Rest Revealed

Rest Revealed

High School Youth Group
For the week of March 15th, 2015

This Week's Topic
" Rest Revealed"

" ⁹ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰ for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. ¹¹ Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience."
Hebrews 4:9-11

Hebrews 4 seems to promise "rest" for those who trust in God, but I have struggled this week to try to discover how teens can find true rest within today's culture. The question we will deal with this week is how can teens find "rest" when their worth is largely determined by their performance?

Hebrews 4 shows us that "rest" can only come from trust in God's promises and intentional sabbath rest from work. I will encourage students to work within their gifting and calling, not out of other people's callings or expectations for their life.

"I will not let the awkward disappointment of others keep me from my best yes appointments with God” – Lysa Terkeurst.

This is a message that comes deeply from my heart after multiple conversations with kids and parents in the last week who have voiced to me the stress and pressure they feel. Studies like this one and this one show that teens and parents feel more pressure and stress than  previous generations. As I worked on this message, I became more and more sure that the best thing we can do for our teens is to not teach them to say, "yes" but how to say "no" - so that they might fulfill God's best yes for them.

If you are a parent that feels this emotional stress as well or has concerns around this topic, I would love to start or continue a conversation with you. My hope is to partner with you as you work with God and our community to raise your teen in the faith.

Through this weeks family devotions, I pray that God shows you more rest and he leads you to discover how rest can become a normal part of your daily practices of faith.

Day 1
Scripture: Hebrews 3:7-19

1. What was your high and low today?
2. Read the scripture passage together.
3. According to this passage, what is the result of hardening one's heart? 
4. The rest that the author of Hebrews is talking about is not only rest for Israel in the promise land, but also eternal rest in the Kingdom of God. What impact does disobedience have on our ability to find rest in this world and in eternity?
5. Why do you think the author commands us to encourage each other? What does encouragement have to do with rest? 
6. What did God teach you about himself today? 
7. How will this passage affect how you rest this week?
8. Pray for each other

Day 2
Scripture: Hebrews 4:1-5

1. What was your high and low today? 
2. Read the scripture passage together.
3. What is the "promise" that the author is talking about in this verse?
4. What role does trusting in God's promises play in us entering into God's rest? 
5. What does this passage tell us about the importance of rest? 
6. How will this passage affect how you rest this week? 
7. Pray for each other

Day 3
Scripture: Hebrews 4:6-13

1. What was your high and low today? 
2. Read the scripture passage together.
3. What role does "today" play in hearing God's voice of rest? 
4. What might it look like to have Sabbath-rest in today's fast paced, over stressed world? 
5. What do you think the author meant when he said, we have to work to rest? 
6. How will this passage affect how you rest this week? 
7. Pray for each other 

Day 4
Scripture: Hebrews 4:14-15

1. What was your high and low today?
2. Read the scripture passage together. 
3. What does this text tell us about the Son, our high priest? 
4. Do you think it was easy for Jesus to find rest? 
5. What does this text tell us about Jesus's temptation around rest? 
6. How will this passage affect how you rest this week?
7. Pray for each other

For questions or comments, email Steven Johnson at Steven@gslcirvine.org