Spiritual Rest; Rest Pt. 1
God’s Ultimate Rest
Rest is not merely a break from physical work. You can be restless and your sleep not rejuvenate, you can sit all day long in a car and still feel exhausted. Escapism is not rest, Hours of entertainment are seldom life-giving and even more proof is found to this end when we find that we need a vacation from your vacation.
To relax, we may try to listening to music, get some time alone, or engage in our favorite hobbies- all of which may or may not bring us some level of restoration.
If we do not understand what rest is and ultimately where it can be found no manner of downsizing our lives or creating space will bring us peace.
In fact, creating space may bring the negative effect of laziness or apathy instead.
So what IS rest?
Hebrews 4:9-10
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His.”
The Sabbath rest that scripture is talking about in Hebrews 4 refers to an eternal, physical, and spiritual rest that all believers will experience when we are living in the presence of God in a new Heaven and new Earth.
This is the child of God’s ultimate destination, Heaven, where God and Man live in harmony forever.
Sabbath rest is in our future, it is an unending rest; completely, and fully, realized.
Yet, we need times of respite TODAY, in both physical and spiritual forms. While both are important, spiritual rest contributes to, and even trumps, a physical state of restfulness. It is the, “Peace that surpasses all understanding,” from Philippians 4:7.
You have heard it said, “We are all looking for ‘Home.” This is a way to communicate the universal need we all have to attain a firm sense of identity, feel acceptance, to be understood and cared for in a real and tangible way. We all are looking for a secure place to be seen, known, and loved.
While that may sound purely physical in its definition, it is when we apply this spiritually that it is most significant.
In this way spiritual rest is all about experiencing a relationship with God. This is how and why a Christian can lay claim to finding their true ‘Home’ because all is found and sustained in Christ.
This is the main theme of the Bible, that sinful man was separated from God because of sin, but that God sent his perfect and only son, Jesus, to take the penalty of our rebellion and die in our place. Christ gives us His righteousness and intercedes on our behalf to the Father so that we might be able to be in a right relationship with Him. This relationship gives us our identity; we are cared for, and loved, by God in an awesome way! In Christ, we have a safe place to turn to while drowning in our sin. In Christ, we have the help and understanding we desperately need.
Phil 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
This peace between us and God changes everything! It effects our ability to love others, and changes the outlook and perspective of those it possesses.
This side of heaven is where the opportunity for faith and belief rests.
In this, It is also only on this side of heaven that we must learn to hold joy and sorrow at the same time.
In heaven, our sanctification process will be complete, and everything will be perfect in the presence of God. In Heaven, we will not be forced to hold sorrow any longer.
Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
In this life we live in the “Here, but not yet.” Our complete glorification is secure, but our sanctification is an ongoing process. We live this life being sanctified; little, by little, a bride making ready for her Savior. This means that sin, though ultimately defeated on the cross, still requires mortification through the life of a Christian.
This is because we still live in a sinful world. It also means that everyone in this life will hold pain; trauma, wounds, brokenness, rejection, disease, loss, abuse, death, and hurts of all kinds.
We are all subject to pain and this is very difficult, but Christ’s followers, alone, are additionally given His Holy Spiritand that gives them His Joy to hold.
How can a Christian bare hard times and still be joyful? They hold both pain and joy at the same time! An unbeliever, who does not have God’s Spirit, is forced to hold pain, just as we all are, but does not possess what is necessary for the presence of enduring joy(God Himself).
When we are hurting the question often becomes, “Where is God?”
The very fact that we feel pain tempts us to believe that God cannot be trusted. After all, wasn’t that exactly what the Serpent tempted Eve with in the very beginning?
“For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5
The Serpent attacked God’s character and tried to make Evie believe He was holding out on her.
The pain and death we experience is the consequence of rebellion and sin. Brokenness is everywhere.
Let us pause here to clarify a few things:
Sometimes the pain in our lives is due to general sin-meaning because we live in a fallen world. Things are not as they are supposed to be, they are not as God originally intended(before the entrance of sin into the world). This is why, after the fall, people age and die, kids get cancer, and natural disasters such as pestilence and floods wreak havoc.
Sometimes our pain is wholly due to our own bad choices. When we “make our own bed, and lie in it,” it is due to personal sin. This is for believers and unbelievers alike. There are real consequences for our actions. 1 Corinthians 11:30 talks about believers who had become ill and even died as a consequence of their sin. (In the interest of clearly communicating a Biblical worldview it is important that one understands that where there is confession and repentance there is forgiveness of sin. -Acts 3:19- If you are a follower of Jesus,, your salvation is secure in Christ even if the presence of sin costs you something. A repentant heart is a mark of a true believer and yet there are Christians who are immature in their faith and in their understanding of the scriptures who will suffer because of their ignorance. In the Bible, there are many stories where a swift and heavy judgement is exacted by God. It is good to remember that where these surprising judgements are present, God is usually protecting something sacred.) While it is also true that the unrepentant sinner shows themselves to be antithetical to Christ and likely not a Christian at all, there is room for a true believer’s sanctification(growth) over time.
A third kind of sin is demonic sin. Read the Bible and you will hear all kinds if stories that deal with evil, demonic forces. A good reference for this is in the book of Job. Job was a righteous man before God but Satan was allowed to strike him and his family with all kinds of trouble. His children died, his belongings were lost, his health was taken by Satan, all, in an attempt to cause Job to curse God. When we think of sin as it pertains to us personally, we define it as missing God’s perfect standard, but with demonic sin the same rubric is applied, not to ourselves, but fallen angels in describe something that is still against God’s law, character, and will.
In identifying that there is something wrong with the world we live in, we are acknowledging the presence of sin and the reality that pain will be present in the lives of everyone.
We have done a lot to explain sin by putting it into 3 categories. Now, I would like to address pain by viewing it from two distinct camps; pain that is a consequence from sin we are culpable for and pain that, for no fault of our own, has been pushed upon us.
When we are culpable, spiritual rest requires repentance.
Here, we will begin by identifying our own sins. There are times you may need the help of others to see your sin clearly but you will always need the Lord’s Spirit to discern. When we identify sin in our life, we need to repent. This is agreeing with God about our sin, and turning away from it back to our loving Father.
When asking for forgiveness it is best to be specific. It is one thing to say a quick general, “Please forgive me for my pride.” It is another thing to state specifically the ways in which you were prideful. It’s hard and uglier, but far more powerful than dressing up our repentance in broad generalizations. Sometimes we use this tactic strategically to put some distance between ourselves and our sin. Don’t fall into this trap. Be humble and honest. Ask God for help in dealing with the consequences and shame of your sin. He will draw close and help you. His blood covers our shame as well!
Once we have truly repented and turned we need to trust in the Lord’s provision for us. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” 1 John 1:9.
We need to allow the Lord to prune your life, reset our path, and lead us. We need to be obedient as we turn to God and away from sin.
Repentance can take some work. This might mean ACTUALLY apologizing to the one you hurt, making restitution where it is needed, or pay the person back of whom you owe.
These actions can be difficult but if you neglect them you will miss the full measure of relief and rest forgiveness offers. If you refuse to take action or pay any cost, your inaction may very well prove that you are not truly repentant.
Repentance opens the door for God to provide us spiritual rest from our sins of commission but what do we do with the fall out from sins that are of no fault of our own?
The truth is that some of us have trauma that was forced upon us. Pain often comes from personal loss or abuse we had no say in.
For these kinds of pain we still need a safe place to verbalize and work through them, to have our brothers and sister in Christ sit and listen, and pray for the crushed in spirit. Sometimes we just need others to remind us and assure us of the hope, and life, and dignity that is available to us in Christ.
Christ loves us so well. He doesn't hold us at arms length. He came down from heaven into a filthy and chaotic world. He showed us first-hand God’s character. He entered into our suffering and dwelt among us, he bore our sin, and gave us his life.
Be real with God, he can handle it. We should always seek to be respectful, but honestly Job said some things that seemed a little radical-things I don’t think I would want to say to God, and still God said he was blameless. God already knows are hearts, so be honest with Him about yours.
His love and restoration can heal anything done against you.
Ask God to meet with you to make you aware of his presence.
Treat it as you would any other serious meeting. Start by simply telling him about your day. He is for you, not against you.
God will bring the rest you seek.
Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
