A Note from Michael Gossett
A Sacred Rhythm
Exodus 20:8-11 says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates. For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.”
Of all the commandments God gave at Sinai, the fourth is the one modern Christians violate with the most enthusiasm. We skip rest, but never skip being in a hurry! Christmas time in America is filled with hurry. Getting to the next party. Getting to the next shopping deal. Getting to the next….. (you fill in the blank). ‘Tis the season to be rushed. We forget the meaning of Christmas so easily…. Myself included (shamefully). But, we also have forgotten the meaning of rest. We treat exhaustion and busyness like a badge of honor and we tend to overload our calendars as if the kingdom would crumble is we ever stopped.
Yet God, in His mercy, commands His people to stop. Not because He wants to hinder our productivity, but because He desires to restore our souls. The Sabbath is not God’s way of limiting our work, but, almost counterintuitively, it liberates us. He is not taking away from us, but rather giving something to us.
In the Sabbath, God invites His people to breathe, to worship, to remember, to reconnect, and ultimately to rest not simply from their work but in His work.
Before you call me lazy…. Rest is restorative, not lethargic. Rest is obedience. Rest is worship. Rest is a declaration that God is sovereign and we are not. Rest is faith that the world keeps spinning because the Lord sustains it, not because we hold it together.
The Sabbath does not contradict spiritual diligence. It is rather complementary. Scripture gives both commands. On one hand: “Run with endurance the race that lies before us.” On the other hand: “Come to me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest.”
Both are true and both are necessary. We are people who run and rest. We run the race set before us and we rest in the finished work of Christ with confidence. Paul says that he is already being poured out as a drink offering unto the Lord. This is how I want to live my life. Poured out for the sake of the gospel. Wrung dry with nothing left out on the field. I want to enter heaven exhausted for the kingdom of God. But, how then are we to rest or what does that even mean?
The Sabbath in Creation
The first time the Sabbath appears in Scripture is in Genesis 2. After God created the heavens and the earth, He rested. Not because the Lord grew tired but because He was establishing the pattern His image bearers would need.
God rested to teach humanity the meaning of completion. He rested to remind us that His work was whole and good. He rested to show that the world does not require frantic striving to exist in harmony with His design.
The Sabbath teaches us something fundamental: creation itself has a cadence. There is morning and evening. There is work and worship. There is labor and lingering. There is running and resting. The Sabbath is not an afterthought or a late addition to discipleship. It is a principle woven into creation’s fabric.
It is important to notice however, that the commandment begins not with rest but with work. “You are to labor six days.” Work is not a result of sin. It is part of being made in the image of God. Before humanity ever fell, Adam was placed in the garden to cultivate and keep it. Work reflects God’s creative character. But Scripture is clear that work is not ultimate. The Sabbath stands guard over our labor and prevents our hearts from worshiping the work of our own hands.
We must remember because it is unnatural for us. We do not drift into rest. We drift into work. We drift into anxiety. We drift into self-reliance. To keep the Sabbath, we must deliberately remember it and intentionally obey it. Therefore, in a way, intentional rest anchors our lives in worship. It declares to our calendars and our consciences that God has the rightful claim on our time. By setting aside one day in seven, the people of God learn to see every day through the lens of divine ownership. The Sabbath is not simply a pause from productivity but a proclamation that the world does not belong to us.
The Sabbath calls us to return to the rhythm of Eden. This is a rhythm where God reigns, and humanity rests under His care.
The Sabbath in Redemption
In Deuteronomy 5, when Moses repeats the Ten Commandments, he gives a second reason for the Sabbath. He says, “Remember that you were a slave in Egypt.” In other words, slaves do not rest. But sons and daughters of the King do. Israel’s Sabbath became a visible proclamation of their identity as a redeemed people. Pharaoh demands endless labor. God offered liberating rest. The Sabbath was a weekly sermon declaring that Israel no longer belonged to the kingdom of oppression but to the kingdom of grace.
When we embrace the biblical truth of the sabbath, we declare that our identity is not found in what we accomplish. It is found in what God has accomplished for us. We rest because we have been redeemed. We rest because Christ has done what we never could. We rest because the gospel is not about human striving but surrendering everything to the Lord.
The Sabbath teaches us that our worth is not tied to our work. You and I are not “human doers” but “human beings.” Rest is being intentional with being with the Lord. Desire for earthly gain will drive every human doer to labor endlessly. Yet Christ says, “It is finished.” To obey the fourth commandment is to preach the gospel to yourself every week.
Running Hard and Resting Deeply
When the New Testament calls believers to run the race with endurance, it does not contradict this call to Sabbath rest. Both are essential to the life of faith. Running without resting leads to collapse and burnout, and resting without running leads to complacency and laziness. The Bible calls us to both because God desires not just activity but our health, fruitfulness, and holiness.
Hebrews 12 paints the Christian life as a race that requires perseverance and focus. But that race cannot be run in our own strength. It is run by looking to Jesus, who endured the cross and now sits at the right hand of the Father. The One who calls us to run also calls us to rest in Him.
Jesus Himself gives the invitation for everyone who is weary and heavy laden to come to Him. When we do, Jesus promises us rest. He does not invite the strong, the self-sufficient, or the accomplished. He calls the weary, the tired, the overwhelmed, and the anxious. He offers the rest that no vacation can provide. The Sabbath whispers what Jesus shouts. True rest is not found through escaping responsibilities but through embracing Christ!
True Sabbath means that you are taking an intentional day to remember Christ and His sufficient grace for your life. Every time the church gathers on the Lord’s Day, we remember that we run the race of faith only because Christ ran it before us. He completed the work. He secured our salvation. He supplies the strength. The Sabbath becomes a weekly recalibration of the heart. It lifts our eyes from our labor to His victory.
How can you Sabbath well?
- Prioritize gathering with the church. The Lord’s Day is not built around lunch, leisure, errands, or entertainment. It is built around the worship of God with the people of God. Arrive early. Prepare your heart. Sing wholeheartedly. Sit under the Word with expectation.
- Share a slow, unhurried family meal or meal with friends. The Lord’s Day should feel different. A shared meal helps everyone breathe, laugh, talk, and enjoy the goodness of God together. Use the meal to: Ask your kids what they learned in church. Reflect on the sermon. Give thanks for the gospel.
- Practice Digital Quiet. You do not need to go offline entirely, but be mindful of giving your mind a break. Set aside your phone for the morning or the afternoon. Avoid the news. Avoid mindless scrolling. Let your soul rest from the noise of the world.
- Read something that feeds the soul. Choose a book that lifts your eyes to Christ. A chapter of Scripture beyond the sermon text. A book on Christian living. A biography of a missionary. A devotion. Let the Lord’s Day be a day where your mind savors truth.
- Enjoy God’s creation. Sabbath rest is not confinement. It is the permission to enjoy. Go for a walk. Sit on the back porch. Visit a park. Play outside with the kids. Take in the goodness of God’s creation.
- Spend unhurried, intentional time with family or friends. The Sabbath is not only a gift to your soul, but a gift to community. Healthy relationships flourish in unhurried, intentional time.
- Pray as a family or with friends. Before the day is done, take time to pray with others. Just start thanking the Lord for who He is, and all that He gives.
What brings you joy? Fulfillment? Be intentional. Be unhurried. Bless the Lord and bless others.
Finish the Year Strong
As we enter these final weeks of the year, I want to encourage our church family to finish strong in our giving. At this point, we are around $500,000 behind in our annual budget giving. This is certainly a significant gap, but it is not an impossible one. God has proven again and again that when His people respond in faith, He provides in ways that only He can.
Our budget giving fuels everything we do as a church. It supports ministry across every generation, discipleship in every season, and missions in every direction. When we give faithfully, we invest directly into lives being changed by the gospel here in East Texas and around the world.
We also still have a long way to go on our World Mission Offering for this year. This offering sends missionaries, plants churches, serves the vulnerable, and carries the message of Jesus to places many of us will never see. When you give to the World Mission Offering, you are helping take the gospel where it has not yet gone.
I want to invite each of us to pray, to seek the Lord, and to consider how He is calling us to participate. Let us give sacrificially and joyfully as an act of worship, not out of pressure but out of gratitude for all God has done for us.
Green Acres, I believe the Lord will use our collective obedience to close the gap, meet the need, and advance the mission. Let us finish the year with generosity, faith, and trust in the God who provides.
I am grateful for you and excited to see how God moves through His people in these final weeks. You can give by clicking this link: gabc.org/give
The annual GABC Christmas Tree Lighting is TONIGH at 6:00pm! This is a free event for our whole community and church family! I want to invite you to not only be a part of this incredible event, but also be in prayer for God to use this night to reach people all over the city of Tyler. We want to make every effort to make this fun for the evening, but to make an eternal difference in the lives of people. Cannot wait to see you there!
CHURCH VOTE NEXT SUNDAY
On Sunday, December 14, immediately following each worship service, we will have our annual vote on the 2026 Budget, as well as the 2026 Committees Roster. There is printed information available about both items in the Connection Suite.
A NOTE FROM JOHN ROACH:
These past four years here at Green Acres have meant more to the Roach family than we can ever fully express. You have loved us, trusted us, believed in us, walked with us, and shaped us. You welcomed a new perspective in missions and embraced the priority of the local church in missions. You have loved on mission partners, served all around the world, and have been flexible and patient as we continued to build on the legacy of GABC missions.
After many months of praying, seeking the Lord, and asking for wisdom, my family and I have accepted the call for me to serve as the Lead Pastor of Summer Grove Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. We don’t feel as if we are leaving, we feel as if we are being sent by a church that has loved us well and equipped us for this next season of ministry. You have helped us discover who we are as ministers and challenged us to truly consider the burden of love and joy of pastoring the local church.
We are taking this step of faith believing the Holy Spirit, God’s Word, and God’s people have affirmed that this is the next season of faithfulness and obedience for the Roach family and GABC. Pastor Michael has often preached the importance of our “yes” being on the table, and we truly believe GABC is sending us out in this next step of ministry.
While we are sad to go, we are overwhelmed by the confirmation of Pastor Michael, the Executive Team, staff, and so many of you. We believe that when we stand at Summer Grove, part of GABC will stand with us.
It’s hard to leave, but we leave with deep gratitude and confidence in God’s leading. Because of our time here at GABC, we have committed to pastoring and serving Summer Grove with a similar zeal to reach those far from Jesus and to equip and send missionaries and church planters around the world. We also hope and pray that our example may also serve as a gentle nudge to some of you to step into the next season of ministry God may be leading you into. My prayer from day one at Green Acres has been that you would embrace being a sending church.
The Roach family loves you. Truly. Thank you for allowing us not only to serve here, but to become who God has called us to be. You will always be part of our story, part of our ministry, and part of our family. Thank you for the privilege of serving alongside you these last four years. It has been one of the greatest joys of our lives.
John Roach | Missions Pastor
THIS SUNDAY!
This Sunday marks the beginning of our brand new Christmas series titled “Immanuel.” Throughout this season, we will continue to walk through the Gospel of Luke and see the beauty of a Savior who draws near, steps into our need, and satisfies the deepest longings of the human heart.
I will be preaching from Luke 9:10-17, with a message titled “Immanuel Satisfies.” This is a powerful passage that reveals the compassion, sufficiency, and presence of Jesus Christ. It is the perfect place to begin our journey toward Christmas as we celebrate that God is with us and God is for us.
If you are part of our Flint campus or our Español campus, you can worship and hear the Word faithfully preached in those locations as well. Wherever you attend, come with an expectant heart. Bring a friend. Invite a neighbor. Let us begin this Christmas season by lifting high the name of Jesus, the One who satisfies both body and soul.
Green Acres family, I cannot wait to worship with you this Sunday as we begin the “Immanuel” series together.
You are loved and prayed for!
Michael Gossett