God’s Rest

Genesis chapter 2

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

from slavery to sin.

Jesus is the one who truly puts an end to our labors.

In Christ, we receive his righteousness by grace through faith,

not by our efforts.

It's Jesus who went to the cross on our behalf,

and on Friday when his work was complete,

what did he say?

It is finished.

His work was done.

He ceased from the work of redemption.

And on Saturday, he rested in the grave.

And on Sunday, he rose again as the beginning of a new age,

a new creation,

ushering in a new covenant

and doing away with the old covenant for good.

Scott Hubbard, he says,

When the stone rolled away from Jesus' tomb on Easter morning,

true Sabbath rest arrived,

and a new day dawned.

So fifth,

lastly,

let's bring it to us.

Where does this leave us?

Church, we are not obligated to keep the Sabbath

because we see that everything the Sabbath was meant to teach us

is found in Christ.

The Sabbath was his big arrows,

as pointing to Jesus,

and now Jesus has come.

Israel, the old covenant,

the Sabbath,

all these are shadows,

but Christ is the substance.

These are all blurry,

black and white images,

but now Christ has come,

and all of his new covenant people,

we get to enjoy the fullness of God's rest in him.

Yes, God still calls you to rest in him,

but no longer by simply setting aside one day out of seven,

but by coming to Christ in faith.

The early church had to wrestle with this, too.

This is one of the questions that they had to settle,

and they had to discuss,

is do we still observe the Sabbath day?

That was a question they had to ask right up there alongside.

Do we still have to be circumcised

in order to be a part of the people of God?

And here's what they said.

Paul says in Colossians chapter 2,

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

Let no one pass judgment on you

in questions of food and drink,

or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.

These are a shadow of the things to come,

but the substance belongs to Christ.

And he tells the church in Rome,

Romans 14, verse 5,

Romans 14:5

he says,

One person esteems one day as better than another,

while another esteems all days alike.

Look, each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

That would not fly in the old covenant, would it?

It used to be do this or die.

And now he says,

Christ has come and you are free.

Don't judge each other.

Live in the freedom that Christ has purchased for you in the gospel.

Live according to your convictions.

Something has happened that has drastically changed this dynamic

and this concept of Sabbath rest.

And that something clearly is the resurrection of Jesus.

In fact, the early church,

they began a totally new practice

in light of the resurrection of Jesus.

They began to gather

and to worship together on the Lord's day.

Sunday.

You wonder why we as Christians gather

and worship on Sunday morning

and not on Saturday.

Sunday is the Lord's day.

This is resurrection day.

It wasn't a new Sabbath day.

The Sabbath didn't just move forward 24 hours in the clock

from Saturday to Sunday.

This was an entirely new practice.

Gathering with the church

to worship the risen Lord Jesus on the Lord's day.

And guess what, church?

That is a command for Christians.

The author of Hebrews tells us

to not neglect the meeting together

as is the habit of some,

but encourage one another.

And all the more as you see the day drawing near.

And it's here together

that we as a church,

we come together

and we get a foretaste

of the rest of heaven.

For a brief moment in our week,

we set aside our work.

And we join together

with the angels in heaven

and singing songs of praise to the Lord.

We put down our tools.

We pick up our Bibles.

We remember,

we're reminded that God is our creator.

That we are set apart for Him.

That Jesus has come to redeem us

by His own blood.

What a gift we're given.

God extends true rest to us in Christ.

The rest that you and I were made for

is found in Christ.

The early church father, St. Augustine,

he would say it like this.

He said,

our hearts are restless

until we find rest in Thee.

Friend, if you are not a Christian,

Christ invites you this morning.

This invitation is yours.

Come to me.

All who are weary and heavy laden,

come to me.

All you who are burdened down by your sin,

come to me.

All you who are separated from me

by your sin,

come to Christ

and I will give you true rest.

And Christian,

as we grow in our walk with the Lord,

we're constantly bid to do the same thing.

Come to Christ.

Come to Christ.

Come to Christ.

We're called to rest in Him

and it's only in Him,

only by faith in Him

that you will find true rest.

I want you to turn with me

to one more passage as we close.

Hebrews chapter 4.

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 4.

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

Right before this chapter,

the author of Hebrews,

he reminds us that

that many in Israel

failed to enter the promised rest.

That rest in the land of Canaan

was never ultimate.

The invitation was there.

The land was right there in front of them.

But he says that they heard the voice of God

and they hardened their hearts.

And so they didn't enter

because of their unbelief.

Therefore, he says chapter 4.

While the promise of entering His rest

still stands,

let us fear

lest any of you

should seem to have failed to reach it.

For good news came to us

just as to them.

But the message they heard

did not benefit them

because they were not united by faith

with those who listened.

For we who have believed

enter that rest.

As he has said,

verse 6.

Since therefore it remains

for some to enter it.

And those who formerly received

the good news

failed to enter

because of disobedience.

Again,

he appoints a certain day.

Today.

Saying through David

so long afterward.

And the words already quoted.

Today.

If you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts.

For if Joshua had given them rest,

God would not have spoken

of another day later on.

So then,

there remains

a Sabbath rest

for the people of God.

For whoever has entered

God's rest

has also rested

from His works

as God did

from His.

Let us therefore

strive

to enter

that rest

so that no one

may fall

by the same sort

of disobedience.

Church,

as we

think on this theme

of God's rest,

we can make all sorts

of applications

about resting

and working,

taking a day off

every now and then,

getting a nap,

turning off your phone,

going for a walk

in the woods.

All of that is well

and good.

But there's something

infinitely more serious

at stake here.

I need you to listen.

God has spoken

to you today

through His Word.

And He has extended

to you

this promise.

Here it is again.

Come to Christ.

Come to Christ

and find true rest.

Leave behind

the chaos

and the striving

of this world.

Lay aside

the burden

of sin.

Come to Christ

and He will give you

true rest

for your souls.

He is the rest

that you were made for.

Today you have heard

His voice.

Do not harden

your hearts.

Those who believe

will enter

the rest

God has provided

for us in Christ.

Those who believe

will enter

His rest.

Today,

if you hear

His voice,

do not

harden

your hearts.

rest,

there remains

a Sabbath rest

for the people

of God.

And today,

today you may

enter true rest

by faith in Christ.

A perfect rest

that we who know

the Lord

will enjoy

in full

at His return

in a new

and better Eden.

But we who

know the Lord

can enjoy

and enter that rest

and taste it

even partially

here right now

through faith

in Christ.

let us

therefore strive

to enter that rest

by hearing

and believing

by coming

to Christ

the Lord

of the Sabbath.

Let's pray.

Father,

what a joy

it is

and what a

restful thing

it is to know

that our sins

are forgiven.

in Christ.

That our deepest

and hardest

and greatest

efforts

our best works

it can't bring us

one inch closer

to you

but you've provided

perfect

righteousness

received

not by our

doing

but received

by grace

through faith

and a perfect

Savior

who just bids us

come.

Lord,

we pray

if there are

any with us

this morning

who do not

know you

would you

would you

lead them

Lord

to believe

to listen

to this

invitation

and to come

to Christ

and Father

for the church

for us believers

we pray

God

that we would

not be

prone to

wander back

into this

rhythm of

work

and work

and work

of deeds

and deeds

and deeds

of effort

and effort

and effort

but that we

would rest

in Christ.

we love

you Lord

we pray

this in

Jesus name

Amen

Amen