Sermon Central
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Why Jesus Rested Series
Contributed by Jim Butcher on Aug 15, 2018 (message contributor)
Summary: A look at how Jesus rested on the Saturday of Holy Week. It was the Sabbath day and He was able to rest because He had finished His work well.
Well-Earned Rest: Some of the best rest comes from finished work completed well.
- Most of us have had that moment: you’ve been working hard all day on a project – maybe you’re painting a bedroom. It’s long needed work and today was the day. It took the better part of your Saturday, but as you finish up there’s a feeling that comes over you. The mess has been cleaned up, the furniture has been put back in its place, and you stand there with your spouse looking at the room. “It really looks good,” your spouse says, as you nod in agreement. You’re tired, but your weariness comes with the satisfaction of a job well done. You completed the work that needed to be done and because of that you’re tired, but you’re satisfied.
- You’ll rest well tonight because it’s a well-earned rest.
[Put in outline]
- Example #1: God the Father enjoyed the Sabbath day after the creation.
- Genesis 2:2.
- I want you to notice two things about this verse:
a. God “finished” the work.
- God the Father worked for six days to create the world and at the close of that His work of creation was finished.
b. God “rested” from the work.
- God the Father rested on the Sabbath Day.
- Having finished His work, He rested on the Sabbath Day. Of course, with God the Father having infinite power and energy, it’s not that He required six days to complete His work or that He required a day of rest, but He did both as a pattern for us.
- Example #2: Jesus the Son enjoyed the Sabbath day after the re-creation.
- We have something similar going on in these verses.
a. Jesus “finished” the work.
- Jesus declares from the cross that He has finished the work that He came to complete.
b. Jesus rested from the work.
- This sermon series is about the Saturday of Holy Week. As v. 31 notes, the next day was a Sabbath. We know that Jews celebrated the Sabbath day on Saturday, not Sunday.
- So, like God the Father in the creation of the world, in the re-creation Jesus rested on the Sabbath day after having finished His work.
- What do I mean by “re-creation”? Well, Jesus came to undo what the first Adam did in the Fall. As such, He established a new order of things. We now, through Christ, came know God and follow Him. He opened up a new way and a new path. Romans 5 teaches us that Jesus came to begin again what Adam destroyed. It’s a re-creation.
Finding The Satisfaction Of “Finished”:
1A. Jesus had work assigned from the Father to complete.
- Jesus told us that He had work that the Father had assigned Him to do. He found great joy and satisfaction is accomplishing what the Father had asked.
- You can’t have that satisfaction of having completed the work unless you do the work.
1B. We have work assigned from the Father to complete.
- This passage is interesting because we often emphasize the previous verses about being saved by grace, but the concluding idea tells us the consequence of our salvation. We have works to do, which God has prepared in advance.
- Now, of course, we have the choice of whether we will do what God has assigned us to do, but the work is laid out for us anyway. And, again, you can’t have the satisfaction of having completed the work unless you do the work.
2A. Accomplishing that led Jesus to a place of joyful satisfaction.
- Hebrews 12:2.
- Jesus did the work God assigned to Him for the joy set before Him. His successful completion of everything that the Father had asked Him to do led to our salvation and sanctification. Jesus could rejoice in what He had accomplished.
2B. Accomplishing that will lead us to a place of joyful satisfaction.
- Matthew 25:21, 23.
- You know I’ve preached many times before that not every Christian hears “Well done, good and faithful servant.” In the passages, it’s the servant who has been fruitful who hears those words. That fruitfulness arises from a willingness to use the resources entrusted to you (i.e. stewardship). To use one of the words we’re focusing on this morning, it arises from completing the work assigned to you.
- The passage in Matthew speaks of the fruitful servant entering into the “joy of the master.” Again, we see a joyful satisfaction from the completed work.
3A. Jesus did His part and then trusted the Father to do His part.
- Acts 2:24.
- Everything was not on Jesus. As He died, He had confidence that God the Father would do His part to bring Him back from the dead. It was the power of God the Father that resurrected Christ.
