Rest in Christ, our Sabbath-Rest

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Good morning, church!

Would you turn with me to Matthew 11:28–30?

If you’ve visited us before you know we like to take a book of the Bible and slowly work our way through that book in our times together on Sundays, but for these three weeks following the conclusion of Acts, a book we were in for over a year, we have been focusing on what we’ve called the “Forgotten Spiritual Practices” and how these are things the Bible encourages us to practice for our own good, for our own recognition of our dependence on Him, and for His glory.

So two weeks ago, Nathan walked us through what the Bible said about Giving; last week, Andrew helped us understand the biblical depiction of fasting; and today we are going to try to understand the Sabbath described in the Bible and, ultimately, what kind of rest God intends for His people today.

So although this passage in Matthew 11 is going to serve as a kind of anchor text this morning—one that I’ll keep coming back to throughout our time—I’ll still be bouncing around the Bible a little hopefully still giving justice to each of the biblical texts that arise and what they intended to communicate to whom they were written.

Intro

But, first, let me take you back to one of the best years of my life, one of the best weeks, to the best day, when on August 13, 2016, I married my bride, Elizabeth. I don’t think any of you would be surprised when I say I remember very little of the details of that day—much of it was a blur and I remember we were ready to faint because of so much going on, so many people to talk to, but without eating much of anything. But I remember it was awesome and we were on cloud 9.

That week, we took a flight to begin our honeymoon in Banff National Park. (Has anyone visited that park before?)

Now, as an aside, I praise the Lord for the opportunity to see relatively many beautiful landscapes—we saw the red rocks of Zion, we’ve seen the wildlife and geothermal pools and gysers of Yellowstone, we’ve walked Black Sand Beach and saw the Northern Lights in Iceland. . .I’ve even seen the Himalayas from afar.

And yet, there is nothing like what we saw in Banff National Park driving through the Canadian Rockies, hiking to glaciers, and renting a canoe on Lake Louise—now I will admit, there’s probably some nostalgia and rosy retrospection playing a part here, but I’ll say this—that week was SO RESTFUL. We had all the time in the world along with no worries or responsibilities. It was the best.

So, when our extended family started planning a family reunion in Banff for this past June 2024, renting a cabin for all 13 adults and little kids, I was ecstatic. My mind instantly went into euphoric comatose thinking about the opportunity to hike once again with my wife a day’s journey around the glacier run off filled Lake Louise, up to the log cabin Tea House which is kept supplied only by hikers, mule and helicopter, and up to see Mount Victoria.

I couldn’t wait to read all these books I’ve been wanting to read and relax by the fire and. . .REST from the craziness of life. Ahh. . .

Some of you may have caught on to the one tiny little detail I have mentioned, but have forgotten in this day dream of mine. . .something that makes this trip—and any trip for that matter—a little different than that honeymoon week. . .I have two little kids now!

If you have had the opportunity to meet Zeke, who turns four in November, and Karis who is about one and a half, you know that they have a lot of life, a lot of energy!

Boy, do they have energy, and needs, and nap times, etc.

Needless to say, this trip to Banff did not look like it did for two newlyweds without jobs in 2016.

First of all, whereas we flew to Banff before, this time we drive the whole way because, you know, we have four people to bring now not two and flights get expensive. We also have now a pack n play to bring, more bags, a stroller, all the sorts. It’s a multi day trip to get there and multi day back.

We finally get there, and I come to this realization real quick about vacations in general with little kids: Vacations are really just taking our wild little family out of our kid-friendly refuge and putting them into a fine China shop!

We’re almost constantly on edge afraid our kids are going to break something or go outside and encounter one of the several bears that casually walked by the cabin, siblings and cousins are having trouble sharing toys (I’m sure we are the only family who experiences that), food is thrown all over the ground but this time without my two 15-lb wiggle bottom vacuum cleaners.

Things are just not the same.

And to top it off, we spent not one day in the national park—

because of how packed it is this time of year, we were able to have 15 minutes at the shore of Lake Louise for a photo.

Now, I want to be clear that 1.) I love my kids and apart from my salvation and my wife, they are the greatest gifts the Lord has given me and 2.) we still had a wonderful time seeing family and it was still a sweet and worthwhile trip for that purpose alone, but in my sinful and selfish flesh that couldn’t accept that life and trips look different now, I’m sour as a lemon.

This is NOTHING like it was! Vacations are simply not as restful as they use to be.

Connection:

And just to let you in on what has been going on in my heart, I legitimately am still working through the reality that designated times of rest—whether that be vacations or whether it be days off of work—look different in this season. Rest to me looked like a period of unhurried time. Rest looked to me like retreating away for a day to spend time alone with God, whether that be on a hike or at a coffee shop.

And to clarify and give a teaser, those times of what many would call “silence and solitude” are still good to reserve for yourself if you’re able—that’s where the word “discipline” comes in, especially as it would require extra planning and a babysitter in my case. We’ll get to that a little later.

But if that’s the only time. . .if that’s the only way we are able to experience the “rest” God has for us, we are missing out the rest God has enabled us to experience in the every day—even in the midst of long overtime hours at work, even in the midst of messy diapers and food all over the floor, even in the sensory-overload of this digital age.

This is a rest for the soul and can only be found in Christ, who is Himself our Sabbath-Rest.

More on that word combination/phrase Sabbath-Rest in a minute, but let’s look at Christ’s words here in Matthew 11:28–30.

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you 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 light.”

My hope is that if there’s one takeaway or action each of us can leave with this morning it is this. . .

MPS: Rest in Christ, who is our Sabbath-Rest

If you’re here as a visitor and you don’t know Christ,

We are glad you’re here.

What I hope you see from this and other texts that we walk through and from our time here together this morning is that you don’t have to achieve x and y before you can find rest. You don’t have to fix yourself up before coming to God.

Christ is calling to you. He’s saying come, with all your burdens and with all your fears and all your mess, and in Him, you can find rest for your soul.

Would you consider coming to Him this morning?

Pray

With this main point in mind, to “Rest in Christ, who is our Sabbath-Rest”, I want to structure our time around three movements, if you will:

1. Christ is our Sabbath-Rest (in other words, Christ is the fulfillment of the Jewish Sabbath) (Mt. 11, Heb. 3:7–4:11)

2. We can rest in Christ always, even in the chaos of our every-day lives.

3. To experience this rest in a present and practical way, it is helpful to practice silence and solitude.

1. Christ is our Sabbath-Rest

You may be thinking at this point, “Okay, I thought we were talking about the Sabbath today. How did we get on to talking about rest and what does it even mean for Christ to be our Sabbath-Rest?”

Sabbath

Well, I’m glad you asked and it may be helpful here to first remind ourselves what even is the Sabbath and what does the Bible say about it.

Genesis

And it all starts in the very beginning, in Genesis 1 and 2 when in six days, God made the heavens and the earth and everything in it. And then on the seventh day, God rested.

Genesis 2:1–3 ESV

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 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.

This, of course, is not implying that God was tired and needed to sit down, so to speak, and take a rest. No, we know God is omnipotent, that is “all-powerful.”

After all, He just created everything out of nothing and, yet, even all of the work that was required for that, his power was not diminished one bit.

Then, what does it mean that He rested on the seventh day? It means that He ceased from His labors, He stopped what He was doing. He was satisfied that his work of creation was complete and was "very good”.

This important to recall because God used this very example of His resting on the seventh day of Creation to establish the principle of a Sabbath day rest for His people.

Exodus

The fourth of the ten commandments God gave to Israel on Mount Sinai after God rescues them out of slavery in Egypt says this:

Exodus 20:8–11 ESV

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 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. For 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.

Something worth noting in this command is that there is nothing about establishing a “day of worship”.

It doesn’t say anything about having to gather together on the Sabbath to sing, read through the Law, or check the kids in to childcare.

God’s people did over time start including elements of worship on the Sabbath, especially in the time between the Old and New Testaments, which we call the Intertestamental Period, when they started meeting in synagogues.

But the main purpose of the Sabbath, its main essence, was to set aside this one day of the week (particularly sundown Friday to sundown Saturday), after working 6 days—to set it aside and to cease from all ordinary work.

After all, the original word in Hebrew for Sabbath is “shabbat” and it literally means to “cease” or “desist”.

God’s intention in establishing a weekly Sabbath day was to carve out for His people a day of rest from their labors.

Command, Not Optional

Now to be very clear, no one in the OT understood the Sabbath to be optional. No one suggested that it was a wise thing to do or a good spiritual practice to insert in your weekly rhythms. . .but ultimately not mandatory.

No, this was a command to Israel in the “Big 10”. . . along with commands to not worship idols, not to murder, not to steal, etc.

And this command of Sabbath-keeping came with a death penalty

Exodus 35:2 (ESV): Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

Numbers 15 records a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day who was then brought to Moses, Aaron, and all the people of Israel to be stoned.

It was an extreme offense to God to break the Sabbath.

And it’s helpful here to take a step back and ask why? Why was this such a big deal?

Covenant Sign

Because the Sabbath was established by God as a sign of the covenant relationship between God and man

- Failure to observe this crucial symbol of the covenant was a breach of their relationship with God.

All throughout the Bible we see God establish signs or symbols or reminders of the promises and miraculous things that God has made and done for His people.

Wedding Rings

This idea isn’t too foreign for us in modern day America. When a couple stands up before a crowd on their wedding day, what items do they place on each other’s fingers. . .assuming the best man didn’t forget them?

Rings!

I remember one of the first nights after I proposed to Elizabeth, we were at her family’s house.

Elizabeth had taken her brand new ring off and put it on the bathroom sink and I, being the clever and hilarious person, thought it would be funny to take the ring and put it in my pocket.

Only thing is, I went to bed and forgot to tell her.

So, for hours her and her mom are looking all over the place trying to find that ring, even taking apart the plumbing under the sink looking for that thing.

I can only imagine they went to bed distraught when I woke up with a kind token of a plate of breakfast to break the news to me that Elizabeth lost the ring I just saved up for and had finally given to her only for me to remember that it was in my pocket.

Even more meaningful was the wedding ring that I put on her finger the day I married her when we said something to the effect of this ring symbolizes a lifelong commitment (or covenant) to each other in sickness and in health. And now, as with others, we continue to wear it as a constant reminder of the covenant we made to another.

Connection:

In a similar way, God has given to His people throughout the Bible “reminders” of His covenant relationship with them.

In Genesis after the flood, we see God establish the rainbow as a reminder to Noah and the world that He will never flood the earth again.

God gave the sign of circumcision to Abraham and the Israelites as a reminder they are a people set apart.

Many people understand baptism to be a sign of the New Covenant as it reminds us of the gospel, being brought from death to life in Christ.

So, Sabbath, is a sign to remind God’s people not only of rest God took in the Creation order and now desires for them, but also of His redeeming them out of slavery in Egypt.

Deuteronomy recalls the 10 commandments, saying, “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. . .

You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day”

With this in mind, finally, as one commentator put it, “the Sabbath served as the covenant sign between Israel and her God, unfolding a weekly drama that testified to God as mighty Creator and merciful Redeemer.

On the Sabbath, Israel declared total dependence on her covenant Lord, a Lord more than able to uphold his people even though, for one day in seven, they hung up their shovels, laid aside their plows, and rested from their labors.”

Connection To Christ: NT

At this point, you may be wondering, okay I see the importance of the Sabbath for the nation of Israel. But what does this have to do with Christ?

Does this law even apply to the Christian today?

After all, not only are we not observing the Sabbath on Friday and Saturday, we aren’t carrying out capital punishment on Sabbath-breakers—praise God for that, right?

This is where the New Testament comes in.

If we come back to our text at the end of Matthew chapter 11 and look at what comes after this—literally right after Jesus calls out to those who labor and heavy laden to come to Him, promising them that in Him, they will find rest for their souls—

the next verse, in chapter 12 v 1, says “At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath” . . . and then the next two sections tell about what Jesus did on and said about the Sabbath.

This is not an accident—it’s helpful to remember that those chapters, verses, section breaks and section headings were not in the original text; those are put in there to help the reader locate and reference parts of the Bible.

No, this order was purposeful, and Jesus and Matthew, the gospel writer, intend for us to see something.

What we see are two instances of Jesus “profaning” the Sabbath in the eyes of the Pharisees, Jewish leaders who were zealous—and, at times such as this, overzealous—about keeping the Law of God.

Pharisee, Extra-Regulations

What I mean by this is that from the time that God first gave laws regarding the Sabbath and this point in 30 AD, Jewish leaders, especially in the Intertestamental Period, began drawing up a list of extra regulations that people were to abide by on the Sabbath to ensure that they did not break or “profane” the Sabbath.

In other words, sometimes with or without good intentions, they tried to define exactly what it meant to “work” on the Sabbath to the most meticulous detail.

This is always fun to walk through, but to give you an idea:

God’s Law said you couldn’t travel on the Sabbath, but let each person remain in his place.

But, that begs the question: Okay, but what’s considered traveling?

Can you travel around your house? Can you travel to someone else’s house? If you travel beyond someone else’s house, how far can you go?

The Pharisees gave answers to these questions saying that someone was permitted to travel up to three thousand feet from their house, a permissible Sabbath day’s journey.

That is, unless you have some food that is within 3,000 feet of your house, and if that’s the case, then that food is an extension of your house, thus allowing you to journey another 3,000 feet. If you went any further than that, it was sin (Exalting Jesus in Matthew)

God’s Law also commanded that the people not bear a “burden” on the Sabbath day.

Okay, but what counts as a “burden”? Are my clothes considered a burden, because that would be unfortunate.

The Pharisees said no, not if your clothes are worn, only if you carried them.

So it would be okay to wear a jacket on the Sabbath, but it would be a sin to carry a jacket

Other interesting ones:

Tailors did not carry a needle with them on the Sabbath for fear they might be tempted to mend a garment and thereby perform work.

Baths could not be taken for fear some of the water might spill onto the floor and “wash” it

a woman was not to look in a mirror lest she see a gray hair and be tempted to pull it out.

You may be feeling it right now, something that rises up within us that asks, “Is that really what God intended for His people on the Sabbath?”

Son of Man, Lord of Sabbath

And that’s a good question and is the very question Jesus intends to answer.

We don’t have time to get in to the full story, but I would encourage you to read the two sections in Mt. 12 alongside Marks version of it in Mark 2, but the gist is this:

The Pharisees are getting caught up in all the details that they are forgetting the heart behind why God gave the Sabbath in the first place—for us to have rest.

Thus, Jesus would tell them in Mark’s account—

Listen, “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

This is a huge claim. When Jesus says He’s Lord of the Sabbath, He’s not only making a messianic claim—only God Himself could be called the Lord of the Sabbath.

He’s also raising the possibility of a reinterpretation of the Sabbath

Particularly, as we understand from the rest of the New Testament and from our anchor text today, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Sabbath.

Jesus says come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden—

heavy laden with laws such as these meticulous ones put on the people by the Pharisees, heavy laden with the feeling of needing to be perfect and with the fear of failing—

Jesus says come to me and I will give you rest.

In Christ, there is a true rest from work. He has lived the life we could never live, He satisfied all the demands of the Law! He has done all the work for us!

Christ did not abolish the Sabbath, rather He fulfilled the Sabbath!

He ushered in a deeper kind of rest than the Sabbath could ever offer—a true Sabbath rest in Himself.

Christ as Fulfillment of OT

If you’re new to this idea of Christ as fulfillment of the Old Testament—let me tell you it makes reading the Old Testament so much easier and exciting when you understand that all of it is somehow pointing towards Jesus.

Jesus is the true and better Adam who obeyed God fully and who is our pure Representative Head

He is our true Passover Lamb

He is our High Priest

He is our Judge and Lawgiver

He is our trusted Prophet

He is greater than the Temple—for He is our Emmanuel, God with us

He is our glorious King

I could go on and on and share how different elements and people of the Old Testament find their fulfillment in Christ—there are tons of resources that help us with that that I can share with you afterwards—but we land on this:

that Christ is our Sabbath–Rest.

Paul on Christ Fulfillment

Col. 2:16-17 is one of the clearest texts on Jesus being the fulfillment of the Jewish Sabbath.

The apostle Paul is writing to the Christians in Colossae and there seems to be a group of Jewish background believers who are insisting that Gentile background believers keep not only the Mosaic food laws from the OT, but also keep the festivals and weekly Sabbaths given to Israel, particularly.

Here is what he says:

Colossians 2:16–17 ESV

Therefore 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.

So, Paul who is Jewish background—who was even a Pharisee before coming to Christ—is saying that, along with food laws and festivals, the Sabbath—something commanded in the 10 commandments and carried with it a death penalty—the Sabbath is a shadow whose substance belongs to Christ.

In other words, all of these things, food laws, sacrifices, and even the Sabbath itself was only pointing to something greater and is fulfilled in the person and work of Christ.

It was a covenant sign specifically for the people of Israel—the ones who were rescued from slavery in Egypt in Exodus.

These Gentiles, and us for that matter, were not a part of that Exodus—in fact, even the Exodus itself pointed to Christ who would lead us out of our own slavery, a slavery to sin and grant us ultimate redemption and rest.

Further, Paul doubles down on the fact that the Sabbath is no longer binding on those who now live in Christ in Romans 14:5, saying

Romans 14:5 ESV

One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

Again, this is Paul who was a Jewish Pharisee before now. If anyone knew the importance of observing the Sabbath and the consequences of breaking it, it was him.

And yet he understands that now that it has found its fulfillment in Christ, you can do what you’d like with it.

For the Jewish background Christians who observed the Sabbath on Saturday and then worshipped with their fellow Christians on Sunday—a day that the early Christians started meeting on in remembrance of Christ’s resurrection on Sunday, but had no relation to the Sabbath—he says great, do it the glory of God.

For others who saw no need to observe it because it was a specifically Jewish practice, he says great, do that to the glory of God.

Just let each person be convinced in his own mind, observe it or not observe it to the glory of God as with everything we do, but just make sure not to consider the other person as less spiritual;

don’t feel guilty for doing one or the other.

This is one of the freedoms we now have in Christ.

Transition:

Many may be wondering at this point, “So, wait let me get this clear, the title for this sermon is Sabbath, but the Sabbath is actually not required for us who are Christians?”

That would be correct—but would you be as curious about today’s sermon if I just titled it “rest”?

:)

We thought it worth first understanding God’s provision of rest in the Sabbath to understand our ultimate rest in Jesus, who is our Sabbath–Rest.

This is not just a once a rest we can have once a week, this is a rest we can enjoy every moment of every day, even in the chaos of our every-day lives—

which is our next point or movement, if you will.

2. We can rest in Christ always, even in the chaos of our every-day lives.

Back in the Spring, I stumbled upon this article in Outside magazine titled, “The World’s Most Dangerous Mountains.”

The intro tells us that “Each year an estimated 300,000 smugglers, known as ‘kolbars,’ haul millions of pounds of contraband from Iraq to Iran over the 14,000-foot peaks of the Zagros Mountains. More than 50 of them will die—shot dead, killed in accidents, or freezing to death—and countless more will be arrested and imprisoned.”

Avoiding border patrol and 40-year old mines, these “kolbars”—which are often poor and elderly men and women—make the journey by foot up and down the mountains carrying appliances strapped on their backs, like 70-lb air conditioners.

The word “kolbar” comes from “kol” which means “back” and “bars” which means “load”, so “kolbar” literally means back-load. They make the dangerous journey for just $15/20 per load. That’s it. And yet all the trafficking generates $25 billion of trade annually, equal to the annual trade passing through the Port of Seattle.

And still, several times more people die in the Zagros in a typical year than are killed on all 14 eight-­thousand-meter peaks in the Himalayas and Karakoram combined.

Yet, these are the literal burdens these people are willing to carry to survive.

Connection:

Many of us here this morning may not be at risk of stepping on a mine or collapsing on the side of a mountain in Iran, but you are carrying burdens, you are trying to survive.

You may be carrying the burden of to-do lists that never seem to shrink but only grow.

You may be carrying the burden of trying to be or, at least, look perfect

You may be carrying the burden of working multiple jobs or overtime hours and you just don’t know how much longer you can last.

You may be carrying the burden of feeling like you just can’t be super-dad or the super-mom that you hoped you would be or that you feel pressure to be now.

Jesus says,

Matthew 11:28 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

He doesn’t say once you get to the other side of the mountain, I will give you rest.

Jesus isn’t looking at you from the other side with His arms crossed watching you carry your burden only to take it once you’ve completed your journey.

No, He is meeting you on the mountain and saying give me your burden, I will carry it for you and I will lead the way.

1 Peter 5:7 says to “[cast] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

This is a rest for the soul and you can have it now

you can have it at work,

you can have it at school,

you can have it at home.

You need only to come to Him and cast your burden onto Him.

Prayer

This could look like a one-sentence prayer, “Lord, I need you” or “I come to you, Lord, give me rest in this moment” or “I can’t do this, give me strength, give me peace”

I have to admit I don’t do this well.

When I come into my son’s room and he has taken some crayons or markers and has drawn the full length of the wall, my first inclination is not to stop and pray. It is to lash out in anger, to yell.

When I look at my to-do list on Monday mornings, the day to which I’ve postponed all the tasks in my task manager I couldn’t get to throughout the previous week, my first inclination is not to stop and pray. It is to buckle in anxiety.

But, these are moments we can find rest in Him.

Scripture Memory

This could look like memorizing Scripture and then reciting it to your soul in those moments.

Like 1 Pt 5:7

1 Peter 5:7 ESV

casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Like “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10)

Like resting in the fact that God has put His Holy Spirit in you who empowers you to live for Him—

Philippians 2:13 ESV

for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Or Rm 8:28

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Or reminding yourself that your works don’t justify you before God, whether that be your mothering or at your job, Rm. 5:1

Romans 5:1 ESV

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Transition:

Prayer and Scripture memory are just a couple ways to actively experience the rest God has for us in the every-day life.

And yet, there are some days, some seasons that we are really just tired and worn out. There are some times when we just need some peace and quiet, just some time to be before the Lord and experience His rest in a deeper and present way.

That leads us to our last movement, and we’ll end here.

3. To experience this in a more present and practical way, it is helpful to practice silence and solitude.

Biblical Justification

I think each of Nathan, Andrew, and now myself have mentioned all Donald Whitney and his book “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life,” but Whitney would define the discipline of silence as “the voluntary and temporary abstention from speaking so that certain spiritual goals might be sought” and solitude as “discipline of voluntarily and temporarily withdrawing to privacy for spiritual purposes.”

We see Jesus time and time again withdrawing from the crowds, from His disciples, and from His regular ministry to be quiet and alone before the Father.

Matthew 14:23: “After he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.

Luke 4:42: “When it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place.

Mark 1:35: “Rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”

It’s not that Jesus was a huge introvert and just needed to some space—although, there’s nothing wrong with that; I myself am an introvert at heart and need times alone sometimes.

Rather, He practiced silence and solitude for spiritual purposes—that is, to be with the Father.

To pray to Him.

To rest in Him.

Challenge in the Digital Age

I think we can all agree that it is much much harder to find silence and solitude in this era that we live in. The era in which Jesus live did not suffer from the constant noise that our societies have today. As one author described in his article, “Are You Ever Quiet? Relearning a Lost and Holy Habit,” we are “besieged by the newest news, harried by busyness, drowning in noise, endlessly accompanied by devices of endless distraction.”

As the French philosopher Blaise Pascal said it, “All of the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own chamber”

I don’t know about you, but one would think that I have an addiction to noise.

Whether I am washing dishes, taking a shower, driving in the car, going on a run, I always have something playing in my ears. A podcast, music, an audio book.

To be sure, these are some of the great benefits of the technological age, that we can be constantly learning without having to sit down and read a paperback book.

And yet, we often wonder why we feel distracted and hurried.

Biblical wisdom and the example of Jesus would suggest that we would be blessed by practicing regular times of silence and solitude so that:

we can be before the Lord, without distraction,

to meditate on His Word, pray, and experience in a more present way the rest we have in Him.

Practical Ideas:

Now, you may be thinking, “That’s great for some, but I have no room in my already packed schedule to do that.”

or “I have little kids—there is no such thing as silence and solitude in this season”

I totally understand that and this is not in any way to suggest that if we don’t practice silence and solitude that we are sinning or not able to experience any rest.

I hope that much is clear from our spending the bulk of our time talking of the present rest we have in Christ in the every-day life.

At the same time, I want to suggest that it is a discipline worth practicing in some way if and when you can.

After all, discipline implies that it is not a given, it’s not easy.

Rather, let me suggest what it could look like:

It could look like taking daily “Minute Retreats” when stopped at a stoplight or taking the elevator to actively rest in the Lord without putting on noise.

It could look like taking your commute times and turning off the music/news and spending that time praying for the day, praying for your family, praying for others.

It could look like waking up 30 min early before the kids wake up and spending some quiet time in His Word.

It could look like spending your lunch break outside while you meditate on a Psalm.

It could look like organizing a trade-off childcare system with your spouse or a friend where one person watches the kids for 1, 2, 3 hours, come back and eat lunch together, and then swap.

This is one practical way we could serve each other as brothers/sisters, by helping others have some silence and solitude with the Lord.

I want to throw this invitation out to everyone:

The Lord has graciously given us this building throughout the week. Anyone is welcome at any point in the day to come use it to be alone with Him. If you haven’t seen it yet, we have a Living Room with books and a couch that is almost always empty. You are welcome to use it and other parts of the space any time.

As paradoxical as it sounds, you can even practice a form of silence and solitude as a family by saying

okay, every night before bed, we are going to shut off the tv and the devices and

we are going to have family worship: reading the Bible together, singing a worship song, praying, and resting in the Lord.

I’ve heard of some families designating one night each week as a “Family Fun Night”, where they rotate who gets to decide how they are resting as a family that night with

a special meal and activity (exploring parks, constructing obstacle courses, playing games, serving together, camping out, and so on)

Only so much silence there, but hopefully restful as a family

Conclusion:

The point is this:

God desires rest for His people.

He is giving them a very real and present rest in Christ that they can always have and experience, even in the chaos and noise of the every-day life.

And still it is wise and good to practice some rhythm of silence and solitude in order to experience rest in God in an even deeper and practical way.

Conclusion: Fully Later, Truly Now

I’ll close with this final word:

According to Hebrews 4, Israel’s Sabbath day always pointed forward to a far greater day:

the still-future day when all creation will enter fully into the rest foreshadowed and promised in the very first seventh day in Genesis 2.

Heb. 4:9 says “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God”.

Brother and sister, take heart in this, that the ultimate Sabbath rest is coming,

when we will see God face to face and truly rest with Him in eternity.

At the same time, we feel the first waves of the coming rest.

Hebrews implies in 6:5 that, in Christ, we “have [already] tasted . . . the powers of the age to come”, rest included.

For, the author writes in 4:3, “We who have believed enter that rest”—not “will enter,” but “enter”:

fully later, truly now.

Faith in Jesus Christ brings the rest of the seventh day into every day. (Got Questions)

Final Exhortation:

So, as we have come to Jesus in faith and have entered into this greater rest from our labors—a rest in His finished work on the cross—let us continue to come to Him day-by-day and experience the rest He continues to give freely.

Prayer

Would you pray with me. . .

As one of the earliest church fathers, Augustine confessed:

You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.