Sermon Central
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Rest In Jesus Series
Contributed by Jefferson Williams on Aug 21, 2025 (message contributor)
Summary: An exposition of the fourth commandment "Honor the Sabbath" encouraging us to rest in the finished work of Christ.
Ten Words to Live By: The Rhythm of Rest
Exodus 20: 8-11
Patter Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
8-17-2025
Red Lobster Sundays
When we moved from North Carolina to Mississippi to attend seminary, I transferred from the Red Lobster in Raleigh to the Red Lobster in Jackson.
One of the first things we were told in training was, “No Sundays off. Don’t even ask!”
As I began getting to know people on the staff, I discovered quickly that no one cared about working on Sundays, except for the fact that the after-church crowd was rude and didn’t tip well.
I asked to meet with my new manager and told him that I was the only one out of the entire staff that wanted Sundays off. I explained that I was teaching a young married Sunday school class and that being with my church community was very important to my faith. Sunday was our day of worship and rest.
He didn’t get it. It was like I was speaking French. He didn’t understand why anyone would “waste their time” going to church when you could “go to the lake or make money.”
I expected him to say no but to my surprise he said, “If it’s that important to you, I’ll make sure that you don’t have to work on Sundays.”
He honored that promise for the duration of my time there.
Review
God has a top ten list. We know them as the “The Ten Commandments” although that name is never used in the Bible.
In Hebrew, this top ten list is known as the “Ten Words,” or Decalogue, and we find them in Exodus 20.
Pastor John Miller reminds us of three reasons the ten words were given:
* God is holy
* Man is sinful and we need a Savior
* Shows us how to live
They are less rules about what to do and tell us more about who God is to us:
1. One God - God is God.
2. No idols - God is Creator.
3. Revere His Name - God is holy
4. Remember to Rest - God is Rest
5. Honor Parents - God is Father
6. No murder - God is Life
7. No adultery - God is Faithful
8. No stealing - God is a Provider
9. No lying - God is Truth
10. No coveting - God is Sufficient
The ten words are divided into two groups. The first four cover our relationship with God. The last six detail our relationship with others.
The first commandment tells us who to worship - “do not have any other gods before you.” We are to worship God exclusively and passionately. The second commandment tells us how God desires to be worshipped.
The first commandment covers idolatry generally. The second hones in on the specific relationship between visible things and the invisible God.
The third commandment calls us to revere His name in our keeping our promises, avoiding using his name flippantly, in our integrity, and by not playing the “God card.”
If you weren’t here last week, you can always watch the sermon on YouTube, Facebook, or our website.
Today, we come to the fourth commandment - “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” This is probably the most confusing but critically important commandment for us.
There are some people that teach that the Sabbath is no longer applicable to us as New Covenant Christians. Is this true? If not, what place should the Sabbath have in our faith journeys?
Commandment four is the longest of the commandments and the one most repeated in Scripture (over 100 times).
It’s the first commandment that starts with a positive and not “Thou shalt not.”
It’s the only commandment not mentioned in the New Testament.
I heard of one Baptist fellowship which split into three separate groups because they had differences of opinion about how to interpret and apply it. I’ll probably say something you’ll disagree with. I’m OK with that as long as we don’t argue over it. This is not “a hill to die on” issue.
Turn with me to Exodus 20:8-11.
Prayer.
Let’s read it together.
“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 male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 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” (Exodus 20:8-11)
The What?
When Moses directs them to remember, it’s not like what we think of remembering. Our idea of “remembering” is calling to mind something we forgot. The Greek word for remember means to “recall and put into practice.”
