Introduction
I have recently treasured some intense experiences of the stillness of God both in the desert and on a tropical beach. These times are always attractive, desirable and alluring and in them revelation comes, as in this teaching. Yet such encounters are rare for most people in our very busy days. Job pressures are strong, competition is encouraged, and stress levels are. Busyness and burnout are an epidemic. These social indicators are real, but can mask deeper spiritual problems eating away at the heart of our culture and sadly, much of the church[1]. Yet in Christ deliverance is at hand from anxiety caused by the pressures of time. To enjoy this freedom we must first reflect on God’s own blessed rest.
God Rests in his Word
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 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. 3 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.” (Gen 2:1-3). Since all things were created by the Word of God[2], it must be the case that God rests in the completed work of his Word, who we know to be his Son (John 1:1, 14). The Lord’s rest contains within itself a sense of relational satisfaction, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Gen 1:31).From the beginning, the Creator made provision in the structures of the world for his creatures to enjoy his personal experience of rest.
Rest in the Beginning
The very order of creation is established for our highest good, which is worship. “And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for appointed times, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. (Gen 1:14-16).
The sun and moon are “rulers” of the day and night to indicate to man “appointed times”. These “appointed times” refer to the festal seasons which were central to the rhythm of Israel’s life. The regularity of the heavenly bodies made it possible to calculate the timing of the Sabbath, the great feasts, such as Passover and Pentecost, and also special days, like the Day of Atonement. The rule of the sun and the moon was a canopy of care over the chosen people. Unlike other nations, Israel was not to be preoccupied with pacifying alien astral powers, but filled with a constant sense of the LORD’s omnipotent grace day and night. Knowing this ceaseless solar and lunar rhythm was an instrument of God’s providential care, a true Israelite never had to strive. The very structures of the heavens signified God’s sufficiency for his people. Time was God’s and was a gift to man for his good, as such there was always enough time for all things godly, there was always space for the offering of one’s whole self in gratitude to the Creator, which is the inner meaning of worship.
Resting as Obedience to God’s Word
To live in this goodness was not however automatic, trust in God’s Word is always a central precondition for enjoying his grace. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isa 26:3). Firm faith in the Word of the Creator[3] was always the key to enter and enjoy “God’s rest” (Heb 4:10).
All God’s works are done in the effortless rhythm of grace – creation, the plagues of Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the manna in the wilderness and so on all possessed the character of a God who never strives. Tragically, this calming truth is constantly denied by those outside the covenant of grace[4] and by his chosen people.
The foundational example is the failure of the first generation redeemed from Egypt to enter the Promised Land[5]. As a warning to future generations (1 Cor 10:6) they were punished by exclusion from the divine rest, ““they have not known my ways. Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.”” (Ps 95:10-11). For the generations who did enter the land the litmus test of covenant spirituality was to obey the Sabbath principle of rest.
Israel must frame its entire existence around the Sabbath principle of rest because the Sabbath is the climax of all God’s creative works, “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. 3 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.” (Gen 2:2-3).
The seventh day was the day of ceasing from physical labour (Ex 20:8-11; Deut 5:14-15), the land was to enjoy a rest from all farming every seventh year (Lev 25:1-7) and all debts and slaves were to be released after a Sabbath of Sabbaths of years (Lev 25:8-55)[6]. As Israel worshipped God by practicing these ordinances it would enjoy supernatural rest and reflect the truth of a God who never needs human labour but envelopes those who trust him in unconditional grace. Tragically, Israel rarely observed these principles of rest, but imaged a God no less peaceful than the gods of the nations. Her fitting punishment was to be sent exile because the land had not been allowed to “enjoy its Sabbaths” (2 Chron 36:21). To rest from labour is an essential dimension of godliness. The inability of the mass of God’s covenant people to enter into rest needs exploration from the perspective of the revelation of the New Testament.
Other Lords Rule
That grace precedes any commitment to law keeping is the hardest thing for humans to accept about the ways of God[7]. The history of Israel, and of most of the church, is the attempt to “win grace” by legal obedience. Grace brings rest, legalism destroys.
The contrast comes out in a powerful prophetic oracle, “O Lord, you will ordain peace for us, for you have indeed done for us all our works. 13 O Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone we bring to remembrance” (Isa 26:12-13). The “other lords” that have ruled over Israel are other nations. In ancient thinking however, the source of political power was the god of a nation. Israel had often been subjugated to foreign deities[8] and had lost her peace with God. It is vain to worship false gods because Yahweh alone is the resting Creator[9]. At an even deeper level, the power behind idols is demonic, “I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God.” (1 Cor 10:21 cf. Deut 32:17; Ps 106:37).
If the presence of the true God is revealed by peace and rest, the activity of demons is revealed by dis-ease and drivenness. Paul says, “You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.” (1 Cor 12:2). The word translated “led astray” carries the meaning of “carried away” in a forceful manner. The worship of all idols is demanding because the demonic powers behind them demand endless conformity to ritual and regulation. Moralism and legalism in religious life are driven by “the elemental spirits of the world” (Gal 4:3, 9; Col 2:8, 20). These are demonic “rulers and authorities” (Col 2:15) who control human behaviour through enslavement to fear of failure and punishment by the object worshipped (Gal 4:3, 8). Underlying all pathological stress and burnout is the activity of evil powers.
Without sin the whole of his life work would have been accomplished in the peaceful rhythm of grace. When man sinned he lost the glory of God (Rom 3:23) and participation in God’s own rest. Ritual, regulation and law were given as expressions of covenantal grace to guide the trusting heart. Through sin however, the operation of these structures was transmuted into moralistic and legalistic forces that demand complete fulfilment (Rom 7:1-25). Achievement and performance became substitutes for the rhythm of grace. Knowing this, the demonic powers accuse the guilty conscience (Rev 12:10), of failing to live up to the fullness of our human potential. And we know that they are right!
The catch cries, “No one is perfect.” and “I’m only human”, bring no relief to the driven. “You only have to do your best.”, but when are we sure we have done our best? Humanity was designed to live in moral perfection, and unless the conscience experiences perfection it cannot be in peace. “the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”” (Isa 57:20-21).
Satan and demonic powers rule the guilty conscience’s experience of time. How many hours/much money do you have to earn to be a good provider?[10] How big does “your church” have to be to satisfy God? Many Christians are in spiritual depression because they feel they are not living up to the spiritual standard God expects (not praying long enough etc.).
The truth of hell on earth is that God has handed men and women over to demonic powers who keep humanity striving to please the idolatrous demands of their own consciences, families, cultures or churches. Busyness and burnout are a punishment for idolatry and sin. The only one way forward to overcome these traumas is Christ.
The Reality is Christ
“He disarmed the rulers and authoritiesand put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. 16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. ” (Col 2:15-17).
The rules, rituals and regulations of the past pointed beyond themselves to the reality which gave them shape – Christ. In Jesus we behold the grace of God for humanity in a fullness (John 1:16-17) that totally strips the rulers and authorities of power. Jesus is, in the biblical sense of the offering up of all life to God[11], the perfect worshipper. He has completed the meaning of all the structures of time, space and cosmos[12], the purpose of the rule of sun and moon has come to its completion in him.
When Jesus said on the cross,““It is finished,”” (John 19:30) he meant that the work of God first finished, blessed and made holy on the seventh day of creation (Gen 2:1-3) was now fulfilled in his own perfectly blessed and holy life. Through the fullness of his self-sacrifice Jesus has completed the service of love the Father had always sought from us. Then he took resurrected human nature, sanctified and blessed, into God’s own rest (Heb 4:10). As a perfectly justified human being (Rom 4:25; 1 Tim 3:16) Jesus is totally beyond the reach of all evil powers; accusation, frustration and striving are unknowable in his world. Jesus himself is the solution to the epidemic of busyness and burnout in our world.
Sinners in the Hands of a Resting God
The good news is that God is fully satisfied with Jesus, and in him we can experience the peace of the justified (Rom 5:1). To enter God’s rest means to live with a heart appreciation for the fullness of his grace in Christ BEFORE we “do anything for God”. This means a whole new perspective on worship.
The billions of dollars spent on producing “Christian worship” have not led the Western church into a place of rest. Anointed and energetic worship leaders on earth cannot substitute for union with the perfected worshipper in heaven (Heb 8:1-2). It is the role of the Holy Spirit alone to draw us into Christ’s eternal self-offering to the Father whereby we “offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 2:5).
Positively however, the Lord is using burnout to turn many believers from busyness to a deeper union with Christ. This resting church will image a God who has peace in his heart for he has reconciled all things by the blood of the cross (Col 1:20). The result of such church renewal will be remarkable. Huge numbers of restless people addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, television and other mind numbing strategies because will come to faith when they see that the source of life for these unhurried, unstressed believers is Jesus.
Conclusion
There may seem to be many “Lords of Time” – your boss, your bank, your spouse, your kids, your pastor, your own conscience and, behind them all, principalities and powers. The reality is that there is only one true and gracious Lord of time. He is the one who said, “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”” (Matt 11:28-30)[13].
[1] A well known Australian organisation, John Mark Ministries, has plenty of material on clergy burnout, and estimates that only about 50% of ordained ministers remain in pastoral ministry. In preparing this message I even came across a reference to a recent book, Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic with a website of the same name.
[2] See, “God said” on the days of creation, Genesis 1:3, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, and Hebrews 11:3.
[3] By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” (Ps 33:6)
[4]Paul describes the Gentiles as under God’s wrath not because they have failed to keep the law but because in their idolatry they have rejected the revelation of God’s power and nature in the created order (Rom 1:18-23).
[5] “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.” (Ps 95:7-9). Cited also in Hebrews 3:7-11; 18; 4:3, 5.
[6] Every 50 years was the Year of Jubilee when assured property and persons were all liberated from debt.
[7] Gracious deliverance from bondage in Egypt precedes the Ten Commandments (Ex 19-20).
[8]The apostasy of king Ahaz is an example, ““Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.”” (2 Chron 28:3)
[9] “all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” (Ps 96:5).
[10] One famous U.S. pastor says that a faithful Christian husband must “outcompete” other men to properly provide for their families. Is this the voice of Jesus?
[11] E.g. “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Rom 12:1)
[12] If “all things were created through him and for him” (Col 1:16), this includes time.
[13] Space forbids a fuller treatment, but the message of this article means release not only from busyness, but also from passivity, which has nothing to do with the dynamic rest of God.