Our Sabbath Rest

February 2010 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Our Sabbath Rest

The sabbath of old had a backward aspect. It looked back to creation and God's covenant on Mount Sinai, and to the deliverance of Israel from the land of Egypt. But it also had a forward aspect. The sabbath was a type or picture of that which now through grace has been brought in by the finished work of the Lord Jesus, for we read, “There remaineth, therefore, a rest to the people of God” (Heb. 4:9 KJV ) – a rest, or a sabbath-keeping. That sabbath of old came in after six days of toil.

The Lord’s Day is rest before you begin the week of toil. But man has been toiling, laboring, all down through the years, and now the Lord Jesus Christ comes to him and says that He is the true sabbath: “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest ... ye shall find rest for your souls” (Mt. 11:28-29). If you want to find real sabbath rest for your soul you can find it only in the Lord Jesus Christ. You have tried other things, you have turned aside to what the world has to offer, but you never found heart satisfaction, and you never will. No one has ever found it outside of Christ.

This world has never satisfied any man or woman who lived for it, and we may be certain that it never will. But if we could only call them together, we could get testimonies from literally millions of people who say that when they came to Jesus – when they trusted Him and received Him as Savior – they entered into sabbath rest. In Him they found peace of heart, a calmness of spirit and a joy of soul which they had never been able to find in the world. You can be sure of this: In Christ there is a sabbath rest for God’s people.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Harry Ironside (1876-1951) was a popular Bible teacher, preacher, pastor and author of more than 50 books, most of which are commentaries on Bible books or topics. This article is taken from his book, Care for God’s Fruit Trees And Other Messages (Loizeaux, NY, 1945).