Rest Will Come: A Biblical Theology of Sabbath (Part 1)

“World, I’ve overcome you world, I’ve overcome you world, I’ve overcome by my song in the blood of a Son” – John Mark Mcmillan

The coffee pot is my starting place in the morning. I don’t “greet the dawn” until a hot cup of caffeinated coffee has “greeted” my body with a kick. I am simply not a morning person. Now my wife is. She’s one of those bubbly, sweet, morning people who bounds out of bed with a smile…at 7 a.m. it’s obnoxious. It was even worse when I worked the graveyard shift at UPS. I was in Seminary, working from midnight to 4:30 then going to class until 5:00 p.m. and then sleeping until 10:00 p.m. No matter what I did it didn’t seem like I could get enough sleep. Those days were so exhausting that I began to wonder if I would ever experience real rest, real calm, real relaxation. This desire for rest is not just a physical desire, it is also a spiritual desire and one that is met in Jesus!

Life is hard and this world is wearisome. All of us are looking for some kind of rest. We want better mattresses, we want massages, Caribbean vacations where we can lie on the beach. We love comfort food, and Southern Comfort to take the edge off our days. This pursuit for rest leaves us, most days, feeling restless! It is possible, however, to overcome this world and find perfect rest and to encourage His people in this pursuit God gave to His people the concept of Sabbath.

Over the next several weeks we’re going to be investigating this subject in greater detail and exploring how this theme is developed in the Bible and what it means for us today. Ultimately I want this series to be an encouragement to me and you: rest will come!