The Sabbath
God created the universe and everything in it and on the seventh day He rested because He had finished His work. He called it the Sabbath. He blessed it and sanctified this day. This command is the fourth of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:1-17. God said to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. It is one of the most important commandments relating to our relationship with and our worship of God.
We are to remember this day, meaning we should not forget to take a day off. We are to keep it holy, meaning to set it aside from all other days as a special day. It is to be a day for the Lord. It should be God-centered rest. We can keep it holy by focusing on our holy God. It should be one day out of seven. You work six, rest one. The Sabbath actually means ‘rest’ not seventh. The Bible doesn’t say it has to be the last day or the first day of the week. There is no mention of weeks here.The seventh day comes from Genesis 2:2-3. It’s the day God rested after creating the universe. When God finished His work, He blessed it and made it holy. Your attention should be on Him and not others things as in the other six days that are spent on secular affairs and professional advancement.
The Sabbath is not a day of dos and don’ts. So don’t be legalistic about it. Don’t look at what you can’t do. Its original intention was to be good news. The Sabbath command is a command to experience joy. God’s purpose for us is that we have a joyful experience. It’s a gracious gift given to us by God.
Matthew 12 tells us what Jesus thought about the Sabbath. He used it as a day for showing mercy and for doing good. It’s a day to focus on the Lord. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.
What about Saturday evening church services? Some use Saturday as their Sabbath and others use Sunday. We could view it as the Jews do. Their week begins at 6:00 pm on Saturday. We could view it as lengthening of the Sunday Sabbath. We could also think of it as an extra service in the week. We need to remember the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath. “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” – Romans 14:4.
Principle: Accept the gift of one day’s rest each week devoting this day and focus on God keeping it holy.
How are you keeping the Sabbath?
Do you fall into legalism when keeping the Sabbath?
God’s Ultimate Rest
One day we will experience God’s ultimate rest in heaven. It won’t be just one day of rest. It will be continual rest. God calls us into His rest (Heb 4). We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to experience this rest today. Jesus offers us rest and peace now in an unburdened life.
You’ve probably heard the saying “No rest for wicked”. It comes from Isaiah 57:21 – “There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.” Well that is true. Wickedness is a synonym for evil or sinfulness. Evil is to be in opposition to God. It is the absence of good. God didn’t create evil, but he does allow it. He gave us free will and from that we make the choice to do good or to do evil.
Rest in the Bible means to relax in peace. God’s rest is a place where God rules. It is free from chaos and disorder brought about by sin and rebellion. God’s rest was disturbed by the fall of man. The Sabbath is God restoring rest for a time.
There are levels to God’s rest. One level is the Sabbath taking time to stop doing our usual work. Another level is to be in fellowship with God leaving chaos of the world behind and looking forward to heaven. Another is God’s final rest we will receive in heaven forever. We can have God’s rest right now. We call this salvation. Those who believe in and accept Jesus can have peace and rest knowing one day they will be in heaven and live in God’s ultimate rest. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28.
We enter God’s rest daily by understanding our inability to enter on our own. We enter by our total faith and belief in the sacrifice of Christ and complete obedience to God and His will. So live by grace and enjoy His rest. When you find yourself frustrated or feeling overwhelmed, remember to get your focus back on Him and enter into His rest once again. Then you can rest in the storms of life.
Principle: Enter God’s Rest through faith and belief in Jesus Christ.
Signs you are missing God’s Rest:
You’re making unwise choices
You lack self-control
You are easily angered
You can’t control your emotions
You’re sick a lot
You’re tired all the time
You don’t get enough sleep
You often have negative thoughts
You’ve lost your hunger for God’s Word
You have no desire to serve
You’re anxious most of the time
You’re depressed
Hindrances to Entering God’s Rest:
Lack of faith
Lack of knowledge to His Word
Sinning
Immorality
Pride
Depending on your own wisdom
Thinking you know more than God
Excess worrying
Not accepting His grace
Rejection
Unbelief
Stubbornness
Unrepentant heart
How can we enter into God’s Rest?
The concept of entering into God’s rest is found in Hebrews 3-4. Hebrews 3 warns against falling away. Hebrews 4 talks about God’s rest for His people. “It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience…if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” – Hebrews 4:7. Faith is the key to entering God’s rest. We are not to be disobedient and distrusting like the Israelites. We are to rest on God’s promises. The promise of salvation through God’s provision, Jesus Christ provides eternal rest. He alone provides rest through His blood that He shed on the cross.
Jesus is our Sabbath Rest. Matthew 12:8 – “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” He is our Sabbath rest in the flesh. Only in Him can we find rest and peace. We don’t have to work to achieve our salvation. He is our rest from works.
When we possess rest in Jesus, our daily pain doesn’t seem so bad. We are refreshed and our minds and bodies are relaxed. We are able to operate our lives in peace and achieve our goals. Our minds are calm and restful. We are not as rattled by things that happen in our lives, because we have His rest and peace. We know and trust that Jesus is by our side in all circumstances. We are confident and assured of eternal life with God..Join me here next time. -- I encourage you to trust in and have faith in Jesus.
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