Experience His Rest
God's promise of rest is a state of being where we find delight, joy, and peace in Him, and experience transformation into His image.
Mary Wilder Tileston preaches about the intimate relationship between God and His people, using beautiful imagery to describe the blessings of God's presence and the transformation that occurs when we fix our eyes on Him. She emphasizes the joy and contentment found in beholding God and experiencing His peace, leading to a deep union with Him where both God and His people find delight and rest. Through this union, our spirits find their true home and rest in undisturbed peace, becoming a dwelling place for God's divine light and love, bringing glory to Him for eternity.
Text
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; the Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
NUMBERS 6:24-26
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
DEUTERONOMY 33:27
THOU wilt in time experience that thou dost belong not only to this life, but also art capable of enjoying and beholding God and eternal things, to thy perfect contentment and rest. Thou wilt then fix thine eyes, like a little innocent child, upon the face of God, steadfastly and joyfully; and He in return, like a faithful and loving mother, will keep His eyes upon thee, by which thou wilt be made holy through and through, and transformed into the same image from glory to glory. All thy delight, joy, and bliss will be in God, and God, in return, will have His joy and good pleasure in thee. He will rest and dwell in thee, as in His serene throne of peace; and thy spirit, that had so long gone astray, like a friendless child in a foreign land, will again sweetly repose in its true rest and home, in undisturbed peace. And thus thou wilt become a clear heaven of the ever-blessed God, in which He will dwell, and which He will fill with His divine light and love, and in which He will be glorified in time and in eternity.
GERHARD TERSTEEGEN
Sermon Outline
- The Promise of God's Rest
- Experiencing God's Rest
- The Result of God's Rest
- Delight and joy in God
- God's joy and pleasure in us
- Rest and peace in our spirits
Key Quotes
“Thou wilt then fix thine eyes, like a little innocent child, upon the face of God, steadfastly and joyfully; and He in return, like a faithful and loving mother, will keep His eyes upon thee, by which thou wilt be made holy through and through, and transformed into the same image from glory to glory.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“He will rest and dwell in thee, as in His serene throne of peace; and thy spirit, that had so long gone astray, like a friendless child in a foreign land, will again sweetly repose in its true rest and home, in undisturbed peace.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- Fix your eyes on God's face and seek to experience His rest in your life.
- Be transformed into God's image by fixing your eyes on Him and seeking His joy and pleasure.
- Find rest and peace in your spirit by dwelling in God's presence.