Thus Sayeth the Lord: The Gift of Rest

This week, Jay Gordon unpacks the fourth commandment and what it means to remember the Sabbath. More than just taking a day off, the Sabbath is God's invitation to stop striving, trust Him, and find true rest in Christ. 

Transcript

Well, good evening, everyone. How are we doing? (audience cheering) I know career fairs haven't, we can do better than that. How are we doing? (audience cheering) There we go, there we go. Hey, real quick, before I get started, guys, can we, first of all, can we give a hand to the worship team, Mike? (audience applauding) Also another thing, guys, it is such a blessing to hear all of you guys' worshiping. I'm glad you guys don't get to hear me, but it is like, even when we're out there praying beforehand, guys, it is just such an amazing thing to hear all of you guys singing. And so just, you know, absorb that, take that in at times and just pause and be still and listen to everyone's singing, guys, it's really impactful. So, but let's get started. So, for those of you who don't know who I am, my name is Jay Gordon. I am the men's house minister here at CCF. If you are interested in living at the men's house, I am the person to talk to. So, or as faith put it in the reaction, I'm the shiniest minister on staff. So, no, but I've been so blessed to be a part of this ministry. I have been here for two years now. My wife, Reagan and I are so grateful to be here and just be a part of what God is doing at S&T. But before we begin tonight, I like to start off my first teaching of any semester by giving an explanation of what my intentions are as we are gathered together here under God's word. My first intention tonight is simply to thank you guys for being here. Each of you chose a set of side time and that means something. Whether you're a regular at catalyst, you came because a friend invited you or you just came here from campus because you were curious about what this is. You gave up a part of your night to be here and I'm grateful for that. I know many of you have been sitting in class all day or buried in studying, preparing for exams, being in interviews after career fair. But, and so life is draining and it's busy, but you still came. So, thank you for being here. My second intention is to remind us that God's word isn't just something we read for information. It's meant to impact our lives. No matter what passage we're in, God's word can either be descriptive or prescriptive. And so we see descriptive passages tell us stories of people, actions and events in the past. And prescriptive passages give us instructions and commands we are called to live out. And both matter. And so whether we are in a descriptive or a prescriptive passage, God's word is always intended to be transformative. And so when we sit under Scripture, the goal isn't just head knowledge, it's that biblical information leads to heart transformation. And so I'll be the first to admit that I always do this right. Sometimes I let sermons wash over me, the day has been rough, and I just, in one year out the other. Sometimes my pride puts up walls and I cross my arms and instead of opening my heart, I'm so distracted by life that I completely miss what God is trying to say. But tonight, I want us together to push past whatever barrier that you might be facing and to approach God's word with open minds and open hearts. Ready for him to shape us more into the likeness of Christ. Which brings me to my third and final intention, which is the presentation of the gospel. Maybe you're here tonight and you've never heard teaching from the Bible before. Or maybe you've been walking with Jesus for years, wherever you are, the gospel is for you. It's not just the entry point into faith, it's the very center of the Christian life. And so in tonight, we're gonna continue in our series, thus sayeth the Lord, by looking at the fourth commandment, which is Sabbath. I also wanna try something new tonight as well. So could I have a few volunteers that would be willing to read scripture for me? All right, could you do Genesis 2, 2, 3, but not through 15, Duncan, get you over here. And then let's do Matthew 11, 28 through 30. Okay, all right. So I'll ask you to read it when we come to that passage, but we're gonna start with Exodus 28 through 11. And so I'll read that passage and we'll begin with a word of prayer. Okay, so Exodus chapter 20 verses 8 through 11. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. You are to labor six days and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work. You, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock or the resident alien who is within your city gates. For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything in them in six days. Then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy. You pray with me. God tonight, as we open up your word, yeah, I just wanna just echo my intentions tonight, Lord, that we hear the gospel, that even though we're in the Old Testament, we get to see how this points to the overarching story of Christ. God would we continue to just submit to your word, Lord, to obey it and just follow it for the rest of our lives. Lord, if we have professed our faith in Christ that we are to live each and every day, to glorify and to honor you, Lord. Lord, I just thank you for all these students are here and just the time that they took out of their night. Lord, would they not walk away empty handed, Lord, that your word always speaks to them. And so would we just listen for what you have to say tonight, Lord, we ask all this in your name, amen? All right. So as we dive into God's word tonight, centered around this topic, Sabbath, what do we mean by Sabbath? What is Sabbath? What is God saying here to Moses? Let's start with the meaning of the word Sabbath. Sabbath or Shabbat in Hebrew means to cease, to end or to rest. So if we substitute that word into the passage we just read, remember the rest day. But the seventh day is a rest to the Lord your God. Therefore, the Lord blessed the rest day and declared it holy. And yet, how many of us struggle with rest? How many of us think that rest is impossible because of the amount of stuff that we have going on in our lives? At times, the only rest I seem to find is when I hit a wall because I simply can't go on any longer without getting a little bit of rest. And in God's word, here we see a direct command to set aside one whole day to rest, to completely set aside everything and do nothing but rest. But God, I have a physics exam, I have a calc exam, and a lab report, do I can't rest? And yet, we're called to rest. But God, I have groceries to get. I have laundry to fold other chores to accomplish. That's the one I fall into. Or God, if I'm being honest, I'll just end up feeling lazy if I simply do nothing but rest. And yet God calls us to rest. And this rest we see God calling us to is not merely physical rest. No, physical rest is just scratching the surface of what it means to truly rest as the Lord intends. And I know what some of you are thinking. All of this rest talk and a nap sounds really nice right now. If this guy says rest one more time, I might just drift off and fall asleep. I would ask you to stay with me if you can. There is grace and understanding unless you're in the men's house, then I'll come after you. I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding, guys. But Sabbath rest is where ordinary routines of life come to a halt. Where our efforts and work for six days are set aside for the purpose of contemplating who God is and what he has done for us. Sabbath rest is meant for God's people to rest from laboring, to gather together to worship, and to pursue opportunities to do good for others. And so tonight, as we examine the fourth commandment, and what it means to remember the Sabbath day, there are three points that I want us to discuss. And I want to say right now that there is a ton to cover if we were to go super in depth with it. So please take what we cover tonight and dig into scripture, see what more God's word has to say about this matter. But our three points for tonight are that the Sabbath grounds us and God's word points us towards our freedom in Christ. And third, the Sabbath re-oriented us to worship and renewal. And so once again, the Sabbath grounds us in God's rhythm, not our own hustle or agenda. The Sabbath points us towards our freedom in Christ, and the Sabbath re-oriented us towards worship and renewal. And so turn with me to Genesis 2, verse two and three, and we're going to take a look at God's rhythm. So could I have my volunteer read for us, Genesis 2, 2, 3, 3. - And on the seventh day, God said to us, what have they been done? - On the seventh day, the whole work is done. So God bless the seventh day in Christ, in Christ, in Christ, in Christ, in Christ. - Thank you. So when we read the fourth commandment and Exodus, we see this word remember, we are to remember the Sabbath day. But in order to remember the Sabbath day, we must look at where the Sabbath originated. Genesis 2 provides us the origin, the establishment of God's rhythm created and intended for us. For he himself works six days and then rested on the seventh. We must note that God did not need to rest. For those of us who are Christians, we know that God doesn't get tired. Psalm 121 4 says, he neither slumbers nor sleeps. And Isaiah 4028 says he does not faint or grow weary. So his rest wasn't about exhaustion. Again, the Hebrew word for rest or rested is Shabbat, which means to cease, stop or to assist. In other words, God ceased from his working of creation. He wasn't recovering, he was finishing. Think of it like an artist putting down the brush after completing a masterpiece. The resting is not weakness, it's completion and satisfaction. Genesis 131 says, God saw all that he had made and it was very good. And so by ceasing, God set apart the seventh day as holy. His action was a model for humanity, not because he needed to rest, but because we do. He was establishing a rhythm for his creation to work for six days and then pause to worship, delight and trust in him. For you and I, our assignments, jobs and responsibilities will never all be done. If we wait until everything is finished to rest, we'll never stop. When we remember this Sabbath, we are choosing to trust that God is God and we are not. Rest says the world doesn't fall apart if I stop working for a day. More so, my world will not fall apart if I stop working for a day. How difficult is that for us to believe? To internally believe that our world will not fall apart if we give up a whole day. As hard pressed as we are to get things done, we are called to Sabbath to set apart a day for that is what it means to keep it holy, to set it aside from the other six days. Sabbath is a reminder that you are not a machine. You are not called to run 24/7. God is speaking directly to us to say, the rhythm I built into creation of this world is the rhythm I want for you. The world wants us to forget the Sabbath and keep busy and the fourth commandment wants us to understand remember the Sabbath, keep it holy. If Genesis showed us God's ceasing from creating, then Exodus commands us to cease from striving. Together they teach us Sabbath is about completion, celebration and trust. The Sabbath grounds us in God's rhythm, not our own hustle or agenda. But not only do we see that with the Sabbath, but the Sabbath also points us towards our freedom in Christ. So turn with me to Deuteronomy 5, 12 through 15. And could I have my volunteer read for that? (audience member speaking in foreign language) (audience member speaking in foreign language) (audience member speaking in foreign language) Thanks Duncan. So we see a pretty similar passage here in Deuteronomy 5 that we do in Exodus 20. However, there's an end of Egypt and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. In some translations, 512 begins with observe instead of remember, observe the Sabbath. Moses is revisiting the 10 commandments found in Exodus and setting the framework of the Sabbath in a very clear and distinct way that is Jewish. God's people were to observe the Sabbath in a way that not only remembers the rhythm that God had set in place, but also looks back at their deliverance from Egypt because of what God had done. A people once held captive and slayed by an oppressive nation set free by the Lord their God. In Egypt, Israel never had a day off. They were forced to work constantly. Exodus 1-11-14 shows us that the Israelites were forced into hard labor, ruthless tasks and bitter service. Sounds like S&T. Pharaoh or S&T demanded production, production, production. Bricks, bricks, bricks. Keep working. Exodus 5-6-19 tells us that Pharaoh even increased the workload which sounds familiar again for you guys. Make the same number of bricks, but now without straw. So I'm gonna go a little off tangent. I sat in on a Calc 3 lesson. I was a yesterday and like we were just watching a video downstairs and I didn't even get all the notes down. Like I was genuinely trying to do it and the pace of which they moved, I'm like I don't know how they survived this. I did get a homework assignment and Charlie, I'm sad to say it is gonna be late. I have not even started. So I will get it to you eventually. But we see truly harsh conditions. Israel's slavery meant there was no rest. They had no choice and little to no dignity while doing it as well. Their value was tied to their output. And Moses is now urging him, "You're free. Remember what God brought you out of." By your observance of the Sabbath, you were declaring we are not slaves anymore. We belong to God, not Pharaoh. The Sabbath is a radical act of freedom. So now I stand before you all tonight saying remember what the Lord your God brought you out of. We may not have been slaves to Egypt, but those of us who are Christians, we were formally slaves to sin. Roman 6.6 tells us we know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Guys, we're free. We are no longer slaves to sin. And it is only through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross that we can have freedom, true freedom. Jesus took upon the cross of all our sin, all our broken messiness and paid our debt so that we could be free. He died so that you and I might live. Now the voice of Pharaoh didn't disappear. It has changed forms though. Maybe some of us here, your only as good as your GPA. If you don't hustle, you're going to fall behind. Look, other people are doing more than you. You should be doing more. You're only worth what you can produce or give someone else. And that voice continues to ring in our minds over and over to the point of where we believe I am only as good as my GPA. If I don't hustle, I'm going to fall behind financially, academically. Whatever you want to fill the blank in with. Other people are doing more. I need to do more. I have to do more. And then I am only worth what I can do for others or give to others. And I am pleading with you all. Don't believe these things. Boss, you are free. You are a child of God who is defined by the love that the Father has for you, not these other things. So we see in Exodus 20 and in Deuteronomy 1512 that the Sabbath is not only rooted in creation, but it's rooted in redemption. The observance of the Sabbath for Israel was connected to their freedom from slavery and Egypt. God commanded rest as a reminder that his people are no longer under the crushing weight of Pharaoh's oppression. The Sabbath is a freedom marker. It declares that God delivers his people and he calls them to live in that freedom. For us today, it is a reminder that God rescues us from the things that enslave us, fear, guilt and the pressures to earn approval or success on our own. Jesus fulfills the ultimate promise of the Sabbath. Just as Israel rested in God's deliverance from Egypt, we find true rest in Christ having freed us from the slavery of sin and guilt. So could I, my volunteer for Matthew 11, 28 through 30, read for us? (audience member speaking in foreign language) (audience member speaking in foreign language) - Thank you. As Matthew 11, 28 through 30 reminds us that Christ invites us into rest that goes beyond any physical or weekly rhythm. It is a rest for our soul, a reminder of our freedom and the comfort of peace that we have in Christ. In him, we no longer strive in our own strength but live in the grace of God's redemption. All of us are living in a culture of busyness, a culture of comparison, a culture of constant striving. And when we observe the Sabbath rest, that rest reminds us that life is not about what we do but it's about who we belong to. True rest and freedom come not from our own effort but from God's work both in creation and through redemption in Christ. So we see that the Sabbath grounds us in God's rhythm not our own hustle or agenda. It points us to our freedom in Christ and finally the Sabbath re-oriented us to worship and renewal. When we enter into Sabbath rest, it isn't just a pause from work. It is also to be a spiritual reset. And observing and practicing Sabbath rest, we shift our focus from our task, our responsibilities to God. We acknowledge God is the source of life. He is the source of our provision and the source of our purpose. We worship Him. The fourth commandment reminds us that God is worthy of our attention. It reminds us that God is the creator and sustainer of all things. So Exodus 20 commands us to keep it holy, reflecting on God's rest after creation. And by resting we acknowledge that life and provision come from Him, not our own effort. And so that begins with recognizing it, that we are creatures and that God is the creator and that He is worthy of our attention. In a culture of constant distraction, our phones, our assignments, our social obligations, Sabbath rest creates space to be present with God. Worship is not just singing or prayer. It is dwelling in His presence, listening, reflecting and delighting in Him. This spiritual attention renews the soul and strengthens our relationship with God. I don't know how many of you struggle to say no to things. I struggle a lot. I am a social person. I love it. My wife knows I hate being on my own. Almost to the point of bugging her while she's reading a book. But guys, we are called to spend alone time with the Lord to practice as Jesus did. I've actually been talking with a student in a weekly meeting of how do we say no to things as people who struggle to say no to things? It's not easy. For some of the introverts, it's probably pretty easy for you guys. You guys don't mind doing it, but for other people it's a struggle. And so let's put a purpose behind why we're saying no to some things in order to prioritize our time with the Lord. Sabbath rest, reorient our life to towards what truly matters. Work, stress, and striving are not eliminated, but they're put in their proper place under God's authority. Worship through rest is a way of saying, I live for you, God, not my accomplishments. It trains our hearts to prioritize God above everything else. I lead a small group actually over this topic. The staff actually said, hey, you get to do this sermon because you've covered it a lot. And how many of you have been in my small group if you're in the room here? Raise your hands. All right. So this is something that we talk about quite a bit is looking at our schedule. And that is actually possible to make time and to lose that time, I don't really wanna say lose, you actually gain time with the Lord but that you get to accomplish things. You guys get to do time management and do it well. I don't do that well all the time, but guys, Sabbath challenges us to manage our time well, to get everything done in six days and to rest on the seventh. College life is full, assignments, work, social plans, future goals, interviews after career fair. There are so many things that fill our schedule and it probably overwhelms us if we're being honest. Maybe some weeks we're doing well. Maybe some semesters. Maybe a whole year we're doing well, but it wears on us 'cause that's not how we're supposed to live. Sabbath rest gives you and I a chance to pause. Remember our identity in Christ and reconnect with the one who sustains us. Without this pause, life becomes a blur of activity with little meaning behind it. Sabbath worship refreshes perspective. It restores balance and it deepens our trust in God. When we prioritize Sabbath rest, we take a step back from our responsibilities and we lift our hearts and worship to God and recognize Him for His sovereignty and His grace. And in doing so, we will be refreshed, not only physically, but mentally and spiritually. Sabbath rest is one of the most radical and life giving practices. We can embrace in a culture obsessed with busyness, productivity and constant connectivity. Emily, where are you at? Where are you? I actually talked to you and you said, you can notice the difference when you Sabbath and when you don't. It guys, it is actually life changing. And so, we're gonna talk about some practical ways to do that. And so, it is not just a command, but it's a gift. Jesus said in Mark 227 that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. It's not a burden that God lays on us, but a rhythm that He built into creation. So, we can remember that we are more than just what we produce. So, for you all those college students, this can feel nearly impossible. Like I mentioned earlier, your assignments pile of exams and rest feels like laziness or luxury to spend time on our phones. But what if Sabbath didn't have to start at 24 hours right away? What if it started with just a few hours each week? Going a quiet walk, a meal shared with friends, an afternoon unplugged from technology or simply sitting in silence and letting yourself be in God's presence. There's a couple of those who are really challenging for me. Like I said, I don't like sitting in silence, but I'm challenged to do it. And I have not been disappointed at any point when I do. God brings rest. And so the practice of Sabbath isn't just about saying no to work, it's about saying yes to delighting in the Lord and to remembering who you are in Christ. Sabbath is how we fight the lie that our value is tied to our GPA, our resume or anything else. It's how we realign with the truth that we are already deeply loved. So make it intentional. Put it on your calendar, like it would a class, a meeting, a social hangout with friends. As you get older, you have to put them on your calendar because everyone's busy, but prioritize it. Make it intentional. You don't need to start perfectly, but treat it as sacred. You can even invite your friends to join you. Start a group with your friends that Sabbath together, even if it means no phones, good food, and honest conversation once a week. Start somewhere, begin small, and let God expand your capacity for rest. Because when we rest, we resist the noise of the world and re-enter into the peace of God. Sabbath isn't just about stopping. It's about coming home to the Father. But here's the deeper truth. You'll never fully find rest in a weekend rhythm unless you first find rest in a person. The rest, our souls, are really aching for. The freedom that we are striving from shame, from fear, from performing all the time, that rest is only found in Jesus. He is our Sabbath. He's the, that's not just poetic language, guys. It's a genuine, it's a real invitation. Jesus lived the perfect life that we couldn't. He died the death that we deserved, and yet He rose again to make a way back to the Father. So we don't have to earn love, prove our worth, or carry the weight of our brokenness anymore. In Christ, you are invited to stop striving and start abiding. You are invited into a rest that doesn't end on Sunday 9, but it stretches into eternity. The gospel isn't just about getting to heaven when you die. It's about entering into the peace of God here and now. So guys, if you are tired, if you are deep in your bones tired, this, I feel like it's kind of ironic that I get to teach on this in the middle of test week, career fair, and all these other things. And we're about to go on retreat where you guys are probably already trying to cram your homework into doing it now, and yet I'm saying, rest, do it. And so maybe the first step is to stop running from God, to stop distracting ourselves with our phones, with the thought that, oh, there's so many things, the thought that if we stop our rhythm that we've created now, that everything is gonna fall apart. And guys, that's harder to believe. I feel like it's easier said than done. It is something that I have struggled with a lot. And so I'm not saying it's gonna be easy. It's not gonna be the first try. You get it 100%. I actually told my small group that when I do that group, guys, we're not aiming for perfection. I'm aiming for you guys to start practicing what we've already been called to do. And so find the ways in which you can start small, maybe an hour, maybe an hour in the morning. I don't know, I'm not a morning person. I force myself to, and I'm not an afternoon person, 'cause if I read my Bible, I'm gonna fall asleep in the process of doing so. So find the time that works for you. There's actually a little bit more we could study about, does Sabbath have to be Saturday? Does it have to be Sunday? I would actually encourage you guys to look into that, because that is something that it's not the day. It's the practice. And so let Jesus carry you. Let him carry what you were never meant to hold. Come to him because he's already done the work. And let's rest. And so let's pray. Lord, we've come tonight to a very applicable topic, Lord, in the fourth commandment, into what it means to Sabbath. And God, would we walk away challenge tonight to maybe get away from our own agenda, to get away from the hustle that we've created and to rest into the rhythm that you have created? God, we've been challenged to see that our freedom in Christ is something to focus on when we Sabbath. It's not just to take a day off. It's not to just sleep our day or what we have been delivered from, or delivered into. God, and also we have been challenged that it is about worship and renewal, Lord. It's not just about singing, it's not just about praying, but the overall practice of resting, bringing our emotions to you. God, when days, weeks, months, years are heavy, we are calling to rest in you. Lord, you have never failed us and you never will. God, we are called to remember that tonight. And God, even when our worship, it sounds like a silent prayer, it sounds like listening to music. We can't get the words out, Lord, but that is still worship, that you call us, you call us into a relationship that you paid the debt that we could never. Lord, you invite us into a relationship that there is a free gift of salvation that if we confess our sins and that we place our trust in you, Lord, that we can rest, that we can find something that seems so unattainable in this world. Lord, you have already provided rest from the very beginning. So Lord, as we go about our weeks, as we go into this weekend, as we get back into the day and day stuff, before we come back to a catalyst again next Thursday, would this be something that we pause and that we dwell on, Lord? There's something that we talk with others about, we challenge each other, we live life with other people that our brothers and sisters in Christ and challenge one another, have we rest in? Have we spent time with the Lord? And if not, when are we gonna do so? Lord, you have called us to Sabbath. May we do that in obedience to your word. Lord, as we finish out this night to night, there's anyone who does not know Christ and wants to know more that they would find a friend that would find one of us, staff member, somebody who has already in relationship with you and just start asking questions. Lord, we are here tonight, we are here on this campus to proclaim your word, to proclaim your truth. So may we do so with all of our life. We ask this in your name. Amen. [BLANK_AUDIO]