Sunday Is The Son's Day Series

Sunday is the Son’s Day

Exodus 20:8-11

Rev. Brian Bill

7/15/12

Would you like to have more hours in your day? More days in your week? More weeks in your year? More years in your life? If you could have more than 24, how many would you like?

According to a survey in the UK, men would like an extra 6 hours and 36 minutes in their day, and women want 6 hours 30 minutes. In France women only want an extra 3 hours and 36 minutes. I looked for a similar survey among Americans but I think we must be too busy to fill them out because I couldn’t find one!

Some of us probably feel like all we’re doing is running around from thing to thing. Have you ever noticed how many times people answer the question, “How are you?” with this phrase, “I’m busy” or “I’m crazy busy” or “We’re going in a hundred different directions this summer.” It’s almost like we need to validate our lives by letting people know how busy we are. That reminds me of the song sung by Archibald on Veggie Tales: “I’m busy, busy, dreadfully busy; you’ve no idea what I have to do; busy, busy, shockingly busy; much, much too busy for you.” When people tell me why they haven’t been to church for awhile, the number one answer I hear is, “We’ve just been so busy.”

We should probably sit forward a bit because the fourth commandment deals with 1/7, or 14% of our time. Let’s say it this way, if you’re 14, this command covers two years of your life; if you’re 21, it applies to 3 years of your life. If you’re 42, then 6 years; if you’re 63, then you’re looking at 9 years of your life.

Three weeks ago we learned that God doesn’t want to be the chief thing; He wants to be everything. Two weeks ago we discovered that how we worship God is extremely important. Last week Commandment #3 clobbered us as we were challenged to watch our words so that we don’t take God’s name in vain. Would anyone like to share how your language changed this past week?

Let’s review the Commandments we’ve been learning in consecutive order. We’re doing this because many of us don’t know them. A survey of 1,000 Americans by Kelton Research has discovered that participants had an easier time remembering the names of the six kids on the old TV series “The Brady Bunch” than to name six of the Commandments. The least remembered children, Bobby and Peter, were listed by 43 percent of Americans. The two commandments least recalled were to keep the Sabbath holy with 34%, and have no other gods besides God at just 29%.

I recognize that we have new people each Sunday but you’ll be able to pick them up pretty quickly…if you participate. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says that these commands are to be inscribed on our hearts so that we can impress them upon our children. Would anyone like to come up front and help me with them?

1: Hold up one pointer finger - point to the sky (one God; no other gods)

2: Hold up two pointer fingers – have one bow before the other (no idols)

3: Hold up three fingers – place over mouth (don’t take God’s name in vain)

4: Hold up four fingers – place on cheek as if to nap (Sabbath rest)

5: Hold up five fingers – place hand over heart (honor parents)

6: Hold up five fingers on one hand and the pointer finger of your other hand – turn pointer finger into a “gun” and aim at the other hand (don’t murder)

7: Hold up five fingers on one hand and the pointer and middle finger on the other – intertwine them by putting the middle one over the pointer to show that they are bonded together (no adultery)

8: Hold up four fingers on one hand and four on the other – using one hand grab the other four fingers (no stealing)

Let’s add another one today.

9. Hold up four fingers on one hand and five on the other – move the four up and down as they face the five to show that they are lying or bearing false witness about others (no lying)

Let’s give our attention now to Exodus 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.”