Take A Day Off Series

TAKE A DAY OFF

Well here we are. This is the fourth week in the sermon series about the Ten Commandments and I have good news for you. There is only one sermon left after this one. I know that some of you are counting right now. In your heads you’ve already figured out that we’ve only covered three commandments so far and you’re wondering how we’re going to squeeze seven commandments into two sermons.

You’re correct. We’ve only covered three commandments up to this point. Today we’re going to talking only about the fourth commandment.

This has been an interesting trip through the Ten Commandments so far. We’ve learned a few things about them that maybe we hadn’t realized before. All of this began with a co-worker telling me he couldn’t come to our church because he had too many problems in his life, that God wasn’t going to accept him because of all the issues he has. This sent me on a search for answers. You see, there are people all over the world who believe that the way to be accepted by God, the way to be loved by God, the way to get to heaven, and the way for God to hear your prayers is for you to do all the right things. You’ve got to obey the rules. And most often when you ask someone they’re going to tell you that the rules come from the Ten Commandments.

The problem is that most people have no idea what the Ten Commandments really say. In fact, when I began this series I probably couldn’t have told you what all of the commandments are. Most people, in fact, only know “You shall not kill” and “You shall not steal.” Beyond that they’re completely lost when it comes to the commandments.

What we learned in that first sermon was that God never gave his commandments as a condition of his love. He gave his commandments as a confirmation of a pre-existing relationship with him. Another words you can’t get to God by obey rules. The rules are given because you’re already in with God.

Then we learned that God wants to be your one and only God. In fact, what we said is that God wants to be your “one stop God.” Remember that term? He wants to be the God you go to for everything. That same week, we also discussed that God doesn’t want you making any idols of him. Because when you try and do so you try to make him manageable. You try to put him in a box. And God isn’t manageable. He can’t be put in a box. You can’t just go get him when it’s convenient for you and then close the box lid and tuck him away until you need him again. It doesn’t work that way.

Then last week we got into talking about misusing God’s name. And we found out that the third commandment didn’t quite mean what we originally thought it meant. What we discovered was that God didn’t want us attaching his name to anything God was not a part of. That was different, wasn’t it?

Well, today we’re still not going to be discussing the commandments that everyone knows. We’re not going to be talking about “You shall not kill” and “You shall not steal.” Instead we’re only going to be talking about the fourth commandment. And I know right now some of you are thinking, “But Tim that leaves us six more commandments for next week.” Yes. It does. But don’t worry. We’re going to get through all of them next week. In fact, that’s a Sunday you don’t want to miss because we’re going to talk about freedom.

Now this is a commandment that is most often forgotten about in our society. In fact we very rarely even remember that it exists. And I think there’s a reason for this. This commandment does not appear in the New Testament. “You shall not kill” does. Jesus covers it. The disciples cover it. “You shall not commit adultery” does. Jesus talk about it. The disciples cover it. But the fourth commandment is never really discussed.

So here it is. You ready for this?

“You shall take a day off.”

That’s it.

You shall take a day.

Ok so maybe that isn’t really all that this commandment has to say. In fact, this commandment has more words than any of the other commandments. God felt this one was super important and he told Moses specifically about the importance of this commandment.

Let’s take a moment and just look at this one. It’s found over in the book of Exodus chapter 20 and beginning in verse 8. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor son or daughter, not your manservant or maidservant, not your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For is 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.”