Helen, Alabama

I wasn’t surprised I received the phone call, but I was surprised to find out where it was from.

At church one Sunday in the fall, a long time ago, a couple of friends started talking about wanting to go to Helen, Georgia.

I suspect most of you know about Helen.

It’s designed as a little Bavarian Village right near the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River.

It’s a neat little place to visit - lots of places to spend your money for sure.

But a neat little place.

And a couple of friends wanted to go.

So they made a date for the following Saturday.

We asked them if they knew how to get there because they were somewhat directionally challenged and they assured us they had been enough times with our Sunday School group that they could get there with no problem.

Saturday came and around mid morning I got a phone call.

My friends did indeed get up and head off to Helen.

They had a great time talking and laughing, zipping down the interstate in the early morning sunshine.

They’d been on the road for coming up on an hour when they saw the sign that said “Welcome to Alabama.”

She told me she didn’t remember seeing the Alabama sign when we went so she thought she might call for me to refresh her directions.

After I quit laughing, I told her she was headed towards Texas.

She was surprised - she swore she started he way we always did.

I told her that was not possible.

She need to turn around, and come back the way she came.

What if… ok, what if we are so busy headed down the highway that we don’t notice we are headed in the wrong direction?

There is hope though.

The more I studied for today, the more I kept having a song lyric run through my head.

In Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” Robert Plant sang these words, “Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, There’s still time to change the road you are on.”

That is biblical.

There is still time to change the road we are on.

Remember where we’ve been over the last few weeks.

We ended studying the book of Malachi.

It’s the last book of the Old Testament and one of the last things the Lord said to us was this:

Malachi 4:4

Malachi 4:4 ESV

“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

So, we headed directly to the 10 commandments.

Last week we did the first three.

Number 1 is to have no other gods than the Lord.

Number 2 is to not make any representation of the Lord or any god.

And number 3 is to not speak or live in such a way as to demean the Lord.

Commandments 4 and 5 change the focus.

The first 3 tell us how to love God.

Then next 7 tells us how to love each other.

And these two lay the groundwork for loving the people around us.

The Lord Himself is the foundation the house is built up.

And now we find that worship and the family are the framework that holds the house up.

Exodus 20:8-12

Exodus 20:8–12 ESV

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 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. 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. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Do you remember how you were taught the 10 commandments?

If you do these things, then you’ll be a good person and you’ll stay out of trouble with God.

Really, right?

These are 10 rules to live by.

Do them and you’ll stay out of trouble.

They will make you a good person and God will love you.

But now think with me for a moment, ok?

Who did the Lord give the 10 commandments to?

Well, He gave them to the Hebrew children standing at the base of Mt. Horeb, right?

We said last week, the Lord Himself spoke these words to His people.

Where had they been before that?

Well, they had been in slavery in Egypt.

And how did they get out of slavery in Egypt?

Well, the Lord rescued them.

Why did He rescue them?

Because He loved them, He had compassion on them, and He had promised their fathers He would make them into a great nation.

So, from that we can only come to one conclusion - the Lord already loved them.

“The law was given to Israel because God loved His children and He wanted to instruct them regarding how to please Him and how to live wisely and well in the land He was giving to them.” [Salvaggio].

The Lord loved them when He gave them the 10 commandments.

So He wasn’t giving them so He could say - “You guys do these things and I’ll like you and we’ll all be ok.”

He gave them saying, “You are my people.

“This is how I operate.

“These things are how I live - they are a part of my perfect personality.

“When you deal with me, this is what you can expect.

“And to honor me, the one who rescued you and will make you into a great nation, you do these things too.

What if we are so busy headed down the highway that we don’t notice we are headed in the wrong direction?

Exodus 20:8-11

Exodus 20:8–11 ESV

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

Commandment number 4 tells us that the Lord is the Lord over all things - including time.

When He created all of creation, He established a pattern to be followed - work 6 days, rest and reflect on 1.

I don’t know how it works with you, but for me, working on Sunday was the worst.

In high school, I worked at South Cobb Pharmacy and every other weekend I had to work on Saturday and Sunday.

The drug store didn’t open until 1 pm on Sunday - so I could go to church.

And then I’d grab a quick lunch and come skidding into work at 1.

And every Sunday - every Sunday - was the slowest day of the week ever.

I don’t care how busy we might be - which generally on Sunday wasn’t so much - but no matter - the clock ticked by at half speed on Sunday.

There is something different to the day - by design.

We are to do our regular work for six days but on the seventh we are to rest and reflect on the Lord’s blessings.

Sabbath is simply a word that means cessation or rest.

And listen - it’s a sign.

Sunday is a sign of the covenant that God made with us.

You remember, “I will be your God and you will be my people.”

And keeping the Sabbath reminds us that the Lord is keeping His end of the covenant.

And keeping the Sabbath is a sign we are keeping our end of the covenant.

You hear trouble brewing right?

Having a Sabbath day doesn’t mean not doing any work and it doesn’t mean not being at church all day.

This is where the Pharisees in the Bible got it all wrong.

They wanted to define work in precise language so they would be certain to keep this law as perfectly as it could be kept.

But the purpose of the law is not to follow it precisely.

Do you remember something Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

In other words, the Sabbath was created to bring something to people.

It wasn’t created as a rule to be followed in our endless checklist of rules to be good people.

The Sabbath was created to remind good people of the one who made them good.

It is a different day for a different people.

It’s a day of reflection - of looking back and seeing the hand of God in our lives every day.

I want you to think for a moment, ok?

When do we ever say that we see the hand of God at work?

Usually after something tragic - where God allows us a major slap down so we’ll stop and look for Him.

But that’s what the Sabbath is designed for.

It’s designed so we don’t have to have a slap down to see Him in our lives.

It’s designed so we can see how blessed we are and to thank the one who has blessed us.

If we were to do that - do you think our worship would be more energetic?

Do you think our faith would increase if we could see weekly how the Lord worked in our lives.

Do you think we’d be more sane?

Listen, this passage is so convicting to me.

The reason so many of us are half insane is we are intense seven days a week.

We are as intense about our recreation as we are about work - in fact, if you’ll think about it, our recreation is simply a different kind of work.

How many times have you flopped in bed on Sunday night mentally and physically exhausted?

And don’t give me the, “well, I’m thinking about God while I’m” wherever.

My friends were thinking about Helen the whole time they were headed toward Amarillo.

Having a Sabbath simply means that what you do on six days, you don’t do on the seventh.

To every extent possible, all workers - everyone who labors - is to receive a day of rest.

Essential work continues.

Dairy farmers still milk their cows - but only essential work.

Work that can be stopped without causing harm should be stopped.

That really does mean that a vast majority of businesses open on Sunday shouldn’t be.

It really wouldn’t hurt you or me, if we had to go home and eat Sunday dinner at our own table with our own family.

Other work can continue too.

Like mission work.

Like helping a neighbor - you might even cut their grass.

And you might get tired doing it, but it is a different kind of tired.

It’s a satisfied tired - you did what the Lord wanted you to do for a day.

It’s a day devoted to remembering the Lord.

Having a Sabbath doesn’t mean you get someone else to do your work for you, either.

Exodus 20:10

Exodus 20:10 ESV

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.

You includes the husband and wife.

You don’t do what you normally do every day.

You don’t get your kids to do the work.

You don’t get your employees to do the work.

You don’t set up your possessions to do the work.

And you don’t get the “sojourner,” an unbeliever to do your work.

Think of the implication here.

Because the sojourner - listen and hear politics all over this - because the sojourner is enjoying the benefits of the Lord’s blessings on His people, the sojourner has to respect the God-given structure in the land that is blessing them.

Yes, God expects the people who come here to respect the God who made here - here.

Having a Sabbath means that your life and my life is different.

When Moses retells the 10 commandments in Deuteronomy 5, he adds something right here.

He tells them “remember you were slaves in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.”

Why would he insert that reminder?

How many days a week did they work as slaves?

Seven.

How many holidays did they get off?

None.

How many weeks of vacation did they get a year?

None.

How many sick days did they get?

None.

What if they got hurt?

They had to find a way to work.

How long was maternity leave?

There was no such thing.

How long was paternity leave?

You’re kidding right?

Remember how the rest of the world lives - and don’t live that way.

The Lord rescued you.

He gave you feasts and holidays that He expects you to stop working and keep.

He designed your life so you work six days a week.

And on the seventh, you stop and rest.

And remember how you were rescued.

So, how does this fit in the 21st century?

If fits no differently than it ever has.

The promise is intact.

The covenant has not been changed.

We are still a rescued people.

Only instead of being rescued from Egyptian bondage, we were rescued from the bondage of sin.

This is hard - it’s counter cultural - but we can’t let ourselves off the hook.

Every week you and I are supposed to have one day that is different from the rest.

Every week you and I are supposed to have a day to rest and reflect on the goodness of the Lord.

This does not mean that you do different things with the same intensity that you do your daily things.

I’ll try to tread delicately here - but all of the things people tell you that good parents do for their children every weekend.

How are your Sabbath’s different?

Aren’t you working at the same intensity?

Aren’t you working with the same competitive fervor?

You might think about the Lord, but aren’t those thoughts pretty much secondary to the real thoughts?

We’ve got to win.

This will make my child more successful.

Truthfully, are you and your children healthier mentally and physically after a weekend of packed schedules, strange beds and fast food?

And if you are an employer - have your designed your business to give your workers a Sabbath each week?

Yes you have an obligation to make a living for yourself and everyone else, but your first obligation is to the Lord.

Chick fil a - you knew we’d go there - Chick fil a is America’s favorite fast food place for the 7th year running and a sabbath is built into their business model.

Hobby Lobby is ranked 79th on Forbes list of America’s largest private companies with annual revenues of $5.3 billion and a net profit of $440 million.

They have a sabbath built into their business model too.

Well, how much more could they make if they were open 7 days a week?

I don’t know - how much is the Lord blessing them right now for honoring Him.

Reckon that might change if they dishonored Him?

No one really has to have a Krystal on Sunday now, do they?

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Commandment number 5:Exodus 20:12

Exodus 20:12 ESV

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

This is really too much to cover in one week - when you honor your parents, you honor God.

Parents - whether you want to or not, you represent the Lord to your children and it is your obligation to God to pass the faith down to them as well.

In fact, for those parents who say they want their children to form there own beliefs - well, that’s just illogical and, frankly, a little bit ignorant.

You formed your own beliefs right - even with mom and dad cramming Jesus down your throat.

Are you kids less intelligent than you were?

Plus, plus, your lack of concern over spiritual matters teaches you children that faith is no big deal - because your faith is no big deal to you.

Parents have a God-given responsibility to teach their children to know and love God.

And children can’t learn, if they don’t respect their parents.

Notice fathers and mothers are specifically called out here.

You know why? Because the family is the basic building block of society.

Destroy the family, destroy society.

The way to destroy a nation is to destroy the family, and the way children can destroy the family is by disrespecting their parents.

Why else do we have a war in our country right now?

Our department of justice sends a memo proclaiming parents who object to immoral subjects being taught in school are terrorists.

Turn the children against the parents - that’s the strategy.

Convince impressionable kids that their Godly parents are - fill in the blank.

The family has to be destroyed - it’s the basic building block for society established by the Lord.

Notice God DOES wade right into the gender debate.

Honor your Father and your Mother.

Male and Female He created them.

We call all kinds of arrangements family, but that’s simply a reflection of our basic need for a family.

Because we were created to have a family with a mother and a father, we all crave a family.

It is in our spiritual DNA.

Honor our father and our mother also means we have a responsibility to care for our parents.

We are to respect them publically and privately.

And we are especially supposed to take care of them when they get to a point that they cannot take care of themselves.

This is by God’s perfect design.

What if we are so busy headed down the highway that we don’t notice we are headed in the wrong direction?

I understand now why we don’t preach the 10 commandments much anymore.

This is ugly.

Our sabbath following is weak at best and non-existent at worse.

Coming to church is a part of the Sabbath, but it’s not the full meal deal.

It’s a day - a full day to reflect on all that God has done for us.

And God help us, what have we allowed to happen to the family?

This calls for nothing less than a full cry for repentance.

The Lord has rescued us and we take our rescue so for granted.

Exhibit A is how we order our time.

Parents - it’s hard, I know and there are so many “expert” voices.

Please realize, you are the expert.

You know your child better than anyone else anywhere.

Trust the Lord to guide you.

Parents, repent for listening to a society tell you what you must do to make your child successful while - listen - while they are shoving their hands deeper and deeper into your wallet.

Do you really think they are looking out for your child’s best interest?

Children - when you disrespect your parents you are disrespecting God.

Yes, some kids have horrible parents.

I don’t know any of yours that are.

And listen, if you are a foster or adopted child, the mother and daddy you are living with right now chose to love you.

They want to love you and they are loving you.

The Lord Himself expects them to love you and for you to respect them.

They are a blessing from the Lord and you are a blessing to them.

Children, repent of your disrespect.

Your mom and dad are not your friends.

They are your helpers, your guide and your protector.

They are supposed to be strict on you.

They are supposed to keep you from doing the crazy things that you don’t have enough life experience to know are crazy things.

Church - we are most at fault here.

Repent for allowing the evil one to destroy our families and steal the blessings the Lord has given to this land.

We are allowing it - it is our fault.

But, there is still time to change the road we are on.

Malachi 3:7 has a promise.

The Lord tells us, “Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord of hosts.

The church will prevail against the gates of hell if we will must the faith and courage to storm the gates.

It is time because there is still time.

Let us pray.