The Gospel Coalition

In the United States, we suffer from the disease of BUSYNESS. We are busy and we’re workaholics and we like it that way. We are always pressed for time. We’re always hurrying from one place to the next. We understand the importance of time, but we don’t always spend it wisely.Good news this morning! God has provided a remedy for our busy lives. A day of rest, mercy, and worship. The Fourth Commandment is actually God telling us: “TAKE THIS GIFT!”

It’s important for us to look at this commandment against the backdrop of Israel coming out of slavery. No other country or nation had such a rule. But here, God says, “This is the rhythm of the world.” This is the way that the world was intended to run.

In Egypt, the slaves’ worth was measured by the amount of bricks they produced.  If you couldn’t produce, you got punished. If you couldn’t produce, you were worthless. So, brick after brick, the Israelites got it drilled into them that their value came from their output.

Today, there is an idea going around that once a person reaches an old age and is unable to be a productive member of society, euthanasia is the answer. Why not go ahead and let these people die “with dignity?” Let them leave this life while they’re still in possession of their faculties, before they get too far down the path of not being able to produce for society, before they suffer physically too much.

That sounds like a very merciful option, but underneath it is a belief that will squeeze the life out of society. Because the presupposition is that the person’s worth and value is defined by what they can do, not who they are! Christians are opposed to euthanasia because we believe people have an inherent value in who they are, not what they can or can’t do. Anything else is a return to the brick-laying mentality. You are defined by how many bricks you lay.

God is a working and resting God.
 In Genesis, God created the world in six days and then rested from his work. And he sanctified the seventh day as a day of rest and worship. We are to follow his example. God himself did this first. The first time that God blessed anything, he blessed a day for us to share in his rest.
 

God affirms work. Work is a good thing. God has work for each of us to do in this world. In Genesis, before the Fall, God told Adam to start caring for the animals. Work is a part of God’s good creation.

We work because we are made in the image of a working God. But we are also called to rest because we are made in the image of a resting God.

A few weeks ago, I went with a man in our church to scout out a mission trip. This man was telling me about different cars he’d had and how some of them had managed to clock more than 200,000 miles. Now, that’s amazing… for any car, really. So when I asked him how he managed that, he told me that the key to optimal car performance is maintenance. The simple stuff like changing the oil, keeping it clean, caring for the motor. There was no special magic thing to make a car last forever, just keeping it running smoothly. A lot of little things helped him avoid car breakdowns.

The same is true for our human bodies. The key to being better at what we do, living longer, happier, more fulfilled is maintenance. And God has given us the maintenance schedule. Take a day out of seven, and STOP. Sit. Don’t turn the engines on. Rest.

Workers who work seven days a week lead the charts in work-related disorders like high blood pressure and premature heart attacks. Those who take time off to rest and enjoy life wind up living longer and healthier. And we don’t need Science to back it up. God has already told us how to maintain ourselves. Do what he says. Take a day off. Stop working.

Every Sunday, God wants you to be reminded that you are not a machine. You matter because God made you and God loves you, not because you are able to keep the bricks going on a certain day. You don’t look over your life at the end of the day and say, “Wow! I’m important because I did this and this and this.” You say, “I’m important because God made me in his image.” Whether you are working or resting, you are bearing his image.

Now, let’s get specific about how to keep the Sabbath day holy. What are some things that you’ve been told you shouldn’t do on the Sabbath?
 Mow the lawn. Go out to eat. Shop. Wash your car. Watch movies.
 We need to be careful that we don’t turn the Sabbath into a day of bondage, instead of a day of freedom.

The Sabbath is not meant to be a straitjacket. We shouldn’t spend all our time in the do’s and don’ts of Sabbath keeping. After all, some work is necessary. What if all emergency workers, police officers and hospitals closed on Sundays? What would happen then? Some work has to go on. And God would want that type of work to go on, because it’s merciful work, it’s protecting work.

 There is more to the Sabbath than the absence of labor. There is also the presence of worship. To keep the Sabbath is ultimately the way we keep in step with the way God made this world.

We remember three things on Sunday - that God created this world and rested, that God has begun his work of new creation, and that we rest in Christ’s work on the cross for our salvation. 
 But remembering causes us to act. Would it be enough for you to “remember” your wedding anniversary and not do anything else? No! If you don’t do something special for your bride on the day you remember your anniversary, she’s going to get ticked at you. Remembering means celebrating – and that celebration goes on with the one you love.
 Remembering the Sabbath is more than just mentally taking note of what God has done for you. It’s celebrating God’s work in your life and in the world by being together with His people. You go to meet with the God who saved you and changed you.

To keep something holy is to dedicate it completely to the Lord. Sunday should be a different day for you than all the other days. If it’s not, you’re disobeying this commandment. You shouldn’t do all the same activities on Sunday that you do any other day. There are certain things that you can do on Sunday that you can’t do any other day, like take a nap after church, or spend time with the family. Your kids ought to be able to tell when it’s Sunday.

 We talk about keeping the Sabbath, but really, it’s the Sabbath that keeps us. The Sabbath keeps us holy. It keeps us human.

 Jesus came into the world to do God’s work and give rest to our souls. We look back to our exodus from the bondage of sin. And we see that Jesus has rescued us. He has done the work for our salvation in our place. On the cross, he said, “It is finished.” Don’t try to add good works to the mix. Rest in his grace. Rest in what he did.
 We cannot work for our salvation. We can only rest in Christ.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2007 Kingdom People blog