Glimpses of Glory God's Rest

What picture comes to your mind when you hear the four-letter words, rest?

Do you think of normal assignments, assessments,

or other deadlines that are breathing down your neck?

Or, holidaying somewhere that's warmer, or with your favorite climate?

Like, being somewhere alone, or with only a few people who follow everything you tell them to do without arguing?

Or, having everything taken care of, so you don't have to think.

Don't need to think about what to do.

Don't need to think about what to cook to feed all those hungry mouths.

You know, those hungry and angry type.

I know someone who likes to do some small upper-fixer job around their home or their office as their rest.

Some think of gardening, mowing the lawn, or cleaning up their house.

Most people will have a glass or two of their favorite drinks to celebrate their job well done.

If you have been following our preaching series in the Book of Isaiah,

you may find it strange that I am asking you to imagine rest.

From the beginning of the book to chapter 27,

it has been a restless picture of imminent judgment and a call to repentance.

The Book of Isaiah is about the Holy Creator restoring His holiness among His people

by prophesying and allowing them to be taken captive and subject to a ruthless, unmerciful, ungracious ruler.

God revealed His glory and grace to His people by giving them a negative example of life without Him.

At this point in the book, the topic of rest reminds us that God is gracious and glorious.

The God who made the world and all the things in it, who the Bible reveals and all Christians believe in,

is not as promoted by many other religions as a God that manipulates His believers' lives to keep them in fear,

so they will keep bringing their offerings and serve it with their hands.

God does not take joy in playing with our life or punishing His creations.

God, the Creator, is not as many people choose to believe,

especially many atheist philosophers, that is unloving and distant.

God did not create this world to leave it to run itself.

God has cared for you in every minute of your life since the world was created,

whether you have reached out and found Him or not,

or realizing these threats or not.

The Apostle Paul highlighted this fact about God's creation

and God's interaction with His creation

when he visited the city of Athens in Acts 17, verse 26 to 27.

Acts 17:26–27

From one man He make all nations that...

From one man He make all nations that they should inhabit the whole earth,

and He mark out for their appointed time in history and the boundary for their land.

God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him,

though He's not far from any one of us.

If you have reached out and found God,

and you have been a Christian for a while,

however, God seems so far from your life and you are restless and troubled,

or you have never reached out to find God,

let's get back to some basics about our world,

about the God who made it,

and our life by looking at the three aspects of rest.

Rest installed, rest interrupt, and rest restored.

From Messiah 28, another part of the Bible.

There's the outline...

Sorry.

There's the outline in our SingPause app that you can use,

and also you can use this app to drop some notes for yourself to review later.

A few weeks ago, our Senior Minister Steve highlighted that

the Book of Isaiah began with calling the creation as witnesses against God's people.

First 1 to 4 of chapter 1 says,

A book full of woes, warnings, and images of restlessness.

The session beginning from chapter 28 up to chapter 35 presents seven woes.

They provide stark contrast to the creative order,

the original bootplines where the concept of rest is installed.

In Genesis 1 to 2,

as we read about how God created this world in six days,

the faith God saw that it was good

is repeated so many times

that it required great faith for anyone

to think or believe that this world come about

by some accidental explosion like a Big Bang.

I do not know about you.

I do not mind receiving negative comments

when I know I have not done an excellent job.

But if it's something I'm proud of

and consider a job well done,

I do not like criticism or being accused

that I don't care about what I have done.

Suppose the God of the Bible didn't make this world

and consider his creation as good.

How absurd and insulting would it be to him,

the creator,

for humans to believe that this world and our life

are meaningless and without purpose,

as proposed by some atheist philosophers.

Humans rightly deserve our woes

if we forsake our creator.

Sprung the holy God and turn our back on him.

God's original blueprint for our life

was not to be dysfunctional,

under or unfulfillment or restless.

Genesis,

tell us that after six days of creating the world

and everything in it,

God was pleased and satisfied with his creations

and rest from all his work on the seventh day.

Genesis 1, 31 tell us that

God saw all that he made

and it was very good

and there was evening

and there was morning,

the sixth day.

Thus,

the heaven and the earth were completed

in all their vast array.

By the seventh day,

God had finished the work he had been doing.

So on the seventh day,

he rests from all his work.

Then God blessed the seventh day

and make it holy

because on it,

he rests from all the work

of creating that he had done.

Rest is installed in God's creative order

and the creation

were meant to enjoy

resting with God.

God even stipulated

for us to rest with him

as part of the first set of law

that he gave humans.

He called it the Sabbath day.

Exodus 20,

Exodus 20:8–11

verse 8 to 11,

commands that,

remember the Sabbath day

by keeping it holy.

Six days you shall labor

and do all your work.

By the seventh day,

is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.

On it,

you shall not do any work.

For in six days,

the Lord made the heavens

and the earth,

the sea,

and all that is in them.

But he rests on the seventh day.

Therefore,

the Lord blessed the Sabbath day

and make it holy.

God take rest from his work.

He blessed that one day

of rest and make it holy.

It is for our good

that we rest from our work regularly.

God knows it

and cares enough about us

to set it as a command

for us to follow.

The day of rest

is a Sabbath to the Lord our God.

Only in God's rest

can we grow our appreciation

towards our Creator

and be made holy.

Human and God's creation

were not designed

to keep going without resting.

Our passage today

in Isaiah 28,

Isaiah 28:24–25

verse 24 to 25,

used a few rhetorical questions

to highlight this fact.

When a farmer prows for planting,

does he prow continually?

Does he keep on breaking up

and working the soil?

When he has leveled the surface,

does he not sow caraway

and scatter cumin?

Does he not plant wheat in his place,

barley in his pot,

and spout in his field?

We are not meant to work continuously.

Earlier this month,

a ferry captain in Hong Kong

collapsed and died at his work

after being on duty

for 23 consecutive days.

The workers at that ferry company

have a 25 days on

and five days off roster.

Death by overwork in Japan

is so common

that there is a specific Japanese word

for that incident.

A sad reality

of our modern world

that has been true

throughout the ages.

Modernity has some benefit,

but its damage and consequences

far outweigh its usefulness,

especially as it denied

the assistance of God

and ignored God's original plan

for his creation

to rest with him.

During the time of Isaiah,

facing the imminent threat

of invasion,

God's people think

that they have the situation

worked out

by turning their back on God

and agreeing with the neighboring nation

to give them protection.

They even boast about

that arrangement

in verse 14 and 15,

and they were celebrating

that treaty

to the point of getting drunk

and vomiting

in verse 1 to 8.

However,

God calls their arrangement

a covenant with death,

an agreement with the realm of death.

When humans think

they are wiser than God,

the God who created them,

and forsake,

and turn their back on him,

what do you think

is the most reasonable thing

to do

by a loving and righteous God?

When humans

interrupt God's plan,

rest,

a holy, loving God

will take action

to restore that rest.

Ever since humans

disobeyed God

from Genesis 3,

which started with the question

that twisted God's command,

did God really say?

The rest that God

installed in his creation

was interrupted.

Since then,

God has warned

and called his people

back to the rest

that he installed,

calling us back to him

like in verse 11 and 12.

God will speak to his people

to whom he say,

this is a resting place,

let the weary rest,

and this is the place

of response.

But the result

has always been,

but they would not listen.

We are very similar

to the people

in Isaiah's time

in our attitude

towards God's message

and teaching.

When it comes

to listening to God,

we are like

in verse 9 to 13.

Every word

coming from God

becomes,

do this,

do that,

a rule for this,

a rule for that,

a little here,

a little there.

God's people

would not listen to God

has been an issue

from the fall

of human after creation

to now.

The creative order

was interrupted

because we turn

what is meant

to be a relationship

into a transaction

or something mechanical.

We are not looking

into God's word

to have a relationship

with our creator.

We are looking

for a way

to justify

our way of living,

looking for the

bare minimum requirement

to put our

restless soul

at ease.

Many people

are interested

in looking

at the Bible

to find out

what they must do

instead of what

God has done

for them.

God's word

has become

a set of rules

for them,

not the words

from the heart

of their gracious

creator

that they want

to treasure.

Many people

are looking

into the Bible

for religion

instead of a relation.

What about you?

If you have been

coming to St. Paul's

for a while,

how is your

relationship with God?

Have you been

growing in your faith?

God created us

to enjoy

a restful relationship

with the Trinity,

finding our fulfillment

in life

in our relationship

with Him,

but many

treat God

as a vending machine

to become happy

and secure.

As a result,

our life

becomes restless

and troubled.

Theologian

Tim Keller

said in one

of his devotional,

when we are

in trouble,

our soul

chatter to us.

We have to have this

or we won't make it.

This must happen

or all is lost.

The assumption is

God alone

would not be enough.

Some other circumstance,

condition,

or possession

is necessary

to be happy

and secure.

God's people

would not listen

to God

because they

do not treat God

as the God

that created the world

and everything in it,

as the Lord Almighty

that is glorious,

full of justice

and strength.

God's rest

is interrupted

because we

do not listen

to God.

How often

do you hear

when God

say to you,

I've got you,

but you turn

your back

and push him away

and say,

I've got it.

I know what I'm doing.

You are the only one

who would know

the answer

to the following questions.

Have you sacrificed

your relationship

with God

and his people

to build a buffer

in your bank account?

Have you worried

more about

your job security

or finances

than your relationship

with God

and his people?

Have you concerned

more about

how your kids

are doing at school

than their knowledge

and understanding

of God?

Are you finding

rest in God?

Is God

your resting place,

your place

of refuge

and hiding?

King David

wrote in Psalm 62,

in verse 1 and 2,

he said,

Truly,

my soul

finds rest in God.

My salvation

comes from him.

Truly,

he is my rock

and my salvation.

He is my fortress.

I will never be shaken.

It is God's

full intention

for us

to find rest

in him.

He installed

that rest

in the creation,

but humans

were unwilling

to listen

and interrupt

God's rest.

Isaiah told us

in a couple

of chapters later,

in chapter 30,

15 to 18,

that

this is what

the Sovereign Lord,

the Holy One

of Israel,

says,

In repentance

and rest

is your salvation,

in quietness

and trust

is your strength,

but you will

have none of it.

You say,

No,

we will fleet

on horses.

Therefore,

you will fleet.

You say,

we'll ride off

on shift horses.

Therefore,

your pursuer

will be stripped.

Yet,

the Lord

longs to be

gracious to you.

Therefore,

he'll rise up

to show you

compassion.

For the Lord

is a God

of justice.

Blessed are those

who wait for him.

our restlessness,

like those

experienced

by God's people

in Isaiah's time,

is a direct result

of us

not listening

to God.

Because you

try to flee

from God,

you will always

be running.

You will always

be pursued

because you

try to run

away from God.

As determined

to have us

rest with him

in the blueprint

of the creation,

God is also

determined

to restore rest

in his world

and into your life.

What humans

have done

did not follow

God's original plan.

God has restored

the rest

by pursuing us

to repent.

The Lord,

our God

of justice,

has righted

the wrong

humans committed

against him

and reinstalled

righteousness.

Isaiah 32,

Isaiah 32:17

verse 17

and the 18

said,

the fruit

of their

righteousness

will be peace.

Its effect

will be quietness

and confident

forever.

My people

will live

in peaceful

dwelling,

in secure

home,

in undisturbed

place of rest.

Verse 16

to 17

of our chapter

today,

in chapter 28,

tell us

a picture

of God's

rebuilding works.

God

rebuilds

his peaceful

dwelling place,

a secure

home,

the undisturbed

places of rest

by laying

a precious

cornerstone

at his

true foundation.

So,

as with the

Chauvin-Law

say,

see,

I lay a stone

in Zion,

a tested stone,

a precious

cornerstone

for a true

foundation.

The one

who relies

on it

will never

be stricken

with panic.

I will

make justice

the measuring

line,

and righteousness

the plumb

line.

A cornerstone

is the first

stone laid

when building

a house

in the ancient

time.

It determines

the orientation

and the size

of the house

by setting

the mesh

lines of it.

It will also

help to secure

to ensure

the walls

are straight

by setting

the plumb

line against

it.

Apostle Peter

has personified

this precious

cornerstone

as Jesus

Christ himself.

He rephrased

these verses

in 1 Peter

2, 4-6

by switching

him into

it.

As you

come to

him,

the living

stone,

rejected

by human,

chosen by

God,

and precious

to him,

you also,

like living

stones,

are being

built into

a spiritual

house to

be a holy

priesthood,

offering

spiritual

sacrifice

acceptable

to God

through

Jesus

Christ.

For in

the scripture

it says,

see,

I lay a

stone in

Zion,

a chosen

and precious

cornerstone.

The one

who trusts

in him

will never

be put

to shame.

Anyone

who trusts

in Jesus

will never

be put

to shame

or be

stricken

with panic

because God,

Jesus,

did not run

away from

God or

God's plan

for him

to save

the world.

He died

for us

and raised

us up

from death

to show

us God's

compassion.

Jesus was

rejected

by humans

so we can

be accepted

back to

God,

and we

are given

a new

role

on this

earth.

No longer

are you

to run

away from

God.

Every follower

of Jesus

is being

built into

a spiritual

house to

be a holy

priesthood of

God for

his people.

As believer

in God's

mercy and

grace,

your central

role is

no longer

building your

bank account

or credential,

nor your

family or

business.

As believer,

God has

given you

a new

role to

offer

spiritual

sacrifice

acceptable

to God.

Make every

moment of

your life

a living

sacrifice.

When you

write up your

report for

work or

your assignment

for

university,

write them

as an

offering to

God.

When you

cook for

your family

or serve

your customers,

do it as

an offering,

a sacrifice

to God.

Jesus

invite us

in Matthew

11,

come to

me,

all you

who are

weary

and

burdened,

and I

will give

you rest.

Take my

yoke upon

you and

learn from

me,

for I am

gentle and

humble in

heart,

and you

will find

rest for

your soul,

for my

yoke is

easy and

my burden

is light.

What is

Jesus'

yoke?

What did

he come

to do?

Jesus

answered that

in Luke

19,

he said,

for the

Son of

Man came

to seek

and to

save the

lost.

When you

live your

life as a

light in

the darkness

for others

to find

God,

if your

primary concern

of your

life is

the salvation

of others,

you will

have rest

in your

life.

Use every

moment of

your interaction

with others

to show

them Christ.

for

believers

and

unbelievers.

In

repentance

and rest

is your

salvation.

In

quietness

and trust

is your

strength.

Come to

Jesus today.

He will

give you

rest.

He is a

resting place

with

true

foundation.

All this

also comes

from the

Lord Almighty,

whose plan

is wonderful,

whose wisdom

is magnificent.

Come to

Jesus today

to get

God's rest

for your

soul.

All right.