Submitted by Pastor Brad Dush, Fairfax Methodist Church

So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. ~ Hebrews 4:9-11, NLT

In a recent thought-provoking sermon series, “10+2 Today?” I delved into the profound concept of sabbath rest. God Himself rested on the seventh day, and he commanded us to do the same. It is easy to keep working and not rest. That is not God’s design or call on our life. I know there are times when a job can’t wait, but the rest God longs for us is not a rest of isolation; it is a rest in Him!

The text from Hebrews clearly states that there is a rest waiting for the people of God. Sometimes, this rest is interpreted as our eternal rest in heaven. That is not a faithful reading of the text. Yes, there is an eternal rest awaiting all Christians, but God intends there to be an earthly rest, too. Initially, the rest was intended for the people of God in the Promised Land. Verse eight references Joshua’s inability to give them the rest intended by God, although they reached the Promised Land. The rest God longs to grant is not just earthly but also heavenly. God accomplished the earthly rest in giving us His Son to die for us. In fact, Jesus secured both the earthly and heavenly rest God had in mind.

Rest is hard in our present culture. So much laud is heaped on those who work harder or longer than others. I admire hard work and a good work ethic. However, if our minds and bodies don’t get some rest, it is hard on our bodies. God, the creator, and designer of this whole thing called life, knew that and included Scripture like the fourth commandment and this text from Hebrews to point to the rest that His creation needs. We are in the summer season, a time over human history that has become “summer vacation” through the rhythms of our scholastic life. I pray you find the time to rest and recharge some this summer.

Sometimes, people are confused with the part of the text that says, “So let us do our best to enter that rest…” If God has accomplished our rest in Christ, why must we enter? The simple answer is free will. We have never and will never be made to accept the gift God grants in Christ; we must choose Jesus. If we are to experience the rest God intends in heaven and on earth, we must make the choice. And be sure it is two choices, one to choose the relationship God offers in Christ and another to choose to rest from our labors and to rest in God. It is a Godly choice to choose a sabbath and even more so on the Sabbath.