Remember the Sabbath
Scripture: Exodus 20:1-11
I. You remember that Sabbath is for worship.
A. The word Sabbath is the Hebrew word for ceasing. On the Sabbath day we cease. We stop working (vs. 9-10). We stop doing our regular work in order to care for our souls and worship God. The seventh day of the week is a Sabbath to the LORD. We remember on the Sabbath that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.
B. We also worship God for his gift of salvation on the Sabbath. Deuteronomy 5:15: “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” The Sabbath was a day to remember how God had saved His people from slavery in Egypt. We Christians also remember our salvation from slavery to sin, death, Satan, and hell.
II. You remember that Sabbath is for rest.
A. God wants us to trust that He will meet our needs even if we don’t work 7 days a week. He will take care of us if we rest. One example of Israel not resting and taking a Sabbath is in Nehemiah 13:15: “In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food.”
B. God wants to bless you with rest. And He wants you to bless others by letting them rest on the Sabbath (Ex. 20:10). Mark 2:27: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The Sabbath Day is supposed to be God’s gift to you as a human being. It is not a day for doom and gloom. It is a day for joy. On the Sabbath: rest, rejoice, repeat.
III. You remember that Sabbath is for doing good and showing mercy.
A. Jesus asked the Pharisees in Mark 3:4: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” The Sabbath is a day to do good and show mercy to people. Sabbath has always been about mercy. We see the point of Sabbath in Hebrews 4:9-10: “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” We rest from our works by trusting that Jesus did all the work necessary to save us and make us right with God on the cross.
Application:
Remember to worship God on the Sabbath and rest. Kill the idols that prevent this.
Sources:
The Bible
Books by Kevin DeYoung, J.I. Packer, Jen Wilkin, and Philip Ryken.
Sermon Discussion Questions
1) How important is it to God that we worship Him once a week? What if you are a medical professional or first responder who must work on some Sundays? How can you still take a Sabbath to worship God?
2) What will you need to do practically to make sure you get rest on Sabbath? How does taking a Sabbath grow our faith in God and His ability to provide for us?
3) What helps you not to be a Pharisee in creating rules for yourselves and your family regarding the use of time on Sabbath? What positive things does God want you to do on Sabbath? How does Hebrews 4:9-10 explain the meaning of Sabbath?