Rest
Rest is not synonymous with inactivity. What God rested from was the work of
creation. He continues to be active. He is sustaining all that He has created and in
the work both of righteous judgment and gracious salvation. Jesus Christ indeed in
His incarnation, life death, rising and glorification is precisely God in action (Ii
Corinthians 5:19).
What the Christian will rest from is the struggle against the forces of evil and the
afflictions by which this present life is marred. The rest into which the Christian will
enter will not be a state of uneventful boredom. God Himself is dynamic, not static,
and so also is His rest. Consequently all that a Christian rests from simply sets him
free to be active ceaselessly and joyfully in the service of God. In perfect harmony
with all God’s works and in complete fulfillment, such will be the rest without end of
that eternal Sabbath that has a morning, but no evening. “Let us therefore strive to
enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:11). It is God’s rest into which all persons are
encouraged to enter. The rest of the Israelites in the Promised Land after their
wilderness wanderings is a symbol of God’s eternal rest that His people will share.
That rest was attained under Joshua who led them into the land and settled them
there (Joshua 23-24). They rested from their labor (striving to do things for their
selves). God gave them peace.
Jesus said, “come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest” (Matthew 11:28). The rest that Christ gives those who come to Him is a
foretaste and a guarantee of the divine rest that awaits them.
To achieve this rest; don’t pray too quickly, study the word on your situation unto faith
comes, then pray the prayer of faith and see great results. You can trust and rest in
the Lord when you know what He says about your situations. Rest in the Lord and
wait patiently for Him.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: July 7, 2006