and East Texas, our church family will be serving schools, neighborhoods, and organizations in the name of Jesus. Each act of kindness, whether painting a wall, serving a meal, or praying with a neighbor, is a way to let the light of Christ bring hope into dark places.
Your generosity makes this possible. Every dollar given and every hour volunteered extends the reach of the gospel. Because of your faithfulness, the light of Christ is advancing through this city and around the world.
And remember, one of the greatest ways we rest and renew together as a church is through prayer. Join us each week for our prayer gathering, where we seek the Lord’s presence, lift up one another’s burdens, and find strength for the days ahead.
The world is restless and searching for answers, but Jesus continues to invite all who are weary to come and find rest in Him. Let’s live and serve from that rest this week.
The Journeys of Moses 2026
Have you ever wanted to see the Bible come alive before your eyes? To stand where Moses once stood and experience the power of God in the very places where He revealed Himself to His people? You are invited to go with me on a spiritual journey and trip of a lifetime, October 19-29, 2026.
This trip is designed not just for travelers, but for believers who want to grow in their understanding of Scripture and experience God’s Word in the land where the story of redemption began to unfold.
Experience the Story of God’s Deliverance
- Stand before the Pyramids of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
- Walk through Old Cairo, visiting the site believed to be where baby Moses was drawn from the Nile.
- Sail along the Nile River and visit Luxor, Edfu, and the Valley of the Kings, where ancient rulers were laid to rest.
- Journey through the wilderness to Mount Sinai, where Moses encountered the living God and received the Ten Commandments.
- Visit St. Catherine’s Monastery, one of Christianity’s oldest places of worship, nestled at the base of Sinai.
Each stop along the way will be paired with biblical teaching and moments of reflection, connecting history to faith and Scripture to life.
This is far more than a tour; it is a journey of discipleship and renewal. As we open God’s Word together in the very places where it happened, you’ll see how the faith of Moses, the power of God, and the covenant promises of Scripture all come to life in vivid color.
We’ll worship by the Nile, study at the foot of Sinai, and reflect on how God’s unchanging faithfulness continues to guide His people today. You will return home with more than photos; you’ll return with a deeper understanding of God’s Word and a stronger faith to live it out.
Limited spots are available, so please sign up quickly to reserve your spot at HERE!
You are loved and prayed for!
Michael Gossett