God Cares About Rest

In today's episode, we delve deep into the profound significance of the Sabbath, a divine commandment that reminds us that we are human beings, not just human doings. The concept of Sabbath invites us to pause and consider our identities, separate from the relentless work we often immerse ourselves in. It's a gentle nudge to take a step back and enjoy the world around us, which is all too often a blur in our fast-paced lives. This crucial message resonates from the very beginning of creation, where God himself set aside a day for rest, emphasizing its importance. Join Dr. Andrew Farley as we explore the deeper meaning of God's heart for rest and the beautiful wisdom it holds for our lives.

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The Sabbath serves as a reminder that God desires us to enjoy the beauty around us, for rest is not just about recovering from weariness but about stopping to appreciate the goodness in our lives. It encourages us to see the world with fresh eyes, free from the constant rush and anxiety about the future. God's call for Sabbath rest extends to caring for the well-being of others, particularly those who serve us. It challenges us to consider the burden we place on those in service industries and those who work under us. Furthermore, God's command to let the land rest echoes his concern for the earth, its cycles, and the need for ethical attention to ensure it continues to provide for our needs. Ultimately, Jesus exemplifies true rest, emphasizing that the Sabbath is about restoration, healing, and connection with God. We invite you to find rest in Jesus and take a moment to appreciate the beauty that surrounds you in the midst of life's hustle.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Let us pray. Come to me, all you who labor
and are heavily 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. Matthew, Chapter eleven, verses twenty

(00:26):
eight through thirty. Dear Lord, you are my source of rest.
Life can become so chaotic and spiral out of control.
I work, strive and struggle to keep up, but I
often fail. But even though this world induces stress and anxiety,
your promise is that connection with you is easy and light.

(00:49):
Thank you that when planet Earth comes at me, you
are working in me. Your grace sustains me, and I
am satisfied in you in gi Us this name Amen.
Thank you for praying with me today. Now discover the
profound intricacies of scripture through prey dot COM's podcast The

(01:12):
Heartbeat of Faith with doctor Andrew Farley. Stay tuned after
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Speaker 2 (02:24):
We as human beings, have a rhythm to our lives.
We work and then we rest. God did the same
thing at creation, He worked and then he rested. Likewise,
Jesus completed his finished work on the cross and through
the resurrection, and now he is seated resting at the

(02:46):
right hand of God. We're invited to rest with him
in all that he accomplished. The natural rhythm of work
being accomplished and then resting is even seen in Ecclesiastes.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
There was nothing better for a man than that he
should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good
in his labor. This also I saw that it is
from the hand of God. Ecclesiastes two twenty four.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Hello, I'm doctor Andrew Farley. With today's episode of the
Heartbeat of Faith podcast. Today we begin focusing on things
that God truly cares about, and there's no mistaking God's
deep desire for us to rest. God's emphasis on our
need for rest is displayed in the very beginning, when

(03:44):
God instituted a day of rest.

Speaker 3 (03:47):
After creation, God had taken the chaotic void and inserted purpose.
The heavens and the earth were filled. His piece of
art was complete. So on the seventh day, God paused
to enjoy what he had done, so he blessed the

(04:10):
seventh day and made it holy.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
God also instructed Israel to rest in the Ten Commandments.
He saw the Sabbath rest as important enough to put
alongside other commands such as those against lying, adultery, and murder.

Speaker 3 (04:34):
I am the Lord, your God. I am the one
who delivered you out of slavery from the land of Egypt.
You shall have no other gods but me. You shall
not make any idols, no carved images of anything that
is below or above the earth. Do not bow to
them or serve them. For I alone am your God.

(04:58):
I am a jealous god, showing myself to generations of
those who hated me. But I show steadfast love always,
and show love to those who keep me and my commandments.
You shall not take my name in vain, for I
am the Lord, and I will hold him guilty if
he takes my name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day,

(05:23):
keep it special and holy. Labor and work hard for
six days. But on the seventh day you should rest
sabbath and rest in for me. Enjoy me. You nor
your children, servants, or live stock should labor. For I
created all things in six days, and on the seventh

(05:44):
I enjoyed the fruit of my labor. Honor your father
and your mother. If you do, your days shall be
long in the land I have given you. You shall
not murder, you shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal,
You shall not lie against your neighbor and bear false witness.

(06:04):
You shall not covet and seek after your neighbor's possessions
or relationships.

Speaker 2 (06:11):
So important was sabbath rest to God that in his
law he established a sabbath year, in which on the
seventh year, everybody took a year to rest from the plow,
the rich and the poor, and even the animals that
worked the field.

Speaker 3 (06:31):
Yahweh said to Moses on Mount SINAI speak to the
children of Israel, and tell them, when you come into
the land which I give you, then the land shall
keep a sabbath to Yahweh. You shall sow your field
six years, and you shall prune your vineyard six years
and gather in its fruits. But in the seventh year

(06:53):
there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land,
a sabbath to Yahweh. You shall not sow your field
or prune your vineyard. What grows of itself in your harvest,
you shall not reap, and you shall not gather the
grapes of your undressed vine. It shall be a year
of solemn rest for the land. The sabbath of the

(07:16):
land shall be for food for you, for yourself, for
your servant, for your maid, for your hired servant, and
for your stranger who lives as a foreigner with you.
For your livestock also, and for the animals that are
on your land. Shall all its increase be for food
Leviticus twenty five one through seven.

Speaker 2 (07:41):
Something this significant carries some weight of importance. Right, God
isn't flippant with these things. So why was there such
an emphasis on Sabbath rest? What was God trying to
communicate about himself and his heart for his people. First,
in in order to understand the significance of the Old

(08:03):
Testament Sabbath and its connection to the rest we have
in Christ today, we've gone back to the very beginning.
After God created the world, he declared his work to
be good, and on the seventh day he rested. This
act of resting was not because God was tired, but

(08:25):
rather to signify the completion and perfection of his creation.
Fast forward to the time of Israel and we see
that God commanded them to observe the Sabbath day as
a symbol and reminder of his rest. It was a
day set apart for rest and worship, a shadow of

(08:48):
the spiritual rest that was to come through Christ. However,
the true and ultimate rest we find today is not
in observing a sabbath, but in resting in Jesus himself.
You see, the heart of the Gospel is the message
of total forgiveness, living under God's grace and experiencing perfect

(09:13):
union with Jesus. Through his finished work on the Cross
and the Resurrection, Jesus has accomplished everything needed for our salvation.
We no longer have to strive to earn God's favor
through religious works or acrobatics. Instead, we can simply rest

(09:35):
in the truth that it is finished now. This rest
is not a passive rest, but an active trust and
dependence on Christ. It's a rest that comes from knowing
we are righteous by faith, not by our own works.
It's a rest that allows us to let go of

(09:56):
our burdens and find freedom from fear, guilt, and legalism.
In Matthew eleven, Jesus invites us to come to him,
all who are weary and burdened, and he promises to
give us rest for our souls. Remember, we, as human beings,

(10:16):
have a rhythm to our lives. We work and then
we rest. God did the same thing at creation. He
worked and then he rested. Likewise, Jesus completed his finished
work on the cross and through the resurrection, and now
he's seated resting at the right hand of God, and

(10:39):
we're invited to rest with him in all he accomplished.
The natural rhythm of work being accomplished and then resting
is even seen in Ecclesiastes.

Speaker 3 (10:55):
Therefore, I begin to cause my heart to despair concerning
all the labslabor in which I had labored under the sun.
For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom,
with knowledge, and with skillfulness. Yet he shall leave it
for his portion to a man who has not labored
for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

(11:18):
For what does a man have of all his labor
and of the striving of his heart in which he
labors under the sun. For all his days are sorrows,
and his travail is grief. Yes, even in the night
his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity. There
is nothing better for a man than that he should

(11:40):
eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in
his labor. This also I saw that it is from
the hand of God. Ecclesiastes two twenty through twenty.

Speaker 2 (11:52):
Four Ecclesiastes is saying, what good is all this work
if you don't even enjoy what it brings you? And
there's an obvious parallel with the profound truth of resting
in the finished work of Christ and how it transforms

(12:12):
our lives today. In Hebrews four to three were reminded
that as believers, we've already entered into God's rest. It's
not something that we strive to attain, but rather a
reality we embrace through faith in Jesus. Some characterize God's
grace as easy believism, which should actually be a badge

(12:36):
of honor, not a criticism. After all, Jesus himself said
connection with him would be easy and light. Yes, he
said it would be easy because He's done all the
work for us. We get to be one with Him
for free. Plus he said, whoever believes in Him will

(12:57):
not perish, but have everlasting life. So clearly, the Gospel
brings us a relationship with Jesus that is both easy
and believism. No life in this world is not easy,
but our beautiful bond with Jesus Christ is a free
gift by faith. It's both easy and believism. Lastly, when

(13:24):
we truly grasp the depths of God's love and the
completeness of our forgiveness. In Christ, we can rest in
his finished work. It's from this place of rest that
the fruit of the spirit naturally flows. Think about it. Love, peace, joy, patience,

(13:44):
and all the other attributes of the spirit are not
produced through striving and self effort, but through resting and
enjoying Christ's presence within us and allowing his life to
flow through us.

Speaker 3 (14:03):
It was the Sabbath, and Jesus entered the synagogue to worship.
The Sabbath was a time for contemplation and relaxation. It
was established by God for the purpose of pausing work
to rest in him. Some of his critics were in
attendance as well, waiting for any cause to rebuke him.
As Jesus entered, he saw a man with a withered hand.

(14:25):
The Pharisees watched Jesus closely as he approached the man.
They were waiting for him to heal him. They were
waiting for him to break the Sabbath law and work.
Jesus knew their hearts. They had completely missed the point.
He took the man with the withered hand and looked
at the pharisees, tell me, Jesus said, is it lawful

(14:47):
to do good on the sabbath? If there is someone
in need, should we let them pass? What if their
life is in danger, should we let them die? The
men were silent, for Jesus was revealing their legal liists
to hearts. They didn't care about people, They only cared
about looking righteous. Stretch out your hand, Jesus said to

(15:08):
the man, and in that moment, the man's hand was restored.
Everyone marveled and rejoiced, but the Pharisees left and gathered together,
seeking for an opportunity to destroy him.

Speaker 2 (15:21):
Ultimately, Jesus is our only true rest, and the good
news of the Gospel puts us at ease and frees
us from spiritual stress and anxiety. Let us rest in
the finished work of Christ, knowing that we're complete in
Him and that He has made us one with him.

(15:43):
From this place of rest, we can bear fruit, live
in freedom, and experience the abundant life that Jesus has promised.
Resting in Christ is the natural result of getting to
know how a man the Gospel really is, So don't

(16:04):
make resting in Christ into some sort of work. Remember
the religious leaders in Jesus' day, tried to make the
Sabbath a religious practice, but Jesus continually rebuked them and
reminded them that even the Old Testament sabbath was for benefit,

(16:24):
not for bondage. I hope you enjoy rest today, not
just a physical break, but as a deep spiritual reality.
May you find peace in knowing that through Christ's finished work,
you're forgiven, cleansed, and in perfect union with Him. As
you rest in his grace, may you experience the freedom

(16:47):
to bear fruit and enjoy the abundant life he promised.
Remember the Gospel is not about striving or earning, but
about embracing the truth that Jesus has done it all.
So rest in his love, walk in his grace, and
live in the fullness of the rest that is found

(17:10):
in Christ alone. Thank you for listening to the Heartbeat
of Faith podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, please leave
us a review and let us know how this series
has impacted your life. Remember to download Theprey dot com app,
and for more encouragement in God's grace, visit Andrewfarley dot org.

(17:35):
That's Andrewfarley dot org.