Genesis chapter 2
Genesis chapter 3
Genesis Genesis chapter 3
Genesis chapter 3
Genesis Genesis chapter 3
from slavery to sin.
Jesus is the one who truly puts an end to our labors.
In Christ, we receive his righteousness by grace through faith,
not by our efforts.
It's Jesus who went to the cross on our behalf,
and on Friday when his work was complete,
what did he say?
It is finished.
His work was done.
He ceased from the work of redemption.
And on Saturday, he rested in the grave.
And on Sunday, he rose again as the beginning of a new age,
a new creation,
ushering in a new covenant
and doing away with the old covenant for good.
Scott Hubbard, he says,
When the stone rolled away from Jesus' tomb on Easter morning,
true Sabbath rest arrived,
and a new day dawned.
So fifth,
lastly,
let's bring it to us.
Where does this leave us?
Church, we are not obligated to keep the Sabbath
because we see that everything the Sabbath was meant to teach us
is found in Christ.
The Sabbath was his big arrows,
as pointing to Jesus,
and now Jesus has come.
Israel, the old covenant,
the Sabbath,
all these are shadows,
but Christ is the substance.
These are all blurry,
black and white images,
but now Christ has come,
and all of his new covenant people,
we get to enjoy the fullness of God's rest in him.
Yes, God still calls you to rest in him,
but no longer by simply setting aside one day out of seven,
but by coming to Christ in faith.
The early church had to wrestle with this, too.
This is one of the questions that they had to settle,
and they had to discuss,
is do we still observe the Sabbath day?
That was a question they had to ask right up there alongside.
Do we still have to be circumcised
in order to be a part of the people of God?
And here's what they said.
Paul says in Colossians chapter 2,
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.
And he tells the church in Rome,
Romans 14, verse 5,
he says,
One person esteems one day as better than another,
while another esteems all days alike.
Look, each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
That would not fly in the old covenant, would it?
It used to be do this or die.
And now he says,
Christ has come and you are free.
Don't judge each other.
Live in the freedom that Christ has purchased for you in the gospel.
Live according to your convictions.
Something has happened that has drastically changed this dynamic
and this concept of Sabbath rest.
And that something clearly is the resurrection of Jesus.
In fact, the early church,
they began a totally new practice
in light of the resurrection of Jesus.
They began to gather
and to worship together on the Lord's day.
Sunday.
You wonder why we as Christians gather
and worship on Sunday morning
and not on Saturday.
Sunday is the Lord's day.
This is resurrection day.
It wasn't a new Sabbath day.
The Sabbath didn't just move forward 24 hours in the clock
from Saturday to Sunday.
This was an entirely new practice.
Gathering with the church
to worship the risen Lord Jesus on the Lord's day.
And guess what, church?
That is a command for Christians.
The author of Hebrews tells us
to not neglect the meeting together
as is the habit of some,
but encourage one another.
And all the more as you see the day drawing near.
And it's here together
that we as a church,
we come together
and we get a foretaste
of the rest of heaven.
For a brief moment in our week,
we set aside our work.
And we join together
with the angels in heaven
and singing songs of praise to the Lord.
We put down our tools.
We pick up our Bibles.
We remember,
we're reminded that God is our creator.
That we are set apart for Him.
That Jesus has come to redeem us
by His own blood.
What a gift we're given.
God extends true rest to us in Christ.
The rest that you and I were made for
is found in Christ.
The early church father, St. Augustine,
he would say it like this.
He said,
our hearts are restless
until we find rest in Thee.
Friend, if you are not a Christian,
Christ invites you this morning.
This invitation is yours.
Come to me.
All who are weary and heavy laden,
come to me.
All you who are burdened down by your sin,
come to me.
All you who are separated from me
by your sin,
come to Christ
and I will give you true rest.
And Christian,
as we grow in our walk with the Lord,
we're constantly bid to do the same thing.
Come to Christ.
We're called to rest in Him
and it's only in Him,
only by faith in Him
that you will find true rest.
I want you to turn with me
to one more passage as we close.
Hebrews chapter 4.
Right before this chapter,
the author of Hebrews,
he reminds us that
that many in Israel
failed to enter the promised rest.
That rest in the land of Canaan
was never ultimate.
The invitation was there.
The land was right there in front of them.
But he says that they heard the voice of God
and they hardened their hearts.
And so they didn't enter
because of their unbelief.
Therefore, he says chapter 4.
While the promise of entering His rest
still stands,
let us fear
lest any of you
should seem to have failed to reach it.
For good news came to us
just as to them.
But the message they heard
did not benefit them
because they were not united by faith
with those who listened.
For we who have believed
enter that rest.
As he has said,
verse 6.
Since therefore it remains
for some to enter it.
And those who formerly received
the good news
failed to enter
because of disobedience.
Again,
he appoints a certain day.
Today.
Saying through David
so long afterward.
And the words already quoted.
Today.
If you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.
For if Joshua had given them rest,
God would not have spoken
of another day later on.
So then,
there remains
a Sabbath rest
for the people of God.
For whoever has entered
God's rest
has also rested
from His works
as God did
from His.
Let us therefore
strive
to enter
that rest
so that no one
may fall
by the same sort
of disobedience.
Church,
as we
think on this theme
of God's rest,
we can make all sorts
of applications
about resting
and working,
taking a day off
every now and then,
getting a nap,
turning off your phone,
going for a walk
in the woods.
All of that is well
and good.
But there's something
infinitely more serious
at stake here.
I need you to listen.
God has spoken
to you today
through His Word.
And He has extended
to you
this promise.
Here it is again.
Come to Christ.
Come to Christ
and find true rest.
Leave behind
the chaos
and the striving
of this world.
Lay aside
the burden
of sin.
Come to Christ
and He will give you
true rest
for your souls.
He is the rest
that you were made for.
Today you have heard
His voice.
Do not harden
your hearts.
Those who believe
will enter
the rest
God has provided
for us in Christ.
Those who believe
will enter
His rest.
Today,
if you hear
His voice,
do not
harden
your hearts.
rest,
there remains
a Sabbath rest
for the people
of God.
And today,
today you may
enter true rest
by faith in Christ.
A perfect rest
that we who know
the Lord
will enjoy
in full
at His return
in a new
and better Eden.
But we who
know the Lord
can enjoy
and enter that rest
and taste it
even partially
here right now
through faith
in Christ.
let us
therefore strive
to enter that rest
by hearing
and believing
by coming
to Christ
the Lord
of the Sabbath.
Let's pray.
Father,
what a joy
it is
and what a
restful thing
it is to know
that our sins
are forgiven.
in Christ.
That our deepest
and hardest
and greatest
efforts
our best works
it can't bring us
one inch closer
to you
but you've provided
perfect
righteousness
received
not by our
doing
but received
by grace
through faith
and a perfect
Savior
who just bids us
come.
Lord,
we pray
if there are
any with us
this morning
who do not
know you
would you
lead them
Lord
to believe
to listen
to this
invitation
and to come
to Christ
and Father
for the church
for us believers
we pray
God
that we would
not be
prone to
wander back
into this
rhythm of
work
and work
of deeds
and deeds
of effort
and effort
but that we
would rest
in Christ.
we love
you Lord
we pray
this in
Jesus name
Amen