GOD'S WORD TO THE BUSY & DISTRACTED
Ten Commandments That Build Strong Families - Part 4
1
Exodus 20:8-9
Do you ever get tired just thinking of what you've got to do? Do you ever find yourself as
fatigued on Monday morning as you were on Friday afternoon? Do you ever feel guilty when you
relax?
Today we're going to look at what God has to say about taking a day off. Workaholism hurts
you, and it hurts your families? The fourth commandment is all about taking time off to restore
and connect with others.
God's saying, "I am commanding you to take a day off from being busy every week."
Exodus 20:8-9 "Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. You have six days in which to do your
work but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me. On that day no one is to work." That's
clear. Have a dedicated time when you’re not working.
I. THE SABBATH: ANTIDOTE TO BURNOUT
What does the word Sabbath mean? Sabbath means "Day of rest". God says every seventh day
you are to take a day of rest.
Mark 2:27, Jesus said "The Sabbath was made to benefit man, and not man to benefit the
Sabbath." God says "I want you to prevent burnout.”
Every seven days you need to get physically, emotionally, and spiritually recharged because your
batteries run down. Rest and doing things that restore you are the antidotes to burnout. We live
in a stress-filled world. So regularly take time away to recharge your life and your relationships.
It doesn't matter when you take a Sabbath, what’s important is that you do it as least once a week.
The three religions -- Islam, Judaism and Christianity -- the Muslims celebrate the Sabbath on
Friday, the Jews celebrate the Sabbath on Saturday, and the Christians celebrate the Sabbath on
Sunday. Col 2:16-17 says as a Christian you're no longer tied down by what day you celebrate the
Sabbath on.
Paul says in Romans 14:5-6 (LB) "Every day alike belongs to God.” Pick specific days a week to
use for rest and recreation and restoration and reconnecting with your family and for worship.
II. WHAT TO DO ON YOUR SABBATH
How do I "keep it holy"?
What does it mean to be holy? Holy means "set apart", different from the rest of the week.
Change your pace and change what and who you focus on during your Sabbath days.
How do I keep the day holy? By using it the way God intended.
GOD'S WORD TO THE BUSY & DISTRACTED
Ten Commandments That Build Strong Families - Part 4
2
What does God intend for me to do on my Sabbath? Use your “set apart” days to rest, recharge,
reconnect and refocus.
1. God says use the day to rest my body.
Psalm 127:2 "God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest."
This is so important that God used Himself as an example. When he created the world, he took
six days to create the world and on the seventh He rested. Was God tired? No, He was modeling
something God says is an important principal of life -- take time off to rest your body.
The supreme court of the United States has laws that businesses be closed on Sunday, not on
religious grounds but on the grounds of the human being has the need for periodic rest.
Inc. Magazine recently had a survey that said 62% of the people in America say "I have burned
out or I am on the way." You can be consumed by your career or even by ministry. We are
tempted to stay busy for more money, more recognition, a promotion, a sense of fulfillment,
achievement and accomplishment. All these powerful forces say "work more". Many of us can
become addicted to our work. But our bodies were not built for non stop work.
Eccl. 10:15 "Only someone too stupid to find his way home would wear himself out with work!"
When you go home BE at home! Be fully present to yourself and to your loved ones. Efficiency
experts now say that they've discovered that reasonably spaced rest periods increase productivity
over the person who works continually and constantly.
An old Indian parable says, "You break the bow if it's always bent."
Ps. 23 "The Lord is my shepherd. He makes me lie down in green pastures."
Has God ever had to make you lie down because you wouldn't do it on your own?
If you never take any days off, never observe the fourth commandment, there’s likely a chance
you’ll end up observing it in the hospital.
If you say, "When I relax, I feel guilty." You don't need to feel guilty. Jesus relaxed and He
never felt guilty about it. He took a day off every week. Nobody accomplished more than He did
in the 3 1/2 years of His public ministry. Even God took a day off after creation. Who are you?
An unwillingness to take a day off is saying, "the world will fall apart if I don’t stay busy, I'm
holding up the world." God says RELAX, HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS!
There are two kinds of fatigue: physical fatigue when your muscles get tired and spiritual and
emotional fatigue when your spirit feels dead to God and your emotions make you feel dead to
your relationships. Spiritual and emotional fatigue is a far greater problem in our society. Non-
stop work or ministry will drain your emotions. It is not enough that you get enough sleep.
GOD'S WORD TO THE BUSY & DISTRACTED
Ten Commandments That Build Strong Families - Part 4
3
Why? Because rest is not enough. Rest will take care of physical fatigue but it will not take care
of spiritual and emotional fatigue. That's why God says you two recharge yourself and reconnect
with your significant relationships.
2. God wants me to recharge.
How do you do it? There are three things that you need to build into your Sabbath times of rest:
1. Include time for quietness.
Ps. 23:3 "He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." We are in a world of noise
pollution. Yet the Bible says, in quietness and confidence will be your strength. The Bible
says, "Be still and know that I am God." You need to get alone with God and get quiet.
Mark 6:31 "There were so many people coming and going Jesus said to His disciples, `Let's
go off by ourselves where we will be alone and you can rest for awhile." If you don't set
apart a time for rest, you’re going to come a part.
3. Include time for family.
In American history Sunday has historically been a day for two things: church and family.
God wants you to plan some special time with your family, to do thing with them that draw
your family together.
Eccl. 9:9 "Enjoy life with your wife whom you love..."
"A relaxed attitude lengthens a man's life."
Do you want to live a long time? Chill out! Relax, have some fun with your family. You're
not wasting time, time with your family is an important time. God says you need them.
"Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It's a slow death to be gloomy all the time." Proverbs
17:22
You need some time with your families and significant others. Parents, go home, talk to
your spouse and play with your kids. Single people, talk to your parents and siblings and
significant friends.
4. Include time for fellowship
You need time with others, especially with other believers. We draw strength from being
together.
GOD'S WORD TO THE BUSY & DISTRACTED
Ten Commandments That Build Strong Families - Part 4
4
Heb. 10:25 "Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, instead let us encourage one
another." One of the benefits of gathering together is to encourage each other. That's why
David says in Ps. 122, "I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the House of the Lord."
He look forward to it. Why? It's tough being a believer out there in the world. We need
each other to encourage and uplift each other and inspire each other and challenge each other
to stay strong and keep our principles.
You get rejuvenated, recharged, rebuilt by being around other believers. In the New
Testament it says the Christians ate their meals together. We need to regularly fellowship,
interact and strengthen our relationships.
The Bible says "He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."
5. USE THE SABBATH TO REFOCUS MY SPIRIT.
Take time to Tune in to God. Ps. 95:6 "Come let us bow down in worship before the Lord our
Maker." Sunday is preeminently a day to worship, get a focus on God, a time to remember
what's important, a time to get a spiritual tune up.
The stress and worry of living gets most of us off balance. Sunday is a day to reconnect with my
Spirit. Worship, listening to the Word, all those things we do at church helps us to refocus and
get filled up again with the power and promises of God.
The tragedy is many people take the day to have recreation and ignore their most important need
-- your spirit is empty and it needs to be refilled with God's presence and power and love and
awareness that He's with you all the time.
America has turned a holy day into a holiday.
Mark 8:36 "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Sunday, is a
day to take time out to re examine your priorities, re evaluate, regroup, relax, tune into God,
listen to Him, get your perspective right, get your priorities rebalanced and refocus on God. You
need that Sabbath rest regularly.
If you want a strong family, understand this: you don't teach values to your kids, you model them.
They catch your behavior. Every time you say, "We're not going to go to church this week end.
Let's go out and play. Or we're tired today, you are modeling inconsistency to your family. Just
as you make time for work, always make time for worship, model that to your family.
If Christ is not at the center of your life and your family, you and they are out of balance.
How do I get in balance
Come to Jesus Christ. Ask Him to help you. Say, take all of these areas of my life that are
loading me down and help me to sort out what's really important. Become the manager of my
life. Jesus says, "I will give you rest."
GOD'S WORD TO THE BUSY & DISTRACTED
Ten Commandments That Build Strong Families - Part 4
5
Matthew 11 "Come to me, all you who are weary and over-burdened, and I will give you rest!
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Jesus said if you're carrying a heavy burden today,
you're carrying one that I don't want you carrying. You're trying to be God. Let God be God and
you be you. Life will be a whole lot easier.
I want to challenge you to start taking this commandment seriously. If you don't have time for
church and recreation and for time to invest in significant relationships, you're going to pay for it
eventually. Take the Sabbath seriously, for your own benefit. The Sabbath was made for man.
