REST FOR THE BURDENED

SABBATH: WHAT IS IT?

REST BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY TO CEASE FROM COMMON LABOR.

READ: GENESIS 2:1-3 ESV

Genesis 2:1–3 ESV

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

THIS PASSAGE TELLS US WHAT SABBATH IS,

BUT WE ARE ASKING THE QUESTION THIS MONTH: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

FIRST INSIGHT:

GOD MADE MANKIND ON DAY 6 WHICH MEANS

MAN’S FIRST DAY ON EARTH WITH GOD WAS REST.

FOR MANY, SUMMER IS A SEASON WE DISCONNECT AND TAKE VACATIONS

THE BAR WE’VE SET FOR REST IS NOT HAVING TO PUNCH THE CLOCK FOR A WEEK OR TWO.

IF WE’RE HONEST, WE’RE NOT RESOLVING THE BURDEN. WE’RE JUST SETTING IT DOWN FOR A PERIOD OF TIME UNTIL WE HAVE TO PICK IT BACK UP.

JESUS OFFERS A KIND OF REST THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN THE REST WE TRY TO CREATE FOR OURSELVES.

SLIDE: SABBATH IS STOPPING WORK TO SPEND TIME WITH GOD

SECOND INSIGHT:

REF. MARK 2:27 ESV

SLIDE: “THE SABBATH WAS MADE FOR MAN, NOT MAN FOR THE SABBATH. SO THE SON OF MAN IS LORD EVEN OF THE SABBATH”

SLIDE: JESUS TELLS US THAT WE WORK FROM REST, NOT FOR REST.

WORK

READ: MATTHEW 11:25-30 ESV

THE CONTEXT: JESUS HAS JUST SENT HIS DISCIPLES OUT TO ALL THE TOWNS EMPOWERING THEM TO DO THE WORKS THAT HE DID AND WHEN THE DISCIPLES RETURN TO JESUS WE FIND THAT MANY PEOPLE WITHIN THOSE TOWNS WERE UNSATISFIED OR UNWILLING TO ACCEPT THE MINISTRY OF JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES. WHY?

SLIDE: THE SABBATH REMINDS US WHOSE WORK MATTERS MOST.

THE WORLD ENTICES US TO WORK FOR THE WEEKEND

JESUS INVITES US TO WORK WITH HIM.

IMPORTANT:

JESUS DOES NOT PROMISE A LIFE APART FROM BURDENS. HE OFFERS A BETTER BURDEN TO CARRY.

THE BURDEN

SLIDE: WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN THAT WE CAN HAVE AN EASIER BURDEN?

THE YOKE

TWO KINDS OF YOKES DESCRIBED IN THE BIBLE: HUMAN AND ANIMAL.

ANIMAL YOKE: TWO ANIMALS, ONE WILD LEARNING FROM THE BROKEN AND SEASONED ANIMAL.

HUMAN YOKE: SINGLE PERSON USING A HAULING APPARATUS TO CARRY MORE WEIGHT WITH THEIR FULL BODY.

HUMAN YOKE IS WHAT IS IN VIEW FOR THIS METAPHOR.

THE YOKE WAS INTENDED TO MAKE THE BURDEN LIGHTER. JESUS IS SAYING THERE ARE YOKES WE CAN PUT ON THAT DO NOT LEAD TO A LIGHTER LOAD AND THEY DO NOT LEAD TO REST.

SLIDE: WHO OR WHAT INFORMS YOUR LIFE DECISIONS?

THE VOICES YOU FOLLOW ARE YOUR YOKE

SABBATH IS ABOUT SETTING OUR WORKS DOWN AND RESTING WITH GOD

WHEN WE SET OUR WORK DOWN AND RUN TO ANOTHER WORK WE AREN’T RESTING, WE’RE ENSLAVED

MATTHEW PORTRAYS JESUS AS WISDOM INCARNATE

THERE WAS A JEWISH CONCEPT OF WISDOM FOR LIVING BEING A YOKE.

DURING THE SECOND TEMPLE ERA. THE BOOK IS CALLED WISDOM OF SIRACH.

JESUS ISN’T TEACHING FROM THIS LITERATURE, RATHER, HE IS CALLING THE LISTENERS WHO WERE FAMILIAR WITH THIS CONCEPT TO LEARN FROM HIM AND TO BECOME YOKED WITH HIM.

JESUS IS OUR WISDOM FOR LIVING.

THE CALL IS FOR THE WISE AND THE UNWISE TO COME TO JESUS AND LEARN FROM HIM BECAUSE OF THEIR NEED.

THOSE WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE ALREADY WISE WOULD HAVE NOT SEEN THEIR NEED FOR HIS TEACHING, BUT WERE EAGER FOR HIS SIGNS AND MIRACLES AND INFLUENCE.

ORAL TORAH ADDED WEIGHT AND RESTRICTIONS TO PEOPLE THAT MISCHARACTERIZED GOD AND HIS LAW.

YOU CAN COME TO THE CHURCH BUILDING ON SUNDAY AND NOT COME TO MEET WITH GOD.

WE CAN PROGRAM AND PREACH ALL DAY BUT UNLESS WE ARE WILLING TO TAKE THE YOKE OF JESUS WE ARE JUST AS BURDENED IN THE PEWS AS WE ARE AT WORK AND AT HOME.

JESUS IS INVITING US: ARE YOU TIRED OF THAT BURDEN? THEN LAY IT DOWN AND PICK UP MY YOKE.

REST FOR YOUR SOULS

THE SAME WORD FOR SOUL IS USED IN CHAPTER 16 AND 11

THE WORD SOUL MEANS LIVING/DECISION MAKING.

EASY AND LIGHT:

THE WORD JESUS USES FOR “EASY” IS A PLAY ON WORDS. IT’S THE WORD CHRESTOS (KIND) WHICH SOUNDS LIKE CHRISTOS (CHRIST, THE MESSIAH).

IF YOU WANT A BREAK FROM YOUR JOB, YOU GO ON VACATION

IF YOU WANT REST FOR YOUR SOUL, YOU NEED TO GO TO CHRIST

READ: MATTHEW 16:24-26 ESV

Matthew 16:24–26 ESV

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

INVITATION

SLIDE: ARE YOU TIRED AND BURDENED?

COME TO JESUS.

SLIDE: JESUS INVITES PEOPLE TO HIMSELF AND IN COMING TO HIM WE FIND REST.

PRAY