The Resting Place Podcast

Baptism is far more than a religious ceremony - it represents a sacred participation in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Throughout Scripture, from Old Testament foreshadowing to New Testament practice, baptism marks genuine transformation and new creation. The early church understood this profound significance, requiring extensive preparation before baptism. According to Romans 6, baptism means our old sin nature is crucified and we become new creations with the power to overcome sin. For believers today, baptism is a declaration of dying to the old self and rising as a new creation in Christ.

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Pastors Devin and Jessalyn's four-year journey began with Isaiah 66:1 asking where God's resting place would be. Through multiple confirmations at conferences, scripture studies, and conversations, they discovered God's intent for the church to be His resting place. After seeking counsel and waiting for proper timing, they launched The Resting Place with a mission to make disciples who live in God's rest rather than constant striving. The church uniquely combines liturgical practices, charismatic gifts, and expositional preaching to create an environment where people can experience both physical and spiritual rest under Christ's reign.

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This sermon focuses on the ordination of elders at The Resting Place church and establishes the church's mission, vision, and values. Pastor Devin emphasizes that this is a new season for the church, with a mission to make disciples who live in God's rest and carry His presence. The church's five core values are outlined: unhurried discipleship, presence over performance, where He rests He reigns, His house/people/presence, and His command as our commission. The sermon culminates in the formal ordination of five elders, explaining the biblical qualifications and responsibilities of eldership, emphasizing that elders are under-shepherds accountable to Christ as the chief shepherd.

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This sermon explores the concept of God's rest throughout Scripture, focusing on five key places where God rests with humanity: Eden, the Tabernacle of Moses, Solomon's Temple, the Church, and the New Jerusalem. The pastor emphasizes that God's rest is not inactivity but the completion of His purpose and the assumption of His reign. In the current era, God rests with His people through the Holy Spirit, making the Church His living temple.

A crucial insight is that Jesus' death was not only about the forgiveness of sins but also about fulfilling the Mosaic Law and establishing God's rest among His people. Christians are called to both "come unto me" (receive rest from Jesus) and "go unto them" (take the gospel to others). The sermon concludes with four main points: believers are personal temples, the church is a corporate temple, Christians are called to live from rest rather than striving, and believers must both come to Jesus and go to others.

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Biblical rest is not about exhaustion but the completion of God's purpose, seen in five key moments throughout Scripture. Solomon's Temple represents a pivotal point in this pattern, where God's rest and reign came together in a permanent dwelling place. This divine pattern—chaos subdued, work completed, God enthroned—foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate temple where God's presence dwells fully. When we live under God's reign, we experience His true rest, no longer striving in our own strength but living from His finished work, in His presence, toward His promised future.

Biblical rest is not inactivity but the completion of God's purpose and the establishment of His reign.

God's pattern of rest (chaos subdued, work completed, God enthroned) is consistent throughout Scripture and applies to our personal salvation.

The temple, like creation and the tabernacle before it, was a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, the true temple where God's presence rests permanently.

Many Christians struggle because they're holding onto sin rather than surrendering to God's rest and reign.

God desires to rest with us more than we desire to rest with Him, and He invites us into supernatural rest that our finite minds cannot fully comprehend.

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God's rest is not about inactivity but the completion of His purpose and the establishment of His reign. The Tabernacle in the wilderness served as God's dwelling place among the Israelites, guiding their journey with His presence visible as a cloud by day and fire by night. Moses refused to move without God's presence, understanding that true rest comes from alignment with God's direction. Today, many Christians experience burnout because they've removed themselves from God's rest, trying to accomplish things in their own strength rather than making God the center of their lives. As living temples of God's Spirit, we are called to recenter our lives around His presence.

God's rest and God's reign cannot be separated - they are synonymous. Where God rests, He also rules.

Biblical rest is not passive inactivity but the seat of authority and the command center from which God directs victory.

The Tabernacle shows us that God desires to be at the center of our lives, with everything else arranged around His presence.

Burnout often happens not because we work too hard, but because we've stepped outside of God's rest and try to live under our own authority.

Wherever God rests, His people advance - our victories flow from Christ enthroned in our hearts.

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God's rest isn't about inactivity but about living under His reign. Biblical rest encompasses five stages: Eden, the Tabernacle, Solomon's Temple, the Church, and ultimately the New Creation. When we misunderstand rest as merely 'turning off,' we miss that God's rest and reign are inseparable. We step out of this rest when we follow fleshly desires, engage in religious activities from wrong motives, or prioritize appearances over authentic godliness. True rest comes from living under God's authority, experiencing His presence, and anticipating His promised future. The peace we desperately seek isn't found in our chaotic world but in submission to Christ.

Biblical rest is not inactivity but living under God's reign and authority.

God's rest and His reign cannot be separated - wherever God rests, He also reigns.

Humanity was created to live from God's rest, not for rest.

When we live outside God's rest and reign, both individuals and society decay.

What was lost in Eden will be restored in the new creation, giving us hope for the future.

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Navigating new seasons in our spiritual journey requires strength and courage, just as Joshua needed when leading Israel into the Promised Land. Growth often brings discomfort, but it's necessary for spiritual maturity. To successfully navigate these transitions, we must keep God's Word in our mouths, speaking life rather than complaints, and follow His presence even into unfamiliar territory. God sometimes ends one provision (like the manna) to move us toward something better. These challenging transitions are actually opportunities for deeper maturity and fruitfulness in our faith journey.

Keep the Bible in your mouth - what we speak matters, especially during times of change and growth.

Follow God's presence - just as the Israelites followed the Ark of the Covenant, we need to be led by the Spirit rather than our own preferences.

When spiritual practices feel dry or stale, it may be God's way of pushing you into a new season of growth.

Growth and change are often uncomfortable but necessary for spiritual maturity.

Our faith is meant to be lived in community, not in isolation.

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This sermon explores how obedience to God goes beyond mere rule-following to reveal the true posture of our hearts. Beginning with Adam and Eve's disobedience in Eden, it traces how pride leads us to believe we know better than God. Through examples like King Saul, we learn that outward religious performance without heart obedience is meaningless. Jesus changed everything through His perfect obedience, offering grace freely to all. True obedience isn't legalistic or performative, but rather faith and love in action, leading to Christlikeness and genuine freedom. Our motivation should come from gratitude, love, hope, and response to salvation.

True obedience is not about legalism or behavior modification but about the heart's posture toward God.

Through Adam's disobedience, sin and death entered the world, but through Jesus's obedience, grace and righteousness are available to all.

Obedience is faith in action, love in action, Christlikeness, and ultimately leads to freedom rather than bondage.

We obey God out of gratitude for His mercy, love for Him, and as our response to salvation.

When we love God genuinely, His commands are not burdensome but become a joy to follow.

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In this sermon, Pastor Devin discusses the biblical principle of stewardship, emphasizing that we are managers, not owners, of what God has given us. He traces the concept of tithing from Abraham (400 years before the Law) through the Old Testament, showing it was a covenant relationship with God rather than just a legal obligation. The pastor clarifies that tithing isn't about God needing our money but about our heart posture and obedience. He addresses common misconceptions about tithing being only an Old Testament concept by showing Jesus' affirmation of it and its practice in the early church.

Everything we have belongs to God; we are managers, not owners of our resources.

Tithing was established as a principle of faith and trust in God before it became law, showing it's about relationship, not just obligation.

Our attitude toward money reveals our heart posture toward God and our level of trust in His provision.

Stewardship isn't just about an amount—it's about allegiance and obedience to God.

God promises to meet our needs when we faithfully steward what He has given us.

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