Life is busy. Rest is necessary. Balance is required.
There are certain seasons of life that bring more responsibilities, more demands, more pressure, and more activity. Our schedules can become so busy that we lose sight of what matters most. Meaningful rest is needed to find balance, to feel refreshed, and to obey Scripture. God’s design for rest is displayed in creation, through Sabbath principles, in our physiology, and in the gospel. Scripture shows there is a time to work and a time to rest. In a culture that emphasizes work, how does God’s design for rest bring a needed balance? Join us as we study God’s design for finding rest.
March 2, 2025
Paul Gotthardt
(#1 in series)
Matthew 11:25-30
At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:25-30
“The needle that has been touched with the loadstone may be shaken and agitated, but it never rests until it turns north. The same is true of our heart’s affections. When we have been magnetized by the love of Christ, we can find no rest except by turning to Him. The cares and labors of the day may carry our thoughts to other objects, even as a finger may turn the needle to the east or west, but no sooner is the pressure removed than the thoughts fly to the well-beloved just as the needle moves to its place. We are unable to rest anywhere but in Jesus.” – Charles Spurgeon
Weariness stems from different sources.
What does Jesus teach us about soul rest?
Essential Understanding: Rest is __ BY Christ.
Essential Understanding: Rest is __ IN Christ.
Essential Understanding: Rest is __ THROUGH Christ.
March 9, 2025
Paul Gotthardt
(#2 in series)
Genesis 2:1-3
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
– Genesis 2:1-3
To understand God’s plan for rest in our lives, it’s imperative that we understand the beginning of rest as mentioned in Genesis 2.
There are 2 primary words for rest in Hebrew.
God rests from His __ (shabbat; Genesis 2:2-3) and then God rests His people to __ with Him (nuakh; Genesis 2:15).
Key Truth: Our __ is connected to His __ work.
God sets a pattern in creation that He repeats at key moments in the future.
Five principles of rest from the creation account:
Principle 1: Rest requires personal __.
Principle 2: Rest involves humble __.
Principle 3: Rest includes elements of __ and joy.
Principle 4: Rest is satisfied in completed __.
Principle 5: Rest is fully __ with God.
March 16, 2025
Paul Gotthardt
(#3 in series)
Exodus 20:8-11
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. – Exodus 20:8-11
Key Truth: Sabbath tells the story of rest that includes __, betrayal, redemption, __, promises, and __.
Biblical Covenants and their corresponding signs:
Response and Reflection:
Principle 1: Rest requires personal discipline.
Principle 2: Rest involves humble trust.
Principle 3: Rest includes elements of beauty and joy.
Principle 4: Rest is satisfied in completed work.
Principle 5: Rest is fully experienced with God.
Principle 6: Rest reminds us of __.
Principle 7: Rest is a __ of freedom.
Principle 8: Rest distinguishes us from the __.
Principle 9: Rest allows for __ on eternal matters.
