Bay Leaf Baptist Church

In this sermon from Genesis 1-2, Pastor Jared Richard explored God's original design for human flourishing through the rhythm of work and rest. He demonstrated how God himself worked in creation—making, designing, and cultivating—then rested on the seventh day, not from exhaustion but to enjoy and reflect on his completed work. As image bearers of God, humans were created to follow this same pattern, with work being an act of sub-creation that reflects God's creative nature, and rest being a time to gain perspective and enjoy God's greater work. However, sin has broken this beautiful rhythm. We either reject God in our work by finding our identity and worth in our jobs, or we rebel against God in our rest by either working obsessively (thinking we're indispensable) or being lazy (avoiding our calling to work). Pastor Jared explained that this physical problem with work and rest is actually a symptom of a deeper spiritual problem. The solution comes through the gospel: Jesus' finished work on the cross provide