ENJOYING THE SABBATH

Exodus 20:8-11

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

INTRO

We are too busy….

Many are afraid to rest. Rest has become uncool.

Ecclesiastics 4:6

Better a handful with quietness Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.

I.                   THE PRINCIPLE OF THE SABBATH.

1.   Creation Principle.

i.              God rested in the midst of Creation. It is good”

Genesis 1:3-4

³ Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴ And God saw the light, that it was good…

ii.            God rested after creation.

Genesis 2:1-3

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. ² And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

2.   Old Testament Practice.

Numbers 15:32-36

³² Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. ³³ And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. ³⁴ They put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him.³⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” ³⁶ So, as the Lord commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died.

3.   New Testament Practice.

i.              Pharisees practiced it legalistically.

Mark 2:4

²⁴ And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

ii.            Disciples changed to Sunday.

4.   Jesus Practice.

i.              Made for man not man for Sabbath.

Mark 2:27-28

²⁷ And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.

ii.            He often withdrew to lonely places.

Matthew 14:23

And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.

Luke 5:15-16

But so much the more the report went abroad concerning him; and great multitudes gathered to hear and to be healed of their infirmities. But he withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

Mark 1:32–33, 35–36

That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered together about the door … And in the morning, a great while before the day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him pursued him.

5.   Can be a day or an experience.

Sabbath is more than the absence of work; it is not just a day off, when we catch up on television or errands. It is the presence of something that arises when we consecrate a period of time to listen to what is most deeply beautiful, nourishing, or true. It is time consecrated with our attention, our mindfulness, honoring those quiet forces of grace or spirit that sustain and heal us

II.                 THE PURPOSE OF THE SABBATH.

1.   God rested and we are to be like God.

2.   It’s a Holiness Principle.

Genesis 2:2-3

² And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

3.   Creates a resting place for God.

Isaiah 66:1-2

“Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? ² For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.

4. It’s a Faith Principle-a statement of God Sufficiency rather than self.

III.              THE BENEFITS OF SABBATH.

1.   Rest helps intuition.

2.   Less Stress.

3.   Helps alleviate false identity. 

4.   Opportunity for Reflection.

5.   Increased Production.

6.   Gives us Permission to slow down.

7.   We can pause and see the good like God.

8.   Increases life span.

9.   Protects the heart.

10. Lowers risk of catching a cold.

11. Boosts your memory.

12. Lowers Stroke Risk.

13. Immunity to Depression.

14. Helps you make better decisions.

15. Keeps you slimmer.

IV.             THE PRACTICE OF SABBATH.

1.Make it Holy. (Set Apart)

2.Practice Silence.

3.Enjoy Nature.

4.Pray.

5.Read.

6.Meditate on Scripture.

7.Limit Commerce.

8.News Fast.

9.Swim or Exercise joyfully.

10.Seriously—go outside and look at the stars. For a long time.

11.Fast all things electronic. (At least for a while)

12.Sit on your porch or front step or deck or out in the back yard

and listen for what you usually miss.

13.Sit mindfully in God's presence and talk out loud to God.

14.No sadness or mourning but feasting and joy.

15.Share a quiet and simple meal with someone you love, or someone you’d like to get to know better, someone you miss, someone who makes you laugh.