WEBVTT 00:00:00.330 --> 00:00:03.390 Our message today will be based on Exodus chapter 00:00:03.390 --> 00:00:06.169 20, and we're going to read that at the beginning 00:00:06.169 --> 00:00:28.309 here. nor your son or daughter, nor your male 00:00:28.309 --> 00:00:31.449 or female servant, nor your animals, nor any 00:00:31.449 --> 00:00:35.490 foreigner residing in your towns. For in six 00:00:35.490 --> 00:00:38.049 days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, 00:00:38.170 --> 00:00:42.390 the sea, and all that is in them. But he rested 00:00:42.390 --> 00:00:46.549 on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed 00:00:46.549 --> 00:00:51.369 the Sabbath day and made it holy. This is God's 00:00:51.369 --> 00:01:00.509 word. Have you ever pulled an all -nighter? I 00:01:00.509 --> 00:01:04.269 remember there was one time I let a youth lock 00:01:04.269 --> 00:01:08.549 in and stayed up all night, right? And then still 00:01:08.549 --> 00:01:11.150 had to go to a wedding the next day, a late wedding 00:01:11.150 --> 00:01:13.670 without a nap. Maybe just the thought of it makes 00:01:13.670 --> 00:01:16.829 you exhausted. But for the sake of the children 00:01:16.829 --> 00:01:19.469 here today, let's entertain it just for a moment. 00:01:20.329 --> 00:01:22.909 You have all these plans of what you're going 00:01:22.909 --> 00:01:27.010 to do. The popcorn, the pizza, the jumping off 00:01:27.010 --> 00:01:30.370 the walls, the pillow fights, the movies and 00:01:30.370 --> 00:01:33.790 video games, maybe time in the gym. It's being 00:01:33.790 --> 00:01:37.890 wild. And then 10 o 'clock hits and the first 00:01:37.890 --> 00:01:41.159 kid passes out. Now you've got a bump on the 00:01:41.159 --> 00:01:43.780 floor in a sleeping bag you've got to avoid and 00:01:43.780 --> 00:01:47.140 not trip over. But some of the kids keep pressing 00:01:47.140 --> 00:01:51.040 on, right? One o 'clock, then 2 a .m., and then 00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:53.459 you know the sugar rushes, the sugar crashes 00:01:53.459 --> 00:01:56.959 come. And some of the kids are just getting delirious 00:01:56.959 --> 00:01:59.560 and can't even think straight, and the decisions, 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:02.680 the quality is just going down as the night goes 00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:05.319 on. And maybe a few of them make it to the next 00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:10.189 morning, but eventually your body stops. It will 00:02:10.189 --> 00:02:14.330 not go anymore. And you pay for it, right? There's 00:02:14.330 --> 00:02:17.210 costs. You sleep in the whole next day. It maybe 00:02:17.210 --> 00:02:20.889 affects you for the next few days. I bring this 00:02:20.889 --> 00:02:25.129 up because I wonder if this is what many of us 00:02:25.129 --> 00:02:31.090 are doing to our souls. Pulling an all -nighter. 00:02:32.189 --> 00:02:36.669 Living at a pace. that is unsustainable, that 00:02:36.669 --> 00:02:39.770 eventually, if we have not crashed yet, the crash 00:02:39.770 --> 00:02:43.229 will come and we could prevent this, we could 00:02:43.229 --> 00:02:47.009 be proactive by talking about this and focusing 00:02:47.009 --> 00:02:52.750 on this over the next days and weeks. Are we 00:02:52.750 --> 00:02:56.650 living against the grain of the universe? Dragging 00:02:56.650 --> 00:02:59.909 our souls through life, giving ourselves unnecessary 00:02:59.909 --> 00:03:04.189 splinters in the process by the things we're 00:03:04.189 --> 00:03:09.129 saying yes to, by what we're choosing to do, 00:03:09.250 --> 00:03:13.289 when there could be a different way that Jesus 00:03:13.289 --> 00:03:18.889 puts in front of us today. Now I know as some 00:03:18.889 --> 00:03:22.289 of you hear this message today, this is going 00:03:22.289 --> 00:03:26.479 to be the permission you've needed. Maybe you 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:29.759 had a spiritual habit in the past of just listening 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:33.219 to Christian music without distractions or just 00:03:33.219 --> 00:03:36.680 spending a few minutes a day on your own in prayer 00:03:36.680 --> 00:03:38.960 or with your family. And maybe you've gotten 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:41.000 away from it and this is permission to go back 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:44.159 to that or to try that and ask somebody to support 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:48.240 you, even do it with you. I know some of you 00:03:48.240 --> 00:03:51.020 will hear this today and your schedules are so 00:03:51.020 --> 00:03:54.490 overloaded. that you're just thinking something's 00:03:54.490 --> 00:03:56.889 got to change. I am done with that, but I don't 00:03:56.889 --> 00:03:58.490 know how to change. I don't even know where to 00:03:58.490 --> 00:04:00.590 start. And maybe this will give you permission. 00:04:00.789 --> 00:04:02.509 You're the kind of person that wants to finish 00:04:02.509 --> 00:04:04.870 your commitments in this season. We're going 00:04:04.870 --> 00:04:06.409 to do what we said we're going to do, but hey, 00:04:06.550 --> 00:04:10.830 we have to start looking ahead. We have to look 00:04:10.830 --> 00:04:14.569 at the cost. Of all these activities, all we're 00:04:14.569 --> 00:04:16.470 putting on our calendar, not just financially, 00:04:16.490 --> 00:04:20.889 but emotionally, energy -wise, is this helping 00:04:20.889 --> 00:04:23.089 us become the kind of people, the kind of family 00:04:23.089 --> 00:04:27.389 we want to be that God wants us to be? And maybe 00:04:27.389 --> 00:04:29.529 you're going to look ahead and plan the next 00:04:29.529 --> 00:04:32.089 season, the summer season, or even next fall, 00:04:32.230 --> 00:04:35.889 differently than you did this year. Some of us 00:04:35.889 --> 00:04:38.410 will hear this message and I understand. You're 00:04:38.410 --> 00:04:40.009 just not going to be ready for it. You're going 00:04:40.009 --> 00:04:43.290 to feel some resistance to it. Or you're going 00:04:43.290 --> 00:04:47.410 to say, I'm fine right now. And I understand 00:04:47.410 --> 00:04:50.589 that. I've had all the resistance that you probably 00:04:50.589 --> 00:04:53.310 do as well. And I'm not going to argue with that, 00:04:53.370 --> 00:04:55.870 but I'm just going to ask you to imagine what 00:04:55.870 --> 00:05:00.189 could be different in your life if you took Jesus 00:05:00.189 --> 00:05:06.889 up on his promise to give you rest, By listening 00:05:06.889 --> 00:05:10.990 to him, learning from him, letting him show you 00:05:10.990 --> 00:05:14.550 his way of life, come along beside you and carry 00:05:14.550 --> 00:05:17.990 the load with you every moment of every day. 00:05:18.750 --> 00:05:22.870 As a habit, as a routine, as a lifestyle. What 00:05:22.870 --> 00:05:27.149 could be different? There is a different way. 00:05:28.990 --> 00:05:32.209 And it's an ancient way. It's nothing new. You 00:05:32.209 --> 00:05:35.550 heard about it in Exodus chapter 20 when the 00:05:35.550 --> 00:05:37.170 Ten Commandments were given, but we're going 00:05:37.170 --> 00:05:39.490 to see this way actually goes all the way back 00:05:39.490 --> 00:05:43.189 to creation. And I want to give you this acronym 00:05:43.189 --> 00:05:46.310 today of R .E .S .T. so that you can remind yourself 00:05:46.310 --> 00:05:52.649 in the coming days, remember eternity, slow down 00:05:52.649 --> 00:06:03.139 in Christ. Remember. Eternity. Slow down in Christ. 00:06:05.860 --> 00:06:11.240 This is the third commandment. And if you actually 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:14.319 study the commandments that God gave to his people 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:17.939 after they came out of slavery in Egypt, if you 00:06:17.939 --> 00:06:20.459 analyze the commandments, this commandment takes 00:06:20.459 --> 00:06:25.339 up 30 % of all of the ten commandments. The amount 00:06:25.339 --> 00:06:28.620 of words God uses for this one. So do the math. 00:06:28.759 --> 00:06:31.639 It's one out of ten commands but takes up 30%. 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:36.019 This must matter a lot. God is trying to get 00:06:36.019 --> 00:06:39.540 through to us. And more than just seeing this 00:06:39.540 --> 00:06:42.680 today as another obligation I've got to do or 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:45.959 a mandatory time off, would you see this today 00:06:45.959 --> 00:06:50.560 as a gift God is giving you? The gift of rest 00:06:50.560 --> 00:06:54.899 for your souls. A regular habit he wants to build 00:06:54.899 --> 00:06:59.259 into your life of coming to him over and over 00:06:59.259 --> 00:07:04.300 again in every moment of every day. Now for his 00:07:04.300 --> 00:07:07.860 people, this was one day. This was a Saturday. 00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:11.740 And remember, his people had been slaves and 00:07:11.740 --> 00:07:14.800 now they were free. And you know there's a danger 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:17.120 there of when people are given freedom, what 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:19.220 are they going to do with it? Were his people 00:07:19.220 --> 00:07:21.920 just going to enslave themselves all over again 00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:25.779 to each other and to themselves by living an 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:29.199 unsustainable pace in life? And so God builds 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:32.839 it into their weekly schedule on repeat. Take 00:07:32.839 --> 00:07:38.839 a day, a Sabbath, and rest. That's what Sabbath 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:50.490 means. Stop. Hit pause. Rest. Step back and see 00:07:50.490 --> 00:07:54.250 the bigger picture. That there is more to life 00:07:54.250 --> 00:07:59.310 than just what you're doing. Than just your responsibilities. 00:08:00.389 --> 00:08:03.290 Yeah, that's for the rest of the week. We all 00:08:03.290 --> 00:08:06.949 have to go through the daily grind. But there 00:08:06.949 --> 00:08:11.009 is more to life than that. You are not just human 00:08:11.009 --> 00:08:17.220 doings. You are human beings. There is time just 00:08:17.220 --> 00:08:23.100 to be with God, to be present with Him, to put 00:08:23.100 --> 00:08:26.240 aside the other distractions and the other good 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:28.740 things, the other blessings, even the pleasurable 00:08:28.740 --> 00:08:32.379 things, the fun things, and just to be with God 00:08:32.379 --> 00:08:35.340 and to be with other people and deeply connect 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:38.139 in a way that is going to send you back out into 00:08:38.139 --> 00:08:42.440 the week. So you can live out of that rest and 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:48.379 with the strength God only can provide. So for 00:08:48.379 --> 00:08:51.220 them it was a day that they were to remember 00:08:51.220 --> 00:08:54.279 to keep it holy. To keep something holy means 00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:58.259 to set it apart for a special purpose. A special 00:08:58.259 --> 00:09:02.700 day, a gift from God to protect them from running 00:09:02.700 --> 00:09:06.500 themselves ragged, from becoming so stretched 00:09:06.500 --> 00:09:10.799 out and thin in life and so spread out. And pulled 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:15.279 apart in every direction. It was a Saturday. 00:09:16.059 --> 00:09:22.200 It was a day. So what about us? Now some people 00:09:22.200 --> 00:09:24.440 will rightly, if you've read your New Testaments 00:09:24.440 --> 00:09:27.879 or learned this before, you will remember when 00:09:27.879 --> 00:09:31.259 Paul told us in Colossians, don't let anyone 00:09:31.259 --> 00:09:35.960 judge you by Sabbath days, by how you Sabbath, 00:09:36.100 --> 00:09:40.710 when you Sabbath. That belonged to the Old Testament 00:09:40.710 --> 00:09:47.590 law and ceremonies. So that passage tells us 00:09:47.590 --> 00:09:50.210 we are not bound to the Sabbath in the exact 00:09:50.210 --> 00:09:54.350 ways the Old Testament people were. So some people 00:09:54.350 --> 00:09:56.129 will hear that and think, well, Christians have 00:09:56.129 --> 00:10:01.309 just moved it from Saturday to Sunday. Partially 00:10:01.309 --> 00:10:06.110 correct. For us, it is actually more than a day. 00:10:10.029 --> 00:10:12.789 For us, we get to experience the full meaning 00:10:12.789 --> 00:10:19.149 of Sabbath. The Sabbath, the rest that Jesus 00:10:19.149 --> 00:10:28.529 has brought by taking care of our eternity. You 00:10:28.529 --> 00:10:30.850 have to keep reading the New Testaments to see 00:10:30.850 --> 00:10:33.450 the wisdom of the third commandment and how it 00:10:33.450 --> 00:10:35.990 applies to our lives now in the times after Jesus. 00:10:37.580 --> 00:10:40.340 I've heard a lot of people make the excuse, well, 00:10:40.419 --> 00:10:42.799 we are New Testament Christians, we no longer 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:46.659 have to do this. But then I ask them, how is 00:10:46.659 --> 00:10:50.120 that working for you? In what you came to talk 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:52.620 about, in what you say your challenges and your 00:10:52.620 --> 00:10:56.700 burdens are, how is that going? Trying to live 00:10:56.700 --> 00:11:00.779 life without this rest Jesus gives you. We have 00:11:00.779 --> 00:11:03.830 to keep reading in the New Testament. Where Paul 00:11:03.830 --> 00:11:08.009 tells us to let the word of God dwell in us richly. 00:11:08.009 --> 00:11:10.909 And that same letter that he wrote about, hey, 00:11:10.970 --> 00:11:15.169 you don't have to do the Sabbath exactly like 00:11:15.169 --> 00:11:19.570 the Old Testament people do. But let the word 00:11:19.570 --> 00:11:22.490 dwell in you richly. The author to the Hebrews 00:11:22.490 --> 00:11:26.590 tells us not to give up meeting together. As 00:11:26.590 --> 00:11:30.539 some are in the habit of doing, right? But let 00:11:30.539 --> 00:11:33.299 us encourage one another when we come together 00:11:33.299 --> 00:11:36.879 and set aside other distractions and our devices 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:40.100 and carve out that time just to be present with 00:11:40.100 --> 00:11:43.860 God. We are resting from our work and we are 00:11:43.860 --> 00:11:50.279 letting God work within us. And also we're putting 00:11:50.279 --> 00:11:53.340 ourselves in a setting where others can encourage 00:11:53.340 --> 00:12:01.419 us and where we can encourage them. The New Testament 00:12:01.419 --> 00:12:05.019 goes on to say in Hebrews, a Sabbath remains 00:12:05.019 --> 00:12:11.980 for the people of God. Make every effort to enter 00:12:11.980 --> 00:12:17.419 God's rest. So for us, it is more than just a 00:12:17.419 --> 00:12:23.200 day. In fact, you heard Jesus say, come, you 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:26.740 who are weary and burdened. I will give you rest. 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:31.710 And here's how. He doesn't say, just come and 00:12:31.710 --> 00:12:35.610 do nothing. He says, come and learn from me. 00:12:36.730 --> 00:12:42.789 Come and listen. Let me work in your heart. Let 00:12:42.789 --> 00:12:45.990 me speak to you. Let me comfort you. Let me encourage 00:12:45.990 --> 00:12:50.529 you. Let me direct you. Let me come beside you 00:12:50.529 --> 00:12:55.570 and carry life with you. Remember the Sabbath. 00:13:00.169 --> 00:13:04.850 Remember eternity. Did you notice God gave them 00:13:04.850 --> 00:13:07.570 a reason why they were to do this? When you tell 00:13:07.570 --> 00:13:10.230 a child to do something, what's the next response 00:13:10.230 --> 00:13:15.210 usually? Why? Why do I have to do that? God gives 00:13:15.210 --> 00:13:33.429 them the reason. He says, Holy. He has them remember 00:13:33.429 --> 00:13:38.389 eternity. That yes, the moments in your life 00:13:38.389 --> 00:13:41.210 right now, the present matters. And what you're 00:13:41.210 --> 00:13:44.149 doing and your responsibilities matters. And 00:13:44.149 --> 00:13:46.549 where you need to be, that does matter. But look 00:13:46.549 --> 00:13:50.049 at the bigger picture. Take a step back. He connects 00:13:50.049 --> 00:13:52.909 them all the way back to creation and then on 00:13:52.909 --> 00:13:55.490 into eternity. You are part of something so much 00:13:55.490 --> 00:13:59.860 bigger. And God has built a rhythm into this 00:13:59.860 --> 00:14:05.480 creation. For six days, God created. And it was 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:08.779 good. It was very good. And then day seven, God 00:14:08.779 --> 00:14:13.360 steps back and rests. Now, does that mean God 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:17.320 was exhausted from creating? Like he can't handle 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:21.919 that? He was worn out and burned out? No. It 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:24.340 means God took a step back and the Father, Son, 00:14:24.440 --> 00:14:26.460 and Holy Spirit looked at each other and said, 00:14:27.100 --> 00:14:33.220 Wow. This is amazing. They delighted in the creation. 00:14:34.899 --> 00:14:37.759 They were grateful they had made us and that 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:40.159 they were sharing all this with us. So along 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:44.000 with rest and pause and stopping with Sabbath, 00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:49.179 there is gratitude that is meant to be a rhythm 00:14:49.179 --> 00:14:56.620 of our life. Delighting. In God, in his gifts, 00:14:56.740 --> 00:15:01.679 in other people. And that changes us. Remembering 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:06.820 eternity often. I'll never forget the wisdom 00:15:06.820 --> 00:15:09.860 from a church cookbook at the church I grew up 00:15:09.860 --> 00:15:12.820 with. The women would put their best recipes 00:15:12.820 --> 00:15:15.179 in there and pass them down. And I still have 00:15:15.179 --> 00:15:17.820 some of Grandma Patsy's recipes. But more than 00:15:17.820 --> 00:15:19.620 that, they would put little proverbs in there 00:15:19.620 --> 00:15:22.879 they had learned in their Christian walk. And 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:25.639 Pearl Terlinden, she lived right down the road 00:15:25.639 --> 00:15:29.139 on a farm, she wrote this little line. You know, 00:15:29.139 --> 00:15:32.820 going to worship is like taking your glasses 00:15:32.820 --> 00:15:36.779 off and cleaning the lenses so you can see clearly 00:15:36.779 --> 00:15:43.279 again. Guarding time to just be present with 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:47.759 God, to listen to him, it is clearing up our 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:52.309 vision of everything that cakes. our vision during 00:15:52.309 --> 00:15:57.190 the week that distracts us, that clouds our vision, 00:15:57.250 --> 00:16:01.850 that when we worship, when we rest, when we listen 00:16:01.850 --> 00:16:06.049 to God, we can see clearly again to keep going 00:16:06.049 --> 00:16:10.110 towards our home, our heavenly home. Remember 00:16:10.110 --> 00:16:22.139 eternity. And slow down. Slow down. long enough 00:16:22.139 --> 00:16:25.539 to actually evaluate your life from God's perspective. 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:28.679 That's what we did this morning in the confession 00:16:28.679 --> 00:16:31.639 of sins as you prepare yourself to come to the 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:35.299 Lord's Supper. There is meant to be some kind 00:16:35.299 --> 00:16:39.320 of examination that takes place, some self -reflection, 00:16:39.460 --> 00:16:43.299 and you actually need to slow down to do that 00:16:43.299 --> 00:16:51.549 so God can do his work in you. I would encourage 00:16:51.549 --> 00:16:55.750 you to pay attention to what is really beneath 00:16:55.750 --> 00:17:01.129 your exhaustion in life. I get that there are 00:17:01.129 --> 00:17:03.370 health conditions that wear us out. There are 00:17:03.370 --> 00:17:07.609 seasons of life, raising kids, responsibilities 00:17:07.609 --> 00:17:11.190 at work. I get that. There are mountains of responsibilities, 00:17:11.450 --> 00:17:13.869 full schedules. But I mean, look beneath the 00:17:13.869 --> 00:17:18.250 surface of all that. For you specifically, what 00:17:18.250 --> 00:17:23.430 is the source? of your unrest beneath your exhaustion. 00:17:25.609 --> 00:17:30.190 Slow down long enough to look at that. What am 00:17:30.190 --> 00:17:35.369 I paying attention to most? Pay attention to 00:17:35.369 --> 00:17:38.130 what you are paying attention to. This is wise 00:17:38.130 --> 00:17:41.109 because what you are paying attention to, what 00:17:41.109 --> 00:17:43.450 you are looking at, the first thing you look 00:17:43.450 --> 00:17:45.230 at in the morning and think about throughout 00:17:45.230 --> 00:17:48.750 the day and constantly look at, that is shaping 00:17:48.750 --> 00:17:53.349 you. That is likely the person you are becoming, 00:17:53.490 --> 00:17:56.569 what you pay attention to most. And so ask yourself, 00:17:56.750 --> 00:17:59.630 is that what God wants for me? Is that what I 00:17:59.630 --> 00:18:07.970 want for my life? If I am consuming an unhealthy 00:18:07.970 --> 00:18:12.559 amount of news, From the anger and fear -driven 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:16.779 news cycle. Am I becoming a more gentle and patient 00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:19.500 person as a result of that? Or am I becoming 00:18:19.500 --> 00:18:24.559 more worked up, irritated, agitated, and afraid? 00:18:26.660 --> 00:18:29.440 What kind of person am I becoming? Could that 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:34.079 be leading to my exhaustion? If I am scrolling 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:36.859 endlessly through the lives of others, is that 00:18:36.859 --> 00:18:40.200 making me more grateful and content at what I 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:42.380 have in the life I've been given? Or am I becoming 00:18:42.380 --> 00:18:46.400 more discontent, more envious, more jealous? 00:18:46.980 --> 00:18:53.119 And that is exhausting. Last week, Pastor Dolan 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:56.599 spent the whole service talking about the exhaustion 00:18:56.599 --> 00:19:01.559 that comes from not forgiving. from holding grudges, 00:19:01.559 --> 00:19:04.500 from making that choice to try and get even, 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:09.700 to get revenge? Could that be the unrest beneath 00:19:09.700 --> 00:19:14.740 my exhaustion? An area God is showing me to get 00:19:14.740 --> 00:19:20.759 some help with that he wants to work on. Am I 00:19:20.759 --> 00:19:23.279 checking emails the first thing I wake up in 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:25.859 the morning? Before I go to bed, am I waking 00:19:25.859 --> 00:19:30.519 up in the middle of the night? Do I have limits 00:19:30.519 --> 00:19:34.079 on any of these things? The news, on scrolling 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:38.660 endlessly, on checking emails? Or do I think 00:19:38.660 --> 00:19:42.180 I am limitless? That I am everyone's savior? 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:45.119 That I am available to everyone at any time? 00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:50.920 Am I trying to find my identity and my worth 00:19:50.920 --> 00:19:54.380 too much in my work, in how much I'm needed, 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:58.960 in how well I respond? Or am I going to take 00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:03.200 this wisdom and carve aside times to just shut 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:06.920 devices down, turn them off, be present with 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:12.680 God, be present with other people? Am I waking 00:20:12.680 --> 00:20:16.759 up each day to make people like me? To get their 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:20.200 approval? Or am I secure in the approval I already 00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:27.000 have from God? Is that driving my life? Slow 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:30.420 down enough to let God do this work on you until 00:20:30.420 --> 00:20:37.660 he shows you what might be a source of your unrest, 00:20:37.740 --> 00:20:42.880 of your exhaustion. And then once you find something, 00:20:43.079 --> 00:20:50.279 don't stop there. Remember eternity, slow down 00:20:50.279 --> 00:21:00.690 in Christ. Come to me, he says. Let me do it 00:21:00.690 --> 00:21:04.470 with you. Let me carry it with you. Listen to 00:21:04.470 --> 00:21:07.230 me. Learn from me. Let me show you how to do 00:21:07.230 --> 00:21:15.990 this. What is one change you could make in the 00:21:15.990 --> 00:21:20.430 next week or weeks? Maybe you want to get back 00:21:20.430 --> 00:21:23.829 to that spiritual habit. Maybe you want to change 00:21:23.829 --> 00:21:28.519 the music you listen to on your commute. And 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:30.660 fill your head with something positive, something 00:21:30.660 --> 00:21:34.500 that's going to give you encouragement and rest 00:21:34.500 --> 00:21:40.299 and not more lies of the world. Maybe you want 00:21:40.299 --> 00:21:44.279 to just a minute or two a day on your own with 00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:47.539 your family, just reading a little of God's word 00:21:47.539 --> 00:21:51.640 and a little prayer. Maybe before you leave your 00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:53.819 house, it's grabbing your wife's hand. Maybe 00:21:53.819 --> 00:21:55.519 you've never done this before and it's just saying, 00:21:55.619 --> 00:21:58.839 God help us live for you. and live for each other 00:21:58.839 --> 00:22:04.579 today. Amen. Maybe it's actually praying before 00:22:04.579 --> 00:22:07.880 that meal instead of just scarfing down or even 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:09.759 if it's in the car on the way to an activity. 00:22:10.299 --> 00:22:13.200 Just those little moments in the middle of the 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:16.480 grind, in the middle of the chaos, pausing, resting, 00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:21.240 orienting yourself back to God, seeing Jesus 00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:24.660 beside you and directing those around you to 00:22:24.660 --> 00:22:30.480 him as well. When you find this rest, you will 00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:33.579 want to share it with others. You will think, 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:37.859 boy, I have really been missing this. I could 00:22:37.859 --> 00:22:43.960 have a different life. It's right here. I want 00:22:43.960 --> 00:22:47.039 to leave you today with this focus on your Savior 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:51.880 because this is about resting in Jesus. He is 00:22:51.880 --> 00:22:55.960 the Lord of the Sabbath, the Lord of rest. This 00:22:55.960 --> 00:23:00.180 commandment was really about him. It was pointing 00:23:00.180 --> 00:23:03.420 the people ahead to him and the deep rest for 00:23:03.420 --> 00:23:08.000 their souls that he would bring to them. Rest 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:11.079 from their guilt over how they'd been running 00:23:11.079 --> 00:23:14.319 themselves ragged and messing up their lives. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:18.519 And by tiring themselves out, being really short 00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:21.000 with people, saying things they regretted, he 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:23.680 gave them forgiveness for all of that guilt. 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:30.839 And that's yours too. That's rest. This is the 00:23:30.839 --> 00:23:34.519 Jesus who had the most important job in the world. 00:23:35.059 --> 00:23:38.880 Such a short life to live. So much to do. And 00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:42.400 yet, what do we hear him doing often? Going to 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:48.039 Sabbath. Worshiping. Retreating to the mountain, 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:51.119 to the lake. Even though he's got all these people 00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:54.720 who need him. All these miracles to do, all this 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:57.220 teaching to do, this comforting, this counseling. 00:23:57.359 --> 00:24:01.059 At times he withdraws. Why? To be with his father. 00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:06.740 Because he needed him. And if the Son of God 00:24:06.740 --> 00:24:09.900 needed his Father and lived out of that rest 00:24:09.900 --> 00:24:13.160 he got from him, how much more do we need our 00:24:13.160 --> 00:24:19.759 Heavenly Father? This is the Jesus who lived 00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:24.759 his life for his Father and what he wanted, not 00:24:24.759 --> 00:24:28.900 for self -promotion or not under self -pressure. 00:24:30.920 --> 00:24:34.359 This was the Jesus who lived for others, not 00:24:34.359 --> 00:24:36.839 looking what he could get out of it because he 00:24:36.839 --> 00:24:39.359 already had everything he needed, that rest in 00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:43.819 his Father, that security, that guarantee, that 00:24:43.819 --> 00:24:47.140 promise that he would come through all this and 00:24:47.140 --> 00:24:55.259 he would win the victory. We have that too. The 00:24:55.259 --> 00:24:58.299 author of the Hebrew says, make every effort. 00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:03.140 To enter this rest, a Sabbath remains for the 00:25:03.140 --> 00:25:10.940 people of God. Remember eternity. Slow down in 00:25:10.940 --> 00:25:16.619 Christ. There's rest for your guilt. There's 00:25:16.619 --> 00:25:19.700 rest for your worries about your health or about 00:25:19.700 --> 00:25:22.319 the health of somebody else or about the state 00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:26.119 of the world. Because as you rest in Jesus, you 00:25:26.119 --> 00:25:29.619 look all the way back to creation. You remember 00:25:29.619 --> 00:25:33.299 who you are. You remember where you came from. 00:25:33.319 --> 00:25:38.319 You remember what really matters. You remember 00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:40.680 that you were made for a meaningful purpose. 00:25:42.619 --> 00:25:45.839 And you look into the future. You look into eternity. 00:25:45.940 --> 00:25:48.160 And you see what's in store for you. And God 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:50.759 will raise your body to health and wholeness. 00:25:50.759 --> 00:25:53.160 And he will make this world right once again. 00:25:55.880 --> 00:26:04.809 We need this. Each of us. Amen. Thanks for listening 00:26:04.809 --> 00:26:08.430 to Emmanuel's Sermon Podcast. If you'd like to 00:26:08.430 --> 00:26:11.130 learn more about Emmanuel, you can follow us 00:26:11.130 --> 00:26:15.789 on Facebook or visit us at imluth .org. That's 00:26:15.789 --> 00:26:20.569 I -M -M -L -U -T -H dot O -R -G. Have a great 00:26:20.569 --> 00:26:20.809 day.