For those not familiar with an Anglican Service four Scriptures Readings are shared before the Message. The Scriptures assigned for this day are Deuteronomy 5:6-21; Psalm 81:1-17; 2 Corinthians 4:1-12 and Mark 2:23-28.
The wife ... of a man who had recently died ... assumed ... they were well off financially, ... so she gave him a very nice funeral ... and a fancy tombstone that read, ... "Rest in Peace."
However, ... when the estate was settled ... she was informed by their attorney ... that he had wasted all their money ... on gambling ... and on bad investments.
This made her so angry ... that she took the little money that was left ... and added three words to the tombstone.
The new tombstone said: "Rest in Peace ... Until I Come!" (Long Pause)
Beloved ... You do not need a tombstone ... in order to rest ... in peace.
To Rest in peace ... to rest in true peace ... you need the Savior of Souls ... you need Jesus.
The Hebrew word for rest ... is Shabbat.
And ... Shabbat or Sabbath ... is one of the most misunderstood concepts ... in the Scriptures.
In our Gospel Text, ... we find the Jewish leaders ...confronting Jesus ... concerning the observe of the Shabbat.
Jesus ends this confrontation with these words: " 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So, ... the Son of Man ... is Lord ... even of ... the Sabbath.'" (Mark 2:23-28).
Sabbath is not a list of specific rules ... or even a specific day ... Sabbath means one thing ... rest. (Pause)
If you ever find yourself being confronted by someone ... who says you should worship on Saturday.
That you are required to follow the codes and regulations of the Jewish tradition and of the Old Testament:
(Lift Bible) Take out your Sword ... that is God's Word ... and share with them this verse ... from Colossians:
BIBLE "Having canceled the written code, ... with its regulations, ... that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he (Jesus) took it away, nailing it to the cross...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." END (Colossians 2:14, 16-17)
The Old Testament regulations were only a shadow ... a shadow ... of what was to come.
Beloved ... the substance is found in Christ.
Jesus is ... the Lord of the Sabbath.
Jesus did not come to cancel the Old Testament law.
Beloved ... He fulfilled it.
And by resting in the finished work of Christ ... we fulfill ... God's Sabbath.
The Sabbath is mentioned ... in the New Testament in two ways ... In two parts.
First (1 Finger), ... as portrayed ... in our Gospel Text, ... it refers to the seventh day ... a day of rest.
Which is essential to a balanced life in God.
And of which I will speak to ... momentarily.
Yet there is a second part ... there is a New Testament Sabbath, ... that many ... even followers of the Christ ... do not recognize ... as Sabbath.
In the Book of Hebrews, God adds a deeper layer of truth ... to the Sabbath.
Hear God's Word: BIBLE "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest ... for the people of God; for anyone ... who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, ... just as God did from his." END (Hebrews 4:9-10)
So, if "Shab-bat" means rest, ... what would be the opposite?
Non-rest ... which is also known as ... Work.
And there are many forms of work... beyond that of earning a wage.
Beloved ... There are millions of people ... who are still "working" ... working ... to earn ... their salvation.
They may attend church, ... read the Bible, pray, help people and do good deeds.
All in the hope ...that one day ... God will look at them ... and declare them good enough ... to enter heaven.
They have not entered the Sabbath rest ... rest only found in Jesus ... the Lord of the Sabbath.
The Scriptures are clear in BIBLE "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith." It goes on, "Not by works, so that no one can boast." You are not saved by performing good deeds. You can only rest in the finished work of Jesus on the cross! END Ephesians 2:8-9
There are two ways to find eternal rest ... there are only two ways to spell salvation.
Some spell salvation D-O.
They have sadly convinced themselves ... that they receive salvation ... by the good things they do.
All ... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
None are righteous ... no not one. (Romans 3:10)
The other way to spell salvation ... is D-O-N-E.
When Jesus died on the cross He said what? ... "It is finished!" (John 19:30)
It is finished ... rest ... rest in the finished work ... of the cross.
What day is the Sabbath Day?
It is Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
Beloved for every day, ... we are called to trust ... and rest... in the work of Jesus ... It is finished.
Jesus is ... Lord of the Sabbath.
Yet the Scriptures in our Gospel Text ... speak to a rest ... a Shabbat from our physical or mental work ... as fellow human beings ... on this planet ... we call Earth.
The Sabbath is not a set of laws ... that we are commanded to obey.
It is the idea of a healthy rhythm ... of work and rest.
It is a gift from God ... that we should not refuse.
The Fourth Commandment has two simple parts.
God says, "Six days you shall work. On the seventh day you should rest." (Exodus 34:21)
Beloved ... Work is good.
The New Testament speaks to work: if a man will not work, he should not eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10)
But too much work ... without rest ... is not a good thing.
We should build into our lives ... a rhythm of working ... and resting.
When God created the world, ... He wasn't giving us a law to obey; ... He was offering us ... a healthy pattern ... a healthy rhythm to follow.
Beloved ... How much rest are you receiving?
Most Americans sadly are burning the candle ... at both ends.
Most of us ... are simply too busy ... or make ourselves too busy......... to stop ... to rest ... to be still before the Lord... even for a few moments.
Most feel ... as if they ... need to be active ... every minute of the day.
We confuse busy-ness ...with being productive, with being successful, ...efficient, ...to being meaningful.
Beloved Jesus too, ... was busy ......with life.
Yet, ... in the midst of this busy-ness, ... He finds time ... he makes time ... to find a solitary place ... to rest ... and to pray.
A Quiet time ......a time alone... with the Father.
We are a people...... a society ... in which being busy ...makes us feel ... worthwhile. (Pause)
A generation or two ago, ... washing the family's laundry ... literally took ... an entire day.
People referred to ... that one day ... of this weekly routine ... as ... wash day.
Then technology came ... with the invention ... of the washing machine.
You could throw the clothing into this marvelous new machine, ...... leave it there ... and go relax.
What a time saver! ...... So, ... what happened?
Did we end up ... with more time to rest... with more quiet time?
No, ...we filled our time ... with other duties... With other busyness. (Pause)
The invention of the computer ... had a similar effect.
It enabled us ... to work ......so much faster.
But did we find more free time... More quiet time?
No... We simply ... filled that time... with other duties... With more busyness.
Many ... seem to fear the quiet... Even in their free time... They will have a Radio or the Television on in the background.
They need noise... It seems ... they fear the quiet.
It seems ... There is something within us ......that compels us... to fill up every moment ... With noise ... or with busyness.
It's as if ... our fleshly self ... is fearful... of what might happen ... if we would just... be still ... to be quiet... to rest ... before God.
I am convinced ... that many... even those who call themselves follower of the Christ... have almost lost the ability ... To rest ... To be still ... before the Lord.
The Scriptures state this command to all believers: "Be still... (Be still) ... and know ...that I am God."
Be still ... it is a command.
Beloved ... We must... We must take time ... We must make time ... to rest ... to be in prayer... in communion ... with our Lord.
It is a necessity ... in our hurried ... and busy lives.
Being still ... Finding a quiet time to rest ... is God's will for our lives.
We must slow down and spend time with our Lord.
It is His will.
Not long ago, ... a minister shared... a conversation ...he had ... with one of his ...parishioners.
He said that one day ... a church member ... called him up on the telephone, ... and angrily said ... "I phoned you Saturday, ... but I couldn't get you!"
The pastor explained that it was his day off... He needed time to recharge... physically and spiritually.
And that he always checks... the phone messages ... in case ... there is an emergency.
"What! ... A day off! ......The devil never takes a day off!" ... exclaimed the man.
"That's right, " said the pastor, "and if I didn't take any 'time off,'... I would be ... just like him!" (Pause)
Beloved... We need to take charge of our lives.
We need to slow down ... We need to quiet our lives.
We need to be still... to rest... in the presence of God.
So important is this principle, ... that God made a command for a time of rest, ... a Sabbath.
And ... it made God's top ten list.
It is one of The Ten Commandments.
Remember the Sabbath Day!
We must have Sabbath ... we must find rest. (Pause)
It was a century or more ago ... in the deep jungles of Africa, ......a traveler ... was making ...a long trek.
Natives of the area ... were hired ... to carry the provisions.
The first day ... they marched rapidly ... and went ... a great distance.
The traveler had high hopes ... of a speedy journey.
But the second morning ... these tribesmen ... refused to move.
For some reason... they just sat... and rested.
When asked about this strange behavior, ......the traveler was informed ... that they had gone ......too fast the first day.
And that they were waiting ... for their souls ... to catch up ... with their bodies. (Pause)
There are times ... when our lives move... so fast, ... that we need to slow down ... and let our souls catch up ... with our bodies.
According to Early Church tradition ... when the Apostle John was Bishop at Ephesus, ... he had a hobby ... of raising pigeons.
On one occasion... we are told... an Ephesian elder ... passed John's home ... as he returned from hunting.
When he saw John ...... playing with one of his birds, ... he gently criticized the old Apostle ... for spending his time ... so frivolously.
John looked at his critic's bow ... and remarked ... that the string of his bow... was loosened.
"Yes," said the huntsman ... "I loosen the string of my bow ... when it's not in use.
If it always stayed tight, ...it would lose its power ... and fail me ... in the hunt."
"And I," ...said John, ... " I am now relaxing the bow of my mind ... so that I may be better able ... to shoot the arrows... of divine truth." (Pause)
Beloved... Not only do we need to slow our lives down... To have rest ... But during that time ... we need to ......come into the presence of God.
"Be still ... (Be still) ... and know that I am God."
Have you ever simply spent time with someone, ...and you both ... were very quiet.
Not really saying ... all that much.
Just quietly being together. ......Perhaps with ... your spouse.
Maybe ... At the bedside of a friend ... or family member.
Or just holding your child ... or grandchild ... in your arms.
Be still... Be still... and know that I am God.
Truth be told... We will rarely find God ... in the hectic moments in our lives, ... but we will often find God... in the quiet moments ... in those times of rest.
Mother Teresa shared this observation, ......"God rarely is found ... in the midst of noise and restlessness; ...instead, ......He is the friend ... of silence."
"Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10), He goes on to proclaim "Be still before the LORD ... and wait... patiently for him." (Psalm 37:7),
Slowing our lives down... Resting ...Being Still... is good for our soul, ......it is good for our relationship with others, ... it is good for our relationship with God. (Pause)
Some of us ... are traveling through life... Far too fast.
And We are going to find ourselves... in a mode ... of self-destruction.
Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.
And he shares this truth: "Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Shabbat--rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28)
Beloved, are you following a healthy pattern of work ... of busyness ... and of rest?
Are you resting in the DONE work ... the finished work of Christ?
Beloved ... In the midst of our work ... In the midst of our busyness ... We need to slow down... We need to rest ... and let our souls ... catch up ... with our bodies.
You do not need a tombstone ... in order to rest ... in peace.
To Rest in peace ... to rest in true peace ... you need to trust in the finished work of the Lord of the Sabbath.
(Slow) Beloved ...You need to trust ... in Jesus.
Amen and Amen!
(Another Illustration Below)
The first portion of this Message is Based on a Sermon by David Dykes Titled "Sabbath: Enjoy The Rest Of Your Life" and I commend it to you.
Help: I retired in November 2017 and am attempting to supplement my income by sharing on Sermoncentral. If this Message has been helpful to you, please consider a nominal donation: Send to The Rev. Jeff Smead 11725 Regent Park Drive Chardon Ohio 44024. Blessed To Be A Blessing.
Dear Reader: So I can better help you, if this Message was not helpful and you rated it low, Please let me know what it lacked or why it was not helpful. You can search by contributor Smead (Constructive Criticism is very helpful) and contact me there. Blessings in Christ. Jeff
(Another Illustration)
The story opens: It was a dark and stormy night.
A man was walking along a seaside cliff.
He was unfamiliar with the path and didn't know that a part of it had crumbled away.
He stepped onto the crumbled bank and found himself sliding down the edge of the cliff.
He was frantically scratching and grabbing for anything to grasp to stop his fall, and finally he grabbed onto a small root protruding from the face of the cliff.
He was hanging on for dear life.
Because it was a dark night, he couldn't see the sky or the water below.
But he could hear the sound of the crashing waves on the rocks below.
Soon, his fingers grew tired and so he cried out, "God, please help me! Rescue me! Help me!"
In a few moments God said to the man, "Let go of the root and trust me."
"No, God! I can't do that.
I've got to hang on for dear life!"
Again, he heard the voice, "I am our life.
Let go and trust me."
But the man continued to hang on with all of his might.
His fingers were aching, and his arms began to cramp.
Finally, with sweat filling his eyes, he said, "Okay, God.
I'll let go and trust you."
He released the root and fell...four inches onto a wide, rock path right below his feet all along.
He felt like such a fool.
He had been straining and holding on for dear life when safety was just below his feet.
Only when he let go of his own efforts did he learn that God could be trusted.
Many people still try to experience salvation by holding on to their own efforts, yet salvation only comes by resting ... resting in Christ ... the Lord of the Sabbath.
So, ... stop trying ... start trusting!
