Sabbath and the Lord's Day

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 20

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 a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

When was the last time that you said, “I am tired.”

Americans are more tired than they’ve ever been as many studies show.

The invention of the email, the phone, etc. we’re supposed to make us work less. It has not worked.

What does the Sabbath mean for us today? Jesus said some seemingly conflicting things about the Sabbath. What do we do with the things that Jesus said.

Sabbath is the English adaptation for the word “shabbat” which means, “stop/cease.”

CIT: Sabbath rest is rest that centers upon worship.

Explanation

English Standard Version Chapter 20

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,

Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

Do not forget it.

Keep it “separate” or set apart. HOLY.

In six days, you shall labor in all of your work.

Work hard for six days.

The people of Israel gathered twice the amount of food the day before the Sabbath so that they would have a day to rest.

We might say, “We live in busier times, now, Connor.”

40-60% of the daily household work revolved around finding and preparing something to eat.

We spend less money per capita on food than in human history.

No, we live in a time that we think that we need more things or to be more places than we need to be.

You can visit a luxury resort in every country in the world, but if you don’t have a Sabbath, a day to rest in God’s work, then you won’t have anything.

The Sabbath is not an excuse for laziness, but it is an opportunity to trust God to provide for you.

God intended the Sabbath to sanctify or “make holy” the people of Israel.

Exodus 31:13 ““You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.”

God gave rest to the people of Israel as a way of resting not only their bodies, but their souls.

Theological Significance - Sabbath Rest defined: Sabbath Rest is resting in God’s work on our behalf.

English Standard Version Chapter 20

10 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, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.

Rest was not a luxury for the rich, but it was a gift to everyone.

Everyone and everything got a break one day a week.

Sometimes, we have to work on Sundays, but we should take a Sabbath elsewhere.

My father was a farmer. Cows have To be mailed twice a day.

I understand that sometimes situations arise.

God was serious in his consideration of who should take the Sabbath. We tend to trick ourselves into thinking that everyone else should take the Sabbath, but not us.

You need a Sabbath whether you think it or not.

You need rest.

English Standard Version Chapter 20

11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

After creation, God rested to show us that we need to rest.

God did not need to rest, but he modeled for us what rest looks like.

Rest signifies work accomplished.

The Sabbath day was the seventh day of the week.

Although we take our Sabbath on the first day of the week, Sunday, it is still the Lord’s Day or the day we rest in God.

Application

The Importance of Sabbath Rest

Resting in the Lord // “Keep the Sabbath holy”

When you let the world define rest, you will always miss the mark.

What Sabbath rest isn’t.

Sabbath isn’t self care.

Self-care is often shown as binging your favorite Netflix series, ordering a pizza, and neglecting to talk to everyone.

Taking a lavish vacation once a year.

Sleeping late.

Sabbath can mean that, but it will always mean more than that.

Sabbath isn’t neglecting to work hard.

Sometimes, our lack of ability to rest on the Sabbath comes from our inaction during the week.

We worry, because we have not done what needed to be done.

Sabbath is firstly resting in the Lord. The Bible defines rest.

If your soul does not find rest, then the rest of you won’t find rest either.

I am not saying that you should not rest in other ways, but resting in the Lord is the first step.

We rest in the Lord before we rest in anything else.

To know that God provides everything that we need is a powerful form of rest.

Sabbath Rest tells the world, “It is finished.” The best rest is in Jesus, because in Jesus, it is finished. We often gain anxiety or depression over what we have/have not done over the course of a week.

The Sabbath and the Lord’s Day

While the Sabbath was the last day of the week, the early church started worshipping the first day of the week. This was considered the Lord’s day.

It was done to represent Christ’s rising from the dead.

The Sabbath still applies to us. Be in church. Come to church. Do not neglect to do what God has called you to do.

Invitation

Find rest in Jesus today for your soul.

Give yourself the rest that your body, your family, your life, and your health deserve.