This is a sermon given 5/1/2022 for Fairview Church of the Brethren:
In our culture today, we are bad at resting. In a society where our value is closely tied with our productivity, resting seems counterintuitive to these things that give us status, approval, and accomplishment. However, rest is important for out minds, bodies, and souls. So how can we learn to rest well in this hectic, fast-paced world we live in?
In the Old Testament, God commanded that the nation of Israel rest on the Sabbath day, and keeping the Sabbath day holy is the third commandment. This commandment was so important to God, that breaking it was punishable by death, and there are some tragic examples of this happening.
However, since Jesus brought us a new covenant, we are no longer subject to his harsh rule, but Sabbath was still relevant to the early church. Hebrews 4:9-11 tells us, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” The perishing the author of Hebrews is referring to is not the same as the punishment of the Old Testament, but is a perishing that happens organically when we are not taking Sabbath rest.
In the United States, very little time off given by employers, and even when time off is given, nearly half of all Americans reported that they do not use all of their allotted vacation time, or confessed to working while on vacation. As a result, a report in 2019 showed the US as number 7 in the most stressed countries in the world in a survey of over 142 countries. Lack of rest and time-off from work has proven to increase chances of burn-out, anxiety, loss of relationships, lack of focus, even physical ailments such as diabetes and cardiovascular problems. A previous study that tracked workers for 20 years concluded that workers who didn’t take vacations were 30%-50% more likely to suffer from heart attacks. Quite frankly, our "workaholic culture" is unhealthy, and has cost many to perish.
A modern classic that has emerged out of this cultural problem is the play "Death of a Salesman", often regarded as one of the saddest tragedies of all time. The striking thing about this story is not that it recounts some major historical injustice or an unthinkable atrocity, but the fact that it is a tale all-too familiar to us - the worker that is so consumed with his work, and his subsequent success and achievement, that when those are taken away, he desperately loses his identity and his sense of purpose. The audience watches this man fall into deep sadness, hoping that he can see that there is more to life than the American Dream of being a successful salesman, and climbing the corporate ladder. This is destined to be our fate if we don't take time to step away to put life into perspective, and focus on the beauty and wonder of the God who holds all things in His hands. We must learn to rest well so we do not perish.
But we can't understand why rest is so important until we know what rest is. Rest can often be associated negatively with laziness or isolation. However, the Biblical definition of rest is far from sitting on your couch, eating potato chips and watching TV. There are two Hebrew words in the Bible that translate to mean "rest" - shabat and nuahk. Shabat is the word commonly known in English as the Sabbath. It is a day free of literal work. When you Sabbath, you are clocked out, free of work duties until you go back in on Monday. Nuahk, however, has a deeper meaning. This word is used to describe how the Israelites were to act on the Sabbath, by "dwelling" or "settling" in God's presence. So in the time free of other responsibilities, the Sabbath was meant to also be a time of dwelling and settling in God's presence. God even expresses that the Sabbath is meant to be a sign for the Israelites; a reflection of His presence dwelling with the Israelites. Of course, as the story of the Bible goes, the Israelites struggled to keep the Sabbath and make it holy. Then later in Jesus' day, the religious leaders went to the other extreme, keeping the Sabbath at the cost of losing sight of its intended purpose to rest and dwell with God.
So how can we rest well? Think of a pitcher of water. In order for the pitcher to serve its function, it must be filled with something; water, tea, lemonade, what have you. Then, that beverage is meant to be shared with others, filling the cups in the room until it is emptied, and then it will be filled again to do the same action, over and over again. This requires an intentional and necessary break to refill. The pitcher cannot perform its purpose to the best of its abilities if at it is being filled, it is being poured out, or of the opening of the pitcher is so small that it is incredibly difficult to fill. The pitcher must be still and open to be filled in order to perform its function - sharing its contents with those it was meant to serve.
In the same way, we are meant to be vessels of God's word. We cannot adequately perform our functions if we are so busy that we pour out as we refill. We may live with the right intentions, but we will never truly be full. We also cannot perform our function if we never give ourselves the freedom and the space to be filled up. Our bodies may be at rest, but if out minds and our hearts are occupied with other things, we are not allowing God to come in and restore us in those moment. Rest was an essential part of Jesus' ministry, and an important message that resonates from God's covenant with the nation of Israel in the Old Testament as well. So this morning, I would like to share some Biblical reminders of what rest is, and why it is important to us in our lives today.
Rest Relieves - Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
This quote from Jesus is one of the most well-know passage about Jesus offering us rest. He gives us the image of carrying our burdens and worries upon Himself, later represented in His actions of Good Friday, literally carrying the cross of our sins to give us redemption, salvation, peace and rest.
However, the context of this verse is not often elaborated. Verses 20-27 contain a harsh rebuke to Bethsaida and Capernaum, two cities that Jesus went to minister to and perform miracles in, but they do not accept His message. He then makes a declaration about His authority as the Son of God. It is after these two statements that we finally come to verse 28 for Jesus invitation to come to Him and find rest. It is in these cities that He preached the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, and healed many people and cast out demons, but then people pleaded for Him to leave because they were afraid of His miracles, and His teachings were questioned by the legal experts.
Within this context, Jesus is not simply saying to take a day off from work. He is saying that many times we work and toil by our own strength to find answers to questions that can only be found in God. We work to try to control and make sense of the world, and by doing so, we miss the miracles of God's presence in front of us, and that is a tragedy. This is why it grieved Jesus when the people in these towns could not see and accept His works as that of God, but in their human efforts, tried to refute Jesus' teachings, and out of fear tried to drive Him away.
Jesus is saying that we must open our eyes to the miracles He is working, and to stop trying to control the world around us and make sense of the unknowable depths of God's nature, but to simply trust Him; rest in His presence, and find His peace. He does not expect us to understand everything, and He doesn't need us to work for His approval. We must simply come and accept His rest.
He teaches us that we must set aside our work and worries, and rest our hands on Him.
Rest Refuels - Mark 1:35
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Although this passage does not directly say the word "rest", Jesus is taking time to dwell in God's presence in prayer, which is one of the meanings of the Hebrew word for rest, "nuakh". During Jesus' earthly ministry, there are many times He went away by Himself to pray. Although this was not always on the literal Sabbath, this is an example of how Jesus knew the importance of taking time off to dwell in the presence of God. He would rise up early in the morning, or go away in the evenings and designate that time to be refreshed in the presence of God.
In this verse, Jesus leaves in the morning to pray after He spent the evening healing anyone who came to his door, which were many. We see Him going alone to pray, when He is soon interrupted by the disciples who appear to have been looking for Him for a long time. Once they find Him, Jesus tells them they will go preach in the nearby villages.
Now, we know that God is the infinite, all-powerful, omniscient creator of the universe, and Jesus as His son also maintains this character in human form, there is still time for rest. God rested on the 7th day of creation, and Jesus rested in between His ministry. If God does not need to fill every moment with work, neither do we. Jesus reminds us that we don't need to fill every waking moment with productivity, even if that productivity is ministry. We cannot give what we do not have. When we are feeling overwhelmed and burnt out, we need to take time and refuel in God's presence, so we have the strength and energy to continue. There are so many people who expect so much from us at all times, but it is important to know when we need to step back, breathe, and spend some time with God, even just for a few moments.
He leads us to set aside our expectations, and rest our spirits on Him.
Rest Refocuses - Isaiah 58:13-14
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
In this passage of Isaiah, God is reminding the nation of Israel through a prophetic statement that if they honor the Sabbath, they will take delight in the Lord, and they will rise above the stresses of the earth. In many prophetic passages, God is decreeing destruction, or imminent danger, followed by a promise that He will be with Israel, guarding them and protecting them no matter what comes.
In this moment in history, the Israelites are struggling to keep the Sabbath, and are "trampling" it by worshipping other idols, and filling this time that was meant to be holy with things that fulfill their own desires. While we may not be out worshipping other idols in our Sabbath rest, we often fill our rest time with things that are more distracting than restful, Instead of quieting the world around us to tune into God, we turn up the volume and fill our hearts and our minds with things of the world until we can't hear God through the chaos.
But it is so easy to be distracted by the world. These distractions can be good or bad. Sometimes these distractions can be technology or anxiety, but these distractions could also be family and friends or hobbies. There are many things competing for our attention in the world today, which is why this plea to set aside "doing as we please" is so important to hear. We can quickly loose focus on what God is doing when we let these distractions stand between us and God.
God is inviting us to set aside our distractions, and rest our thoughts on Him
Conclusion - Let there be Rest - Psalm 122:6-7
“Let those who love you have rest.
Let there be peace on your walls;
let there be rest on your fortifications.”
This Psalm was intended to be a prayer for Jerusalem, but it is a prayer we can pray for ourselves today, too. In order to experience the peace of God, and the fullness of His joy, we must take time to rest in the love of God. We must take a moment in the early hours of the morning, or the moments before we go to sleep, to center our hearts, minds, and spirits on the source of all things, and put our present struggles into perspective of God's greater glory. The world expects us to work for glory, but Jesus expects nothing, and just tells us to rest in Him, and His glory brings us peace and joy.
Right now is a busy season for many people. For students and teachers, we are entering the final stretch of school, with final projects, exams, and graduations. For seasonal employees, beach and camping seasons are upon us, and will ramp up very quickly. However, some of you may not be feeling the heat. You may be in a calm spot, at peace with the world and yourself. If you are in that place, I invite you to share your peace with others. If you see someone overwhelmed or over burdened, invite them to take a moment and rest, and if you are the one who is overwhelmed and over burdened, accept this invitation that Jesus gives us to rest.
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