Sabbath rest is the divine shelter provided by God for the believers where they will find peace, protection, and restoration. All believers have been given an invitation to participate in God’s own rest that cannot be experienced in this mortal life. Sabbath rest is only experienced in the eternal.
Sabbath rest is an inheritance set aside for the believer and accessed by faith in the completed work of Jesus Christ for the atonement for sin. When Jesus died on the cross, He declared these words, “It is finished.” The payment for the penalty of man’s sin was paid in full, and Jesus could release His spirit rested from His work of atonement.
Sabbath rest is guaranteed through the resurrection of Jesus because Jesus is the first fruit of the resurrection. Having finished His work on earth, Jesus is now seated in the heavens.
In view of a future Sabbath rest set before us as children of God, how shall we live while still on earth? We must believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and, having believed in Jesus, we must then put forth every effort to persevere in a life of faith until we enter into the gift of Sabbath rest. Sabbath rest is a gift of grace from God, not earned by merit but granted through faith in Jesus. Unbelief will cause a person to fall short of receiving the inheritance of Sabbath rest that is only available through obedient faith in Jesus. Only true believers will enter into Sabbath rest.
Today, let us take a spiritual assessment of ourselves and see if we are in the faith and striving to enter into Sabbath rest.
In His Service,
Pastor Cary