Sermon Notes | 9.10.23
Genesis 2:1-3
[1] Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. [2] And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. [3] So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. (ESV)
The Culmination
Genesis 2:1-3
Let’s talk about SEVEN…
Genesis 1 isn’t just telling you about what type of world you’re living in; it’s showing you…that your life of worship rhythms are woven into the fabric of the universe. – Tim Mackie
The Participation
Exodus 20:8-11
[8] “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep 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, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. [11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
God rested?
What if rest has already been created and all I have to do is find ways to participate? What if God has already done the work of creating this sanctuary in time and all I have to do is enter in? What if, on this one day a week, I am freed to cease my own work and productivity and can simply be at one with all that has already been created? And if this pattern of working six days and then entering into tranquility and peace, happiness and harmony on the seventh has always been there for us—established by God at the very beginning of the created order—how might this change our lives if we fully grasped its significance? – Ruth Haley Barton, Embracing Rhythms of Work & Rest
Resisting – cultivates faith
We stop on Sabbaths because God is on the throne, assuring us the world will not fall apart if we cease our activities. Life on this side of heaven is an unfinished symphony. We accomplish one goal and then immediately are confronted with new opportunities and challenges. But ultimately we will die with countless unfinished projects and goals. That’s okay. God is at work taking care of the universe. He manages quite well without us having to run things. When we are sleeping, he is working. So he commands us to relax, to enjoy the fact that we are not in charge of his world, that even when we die, the world will continue on nicely without us. – Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
Resting – cultivates grace
[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9
Remembering – cultivates love
[12] “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. [13] Six days you shall labor and do all your work, [14] but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. [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. – Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Sabbath is a scheduled weekly reminder that we are not what we do; rather, we are who we are loved by. Sabbath and the gospel scream the same thing: we do not work to get to a place where we finally get to breathe and rest—that is slavery. Rather, we rest and breathe and enjoy God that we might enter into rest. – A.J. Swoboda, Subversive Sabbath
Reveling – cultivates joy
How can you stack some pleasures?
[6] On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. – Isaiah 25:6
There is no quicker way to discern our god playing or image bearing than to take the measure of our sabbath observance….Is there a day a week when we can honestly say that we do not work? In particular, as our power has increased, what has happened to our sabbath observance? Has it become deeper, faithful and more joyful, or has the idol of false god playing driven us ever more toward busyness and 24/7 control? One reliable sign that you are worshiping, and playing, a false god is when your power has increased but you find yourself on an ever-steeper treadmill, less and less able to rest. – Andy Crouch, Playing God
The Invitation
Matthew 11:28-30
[28] Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. – John 19:30
A Prayer for Salvation
“Heavenly Father, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed, but through your Son Jesus I can be more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you that he lived the life I should have lived and paid the debt and punishment I owed. Receive me now for his sake. I turn from my sins and receive him as Savior. Amen.”