1. Exodus 20:8-11 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
2. Sabbath is a day set aside by God for his people. God established this day to be observed on the seventh day of the week.
3. In our current world it is hard to rest! We are always “on call.” Texts and calls in cars; late at night; early in the morning. We literally have to turn it off to find a little rest – but then, we’re nervous that we will be needed.
4. People who revere the 10 Commandments don’t find value in keeping Sabbath (the word means “Rest”).
5. Sabbath-ing can be life-changing!
I. The Sabbath Gives Value to People
A. Reminder of Creator and Created
1. Animals As Well As People Rested – First National Law in behalf of animals (ASPCA, etc.)
2. Equality of People in God’s eyes Galatians 3:28 – even Gentiles rested in Israel [temptation to get a Gentile to do work for you – not permitted everybody rested
B. Represents Freedom, not Slavery – Deuteronomy 5:15
You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
1. No rest for slaves – 24/7 job
2. Health effects?
3. Workaholics are slaves to work; money; people; codependency; -- rich slaves
C. Makes Virtual Slavery Virtually Impossible
1. Slaves in Israel Rested too
2. God is Master, not People
D. Sabbath Is for Man – Mark 2:27 “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath
A wagon train of Christians traveled from St. Louis to Oregon. They observed the Sabbath day by stopping to rest and not traveling. But as winter approached some in the group began to panic that they would not reach Oregon before the snow fell. So they proposed to start traveling on the Sabbath days as well. The group was split over the idea so they split into to traveling groups - one would travel all seven days and one only six days. The group which rested arrived in Oregon first. The people and the horses were so rested that they could travel much more efficiently on the other six days. Sabbath was for man, not man for Sabbath (and animals).
II. The Sabbath Encourages Family Devotion
A. Time Together is Valuable
In American families, time for household conversations has decreased by 100%, despite other studies showing that such conversations are the number one preventative of "at risk adolescent" behavior. In a national poll conducted in 2000, educational issues tied with "not having enough time together with parents" as the chief concerns among teen-agers. According to a 1997 study by the International Labor Organization, Americans work more hours than anyone else, even the Japanese!
B. Sabbath is a Relaxed Atmosphere for Unifying the Family – Exodus 20:10
. . . On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, . . .
1. Getting to know one another
2. Honoring and teaching
The Bedouin shepherd lives in shabby box tents that dot the hillsides throughout Israel. When compared to our lives saturated with modern conveniences it seems as though they live a very difficult life. However, an interesting fact is that their average life span is more than 100 years. While the diets are made up of natural foods which contain no preservatives, that is not the secret to their longevity. The secret lies in their relatively stress free lives. Stress makes us sick, drives us crazy and kills us some three decades before the majority of these shepherds. he Bedouins rise from their tents slightly before sunrise and go about the work of their days. As the sun begins to set they gather as families in their tents for dinner. Then they will sit around sharing stories and singing. Each evening involves three to four hours of family time. Then they sleep restfully under the canopy of sky God created.
III. The Sabbath Promotes Worship
A. Faith in God Brings People to Observe the Sabbath
1. Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.
2. Exodus 31:17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”
B. Observing the Sabbath Brings People to Faith in God – Deuteronomy 6:20-21
20 “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.
1. Do you think we might benefit from Sabbath-ing?
2. Do you think God just may know what he’s doing?
3. Every time we keep a Sabbath (weekly; special holidays) we declare there is a Creator – we are not an accident, we were intended (Esther 4:14)
4. Each of us has value and significance – Sabbath proves it. So, take a break!
5. Ultimate Rest is in Jesus Hebrews 4:10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
