REFUELING SPIRITUAL RHYTHMS: SABBATH REST

We continue our series, Refueling Spiritual Rhythms.  We are seeking to draw upon the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We are only 13 weeks past Pentecost Sunday, which celebrates God’s outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples and every believer.  Then why do we feel so powerless as we confront the circumstances of our hearts and lives?  This week, we turn to one of the most ancient rhythms found in the scripture; in fact, the rhythm of Sabbath rest is rooted in creation.  On the seventh day God rested! (Genesis 2:2) The Ten Commandments exhort us to, “Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8)  What does this mean for us in our 24/7 world? We are tempted to think that God could rest on the seventh day because he had finished his work. Whereas, it seems our work is never finished!  It is easy to justify our overworking.  Or we have turned Sabbath into recreation.  Make no mistake, we need recreation or re-creation.  What are we to do with this ancient rhythm? Every study confirms that we do not get enough rest, but how can we find this Sabbath rest?  In the sermon Sabbath Rest, we turn to Hebrews 4:1-5 and 9-13.  These words are both convicting and inspiring for our lives.  These believers were hard pressed and overwhelmed, but God wants them to find more grace, not more guilt.  God wants them to find greater confidence, not the burden of doubt.  God wants them to find transformation, not an endless cycle of exhaustion!  God wants the same for us.  We pray you will find God’s rest in your heart and experience quiet waters in your soul as you read Hebrews 4:1-5, 9-13.

Hebrews 4:1-5, 9-13  

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. ² For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. ³ Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. ⁴ For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” ⁵ And again in the passage above, he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”

⁹ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰ for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. ¹¹ Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account