29 Apr Recharge | Part 4 “Sabbath Rest”
Key Verses: Genesis 2, Exodus 20, Matthew 11
Through this series, we have been learning the keys to a life filled with the power of God. The cross is the work by which Jesus had made it possible for us to receive the power of God. The cross brings us nearer to Him.
We are not human doings, we are human beings. We need to take time out and rest or we will ware ourselves out. We get caught in the ‘Busy Trap’. Click here for article by Tim Kreider in the New York Times.
We are so busy that we ware ourselves out in the name of accomplishment. It is like we are bragging that we are so important because we are always ‘too busy’. God is not looking for over achievers. We need to rest so we can be sharp for what lies in the days ahead (Pastor Tim likened this to a woodcutter taking a rest. The other woodcutter who never took a rest did not cut nearly as much wood. He learned that the woodcutter who took a rest was sharpening his axe, hence he was able to cut more wood in less time).
Q. What things keep you so busy that you cannot take a day of rest and why? How or why does keeping so busy make you feel important?
We tend to heed all of the other commandments but number 4 – ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy’. We see this rule is one about which God is not serious. However, He tells us that every seventh day we should stop working and honor him. It does not have to be a specific day (refer to Colossians 2:14-16 and Romans 14:5-6) because, contrary to what some believe, we are not a theocratic country.
ON THE SABBATH GOD SAYS:
-
I AM THE GOD WHO EMPOWERS YOU.
God blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Blessed means to endure with power, prosperity and potential. God took one day of the week and he blessed it with endurance, power, prosperity and potential. It has been made holy, which means God is saying that this one is different. The enemy wants us busy so we will miss out on this blessing.
Q. What blessings have you missed out on by not taking a day of rest? Do you get more accomplished in your week by taking that day of rest and how?
THE ‘PRACTICAL’ WHY OF SABBATH: PHYSICAL RE-CHARGE.
We are made in God’s image. God was refreshed after he rested. Since he needed to rest and be refreshed, so do we. We need to stop exhausting ourselves. Idleness is not a vacation, it is more like vitamin D for the brain.
Quotes:
“God stopped to show us that what we create becomes meaningful to us only when we stop creating it and start to think about why we did so.” – 18th Century Rabbi Elijah of Vilna
“If you don’t take the Sabbath something is wrong, You’re doing too much, you’re being too much in charge. You’ve got to quit one day a week, and just watch what God is doing when you’re not doing anything.” – Eugene H. Petersen
“Not leaving my room. Not leaving the house. Missing someone’s birthday party. My childhood punishments have become by adult hobbies.” – English Comedian Martin Pilgrim
WHAT TO DO:
STOP WORK – Find someone to fill in.
ENJOY REST – You have a problem if you can’t disconnect.
DELIGHT YOURSELF – Get a hobby.
CONTEMPLATE GOD – Delight yourself in the Lord, spend time with your Father and let him speak to you.
Q. If you do take a Sabbath, what are some things you do that allow you to enjoy it? If you are not taking a Sabbath, what steps can you take to ensure that you do take a Sabbath rest?
ON THE SABBATH GOD SAYS:
-
I AM THE GOD WHO SETS YOU APART FOR SACRED PURPOSES.
God made this day holy. Set apart and made special by God. Our moral sanctification is not up to us but it is God who sanctified us. In our culture, people are defined by what they do. Our self worth is not based on what we achieve.
BEWARE OF THE IDOL OF ACHIEVEMENT
Q. How have you based your worth on your achievements and why?
We are who we are because of God.
What we lost in the Garden, Jesus gave back to us with the Finished work on the cross once and for all.
THE “SPIRITUAL” WHY OF SABBATH: TO ROOT OUR IDENTITY IN WHAT GOD HAS DONE NOT WHAT WE CAN DO.
Q. How do you discern between needs that we should respond to and those we don’t?
Convocation is an assembly, meeting or a rehearsal. It is a rehearsal for heaven. In eternity we will no longer bear heavy burdens or sickness.
When God created the heavens and the earth, there was evening and then there was morning on the first day, second, third etc. On the seventh day there was no evening mentioned because it was supposed to be an eternal day. We are preparing to spend an eternity with God in heaven.
THE “ULTIMATE” WHY OF SABBATH: BECAUSE YOU NEED TO REHEARSE FOR HEAVEN.
Q. As you rehearse for heaven, what do you think life will be like with no evil and burdens to bear and how does that help you in your daily walk (at work, home, school etc)?
Pray for each other, the lost, campuses, nation and leaders.
No Comments