Sermon – Heaven – A Place of Rest

This morning we will look at several passages of Scripture that talk about rest and which will lead us to our ultimate destination of Heaven – and our eternal rest. This rest of course is not the cessation of all activity; but of different ones.

Genesis 2:2-3 (NLT) … On the seventh day God had finished His work of creation, so He rested from all His work. (3) And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when He rested from all His work of creation.
After six days of creating, God demonstrated that rest is appropriate and right. If God Himself rested from His work, we should not be surprised that we also need rest. When the LORD gave the Law, this was one of the big ones – one of the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 20:8-11 (NLT) … Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. (9) You have six days each week for your ordinary work, (10) but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do nay work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. (11) For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day He rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
(Before we go further, the Jewish Sabbath is Saturday; and Christians gather on Sunday. This lesson is not a Saturday vs. Sunday debate. We – as Christians – live under a new covenant; but the principle of prioritizing time to worship and honor God; and rest from labor remains.)
We live in a fast-paced world, don’t we? There is always something to do, places to be, people to see … (our “to-do” lists are long). It can seem like there just isn’t enough time to complete everything we have to do, much less to also include what we want to do.
God commanded a day of rest to help people maintain their priorities – to help life not get out of hand – to help people focus on the spiritual and not just the material. He was so serious about the Sabbath that those who profaned the day were put to death.
Even when the Tabernacle was being built, no construction was done on the Sabbath. We should make note of that – worship – praise – prayer – our spiritual life and health should not be overlooked or replaced by work – even ‘good’ works.
God knows that humans need to spend unhurried time in worship and rest. It is vitally important that we give God what is due Him – to love, honor, and worship Him with our undivided attention.
Sadly, many ignore God’s commands – even those that claim to be His followers. Many people neglect having a day of rest and worship; and treat it just like any other day. It isn’t special. It isn’t unique. Its just another day to earn and spend and go and do. God, once again, takes a back seat to anything and everything else.
Again, Christians are under a new covenant and many of the Old Testament Laws have been fulfilled or done away with. Many were carried over into the New Covenant; and were even changed – hate = murders & lust = adultery. I don’t see where Sabbath worship was carried over by the early Church who began to gather and worship on Sunday – the 1^st Day – the Lord’s Day.
We – as Christians – don’t have to observe or keep the Sabbath as a legalistic day with rules about how far we can travel or what we can or cannot do. However, we still need to set aside time to rest and worship. God should always be our top priority – and it says a lot about us if He isn’t. By setting aside time to honor God and rest, we saying to ourselves and to the world that God is Lord of everything – work – time – lives.
To observe a regular time of rest and worship in our fast-paced world demonstrates how important God is to us, and it gives us the extra benefit of refreshing our spirits. Don’t neglect God’s provision. He knows what is best; so trust Him!
Mark 6:30-32 (NLT) … The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told Him all they had done and taught. (31) The Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there we so many people coming and going that Jesus and His apostles didn’t even have time to eat.
When the disciples had returned from their mission, Jesus took them away to rest. Doing God’s work is very important, but Jesus recognized that to do it effectively we need periodic rest and renewal. Jesus and His disciples, however, did not always find it easy to get the rest they needed!
It isn’t one or the other … we don’t just rest … we don’t just work … we need to do both … we should do both … one prepares us for the other; and if we do enough of one, we will definitely need the other.
I do enjoy my time of rest – and yes, even naps – on Sunday afternoon. Being involved in spiritual work – all sorts – can take a toll on our physical bodies. Also, we need to be rested and have our minds and bodies in a good place so we can do the spiritual things that are required of us.
The same disciples that couldn’t stay awake for an hour in the Garden of Gethsemane to pray were the same ones that went fishing all night … priorities matter!
Under the Old Testament (Covenant), the Jewish people had to work hard – had to try to follow all the laws – which nobody outside of Jesus did successfully – to make themselves acceptable to God; and there were sacrifices to offer up to atone for sin and to stay in a right relationship with God.
Keeping the Laws were burdensome – it was heavy – it was hard. That is, until Jesus came along and changed everything.
Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT) … Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heat, and you will find rest of your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
A person may be carrying heavy burdens of sin – excessive demands of religious leaders – oppression and persecution – or weariness in the search for God.
Jesus frees people from all these burdens, the rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God; not the end of all labor. A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose. Our lives go from being inward focused to outward … from serving self; to serving God and others. Our work and lives now impact eternity for the better.
The yoke emphasizes the challenges, work, and difficulties of partnering with Christ in life. Responsibilities weigh us down, even the effort of staying true to God. But Jesus’ yoke remains easy compared to the crushing alternative.
Jesus doesn’t offer a life of luxurious ease – the yoke is still a tool for working hard. But it’s a shared yoke, with weight falling on bigger shoulders than yours. Someone with more pulling power is up front helping. Suddenly you are participating in life’s responsibilities with a great Partner – and now that frown can turn into a smile, and that gripe into a song.
We are studying Hebrews during our Wednesday evening Bible study; and there is still time for you to make our evening services part of your routine. In Hebrews 10:12, we read that when Jesus’ mission was done – He “rested” at God’s right hand.
- Hebrews 10:12 (NLT) … But our high priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
Revelation 14:13 (NLT) … And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”
- Greek “anapauo” … to cause to rest, to soothe, to refresh … to take rest, repose, refreshment … to have a fixed place of rest, abide, dwell
While it is true that money, fame, and belongs can’t be taken with us from this life, God’s people can produce fruit that survives even death. God will remember our love, kindness, good deeds, and faithfulness; and those who accept Christ through our witness will join us in the new earth.
The Hebrews kept the Sabbath as a sign they were obedient to God. Those who refused to observe it, proved they were not partners with God or didn’t want to be in the agreement / covenant. Those who did follow the command were publicly showing their faith and trust.
While not trying to be legalists, having a weekly sabbath is a reminder of God’s divine and eternal rest from all hard labor. Ignoring it just points to the fate of unbelievers who refuse to enter God’s rest through the atoning death of Jesus Christ.
When we pass, we will enter into rest or be faced with wrath for all of eternity. Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father; and if you are not washed by His blood and endure to the end, then you will not make it to Heaven. The alternative for rejecting Jesus is eternal separation from God – in darkness – in fire – being burned but not consumed – with weeping and gnashing of teeth – and no hope of escaping … You have a choice today – so, please choose Christ and choose REST.