Be Well-Rested

BE WELL-RESTED (Outline)

May 25, 2008 --

PENTECOST 2 --

Deuteronomy 5:12-15

INTRO: Deuteronomy means “second law”. We might ask ourselves when was the first law? On Mt.

Sinai God gave to Israel through Moses the Ten Commandments. God wrote on tablets of stone.

Before this God’s law was written on man’s hearts. In Exodus (chapter 20) God gave the Ten

Commandments to Israel at the beginning of forty years of wandering the in the wilderness. In

Deuteronomy Moses now gives Israel the law at the end of forty years of wilderness wandering.

They will soon enter the Promised Land. God reminds them of his Law that was written on the

first tablets of stone, Ten Commandments.

Much is going to change for God’s people. They will settle the Promised Land. They will plant

and harvest. They will build houses and dwell in cities. They will have rest in the Promised

Land. You and I live in a modern day promised land. Compared with other countries we have rest.

There are no battles being fought within our boundaries. We live in peace. Today we study the

third commandment and its true, deep meaning of rest for us. The Lord invites us into is Sabbath,

his rest. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest …learn from

me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (MATTHEW 11:28, 29b).

We consider the theme: BE WELL-RESTED.

I. Observe the requirements of rest.

II. Remember the blessings from rest.

I. OBSERVE THE REQUIREMENTS OF REST

A. In this section of Scripture there are subtle differences from the Ten Commandments in Exodus.

1. Verse 12 emphasizes observing the Sabbath day. This word means to watch, guard, and keep.

2. Exodus simply had “remember”. God wanted his people to keep this day holy – guard it.

3. Israel was to keep this day holy simply because the Lord God had “commanded” it (you).

B. Verses 13, 14a. Israel is to get all their work done in six days. The seventh day is a day of rest.

1. The Lord is serious about this as the list reveals in verse 14b. No family member is to work.

2. No servants or beasts of burden are to work. No visitors or even foreigners. Everyone rests!

C. In this way even outsiders would notice the attitude of respect and reverence Israel had for this day.

D. God’s law speaks very clearly to the wicked hearts of mankind today. God’s law is very blunt and

to the point. Today the Lord would remind us to watch, guard, and keep the Sabbath day for ourselves.

The day of rest is be as precious to us as it is to the Lord. "And God blessed the seventh day and

made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done"(GENESIS 2:3).

Even God, who really does not need to rest, rested on the seventh day. Thus the seventh day was made

holy. As mortals we need rest much more than God. We want to remember that the day of rest is not

just a physical rest but always, ever a spiritual rest. God wants us to value this rest, his Sabbath

(rest) made for us.

E. Which day of rest are we to watch, guard, and keep? Creation ended on the sixth day. On the

seventh day (Saturday, according to our calendars) the Lord rested. The day was made holy. In the

New Testament the believers began to observe the first day of the week (Sunday) as important. Why?

On Easter, the first day of the week, Jesus rose from the dead. Pentecost, 50 days after Easter,

took place on Sunday. On that Pentecost the Christian church grew by 5,000. In the book of Acts

the believers began to gather together on the first day of the week. Creation also began on the

first day of the week. Sunday became the day of rest they wanted to observe. What does God say?

"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious

festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to

come; the reality, however, is found in Christ"(COLOSSIANS 2:16,17). Christ is our rest. Whenever

we come to worship (rest) in Christ, this time is our Sabbath with our Savior. Sabbath means rest –

not Saturday, Sunday, etc.

F. Our Lord’s law emphasis to our sinful nature is to watch, guard, and keep the Sabbath. It is to

be a holy day or time to the Lord. The Sabbath is to be holy to us also. We observe the requirements