This week’s topic is that we need rest. We probably already know this is a physical and emotional reality, but it may surprise us to know God rests, and says we need it too. In fact, he commands rest in the first book of the Bible after God created the universe.

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. (Genesis 2:2-3 ESV)

A few weeks ago, we saw that God worked, and that we were created to work with him. Now we see God rested. We are also created to rest with him…and share that rest with others.

To help, God gave a rhythm for rest and work. Six days of work, and one day of rest. It’s not equal, as work still outweighs rest. But it’s rhythmic and balances our need for creation and recreation.

God’s rest is the model for our rest. What is God’s rest like?

First, He stops creating. Producing, accumulating, moving, operating.

Clearly his work of sustaining continued – the earth kept spinning and the plants keep growing. But his work of creating takes a pause.

Secondly, he was satisfied with his work. It’s finished. Some things are complete, good, and need to ripen.
We can see these kinds of rest in us today – we need to kick our feet up and stop creating, and we also need to rest by enjoying and appreciating things like nature, art, music and more.

We’ll look in future weeks at how that looks in our context. But we won’t be suggesting this is about a particular day or practice that creates God’s favour and blessing in our lives. It’s about God having created us, knowing what we need, and giving it to us as a gift, if only we’d take it.

Question: What kind of creating do you do? It’s not just artists – people create order, learning, art, ideas, value, research, roads, buildings and more. What do you create?

Ryan Sim - June 19, 2013

Wednesday - Change It - The Golden Rule

Jesus always has the Pharisees, or religious lawyers, in mind as he teaches. Pharisees were essentially seeking a checklist of laws they can work through. Jesus says that wasn’t the point of the law. Look back to the beatitudes, the content that we started this series with. Jesus was always expanding the law to look at our motivations, not just outward actions we can check off our do/don't do list. It's a good thing, because we know life isn’t like that. Life throws stituations at all of us that we never anticipated, and could never have listed in advance. Jesus describes keeping God’s law with this line: So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. He goes on to recognize, this is no checklist, this is very difficult: narrow gate to pass through. Baggage doesn’t fit. All your religious background, credentials, money, power, etc. all get left behind if you want to go through this gate. Every human can go through this door if we are willing to let go of all the sin baggage that keeps us from God. The narrow path – or the cramped path – does not allow us to take with us the things we can carry on the broad path. What are those things? Our failure to live this way, to go through Jesus’ narrow door, is due to our self-centeredness. We are instinctively self-centered, self-loving. Fall. 40% of millenials say that "being self-promoting, narcissistic, overconfident, and attention-seeking is helpful for succeeding in a competitive world." Almost 80% say that their friends use social media for those reasons. So Jesus uses that against us. Uses our self-love to love others. He redeems our self-love. Self-love is powerful. Usually our guide – now Jesus says it’s for others, too. Jesus calls us to an awareness of others as God’s beloved children, too. We’re not the only ones. Prevents need for endless rules for every situation. Put self in other’s shoes. Question: Describe the most self-centered person you know. What do you have in common with them? What characteristics do you share? Why is this so hard to admit?

Related Topics: Law, Love | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

From Series: "Sermon on the Mount"

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