Matthew 11:28 Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

 

Under the Old Covenant, Jewish people rested on the seventh day of the week. This was in keeping with God resting on the seventh day of Creation. The seventh day was called the Sabbath Day and everyone simply stayed home and rested. There were no services at the synagogue on the Sabbath. There are still no services at Jewish synagogues on Saturdays.

 

On the Sabbath Day, the people rested according to the 4th Commandant. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord Blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8-11)

 

As New Testament believers in Jesus, we assemble together on the first day of the week as Paul and the Disciples did. And upon the first day of the week, when the Disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech until midnight. (Acts 20:7)

 

Everything in the Law of Moses pointed ahead to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. All the laws, rules, regulations, and ceremonies were types, or pictures, of the Birth, Death, Burial, Resurrection, and Ministry of Jesus.

 

The Jews labored hard to keep all the aspects of the Law. It was not an easy lifestyle. They very much needed the Sabbath Day of rest. When Jesus came, He declared Himself to be their Rest. Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) Jesus IS our place of rest and we can rest in Him every day, all day long!

 

While we find joy and pleasure in meeting together with like-minded believers, the Church is not our place of rest. Jesus is our place of Rest. In Him, we find Love, Joy, Peace, Hope, and REST. When we place our faith in His Finished Work on the Cross, we can stop worrying, lay our burdens down, and rest.

 

Jesus went on to say, Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:29-30)

 

The early Church met on Sunday, the first day of the week, in remembrance of the Resurrection of Jesus. However, our faith is not based on a particular day but rather on all that Jesus accomplished on the Cross of Calvary. We are to rest in the Lord every day and assemble together to exhort each other in our faith.

 

Keep your faith in Christ Crucified and all that is included in His Finished Work on the Cross. Therein lies everything you will ever need in this life and the hereafter. Halleluiah!

 

Jesus is coming back very soon to…..…….turn the tide

 

Resting in Him,         Doreen

 

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