Grace of Life (4 of 6): Resting in God’s Patronage

Download the PDF version of this study on how to rest in God’s favor and holiness.

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Old-world cultures depended on a social system called patronage, or what we would call today, sponsorship. If you were to go to college or start your own business, you would need a patron or sponsor. To have a patron, you had to have connections. You needed a rich uncle to make it. People without any connections would have to prove themselves worthy of getting someone’s support, much like a college sports player hopes to get noticed and be drafted.

A patron paid for your home and food while you studied to make a valuable contribution to society, say being a politician. Later, your patron would introduce you to his connections who could get you into a government position.

God is our ultimate Patron. Unfortunately, most people try to perform in order to get His attention. If we want His sponsorship, however, we just need to become part of the family. Read Galatians 3:6-9 and summarize how Abraham became an inheritor of God’s promises.

When Paul wrote his letters, patronage was the main system of doing business in the world. However, they did not use the word patronage. They used the same word which your Bible translates as “faith.” Faith in God, accepting His patronage, gives you access to all He owns. While this can apply to financial and physical blessings, primarily this relationship benefits us on the inside. You do not have to prove yourself to the world to feel worthwhile, just accept His identity. How are you part of God’s patronage system, according to Galatians 3:26?

According to Galatians 3:27, why does God choose to sponsor you and adopt you as His own child?

Rather than stand in the glow of God’s favor, most Christians flail themselves to perform. The majority of believers find walking with God to be hard work. Instead, God presents the Christian life as rest, not work.

The Sabbath day, for example, was a picture of the Rest God intended everyone to enter. However, humanity made this into a law to observe and became slaves to the very thing God wanted to use to demonstrate His Rest. Jesus refused to be enslaved by the Sabbath and would heal people and bring freedom to those enslaved by religious thinking.

What does Hebrews 4:1 say we should be careful about?

The original group of law-keepers missed out on God’s Rest because they did not accept God’s favor. They tried to do it on their own with just the list of rules. Even under Moses God did not want people trying to follow the book without Him. He want His presence among them.

Today, some Christian groups have convinced themselves that God’s Rest is the Sabbath Day or keeping the Law. However, the Israelites were Sabbath-keepers and Law-keepers, yet they missed out on God’s rest because of their unbelief. Even though they had rest from war after they conquered the Promised Land, they still did not enter the Rest. What does Hebrews 4:9 say?

And how does Hebrews 4:10 describe this?

We enter His rest by depending on Him to make us righteous. We separate from sin because of our love for God, but we rest in Him to make our hearts pure. We dress modestly to bring God glory but relax in His image. We shut out any wickedness in music, movies, and media but loosen up to let Him speak as He pleases. We live carefully to not offend others but also chill out, knowing He accepts us.