Genesis 2:2-3

and God saw everything that he had made and behold, it was very good.

And then we read at the beginning of chapter two,

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,

right? So God works for six days and then he rests. God rests, God's rest comes after seeing what he has made and declaring it was very good. And so the point is, why then does God rest? Well, he rests because his work was perfect and complete. There was nothing more that needed to be done. And in resting, God finds contentment and joy in what he's made. It's as if God sits back, so to speak, perfectly satisfied in what he's done, able to enjoy it. God's rest is his delighting in his finished work. And therefore, I think the implication is, well, that's the primary reason we should rest as well. rest is to experience joy and satisfaction in a job well done. And friends, what a blessing that is. I mean, surely you've experienced that at least in some way in your life. Surely there's been a time when you built something, you did a project, maybe you planted a garden, it was something that you planned for, you gathered materials, you worked hard all day, you probably had to persevere through some challenges, but you didn't take any shortcuts. And in the end, you finish the work and everything came together just right in a beautiful way. It doesn't always work out, but probably at least sometime it came together better than you're expecting. And I can probably guess what you did. You, you step back and you just looked at it. In fact, you were like me, you maybe went back inside and then you came back to look at it again because you just felt this, this sense of satisfaction in looking at what you had done. Friends, that's rest. That is resting, finding joy and satisfaction in work that's been well done. And then after that, probably you had dinner. And it was like it tasted especially good to sit and enjoy dinner after that work and accomplishment. After that, you could sit on the couch, put your feet up. And it was especially satisfying to rest in that way. You see, that's what true rest is like. That's like a little taste of what true rest really is. It's not resting just because you're tired, just because you have to and you need it. It's resting because you get to enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done. And you see, the God who made us in his image. is the God that created for six days and then rested on the seventh so that we too might follow in that pattern of work and rest like him. Now, I want to pause here and point out two applications from this. First, understanding rest in this way teaches us to work hard and with excellence. Because you see, the harder and better you work, the more fully you can experience true rest. Too often I think our American mindset can be, how do I work faster, cheaper, and easier so that I can get all the work out of the way and then I can rest? But the problem is that that can cheat us out of true rest altogether. I mean, just think about it. You know, if you sleep in and you lounge around, maybe you play video games, you do nothing productive all day long, do you feel rested? I mean, is that rest or do you just feel kind of gross and depressed at the end of it? You see, God has established the pattern of work and then rest. And if we don't work in the ways that he's called us to, we can never enjoy rest in the way that he intended. And if we approach work as just something to get out of the way, we're not really working. In a way that we can enjoy rest, but on the other hand, if we approach work as something that's about workmanship, that's about excellence, that's about creativity, that's about using all the faculties that God has given us to work hard and well and for his glory. So in the end of it, we can say here, Lord, is what I've done in serving you today. That's when we can hear

well done, good and faithful servant.

enter into the joy or might we even say the rest of your master. So work hard and with excellence so that you can enjoy true rest. Now, a second application would be take time to rest even when you don't feel like you need it. As I said, of course, there are times that we do need rest and sometimes that's why we should rest. But other times, maybe you feel like, I don't really need rest. I could just keep on going. But if you only rest when you think you need it, you're kind of assuming that the only reason you rest is like the medicine, you know, is the antidote to fatigue. You're missing that there's something more to why we rest. God rested. He didn't need it. He doesn't get tired. You know, to only rest then would be like only spending time with your kids because you have to. There's a problem you have to fix. Only eating. Because you have to, because you don't want to starve. It's missing the greater blessing that God intends. We have to remember God is not a hard master, always trying to increase his bottom line. It's not like God is going to be happier with you if you take less time to rest than other Christians. No, refusing rest is like rationing food at a feast, forgetting that God is good and a generous father. He is our all sufficient Savior. It's ignoring Jesus's own word that

God did not make man for the Sabbath. He made the Sabbath for man.

That rest is God's gift for our enjoyment. Rest is the opportunity for us to experience and share in the joy of God when he created the world and then rested content and satisfied in what he had made. We get to rest like him, having been made in his image. So let us consider how you could take seasons for rest in your life, how you could develop rhythms of work and then rest in your life as you strive to serve Christ and his kingdom. Now thirdly and finally, I want to look at a third reason why rest is good. We've seen it's good because it's not just a remedy for fatigue. It's good because it's about experiencing joy and satisfaction in a job well done. And then thirdly and finally, Rest is good because God blesses it and shares his rest with us. God blesses it and shares his rest with us. Look again at Genesis 2, 3. It says, 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. So the seventh day is blessed and declared holy by God. After six days of work, six days of creation, six days of incredible revelation of the glory of God, God declares the seventh day the most blessed and special of them all, because that's the day he rested. Now last series we talked about the goodness of work, the blessing of work, even the way that work will play a role throughout eternity. But here we find that even before the fall, Before work was cursed, from the very beginning, God's rest is the occasion for special blessing. Notice also here that this is particularly God's rest which brings blessing. God made the seventh day holy because he rested on it. Now regardless of the details of how we understand Sabbatarian theology, one thing that should be clear is that by declaring this day holy, God is intending for his own rest to be in at least some way shared with us and with his creation. In other words, this is not merely setting the pattern that God worked and then he rested so we should work and then rest. So that is true. It's also simultaneously teaching God worked and then rested so that we might enter into his rest. I mean, think about what do you think Adam and Eve did on the seventh day, the very day after their creation? I think the implication is they rested. Not because they had done great work to rest in, but because God himself had done great work for them to rest in and enjoy and celebrate. And you see, God shares his rest with us, and it is by faith that we enter that rest. And that's a theme that I think runs all through scripture. I mean, throughout the Old Testament, when you think about the Sabbath, what's it all about? It is an expression of faith or trust in God. I mean, to not go out and work your field one day of the week, when if you don't work and crops don't grow, you're going to starve. You're relying on God. trusting in his work, his provision. To not go out and try to gather the manna. You're relying on God to provide double for you on Friday. To let your fields lie fallow even for a whole year, the Sabbath year. You're relying on God and his work, his provision. And friends, I hope by now you're starting to see how wonderfully this points us forward to Christ. Because what is the gospel all about? How is it that in the end we as sinners get to enter into God's eternal rest? It's not by our works. It's by what he does. This is why Jesus says,

come to me all 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.

Oh, friends, the good news of the gospel is about how Jesus has come. And he has lived the perfect life we all failed to live, and he has gone to the cross to to suffer the punishment that we deserved to suffer, to take our place. And then he rose victoriously from the dead, not so that if we do enough good works, we can go to heaven, but so that if we repent of our sins and we put our faith in Christ and trust in his finished work. We are saved by him. And so ultimately, as we think about rest, let us think about Christ. Resting in his work, enjoying, finding satisfaction in the perfect work of Christ on our behalf. So that we can enter into God's eternal rest. And as we have that great security, yes, as believers, we are called to work, not to earn salvation, but to work for the glory of God. To live lives of of Christian labor in his service, striving to serve our Lord faithfully. So that we have something to present to him. And throughout our life, may we have this this proper rhythm of work and then rest. Knowing that that we can enjoy what we have done because it is our honor and privilege to get to please the Lord. And to serve him in all that we do, whether great or small. So rest is good. Let us embrace it and live lives of hard work and true rest as we await Christ's return. Amen. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for the gift of rest. Rest that in our sin we would have lost forever. But rest that you have restored to us by your grace and through your son, Jesus Christ. God, help us to trust in Christ and then to work not to earn our relationship with you, but to work for your glory and for the advancement of your kingdom in this world. And may we know and enjoy and experience the blessing of true rest. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.