Sermon Tone Analysis

travelator

Last week we started this new series on After the Cross.

we did part 1 on God who lives in us so there is no need to follow a particular direction or time to pray.

we saw on how the scriptures were canonized and the reason why we have the OT.

today we’ll see another topic and that is on Sabbath

or what is rest?

have you see the phrase - REST in PEACE?

is this the only time we have peace?

do you see the picture of the travellator - Moving walkway?

what has this got to do with Sabbath?

when we read this verse we don't get the real meaning of the sabath.

so we need to go and see how it all started.

God Sabbathed from all his work

so the first question that i want to ask you or to make you think is this.

DID GOD GET TIRED?

can God get tired?

does this show weakness of God on the 7th Day?

in out concept of understanding we do a long day of work and then come home and rest.

on Sunday or Monday, we look forward to the weekend so that can rest.

so did God get tired?

the real meaning of sabbath is not rest as we normally think

שָׁבַת (šābat).

vb.

rest, cease, stop.

To cease or stop action, or to rest from action.

like a suspension of work or a stoppage of work.

rest from work.

so God dint get tired from work.

rather he finished his work .

it was an end to creation work.

there was noting more to be created.

its perfect and alls well.

now only thing to do is to maintain it, rather to take care of it.

so what is man’s job?

to take care of what God made for us.

do we have to make it?

NO

we just need to cultivate / tend / care / and watch over it.

QUESTION 2

God dint tell A&E to rest on any day let alone the 7th day.

WHY?

because man was made to maintain what God made,

the best illustration i thought about is like the projects that we do in the construction industry.

or for that matter any kind of projects.

these projects are made or done with a time frame there is a start and end of the projects.

during these projects there are the 7th day breaks.

similar to creation story and science has proved by the big bang theory that there is a start of this world.

which also means that there will be and end.

however after the project is completed, these are handed over to the maintenance dept.

or the operations dept.

the operations or the maintenance dept does not work as projects.

they dont have 7th day off.

the staff takes breaks yes, but the operations / maintenance is a 24 /7 shift times.

similarly, God made the heavens and earth and he rested.

then God took man and placed him in the garden and asked him to maintain it.

similarly, your body takes rest, but the organs dont stop working.

you might sleep but your blood system, nervous system and even your muscles are all working during sleep.

basically sleep is a time you as a person connects to the other world and i beleive its that same time in the cool of day when God used to come down to speak to A&E. sleep is a time we connect to the spiritual world.

thats why a lot of time God speaks through dreams and visions.

if you are retired is there a difference between a monday and friday or sunday?

no diffrence

because sabbath is a state of rest not a day of rest.

A&E was already in a state of rest.

sabbath does not mean rest but stopping of work.

but the stopping of work should bring in rest.

there is another word for rest and that is NUAH

Lexham Theological Wordbook (נוּחַ)

נוּחַ (nûaḥ).

vb. to settle down, rest.

The action of stopping or cessation of activity.This verb primarily denotes rest brought about by activity ceasing.

Noah’s ark comes to rest (nûaḥ) on Mount Ararat by ceasing to float when the waters receded (Gen 8:4).

When God rested (nûaḥ) on the Sabbath, he did so to mark the end of his creative work (Exod 20:11).

Political peace involves enemy attacks ceasing and is thus sometimes framed as rest from enemies; this is most common in expressions about God giving rest (nûaḥ) from enemies to his people (e.g., 2 Sam 7:1, 11).

Lexham Theological Wordbook (שָׁבַת)

In contexts other than the Sabbath, the verb šābat usually means “cease,” not “rest”: seasons will not cease (šābat) after the flood (Gen 8:22); manna ceased (šābat) when Israel entered the promised land (Josh 5:12); Israel is not to stop (šābat) worshiping Yahweh (Josh 22:25); and Israel will not cease (šābat) to be a nation (Jer 31:36).

sabbath word is used in other context and we’ll see the difference of meaning,

so when you stop work, what happens?

so the stoppage of work or the suspension of work is for people to take rest.

sabbath is a suspension to the normal days work.

Sabbath is also a sign

Sabbath is a sign to reflect Gods Creation

so every time

` we have a weekend we need to reflect on God’s creation

we often look forward to the weekend and that is to go out with family or to do all your grocery shopping.

like some of us here saturday is the Lulu day.

you go to Lulu super market and meet all your church folks there.

sabbath is also another sign

2. Sabbath show God sanctifies us

in today's world we do not understand how important this is because almost all over the world this 7th day off is practiced.

however during the OT time, nobody had this concept of not working on the 7th day.

Abraham dint have sabbath.

Noah dint have sabbath

A&E dint have sabbath

No weekends to look forward to.

its like all days are weekend or like retired life.

so in Gods plan to redeem the whole world wanted to show who he is.

he is showing the world that he provides for even if we dont work.

so the real sabbath should not be focused on the day rather than on God that provides for us even on the 7th day.

so we have rest of the body.

but do we have rest in our minds?