The Gift of Sabbath: Finding Rest in God

Reading of the Word

Genesis 2:2–3 NASB 2020

By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Matthew 11:28–30 NASB 2020

“Come to Me, all 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 souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”

Prayer of Illumination

Holy God,

As we open Your Word, open our hearts and minds by the power of Your Spirit. Help us to hear with clarity and respond with faith. Guide us in Your truth, and transform us by Your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction

God created us to enjoy Him and His good creation. While we can certainly find joy in serving Him, God also invites us to enjoy His presence through rest. Unfortunately, sin has distorted our understanding of what true rest is meant to be.

We often fall into two extremes: living restless lives driven by sinful ambition and constant work, or withdrawing into laziness. Neither of these leads to the joy-filled rest that God intended for us. Work can produce temporary satisfaction, but the relationships we build and the memories we create with others have a lasting impact.

For Christians, God has redefined what rest looks like and as our God does, made it anew. It's not just about getting rest through sleep; it’s an active, meaningful time where we can invest in others, teach, and be examples of Christ’s love. In fact, rest can often produce more fruit than work, though it’s a different kind of fruit with a different impact.

Today, I want to focus on the word "Sabbath." Many Christians believe this concept is outdated or only relevant to the Old Testament, but it holds a timeless truth about the rhythm of work and rest that God desires for us.

Times of Refreshing in His Presence

God calls us to come to him and find refreshment by creating times of sabbath rest within our lives and families.

We do not find rest in the world.

The world does the complete opposite to us.

The goal through their “rest” is for the enemy to use it to destroy us.

We do find rest in God.

The time that we spend in the presence of the Lord refreshes and renews the soul.

The Worn-Out God?

Was God just exhausted when He was done creating all things? The simple answer is no. Why did He rest then?

He knew that even though He never had to rest, humanity would need to. So he had to purposely place a time of rest within the plan of creation.

God would not place something within the creation of the world just for it to get outdated and become obsolete. He has a special plan for the Sabbath rest he created.

It gave Israel a chance to reflect and remember their deliverance out of slavery in Egypt…Where they never rested from their work. It can do the same for us today.

The Two Faces of the Sabbath

The Commandment of Rest - The Old Testament Face of Rest

The law had to be kept and God commanded for his people to rest on the 7th day.

The law is not a set of dos and don’ts but rather it is God setting standards for us to live by because He loves and cares for us and he wants the very best for us.

He knows how disobedience will hurt us and wants to try to avoid that for us.

In this realm, if we do not rest, it simply leads to burnout: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

The law defined times to work and rest.

Time is not on our side.

It can be a distraction from God’s best.

It is limited.

It was defined as a holy day.No work was to be done on the Sabbath, and breaking this commandment was punishable by death.

This is why the religious leaders often accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath—they were looking for any reason to condemn Him, and this was a major point of contention.

It wasn’t their choice. It was a requirement, not an option. Work was done on the 6th day to cover for the sabbath.

Rest Redefined: The New Testament’s Vision of the Sabbath

The Redefined Sabbath Rest is not based upon the law but upon grace.

The Sabbath was not abolished, just redefined

The Redefined Sabbath Rest is found in Christ.

Christ gives us a rest that the law could never give! Rest is a gift from God!

Instead of resting in ourselves, he invites us to come and rest with and through his finished work of the cross.

This is the one event in human history that can be us true rest and peace. All has been made well!

Matthew 11:28–30 NASB 2020

“Come to Me, all 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 souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”

“Once my hands were always trying, trying hard to do my best; Now my heart is sweetly trusting, And my soul is all at rest! Once my life was full of effort, now it’s full of joy and zest; Since I took his yoke upon me, Jesus gives to me His rest!” A.B. Simpson

Jesus is ready and able to carry the burdens that life gives us and give us the restful burden.

The promise: YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS!

This burden reorganizes our priorities.

It will change us.

Never take anything from Christ unless you want change in your life. Are we willing to give these burdens to God? Are we willing to receive the burden of rest and give Jesus the burden of life that we carry?

The Redefined Sabbath Rest is Something We Must Choose to Do.

God’s design for humanity was not to only work but to give us a time set aside for rest. (Define further the rest he wants us to have)

Being set aside means that it is different from the rest. It is a reminder that He is God, and we are not. We are not superman!

Sabbath: A Day Up

Sabbath is not so much about a day off as it is a “day up”—a day to remember that He is God and we are not. Without Sabbath, we forget who we are and lose sight of who He is, leaving us to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. When there is no Sabbath in our lives, we become intoxicated by the lie that the sum of our lives depends on our effort alone.

We get to the place where we truly believe that the outcome of the Story fully depends on us. But in truth, we are tiny, limited beings. Our biggest and best efforts still accomplish far less than what God can do in us, through us—or without us—in one breath. -Louie Giglio, I Am Not But I Know I Am, The Crown Publishing Group, p.109.

The Sabbath Defined For Us in 2024

We must go against the norms of our current culture.

This will cause us to stick out.

Philosopher H. Farmer, “If you go against the grain of the universe, you get splinters.”

The current culture will do anything to pull us back into their way of life.

Remember what many believe: that rest is for the weak and that success, with its endless pursuit of more, is a substitute for true rest. But this is a deception. Genuine rest isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a gift from God that renews our spirit and redefines what true success looks like.

We must be willing and determined to say this is something that we will do, and nothing will stop us from doing it.

It will challenge us and take us out of our comfort zone.

It will feel extremely odd at first to do. Don’t quit!

The things of God that bring us out of our comfort zone give us growth in our faith and draw us closer to Jesus.

We must leave work at work.

Remind ourselves that there is a specific time for work, but it isn’t during our time of rest.

We have to intentionally say no to things that want to try to take our sabbath rest away from us.

The things of work can wait.

We must intentionally create face time with family and friends.

We must recognize that screen relationships don’t cut it.

Being face to face is needed. Intimacy cannot be created through a screen.

Screens place a barrier between us and memories.

Personal relationships with others are so much more valuable and create lasting memories. We must have days without technology.

Keep track of how much time you spend on your devices.

I was very intentional about this during my vacation last week. I believe it has changed me forever! I actually did not want to be on my devices when I found out what freedom felt like away from them!

Pray and ask God where that time could be better spent.

When God reveals this, follow His leading. Lock your devices away and throw away the key during your Sabbath rest time.

Remember that there will be temptations to cheat.

The devil will say things like “check your Facebook page and see what is going on in others’ lives. It will only take a minute” or “I need a couple of things at the store. It will only take a few minutes.” These little things will lead to complete destruction of what you are trying to accomplish.

Most of all, trust in God’s strength to endure. It will change your life forever!

Relationships are hard work and require time to flourish.

God can do anything. We cannot change without Him. We can do this through Him!

Philippians 4:13 NASB 2020

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

The Priceless Rewards of Sabbath Rest

The result will be simple if we recognize the value of our sabbath rest: we will be more productive for our employer and God more than ever before.

The Value of Rest

Today many of us have been [so] conditioned by efficiency that times [of sitting on the porch] feel unproductive, irresponsible, lazy, even selfish. We know we need rest, but we can no longer see the value of rest as an end in itself; it is only worthwhile if it helps us recharge our batteries so we can be even more efficient in the next period of productivity. -Gerald May, Awakened Heart

2. Relationships with our family and friends will be strong and intimate.

A strong family is a unified family, which is hard for the devil to divide.

3. We will be providing ourselves with the gift of self-care.

Taking care of ourselves is just as important as taking care of others. One cannot be done without the other.

Wrapping It Up

As disciples of Jesus, we need to cultivate the practice of Sabbath rest by intentionally disconnecting from our work, phones, and the constant rush of life. This means setting aside dedicated times to rest in God's presence and to be with our family and friends.

This week, I challenge you to carve out just one hour for Sabbath rest, either for yourself or with your family. Start small and gradually extend this time. Even a brief period of rest can be transformative and life-giving.

God has given us the beautiful gift of rest through Christ, allowing us to hand over our burdens and take on His lighter load. Time is precious. Will you use it to create meaningful memories with your loved ones, or will you continue working and giving your time to things that don’t truly belong to them? Take a step back. Give it a rest.

Prayer After Message

Loving Father,

We thank You for the gift of Sabbath rest, a time to pause and draw near to You. As we leave this place, help us to carry the peace of this moment into our daily lives. Teach us to embrace rest, not as a burden, but as a blessing—a chance to renew our bodies, minds, and spirits in Your presence. May we find our true rest in You, and in doing so, reflect Your love and peace to the world. In the name of Jesus, our Sabbath rest, we pray. Amen.

Benediction

May God grant you the gift of true rest in His presence. As you embrace the Sabbath, may you find renewal for your soul and joy in His grace. Walk in His light and let His peace fill your heart. In the name of Jesus, go in peace. Amen.