And God Rested
Notes
Transcript
Last week we laid the foundation for our time in Genesis. We went through the first six days of the creation week. We started with the premise that scripture is designed to communicate and that God is a good communicator. Thus we should take seriously the description of creation in Genesis one. We saw how God created everything good. We pointed out that a “Good God creates Good things. God created good things.”
I also mentioned to you that when ever you approach a scriptural narrative and there is a break in the pattern, you should pay attention to the change in pattern because the author is intentionally drawing your attention to a specific truth.
That is where we find ourselves to day in
So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed.
On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.
God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.
Of all the ten commandments given at Mt. Sinai there in none that are contested as much as commandment No. 4
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy:
The question arises,
“Are Christians Required to Keep the Sabbath?”
“Are Christians Required to Keep the Sabbath?”
Today my goal is to increase your understanding of the Sabbath, it’s meaning and purpose, but then also change your focus resulting in asking a different question and hopefully changing your attitude toward its keeping.
So then lets get into the text this morning,
I. Why Did God Rest?
I. Why Did God Rest?
Was God simply tired? Perhaps He needed a break?
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding.
Thankfully scripture assures us that God getting tired is not a possibility. So then why did God rest? Well, like most times, if we pay attention the text actually answers the question for us.
So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed.
Genesis 2:2 (CSB)
On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done...
God rested because there was nothing left that he needed to do in order to accomplish the task of creation. Remember how last week. we repeated the phrase.... “and it was good.” Yes so God creation was just as he wanted it to be. He accomplished his will in creation and it was good. So there was nothing more that needed to be done. So he rested. The word “rest” means to cease or to stop”.
But then notice this next phrase:
God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.
The word, Blessed means “to bestow fullness of Life”. So then we see from the very beginning the sabbath was to be life giving in it observance.
Declaring it “holy” meant to separate it from all other days. In other words it was consecrated. When we think of “holy” we often associate that word with righteousness. Simply because we associated the word “holy” with God and rightly so. But a more complete understanding of this word is “set apart”. God is Holy because there is none like Him. He is unique. He separate from all others. So then, the seventh day is separate from all others. It is unique. It is special.
II. The Sabbath in the Old Testament.
II. The Sabbath in the Old Testament.
First we recognize the sabbath predated the ten commandments. It was given as a pattern even before sin entered into the world.
It was part of God’s original design. This means that the sabbath was good.
What is the Sabbaths function?
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy:
You are to labor six days and do all your work,
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates.
For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.
“You are to labor six days but you must rest on the seventh day; you must even rest during plowing and harvesting times.
We see the primary function of the sabbath was rest. It was a rest in two ways:
#1 It was a rest from physical labor and work.
#1 It was a rest from physical labor and work.
#2 It was a day designed to acknowledge the goodness of God in giving us rest.
#2 It was a day designed to acknowledge the goodness of God in giving us rest.
Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
a slave has no rest. Yet God rescued his people from slavery. Even though he is Lord of all and worthy of our work. He doesn’t treat us as one that has slaves. He treats us with love and gives us the gift of rest.
In vain you get up early and stay up late, working hard to have enough food— yes, he gives sleep to the one he loves.
While this verse is referring to the everyday toil. It illustrates the point rest is a gift from God.
III. The Sabbath Connection in the N.T.
III. The Sabbath Connection in the N.T.
Now for good reasons, many will try to connect the sabbath with Sunday. We often say Sunday is the new Sabbath. The problem with this idea is that scripture doesn’t make that connection. It isn’t that Sunday isn’t a special day, it definitely is but it just isn’t the sabbath.
Now, If anyone really believes that Sunday is the sabbath it would be really hard for me to tell them they should come to church? Why is that ? Have you ever tried to get kids ready for church on Sunday?
I mean you wake them up early get them dressed, They spill their breakfast on their clothes. You get them dressed again. You rush everyone into the car, your kids are fighting in the back seat. About that time someone yells, I forgot my shoes.
Then due to the chaos and stress you start arguing with your spouse about who’s job it was to make sure everyone was clothed, just in time to pull into the parking lot and pretend your morning was amazing and smile at the those who greet you. C’mon don’t pretend its never happened to you.
Then if you serve in any capacity at the church you barely have time to catch your breath. So once again, I ask is Sunday really an entire day of rest? No
But it is a day where we set aside some time to worship together and all the struggles of the morning melt away as we focus on our Great God and hopefully we walk back out these doors spiritually rested and encrouaged
but that is not the same thing as physically and mentally rested.
Again, I remind you that rest was incorporated into the pre-fallen world meaning it is good. If it was good in a perfect world can we really assume that rest isn't good and maybe even more necessary in a fallen world?
Saturday or the Sabbath function was rest. Sunday’s association is the day we remember and celebrate our resurrected Lord. For this reason Christians worship on Sunday. Look at the scriptures.
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared.
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes.
So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men.
“He is not here, but he has risen! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee,
But if you study the N.T. you will see that while the early believers worshipped on Sunday they also rested on Saturday, they kept the sabbath.
Now we do have to deal with the following passage.
Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.
These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is Christ.
Now can we agree that Rome didn’t share the same values as the Christians in the early church? Of course, so that means that in order to function in the world around them many of the early Christians especially the gentile believers would have had to work on the Saturday, the sabbath.
So when Paul is writing to the Christians in Colossians. He isn’t condemning observing the sabbath but rather the day in which it is practiced is unimportant. “ Don’t let anyone judge you in regard...... or a sabbath day. Take it when you can.
In 2017 an article was published based upon research. The title is called:
A Day of Rest: 12 scientific reasons it works
(sub caption): Most major religion call for a day of rest....science agrees. here are the 12 reasons:
Time out reduces Stress
Time out gives you a chance to move
completely divesting from your work on a regular basis reduces inflammation and the risk of heart disease.
Getting away from work boosts your immune system
You will sleep better
Active time off adds years to your life
taking regular time away from work restores mental energy
When you take out time for yourself, you're more creative.
Your also more productive when you take time out from work
You will focus better at work if you take your weekly rejuvenation time.
You day off improves your short-term memory
With regular time off you might even love your job again.
This is why Jesus made this ground breaking statement to the pharisees.
Then he told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.
Taking a regular weekly sabbath is God honoring and is good for you.
The sabbath is also a picture of something greater. There is a greater rest that is coming. The sabbath symbolizes an idea that has yet come to perfect fruition.
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.
Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people.
For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his.
Let us, then, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.
The reference to Joshua’s rest is a reference to the sabbath. The author of Hebrews is making this point. There is coming a even better rest an ultimate rest for all those who repent and come to Christ. One day we will rest in the presence of our savior. no longer fighting the fight of sin and the world. We will live in his perfect rest where pleasing God comes natural to us and will be a joy that brings us rest for eternity.
So another reason to remember the sabbath is to remember that this day of rest is but a shadow, a glimpse, of the rest we are to enjoy with God forever.
IV. 5 Reasons why we don’t rest
IV. 5 Reasons why we don’t rest
Can I be honest with you all today. Like a loving father gives advice to his kids. That is the spirit in which I give this advice. As I observe our congregation, I often see many tired and worn out people. I see many who regularly look frazzled and worn out both mentally and spiritually. You need to rest. Rest is not laziness its God honoring. Rest is not optional it is a command. Rest is a gift from God that he wants us to enjoy.
So here are a few reasons we do not take a day of rest.
1. Pride - self importance.
1. Pride - self importance.
Busyness has become a virtue in our society. If your not busy you must not be doing important things.
2. Self- sufficiency - You believe the lie that everything depends on you.
2. Self- sufficiency - You believe the lie that everything depends on you.
3. Bad habits -
3. Bad habits -
Instead of working hard during the week, you spend too much time distracted on your phones, TV, and games. So that you can’t take a day . Instead your pushing things you should have done, during the week, to the weekend.
Some of you stay up too late doing these things so that you are too tired to be productive during the week. Its a bad habit that keeps you from obedience.
You should be working toward your day off. Some of you may need to really work on your time-management skills.
4. Greed - You want more money
4. Greed - You want more money
5. Lack of faith - You are refusing to trust God with your time.
5. Lack of faith - You are refusing to trust God with your time.
As I mentioned at the beginning I wanted to change your mind about the sabbath and even get you to ask yourself a different question.
If sabbath is a good gift from a gracious God then why don’t I keep it?
If sabbath is a good gift from a gracious God then why don’t I keep it?
What should my sabbath day look like?
Do things with your family that bring you mental rest and joy.
For my family nature is the one thing we can all agree on. Whether its a day riding bikes on the greenway, taking a walk in the woods, or a sunrise trip to the beach.
If your unable walk long distances due to mobility issues
go to a park and find a bench near a tree and just observe the goodness and beauty of God. When is the last time you’ve taken time to simply watch and listen to the birds and praise God for them.
Or even just sit outside on your porch and look at the sky.
on a rainy day sit on your porch and read or have a family game
day.
Scientifically backed studies all point that immersing in nature is healing for your mind even if that is just in your own backyard and neighborhood. Just as many if not all studies show that media overloads your brain and causes anxiety.
Leave your phones in a drawer or your car and unplug from media.
Spend sometime i n quiet reflection and prayer wherever you are just praising God for who he is. Even if that's just between the moments of telling you kids to be careful climbing that tree.
There are no hard fast rules but find the things that bring your family rest and remind you just how gracious our God is in giving us permission to enjoy guilt free rest and relaxation.
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