Welcome to our new site!

Sermon
Genesis

Where To Find Rest

Listen on

September 24, 2023
Genesis 2:1-3
Steven Lee
Pastor for Preaching & Vision

Transcript

0:12This morning we look at day seven of creation. It's a day of rest. What does that mean? And why is it significant for us this morning? Before we jump in, would you join me as we pray and ask God for help? Father, you are worthy, worthy of our hearts, our affections, our time, our energy, and you're worthy of our minds this morning. So help us by the power of your spirit and work through our brains so that we would think clearly and understand what you want us to see from this text this morning so that we would be more like your son, Jesus, that we would love you more and be more amazed at who you are and all that you've accomplished. We pray that in Jesus' name. Amen.

1:09Some of you know, most of you know that the elders granted me a sabbatical this summer and I think it would not be an exaggeration that the thing that most everybody was praying for, for our family. And by the way, thank you for all of your prayers. The number one thing that people were praying for, what was it? Rest. Rest. That's right. And and rest is this amazing elusive thing, isn't it? It's not just sleep. If you prayed for me to have sleep, that would've been nice. It almost sounds like you want me to die, but I don't think that's what you know, you want me to go to sleep, but rest. It's this idea of sleeping. Yes, but then it's this relief from turmoil.

1:53It's this idea of relief from mental weariness, emotional turmoil and physical labor. It it's this idea of being trouble free and stress-free and and physically renewed and, and as we even just talk about it, some of you are like, yes, that's what I want. 'cause we know how elusive it is to be stress free in this world. If someone could package up rest and sell it, it would go flying off the shelves, wouldn't it? And so this morning we come to day seven of creation that shows us God is at rest. It's a profound moment in creation that points us to where we will ultimately find our rest. This morning, this is why I titled my sermon where we find rest. Now, as you heard this passage read this morning, you might be wondering, is this all that important? What?

2:52What's the big deal about the seventh day compared to the sixth day where God created all the animals and all of mankind and he made us in his image to be image bearers of God, male and female. Day seven almost feels like a let down. For some of us we think, okay, yeah, God rested. Does this passage even matter all that much? Some of you thought before you came to church, I wonder what Pastor Steven's gonna say about this. 'cause it doesn't seem like there's all that much there. I won't pick on you and make you show hands who thought that? So this passage, I believe shows us something very profound about the pattern of creation. And I wanna show us in two parts. The first, I wanna briefly walk through this passage and it will be brief just to make sure that we understand every aspect of it. And then the second part, which is the bulk of the sermon, I want to do a biblical theological study of the seventh day or of the Sabbath.

3:51So let's jump in and we're gonna look at this first part and try to understand this passage. Look with me at Genesis two, one, thus the heavens and the earth were finished. In all the hosts of them, the heavens and the earth echoes chapter one verse one. They're completed with all the of them. And, and if you're wondering what is the host of them, it could also be read in all their vast array, which is what the N I V does or another couple of versions say everything in them. This refers to the sun and the moon and the stars and all the living things that were made on the fifth and sixth day. You'll notice that I did put these scriptures up because when we get to the second section, we're gonna run through about seven or eight or nine passages very quickly.

4:39And so get your Bible drill fingers out and you know, you can also see it on the screen. But look with me now at verse two it says, and on the seventh day, God finished his work that he had done and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it, God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. Mentioned three times is the seventh day. I think this is to emphasize the importance and the significance of this day. This is not just a throwaway God had completed his work of creation. And day seven is this day of rest.

5:22It it's like if you go and you have a multi-course meal, right? You have the appetizer that just gets you going. And then perhaps the climax is the main course when it comes. And you take that very first bite and then you still get the dessert and, and that's good. But after all the plates are cleared and you're sitting there, the look on your face is one of satisfaction. You've eaten your fill and and you're just like, oh, I couldn't eat another bite. It was so good that that's the idea of God over six days making his creation. And on the seventh day he sits back and he says, oh, I'm so pleased with all that I have made.

6:09It's the afterglow of creation. And the obvious question that arises for us is why does God rest when he doesn't get tired? Why does God rest when he doesn't get tired? I, Isaiah 40, verse 28, establishes this fact, the Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary. God does not grow weary. Or Psalm 1 21, he's our keeper. He never slumbers nor sleeps. God doesn't need to sleep like us. He doesn't get tired. So this idea of rest is this idea of ceasing one's activity. There is a element of celebration in it, but it's not because God was tired, but rather he's pleased and he's standing back and he's looking at his creation.

7:02And this is going to be a pattern for what we will see through the entire rest of the scriptures. Now, before we do that, God blesses this created or you see that in verse three, he made it holy meaning that he set it apart. It's a special day. Later on in Exodus, we'll see that it's actually a holy day. It means that it's a designated day where God stands back and looks at his creation and is pleased with it. You'll also notice what's missing from this. There is no command to Adam and Eve not to work on the seventh day here in this account. You'll also notice that this seventh day does not say, and there was evening and there was morning the seventh day, like all the other six days there was evening and there was morning the first day, the second day, the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth day. And it's absent here in the seventh day. Why? I think again, it's pointing forward to the significance of this seventh day.

8:03And it will what what it will ultimately signify when we get to the New Testament. So that's the brief overview of our text. Now we're gonna move into the second part, this biblical theology of Sabbath. Now what is biblical theology? There's a book written by Jason roi. Some of you know em. He was one of our elders and Andy Naselli. They have a book called 40 Questions on Biblical Theology. It's actually dedicated to the joint heirs Sunday school class that DeRoche used to be a part of. How many are part of joint heirs? Just show of hands. Yes. So you should go about and buy that book, but it's a really helpful resources.

8:41It answers all the questions about biblical theology. But one of the things they say when they're trying to define it is biblical theology studies how the whole Bible progresses, integrates and climaxes in Christ progresses, integrates and climaxes in Christ. So what biblical theology does, it takes one theme usually and and it tries to trace that theme from Genesis all the way to Revelation and to see how it progresses and integrates in climaxes. It's different from systematic theology where you say you take a topic like God and then you look at the entire Bible and all the verses that talk about God and you try to come up with some statements that are almost ahistorical, right?

9:24That that are just universally true about God. Like God is sovereign, God is powerful, God is omni mission. What biblical theology does is tracing this theme. And what we're gonna do is try to trace Sabbath or the seventh day from the Old Testament all the way to the new. And and the reason we're going to do this, which we, we don't normally do this, we, we normally just try to preach through a passage and show you the meaning, the reason we're doing this. 'cause I think it's really helpful to show us both the complexity and the simplicity of scripture. And it's gonna give us a fuller appreciation of the genius that is God's book. It's a little bit like this.

10:05How many of you have been to the Badlands? You don't, you don't take like a walking tour all the way through the Badlands, right? You start at one end and you drive through it and you get to the other end and and different parts of it. And yes, you get off and you take the overlook and you might take a little walk, but then you get back in your car and you drive to the next spot And and that that's a little bit what we're gonna do, what we're gonna look at several patches, passages, but we're not gonna dissect all of it. But we're gonna continue along so that we get the big picture. So you see the scope of Sabbath in the scriptures.

10:40The main point, I hope us, I hope that we'll see this morning is this, the seventh day of creation points forward to the eternal rest that we find in Jesus. The seventh day is a profound pattern and sign that points us forward to the final and ultimate rest that we will find in Jesus. And I know you read your Bibles this morning, you heard that passage read and you're wondering, how in the world do you get that? And so we're gonna see now our passage in Genesis doesn't mention the word Sabbath, but it serves as a pattern and sign of the Sabbath. And to see that we need to get to Exodus 16. So you'll see it on the screen and I'm gonna read it and you can turn there as well. Exodus 16, we're gonna read 22 to 26. Here, God is providing manna from heaven to feed the people of Israel while they're in the wilderness.

11:34On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread to omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, this is what the Lord has commanded. Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath. This is the first time the word Sabbath shows up in the Old Testament, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil. And all that is left over lay aside to be kept until the morning. So they laid it aside till morning as Moses commanded them and it did not stink and there were no worms in it. And Moses said, eat it today for today is a sabbath to the Lord.

12:11Today you will find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it. But on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none. You see that in the end of verse 26 there, the seventh day is equated with the Sabbath. God tells them to rest and not gather manna and and if you know the story, the people go out on that seventh day anyways still looking and there's none. And Moses rebukes them and he says, you're supposed to trust God. He I, I told you what would happen, but there's no punishment, which is worth noting in Exodus 1629. So this Sabbath prior to the giving of the law is a gift to Israel.

12:55God gives Israel rest from their labors of gathering on this seventh day because they were once slaves in Egypt and they worked probably every day. And now God gives them a mandatory day of rest. They don't have to go out and gather. Now the next slide, Exodus 20 verses eight to 11. You can turn there, you can see it on the screen. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. This is the giving of the 10 Commandments. We're in commandment four, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God on it. You shall not do any work you or your son or your daughter, your male servant or your female servant or your livestock or the sojourner who is within your gates.

13:40For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that is in them and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. So the giving of the fourth commandment, God establishes this day of Sabbath as a day of rest for the people and for all their servants and even for their animals. And it's patterned off of creation. You see that in verse 11 because the Lord made the heaven and earth and rested on the seventh day and now becomes this pattern for their Sabbath. Moses points back to creation. You'll notice that this Sabbath is not just for the people, but it's for even the animals and even the foreigners, servants and sojourners, the vulnerable that are among them.

14:29So God's example becomes a pattern for Israel. It's a reminder that we are creatures and not the creator and we need regular rhythms of rest. Now we're gonna look at Deuteronomy five, 12 to 15, which is a recapitulation of this fourth commandment as Moses gives this to Israel right before they enter into the promised land. So Deuteronomy five verse 12, observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You shall not do any work you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock or the sojourner who is within your gates that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.

15:23You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God brought you out there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Now just notice with me this Deuteronomy passage is very similar to the one we just read in Exodus 20. But Moses is preaching a sermon to Israel prior to entering into the promised land after their 40 years of wandering. But notice that Moses does not refer back to Genesis two, one to three. He doesn't say, for the Lord your God created the heavens and the earth in six days and the rest on the seventh. But what does he say? Verse 15, you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt.

16:10So the Sabbath is not just a gift modeled after God's pattern, but it becomes a memorial. It becomes a way in which Israel is to remember their deliverance from Egypt. And what better sign of being delivered of your freedom than this gracious gift that is a mandatory day of rest and a day of worship. So it becomes a gift. It later becomes part of the law, the mosaic law, the old covenant, and it's also a memorial. So we're seeing how Sabbath begins to transition and change in some ways or progress if you will. Now we're gonna go back to Exodus, Exodus 31 verses 12 to 17. And the Lord said to Moses, you are to speak to the people of Israel and say, above all, you shall keep my sabbaths.

17:03For this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations that you may know that I, the Lord sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath because it is holy for you. Everyone who profane it shall be put to death. Now we're beginning to see that there's punishment related to not keeping the Sabbath. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. Therefore, the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath observing the Sabbath throughout their generations as a covenant forever.

17:48Notice a covenant, it is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth. And on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. So Exodus 31 makes clear that the Sabbath not only functions as a gift, it's not only part of the 10 commandments as part of the law, but it's now a sign of the mosaic covenant or the old covenant. We call it the mosaic covenant because it was revealed to Moses. Notice the severe penalties for breaking the Sabbath here mentioned twice of death. Now the question that comes to our modern minds is why would God give such a severe punishment for something that's supposed to be a gift?

18:35If anyone else did that, it would be very odd. Here's a stake, it's a gift to you. But if you don't finish it, you die like, whoa. It's kinda harsh. God was not just giving Israel rest here. Remember, God is their king. God is their Lord. He's their ruler. He's the sovereign over the heavens and the earth. And he's the one who's called his people out of slavery. So what he's doing is not just giving them gifts, but he's sanctifying them. He's testing them and he's teaching them how to obey and trust in him. The Sabbath is a sign, but it's also not optional for Israel. Once the law is given, it's a serious matter because it becomes the the symbol, almost a litmus test of whether they will trust and obey Yahweh.

19:32It's a day set apart for worship and burnt offerings and remembering God's deliverance. But it's also to show will they trust the word of God. So those are the central texts in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible and and there's several others throughout the Old Testament, but we would be here all day if I read all of them to you. So I'm just gonna briefly kind of give you the flyover of several other texts. So Leviticus 25 talks about a sabbatical year where the people would farm the land for six years, but on the seventh they would just leave it alone and it would be to benefit the vulnerable and the poor.

20:12So there's a social righteousness and stewardship that's involved in obeying God's commands. And then in the times of the kings and prophets, they often talked about Sabbath rest. But it wasn't about necessarily the the seventh day though it was that. But it was often talking about we want rest from our enemies, we want rest from our wilderness wanderings and we're trying to get into the promised land. 'cause once we get into the promised land, we'll get rest. So there's this picture pointing to will God be true to his promise to give us rest. And then Isaiah has several mentions of Sabbath in chapters 56 and 58.

20:51But I just wanna point out one thing. If you go home later today and look at Isaiah in the very beginning of Isaiah chapter one, verse 13, he talks about being entirely fed up with the people of Israel. And he issues this condemnation because they're being hypocritical. They're keeping their Sabbath, but they're doing wickedness everywhere. And and what does Isaiah do? It develops these prophecies of judgment. But we we also get this suffering servant, this Messiah that's going to come. And by the end of Isaiah, in Isaiah 66, verse 23, it talks about in this new heaven and new earth, all the peoples of the nations will come and they'll gather from moon to moon and from Sabbath to Sabbath.

21:36It's this picture of God is going to send his Messiah to restore the very worship of his people. It's a beautiful picture of what we're talking about and it's pointing to something bigger. Ezekiel 20 talks about profaning, the Sabbath, this idolatry that had consumed Israel, that brought about God's wrath or Nehemiah 13 similar Israel profaned the Sabbath, which led to God's judgment and their exile. And the Sabbath is a test of whether Israel will obey God's command. So just just to overview the Old Testament, the seventh day of Genesis two is the sign and pattern for the Sabbath, which is a sign of the mosaic covenant.

22:23And this mosaic covenant, this old covenant signified the relationship between God and Israel. Would you obey God? Sabbath would often determine and tell. It would be the test that would show will you obey God and listen to him or will you not, which will lead to judgment, injustice and idolatry. Obedience would lead to entering into the promised land where you would get rest and disobedience. You'd be exiled from the promised land. And Israel, if you know your Bibles often failed this test, didn't they again and again and again. They failed. They did not remain faithful to God. They did not uphold their end of the covenant.

23:12They became an idolatrous and spiritually wayward people who were desperate for God's help. Now when we get to the New Testament, we see that Jesus transforms how those who are in Christ Christians relate to the Sabbath. We're not under the old covenant, but we're now under a new covenant. And we see that in Matthew 12. So look with me at Matthew 12, I do encourage you actually to turn your Bibles to Matthew 12, 'cause I want you to see something after we read this. So at that time, Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath and his disciples were hungry and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisee saw it, they said to him, look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.

24:00And he said to them, have you not read what David did when he was hungry and those who were with him, how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him but only for the priests. Or have you not read in the law how the Sabbath, the priest in the temple, profane the Sabbath and are guiltless. I tell you something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice. You would not have condemned the guiltless for the son of man is Lord of the Sabbath. The Pharisees had come up with all these extra rules and regulations of this is what you can do.

24:45This is what you can't do in trying to interpret Old Testament law. And and they were really good rule followers and they take issue with Jesus disciples as they're wandering around and taking these heads of grain and and Jesus cites David eating the bread of presence and the priests in the temple. Now we don't have to, we don't have time to explain this passage in full and it's a little bit complex, but essentially Jesus questions the Pharisees interpretation of the law by citing these two exceptions to the law, David and the temple and temple priests. And then he says something greater is here now to the ears of the Pharisees. This would've been entirely blasphemous, something greater than the greatest king in Israel.

25:30David the one in whom God says, as a man after my own heart, how dare you someone greater than the very priest that minister in the temple of God. And Jesus says, unabashedly something greater than the temple is here. That very temple where God's that signified, where God's presence would dwell. And then there's that mic drop moment for the son of man is Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus shows that he's greater than the law, greater than the Sabbath. He's Lord over it. And he now transforms how all Christians relate to the Sabbath and to the law. Now some of you would say, well, Jesus didn't come to abolish the law because your mind would go to Matthew five 17. Do not think that I've come to abolish the law or the prophets.

26:27I've not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. And that's true. Galatians four, four says, Jesus was born under the law. He perfectly fulfilled the old covenant. He never broke it. And during his earthly ministry, he establishes that he's actually greater than the law and that he's Lord over the Sabbath and all those who are in Christ are also no longer bound by this old covenant. When was the last time you sacrificed an animal like is prescribed in the Old Testament? Hopefully never otherwise. I don't wanna know. But we don't do that anymore. Why? Because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice once and for all. We don't need any more animal sacrifices.

27:14We don't need to sprinkle any blood anywhere in this sanctuary. Now glance down at the passage right after this in Matthew 12, what does it say? What? What's the header say there for you? Matthew 12. After that he heals a man with a withered hand and he does it on the Sabbath. You see that in verse 10. Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath so that they might accuse him again? He's getting tested by the Pharisees and Jesus is making clear I am indeed Lord of the Sabbath. And he says, it's lawful to do good, it's good to do good, lawful to do good on the Sabbath. So he thus transforms how Christians relate to the Sabbath.

28:06Now another passage is John five 14 to 17. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, see you are well. You just healed someone sin no more that nothing worse may happen to you. The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. This was a big deal during Jesus' ministry whenever he was healing on the Sabbath. And then Jesus says, he answered them, my father is working until now and I am working. So Jesus just healed a paralytic on the Sabbath and he says, I'm special and my father is special.

28:49We're exempt from this law. Why? Because he's Lord over the Sabbath. Jesus fulfills the law and then transforms our relationship to the law. The apostle Paul teaches that believers are not subject to the Sabbath as well. There's two verses. Galatians four, nine to 11 doesn't have the word Sabbath here, but I think that's what's in view. He says, but now that you've come to know God or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world whose slaves you want to be once more, you observe days and months and seasons and years. And I think that's in reference to the Sabbath.

29:31I'm afraid that I may have labored over you in vain. So he calls that weak and worthless principles or Colossians two, therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. Why? Because these are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. So the Sabbath was a pattern and a sign that would ultimately point us to Jesus. The substance is Christ. Uh, that there's a lot written about this in the book of Hebrews. I'm not gonna put up a slide on this one, but in Hebrews three, chapter three and chapter four, the writer of Hebrews exhorts the people of God not to harden their hearts.

30:16And he says, don't be like the Israelites in the wilderness that hardened their heart against God and didn't enter into his Sabbath, rest into the promised land. And then now he turns that on its head and he says to Christians, he says, now don't harden your heart to Jesus because in Christ you now have Sabbath rest. And in fact, there will be a perfect eternal rest for the people of God to enter into as God's new covenant people we currently experience rest in Christ and we look forward to the eternal perfect rest that we will have with Jesus. Now I know this is really complicated for some of us, and that's okay.

31:05I think it's important for us to see how Sabbath changes over time and foreshadows Jesus. There are no throwaway passages verses words in your Bible. God has written it so that we would find encouragement and if we would put our minds to studying it, it shows us that there's so much more there. You can read it at face value. There's simplicity there, and yet there's complexity because even in God resting on the seventh day when he didn't need any rest, he's saying, I'm gonna give you a final rest someday in my son Jesus, and that will be perfect. Rest, stress free, trouble free physical, mental, emotional relief from all of the things that plague you and from sin that weighs so heavy.

32:02God is pointing us even in Genesis chapter two, to the rest that we will find in Christ someday the seventh day becomes the Sabbath. A sign of the old covenant fulfilled in Christ transformed to no longer be binding. And now we rest not on a day of the week, not in a particular land, but where do we rest? We rest in a person in Jesus. You don't say, I come to church to rest or, or or Sundays that, that, that, that it's in Christ in which we rest. Jesus ushers in true rest. Not by releasing us from Egyptian slavery, but from the bondage and the enslavement of sin. He brings God's blessing by the indwelling power of the Spirit and he enters into God's rest and brings us with him.

33:04Jesus establishes a better covenant. Hebrews talks about Jesus as the high priest and after he offered sacrifice, he's both the high priest and the sacrifice. What does he do? He sits down. All the other priests never sat down. Their work was continuing. What does Jesus do? He sits down. Why? 'cause he had to cease from his work. Because it's finished. It's done. There are no more sacrifices to be offered. All those in Christ can rest in him right now in our promised eternal rest. Someday the seventh day of creation points forward to resting in Jesus forever. Uh, I wanna address just a few questions because I think these come to mind for a, a lot of us and, and they're practical in nature.

33:58So did Sunday often called the Lord's Day replace the Sabbath, which was often observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening. And I would say no Sunday didn't replace the Sabbath. The first Jewish Christians continued to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath, yet Sunday was a day of worship for the people of God because of various reasons. Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday and the early church began to gather on the first day of the week, even though they didn't necessarily have rest from their physical work. So the Sunday does not replace the Sabbath. We're not strict sabots meaning that if you don't set aside Sunday, then you're not saved that, that it's somehow linked to our salvation.

34:43Now, if we're not required to observe the Sabbath, should we still rest one day and seven? And to that, I would say yes, God establishes this pattern of working six days, resting one. And it's wise for us to follow this pattern. We get to rest. Uh, our world says Work 24 7, hustle and grind and get ahead. Sacrifice your family so that you can get financial freedom. And yet God calls us to trust him, to pause our striving and to rest in him. And I think it's actually okay if for some reason we work on Sunday and we pick another day for rest. And yet I would say as the people of God, we ought to prioritize and, and set aside as much as we're able the corporate gathering of the church in order to worship and to gather and to fellowship. Now, what can Christians do or not do on Sunday? You're you're wondering, can I, can I watch the Vikings game later, pastor or whatever it is. Uh, I think this is largely a matter of conscience and wisdom. Uh, if we believe we shouldn't do certain things on Sunday, we shouldn't look down or despise others who don't agree and vice versa.

35:58What I'd rather have us ask rather than what can I or can't I do? What restrictions are you putting is rather what, what's the purpose of resting one in seven? As we saw in all those passages, it was to worship, it was to celebrate. It's to cease our striving. But now we gather with Christ's body, we encourage one another. It's an opportunity to celebrate and to feast. It was to benefit the animals and even the sojourners and the slaves. And so perhaps we might establish gatherings where there are those on the margins, the vulnerable, who would be blessed by joining us. I do that not to load you down with burdens of things to do, but to give us ideas.

36:41How do we celebrate and remember God's good gift to us? We are not slaves, not to Egyptian kings, and we are not slaves to sin. We are subjects of a good and gracious king, king Jesus. Here are a few diagnostic questions you can ask. Am I operating in fear or in faith? Am I rule keeping to please God or receiving rest as a gift? Am I trusting that there are new mercies for tomorrow if I rest one in seven rather than striving in my own strength? I know many of us are busy and we think you gotta burn the candle at both ends to get the things done. Maybe you're a student and you're just working your tail off and, and it takes discipline and it takes trust in God's promises to say, I'm actually going to rest. It takes faith.

37:40Do you work hard during the week five or six days so that you can actually rest on the seventh day? This is not license for laziness either. And are you seeking to ensure others in your life like your spouse or your employees can also rest? One last question. What does it mean to actually rest in Christ? Sounds nice, but a little bit ambiguous. Turn back to Matthew 12 with me. Matthew 12. Jesus says, I'm Lord of the Sabbath. He heals on the Sabbath to prove it. Look at the verses right before Matthew 12. It'll be on the screen as well. Matthew 11, 28 and 29, just prior to the showdown with the Pharisees. Jesus says, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden.

38:35And I will give you what, say it out loud. Rest. Rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and lowly in heart. And you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is like Jesus calls all to come to him not to find sleep, but to find rest weighed down by your sin and sorrows and shame and suffering. He says, come and lay those at the foot of the cross. Take your metaphorical backpack full of sin and shame and all the things that bring you to stress, all the troubles in your life and and start unpacking it at the foot of Jesus. Lay them down. You can stop striving.

39:30I think there this is common in North American Christianity. We're constantly striving to, to show that we're good Christians and that hopefully God will be pleased with me. If I serve enough, if I give enough, if I read my Bible enough, if I pray enough, then God will be pleased. And oh, I forgot to read my Bible on Tuesday and so I had a really rough day. Stop your striving and come and find rest in the gracious arms of our savior Jesus. He calls all people to come and repent and find forgiveness of sins and redemption Resting in Jesus is coming to find spiritual peace in the only place that offers lasting spiritual peace in Jesus.

40:21If you're not trusting in Jesus this morning, our desire is that you would come though you may be weary and heavy laden and lay those burdens down at the foot of Jesus. Take his yoke upon you, make him your Lord. At the cross, Jesus declared, it's finished. It's finished. His work is done. And now he invites us to come to him and find rest for our souls. So we're to see the wonder of God's ceasing on the seventh day, his resting on the seventh day as the sign and symbol and pattern that one day mankind would rest in Christ and that day has come today. Let's pray. Father, I pray that the beauty and the majesty of Christ would shine forth so that we would see the wonder that it is that we don't carry around our sins, our sorrows and our suffering, but we lay them at the foot of Jesus and he grants us rest from our striving. Pray that in Jesus' name. Amen.

Jump to live

Jump to live

Sermon Text

Genesis 2:1-3

Previous
NEXT
Phone
(612) 455-0800
Email
info@thenorthchurch.com
Address
5151 Program Ave,
Mounds View, MN 55112
AboutI'm NewBeliefsLeadershipSundaysWednesdays
ConnectMinistriesEventsNorth UpdateGroup Finder
ResourcesBusiness DirectoryLibrarySeminars & ConferencesWeddings & FuneralsJob Opportunities
AccountHouseholdGroupsGivingLog Out
Copyright © 2026 The North Church. All rights reserved.
Staff LoginPrivacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsSite by Volente

Connect

Submit

Thank you!
Your submission has been received.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.