Have you ever truly thought about the concept of rest? What is rest, why rest, how important rest is, etc… There is really no real way to value rest until you don’t have it! When you are just down right tired, bummed out and beyond yourself, you then realize you need rest. But honestly, none of us should get to that point where rest is not a reality, but more of a luxury or even an option. Rest is mandatory! I remember in the service, when reading the fine print of the contract each soldier and sailor signed, it said “You are guaranteed no more than 1 hour of sleep a day.” Could you imagine if that was strictly enforced. The most I ever went without sleep was 4 days, and although I was younger, it was really hard on me.
In starting our journey today friends, we will look a little further into the word rest as we learn to rest in our labors of life—also knowing tomorrow, we celebration the national Labor Day holiday. Let me start by reading from the Prophet Isaiah ch. 58. “If, because of the Sabbath, you restrain your foot From doing as you wish on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a pleasure, and the holy day of the Lord honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word, 14 Then you will take delight in the Lord, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” When you read this piece of scripture, we first learn a very important point. God designed the Sabbath, the Lord’s day to be a day of rest. Without going too deep into the worldly logistics of the fast paced culture, working on Sundays and holidays, I will say that scripture tells us the people of Israel celebrated the Sabbath on the last day of the week—although some theologians would argue what day is actually Saturday and Sunday. There’s no biblical basis for changing the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first of the week, which in our current Gregorian Calendar, but scholars cite the fact that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day as a possible reason for this change observed in the New Testament. Regardless of the day of the week, without even arguing about it, the Sabbath day, a day of rest, is in deed the fourth of God’s commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy.” You cannot get around that! “9 For six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your cattle, or your resident who stays with you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
The word “Sabbath” is related to a Hebrew root that means “cease” or “stop.” God commanded His people to cease from their labor, so they could rest, refresh, and refuel. Not only did God declare in Genesis that He rested on the 7th day, but He also freed Israel from slavery in Egypt which they were no longer bound to work non-stop like slaves. God gave them the gift of rest, a day to cease from working and to honor Him.
There is no denying it that no person on earth can work 24/7 without having physical limitations. Yes with Gods help, we can survive without rest, but rest is something God made holy. Rest is the one thing Jesus even declared that we who are heavy laden, we come to Him for rest. But why rest? What is so important about rest? How many people here do NOT have a cell phone? Just think about how often you are on it. From talking to people to looking on the internet, to playing games. But at the end of the day, the phones battery needs charged. It would not last forever at the rate you use it without needing some rest—especially to function properly. If we don’t force the cell to charge, we would not be able to use it the next day. Just think about us! If we do not lie down to rest, we won’t be worth anything, especially to work.
A 2015 Rand survey found that about half of American employees do work in their free time in order to meet job demands. For many who started working from home during the pandemic, the boundary between labor and leisure has dissolved even further. We shouldn’t need to actively protect our one day off—but sadly, we do. Rest time can feel indulgent or unnatural. ... The instinct to hustle—whether for success or just survival—is hard to shake. Still, we do need respite—not only from our jobs but from all of the many obligations that crop up in adult life. Even if we think we are buying time that we could spend later, the problem is that work is a bottomless pit—there’s always more to do.
In closing, When Jesus tells us “Come to me and I will give you rest,” do we take that seriously? Do we just stick to our routines in doing work, becoming flustered, impatient, frustrated, all because of what pays the bills will also drive us into the ground? There is a reason God commanded us to rest just as there is a reason Jesus came to give us rest. When you dance in the ballroom, the job of the man is to lead. The job of the women is to follow the mans lead—if the man knows what he is doing. The women lines up with his movement. She puts hand in his hand. She puts her arm on his should and the man sets the pace. She yokes herself with him and he moves, she moves. She kind of glides and doesn’t worry, as the man leads the effort. But the man has to keep his eyes open, always watching the floor, making sure he doesn’t step on any toes. The women moves freely and fluently because she is yoked to the man. Think of this about Jesus. Jesus wants us to know that He is willing to do the work. He is willing to take the lead. He is willing to guide and direct us. He is willing to take us where we need to go, but we have to be yoked to Him. WE have to be connected with Him and learn how to dance with Him. In doing this, we learn and discover God is gentle, loving, willing, fulfilling, satisfying, and He never will hold on too tight that will choke us, but always remember, He will never, ever let us go. We learn to rest in our labors in the presence of almighty God.
Since 1894, Americans has celebrated the wonderful restful holiday known as Labor day. As Christians, we too celebrate a day of rest that is much older in tradition and even a command from the living God. Whether Sunday or any day, resting from our labors is both vitally important, and Gods instruction. And then, only then, will we also discover that when we rest in the everlasting arms of God, we will be restored and revived to something new, all the while honoring God and remembering even God himself rested as should we. Remembering always as the psalms tells us Create in me a clean heart, God, And renew my spirit, Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And sustain me; I will delight in Your commandments, Which I love. 48 And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Your statutes.
Will you join in with me to rest in God, as to hear what God would say to us “I want to spend this day with you and bless you. Will you set this day apart for Me?” I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Amen