The Ultimate Rest
The Ultimate Rest
“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 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.’” – Revelation 21:2-4
When was the last time you really rested?
Rest is an interesting concept. It involves slowing down and pausing, but there’s more to it than that. It also involves peace. After all, how restful is it if you take a break, but your mind is worrying about something?
What do you think of when I say “Sabbath?”
- Do you think of Sunday?
- Do you think of Saturday?
- Do you think of worship?
- Do you think of rest?
Sabbath is a very important concept in the Bible. In fact, you could say that the Bible is all about Sabbath and Sabbath is all about rest.
You may be familiar with the Sabbath Day. It was the last day of the week for the Israelites and was a day of rest and worship. However, the Sabbath Day was instituted to physically, mentally, and spiritually remind the People of Israel about the seventh day of creation, the day when God rested.
God’s Rest
God didn’t rest on the seventh day because He was tired. The concept of rest we see on the seventh day involves completion and perfect peace. God had completed the creation of the universe and everything was good. Everything was at perfect peace with God and all other things.
No Rest for the Wicked
Then sin entered the world and that rest was broken. Creation was no longer at peace with God nor were the creatures at peace with each other. The Sabbath Day was instituted to remind the people of the peaceful rest that was intended for them and all creation. Jesus’ death and resurrection was done to provide a way for true Sabbath to return, giving us peace with God and with each other. Jesus’ return will fully bring back that Sabbath.
Find True Rest
While we wait for that day when there will be complete Sabbath rest, we can still experience that true rest, now. Through faith in Jesus, we are made at peace with God. We do not have to strive to earn our way with Him, simply trust in the work of Jesus. That’s what Jesus means when He says,
“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.” – Matthew 11:29-30
You can rest.
- You can rest from the fear and shame of your sin.
- You can rest from trying to earn your righteousness.
- You can rest knowing God will provide for you.
- You can rest knowing God will never leave you nor forsake you.
Heavenly Father,
You have given us peace through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. You give us peace in our relationships through forgiveness and grace. Help me to rest in His finished work. Help me to rest in Your promises until that day when Christ comes again and we experience the full return of Your Sabbath.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
21 Days of Prayer – Day 15
21 Days of Prayer - Day 15
Heavenly Father,
Your steadfast love never ceases; Your mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness, o Lord.
I confess that I have not always lived in such as way as to bring You glory. I have not loved You with my whole heart and I have not loved my neighbor as myself.
(take a moment to reflect on the past day and confess your sins.)
I am sorry for my sins and pray for Your great mercy. For the sake of Jesus Christ, please forgive me of all my sins.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
Amen
Prayer of the Day:
Heavenly Father,
You do not treat me as I deserve based on my sin, but according to Your great mercy and grace. You do this not because I have earned it, but because of Your great love.
Help me to trust in Your promises, especially the promise that I am saved not by what I have done, but by what Jesus has done. Remind me again and again that Your mercy is greater than my sin. When the devil claims I’m not good enough, strengthen my faith say, “Yes, you are right, but my salvation is not because of how good I am, but Jesus work on the cross.”
Help me to rest in truth that my works have no role in my salvation. Give me peace.
Teach me to trust in Your mercy and, therefore, to gladly and regularly come to You in repentance, confessing my sin to receive Your forgiveness.
Be with Faith Lutheran Church. Help us to faithfully proclaim salvation by faith in Jesus apart from works. Help us to bring the message that brings rest to the weary soul and comfort to the tormented mind. May we be a church where people find Sabbath rest in the grace of Jesus Christ.
Lord, give us attitudes and actions that reflect Your grace and mercy. Help us to never look down upon anyone for their sin, as though we ourselves aren’t covered from head to toe in sin. Rather, help us to be a church where people can freely confess their sins not only to You through prayer, but to each other, that we migh support one another and proclaim God’s grace to each other.
Amen
The Psalms:
The Psalms have long been considered the prayer book of the Bible and have been used as prayers by countless Christians over the centuries. So, we join them in this practice and pray a Psalm.
Psalm 51
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
(Take a few minutes to add your personal prayers, now.)
Conclude your time of prayer with either Luther’s morning or evening prayer, depending on what time of day it is.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank you, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Luther’s Evening Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray You to forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
Walking Through the Fires
Walking Through the Fires
Sermon for June 23, 2019
Join us for worship this Sunday at 4 pm.
We use the dance studio at Song and Dance to hold worship services.
Song and Dance, Inc.
27221 Foamflower Blvd.
Wesley Chapel, FL 33544
Follow us at facebook.com/FaithWesleyChapel/
See you Sunday and God bless!
Pastor Kurt Steinbrueck
Remember the Sabbath
Remember the Sabbath
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” – Exodus 20:8-11
I remember a time back when I was in college when I had a major project due for one of my classes (music composition). It was the night before the project was due and I still had a lot of work to do. After I had been working on the project for several hours that night, I said to myself, “I need to rest.” So, I took a break and tried to get some sleep.
Unfortunately, the sleep wasn’t very restful. My mind knew I still had work to do. After a few hours of tossing and turning, I got up and finished the project. That afternoon, I came home and took a nap. Those were some of the best hours of sleep I ever had.
What was the difference?
The first time I tried to rest, it wasn’t very restful because there was unfinished business. The second time, everything was done.
On the first Sabbath, God rested. He had been creating for 6 days, had completed His work, and everything was “good.” This rest was more than just a break from the work. Everything was done. Everything was holy. There was a perfect relationship between God and His creation.
Then mankind sinned.
One way to look at the Bible is as a narrative of mankind getting back to that Sabbath rest. The Sabbath is not just about a break from work. It’s about having peace with God. That is true rest. Until we have peace with God it’s like trying to sleep when you still know there’s work to be done on a project. It’s not truly restful.
In Matthew 11 Jesus said,
“‘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.'” – Matthew 11:28-30
It is in Jesus that we find our true rest. He is our Sabbath. This is not just a rest from the work of our daily labors, but a rest from our supposed “works of righteousness” with which we may try to seek God’s favor.
Our works can never make us right with God. So, there is no rest if we trust in our works. However, Jesus work on the cross can. As we trust in His work, we can rest in true peace knowing the work has been completed and we are made right with God.
Hear the words of Hebrews 4.
“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.” – Hebrews 4:9-10
This is why Christians celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, when He defeated death and hell, and His work of redemption was completed. We gather together in worship to hear the Word of God which creates and strengthens our faith and gives us rest.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for sending Your Son to die for us. We could never earn forgiveness. We could never have true peace and rest on our own. Thank you for giving us that true rest through Your Son, Jesus.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt