The God Who Rests | What Is the Rhythm of the Universe?

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What is the rhythm of the universe?

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Genesis 2:1-2

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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  

Genesis 1:1
Day 1-3: God FORMS and brings ORDER. (Genesis 1:3-10)

  • Day 1: Light separates from darkness
  • Day 2: Sky separates from water
  • Day 3: Land separates from sea

God brings structure to the formless.
Day 4-6: God FILLS and brings PURPOSE. (Genesis 1:11-31)

  • Day 4: Fills the Heavens: Sun, moon, and stars
  • Day 5: Fills the Sea & Air: Fish & Birds
  • Day 6: Fills the Land: Animals and Humans 

God brings abundance where there was emptiness.
Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Genesis 2:2

Day 7: Divine Rest (Sabbath)

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THE RHYTHM OF THE UNIVERSE:

  • Your body, mind, and soul need DAILY REST.

And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Genesis 1:5

 

  • You are created for MEANINGFUL WORK.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number… Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky…”

Genesis 1:28

 

  • Your body, mind, and soul need WEEKLY RENEWAL.

Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Genesis 2:3

 

Sabbath is not just a DAY OFF; it’s an act of FAITH.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God

Exodus 20:8-10

Sabbath dethrones humanity from its self-aggrandized place of lordship over creation by handing authority of the world back to the One to whom it already belongs.

- A.J. Swoboda, Subversive Sabbath

 

Sabbath is a declaration:

  • You are not a MACHINE; You are an IMAGE BEARER.
  • God is at WORK when you are not WORKING.  
  • Your WORTH is not tied to your WORK.
  • PRESENCE matters more than PRODUCTIVITY.

 

Sabbath keeping is more than REST; it’s an act of RESISTANCE.

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

Deuteronomy 5:15 

Anyone who cannot obey God’s command to observe the Sabbath is a slave, even a self-imposed one. Your own heart, or our materialistic culture, or an exploitative organization, or all of the above, will be abusing you if you don’t have the ability to be disciplined in your practice of Sabbath. Sabbath is therefore a declaration of our freedom.

- Tim Keller

It’s a day to say:

  • I HAVE enough.
  • I’ve DONE enough.
  • I AM enough.

 

EMBRACING SABBATH IN SILICON VALLEY:

  • Start SMALL, but start NOW.
  • STOP, REST, DELIGHT, WORSHIP.
  • Stay CONSISTENT and be CREATIVE.
  • New SEASONS often require new RHYTHMS.