Thank God for Sabbath

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to the Kingdom Perspective.

In the frenetic pace of modern life, rest is often the first casualty.

However, biblically speaking, rest is a good thing. God instituted a Sabbath in the very created order. He commanded the children of Israel to “Remember the Sabbath, and keep it holy.” In other words, the nation of Israel was to cease from their labors, one day in seven, and reflect upon the fact that God provides for His people even when they are helpless. Indeed, it was in their helplessness that He delivered them from 24/7 slavery in Egypt.

You see, God is not like the pagan deities or rulers, that demand round the clock toil. Human beings do not exist for subservience to anyone. Even God himself shared His rule with human beings when He gave them dominion over the creation. Indeed, even our destiny in the kingdom of Heaven is spoken of a sabbath rest where we will reign with King Jesus.

Now, good Christians can debate about the proper application of the Sabbath command in the life of the church. However, what we cannot debate about is the heart of that command: God is a god who gives rest. Neither, can we debate about the propriety of the command: we are mere creatures which God in His grace has made kings of His creation, and so we need rest and deserve it.

Slaves have to work 24/7. Kings are free to enjoy the pleasure of their dominion.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

~ Genesis 1:26-31 (ESV)

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”

~ Genesis 2:1-3 (ESV)