The Importance of a Sabbath.

Exodus 20:8-10 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Mark 2:23-28 23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? 27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

TWO PRINCIPLES TO PULL FROM THIS SCRIPTURE:

i. Sabbath was made for man.

a. “Sabbath” means “rest.”

i. It comes from the Hebrew word “Sabbat.”

ii. Life Application Study Bible - “The Sabbath was a day set aside for rest and worship. God commanded a Sabbath because human beings need to spend unhurried time in worship and rest each week. A God who is concerned enough to provide a day each week for us to rest is indeed wonderful. To observe a regular time of rest and worship in our fast-paced world demonstrates how important God is to us, and it gives us the extra benefit of refreshing our spirits. Don't neglect God's provision.”

b. Life Application Study Bible - “God's law said that crops should not be harvested on the Sabbath (Exo_34:21). This law prevented farmers from becoming greedy and ignoring God on the Sabbath. It also protected laborers from being overworked.

i. Life Application Study Bible – “The Pharisees interpreted the action of Jesus and his disciples—picking the grain and eating it as they walked through the fields—as harvesting; and so they judged Jesus a lawbreaker. But Jesus and the disciples clearly were not harvesting the grain for personal gain; they were simply looking for something to eat. The Pharisees were so focused on the words of the rule that they missed its intent.”

c. God Created the Sabbath for Our Benefit!

e. “Any application of the Sabbath Law which operates to the detriment of man is out of harmony with God’s purpose.” (Morgan)

ii. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.

a. If He was not offended by His disciple’s actions, then these sideline critics should not have been offended either.

THREE PRINCIPLES FOR KEEPING THE LORD’S DAY (Adrian Rogers):

i. Make it a holy day.

a. We need to take time to worship.

i. The Bible commands Christians to come together to worship.

ii. Hebrews 10:25

ii. Make it a healthy day.

a. Rest on the Lord’s Day.

i. Exodus 20:9

iii. Make it a happy day.

a. Sunday ought to be the happiest day of the week.

THE GIFT OF REST (Robert Morris Sermon Outline):

i. Reasons God Commanded Rest:

a. Rest allows God to provide for us supernaturally (Exodus 16:23-26).

b. Rest gives us the opportunity to be refreshed and rejuvenated (Exodus 31:14-17).

ii. Consequences of Not Resting:

a. Disobedience Can Have Severe Consequences.

i. Example from Numbers 15:32-36: A man gathering sticks on the Sabbath was put to death.

ii. This seems severe, but emphasizes the seriousness of Sabbath observance.

1. Four main things in the Old Testament resulted in death:

a. Murder.

b. Adultery.

c. Not keeping the Sabbath.

d. Rebellious children.

2. Reflection: Not keeping the Sabbath was placed alongside murder and adultery, showing its importance.

b. Ignoring Rest Destroys Us Physically and Spiritually.

i. Question: Are we putting ourselves to death by refusing to rest?

ii. Not resting one day a week may lead to physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion.

1. Example from 2 Chronicles 36:20-21: Israel’s exile to Babylon was due to neglecting the Sabbath for 490 years.

2. Every seventh year, they were supposed to let the land rest, but they ignored this command.

3. As a result, they were exiled for 70 years—one year for every Sabbath year they missed.

iii. Key Lesson: If God is concerned about giving the land rest, He is even more concerned about giving us rest.

c. Neglecting Rest Leads to Unnecessary Burnout.

i. Ignoring the gift of rest can lead to physical and emotional breakdown, as seen in personal testimony (story of exhaustion and emotional breakdown over socks).

iii. Blessings of Observing Rest.

a. Sabbath is a Gift, Not a Burden.

i. Mark 2:23-28: Jesus and the disciples picking grain on the Sabbath.

1. The Pharisees accused them of breaking the Sabbath law.

2. Jesus responded, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."

ii. The Sabbath is a gift designed to benefit us, not a legalistic burden.

b. Resting Brings Renewal and Refreshment.

i. Jewish Saying: "More than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept Israel."

ii. Regular observance of the Sabbath has been a source of strength and identity for Israel.

iii. Personal Application: The Sabbath allows us to recharge mentally, physically, and spiritually.

c. Finding a Personal Sabbath.

i. Personal Example: The Sabbath for the speaker is Saturday, but the principle is more important than the specific day.

ii. Rest on a day that fits your schedule—what matters is taking a day to completely disengage from work.

iii. Key Reflection: The question is not “What do I do on my Sabbath?” but “What do I not do?”

1. Avoid work-related activities (emails, writing, etc.).

d. The Blessing of Long-Term Rest.

i. Robert Morris Personal Story: The importance of taking a sabbatical.

1. After years of not resting, the speaker realized he had burned out, leading to the church adopting a sabbatical policy for pastors.

2. Key Moment: On the 53rd day of an eight-week sabbatical, the speaker felt normal again and realized he owed himself 52 days of rest.

3. Key Reflection: Rest is not something we owe God—it’s something we owe ourselves.

Challenge: Refusing to rest comes down to a lack of trust in God’s provision.

Action Step: Start practicing the Sabbath now, even if you’ve neglected it in the past.

Resting one day a week is not only a command but a gift and blessing from God.