“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” (Gen. 2:2-3 NKJV).
The God of our Lord Jesus Christ is all powerful! He is mighty and always full of energy and was therefore not tired when He rested from His labour. God had finished what He set out to do; to create the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. He had accomplished His goal and saw that what he created was good (Gen. 1:31). It was finished!
In this context of God resting from his labour, rest means “a cessation of labour having completed the task one set out to do”. The day that God rested was a blessed day. This is because He personally sanctified and blessed it.
“Father, if you being the God of the universe El Elyon, creator of heaven and earth rests from your work, your creative acts and projects, how much more should we not do the same?” You certainly do not expect us to attempt to labour in our own strength without your guidance or leading, we are incapable of doing so. This is why you counselled us through the writer of proverbs:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do,and he will show you which path to take. (Prov. 3:5-6 NLT).””
GOD IN CHRIST – OUR SABBATH REST
How then could humanity attain this rest? Cease from the burden of having to “labour” without God?
When we do things in our own strength without dependance on God hence His power which is the same power with which He created then whatever we do cannot be good unto God. This is why we are saved by grace through faith not works. Our carnal works do not please God and can only produce unrighteous fruit or sin.
Christ compassionately beckons “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt.11:28 KJV).
When God is in it, it is not labour in the sense of striving or doing things in our own strength. No one but God can restore mankind to that place of rest, His type of rest, so He left his throne and came in the person of Jesus Christ, a sinless saviour.
God cares. God so loved the world that He sent Jesus Christ, so that he who believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
Let us remember that scripture speaks of the incarnate Christ; God came to earth in the person of Christ. “”Me and my Father are one” Jesus said (John 10:30).
“… God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself..” (2 Corinth. 5:19KJV)
JESUS CHRIST CAME TO BE OUR SABBATH REST
God’s Sabbath Rest for humanity has been “ready” since the Seventh Day when He rested from creating the universe (Gen. 2 ). It was ready but was not acceptable by all.
“For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said, “In my anger I took an oath ‘They will never enter my place of rest,’” even though this rest has been ready since he made the world.” (Heb 4:3-4 KJV).
For those who failed to enter God’s rest due to disobedience in God, Hebrew 4:7 states “God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today.” This was in reference to Christ being a means for those who did not enter God’s rest through disobedience to have a second chance.
Yearly sacrifices did not suffice, they were requirements of the law of Moses “the shadow of good things to come not the very image of the things” so God sent Jesus Christ.(Heb.10:1 -10 NKJV).
Do not be discouraged if someone you have been witnessing to has not accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour, as this passage (Heb. 4:7) gives us hope. As long as Jesus tarries, our loved ones still have a chance to be saved.
Jesus suffered criticism, mockery, rejection, beatings and betrayal and the ultimate shame and death on the cross for our sakes. He suffered all this, even though he was sinless (Heb. 4:15) so that we would not have to.
His accomplishments made a way for those who accept him as their Lord and Saviour (Rom. 10:9) to therefore have God’s Sabbath Rest which also speaks of a life void of anxiety.
May we truly find peace in God and heed to the Apostle Paul’s encouraging words as follows:
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Phil. 4:6 KJV).
In Christ our Sabbath Rest, we have all that we need; because we know with certainty that “his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertainunto life and godliness (2 Pet.1:3 KJV).
“But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified (Hebrew 10:12-15 KJV).
As our Sabbath Rest, seated after finishing his work on the Cross, Christ embodies our sanctification and declares us holy and righteous. As long us we believe this truth and partner for this to be a reality in our daily lives, we will always overcome any attempt of our enemies to discourage us and take our focus away from our one and only burden bearer, Christ.
SAVED TO DO GOOD WORKS
Our Salvation is intended for us to manifest as “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10).
As the redeemed of the LORD, we are restored to our creation mandate; As ones created in God’s image to be His representatives on earth. It is therefore inevitable that we would do good works for Him.
After God created the universe, he saw that his works were good, it follows that those created in His image will inevitably do good works.
What has prevented you from thinking you are capable of doing works that by God’s definition are good, if indeed that is the case?
God’s word is true about you, as long as you are born again you are predestined to do good works.
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent…hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Num.23:19 KJV)
You have been gifted with the creative flair of the master creator, the capacity to do exceedingly abundantly more than you can ever ask or think why? Because God is the one by His mighty power doing his works in and through you (Eph.3:20).
Friends, let us therefore be encouraged and motivated to take steps of faith in doing what He has called us to do, “being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work” in us “will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil.1:6 KJV).
Thank you Jesus, Our Sabbath Rest!
©Jan2018DENyamekye
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