· Topic: The Sabbath
· Central truth: Jesus offers us the Sabbath where we can find rest for our Minds, Bodies and Souls
I. (Intro):
a. Ring, Ring, oh that pesky alarm clock rings once again to wake you up for your nine to five job in this rat race we call earth.
b. Your daily routines of cramming more and more work into less and less time is beginning to get to you.
c. As each day goes by the anxiety and tension mounts and your rope is about to snap.
d. You come home from work exhausted and you just fall on the couch to vegetate in front of the T.V.
e. This cycle tends to repeat it self-day after day, week after week until chronic fatigue sets in. You begin to feel that there’s no meaning of life?
f. I believe this description describe many of us who are living in America today.
g. Where will all this stress lead us?
h. If you look at the news your can see it’s shocking effects all around us.
i. As a nation we are becoming used to terror, horror, and bloodshed.
j. Statistics shows us the United States is by far the most violent industrialized nation on planet earth. The homicide rate among young Americans males is 20 times more than that of Western Europe and 40 times the Japanese rate.
k. Theirs is something deadly wrong in our society. Could it be that we have lost the meaning of life?
l. I believe God never intended us to live this way with all this strains and stresses of life.
m. Did you know that 40 billion aspirin are consumed in the united stated alone each year as people try to deal with the headaches of life? I know the other week I consumed at least ten aspirins myself.
n. Did you know that eighty-six thousand pounds of Marijuana are smoked each day in America and countless other drugs as people try to escape the reality of living?
o. Americans also spend 36 billion dollars a year on alcohol!
1. That’s over $1,000 per second all year!
2. Thirty-three gallons per person per year!
3. Since I don’t drink, there must people out there, drinking more than their share.
p. I found another interesting fact that in the early 1900s heart attacks was seldom heard of, but now they are the number one killer in America.
q. Did you know that thirty thousand Americans commit suicide each year?
r. We also live in a world where people have no time for their families.
1. In America one out of two marriages end in divorce.
s. History has taught us that no society can survive under these conditions.
t. Is our world on a one-way track to it’s own meltdown and destruction.
u. Oh, my friends, where can we learn how to slow down, relax, and have peace of mind in this stressful world.
(Framework)
a. Jesus knows of the problems we are facing today and He gives us this invitation: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matt. 11:28, 29).
b. What is this rest that Jesus is offering to us and how might we receive it?
c. This rest is the Sabbath, and it has been forgotten by most of the world today.
d. I invite you to come with me on a journey to find this rest that only Jesus can offer.
e. On this journey we will find that this forgotten day of rest will bring Rest for our minds, Rest for our Bodies and Rest for our Souls.
(Transition): How will this Sabbath day that Jesus offers bring rest for our minds?
II. We live in a world where people have no rest for their minds. Why because we seemed to have lost our identity.
a. How can we find rest for our minds if were always questioning where we came from? And questioning why are we here, and where are we going?
b. Our Friend Darwin came up with a theory called evolution in a conquest to answer these questions about life.
c. His theory of Evolution might answer the first question: where we came from, but the monkey business of evolution fails to answer why are we here, and where are we going?
d. Then men invented the telescopes and universe seemed to draw nearer.
e. Looking up to the heavens, hoping to find something out there, that tells us how we got here, how life began.
f. In the 60’s we left planet earth, and ventured out to walk on the moon.
g. In the 90’s man launch the Hubble and other telescopes out into space to peer into the depths of the universe for signs on how the universe began.
h. New theories arise every so often, the Big Bang theory, or cosmic slime that morphed into a living creature theory, but they never seem satisfy man’s quest for the meaning of life.
i. Brothers and sisters do you sense how pathetic we humans are in our search for out roots?
j. Our minds can have Rest! We can know where we came from? And why are we here, and where are we going?
k. Why? Because the very first words of the Word of God answers these very questions.
(Gen.1:1) “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
l. But the word of God doesn’t end here if you read the rest of the chapter God reveals the crowning act of His creation, when He created you and me in His image.
m. On the first day we read that, God created light; second day, air; third day water and vegetation; forth day, sun, moon, stars; fifth day, birds and fish; six day, animals and then crowning act of creation---man and woman.
n. Lets read what God says at the end of His creative work.
(Turn with me to Gen. 1:31) “And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”
o. When God was done He saw that everything was complete, perfect, “it was very good.”
p. Before we move on, I do want to point out that the earth was created in six literal days.
q. If you didn’t notice in verse 31 the Bible say “there was evening and there was morning, the six day”
r. In the Bible a day begins morning and ends when the sun goes down. This just shows how powerful our God to create our earth in six literal twenty-four hour days.
s. And now we come to the first seventh day of the history of our world.
(Read with me Gen. 2:1-3) “And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. (2) And on the seventh day God finished his work, which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work, which he had made. (3) And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made.”
t. God created the Sabbath day, and rested on this day from all his Work.
u. Do you think God created this day because he was tired, His labors at creation were too strenuous?
v. No, God made the Sabbath to set aside a special day during the week as a memorial of His creative power and His love for mankind.
w. During creation week God made sure that Adam and Eve had everything possible to ensure their happiness and wellbeing.
x. Then God set the Sabbath aside in anticipation of having an intimate relationship with Adam and Eve.
y. David tells us in Psalms 111:2-4 that God has made his wonderful works to be remembered.
z. God knew we’d tend to forget important things in life, so he created the Sabbath as a weekly anniversary to remember His creative power.
aa. This is why in Exodus 20: 8 God says, “ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep holy.”
bb. The Sabbath reminds us to worship our creator.
cc. In (Ezekiel 20:20 God tells us) “hallow My Sabbaths; and they will be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.”
dd. As a pastor I love you to look at the original language in which the Bible was written.
ee. I was astonished to find out that the Hebrew word for Sign àåú or “ ’ôth” could literally be translated as a Flag, beacon, monument, omen, and my favorite evidence.
ff. God created the Sabbath as flag, monument and my favorite evidence that He’s our Lord and God.
gg. Brother and sisters we can have rest for our minds today, we no longer have to search the universe for the meaning of life.
hh. God gave us the Sabbath day as a memorial, anniversary, and my favorite as evidence that He is our Lord and God who created us.
ii. Brother and sister we can know today that we didn’t evolve! We can know today that we are more than bones covered with skin. We can know today that our origin is not from some dark and slimy pit.
jj. God created us in His image, in his likeness, we are children of God, and God gave us the Sabbath as evidence to reminds us of this great truth.
(Summary): Our mind can have rest in the Sabbath; we no longer need to search for our supposedly “lost identities.” Our identity is found in the Sabbath, which God gave us as evidence to remind us that He is our God who created us in His image.
(Transition): Now that we know how the Sabbath brings rest for our minds, we are ready to learn how it brings rest for our bodies?
III. In our world today people don’t know how to let their bodies rest.
a. I did construction for six years, and I had many co-workers who were workaholics.
1. They never rest; they had more than one job, and on their weekends were work-athons.
2. Their unceasing round of toil took a toll on their bodies; often the only thing that kept them moving was injections of two liters of coffee throughout the day.
3. They were driven to make more money so they could buy fancier clothes, live in more ritzy homes, and to drive more snazzy automobiles.
4. Some of these men worked themselves right out of their job. Why because their bodies couldn’t take it and they became lazy from being burnt out.
b. When God rested on the Sabbath after creating this earth He was setting an example for Adam and Eve to follow.
c. It was God, the wise creator who new what our bodies could handle, and made a special day for them—a day in which they rest from dressing and keeping the garden.
d. Lets take another trip to the Ten Commandments in (Exodus 20:8-11). I want to give you a little historical background on this text.
1. The Children of Israel had just been under the bondage of slavery for four hundred years.
2. And throughout their generations they had lost some of their traditions and blessing that God had giving them.
3. So in chapter 20 the Lord had just delivered them from the Egyptian taskmaster and now wants to reeducate them about the wonderful truth and gifts they once enjoyed.
(Lets read Exodus 20:8-11) “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (9) Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; (10) but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: (11) for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
e. God made Sabbath day especially for His people and He commanded a whole nation that was use to slavery, He commanded them not to work.
f. You tell me does that sound like good news to them or what?
g. I found it interesting once again to look at the original language in which the Bible was written.
h. In verse 8 there’s a gem that gives a special meaning and purpose for the Sabbath, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” it is interesting to note that this word “holy” comes from the same root word as “whole” and “healthy.”
i. With this said God’s Sabbath command here in Exodus could be loosely translated, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping is healthy.”
j. The Sabbath command says to us, stop what your doing! Halt, life is more than endless hours of work! There’s a time to rest—a time become whole again.
k. Can you see the importance of the Sabbath for our lives today? God wants to give us a weekly holiday to rest and spend time with our families.
l. I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up our family was so busy during the week we hardly spent meaningful time together. (I looked forward to the Sabbath as a kid; it was a time when our family put every daily distraction down and we spent time together.)
m. In verse 10 of Exodus 20, God also makes it clear to the children of Israel and to us that the Sabbath blessing is for all those around us. God says, “Thou shalt not do any, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.”
n. Keeping the Sabbath entails more than keeping it your self; it includes not putting the burden of work on someone else.
o. So how does this imply to us who are living in the twentieth century? It’s very simple; don’t do things on the Sabbath that requires others to work for you. (Such as going to restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations.) This can easily be done if we take time to prepare for the Sabbath.
1. We can buy our groceries a head of time, we can prepare our food before Sabbath, so there will be no need to eat out at a restaurant, and lastly we can fill up our cars with enough gas to last the Sabbath hours.
p. I also want to call your attention that this commandment is not just a command to rest but also command to work six days a week.
q. God knows that working is also good for us; it keeps us from being lazy and keeps our bodies healthy. You see God doesn’t want His followers to be on welfare, He wants us to be proactive, thinking about the future.
r. Sabbath was a gift from God and made just for man.
s. Jesus tells us this in (Mark 2:27-28) “ . . .The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: (28) so that the Son of man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
t. Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath is saying that the Sabbath was made for man.
u. I thank God for the Sabbath; it has been a blessing in my life and I know it will be a blessing to yours.
1. It has been a day for me to take a break from the toils of life, a day to rest, a day to regain my strength, a day not to worry about schoolwork.
2. And most of all it has been a day for me to remember, and worship my God and creator.
(Summary): In our world today, people do not let their bodies rest. But brothers and sisters our bodies deserve that long awaiting rest that God wants to give us through His Sabbath. We need not to be slaves to the toils and pressures of this world. God is inviting us to come to Him and rest for a while. We also need to share the blessing of the Sabbath with those around us by not putting the burden of work upon them.
(Transition): Now that we know how the Sabbath brings rest for our minds, and rest for our bodies, how does it bring rest to our souls?
IV. In our world today there are thousands of religions and they are all seeking the same thing.
What are they seeking they are seeking rest for their souls.
a. I have a father who has been searching to find rest for his own soul for the past 27 years.
b. He is always in my prayers; I pray to God that some day, (really soon) my dad will truly find rest for his soul in Christ.
c. My Dad has tired many religions, he has explored Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, and now he has a mixture of all four, which has really obscured his picture of God.
d. Lets read our scripture reading one more time, to hear Jesus invitation of rest.
(Matthew 11:28-29) “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
e. I want us to really take this verse apart and see the spiritual truth it holds for us who are searching for rest for our souls.
f. First Jesus tells us to come to him, the God of the universe wants to have fellowship with us, especially those who have labored all week long and are heavy laden. Then Jesus goes on to say, when you come to me I will give you rest.
g. Ok so far this sounds like physical rest, but let us read on.
h. Then Jesus says in verse 29 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls.
i. See Jesus wants us to come to Him in verse 29 and take His yoke, (His life) and learn of Him, and then we’ll find rest for our souls.
j. Since the fall of mankind this divine rest, which Christ offers to us, has been linked to the Sabbath.
k. That is why every feast day mention in the Old Testament that pointed to the coming Messiah and His redemptive work was designated as a day of Sabbath rest.
l. Do you remember the two reasons why God rested on the Sabbath day of creation?
1. The first was because “everything that He had made . . . was very good,” that is perfect. (Gen.1-31).
2. The second was because “the heavens and the earth . . . were finished” (Genesis 2:1).
m. The Sabbath at the end of creation was initially set aside (or sanctified) as a memorial of God’s perfect and finished work of creation.
n. Likewise when Jesus was on the cross and He cried, “it is finish”, He was proclaiming to the world that His redemptive work was finish.
o. When did Jesus cry, “It is finish.” If you recall, it took place as the end of the sixth day (Friday).
p. The very next day, the Sabbath, Jesus rested in the tomb from all His work, just as He did at creation week.
q. Our souls can have rest too, why? Because Jesus finished His redemptive work in our behalf.
r. The Sabbath is a sign of our guaranteed of salvation, which Christ obtained for everyone at the cross.
s. Paul tells us in the book of Hebrews that there remains a rest for God’s people. Turn with me to (Hebrews 4:9-10)
(Hebrews 4:9-10) “There remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.”
t. Brothers and sisters God wants us to know today that by faith we can enter His rest.
u. We can have rest for our souls when we depend entirely on Christ’s perfect and finished redemption for our salvation.
v. When we enter God’s rest, we can cease from trying to add our works of the law towards our salvation.
w. Paul tells us in (Galatians) 5:3 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Then Paul goes on to say in verse 4 “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by the law; you have fallen from grace.”
x. The Sabbath reminds us that we can have rest for our souls, It reminds us that we no longer have to work for our salvation, it reminds us that righteousness is by faith alone.
y. Jesus rested on the Sabbath from His redemptive work, in order that we might find rest for our souls.
(Summary): Our souls can find rest today in Sabbath, why because Jesus rested from his redemptive work. “It is Finish”, He cried from the cross, the plan of salvation is complete, and it is finished. Our Souls can now rest in the arms of Jesus; we no longer have to work for our salvation by trying to be justified by the law. It is by Christ grace alone.
(Transition): Now that we know how the Sabbath brings rest for our minds, and rest for our bodies, rest to our souls, we can truly be at rest.
(Conclusion):
Our world is desperately in need of rest for their minds, bodies, and souls; we can turn on the T.V. and see results of us forgetting the Lord’s Sabbath. Our minds have no rest because we have lost our identify in Christ, our bodies have no rest, because we have forgotten that God has given us a weekly holiday, our souls have no rest because we fail to come to know Christ who can only give us rest for our souls. True rest can only be found in a loving, trusting relationship with our creator. Our society is on its way to self-destruction. Why? Because we have failed to accept Jesus’s invitation: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matt. 11:28). Sabbath is where we can find this rest for our Minds, Bodies, and Souls. In Isaiah 58: 13-14 we find a promise from God to those who honor the Lord’s Sabbath. Lets read it together (Isaiah 58:14) “Then shalt thou delight thyself in Jehovah; and I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth; and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.” Brothers and sisters a well-deserved rest for your Minds, Bodies, and Souls is awaiting for you. Do you hear Jesus calling, “Come to Me.”
