“Nine Out of Ten Ain’t Bad…”
By: Pastor Wade Hatfield
Today, we are going to begin by looking at the Ten Commandments.
How many think they could stand up and recite all ten? Maybe not many, but I’m sure that we all know them…listen as I go over them, and it will refresh your memory.
The Ten Commandments:
1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make yourself an idol or graven image; you shall not bow down to them nor worship them.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not kill.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal
9. You shall not give false testimony.
10. You shall not covet . . . anything of your neighbor’s
There are at least nine that we try to obey. We really do. But there is one that we kind of “skim over.” Actually, in our day and age, we tend to ignore it. It is…Commandment Number 4.
Ex 20:8-11
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Today, I am going to suggest something really “wack-o.” It might even blow your mind. Deep down, some may even want to stand up and shout, “BLASPHEMY!” (smile) Yep, you guessed it…I am going to suggest that you try to follow commandment #4 and start taking a day of rest…a Sabbath.
You might be thinking, “Now, pastor Wade…We aren’t under the Law anymore. That command is part of the old covenant. We are under the new covenant now. Isn’t this commandment obsolete?”
After all…
2 Corinthians 3:6 says:
"He [God] has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant -- not of the letter (law) but of the Spirit; for the letter (law) kills, but the Spirit gives life"
Romans 7:4 says:
“So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.”
You would be correct that we are not saved by following a list of rules, but by the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus. But if the Law is not in effect anymore, can we…
Murder
Worship other gods
Take the name of the Lord in vain
Disrespect your father and mother
Steal
Lie
Etc.
Maybe Jesus can shed some light on this subject:
Matt 5:17-20
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus did not come to do away with the Law, but to fulfill it.
Commandment # 4: Remember the Sabbath to keep it Holy.
In this command, we see that the very nature of the Sabbath is different from the other six days.
The Bible tells us that at the end of the days of creation, God blessed the Sabbath and made it holy, (set apart for His use). God saw something good and worthwhile in the Sabbath. It is a day in which we imitate our Creator by resting from our work, just as He did.
Deut 5:15 connects the Sabbath to the Israelites experience in Egypt.
“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.”
The Israelites were slaves for 400 years in Egypt. Generation after generation had worked without rest. They had four centuries of constant activity. God commanded them to take a day and rest and reflect on Him.
We, too, are in bondage when we refuse to rest and fill our lives with constant activity. When we do this, our focus on God fades, and we start to be consumed by the “things” of life.
Now, remember, God doesn’t command something without His reasons. He thought there was something important about the Sabbath. What could it be?
In Mark 2:27-28 Jesus sheds more light on the subject:
Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
Jesus said that the Sabbath is made for man.
Observing a day of rest and reflection is for OUR benefit. It was made for us. It is a gift to us. Taking a Sabbath frees us to rest. God did not create us to be in a state of constant activity. We are made require rest. It is meant to be a time free from urgent activity, deadlines, and appointments.
It is to be a day we set aside to focus on God, to rest from our work, and to enjoy Him.
And whether or not you agree with the idea we should take a Sabbath, you must agree that we are to follow the example of Jesus.
Luke 5:16
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
The bible tells us that Jesus was so connected to his father that he did NOTHING that the Father didn’t tell him to. Jesus needed his rest and time alone with God, and so do we.
What else did Jesus say about “rest?”
Matt 11:28-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “keep doing the things you have always done, and I will interrupt your activities and force rest upon you.” He says “I will GIVE you rest.” Yes, Jesus uses the word “give”. Spiritual rest is a gift that only Jesus can give, but notice it is conditional.
“Come to me…”
“Take my yoke upon you…”
“Learn from me…”
All these things are OUR responsibility.
And we know this. Don’t we? But what do we do about it?
There are two quotes that I want us to ponder:
“We live an ironic existence, complaining about how tired and overwhelmed we feel but refusing to accept the gift of rest God offers.”
“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” Albert Einstein
Sound like your spiritual life?
We are a people whose lives are filled with activity. Work, family, play, television, etc. Our lives tend to be filled with “stuff” from the time we get up until we close our eyes. We want to rest, but instead of seeking God, we watch TV instead. But usually TV only numbs and distracts us from our business. Don’t believe me? When was the last time you heard someone say, “Boy, I watched 6 hours of television last night…man, do I feel rested!”
We are so busy doing "things", our relationship with God suffers. We don’t take time to be quiet before him and study His word, and when we do, it is usually a fifteen-minute “forced quickie” because we feel guilty.
We seem to be running on a “Christian Hamster Wheel.” Constantly running and being active, but getting nowhere. We tend to say, “Lord, I want to know more of you, and live a life that is pleasing to you,” but continue to do the same things over and over again and wonder why our relationship with God is going nowhere. If I am way off base here, someone let me know. Things have got to change.
How can change take place? It takes a DAILY conscious decision to change. Once this decision is made, then action from an obedient heart must be taken.
Remember, you will always make time for what is most important to you.
And if we are honest with ourselves, we might see that the most important thing in our life is not our relationship with God, but is work, money, relationships, possessions, ourselves. And deep down we know…things have got to change. Unless we make a conscious decision and effort, we will not change.
“If we continue to do what we have always done, we’ll continue to get what we always got.”
And what do we have right now? Well, whatever it is, it is not the fullness and life God wants for us.
You might feel like you have done this time and time again, and failed each time. There is hope
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
We are to keep on striving to be holy. Run the race to win. Defeatist attitudes are not allowed. Know that there is victory over sin…and it is found THROUGH Jesus Christ.
Sometimes, we get lazy and want God to change us without any effort on our part. But like it or not, we have a part to play in our spiritual development.
Heb 12:1-3
“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
And remember, it really is not that complicated. Difficult...yes, but complicated...No. Everything can be summed up in the Greatest Commandment.
Mark 12:30-31
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: `Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."
So, in closing, I encourage you to start taking a Sabbath...a day of rest to focus on knowing God.
If you don’t set apart time for your relationship with Him, you will never really know Him. If you never really know Him, you will never love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
