Make Room

Introduction

Jonathan McReynolds says this:

I find space for what I treasure,

I make time for what I want

I choose my priorities and

Jesus you’re my number one

In the second verse he adds this — I will make make room for you …

In our text — God is reminding Israel of the same concept --- Make room for me

During your work week, make room for me

During your family time, make room for me

In your leisure, make room for me

Wherever you find space in your life, make room for me.

We have to be intentional about making room for God in our lives, because God is the source of our salvation.

If I were to leave you with one word today it would be this: Make room to worship God, because He’s the source of your salvation.

Worship Is our Priority

The command to keep the Sabbath day holy is a command to worship. Worship has to be a priority in your life.

Sunday’s are sacred, because it’s a day dedicated to worshipping God. If we don’t set aside specific time to honor God for who God is and what God’s done, we’ll lose the priority of worship in our lives.

Not only are Sunday’s sacred — we should spend time throughout our day seeking rest.

Sabbath in Deuteronomy takes a slightly different perspective than the command given in Exodus.

In Exodus the command to rest was linked with God’s rest from creating the universe.

God worked 6 days and rested the 7th.

So, the Pre-Exilic world was commanded to rest from work.

In the Post-Exilic world — sabbath is now connected to God’s saving work in the life of Israel.

That’s why worship has to be a priority in our lives. Not only do we need to rest from our physical work — we need to set aside time to worship God for His saving work in our lives.

Don’t neglect your study habits, but prioritize school above God.

Don’t neglect your family, becuase family is your first ministry, but don’t prioritize your family above God.

Don’t neglect your friends, becuase community is how we love our neighbors, but don’t prioritize your social life above God.

God has commanded us to rest from work for worship. So worship needs to be a priority in our lives.

In a recent study — Forbes reported that 52% of the workforce experienced burnout during the early stages of the Pandemic.

That was an increase of 9% from pre-pandemic levels.

Millennials and Gen-Z reported 59% burnout rates during the same time period.

America has conditioned us to work in ways that neglects our physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

But God has a solution to burnout — Rest.

So we’ve got to prioritize rest as an act of worship to God!

Transition Sentence: Once we make rest a priority in our lives, then we’ve got to create space in our schedule for Worship

Create Space for Worship

Look at verses 13 and 14 —

13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.

God tells Israel to set aside 1 day out of the week and …

Release their household from work so they can join worship together.

Creating space for worship has to be an intentional act.

God deserves an exclusive place in our lives reserved solely for honoring Him.

If we don’t create sacred space in our life to honor God, then work, family, friends, school, relationships, and every other event in our life, becomes more important than God.

God doesn’t want us to worship alone. He wants us to worship in community.

Covid has been tough on churches and individuals. Most churches have had to shift how they operate and view ministry

Most people have shifted their perspective on ministry and some, after years of dedicated work to the local church are redirecting their time during worship.

But one thing we ought to remember is that authentic Christianity isn’t walked out in isolation. Authentic Christianity is designed to be experienced in community.

As we make space in our lives to honor God, we should seek communal spaces for worship.

Transition sentence: Worship should be our priority. We’ve got to create intentional time in our lives to worship God. Finally, don’t forget where God has brought you from.

Remember where God has brought you from

I’ll confess that I’m Bapticostal. That means I’m Baptist with Pentecostal roots.

I remember in the COGIC churches I grew up in we’d have Friday night services. These services would go until midnight or later.

At the beginning of church we’d have testimony service. Testimony service is an opportunity for church members to share what God is doing in their lives.

One song old members would sing is: Look where He’s brought me from. He brought me out of darkness into the marvellous light, look where God has brought me from.

That’s what we see in verse 15. God reminds Israel, that his hand was the saving mechanism for their deliverance from Egypt.

Not only do we worship God for who God is --- We worship God for what God has done.

And God is reminding us — that He is the source of our salvation.

And I know i’m talking to some bible scholar but if it hadn’t been for God on my side --- I don’t know where I’d be.

He picked me up and turned me around, placed my feet on solid.

and my Soul is anchored in the Lord. That’s why God deserves my worship, becuase I wouldn’t be where I am today — if God hadn’t called me into loving fellowship with him.

Flow in the spirit.