Goodness of Work and Rest, Genesis 2:1-3
Work and rest are both good and part of God’s created order. Rest is inseparably related to work, as is work to rest, and must be understood and enjoyed according to God’s design.
Work is often perceived negatively as a requirement, and not something good, desirable, or pleasant. This, of course, is the consequence of sin that caused work to become a burden and rest to be a snare. Likewise, though rest seems more desirable than work, it too is corrupted by sin. In sin, rest is often disconnected from work and purpose, and it becomes a sinfully lazy habit.
God resting after his labor on the seventh day and declaring it holy is a testimony both to the purpose and goodness of labor and the purpose and goodness of rest. Genesis 2:1-3 calls the church to honor God with both your work as unto the Lord and rest as a response of obedience.
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Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org.
You can find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.
This sermon was originally preached on 8/31/2025.
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