Building A Godly Worldview

"Taking A Day Off"

Exodus 20:8-11

Preaching Today carried this story from a preacher in the Midwest:

(ill) As a first-year seminarian, I was invited to preach at a local church--only my second time in the pulpit. I was extremely nervous when the big day arrived. After asking the congregation to stand, I read the Scripture, led in prayer, and then launched into my sermon.

Five minutes later, the church's pastor started walking toward the pulpit. "I'm not finished," I said in a low voice.

"Take as long as you want," he replied, "but please tell the congregation they may sit down!"

T/S: This morning I?m going to take the opportunity to tell you to sit down. It seems that we must be forcibly reminded to relax, sit back and enjoy God in the way that He designed. Our discussion today centers on Exodus 20:8-11 and the idea of Sabbath. There is an old African proverb which says "Lord Jesus, make my heart sit down." and this morning I want to examine why the Bible so clearly sets aside one day out of seven for us to allow God to ?sit our hearts down.?

Just so that we are all up to speed, let me put today?s sermon in context: we have been addressing the question of ?How To Build A Godly Worldview? by examining the Ten Commandments, not as a set of rules that we are to follow, but as a revelation and practical demonstration of God?s nature and character. We have no chance, because of our sinful tendencies, to keep the Ten Commandments perfectly; however, we can learn to ?love the Lord Your God with all your heart, soul,strength and mind? by knowing Him more intimately through the unmasking of His heart and will in these commandments.

Commandment One says that we are not to put any other gods before us. We learn to be God-centered people because God is transcendent, above all and in all. No other god is worthy of our devotion but Yahweh.

Commandment Two says we are not to create idols, indicating that Our Lord is omnipresent, not able to be limited to space or place. Consequently, our worship is our lifestyle, not only the activities we conduct in a "church" building or at "church."

Commandment Three reveals that we are not to take the Lord?s name in vain, and we from this command we get a clear picture of God?s holiness, andd the reverance that He is due. Not just our language, but the entire way that we represent the name of God are measures of how we respect and reflect His holiness.

Commandment Four is where we are today. Let?s read together from the New Living Translation:

This passage of Scripture is the clearest proof why we should view the Ten Commandments as God?s communication of His nature and of His will for us.... rather than as a holy rulebook. Our concept of the Sabbath isn?t Biblical in many cases, and is off target in a lot of cases.

I don?t want you to raise your hands, but I want you to answer to yourself:

"How many of you think that this commandment about the Sabbath Day is referring to Sunday?" "How many of you think that no work whatsoever should be done on the Sabbath Day ?"

The truth is, the Hebrew Sabbath referred to began at sundown on Friday and lasted through sundown on Saturday. So we do meet on Sunday, you might ask? (It?s a good question.)

We believe the Holy Spirit superintended the wrining of Scripture, so that Paul?s words are God?s words. And God?s Word says the day is not as important as the motive behind how you approach the day.

And events in Jesus? life led believers to set aside the first day of the week unto God. What are those events? Jesus arose from the dead on Sunday, the first day of the week. He appeared to mary and the disciples as proof of His Deity on Sunday, the first day of the week. And the early church. those closest to the actual teachings of Jesus, made it their habit to meet together on Sunday, the first day of the week.

I think thhe point of this verse is that it is biblical for the preacher to preach until midnight! ( I have noticed that my sermons are very useful on the Sabbath ... some of you arise strengthened and some of you awake refreshed!!)

We get a good picture of the early church here ... they met together on Sunday to hear apostolic preachinig, to take Communion and to gather offerings. Chances are, these early Christians observed the Sabbath and then met together on the first day (Sunday) but what emerges is the recognition that Christ was the Sabbath. In Jesus, they found rest and purpose. Andd that was God?s intention for the Sabbath to begin with. Jesus Himself taught:

If you will think back on the Gospel accounts, you will remember that Jesus perforrmed many miracles of healing on the Sabbath -much to the consternation of the Pharisees- and He gleaned wheat grom a field on the Sabbath -much to the consternation of the Pharisees- and He enjoyed the Sabbath -much to the consternation of the Pharisees.

The Pharisees had done what many today are guilty of - taking God?s original intent andd twisting it. The Pharisees had developed a set of rules that detailed what you could and could not do on the Sabbath and still be considered ?to keep the Sabbath.? From their legalism emerged the phrase "a Sabbath?s day journey," which was about 2000 yards. Why? because the Pharisees figured that from the tents to the taberbnacle was about that far, so it must be OK to walk that far on the Sabbath.

Sound reasonable? Well, in Jesus? day, the Pharisees had amended that rule to make the exception that you could walk 2000 yards, but if you left an article of clothing at that spot, you could walk another 2000 yards. And then if you left a cloak at that spot, you could walk another 2000 yards. * What happens if you try to make following a rule the measure of your righteousness is you end up in the quicksand of legalistic maneuvering.

(ill) Like our past president, you begin to debate what the meaning of "is" is.

What does it mean to "keep a day holy?"

What is meant by "no work??

What if I think that rest is mowing my yard?

What happened is that we tried to define keeping a Sabbath day in ways that fit our lifestyle, and what was lost was the meaning and substance of God?s incredible gift of rest. That?s what ?Sabbath? means -- to stop, to cease activities, to rest. Which is why it is so useful to explore the unchanging principle of keeping a Sabbath day, while the tradition of setting aside the Sabbath day has changed.

So what do we know about God from His commandment that we observe a Sabbath day? Exodus 20:11 says:

Are we to conclude from this that God was worn out from the work of Creation? That God needed a nap? Hardly, for Isaiah says;

Why then did God rest? While it is certainly valid to say that God was setting an example for man, I think that is also superficial. I want you to see thhe "Why" behind the example. That will allow this principle to take root in your life, and make it possible for you to construct a Godly worldview, because you will see the value and the benefit of how God sees things. To that end, let?s look at three passsages of Scripture, and then we can draw some conclusions.

Exodus 31 recounts God?s words to Moses about the Sabbath, and the covenant between God and Israel that would be signified by keeping the Sabbath. The section begins in verse 13:

And then the section ends in verse 17:

Here?s what I want you to see: the Sabbath is a sign for us to remember Who God is and what God has done. And we are to note that His delight in our participation of this covenant is the climax of Creation. All of the six days of Creation were leading up to the seventh .. where God and Man enjoyed each other and what God had done.

That theme is reinforced in Isaiah 58:

The Sabbath was not meant by God to be a restriction, but a blessing. Resting in God was to become, not only a means, but an end. To see that thought explained, look at Hebrews 4:

There is another element to the idea of Sabbath introduced clearly here - that is, ultimate rest. God directs the Hebrews writer to equate Sabbath with heavenly rest, and to make the idea of Sabbath-rest a goal that believers should strive for. Notice I say believers, because it s faith that opens the Sabbath door (in fact, in Hebrews 3, the Israelites are excluded from rest because of unbelief.) And the emphasis is that we should strive , or work, to gain rest.

Let?s tie this bow on this package: God?s purposes have been evident from the Creation to make Himself available to be Man?s resting place. The Fourth Commandment reveals our God to be a God of purpose and of order, and everything that He has created has pointed toward the fulfillment of His covenant relationship with Man. That fulfillment comes in part when we observe a Sabbath-rest on earth, because we demonstrate our faith and trust n God?s provision for us, by limiting our work to six days.

That fulfillment becomes complete when we appropriate His grace, shown in Christ?s work on the cross, by faith so that we live dependent on Him, and one day enter Heaven, which is perfect rest.

What happens is that you have to see "rest" in your life as what God intended "rest" to be-- namely, a shift from working to live to living in God?s work. Jesus? example made clear that God?s work was completely appropriate on a Sabbath day. The Hebrew writer makes clear that real rest is achieved by working for God. And Acts 3:19 says we are to turn to God in repentance, so that:

"...times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." Acts 3:19 (NKJV)

God?s purpose is to redeem time itself, to make time holy, by having us spend it with Him. It is crucial for us to live on earth and it is the reality of life in Heaven. Which suggests three habits a Christian should develop if they are intent on enjoying God?s Sabbath-rest.

The principle is that enjoying God?s presence maakes us complete and enables us to live properly, so it only stands to reason that we need to make that a daily habit.

God?s intention is to engage you and me and every person in a personal relationship, and as we discover Him -- His glory, His power, His love -- we are drawn deeper and deeper into fellowship with Him. Since that is th epurpose of our existanccwe, don?t you think it is worthy of 30 minutes a day? Or an hour?

(ill) Winston Churchhill was in the habit of praying 1/2 hour every morning, but whhen hee ascended to the Prime Minister??s office, a reporter asked him if he would now be so busy with important state matters so as not to have time for 30 minutes of prayer? Churchhill responded that now, with the added pressures of running the country he would take an hour every morning.

T/S: We know this, and while I am not a fan of heaping guilt on upon you for what you "ought to be" doing -- this concept requires a decision on our part. We cannot experience God?s refreshing presence, apart from time with Him.

So how are you going to do it? Build in 30 minutes before the rest of your house wakes up. Set aside 30 minutes of your lunch hour. Exchange 30 minutes of television time. Reserve 30 minutes after everyone has gone to bed.

* Here?s what cannot be missed -- this isn?t a rule, it?s a relief!! That 30 minutes will pay off in a new clarity of perspective, a sharper focus on priorities and a renewed sense of strength.

(ill) It?s like exercise -- you know that some brisk activity wakes you up and makes you feel better ... but you?re just too tired to get started. Make a decision to get started on a daily Sabbath time.

This is a Biblical truth that we have rationalized away with our modern schedules. I would suggest that we stop taking liberties with our bodies and our spirits, and return to the principle that God has embodied since Creation: we need a day off. Not a day to mow the yard. Not a day to change the oil. Not a day to clean the house. Not a day to do the grocery shopping. Not a day to pay the bills. Not a day to wash clothes.

We need, God says we need, one day to spend with Him and do His work every week. It?s Ok to visit shut-ins on your Sabbath day. It?s OK to serve meals at soup kitchens on your Sabbath. It?s OK to volunteer at the crisis pregnancy center on your Sabbath. And it?s not just OK, it?s asked of us by God to meet with other believers on our Sabbath day.

Modern science has supported what God said first 4000 years ago -- our health and wellness depend on one day of rest every seven.

Does that day have to be Sunday? There is no biblical command that mandates that ... only the practice of the early church that we follow. It seems very clear from Romans that God is more interested in you taking any day off to be with Him, than to take no day off because Sunday is conflicted.

Sabbath points to God. Sabbath is achieved in God. Sabbath is fulfilled for all eternity when God the Father sends His Son to gather the Body and initiate the New Jerusalem. All of creation is pointing toward eternity ... but it takes an act of your will to live focused on what will never fade away, instead of what is temporary.

That?s the whole purpose of Sabbath, to continually remind us that all we strive for on earth will pass away, and that only the things of God last.

*So stop working overtime to gather a few measly dollars, when you can take a day to store up treasure in heaven.

* Stop working for the finest house on the block, when you can be saving towards a mansion in Paradise.

* Stop killing yourself keeping things that will rust and rot clean and spotless, and instead concentrate on the One Who can make you as white as snow.

* Stop depending on your own hard work, your own human efforts and your own skills ... and trust in the sufficient work that Jesus Christ did at Calvary.

* Stop living by the plans that you have made that will one day disappear, and start abiding by the plan that God made and will never fail.

Have you ever seen a child get a splinter? What happens? They come to you crying, "It hurts! It hurts! Get it out!" But what happens when you take hold of their hand or foot to examine it? "Ouch ! Don?t touch it!!"

We do the same thingg with God... crying out for Him to help us -- help us with the overwhelming burden we often feel. Help us with our blood pressure and our stress levels. Help us to gain strength to face the next day. Help us by rescuing us from trouble.

And then we yell "Ouch! Don?t touch us!" We desire God?s help, but are afraid to let Him touch our lives. This morning I invite you to be touched by the Master. Offer Him the sore places on your body, the wounded emotions of your heart, and the weariness of your soul. And don?t pull back from His touch.

Allow Him to show you where the trouble is coming from. Allow Him to convict you of a change that is needed in your life. Allow Him to pull the splinters. It may mean cutting out some things.. but healing often is preceedd by cleansing. And He has promised to cleanse us and make us new again.