Embracing the Sabbath: Finding Rest in God's Presence
Summary
### Summary
In today's sermon, we explored the profound importance of rest and the concept of the Sabbath as a divine commandment designed for our well-being. We are often caught up in the relentless pursuit of productivity, forgetting that we are not created to be constantly working. God, in His wisdom, has given us the Sabbath as a day to rest, recharge, and reconnect with Him. This day is set apart, holy, and dedicated to the Lord. It is a time to step back from our daily grind and allow ourselves to be rejuvenated.
We delved into the acrostic B-R-E-A-K to understand how to effectively take a break. The first letter, B, stands for "Be still." Just as a calm pond reflects the sky and allows us to see its depths, being still allows us to reflect and see into the depths of our own hearts. The second letter, R, stands for "Relax." It's not enough to be still physically; we must also relax our minds and let go of the need to control everything. Jesus invites us to come to Him for rest, reminding us that He is in control.
The third letter, E, stands for "Enjoy God." The Sabbath is not about following rules but about enjoying God's presence and worshiping Him. The fourth letter, A, stands for "Alter your mindset." We must align our thinking with God's Word, even if it means changing long-held beliefs or practices. Finally, the K stands for "Know peace." True peace comes from resting in God's presence and trusting in His control over our lives.
We are reminded that our identity is not based on our productivity but on being beloved children of God. Our work should flow out of this identity, not the other way around. By embracing the rhythm of grace, where rest precedes work, we can live more fulfilling and balanced lives.
### Key Takeaways
1. Be Still: Just as a calm pond reflects the sky and allows us to see its depths, being still allows us to reflect and see into the depths of our own hearts. In our busy lives, we often resemble a kitchen blender more than a serene pond. Taking time to be still helps us center our lives and let God work in our hearts. [03:33]
2. Relax: It's not enough to be still physically; we must also relax our minds and let go of the need to control everything. Jesus invites us to come to Him for rest, reminding us that He is in control. We often waste energy on things we can't control, but true relaxation comes from trusting in God's sovereignty. [11:01]
3. Enjoy God: The Sabbath is not about following rules but about enjoying God's presence and worshiping Him. God designed the Sabbath for our benefit, knowing that we need rest to be more effective in our work. By setting aside time to enjoy God, we align ourselves with His will and experience rejuvenation. [19:19]
4. Alter Your Mindset: We must align our thinking with God's Word, even if it means changing long-held beliefs or practices. God's wisdom surpasses our understanding, and sometimes what we think is best for us is in conflict with His will. Altering our mindset to match God's truth leads to spiritual maturity and fulfillment. [22:28]
5. Know Peace: True peace comes from resting in God's presence and trusting in His control over our lives. Our first full day of existence, according to Genesis, was a day of rest. This sets a precedent that life begins in rest, and out of that rest, we work. Embracing this rhythm of grace allows us to live in peace and fulfillment. [23:58]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[01:42] - The Importance of the Sabbath
[03:33] - Be Still: The Calm Pond
[05:34] - The Futility of Endless Work
[07:29] - The Biblical Rhythm of Time
[09:17] - The Rhythm of Grace
[11:01] - Relax: Letting Go of Control
[13:03] - Circles of Concern, Influence, and Control
[14:26] - Exercising Self-Control
[16:25] - Enjoy God: The Purpose of the Sabbath
[17:58] - The Sabbath Elevator
[19:19] - Preparing for Worship
[20:59] - Alter Your Mindset
[22:28] - Aligning with God's Word
[23:58] - Know Peace: The First Day of Rest
[26:06] - Experiencing God's Peace
[27:48] - Eustress vs. Distress
[29:33] - Living in the Rhythm of Grace
[31:52] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Exodus 20:8-10 (NIV): "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 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 male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns."
2. Psalm 127:2 (NIV): "In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves."
3. Matthew 11:28 (NIV): "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
#### Observation Questions
1. According to Exodus 20:8-10, what is the purpose of the Sabbath day? How is it described?
2. In Psalm 127:2, what does the psalmist say about the futility of working hard without rest? What does God provide to those He loves?
3. What invitation does Jesus extend in Matthew 11:28, and what does He promise to those who accept it?
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the concept of the Sabbath as a day of rest and holiness (Exodus 20:8-10) reflect God's understanding of human needs? [01:42]
2. What does Psalm 127:2 suggest about the relationship between work, rest, and trust in God? How does this align with the sermon’s message about our identity not being based on productivity? [05:34]
3. How does Jesus' invitation in Matthew 11:28 to come to Him for rest challenge our modern-day approach to work and control? [11:01]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your current weekly schedule. How often do you take time to "Be still" and reflect on your life and relationship with God? What changes can you make to incorporate more stillness into your routine? [03:33]
2. Think about areas in your life where you struggle to "Relax" and let go of control. What specific steps can you take to trust more in God's sovereignty and less in your own efforts? [11:01]
3. How do you currently "Enjoy God" in your daily life? What are some practical ways you can set aside time to worship and enjoy His presence, especially on the Sabbath? [19:19]
4. Are there any long-held beliefs or practices in your life that might be in conflict with God's Word? How can you "Alter your mindset" to align more closely with His truth? [22:28]
5. Reflect on the concept of "Know peace" as described in the sermon. How can you start your day from a place of rest and peace, trusting in God's control over your life? [23:58]
6. Identify one area of your life where you feel overwhelmed by stress. How can you differentiate between eustress (good stress) and distress (harmful stress), and what steps can you take to manage it better? [27:48]
7. How can you apply the rhythm of grace, where rest precedes work, in your daily life? What practical steps can you take to ensure that your work flows out of a place of rest and identity in God? [09:17]
Devotional
Day 1: The Power of Stillness
In our busy lives, we often resemble a kitchen blender more than a serene pond. Taking time to be still helps us center our lives and let God work in our hearts. Just as a calm pond reflects the sky and allows us to see its depths, being still allows us to reflect and see into the depths of our own hearts. This stillness is not just physical but also mental and spiritual, creating a space where we can hear God's voice more clearly and understand His will for our lives.
Being still is a deliberate act of stepping away from the chaos and noise that often surrounds us. It is in this stillness that we can truly connect with God, allowing Him to reveal areas in our lives that need His touch. By making a habit of being still, we create a rhythm that aligns us with God's peace and presence. [03:33]
Psalm 46:10 (ESV): "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"
Reflection: Think about your daily routine. What specific time and place can you set aside each day to be still and reflect on God's presence?
Day 2: Letting Go of Control
It's not enough to be still physically; we must also relax our minds and let go of the need to control everything. Jesus invites us to come to Him for rest, reminding us that He is in control. We often waste energy on things we can't control, but true relaxation comes from trusting in God's sovereignty.
Relaxation is an act of faith, a declaration that we trust God more than our own efforts. When we relax, we acknowledge that God is in control and that His plans are better than ours. This mindset shift allows us to experience true rest and peace, knowing that we are in His capable hands. [11:01]
Matthew 11:28-29 (ESV): "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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."
Reflection: Identify one area in your life where you are struggling to let go of control. How can you practically surrender this area to God today?
Day 3: Enjoying God's Presence
The Sabbath is not about following rules but about enjoying God's presence and worshiping Him. God designed the Sabbath for our benefit, knowing that we need rest to be more effective in our work. By setting aside time to enjoy God, we align ourselves with His will and experience rejuvenation.
Enjoying God means delighting in His presence, spending time in worship, prayer, and reflection. It is a time to focus on His goodness and faithfulness, allowing our hearts to be filled with gratitude and joy. This enjoyment is not just for the Sabbath but should be a daily practice that refreshes our spirits and strengthens our relationship with God. [19:19]
Psalm 16:11 (ESV): "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
Reflection: How can you intentionally set aside time each day to enjoy God's presence? What activities or practices help you feel closest to Him?
Day 4: Aligning with God's Word
We must align our thinking with God's Word, even if it means changing long-held beliefs or practices. God's wisdom surpasses our understanding, and sometimes what we think is best for us is in conflict with His will. Altering our mindset to match God's truth leads to spiritual maturity and fulfillment.
Aligning with God's Word requires humility and a willingness to be transformed by His truth. It means being open to correction and guidance from the Holy Spirit, allowing God's Word to shape our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. This alignment brings us into a deeper relationship with God and helps us live in a way that honors Him. [22:28]
Romans 12:2 (ESV): "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Reflection: What is one belief or practice in your life that may not align with God's Word? How can you seek God's guidance to bring this area into alignment with His truth?
Day 5: Embracing True Peace
True peace comes from resting in God's presence and trusting in His control over our lives. Our first full day of existence, according to Genesis, was a day of rest. This sets a precedent that life begins in rest, and out of that rest, we work. Embracing this rhythm of grace allows us to live in peace and fulfillment.
Peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God in the midst of it. When we rest in God's presence, we find a peace that surpasses all understanding. This peace guards our hearts and minds, enabling us to navigate life's challenges with confidence and trust in God's sovereignty. [23:58]
Isaiah 26:3 (ESV): "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."
Reflection: Reflect on a recent situation where you felt anxious or stressed. How can you practice resting in God's presence to experience His peace in similar situations in the future?
Quotes
1. "You are not designed to work all the time. You're not designed to always be producing. You are created by God in God's image. And one of his commandments to us, these 10 commandments, these life preservers that we are looking at in this series, is to take a break. Take a day off. Take a Sabbath." [01:42] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "We weren't made. We weren't created. We're not designed to constantly be on the treadmill of productivity. We need time to step back and to rest. So how do we do it? Well, I've given you an acrostic today. Take a break. B-R-E-A-K. So the first letter, the B, if you're going to take a break, if you're going to practice Sabbath, if you're going to rest the way God designed you to, the first thing you need to learn how to do is be still." [03:33] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Busyness oftentimes is a facade. It's a way to, to avoid reality. It's a substitute for what this text says. God gives rest to whom? To his loved ones. Do you see yourself, is that your identity? Do you see yourself as a loved one, beloved of God, one whom God is watching over, one who is, whom is the, who's the object of, of God's grace and God's mercy?" [05:34] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "In the biblical world, in the biblical way of marking time, the day actually begins at sunset. So, there's darkness, and then there's light. And that's a day. so the first thing you do in a new day is rest you're designed for that you're designed for rest and then the work that we're called to do and we're called to work god didn't give it he didn't sit us here on the earth and put his place us here on the earth with nothing to do no he says that we are his vice regents that that we are created in his image to carry out his purposes to reflect uh his glory back to the earth and to reflect his excuse me to reflect his wise stewardship back to the earth so that the earth the creation itself can come to its full creative potential and then to reflect the glory of god back to god so we we have work to do but our work begins not with work but with rest it's i call us the rhythm of grace see i work i work out of my rest i work out of my identity first i have my identity" [07:29] (89 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "The rhythm of grace teaches that your worth is not based on what you can do for god but it's based on what god has done for you and what god is doing for you loving you so the b is be still the r is relax you know uh you can be still on the outside like you can kind of take this this message to heart and say well he's right you know i need to spend more time just resting being with the lord i need to make sure i'm practicing i'm practicing i'm practicing i'm practicing i'm practicing i'm practicing i'm practicing and keeping a sabbath where i'm really focused on god's love for me uh at least one day a week and uh so i'm gonna i'm gonna just stop i'm gonna stop my work and i'm just gonna sit and be still so you can still the outside of you but then the mind can just keep going and going and going you can step off the physical treadmill but stay on the mental treadmill and god wants you to relax he wants you to receive" [09:17] (63 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "You know what you have control over? You. You. I have control over me. I have control over my feelings. I have control over my attitudes. I have control over my actions. Now, a weird thing happens when you spend more time out in the circle of influence and circle of concern trying to control those things. A lot of times, that's when people lose control of their feelings and their attitudes and even some of their actions, but God puts you in control of you, and he wants you to actually control your actions. He wants you to actually control your actions. He wants you to exercise that control in manners that are consistent with who you are, with your identity as a child of God, beloved by God, and if you'll focus more in energy and time and thought into exercising self-control, you'll find that your life will go a lot better, a lot more smoothly, and you'll learn that God is in control and that God cares for you." [14:26] (82 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "God's given us the Sabbath for our own benefit. It was, made for us. It wasn't created so he could say, well, see, I told you so, or see, you did everything I asked you, so now you're a good little boy or a good little girl. No, it's, he knows who we are, he knows how we live, and he knows that we need rest. We need to rest and enjoy God. One of the ways we enjoy God is by worshiping him. So if we're going to worship God on a Sunday, then we need to be thinking about it before Sunday, right? We might do some things on Saturday to prepare so that you know, okay, I'm not out too late. I'm going to get plenty of rest so I can be recharged and ready and go and worship the Lord and fellowship with him and fellowship with other believers and experience that rejuvenation, that recharging of my batteries that he wants me to experience." [20:59] (55 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "If anything in your life is in contradiction to God's word, then it's you that needs to change. It's not God's word that we need to change. That's what got us, has gotten us in a lot of trouble in the church. When we've looked at the world, well, what's the world doing? Well, we've looked at the world. Well, let's do it more like they're doing it. They'll like us more. They might show up more. And actually the opposite is true. Well, we don't offer that contrast. So alter your mindset." [22:28] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "If you go back and look in Genesis, when God created human beings, the first, he created human beings on the sixth day. So the first full day of human existence, the first full day, the first complete 24-hour period that human beings were alive was a day of rest, was the Sabbath. That sort of dovetails, doesn't it, with the way the biblical material and the biblical worldview marks time, that life begins in rest, and it's out of our rest that we go and we work. So we want to start out in a place of peace, of wholeness. Of well-being, of communion with God. Why? Because God loves us. He cares about us. He doesn't just give us arbitrary rules that we can prove our loyalty to him. That's not the purpose of the Ten Commandments or any of the commandments of Jesus. purpose is because he knows us better than we know ourselves, and he wants us to know his presence. And in his presence, we can find peace." [23:58] (95 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "Distress takes place when we think that everything depends on us, and everything that I need depends on me, instead of turning it over to God. I say, God, you created me. You gave me some work to do. I want to be about that. I want to have wisdom. I want to have discernment about what it is you're calling me to do. And to accomplish, and to be. And then I'm going to let everything else stay out there in that circle of concern that I don't have control over. And I'm going to let you take control. Carrie Underwood, the great theologian, sang it well when she said, Jesus, take the wheel. Jesus, take the wheel. I'm distressed. I've been in control. I've been trying to be in control, because you can't be in control. God's in control." [29:33] (59 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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