S1E3: Parallels and Lessons of Rest from Eden and Calvary 

After God created Heaven and Earth, the Bible informs us that He rested. Genesis chapter 2, reading from verse one:” Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. God worked in creating Heaven and Earth then He rested on the seventh day.

In John chapter 19:30, the Bible says of Jesus: “when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar He said, it is finished and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost”. In Eden, the same person the Creator Jesus Christ, He created a perfect creation then He rested. The same person Jesus Christ, having taken on human form, He worked out a perfect salvation, gave up the ghost and He said: it is finished! then He rested in the tomb on the seventh day. He was buried late on a Friday just before sunset, He rested the entire seventh day, He rose early the first.  The creator rested after a complete creation. The Saviour rested after a complete salvation. As Adam received the work of God's physical creation, so are we to receive the work of Christ’s spiritual creation. As the Creator rested after He created, and the Saviour rested after completing the sacrifice he came to offer.

Now, you and I, must rest in what God has done. We look at Calvary and rest in the work of the Saviour by accepting Him with all our heart and our soul. This is a rest that exceeds or goes beyond just the sabbath, it is a rest that becomes a lifestyle, trusting and resting as Adam verily accepted what the Creator did in providing a perfect environment, so are we to accept what Jesus Christ did for us on that cross and also by His resurrection.

And so today as you keep the Sabbath holy, a day of rest, it should put in our minds that you and I should live a life of rest in what the Saviour has done for us. And resting in Christ is not idleness, resting in Christ keeps us busy expressing our gratitude and there is no higher gratitude to the Savior than plain and simple obedience. The highest expression of gratitude Adam could have shown was to have obeyed God's command, not to eat of that tree. The highest expression you and I can give is to believe in Jesus Christ and all that He did for us (1 John 3: 23)

Resting in Christ, accepting his sacrifice makes the person busy, with a life of gratitude to God. My listing friend, as you keep the Sabbath holy may this rest and your Saviour fill your heart so that you cease to do this and that to save yourself but your life becomes merely a symphony of ‘thank you Jesus’.  Whatever office you take in the church, it is an expression when you accept and rest in the work that the Saviour did on Calvary.

May the Lord bless you as you rest on this holy day and rest in the work of your Savior as Adam should've rested in the work of his Creator. God bless you.