When was a time when you were exhausted?
What contributed to your exhaustion?
How did you experience rest?
Have you ever had a season in life where you felt exhausted by religion? Why?
What comes to mind when you hear the word “religion”?
Why is it that when we think of “religion” we rarely think about “rest”?
Would you say that your relationship with Jesus is defined by rest or by religion?
What does it look like for you to “rest from religion”?
Read Mark 2:23-28
What encourages you or surprises you about this passage?
How have you taken something God intended as a blessing and made it a burden?
Read Mark 3:1-6
What encourages you or surprises you about this passage?
How have you seen a gift from God taken and used for harm to hurt others?
Read Genesis 2:1-3 and Hebrews 1:1-4, 10:14
How does it encourage you to see that God rests when he is finished, not because he is tired?
What in your life do you consider finished? What is unfinished?
How can we find rest by trusting in what Jesus has finished for us?
One of the reasons we are worn out by religion is our motivations are wrong. Religion says we must obey so that we are made worthy. The gospel proclaims Jesus has made us worthy therefore we obey out of love.
Why is a clear understanding of gospel so important?
Instead of demanding that we climb the ladder of religion to get to God, Jesus came down as a result, the gap between us and God is now reason for celebration and worship because it points to what Jesus has finished for us!
What would it look like this week for you to respond to the invitation from Jesus to rest:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
