1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,440 Be grateful if you would open your Bibles, please. 2 00:00:02,440 –> 00:00:05,700 At Exodus in chapter 20, we’re going to read 3 00:00:05,700 –> 00:00:08,560 the fourth commandment from the Scriptures, 4 00:00:08,560 –> 00:00:10,440 the longest of the 10 commandments, 5 00:00:10,440 –> 00:00:13,480 running to 99 words in the English version, 6 00:00:13,480 –> 00:00:16,559 big difference from some others that are just four words. 7 00:00:16,559 –> 00:00:18,840 We’re going to read from the Scriptures together. 8 00:00:18,840 –> 00:00:23,840 Exodus in chapter 20, beginning to read at verse eight. 9 00:00:24,180 –> 00:00:27,100 Let us hear the Word of God. 10 00:00:28,100 –> 00:00:33,099 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 11 00:00:35,060 –> 00:00:40,060 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 12 00:00:40,520 –> 00:00:45,520 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. 13 00:00:45,720 –> 00:00:49,619 On it you shall not do any work, 14 00:00:49,619 –> 00:00:54,619 neither you nor your son or daughter, 15 00:00:54,860 –> 00:00:58,500 nor your manservant or maidservant, 16 00:00:58,500 –> 00:01:03,240 nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 17 00:01:04,239 –> 00:01:06,980 For in six days the Lord made the heavens 18 00:01:06,980 –> 00:01:09,860 and the earth, the sea and all that is in them. 19 00:01:09,860 –> 00:01:13,559 But he rested on the seventh day. 20 00:01:14,660 –> 00:01:19,660 Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day 21 00:01:21,019 –> 00:01:24,339 and made it holy. 22 00:01:25,419 –> 00:01:27,400 While we’re continuing our series 23 00:01:27,400 –> 00:01:30,739 entitled Unlocking Your 10 Greatest Struggles, 24 00:01:30,739 –> 00:01:33,019 identifying in the Ten Commandments 25 00:01:33,019 –> 00:01:36,379 a description of the 10 primary issues 26 00:01:36,379 –> 00:01:39,660 with which human beings struggle in our lives. 27 00:01:39,660 –> 00:01:41,300 And of course with the Fourth Commandment 28 00:01:41,300 –> 00:01:46,379 we come to this issue of our struggle with time. 29 00:01:47,760 –> 00:01:50,900 A picture came to my mind thinking about this. 30 00:01:51,860 –> 00:01:55,879 Back in London when our boys were young, 31 00:01:55,879 –> 00:01:58,779 we used to go from time to time to the pizza hut. 32 00:01:59,860 –> 00:02:01,160 We were on a bit of a tight budget 33 00:02:01,160 –> 00:02:06,120 and we used to split the pizza and share the salad. 34 00:02:06,120 –> 00:02:09,479 If you ordered a salad, at least over there, 35 00:02:09,479 –> 00:02:11,000 they gave you a small bowl 36 00:02:11,000 –> 00:02:14,699 and were very strict about allowing you 37 00:02:14,699 –> 00:02:18,220 one visit to the salad bar. 38 00:02:18,220 –> 00:02:20,800 So I developed a certain expertise 39 00:02:21,440 –> 00:02:23,300 to cope with this situation. 40 00:02:23,300 –> 00:02:26,440 It is amazing what you can do to fill a small bowl 41 00:02:26,440 –> 00:02:29,520 with enough salad for four people 42 00:02:29,520 –> 00:02:32,960 as you build to capacity 43 00:02:32,960 –> 00:02:37,240 and then construct a ring of tomatoes 44 00:02:37,240 –> 00:02:41,479 round the rim of the bowl which then enables you inside 45 00:02:41,479 –> 00:02:44,000 to go on building higher. 46 00:02:44,000 –> 00:02:45,080 My wife used to say, 47 00:02:45,100 –> 00:02:49,740 this is embarrassing, but I’m from Scotland. 48 00:02:49,740 –> 00:02:50,679 So, 49 00:02:53,580 –> 00:02:56,479 the problem of course comes 50 00:02:56,479 –> 00:02:58,080 when you’re trying to walk back 51 00:02:58,080 –> 00:03:00,100 through the tightly packed tables 52 00:03:00,100 –> 00:03:03,360 from the salad bar to where your family is sitting 53 00:03:04,779 –> 00:03:09,039 and with this overfilled bowl 54 00:03:09,960 –> 00:03:12,039 you walk gingerly 55 00:03:12,119 –> 00:03:15,320 because you know that at any moment 56 00:03:15,320 –> 00:03:19,639 you are just one step from disaster. 57 00:03:22,479 –> 00:03:25,119 And I think that’s a picture of how many of us live. 58 00:03:26,619 –> 00:03:30,160 The overfilled plate of our lives 59 00:03:30,160 –> 00:03:33,000 means that we are unable to walk freely 60 00:03:34,020 –> 00:03:37,360 and so much of the time we feel 61 00:03:37,360 –> 00:03:42,360 that we are just one step from disaster. 62 00:03:43,240 –> 00:03:46,139 The demands of working life just go on increasing 63 00:03:46,139 –> 00:03:50,020 in our society, more and more people feel controlled 64 00:03:50,020 –> 00:03:53,800 by work, the pressure of work leads increasingly, 65 00:03:53,800 –> 00:03:56,520 we hear it all the time, to frazzled families 66 00:03:56,520 –> 00:03:59,539 and in the end, a man or a woman can feel like 67 00:03:59,539 –> 00:04:02,479 a cog in a machine rather than a person. 68 00:04:03,740 –> 00:04:05,800 A family even can come to feel like 69 00:04:05,839 –> 00:04:09,220 nothing more than an economic convenience 70 00:04:09,220 –> 00:04:12,020 as opposed to a cradle of nurturing love. 71 00:04:14,139 –> 00:04:15,960 Struggle with time is one of 72 00:04:15,960 –> 00:04:17,640 the biggest struggles of my life 73 00:04:19,359 –> 00:04:21,760 and I expect that many of us would say the same, 74 00:04:23,200 –> 00:04:25,380 how do I decide priorities? 75 00:04:26,839 –> 00:04:28,980 What can I afford to leave undone? 76 00:04:30,540 –> 00:04:33,720 How do I balance the different responsibilities 77 00:04:33,760 –> 00:04:36,200 of my life, I feel like I’m walking 78 00:04:36,200 –> 00:04:38,839 with the overfilled plate. 79 00:04:38,839 –> 00:04:40,779 Isn’t that their common experience? 80 00:04:43,160 –> 00:04:46,160 So I come to the Fourth Commandment today very eagerly 81 00:04:47,640 –> 00:04:52,380 because whatever God has to say about this issue of time 82 00:04:52,380 –> 00:04:55,359 I know I need to hear it 83 00:04:55,359 –> 00:04:57,640 and I expect that many of us will come 84 00:04:57,640 –> 00:04:58,799 that way this morning. 85 00:05:00,059 –> 00:05:02,679 On the other hand, it’s important perhaps to recognize 86 00:05:02,739 –> 00:05:03,760 that the Fourth Commandment 87 00:05:03,760 –> 00:05:07,600 is almost certainly the most frequently misunderstood. 88 00:05:07,600 –> 00:05:10,440 Some Christians have thought that they were honoring God 89 00:05:10,440 –> 00:05:12,160 by taking one day of the week 90 00:05:12,160 –> 00:05:14,380 and making it especially dull. 91 00:05:15,619 –> 00:05:18,459 A day marked by a long list of things you couldn’t do 92 00:05:18,459 –> 00:05:21,679 rather than a day that was going to be marked by delight. 93 00:05:22,920 –> 00:05:27,100 And I say that just briefly to clear away any blockages 94 00:05:27,100 –> 00:05:31,399 that some of us might have in hearing the word of God today. 95 00:05:31,399 –> 00:05:35,420 Some of us were brought up in a legalistic background 96 00:05:36,959 –> 00:05:39,839 and the day of rest became a burden 97 00:05:41,119 –> 00:05:42,480 rather than a blessing. 98 00:05:43,359 –> 00:05:47,239 It was a day of misery rather than a day of delight. 99 00:05:48,380 –> 00:05:50,320 Some of us in fact have been brought up 100 00:05:50,320 –> 00:05:52,079 with our whole background being 101 00:05:52,079 –> 00:05:53,720 that the Ten Commandments were something 102 00:05:53,720 –> 00:05:58,119 that we saw as God loading guilt on us and taking away fun. 103 00:05:58,119 –> 00:06:01,339 What kind of God would do that? 104 00:06:01,339 –> 00:06:02,739 Not the God of the Bible. 105 00:06:04,579 –> 00:06:07,899 Now if we really believe that God is good 106 00:06:07,899 –> 00:06:11,600 and that is the fundamental conviction of Christian faith, 107 00:06:11,600 –> 00:06:15,859 if we really believe that God is good, 108 00:06:15,859 –> 00:06:19,299 then we have to start from the perspective 109 00:06:19,299 –> 00:06:21,299 of believing that these commandments 110 00:06:21,299 –> 00:06:26,299 frame the good life that God wants us to enjoy. 111 00:06:26,339 –> 00:06:28,440 And so let’s come to the fourth commandment 112 00:06:28,440 –> 00:06:30,859 with the right kind of a spirit this morning. 113 00:06:30,859 –> 00:06:32,179 God is speaking to one of the 114 00:06:32,179 –> 00:06:34,640 greatest struggles of our lives. 115 00:06:34,640 –> 00:06:38,160 What He says is good and it’s for your good. 116 00:06:38,160 –> 00:06:41,559 It’s for my good and following what He says 117 00:06:41,559 –> 00:06:46,359 will not be a burden, it will lead us into blessing. 118 00:06:46,359 –> 00:06:50,179 Let’s come with open ears and expectant hearts. 119 00:06:51,119 –> 00:06:52,679 Now you notice, as we’ve already seen, 120 00:06:52,679 –> 00:06:54,619 that the fourth commandment is the longest 121 00:06:54,619 –> 00:06:56,279 of the Ten Commandments and we’re going 122 00:06:56,279 –> 00:06:58,559 to approach it in two parts. 123 00:06:58,600 –> 00:07:01,279 First, it speaks to us, very importantly, 124 00:07:01,279 –> 00:07:03,440 about the dignity of work. 125 00:07:04,660 –> 00:07:09,220 And secondly, it speaks to us about the blessing of rest, 126 00:07:09,220 –> 00:07:11,299 these two things today. 127 00:07:11,299 –> 00:07:13,600 First, then, the dignity of work. 128 00:07:13,600 –> 00:07:17,200 Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. 129 00:07:18,160 –> 00:07:20,160 Six days you shall labor 130 00:07:22,000 –> 00:07:23,739 and do all your work. 131 00:07:23,760 –> 00:07:25,179 Do all your work. 132 00:07:27,739 –> 00:07:30,660 This is a wonderful subject. 133 00:07:30,660 –> 00:07:34,480 The fourth Commandment begins by commending to us 134 00:07:34,480 –> 00:07:36,140 the dignity of work. 135 00:07:37,940 –> 00:07:42,079 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 136 00:07:42,079 –> 00:07:46,779 You should work for six days and it’s a good thing. 137 00:07:46,779 –> 00:07:51,739 The dignity of work is rooted in the very nature of God. 138 00:07:51,739 –> 00:07:53,899 But at the beginning of the Bible, think about it, 139 00:07:53,899 –> 00:07:56,820 God introduces Himself as a worker. 140 00:07:58,320 –> 00:08:01,140 God expresses Himself by creating 141 00:08:02,179 –> 00:08:04,779 and you and I are made in the image of God 142 00:08:04,779 –> 00:08:07,140 and that means that we express ourselves 143 00:08:07,140 –> 00:08:08,799 by creating as well. 144 00:08:09,940 –> 00:08:14,559 And that might mean going from Monday through the week 145 00:08:14,559 –> 00:08:17,799 to a building site and creating a home. 146 00:08:18,799 –> 00:08:20,760 It might mean turning up in an office 147 00:08:20,760 –> 00:08:24,739 and creating a document in Microsoft Word. 148 00:08:24,739 –> 00:08:27,019 It might mean being in a home 149 00:08:27,019 –> 00:08:29,760 and creating a home for a family. 150 00:08:30,679 –> 00:08:34,200 But all work of whatever sort creates 151 00:08:34,200 –> 00:08:36,820 and produces something. 152 00:08:36,820 –> 00:08:39,260 Think about it, the person who upped the road there 153 00:08:39,260 –> 00:08:43,460 each day of the week, holds the stop sign for children 154 00:08:43,500 –> 00:08:46,659 but as they arrive at school, 155 00:08:46,659 –> 00:08:50,940 that person creates an environment of safety 156 00:08:50,940 –> 00:08:54,599 that would not exist if they were not there. 157 00:08:55,840 –> 00:09:00,260 Your work is an expression of the image of God. 158 00:09:00,260 –> 00:09:02,280 And that’s, by the way, a great discussion question 159 00:09:02,280 –> 00:09:04,619 for later today or during the week. 160 00:09:04,619 –> 00:09:06,320 Ask this question, 161 00:09:06,320 –> 00:09:09,159 in what way does your work reflect 162 00:09:10,080 –> 00:09:11,140 the image of God? 163 00:09:11,140 –> 00:09:12,359 You’ll find it’s a great blessing 164 00:09:12,539 –> 00:09:14,539 and you see the answer to that question. 165 00:09:16,200 –> 00:09:18,940 The filing clerk reflects the God 166 00:09:18,940 –> 00:09:22,119 who creates order out of chaos. 167 00:09:22,119 –> 00:09:23,460 Maybe that’s your job. 168 00:09:26,440 –> 00:09:28,460 If your work doesn’t reflect some aspect 169 00:09:28,460 –> 00:09:29,400 of the character of God, 170 00:09:29,400 –> 00:09:31,700 it probably means it’s illegal or immoral 171 00:09:31,700 –> 00:09:33,239 and you shouldn’t be doing it. 172 00:09:35,700 –> 00:09:37,700 Work is not a necessary evil. 173 00:09:37,700 –> 00:09:39,640 It is a good gift from God. 174 00:09:39,640 –> 00:09:41,919 It has been spoiled and it’s been frustrated 175 00:09:41,979 –> 00:09:45,419 and sometimes abused as a result of the fall, 176 00:09:45,419 –> 00:09:48,260 but work remains a good gift from God. 177 00:09:49,700 –> 00:09:51,580 Now, one writer, and I’ve found this rather helpful, 178 00:09:51,580 –> 00:09:53,039 never seen this comment before, 179 00:09:53,039 –> 00:09:54,780 but one writer I came across this week 180 00:09:54,780 –> 00:09:56,840 points out that in the Bible, 181 00:09:56,840 –> 00:10:01,900 God introduces himself both as a manual worker 182 00:10:03,299 –> 00:10:05,780 and as an executive worker. 183 00:10:06,900 –> 00:10:09,039 The psalmist describes the creation 184 00:10:09,080 –> 00:10:11,359 as the work of God’s hands. 185 00:10:13,440 –> 00:10:15,059 That’s very significant. 186 00:10:16,340 –> 00:10:19,619 The God of the Bible is a God who gets his hands dirty. 187 00:10:20,659 –> 00:10:24,380 The God of the Bible is a God who when he takes human flesh 188 00:10:24,380 –> 00:10:26,340 becomes a carpenter. 189 00:10:26,340 –> 00:10:28,380 No, not just a carpenter, 190 00:10:28,380 –> 00:10:32,419 becomes known in Galilee as the carpenter, 191 00:10:32,419 –> 00:10:35,719 presumably because of the quality of his work. 192 00:10:35,760 –> 00:10:40,020 But God is also an executive worker. 193 00:10:41,260 –> 00:10:42,799 He works with his hands, 194 00:10:42,799 –> 00:10:46,640 but he also works through his words. 195 00:10:46,640 –> 00:10:50,539 He makes things happen by what he says. 196 00:10:51,460 –> 00:10:54,059 The heavens were not only made by the Lord’s hands, 197 00:10:54,059 –> 00:10:56,599 but the Psalms also say that the heavens and the earth 198 00:10:56,599 –> 00:11:00,099 were made by the word of the Lord. 199 00:11:00,099 –> 00:11:01,719 Now I think this is very important. 200 00:11:01,719 –> 00:11:04,940 The Lord gives dignity in his own person, 201 00:11:05,020 –> 00:11:08,479 both to the manual worker and to the executive worker. 202 00:11:08,479 –> 00:11:10,559 And let’s face it, 203 00:11:10,559 –> 00:11:12,159 there’s always a little bit of tension 204 00:11:12,159 –> 00:11:13,900 between these two, right? 205 00:11:15,039 –> 00:11:17,200 If we could understand the dignity of both 206 00:11:17,200 –> 00:11:19,619 on the basis of the character and the example of God, 207 00:11:19,619 –> 00:11:21,960 and that both are a reflection of the image of God, 208 00:11:21,960 –> 00:11:23,500 it would be a great help 209 00:11:23,500 –> 00:11:26,260 in the whole area of industrial relations. 210 00:11:27,760 –> 00:11:31,400 The executive worker can so easily look down his nose 211 00:11:31,400 –> 00:11:32,840 at the manual worker. 212 00:11:32,859 –> 00:11:36,000 And the manual worker so easily can resent 213 00:11:36,000 –> 00:11:38,919 the one he calls a pen pusher. 214 00:11:40,840 –> 00:11:42,539 But God gives dignity to both. 215 00:11:45,280 –> 00:11:47,380 Let’s look at understanding your work. 216 00:11:47,380 –> 00:11:49,159 It seems that that’s a very important thing 217 00:11:49,159 –> 00:11:52,340 for us to grasp as we delve into the dignity 218 00:11:52,340 –> 00:11:55,059 of this great calling that God has given to us. 219 00:11:55,059 –> 00:11:57,520 Six days you shall labor, 220 00:11:57,520 –> 00:12:01,340 and do all your work. 221 00:12:01,340 –> 00:12:02,500 Your work. 222 00:12:03,020 –> 00:12:05,659 Now if I’m to understand this part of the commandment, 223 00:12:05,659 –> 00:12:09,280 obviously, I need to understand, what is my work? 224 00:12:12,020 –> 00:12:13,960 Now it’s a great mistake, it seems to me, 225 00:12:13,960 –> 00:12:17,460 to limit your work to something you do 226 00:12:17,460 –> 00:12:19,780 in order to get a pay packet. 227 00:12:19,780 –> 00:12:24,419 That is, let me suggest, an unbiblical view of work. 228 00:12:24,419 –> 00:12:25,820 Remember, after all, 229 00:12:25,820 –> 00:12:28,419 that work began in the Garden of Eden, 230 00:12:28,460 –> 00:12:30,500 where God gave to Adam 231 00:12:30,500 –> 00:12:33,559 the world’s first ever job description. 232 00:12:33,559 –> 00:12:34,500 It was quite a task. 233 00:12:34,500 –> 00:12:36,280 He said fill the earth and subdue it, 234 00:12:36,280 –> 00:12:39,520 and he said that Adam was to work the garden. 235 00:12:39,520 –> 00:12:42,479 That he was to take care of it. 236 00:12:42,479 –> 00:12:44,559 Now Adam was given this work, 237 00:12:44,559 –> 00:12:47,239 he never got a pay packet, right? 238 00:12:47,239 –> 00:12:50,859 No wages in the Garden of Eden. 239 00:12:52,440 –> 00:12:57,440 Adam’s work was his god-given responsibility. 240 00:12:58,799 –> 00:13:02,380 So if you think of work merely 241 00:13:02,380 –> 00:13:06,460 as what you have to do in order to get a pay packet, 242 00:13:06,460 –> 00:13:09,340 then you have missed the biblical vision 243 00:13:09,340 –> 00:13:11,780 of what work is really all about. 244 00:13:11,780 –> 00:13:14,219 It, of course, includes what you do 245 00:13:14,219 –> 00:13:16,099 in order to get a pay packet, 246 00:13:16,099 –> 00:13:17,640 but it goes far beyond that, 247 00:13:17,640 –> 00:13:19,440 and I want to show you the importance of that 248 00:13:19,440 –> 00:13:21,380 in just a moment. 249 00:13:21,380 –> 00:13:23,780 God did not create the moon and the stars 250 00:13:23,780 –> 00:13:25,880 because he needed the money. 251 00:13:25,880 –> 00:13:26,780 Right? 252 00:13:27,739 –> 00:13:29,359 So that’s not where we begin 253 00:13:29,359 –> 00:13:32,760 if we’re to have a biblical view of work. 254 00:13:32,760 –> 00:13:35,559 Work is about more than a way of making money. 255 00:13:35,559 –> 00:13:38,479 It is about fulfilling the responsibility, 256 00:13:38,479 –> 00:13:42,719 whatever that is, that God has given to you, 257 00:13:42,719 –> 00:13:45,640 including what you do to gain money, 258 00:13:46,799 –> 00:13:49,739 but it’s about fulfilling your God-given responsibility 259 00:13:49,739 –> 00:13:52,539 in a way that brings glory to Him. 260 00:13:53,539 –> 00:13:54,599 Now, that’s a wonderful thing 261 00:13:54,940 –> 00:13:57,700 because you could be flipping burgers 262 00:13:57,700 –> 00:14:01,739 or you could be running a multinational company, 263 00:14:01,739 –> 00:14:05,340 but if that is what God has given you to do at this time, 264 00:14:05,340 –> 00:14:08,539 then you can do it seeing that this also 265 00:14:08,539 –> 00:14:11,640 is an expression of the image of God in you 266 00:14:11,640 –> 00:14:15,479 and you can begin to do it for His glory, 267 00:14:15,479 –> 00:14:17,580 and that will give you an entirely different view 268 00:14:17,580 –> 00:14:20,159 of your work whatever that is. 269 00:14:20,159 –> 00:14:23,640 It will bring new dignity and new quality to what you do. 270 00:14:23,640 –> 00:14:27,020 It will bring new meaning to the service that you offer 271 00:14:27,020 –> 00:14:29,260 and the working relationships that you have. 272 00:14:29,260 –> 00:14:31,380 When you see work as a fulfillment 273 00:14:31,380 –> 00:14:35,099 of a God given responsibility, it will change your approach. 274 00:14:35,099 –> 00:14:38,179 It will lift your work whatever it is 275 00:14:39,239 –> 00:14:40,359 to a whole new level. 276 00:14:42,859 –> 00:14:46,640 Now if we reduce work to something 277 00:14:46,640 –> 00:14:49,359 that a person has to do to get a pay packet, 278 00:14:50,020 –> 00:14:54,159 one of the problems is that it leads us 279 00:14:54,159 –> 00:14:59,159 to a completely unbiblical view of retirement. 280 00:15:00,440 –> 00:15:04,700 See, a man earns his money, and then he retires, 281 00:15:04,700 –> 00:15:06,520 and he says to himself, hey, 282 00:15:06,520 –> 00:15:09,320 I don’t need to earn any more money. 283 00:15:09,320 –> 00:15:12,580 That means there’s no more work for me to do. 284 00:15:13,640 –> 00:15:18,179 Where do you ever find anything like that in the Bible? 285 00:15:19,559 –> 00:15:23,919 The Bible says that God has prepared good works 286 00:15:23,919 –> 00:15:28,619 in advance for us to do, Ephesians 2.10. 287 00:15:28,619 –> 00:15:30,400 And it doesn’t end by saying 288 00:15:30,400 –> 00:15:35,020 that they conclude at the age of 65, right? 289 00:15:35,020 –> 00:15:37,859 By the way, I have noticed 290 00:15:38,760 –> 00:15:42,119 that the people who retire most happily 291 00:15:43,200 –> 00:15:45,979 are those who have discovered a clear sense 292 00:15:45,979 –> 00:15:49,780 of what God wants them to do with their retirement. 293 00:15:51,619 –> 00:15:53,500 And those who haven’t made that discovery 294 00:15:53,500 –> 00:15:55,599 are often miserable. 295 00:15:55,599 –> 00:15:58,320 And the reason is that God didn’t make any of us 296 00:15:58,320 –> 00:16:01,619 simply to sit about, but rather to fulfill 297 00:16:02,479 –> 00:16:04,659 God-given responsibilities. 298 00:16:05,799 –> 00:16:09,239 As long as I have breath and life within me, 299 00:16:09,239 –> 00:16:12,320 there is a purpose that God has for me being here. 300 00:16:13,119 –> 00:16:16,340 And to enter into that is part of the expression 301 00:16:16,340 –> 00:16:17,719 of how He has made me. 302 00:16:17,719 –> 00:16:19,419 Of course that will change over time, 303 00:16:19,419 –> 00:16:21,580 and there are some circumstances 304 00:16:21,580 –> 00:16:24,799 in which it may become severely limited. 305 00:16:24,799 –> 00:16:26,820 Though I have to tell you I’ve been deeply moved 306 00:16:26,820 –> 00:16:29,400 by some folks suffering with acute sickness 307 00:16:29,400 –> 00:16:31,559 who have still wanted to get on the phone 308 00:16:31,559 –> 00:16:33,280 and to minister to others. 309 00:16:33,280 –> 00:16:34,960 You see, that’s a sense of purpose, 310 00:16:34,960 –> 00:16:38,919 God wants me here and there’s something that I can do. 311 00:16:39,859 –> 00:16:44,859 Of course another problem with the secular view of work, 312 00:16:44,900 –> 00:16:48,039 that it’s something you do in order to get a pay packet, 313 00:16:48,960 –> 00:16:51,820 is that it undermines the dignity 314 00:16:51,820 –> 00:16:54,359 of those who are looking for work. 315 00:16:55,440 –> 00:16:57,679 And it undermines the dignity of those 316 00:16:57,679 –> 00:16:59,520 who have been called by God 317 00:17:00,919 –> 00:17:04,420 to work without pay in their homes. 318 00:17:05,260 –> 00:17:09,540 Some of you would love to have paid work right now, 319 00:17:10,800 –> 00:17:13,300 but you’re between jobs. 320 00:17:14,599 –> 00:17:19,599 Your God given work is to look for work, 321 00:17:20,680 –> 00:17:24,000 and you can do that right now for the glory of God. 322 00:17:24,979 –> 00:17:27,219 You need to know that there is dignity in this work, 323 00:17:27,219 –> 00:17:30,300 that this also is what God has given you to do at this time, 324 00:17:30,300 –> 00:17:32,400 that this is something to be done with vigour 325 00:17:32,439 –> 00:17:34,680 and to the best of your ability. 326 00:17:34,680 –> 00:17:37,839 You can glorify God as you pursue this with faith 327 00:17:37,839 –> 00:17:40,680 rather than succumbing to the very real pressure 328 00:17:40,680 –> 00:17:43,160 of discouragement and of despair. 329 00:17:44,319 –> 00:17:47,680 Don’t fall into the deadly trap of becoming passive 330 00:17:47,680 –> 00:17:49,760 about the search for work. 331 00:17:49,760 –> 00:17:51,500 Work is a good gift from God, 332 00:17:51,500 –> 00:17:54,160 so glorify God by the way you do the work 333 00:17:54,160 –> 00:17:55,300 of looking for work. 334 00:17:55,300 –> 00:17:57,160 There’s dignity in that. 335 00:17:57,920 –> 00:17:59,760 Some of us are carers. 336 00:18:01,199 –> 00:18:04,359 You give yourself to caring for a person in need 337 00:18:04,359 –> 00:18:06,300 and you don’t get paid a penny, 338 00:18:08,160 –> 00:18:12,599 but your work is a reflection of the character of God, 339 00:18:14,020 –> 00:18:17,319 and you’ll find dignity and sustenance in that 340 00:18:18,599 –> 00:18:19,699 as you see it. 341 00:18:21,819 –> 00:18:24,140 And then some of us are homemakers 342 00:18:24,839 –> 00:18:29,839 who choose to give yourself to caring for children 343 00:18:32,140 –> 00:18:33,699 and creating a home. 344 00:18:33,699 –> 00:18:35,959 You don’t get paid for that 345 00:18:37,219 –> 00:18:41,219 but your work is a reflection also of the character of God 346 00:18:42,359 –> 00:18:44,699 and there is great dignity in it. 347 00:18:44,699 –> 00:18:48,739 I think then of all the volunteers who work in hospitals, 348 00:18:48,739 –> 00:18:52,579 who work in schools, who work in churches 349 00:18:52,579 –> 00:18:56,699 and there is no pay but it is work that is a reflection 350 00:18:56,699 –> 00:18:58,500 of the image of God 351 00:18:58,500 –> 00:19:00,920 and there is dignity in this work 352 00:19:00,920 –> 00:19:04,319 because it reflects his character in you. 353 00:19:05,619 –> 00:19:08,520 So the fourth commandment shows us the dignity of work 354 00:19:08,520 –> 00:19:12,040 as an expression of the image of God. 355 00:19:12,040 –> 00:19:16,239 It’s very important for us to grasp this. 356 00:19:16,239 –> 00:19:17,920 Now of course this may sound marvelous 357 00:19:17,920 –> 00:19:19,640 but the reality is that many of us 358 00:19:19,640 –> 00:19:22,500 feel overwhelmed by our work, don’t we? 359 00:19:23,400 –> 00:19:24,880 And God gives us two insights right here 360 00:19:24,880 –> 00:19:26,780 in the fourth commandment that I think 361 00:19:26,780 –> 00:19:30,199 are very powerful, and very very practical. 362 00:19:30,199 –> 00:19:35,199 The first is about this whole issue of dividing your work. 363 00:19:35,359 –> 00:19:38,439 Six days, verse eight, you shall labor. 364 00:19:38,439 –> 00:19:41,880 Six days and notice again in verse 11 365 00:19:41,880 –> 00:19:45,119 for, here’s the reason, for in six days 366 00:19:45,119 –> 00:19:47,760 God made the heaven and the earth 367 00:19:47,760 –> 00:19:49,400 and all that is in them. 368 00:19:49,400 –> 00:19:52,359 Now did you ever stop to ask the question 369 00:19:52,420 –> 00:19:55,819 why in all the world would God make 370 00:19:55,819 –> 00:19:58,800 the heavens and the earth in six days 371 00:20:00,119 –> 00:20:02,260 when he could have made it in an instant? 372 00:20:03,959 –> 00:20:05,319 He could have, couldn’t he? 373 00:20:06,520 –> 00:20:10,020 So why six days? 374 00:20:12,859 –> 00:20:14,760 Surely the answer is that God was 375 00:20:14,760 –> 00:20:19,619 modeling a pattern for dividing our work. 376 00:20:20,359 –> 00:20:23,680 God is teaching us how we should work 377 00:20:23,680 –> 00:20:26,020 by the example of how he works. 378 00:20:26,020 –> 00:20:30,859 He is mentoring us in what effective work looks like. 379 00:20:32,660 –> 00:20:35,339 God has divided time for a reason. 380 00:20:35,339 –> 00:20:38,060 He has given us, in the very order of creation, 381 00:20:38,060 –> 00:20:42,939 a day, a week, a month, 382 00:20:42,939 –> 00:20:46,140 seasons of a year. 383 00:20:47,099 –> 00:20:48,780 And in the creation itself, 384 00:20:48,780 –> 00:20:52,739 God models a pattern of work 385 00:20:52,739 –> 00:20:55,560 that has rhythm to it. 386 00:20:55,560 –> 00:21:00,020 Rhythms of rest and of work. 387 00:21:00,020 –> 00:21:02,020 The very order of God’s work in creation, 388 00:21:02,020 –> 00:21:04,880 of course, shows the importance of structure 389 00:21:04,880 –> 00:21:06,260 within our work. 390 00:21:06,260 –> 00:21:08,819 Sometimes, of course, your work seems like 391 00:21:08,819 –> 00:21:10,660 an overwhelming mountain. 392 00:21:10,660 –> 00:21:11,280 You look at it. 393 00:21:11,280 –> 00:21:14,359 You say, how am I going to do all this? 394 00:21:15,199 –> 00:21:18,560 And of course, when you feel overwhelmed by your work, 395 00:21:18,560 –> 00:21:20,979 you lose your ability to function. 396 00:21:22,699 –> 00:21:26,239 Now, the successful worker will be one who copies 397 00:21:26,239 –> 00:21:31,199 the example of God and learns the ability to divide work 398 00:21:31,199 –> 00:21:33,339 and to establish priorities. 399 00:21:33,339 –> 00:21:34,640 These are the two things that we see 400 00:21:34,640 –> 00:21:36,800 in the account of creation. 401 00:21:36,800 –> 00:21:39,060 I have to tell you, I find this one of my own 402 00:21:39,060 –> 00:21:41,079 biggest struggles, and I’m sure many of us 403 00:21:41,079 –> 00:21:42,359 would say the same thing. 404 00:21:42,760 –> 00:21:46,060 I have to ask the question, what do I need to do today? 405 00:21:46,060 –> 00:21:49,160 What do I need to do this week? 406 00:21:49,160 –> 00:21:51,739 What has to be done within the frame of a month? 407 00:21:51,739 –> 00:21:54,079 And then, it’s very important for me to ask the question, 408 00:21:54,079 –> 00:21:57,260 what should I be seeking to achieve in a year? 409 00:21:57,260 –> 00:21:59,239 And then, to develop a plan. 410 00:22:00,400 –> 00:22:03,760 And I’m not just talking about paid work. 411 00:22:03,760 –> 00:22:07,599 I’m talking about whatever work God has given you to do 412 00:22:07,599 –> 00:22:11,520 to bring structure into your life in fulfilling 413 00:22:12,459 –> 00:22:16,380 what you have identified as your God-given responsibility. 414 00:22:16,380 –> 00:22:19,380 I mean, suppose you are a homemaker. 415 00:22:20,439 –> 00:22:24,280 How do you avoid the subtle temptation for some 416 00:22:25,219 –> 00:22:29,520 of sliding into a routine that’s around daytime television 417 00:22:29,520 –> 00:22:32,260 and then, hating yourself for it? 418 00:22:34,540 –> 00:22:39,020 The answer is, you have to work out what this job is. 419 00:22:39,020 –> 00:22:40,680 An unsupervised job. 420 00:22:42,160 –> 00:22:43,339 Write it down. 421 00:22:45,079 –> 00:22:48,979 If I am to do a great job in this high calling, 422 00:22:50,719 –> 00:22:54,020 if I’m to be a magnificent homemaker, 423 00:22:54,020 –> 00:22:56,400 what would that look like? 424 00:22:56,400 –> 00:22:57,400 List it all. 425 00:22:58,619 –> 00:23:00,800 What would I have to do in a year? 426 00:23:00,800 –> 00:23:01,719 Then break it down. 427 00:23:01,719 –> 00:23:03,180 What would I have to do in a month? 428 00:23:03,180 –> 00:23:05,380 What would I have to do in a week? 429 00:23:05,380 –> 00:23:08,079 What should I begin to do today? 430 00:23:08,079 –> 00:23:09,839 Break your work, whatever it is, 431 00:23:09,859 –> 00:23:12,020 whether paid or unpaid, into bite sized chunks. 432 00:23:12,020 –> 00:23:14,579 That’s the pattern that we’re learning here from the Bible. 433 00:23:14,579 –> 00:23:16,939 For nothing is more paralyzing 434 00:23:16,939 –> 00:23:19,719 than to sit in front of a massive task 435 00:23:19,719 –> 00:23:23,339 that has never been broken down into ordered steps. 436 00:23:23,339 –> 00:23:27,459 And then see a day as a unit of work. 437 00:23:27,459 –> 00:23:31,079 Tackle what needs to be done today, and then rest. 438 00:23:31,079 –> 00:23:32,099 That’s God’s pattern. 439 00:23:32,099 –> 00:23:34,040 That’s why he gave you night. 440 00:23:35,619 –> 00:23:39,560 Learn to see six days as another unit of work. 441 00:23:40,060 –> 00:23:41,640 And then take a day of rest. 442 00:23:41,640 –> 00:23:43,959 That’s why God gave to us the Sabbath. 443 00:23:45,199 –> 00:23:47,520 Look at the seasons that God has planned 444 00:23:47,520 –> 00:23:49,599 in the order of creation. 445 00:23:49,599 –> 00:23:54,040 Plan times of vacation, holiday weekends. 446 00:23:54,040 –> 00:23:56,640 Work with in whatever budget you have, 447 00:23:56,640 –> 00:23:59,219 but plan so that there are breaks 448 00:23:59,219 –> 00:24:02,000 in the seasons of your year. 449 00:24:02,000 –> 00:24:04,760 You find this actually written right into the Old Testament 450 00:24:04,760 –> 00:24:07,160 if you study the Old Testament festivals, 451 00:24:07,160 –> 00:24:08,979 after the harvest and so forth. 452 00:24:09,020 –> 00:24:12,020 You find through the year that there are seasonal breaks 453 00:24:12,020 –> 00:24:16,119 that God builds into the pattern of the life of His people. 454 00:24:16,979 –> 00:24:20,020 And plan your vacation in advance. 455 00:24:20,020 –> 00:24:21,280 You see, the seasons did that. 456 00:24:21,280 –> 00:24:22,260 There was an ordered thing, 457 00:24:22,260 –> 00:24:24,979 just like we know when Christmas comes and Easter comes. 458 00:24:24,979 –> 00:24:26,520 In the Old Testament year there was 459 00:24:26,520 –> 00:24:28,040 this pattern of festivals, 460 00:24:28,040 –> 00:24:32,619 there were the breaks that could be planned in advance, 461 00:24:32,619 –> 00:24:36,079 because half the joy is the anticipation 462 00:24:36,079 –> 00:24:37,520 of knowing that it’s coming. 463 00:24:38,119 –> 00:24:41,000 Now, this is awfully practical stuff, isn’t it? 464 00:24:42,699 –> 00:24:44,640 But it’s all in the fourth commandment. 465 00:24:46,560 –> 00:24:51,560 And it is powerfully relevant and desperately needed 466 00:24:53,900 –> 00:24:58,640 in our increasingly frazzled society today. 467 00:25:00,839 –> 00:25:03,599 And then there’s this whole business of completing the work. 468 00:25:03,599 –> 00:25:08,380 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 469 00:25:09,459 –> 00:25:11,660 Now, of course, if you don’t divide your work, 470 00:25:11,660 –> 00:25:13,680 you can never complete your work. 471 00:25:15,260 –> 00:25:17,300 But once you’ve divided your work 472 00:25:17,300 –> 00:25:19,619 following the pattern of God, 473 00:25:19,619 –> 00:25:23,819 you will find that divided work can be completed. 474 00:25:23,819 –> 00:25:28,819 We all know the phrase a woman’s work is never done, right? 475 00:25:29,699 –> 00:25:33,579 And there is some truth in that. 476 00:25:33,579 –> 00:25:36,099 And there’s some truth in it for a man as well. 477 00:25:37,260 –> 00:25:41,839 But a woman’s work for a single day can be done. 478 00:25:41,839 –> 00:25:43,880 It can be finished. 479 00:25:43,880 –> 00:25:46,060 And of course, it’s the same for a man. 480 00:25:47,400 –> 00:25:49,959 Divide your work as God does, 481 00:25:49,959 –> 00:25:52,380 bringing structure into it. 482 00:25:53,540 –> 00:25:56,020 And you will find this great payoff 483 00:25:56,040 –> 00:26:01,040 that you have the blessing of enjoying completed work. 484 00:26:01,060 –> 00:26:03,140 You’ll also be far more effective 485 00:26:03,140 –> 00:26:04,619 because you won’t be paralyzed 486 00:26:04,619 –> 00:26:06,719 in front of this unbroken mountain. 487 00:26:09,339 –> 00:26:12,819 At the end of each day, God paused 488 00:26:12,819 –> 00:26:14,739 and saw that it was good. 489 00:26:14,739 –> 00:26:16,699 Isn’t that beautiful? 490 00:26:16,699 –> 00:26:20,020 He surveyed what he had done. 491 00:26:20,020 –> 00:26:22,060 And he enjoyed it. 492 00:26:23,000 –> 00:26:27,459 He didn’t say, well, I’ve made the moon and the stars, 493 00:26:27,459 –> 00:26:32,140 but boy, I’ve still got the fish and the animals to go, 494 00:26:32,140 –> 00:26:34,420 and I haven’t even started with the man. 495 00:26:36,979 –> 00:26:39,599 You don’t find that in the account of creation. 496 00:26:40,500 –> 00:26:45,500 No, he enjoyed his completed work at the end of each day. 497 00:26:48,420 –> 00:26:51,319 I’ll tell you, I’ve found that one of my greatest struggles. 498 00:26:52,560 –> 00:26:55,819 To worry more about what I’ve still to do tomorrow, 499 00:26:57,359 –> 00:26:59,300 and therefore, to lose the joy 500 00:26:59,300 –> 00:27:01,400 of what God enabled me to do today. 501 00:27:03,020 –> 00:27:04,599 And that’s where we break down. 502 00:27:07,119 –> 00:27:10,260 God’s pattern is that every day and every week, 503 00:27:11,300 –> 00:27:16,300 we, who love him, should savor the joy of completed work, 504 00:27:16,319 –> 00:27:21,319 every day, every week, every season, every year. 505 00:27:29,300 –> 00:27:30,660 Now that’s the dignity of work. 506 00:27:30,660 –> 00:27:31,739 It’s so much of our lives, 507 00:27:31,739 –> 00:27:33,339 isn’t it wonderful that God speaks to us 508 00:27:33,339 –> 00:27:35,420 so directly and practically in the Bible? 509 00:27:36,819 –> 00:27:39,040 If you spend hundreds of dollars on management books, 510 00:27:39,040 –> 00:27:41,060 you’ll find just the same thing, you know? 511 00:27:42,699 –> 00:27:44,739 Secondly, here’s the blessing of rest. 512 00:27:45,640 –> 00:27:49,520 God rested on the seventh day, verse 11, 513 00:27:49,520 –> 00:27:52,739 and therefore He blessed the sabbath day 514 00:27:52,739 –> 00:27:54,319 and made it holy. 515 00:27:54,319 –> 00:27:56,979 Now, rest, if you want a simple definition, 516 00:27:56,979 –> 00:28:00,119 rest is simply the enjoyment of completed work. 517 00:28:00,119 –> 00:28:02,619 That’s why we’ve spent so much time talking about work. 518 00:28:02,619 –> 00:28:05,579 Because you can’t enjoy rest if you don’t divide 519 00:28:05,579 –> 00:28:07,800 and therefore complete work. 520 00:28:07,800 –> 00:28:09,880 That’s what God did on the seventh day. 521 00:28:09,880 –> 00:28:11,859 He finished His work of creation, 522 00:28:11,859 –> 00:28:13,280 which isn’t of course, all His work, 523 00:28:13,520 –> 00:28:16,099 God is working still, but He finished that work 524 00:28:16,099 –> 00:28:19,420 of these days and He rested. 525 00:28:19,420 –> 00:28:23,660 Because it was complete, He enjoyed the completed work. 526 00:28:23,660 –> 00:28:26,800 And God calls us to follow this pattern particularly 527 00:28:26,800 –> 00:28:28,920 not only on a daily basis as we’ve seen, 528 00:28:28,920 –> 00:28:32,160 but on a weekly basis by keeping the Sabbath holy. 529 00:28:32,160 –> 00:28:35,020 And of course we’ve seen many times in different places 530 00:28:35,020 –> 00:28:37,099 where we’ve come across this important Bible word 531 00:28:37,099 –> 00:28:38,819 that holy means different. 532 00:28:38,819 –> 00:28:39,859 It just means different. 533 00:28:39,859 –> 00:28:40,939 It means separated. 534 00:28:40,979 –> 00:28:44,300 It means not bound up with the rest of the stuff. 535 00:28:45,780 –> 00:28:48,040 So what it means to keep the Sabbath day holy 536 00:28:48,040 –> 00:28:51,280 will in some degree depend on what you normally do. 537 00:28:53,260 –> 00:28:55,119 For a student there should be one day 538 00:28:55,119 –> 00:28:56,420 when you don’t study. 539 00:28:58,020 –> 00:28:59,939 For the manua worker there should be one day 540 00:28:59,939 –> 00:29:01,459 when you put down your hammer. 541 00:29:02,400 –> 00:29:04,420 For the executive worker there should be one day 542 00:29:04,420 –> 00:29:07,020 when you stop pushing your pen. 543 00:29:07,020 –> 00:29:09,560 You’re to break from what God has given you 544 00:29:09,560 –> 00:29:13,640 as your major so that you may focus on something else, 545 00:29:13,640 –> 00:29:14,479 something different. 546 00:29:14,479 –> 00:29:16,479 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 547 00:29:16,479 –> 00:29:18,099 That’s what that means. 548 00:29:19,280 –> 00:29:21,339 That leads to some obvious questions by the way 549 00:29:21,339 –> 00:29:22,640 that are very important. 550 00:29:22,640 –> 00:29:25,640 How do we give Sabbath for carers? 551 00:29:28,199 –> 00:29:33,079 How do we give Sabbath to parents of special needs children 552 00:29:34,180 –> 00:29:35,719 or stay at home mums? 553 00:29:36,520 –> 00:29:40,579 It takes a community to do that. 554 00:29:41,719 –> 00:29:44,719 It takes a family to do that. 555 00:29:46,680 –> 00:29:48,040 And I thank God I have to tell you 556 00:29:48,040 –> 00:29:51,339 for many wonderful examples in the life of this community 557 00:29:52,800 –> 00:29:55,300 where we’re seeing increasingly that kind of ministry 558 00:29:55,300 –> 00:29:56,859 effectively offered. 559 00:29:58,599 –> 00:30:00,839 Helping another person to find Sabbath 560 00:30:00,839 –> 00:30:03,699 is a wonderful way for you to keep the fourth commandment. 561 00:30:04,579 –> 00:30:08,060 God’s pattern for your life includes a day 562 00:30:08,060 –> 00:30:10,619 when you enjoy resting from what you normally do. 563 00:30:11,579 –> 00:30:15,439 Now notice that we are to enjoy this rest, verse 11. 564 00:30:15,439 –> 00:30:17,579 We are to enjoy this rest. 565 00:30:17,579 –> 00:30:21,140 God blessed the Sabbath day, and he made it holy. 566 00:30:21,140 –> 00:30:23,079 This day of rest is a gift, 567 00:30:23,079 –> 00:30:27,619 and it’s a blessing from God, it is to be enjoyed. 568 00:30:27,619 –> 00:30:30,819 Now obviously the Sabbath is the seventh day, 569 00:30:30,819 –> 00:30:33,160 and I found some great help from Jewish writers, 570 00:30:33,160 –> 00:30:36,680 especially Abraham Heschel talking about the significance 571 00:30:36,680 –> 00:30:38,000 of the seventh day. 572 00:30:38,000 –> 00:30:40,359 I should say that in just a moment, 573 00:30:40,359 –> 00:30:42,560 I’m going to make a comment about the significance 574 00:30:42,560 –> 00:30:45,260 of the first day today, Sunday, 575 00:30:45,260 –> 00:30:47,800 in which we are worshiping as Christian believers, 576 00:30:47,800 –> 00:30:50,500 but I want us to hear some Jewish wisdom first 577 00:30:50,500 –> 00:30:54,079 about the relevance of the seventh day. 578 00:30:54,079 –> 00:30:57,079 The seventh day, says Heschel, reminds us that rest comes 579 00:30:57,079 –> 00:30:59,560 when we’ve completed our work. 580 00:30:59,560 –> 00:31:02,640 It’s not that we rest so that we can work, he says, 581 00:31:02,680 –> 00:31:05,719 it is that we work so that we can enter into rest. 582 00:31:05,719 –> 00:31:07,239 Hence, the seventh day. 583 00:31:07,239 –> 00:31:10,239 The sabbath, he says, is not for the sake of the weekdays, 584 00:31:10,239 –> 00:31:12,560 the weekdays are for the sake of the sabbath. 585 00:31:12,560 –> 00:31:14,800 You see, the work leads into the rest. 586 00:31:14,800 –> 00:31:16,979 We work so that having completed our work, 587 00:31:16,979 –> 00:31:18,459 we enter into rest. 588 00:31:18,459 –> 00:31:22,439 This, therefore, he says, is the climax of living. 589 00:31:22,439 –> 00:31:23,479 That’s beautiful. 590 00:31:24,540 –> 00:31:27,880 And then he goes on to describe how it is an anticipation 591 00:31:27,880 –> 00:31:31,199 of the day when all our work will be over. 592 00:31:32,119 –> 00:31:34,380 You see, the pattern of a week, working for six days 593 00:31:34,380 –> 00:31:36,400 and then entering into rest for one, 594 00:31:36,400 –> 00:31:37,859 you blow that up large, 595 00:31:37,859 –> 00:31:39,680 you have a picture of your whole life. 596 00:31:39,680 –> 00:31:43,199 You work and you fulfill all your God-given responsibilities 597 00:31:43,199 –> 00:31:45,540 and then you will enter into rest 598 00:31:45,540 –> 00:31:47,280 where you will gather with all God’s people, 599 00:31:47,280 –> 00:31:50,420 you will sing his praises, you will enter his rest, 600 00:31:50,420 –> 00:31:52,880 you will enjoy his presence forever. 601 00:31:52,880 –> 00:31:56,500 Every week is to be a snapshot of the big picture 602 00:31:56,500 –> 00:31:57,939 of what your life is all about. 603 00:31:57,939 –> 00:31:59,359 That’s beautiful. 604 00:31:59,359 –> 00:32:00,319 It’s very powerful. 605 00:32:02,199 –> 00:32:04,760 Enjoy your rest. 606 00:32:06,199 –> 00:32:09,119 It’s the climax of living. 607 00:32:10,739 –> 00:32:14,500 Notice the commandment says we’re to share our rest. 608 00:32:15,780 –> 00:32:19,060 Verse 10, we’re to share this rest 609 00:32:19,060 –> 00:32:22,739 with everyone within our sphere of influence. 610 00:32:22,739 –> 00:32:24,880 Notice your son, your daughter, 611 00:32:24,880 –> 00:32:26,819 the folks who work for you, 612 00:32:26,819 –> 00:32:30,479 the alien and even the animals. 613 00:32:30,479 –> 00:32:34,339 This is radically different from our world. 614 00:32:35,780 –> 00:32:37,439 See, we work on the assumption 615 00:32:37,439 –> 00:32:40,839 that rest is the privilege of those who can afford it. 616 00:32:42,459 –> 00:32:45,380 The executive who’s company runs so well 617 00:32:45,380 –> 00:32:48,180 that he’s now able to spend three days a week 618 00:32:48,180 –> 00:32:49,719 at his country club. 619 00:32:51,219 –> 00:32:55,219 But for the minimum wage worker from across the border, 620 00:32:55,219 –> 00:32:58,979 hey, he’s gotta work 24 seven just to scratch a living. 621 00:32:59,839 –> 00:33:01,599 Now, that’s how it is in the world. 622 00:33:02,939 –> 00:33:06,099 But God says to his people I want you to be a community 623 00:33:06,099 –> 00:33:08,579 with a different set of values. 624 00:33:08,579 –> 00:33:10,479 I want you to make sure that everyone 625 00:33:10,479 –> 00:33:12,819 within your sphere of influence 626 00:33:12,819 –> 00:33:15,300 is able to enjoy this day of rest. 627 00:33:15,300 –> 00:33:18,420 Make sure that your lowest paid worker 628 00:33:18,420 –> 00:33:20,619 can get by on what he earns in six days 629 00:33:20,619 –> 00:33:22,699 and doesn’t need to work for the seventh. 630 00:33:24,560 –> 00:33:27,780 Remember, as God’s people you were slaves in Egypt, 631 00:33:27,780 –> 00:33:29,900 your work there was unrelenting, 632 00:33:29,900 –> 00:33:31,739 I have delivered you from that, 633 00:33:31,739 –> 00:33:33,420 I want you to share that deliverance 634 00:33:33,420 –> 00:33:35,859 with everyone within your sphere of influence. 635 00:33:36,699 –> 00:33:38,579 Then you will reflect in your community 636 00:33:38,579 –> 00:33:40,540 something of my glory. 637 00:33:40,540 –> 00:33:42,400 Then all the nations will look at you 638 00:33:42,400 –> 00:33:45,359 and they’ll say my, amongst these people 639 00:33:45,359 –> 00:33:48,359 even the animals get a day off. 640 00:33:50,140 –> 00:33:52,359 And you’ll be able to say yes 641 00:33:52,359 –> 00:33:55,079 because God has given us work to do 642 00:33:55,079 –> 00:33:56,780 but he’s made us for more than work, 643 00:33:56,780 –> 00:33:58,979 he’s made us for eternity and one day 644 00:33:58,979 –> 00:34:01,680 in every seven we take a day to remind ourselves 645 00:34:01,680 –> 00:34:04,839 of that and to strengthen our grip on that reality. 646 00:34:07,579 –> 00:34:09,379 Now I think in the relentlessness of life 647 00:34:09,379 –> 00:34:10,840 in the northwest suburbs, 648 00:34:11,860 –> 00:34:14,719 a community of people who’d learned to rest 649 00:34:15,939 –> 00:34:19,919 would attract a lot of attention to Jesus. 650 00:34:21,919 –> 00:34:23,479 Now here’s the very last thing. 651 00:34:24,560 –> 00:34:26,120 Someone may be saying well that’s all very well 652 00:34:26,159 –> 00:34:27,820 for the seventh day but this is Sunday, 653 00:34:27,820 –> 00:34:30,760 the first day of the week and Christians have 654 00:34:30,760 –> 00:34:33,840 worshiped on Sunday since the earliest times 655 00:34:33,840 –> 00:34:35,340 when Jesus rose from the dead. 656 00:34:36,800 –> 00:34:38,560 While believers hold different opinions 657 00:34:38,560 –> 00:34:40,360 about whether Sunday should be regarded 658 00:34:40,360 –> 00:34:42,260 as a new sabbath or not. 659 00:34:42,260 –> 00:34:44,840 Some say Sunday is the Christian Sabbath. 660 00:34:44,840 –> 00:34:46,260 It’s just moved days. 661 00:34:46,260 –> 00:34:48,320 Others say that the day of rest 662 00:34:48,320 –> 00:34:50,659 and the day of worship are two different things 663 00:34:50,659 –> 00:34:53,179 and they’re not necessarily tied together. 664 00:34:54,120 –> 00:34:55,600 It’s certainly true that the earliest 665 00:34:55,600 –> 00:34:57,899 Christians worshiped on the first day of the week 666 00:34:57,899 –> 00:35:00,300 before sunrise, before a working day 667 00:35:00,300 –> 00:35:03,399 or else they met in the evening after a working day. 668 00:35:03,399 –> 00:35:04,639 They didn’t have Sunday off, 669 00:35:04,639 –> 00:35:06,560 they just chose to meet then. 670 00:35:07,800 –> 00:35:09,500 Perhaps, by the way, that’s one reason 671 00:35:09,500 –> 00:35:12,340 why Eutarhus fell asleep 672 00:35:12,340 –> 00:35:16,959 when Paul was preaching an exceptionally long sermon 673 00:35:16,959 –> 00:35:17,979 and fell out the window. 674 00:35:17,979 –> 00:35:20,239 You can read about that in Acts in chapter 20 675 00:35:21,479 –> 00:35:22,620 but I want to suggest to you 676 00:35:22,620 –> 00:35:24,560 that there is special significance 677 00:35:24,560 –> 00:35:28,300 for us to lay hold of in this first day of the week. 678 00:35:29,739 –> 00:35:31,560 See, as Abraham Heschel has reminded us, 679 00:35:31,560 –> 00:35:33,219 in the Old Testament, 680 00:35:34,459 –> 00:35:36,899 the law about the seventh day said 681 00:35:36,899 –> 00:35:41,459 finish your work in order that you enter your rest. 682 00:35:41,459 –> 00:35:44,520 And that principle still holds true for us 683 00:35:44,520 –> 00:35:45,620 with regards to our work. 684 00:35:45,620 –> 00:35:48,060 That’s a life principle for us. 685 00:35:50,100 –> 00:35:53,100 But the New Testament speaks about another kind of rest 686 00:35:53,120 –> 00:35:55,540 that we enter on an entirely different basis. 687 00:35:57,260 –> 00:35:59,260 And you see, this is incredibly important 688 00:35:59,260 –> 00:36:00,699 as we go through The 10 Commandments 689 00:36:00,699 –> 00:36:02,919 because if I look at everything that God has called me 690 00:36:02,919 –> 00:36:04,979 to do in the 10 Commandments, 691 00:36:04,979 –> 00:36:09,560 I have to conclude I haven’t finished the work. 692 00:36:11,020 –> 00:36:12,699 I’ve not finished. 693 00:36:12,699 –> 00:36:13,699 And which of us has? 694 00:36:13,699 –> 00:36:15,439 We’ve looked at the first four commandments. 695 00:36:15,439 –> 00:36:17,659 Which of us is really in the position of saying 696 00:36:17,659 –> 00:36:21,919 I have so wholly and unconditionally given myself to God. 697 00:36:21,939 –> 00:36:24,679 I have shed every sense of trying to bring Him 698 00:36:24,679 –> 00:36:25,580 into my agenda. 699 00:36:25,580 –> 00:36:28,500 I am worshiping Him as He is in totality. 700 00:36:28,500 –> 00:36:31,699 Everything I do is honoring His name. 701 00:36:31,699 –> 00:36:34,860 No, we have to say we’ve not finished the work. 702 00:36:37,179 –> 00:36:38,919 And as I look at the calling of God 703 00:36:38,919 –> 00:36:41,600 to you and to me in the 10 Commandments, 704 00:36:41,600 –> 00:36:44,780 and we have to admit, we’ve not finished this work, 705 00:36:44,780 –> 00:36:48,760 the question is how will we ever enter God’s rest? 706 00:36:49,479 –> 00:36:54,020 The longer I live, the more I study these 10 Commandments, 707 00:36:54,020 –> 00:36:57,280 the more convinced I am I will never finish this work. 708 00:36:57,280 –> 00:37:00,540 I will not on the day I die be able to say, 709 00:37:00,540 –> 00:37:03,899 Lord, I’ve finally finished the 10 Commandments. 710 00:37:03,899 –> 00:37:05,500 I know that. 711 00:37:05,500 –> 00:37:07,520 I’m not going to get there. 712 00:37:08,459 –> 00:37:10,860 And neither is any one of us in this sanctuary. 713 00:37:13,100 –> 00:37:14,360 And so Jesus says to us, 714 00:37:15,080 –> 00:37:17,100 O Jesus, come to me, 715 00:37:19,639 –> 00:37:22,919 and I will give you rest. 716 00:37:22,919 –> 00:37:27,300 I will give you rest. 717 00:37:27,300 –> 00:37:28,139 Think of that. 718 00:37:30,199 –> 00:37:32,840 When he died on the cross, he took on himself 719 00:37:32,840 –> 00:37:35,820 all my unfinished business before the law of God. 720 00:37:38,939 –> 00:37:40,800 And in his body as he bore it, 721 00:37:40,800 –> 00:37:44,100 he then cried out, it is, what? 722 00:37:44,639 –> 00:37:46,280 Finished. 723 00:37:46,280 –> 00:37:47,439 It’s finished. 724 00:37:48,780 –> 00:37:53,459 My work is not finished, but his work is complete. 725 00:37:53,459 –> 00:37:55,120 That is my rest. 726 00:37:56,399 –> 00:38:00,639 Come to me, and I will give you rest. 727 00:38:00,639 –> 00:38:03,879 You’ve not finished, Jesus would say to you and to me. 728 00:38:03,879 –> 00:38:06,280 You’ve not finished what God’s called you to do, 729 00:38:06,280 –> 00:38:08,040 but I have. 730 00:38:08,040 –> 00:38:11,080 You can’t finish what God has called you to do. 731 00:38:11,080 –> 00:38:13,399 You can never achieve it by your own works. 732 00:38:13,399 –> 00:38:16,560 Let me give you rest for your soul. 733 00:38:16,560 –> 00:38:18,639 I love the fact that Christians 734 00:38:18,639 –> 00:38:20,280 worship on the first day of the week 735 00:38:20,280 –> 00:38:23,860 because it reminds us every time we gather 736 00:38:23,860 –> 00:38:25,760 that we’re going out into another week 737 00:38:25,760 –> 00:38:28,820 in which God has called us to do many things. 738 00:38:28,820 –> 00:38:32,360 But we’re not doing them in order to gain 739 00:38:33,600 –> 00:38:35,419 access to his rest. 740 00:38:35,419 –> 00:38:38,320 We’re doing it because we have been given 741 00:38:38,320 –> 00:38:40,360 his rest in Jesus. 742 00:38:40,360 –> 00:38:44,760 I’m not doing what I do in order to earn my salvation. 743 00:38:46,459 –> 00:38:48,639 I’m seeking to live a life for his glory 744 00:38:48,639 –> 00:38:51,300 out of gratitude because he’s given me 745 00:38:51,300 –> 00:38:54,500 what I could never earn. 746 00:38:56,040 –> 00:38:59,600 And that makes your work, my work, 747 00:39:00,580 –> 00:39:04,780 an offering of love, a gift of gratitude 748 00:39:04,780 –> 00:39:10,639 in regard to a debt that can never be repaid.