We Rest in Thee

The Rest of God

(Genesis 2:1-3, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, June 15, 2014)

[2:1] Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. [2] And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done,

The Lord created the earth in the six days of creation described in Genesis 1. He declared that His work was “very good.” In the structure of those six days we find our place, and our lives are given meaning in this world under the sun.

Yet we long for something more than that. We were created to know God, to worship Him, and to enjoy Him. Our hearts are restless until we find our rest in Him. We are created for meaningful work in this world, but what will we do when our work here is done? Will we be able to do what the Lord did when He finished His great work of creation?

and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

The Lord created an ordered world of realms in days one through three and in corresponding rulers in days four though six. On the sixth day He created man as His premiere image-bearer. Then on the seventh day He did something very significant—He rested.

He did not rest because He was tired. His rest was not the rest of the hammock. It was the rest of a king on His throne who rules forever over His entire creation house. The Lord is the sovereign God over all. He is also the God who rescued you from the oppression of insecurity, weariness, and hopelessness. He rescued you because He delighted in you.

From the seventh day of creation until the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, people testified to their rest in God by working for six days and then resting. Then the day of rest changed to the first day of the week. Jesus has accomplished all the works that the Lord could require for our resurrection life. We start our week in the rest of a new day. Our work on Monday through Saturday flows from the strength of our rest in Jesus.

[3] 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.

God gave us Sabbath in the Law. God gave us the fullness of rest in Jesus. The disagreement between Jesus and the Pharisees was fundamental to our understanding of the Bible and our faith. Jesus healed on the Sabbath because the Sabbath was the day of God's sovereign ruling rest over His creation house. Sabbath is a celebration of deliverance.

Put the Word to Work: Why should any of us be stuck in the bondage of old lies? Jesus has won a new Sabbath rest for us in His resurrection life. This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. We will hear the Word of God and enter into His rest.

Memory Verse from the Songs of Ascent—Psalm 120:3-4

What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?
A warrior's sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!

Gospel Reading—Matthew 12:46-50

Jesus' mother and brothers