Our message today will be based on Exodus chapter
20, and we're going to read that at the beginning
here. nor your son or daughter, nor your male
or female servant, nor your animals, nor any
foreigner residing in your towns. For in six
days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,
the sea, and all that is in them. But he rested
on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed
the Sabbath day and made it holy. This is God's
word. Have you ever pulled an all -nighter? I
remember there was one time I let a youth lock
in and stayed up all night, right? And then still
had to go to a wedding the next day, a late wedding
without a nap. Maybe just the thought of it makes
you exhausted. But for the sake of the children
here today, let's entertain it just for a moment.
You have all these plans of what you're going
to do. The popcorn, the pizza, the jumping off
the walls, the pillow fights, the movies and
video games, maybe time in the gym. It's being
wild. And then 10 o 'clock hits and the first
kid passes out. Now you've got a bump on the
floor in a sleeping bag you've got to avoid and
not trip over. But some of the kids keep pressing
on, right? One o 'clock, then 2 a .m., and then
you know the sugar rushes, the sugar crashes
come. And some of the kids are just getting delirious
and can't even think straight, and the decisions,
the quality is just going down as the night goes
on. And maybe a few of them make it to the next
morning, but eventually your body stops. It will
not go anymore. And you pay for it, right? There's
costs. You sleep in the whole next day. It maybe
affects you for the next few days. I bring this
up because I wonder if this is what many of us
are doing to our souls. Pulling an all -nighter.
Living at a pace. that is unsustainable, that
eventually, if we have not crashed yet, the crash
will come and we could prevent this, we could
be proactive by talking about this and focusing
on this over the next days and weeks. Are we
living against the grain of the universe? Dragging
our souls through life, giving ourselves unnecessary
splinters in the process by the things we're
saying yes to, by what we're choosing to do,
when there could be a different way that Jesus
puts in front of us today. Now I know as some
of you hear this message today, this is going
to be the permission you've needed. Maybe you
had a spiritual habit in the past of just listening
to Christian music without distractions or just
spending a few minutes a day on your own in prayer
or with your family. And maybe you've gotten
away from it and this is permission to go back
to that or to try that and ask somebody to support
you, even do it with you. I know some of you
will hear this today and your schedules are so
overloaded. that you're just thinking something's
got to change. I am done with that, but I don't
know how to change. I don't even know where to
start. And maybe this will give you permission.
You're the kind of person that wants to finish
your commitments in this season. We're going
to do what we said we're going to do, but hey,
we have to start looking ahead. We have to look
at the cost. Of all these activities, all we're
putting on our calendar, not just financially,
but emotionally, energy -wise, is this helping
us become the kind of people, the kind of family
we want to be that God wants us to be? And maybe
you're going to look ahead and plan the next
season, the summer season, or even next fall,
differently than you did this year. Some of us
will hear this message and I understand. You're
just not going to be ready for it. You're going
to feel some resistance to it. Or you're going
to say, I'm fine right now. And I understand
that. I've had all the resistance that you probably
do as well. And I'm not going to argue with that,
but I'm just going to ask you to imagine what
could be different in your life if you took Jesus
up on his promise to give you rest, By listening
to him, learning from him, letting him show you
his way of life, come along beside you and carry
the load with you every moment of every day.
As a habit, as a routine, as a lifestyle. What
could be different? There is a different way.
And it's an ancient way. It's nothing new. You
heard about it in Exodus chapter 20 when the
Ten Commandments were given, but we're going
to see this way actually goes all the way back
to creation. And I want to give you this acronym
today of R .E .S .T. so that you can remind yourself
in the coming days, remember eternity, slow down
in Christ. Remember. Eternity. Slow down in Christ.
This is the third commandment. And if you actually
study the commandments that God gave to his people
after they came out of slavery in Egypt, if you
analyze the commandments, this commandment takes
up 30 % of all of the ten commandments. The amount
of words God uses for this one. So do the math.
It's one out of ten commands but takes up 30%.
This must matter a lot. God is trying to get
through to us. And more than just seeing this
today as another obligation I've got to do or
a mandatory time off, would you see this today
as a gift God is giving you? The gift of rest
for your souls. A regular habit he wants to build
into your life of coming to him over and over
again in every moment of every day. Now for his
people, this was one day. This was a Saturday.
And remember, his people had been slaves and
now they were free. And you know there's a danger
there of when people are given freedom, what
are they going to do with it? Were his people
just going to enslave themselves all over again
to each other and to themselves by living an
unsustainable pace in life? And so God builds
it into their weekly schedule on repeat. Take
a day, a Sabbath, and rest. That's what Sabbath
means. Stop. Hit pause. Rest. Step back and see
the bigger picture. That there is more to life
than just what you're doing. Than just your responsibilities.
Yeah, that's for the rest of the week. We all
have to go through the daily grind. But there
is more to life than that. You are not just human
doings. You are human beings. There is time just
to be with God, to be present with Him, to put
aside the other distractions and the other good
things, the other blessings, even the pleasurable
things, the fun things, and just to be with God
and to be with other people and deeply connect
in a way that is going to send you back out into
the week. So you can live out of that rest and
with the strength God only can provide. So for
them it was a day that they were to remember
to keep it holy. To keep something holy means
to set it apart for a special purpose. A special
day, a gift from God to protect them from running
themselves ragged, from becoming so stretched
out and thin in life and so spread out. And pulled
apart in every direction. It was a Saturday.
It was a day. So what about us? Now some people
will rightly, if you've read your New Testaments
or learned this before, you will remember when
Paul told us in Colossians, don't let anyone
judge you by Sabbath days, by how you Sabbath,
when you Sabbath. That belonged to the Old Testament
law and ceremonies. So that passage tells us
we are not bound to the Sabbath in the exact
ways the Old Testament people were. So some people
will hear that and think, well, Christians have
just moved it from Saturday to Sunday. Partially
correct. For us, it is actually more than a day.
For us, we get to experience the full meaning
of Sabbath. The Sabbath, the rest that Jesus
has brought by taking care of our eternity. You
have to keep reading the New Testaments to see
the wisdom of the third commandment and how it
applies to our lives now in the times after Jesus.
I've heard a lot of people make the excuse, well,
we are New Testament Christians, we no longer
have to do this. But then I ask them, how is
that working for you? In what you came to talk
about, in what you say your challenges and your
burdens are, how is that going? Trying to live
life without this rest Jesus gives you. We have
to keep reading in the New Testament. Where Paul
tells us to let the word of God dwell in us richly.
And that same letter that he wrote about, hey,
you don't have to do the Sabbath exactly like
the Old Testament people do. But let the word
dwell in you richly. The author to the Hebrews
tells us not to give up meeting together. As
some are in the habit of doing, right? But let
us encourage one another when we come together
and set aside other distractions and our devices
and carve out that time just to be present with
God. We are resting from our work and we are
letting God work within us. And also we're putting
ourselves in a setting where others can encourage
us and where we can encourage them. The New Testament
goes on to say in Hebrews, a Sabbath remains
for the people of God. Make every effort to enter
God's rest. So for us, it is more than just a
day. In fact, you heard Jesus say, come, you
who are weary and burdened. I will give you rest.
And here's how. He doesn't say, just come and
do nothing. He says, come and learn from me.
Come and listen. Let me work in your heart. Let
me speak to you. Let me comfort you. Let me encourage
you. Let me direct you. Let me come beside you
and carry life with you. Remember the Sabbath.
Remember eternity. Did you notice God gave them
a reason why they were to do this? When you tell
a child to do something, what's the next response
usually? Why? Why do I have to do that? God gives
them the reason. He says, Holy. He has them remember
eternity. That yes, the moments in your life
right now, the present matters. And what you're
doing and your responsibilities matters. And
where you need to be, that does matter. But look
at the bigger picture. Take a step back. He connects
them all the way back to creation and then on
into eternity. You are part of something so much
bigger. And God has built a rhythm into this
creation. For six days, God created. And it was
good. It was very good. And then day seven, God
steps back and rests. Now, does that mean God
was exhausted from creating? Like he can't handle
that? He was worn out and burned out? No. It
means God took a step back and the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit looked at each other and said,
Wow. This is amazing. They delighted in the creation.
They were grateful they had made us and that
they were sharing all this with us. So along
with rest and pause and stopping with Sabbath,
there is gratitude that is meant to be a rhythm
of our life. Delighting. In God, in his gifts,
in other people. And that changes us. Remembering
eternity often. I'll never forget the wisdom
from a church cookbook at the church I grew up
with. The women would put their best recipes
in there and pass them down. And I still have
some of Grandma Patsy's recipes. But more than
that, they would put little proverbs in there
they had learned in their Christian walk. And
Pearl Terlinden, she lived right down the road
on a farm, she wrote this little line. You know,
going to worship is like taking your glasses
off and cleaning the lenses so you can see clearly
again. Guarding time to just be present with
God, to listen to him, it is clearing up our
vision of everything that cakes. our vision during
the week that distracts us, that clouds our vision,
that when we worship, when we rest, when we listen
to God, we can see clearly again to keep going
towards our home, our heavenly home. Remember
eternity. And slow down. Slow down. long enough
to actually evaluate your life from God's perspective.
That's what we did this morning in the confession
of sins as you prepare yourself to come to the
Lord's Supper. There is meant to be some kind
of examination that takes place, some self -reflection,
and you actually need to slow down to do that
so God can do his work in you. I would encourage
you to pay attention to what is really beneath
your exhaustion in life. I get that there are
health conditions that wear us out. There are
seasons of life, raising kids, responsibilities
at work. I get that. There are mountains of responsibilities,
full schedules. But I mean, look beneath the
surface of all that. For you specifically, what
is the source? of your unrest beneath your exhaustion.
Slow down long enough to look at that. What am
I paying attention to most? Pay attention to
what you are paying attention to. This is wise
because what you are paying attention to, what
you are looking at, the first thing you look
at in the morning and think about throughout
the day and constantly look at, that is shaping
you. That is likely the person you are becoming,
what you pay attention to most. And so ask yourself,
is that what God wants for me? Is that what I
want for my life? If I am consuming an unhealthy
amount of news, From the anger and fear -driven
news cycle. Am I becoming a more gentle and patient
person as a result of that? Or am I becoming
more worked up, irritated, agitated, and afraid?
What kind of person am I becoming? Could that
be leading to my exhaustion? If I am scrolling
endlessly through the lives of others, is that
making me more grateful and content at what I
have in the life I've been given? Or am I becoming
more discontent, more envious, more jealous?
And that is exhausting. Last week, Pastor Dolan
spent the whole service talking about the exhaustion
that comes from not forgiving. from holding grudges,
from making that choice to try and get even,
to get revenge? Could that be the unrest beneath
my exhaustion? An area God is showing me to get
some help with that he wants to work on. Am I
checking emails the first thing I wake up in
the morning? Before I go to bed, am I waking
up in the middle of the night? Do I have limits
on any of these things? The news, on scrolling
endlessly, on checking emails? Or do I think
I am limitless? That I am everyone's savior?
That I am available to everyone at any time?
Am I trying to find my identity and my worth
too much in my work, in how much I'm needed,
in how well I respond? Or am I going to take
this wisdom and carve aside times to just shut
devices down, turn them off, be present with
God, be present with other people? Am I waking
up each day to make people like me? To get their
approval? Or am I secure in the approval I already
have from God? Is that driving my life? Slow
down enough to let God do this work on you until
he shows you what might be a source of your unrest,
of your exhaustion. And then once you find something,
don't stop there. Remember eternity, slow down
in Christ. Come to me, he says. Let me do it
with you. Let me carry it with you. Listen to
me. Learn from me. Let me show you how to do
this. What is one change you could make in the
next week or weeks? Maybe you want to get back
to that spiritual habit. Maybe you want to change
the music you listen to on your commute. And
fill your head with something positive, something
that's going to give you encouragement and rest
and not more lies of the world. Maybe you want
to just a minute or two a day on your own with
your family, just reading a little of God's word
and a little prayer. Maybe before you leave your
house, it's grabbing your wife's hand. Maybe
you've never done this before and it's just saying,
God help us live for you. and live for each other
today. Amen. Maybe it's actually praying before
that meal instead of just scarfing down or even
if it's in the car on the way to an activity.
Just those little moments in the middle of the
grind, in the middle of the chaos, pausing, resting,
orienting yourself back to God, seeing Jesus
beside you and directing those around you to
him as well. When you find this rest, you will
want to share it with others. You will think,
boy, I have really been missing this. I could
have a different life. It's right here. I want
to leave you today with this focus on your Savior
because this is about resting in Jesus. He is
the Lord of the Sabbath, the Lord of rest. This
commandment was really about him. It was pointing
the people ahead to him and the deep rest for
their souls that he would bring to them. Rest
from their guilt over how they'd been running
themselves ragged and messing up their lives.
And by tiring themselves out, being really short
with people, saying things they regretted, he
gave them forgiveness for all of that guilt.
And that's yours too. That's rest. This is the
Jesus who had the most important job in the world.
Such a short life to live. So much to do. And
yet, what do we hear him doing often? Going to
Sabbath. Worshiping. Retreating to the mountain,
to the lake. Even though he's got all these people
who need him. All these miracles to do, all this
teaching to do, this comforting, this counseling.
At times he withdraws. Why? To be with his father.
Because he needed him. And if the Son of God
needed his Father and lived out of that rest
he got from him, how much more do we need our
Heavenly Father? This is the Jesus who lived
his life for his Father and what he wanted, not
for self -promotion or not under self -pressure.
This was the Jesus who lived for others, not
looking what he could get out of it because he
already had everything he needed, that rest in
his Father, that security, that guarantee, that
promise that he would come through all this and
he would win the victory. We have that too. The
author of the Hebrew says, make every effort.
To enter this rest, a Sabbath remains for the
people of God. Remember eternity. Slow down in
Christ. There's rest for your guilt. There's
rest for your worries about your health or about
the health of somebody else or about the state
of the world. Because as you rest in Jesus, you
look all the way back to creation. You remember
who you are. You remember where you came from.
You remember what really matters. You remember
that you were made for a meaningful purpose.
And you look into the future. You look into eternity.
And you see what's in store for you. And God
will raise your body to health and wholeness.
And he will make this world right once again.
We need this. Each of us. Amen. Thanks for listening
to Emmanuel's Sermon Podcast. If you'd like to
learn more about Emmanuel, you can follow us
on Facebook or visit us at imluth .org. That's
I -M -M -L -U -T -H dot O -R -G. Have a great
day.