Rest is Liberating
Genesis • Sermon • Submitted
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· 18 viewsGod blessed and consecrated the seventh day as a perpetual day of rest after finishing creation. After the fall, His rest commemorates liberation from the bondage of slavery through Jesus Christ.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
What are some symbols of liberation in the Bible?
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.
What does God say?
What does God say?
After finishing His work of creating in six days, God consecrated a day of rest. We find the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them were “finished.” This means God had not only created them/it, he gave it a purpose as well.
Then on the seventh day, God rested. “Rested” (sabat) means to cease, stop, be absent; come to an end, perish, die; rest, celebrate. God did not die, nor is he absent. “Rest” means God ceased or stop His work of creating. Remember, he saw that everything He made was very good.
God blessed and made holy the seventh day because on it he rested from His work that he had done in creation. We must understand this day has no end. Unlike the first through sixth day, the seventh did not commence with “and there was evening and there was morning.”
Because God made every thing good, and saw after all was complete, it was very good, creation was to live in this perpetual state of rest. Then the fall happened.
Humanity lost its way but God never changed. Rest was given as instruction to the people in Exodus 16 and established as law in Exodus 20. The Rest/Sabbath (shabbat) eventually became the sign of the covenant between God and the nation of Israel (Exodus 31:13-17). What was it a sign of? It is a sign for them to know it is God who liberated them (Ex 31:13; Deut 5:12-15).
Other things to note: the tabernacle was patterned after creation. Therefore, worship is related to the created order.
Along with rest days, there came rest years.
God commanded the people to rest from their work as He rested from creating. “Embracing God’s sabbath rest meant experiencing the sense of completeness and well being God had accomplished at creation in behalf of all human life.”
Mathews, K. A. (1996). Genesis 1-11:26 (Vol. 1A, p. 180). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
God blessed and sanctified or made holy the seventh day. Meaning, it is a day especially devoted to Him.
What does this mean for us?
What does this mean for us?
What did Jesus preach? (Matt 4:17).
His message of liberation included rest for all who comes to Him (Matt 11:28).
Those who are “in Christ” are set free to enjoy the rest we find in Him (John 8:36; Gal 5:1).
Jesus is Lord even of the Sabbath (Mk 2:27-28).
Sabbath was a shadow of the reality found in Christ Jesus (Col 2:16-17).
Although we experience it now, we must make every effort to experience rest, perpetually (Heb 4:1-11).
Guess how God’s plan ends for us? (Rev 22:1-5).
So I will ask, why don’t you rest?