What is Rest?
“For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 4:3) and “For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” (Hebrews 4:10 – aka on the Sabbath)
Rest is being with GOD. Rest is peace of mind. Rest is desirable. Rest is….
In terms of physics, “at rest” is stillness, having a potential of energy but not movement, not kinetic energy.
Rest in the sense of our spirituality, is being in the Will of the Father.
How do we find rest?
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says,
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
That means: focus in Jesus, obey Jesus, take Jesus’ advice, follow Jesus.
How do we focus on Jesus?
By the power of the Holy Spirit which he sent to us after his Ascension to be with the Father.
And this is my point:
Rest comes from Yehovah, Father GOD, Creator. It comes when we align with Him. Jesus shows us The Way — how to be “at rest” with our father, through obedience and trust. Being under the anointing facilitates it, and as we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28), we can be at rest in Him; we are not full of our own agenda, angst and will, but alive in His will, by His grace and love and faithfulness.
Ultimately, rest comes when we walk in the Spirit and not in our flesh.
Sabbath Rest
In Hebrews 4:10 (above), the Father is telling us we need to keep His Sabbath in order to find rest. To keep the Sabbath means to rest in the Sabbath, but what IS the Sabbath?
In the 7th day of Creation, GOD rested. We know from the Hebrew that this day was the equivalent of our Saturday. So why do we go to church on Sunday? Why (historically) did shops used to be closed on Sundays? Why is our Sabbath considered by many followers of Jesus as Sunday?
Because Rome decided to do that as part of making the Church and State linked. Rome became “Christian” and so Rome dictated much change from The Way begun by Jesus’ immediate disciples. They based the new Sabbath on the fact that Jesus rose from the dead on the equivalent of Sunday. The establishment called this the LORD’s day and made it the Sabbath.
But speaking to the Hebrews, GOD says through the Word in Hebrews 13:5,
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
That doesn’t sound like a GOD who would change His Sabbath away from what He gave to the Hebrews centuries before.
What shall we do?
On the seventh day, GOD rested from all His work when He created the world.
In Exodus 20:8 He commands us to do the same.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
Strictly speaking, Christians are keeping the wrong day!
Does which day we keep as Sabbath matter to GOD?
We each must seek the Father on this matter.
I believe so. He picked a day, He picked a people. He’s never unChosen the Jews and He’s never changed the Sabbath… not in His Word. In fact Hebrews 13:8 says,
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
Since Jesus is GOD’s son, I reckon if he doesn’t change, then neither does the Father.
Now if we are in pursuit of total rest, then let us seek Shalom and wish Shalom for others…
You’ve probably heard others or perhaps you’ve said yourself, “Shalom,” as a greeting.
What is Shalom?
Is it rest – stop – potential?
In order for GOD to move, He may insist that we need to be in that state of ‘rest’, where we are walking not in the flesh but in the Spirit.
According to Jews for Jesus, Shalom is,
“The ancient Hebrew concept of peace, rooted in the word “shalom,” meant wholeness, completeness, soundness, health, safety and prosperity, carrying with it the implication of permanence.”
You can read much more about the Shalom of YHWH:
From me, today, I simply want to encourage us all to consider two things:
- Let us live in the state of rest that Jesus encourages, only doing the will of the Father and
- Let us consider deeply, whether the Father wants us to keep His Sabbath, not because it’s law but as an act of obedient love for Him.
And finally,
Rest is eternal. Eternal rest, not as death, but as forever, living peacefully within – having the peace of GOD, which surpasses understanding. (Philippians 4:7) And as we walk by His Spirit, we can have that, beginning today.