Restless
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Last week was Labor Day and I talked about our work - our vocational work and our work for God. But I want to look at the flipside of that this morning...
In our modern world, we have all sorts of 'time saving devices' and technology that are supposed to make our lives easier, but we're busier than ever. With cell phones, email and texting – people can get a hold of us at just about any time, day or night. We always have more things on our plate than we can possibly do. We juggle work and home and family responsibilities and usually end up letting something fall. But we keep pushing on.
It's almost as if we think that if we can just do a little more; fit one more thing in that we can then catch up and relax. We joke that there aren't enough hours in a day – but even if we had eight more hours, it still wouldn't be enough because we'd just fill those hours with more busyness. We can never do enough or work enough to provide everything that we'll ever need to feel secure or satisfied. That kind of security can only come from God.
We talked about labor - now let's look at God's view of rest. And I want us to start with Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV)...
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping 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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. (11) For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. The Sabbath was an Old Testament commandment to honor God by respecting time in a sense. We can try to save time or spend time wisely, but only God can create time. The command of the Sabbath was to rest and reflect. Just like the other commandments, the Sabbath was not intended as a burden – but rather a gift.
Jewish tradition observed the Sabbath on Saturday, while early Christian tradition started gathering on Sunday - to remember the day that Jesus rose from the dead. Either way – it was designed by God to give us time to rest and focus on God. We are called to…
I. Respect rest
But not just for 'rest's' sake - but for a higher reason. God didn't just command a nap - but intentionally 'putting work on hold' in order to accomplish something else. Let's look closely again at Exodus 20:8 (NIV)...
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
'Holy' means 'set apart' for a sacred purpose. This idea of 'Sabbath' is about refraining from work for a sacred purpose.
Many years back when I was single, I worked over forty days in a row without a single day off. I had no one at home to neglect, so I worked. And I accomplished a lot – almost back to back, I ran a Jr. High week of camp, then Vacation Bible School, then a mission trip and many Bible studies and lessons taught and many hours spent ministering to people's needs.
But I discovered something as I finally took the time to sit and reflect. There was still a lot more work to be done. Even after all of my efforts, the job wasn't done. There was still a pile of work to do, but now I had no energy left to do it. My way of doing things didn't work as well as I expected. I hadn't rested - sure I slept, but hadn't followed God's call for a Sabbath rest - and I ended up drained.
I think in my situation, it showed…
A. A lack of trust
Since I was working as a minister - the Sabbath idea didn't apply the same...? I think, subconsciously - I almost thought that God somehow needed me to accomplish the work; and if I took one day of rest - God would be stuck without my help...? That's pretty arrogant.
Most of you probably don't work vocationally as a minister - you work a job for a paycheck. But the same principle applies. I've seen people skip Church services for a job that really wouldn't miss them all that long if they quit tomorrow. I've seen people skip Church services because they had too many chores to accomplish along with their regular job, and something had to give - so skipping Church was easiest.
But the easiest choice isn't always the right choice.
Leviticus 23:3 (NIV)
There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.
Do we ignore God's command to rest? Have we made our work and 'busyness' a higher priority than rest time with God? I could rationalize my situation because I was working for God – as a minister. But God says 'to obey is better than sacrifice'. God is more interested in me than in what I can do for Him, or even others. And that applies to you, too.
Working without a 'sacred rest' only brings worry and busyness. Learning to be 'restful' - for sacred purposes - brings…
B. A sense of peace
Sabbath means rest. And "Sabbath rest is not merely refraining from work; it's refraining from work so we can do something holy." And God decides what that rest is and its purpose. And when we learn to spend time with God in this rest - then we can have peace.
Mark 6:30-31 (NIV)
The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. (31) Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.
Of course Jesus was pleased with all the work those disciples had done - but Jesus wanted them to ALSO make rest a priority. And notice here - the words 'with me'. It was in spending time with Jesus that brought them real rest.
Jesus didn't agree with all the laws the religious leaders of the day piled on regarding the observance of the Sabbath day - but He did understand and respect rest. I couldn't find any story where Jesus was in a hurried or frantic state. Here was a man who clearly had plenty to do, thousands were seeking Him out – but He was somehow restful, He was at peace.
I want to live more like that. It's no secret that a polite way to describe me would be 'a bit high strung'. Jesus lived a life of balance. Yes, there was always more work to be done – but honoring the Sabbath, a time of sacred rest, was also vitally important. And that's because of…
II. The blessings of rest
When God makes a command, He has reasons behind it even if we don't fully understand those reasons. - You've seen kids fight sleep, right? They're so tired that they can barely even keep their eyes open and yet they insist, "I'm not tired!" Many times, parents have to almost force a child to rest. Our Father knew we'd resist rest, too. He commanded this sacred rest with Him - because He knows we need it.
One major blessing of rest is that it's…
A. A safeguard
God designed us and He designed us to require rest. If we don't ever rest, our bodies react to stress in some very negative ways. There are plenty of physical problems that come when we don't rest. Rest is a safeguard to protect us from exhaustion. And intentional 'sacred rest' protects us from 'spiritual exhaustion'.
And when we work without rest, we also become more vulnerable to temptations. - Things that, when we're at our strongest, don't affect us much at all. But when we're tired – they can tear us apart. The devil knows when we're weak, and that's when he'll strike. Rest is a safeguard to help protect us from temptation.
Rest is also a safeguard for our families. The Sabbath reminds us that there is more to life than work. – A lot of the time, our families get put on the back burner because there is always work. We figure that when we catch a break, we'll make it up to them. We act like that it's the work demands that are temporary and the opportunities with family that will always be there. That's not the truth at all.
And I'm not saying that as an expert – but as someone who needs to remember that safeguard. We jump from activity to activity based on urgency – we end up doing what we feel we must rather than what we may want to do. And that's a hard balancing act to do. And if we don't slow down and focus on rest and reflection – life will pass us by and some eternally important things will have been skipped because of busyness.
I've never heard a person on their death bed say they just wish they'd spent more time at work. What are the things that will follow us into eternity…? Are we too busy for 'sacred rest' to focus on those things?
More blessings that come with rest is that it is…
B. A reminder
A Sabbath rest is not just a call to relax, but also a call to reflect. It's rest with a purpose. God wants us to take a break from our busy lives and remember that He is the source of our strength! Scripture says this about Jesus in Luke 4:16 (NIV)...
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.
Even Jesus, 'God in the flesh', took a break to remember 'God the Father' and spend time with God's people. If Jesus needed the break to refocus, what makes us think that we can get away without it?
Our 'Sabbath rest' is not just for us, but it's also an outward sign to others that we are different from the world; we are set apart! There are a million things we could be doing right now. You probably have multiple projects, yard work, house work, shopping, cleaning - many things which you could be doing on a Sunday morning – yet you are here. You chose to be here – to focus on God – and also as an outward sign to those who know you are here! You understand - this time is important!
Exodus 31:12-13 (NIV)
Then the LORD said to Moses, (13) "Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.'"
God commanded the Israelites to take a day of rest even when it was planting and harvest time, even when it would cost them something. God wanted to show the other nations that He was the source of Israel's strength and prosperity; it wasn't because of the Israelites' own hard work. Taking a day of rest was a sign of trust in God knowing that He would take care of them.
It reminds me of the famous runner Eric Liddell who refused to run in the 1924 Olympic Games on a Sunday. The Movie "Chariots of Fire" was based on his story. He believed strongly that Sunday belonged to God and not to games. Now some may have thought that he was making a mountain out of a mole hill by refusing to run on a Sunday. It's not like God would have struck him dead for that. But Eric chose to run on a different day, in a different event that was not his strongest – and he still won. All the while having a little piece of paper in his pocket on which was written the scripture passage from 1st Samuel, "Those who honor me I will honor." (from 1 Samuel 2:30)
What Eric Liddell did became an international sign to the world proclaiming where his highest allegiance was. Eric Liddell declared to the world that he belonged to God by resting.
However - most of the scripture we've looked at specifically addressing this Sabbath idea come from the Old Testament...
III. Is rest still blessed?
Is the Old Testament command to obey the Sabbath still one that applies to New Testament Christians? We do see that in Acts 15 new converts were not bound to the traditional Sabbath observance. Also, the command to obey the Sabbath is the only one of the Ten Commandments that is not specifically repeated in the New Testament. However, it's very clear that the early Church still respected the principle of the Sabbath – they still respected God's gift of sacred rest.
And we also see in the New Testament, in Hebrews 4:9-11 (NIV)...
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; (10) for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. (11) Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.
The original language used here translated as 'Sabbath-rest' implies more than just a Sabbath day – but a restful attitude of respect and humility before God. And it also hints of our future rest – our future homecoming when we will enjoy true rest!
The problem seems to be in the receiving of the gift of the Sabbath. God, who created us and knows best how we operate, has given us the gift and example of rest and has promised us so much more! It really comes down to whether or not we'll accept that gift.
So What?
I want to encourage you to rest, but not just taking time off. I want to encourage you to rest and reflect. The Sabbath rest is not just about resting our bodies - but our spirits as well.
How can you tell if you are respecting the principle of the Sabbath? Can you honestly describe yourself as refreshed? Can you describe yourself as reflective? Do you take time on a regular basis to sit and reflect on God and His greater purpose for you in this life? That is part of the purpose of Sunday morning Church services – to set aside time to really focus on God. However, one hour of reflection a week is not really enough to reenergize us for God's purposes.
I'm sure you've noticed that when you're tired, sometimes your eyesight can be off. It may take a bit more effort to focus or you may have to squint to see things. When we don't take the time to enter God's time of rest and reflection – our spiritual vision gets out of focus, too.
When we spend time working and being busy, when we get exhausted, the way we view things can change. Our patience gets thin and we may be tempted to compromise with the world. When this happens, we need to spend time with God and fellow Christians to help us get refocused – we need to be reminded of what's really important.
Remember the God who created you and wants to spend time with you. And this is not yet one more call to do more - but less for the purpose of something better! Take the time to step away from all the busyness and enjoy God's gift of rest with Him!