Yes, I’m tired. For several years I’ve been blaming it on middle age, iron poor blood, lack of vitamins, air pollution, water pollution, saccharin, obesity, dieting, underarm odor, yellow wax buildup, and a dozen other maladies that make you wonder if life is really worth living. But now, I find out, it isn’t that. I’m tired because I’m overworked. The population of this country is over 200 million. Eighty-four million are retired. That leaves 116 million to do the work. There are 75 million in school, so that leaves 41 million to do the work. Of this total, there are 22 million employed by the [federal] government. That leaves 19 million to do the work. Four million are in the armed forces, which leaves 15 million to do the work. Take from that total the 14,800,000 people who work for the state and city gov’ts, and that leaves 200,000 to do the work. There are 188,000 in hospitals, so that leaves 12,000 to do the work. Now there are 11,998 people in prisons. That leaves just 2 people to do the work. You and me. And you’re sitting there reading this [sitting there listening to this]. No wonder I’m tired. [Anonymous, as quoted in The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart by Chuck Swindoll (p. 319)] Everyone I know is tired most of the time. This commandment speaks to the need of people who have chosen to ignore the fourth commandment and pay the price physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Some of us desperately need to learn the secret of the renewal of the body. Our Creator, who knows us best, knows that one out of seven days set aside for rest is critical to our well-being.
8"Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, 10but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; then he rested on the seventh day. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” Exodus 20:8
A few of you may have grown up in homes where your parents were very strict about what could and could not be done on Sunday. Church was obviously the way that you began your day. There was no point in arguing about it. Mom would fix dinner on Saturday night so as not to have to work on Sunday afternoon. The only activities that were allowed on Sunday afternoon were sleep and maybe reading. You couldn’t play ball, couldn’t watch TV – couldn’t do much of anything. Fact is that there wasn’t a whole lot that was available to do on Sunday. Everything in town was shut down. Things have changed a lot over the years.
I remember when I was growing up how unusual it was to see a business open on Sunday. Now, it is unusual when a business is NOT open on Sunday. Sunday has become just another day of the week. Really the blue laws in this country changed in the last thirty or forty years. There is a generation of Christians alive today who changed right along with the culture. I’m not sure how that happened or why. Somehow I think this is another one of those examples where modern Christians have played the game of follow the leader or if they can do it I can do it. Just like water much of modern Christianity seeks the lowest level.
Let me suggest something to you though: this command that we come to today is not just about coming to church on Sunday. It has far greater implications than that.
Before we go any further, let me say this: My purpose here this morning is not to make up some list as far as what is and what is not allowed on Sunday. Should you go out to eat on Sunday? That way you don’t work fixing a meal, but then you are forcing the employees of the restaurant to work. Should you go shopping at Wal-Mart or the mall on Sunday? Should you wash the car on Sunday? Should a Christian work on Sunday? I’m a Christian; I work on Sunday. I’m not going to answer those questions this morning. But what I am going to do is to help you see some of what God wanted to accomplish in the lives of the Israelites through this command and what principles related to this command need to govern our everyday lives not just our Sunday lives. You need to take this teaching today and apply it to your life with much prayer and seeking God’s will.
Jesus said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33).
I hope that you are doing just that as we go through these Ten Commandments. Let me remind you that they are not outdated or no longer in force. They are still valid and we must deal with them if we are to be the Christ followers we claim to be.
God wasn’t joking around when He gave this command. He said that the penalty for breaking this command was to be death (Exodus 31:15). That puts this command right up there with “Thou shalt not murder” and “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” The first test case came along not long after the commandments were given. One day, a Jewish man went out into the wilderness to gather some sticks for a fire. Nothing wrong with that except for the fact that he did it on the Sabbath. He was spotted doing it, and was confined to quarters until Moses could consult God about it. God said that the man was to die, and so the community took him out and stoned him (Numbers 15:32-26).
What are we supposed to do with that? Obviously we have moved beyond the practice of stoning people for the breaking of Biblical law. Let’s look at why we should observe the Sabbath and then we’ll look at what Jesus taught regarding this day.
What is the Sabbath?
It is necessary to remind ourselves today that Sunday is not the historical or biblical Sabbath. The biblical Sabbath occurs on Saturday. The majority of Christians long ago adopted the idea of worshipping on the first day of the week. They did this for several reasons not the least of which is our Lord’s resurrection occurred on the first day of the week. It became known as the Lord’s day. The name Sabbath is derived from the Hebrew word, sha’baht meaning to cease, desist or rest.
1. The Sabbath is a day for Rest
Let me ask you this morning, are you observing a day of rest? Which day is it? What day is unlike any of the other six for you?
George MacDonald has observed:
Somewhere along the line, most of us bought into productivity as a chief value in life. The lie that came along with this value was that the more we work, the greater would be the productivity. The end result: rest is dangerous to productivity. We can only rest after the work is done. This is stupid, frankly, but most of us live as if we really believe it.
Although God gave us work and intended it for our own good, we have this tendency to use our labor as the source of our value. This leads to various forms of workaholism.
Most of us are familiar with the term workaholic. It was coined by Dr. Wayne Oates in 1968 in an article he wrote for a psychology journal. He chose the word workaholic because of his observation that work is like a narcotic – it can become compulsive, difficult to handle with restraint and moderation, much like alcoholism or other addictive disorders. James Emery White, You Can Experience an Authentic Life, p. 46
I submit to you that workaholism is the only acceptable and applauded neurosis in our nation. We consider people successful if they have a full calendar. Have you every heard anyone brag about how much free time they had? No. We’re a nation of workaholics in one form or another.
Some folks are identity workaholics. Their work defines them. Then there are the extremely irritating workaholics known as perfectionists. There’s nothing wrong with excellence, which means doing the very best you can with what you’ve got. Perfectionism is a standard no can stand up to. Some workaholics are approval seekers. They kill themselves for somebody else. Then there are the situational workaholics. These are the ones who tell themselves and others that the long hours are only temporary. Yet, they never are. They never get freed up. They never slow down until bad health or a broken relationship or death force them to. A large number of workaholics are escapists. Work gives them a way to get away from the problems of life. The last category of workaholics are materialists, who’ve foolishly bought into the idea that bigger is better. (See James Emery White, You Can Experience an Authentic Life, pp. 47-48 for these categories)
Studies show that our kids are being infected with this destructive way of life from an early age. Even our kids are overscheduled and overworked. Throughout 1997, researchers at the university of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research compiled the time diaries of more than thirty-five hundred kids under the age of twelve.
On average, kids between the ages of three and twelve spent twenty-nine hours a week in school, which is eight hours more than they did in 1981. They also did more household chores, accompanied their parents on more errands, and participated in more organized activities, like soccer and ballet, than ever before. All in all, children’s leisure time – defined as time left over after sleeping, eating, personal hygiene, and attending school or day care – dropped from 40 percent of the day in 1981 to only 25 percent of the day in 1997.
God gives us a Sabbath for a reason. Our minds and bodies need a time out. It’s a reminder that you’re a human being not a human doing.
2. The Sabbath is a day for Reflection
God wants us to enjoy and appreciate his creation.
The fourth commandment contains an explanatory note on the Sabbath:
For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; then he rested on the seventh day. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. Exodus 20:11 (NLT)
God ceased from his creative activity on the first seventh day. He didn’t really rest in the way we understand it because he didn’t need to. God’s not a physical being like us. God’s rest was a cessation of his work. Why did he do it?
He [God] rested for the same reason there are rests in music. It’s not because the musicians are tired, but because they want to have a pause for emphasis and reflection – to rejoice in what has just gone before and to let it sink in.
As theologian Karl Barth declared, by resting God takes pleasure in what he has made; God has no regrets, no need to go on creating a still better world or a creature more wonderful than man and woman. In God’s day of rest, his free love toward humanity takes form as time shared with them. Michael G. Moriarty, The Perfect 10: The Blessings of Following God’s Commandments in a Post Modern World, p. 95
Everything that God give us is for our appreciation and enjoyment. Look what the Bible says:
But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 1 Timothy 6:17 (NLT)
Take time to smell the roses that God created. There’s a reason for reflection. Wouldn’t it be great if you truly set aside Sunday as a day for spiritual reflection? That on this day you would think about what God wants in your life and family. You would by reflection bring a focus into your life that probably is missing today.
Reflect on your life, your loves, your priorities. Take advantage of this day to reflect on where you are headed with your life and if you don’t like the direction use this day to reflect on how you are going to change your direction.
I am not suggesting that you do nothing. That can be draining and hard on you as well as doing too much.
Laura Ingalls Wilder captured the spirit and soul of the early pioneers of the American West in a series of books that have become cherished by young and old alike. In Little House in the Big Woods, she writes that on Sundays, she and her sister Mary could not run or shout or be noisy in their play:
“Mary could not sew on her nine-patch quilt, and Laura could not knit on the tiny mittens she was making for Baby Carrie. They might look quietly at their paper dolls, but they must not make anything new for them. They were not allowed to sew on doll clothes, not even with pins. They must sit quietly and listen while Ma read Bible stories to them…. They might look at pictures, and they might hold their rag dolls nicely and talk to them. But there was nothing else they could do.”
One Sunday after supper, Laura could not bear it any longer. She began to play with her dog, Jack, and in a few minutes she was running and shouting. Her father told her to sit in her chair and be quiet, but when Laura sat down she began to cry and kick the chair with her heels. “I hate Sunday!” she said.
Almanzo, her future husband, shared her feelings. In Farmer Boy, Wilder writes that on Sunday, “Almanzo just sat. He had to. He was not allowed to do anything else, for Sunday was not a day for working or playing. It was a day for going to church and for sitting still.” No wonder that by the end of the day, even a nine-year-old boy was “glad when it was time to do chores.” James Emery White, You Can Experience an Authentic Life, pp. 44-45
Some folks have a problem with recreation on the Sabbath. I think they’re partially right. If our recreation causes stress rather than relieving it, we should set it aside. I strongly disagree with those who think that all you’re supposed to do is go to church and then sit quietly the rest of the day. Look what Jesus said to people with this legalistic mindset.
[Jesus said] “The Sabbath was made to benefit people, and not people to benefit the Sabbath. And I, the Son of Man, am master even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28 (NLT)
As one author said, “Do things that put gas in your tank.” I’d especially encourage you to participate in activities that involve your family and others who you have significant relationships with. Find activities that re-create.
3. The Sabbath is a day for Renewal
There is a high purpose behind the fourth commandment.
God is pointing us to a spiritual rest.
We have a tendency to be spiritual workaholics too. We foolishly attempt to be good enough for God. All world religions except for Christianity tell you that your good deeds need to outweigh your bad deeds to get to heaven.
The Sabbath was a foreshadowing of what God would do for us through Jesus Christ. Jesus did the work of salvation for us. We could ever pile up enough to be good enough fro God. God, himself came in human flesh, lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death on the cross and arose again after three days. He paid the penalty for our sin and nastiness. He offers us forgiveness, a right relationship with God, a purpose in this life and life after death. What’s the cost? It’s free.
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NLT)
Jesus invites us to come and enjoy what he’s earned for us. When we come to God by faith in his Son we enter into his eternal rest. The book of Hebrews puts it this way:
For only we who believe can enter his place of rest. As for those who didn’t believe, God said, “In my anger I made a vow: They will never enter my place of rest.” …So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who enter into God’s rest will find rest from their labors, just as God rested after creating the world. Hebrews 4:3, 9-10 (NLT)
David and Barbara Green of Oklahoma City place principle above profit when it comes to honoring God. Hobby Lobby Creative Centers, the Green’s enormously successful hobby and craft business, operates 212 retail stores in 23 states, with sales approaching 1 billion annually. The firm employs approximately 10,000 people in six related companies. While Hobby Lobby companies compete successfully in virtually every area of business it has one notable exception. Its large and attractive stores are often the only ones in malls across the country to be closed on Sunday. “We come from the standpoint that we just think its better for families,” the 57 year old entrepreneur said in an interview with northern Illinois’ Daily Herald newspaper. “We’re here to honor God, not dollars.” When Mr. Green makes such a statement, he means it. The Greens accountants estimate that acting on their convictions may cost the company upwards of 100 million dollars a year in lost sales. Yet, the company has enjoyed steady growth since its inception in 1970. “It just proves that when you honor God, He gives you blessings,” Mr. Green told the Daily Herald.
