Extraordinary Rest
Series: ORDINARY PEOPLE EXTRAORDINARY GOD
Speaker: James Barnett
Date: 27th June 2021
Passage: Exodus 31:1-18
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 I'm pretty tired.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:11 This most recent round of restrictions from COVID has reminded me of how weary I have been from all of this.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 And there's definitely a fatigue that comes from constantly having to think,
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 how far am I allowed to go from my house?
00:00:19 --> 00:00:20 What am I allowed to do?
00:00:20 --> 00:00:24 Even throughout the week, how many people could I have over at my house?
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 There's no church.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:27 How do I get online?
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 Where do I find the link for that?
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 How do I do my job from home?
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 All of these things are so exhausting.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:39 I'm not sure how you've been feeling, but I'm certainly feeling like I need a rest.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:47 I've got holidays coming up, but even holidays coming up bring a certain sense of anxiety and stress.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 Will I actually be able to cross the border?
00:00:50 --> 00:00:54 I saw an ad the other day, which will come up on screen in a moment.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:58 I saw this ad for a holiday in Tasmania.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 And it says, come down for air.
00:01:02 --> 00:01:07 And now it just feels like they're just torturing us with this advertisement for a holiday that we can't go on.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:12 But that advertising, come down for air, come down, and it's fresh.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:13 You can catch a breath.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 This is wonderfully restful.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 It sounds appealing.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:27 Now, while we're in Sydney in lockdown for the next two weeks, it doesn't necessarily mean that things are going to be restful, though.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 I think that I find it easy to fill my time with things that aren't really restful.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 I'll just end up watching too much TV.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:34 I'll sit on my phone.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:42 And after the next couple of weeks, what could have been a rest from normal habits hasn't actually been.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:47 Because I think what we need really is Sabbath rest.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:53 The rest that reminds us that we don't carry the burdens of the world.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:58 We don't carry the anxieties of the world because we have a God who does.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 And he calls us to rest in him.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:09 COVID reminds us that, you know, these lockdowns remind us that we are really not in control at all.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 And we have a God who is in control.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:19 And Sabbath rest reminds me that I can rest because God is in control of all things.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:25 We're continuing in our series, Ordinary People, Extraordinary God, through the book of Exodus.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:31 And we've been, today we'll be looking at God's command for Sabbath rest.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:39 And today, as we see this command, we'll see God's call for us to regularly rest in him.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:46 But to do that, we're going to need a new definition of what Sabbath rest is and why it should be one of the most important parts of our week.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:57 So today, as we look at Sabbath rest, first of all, we're going to see the created rest, the recreated rest, and then how to actually rest.
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 So please pray with me.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:08 Heavenly Father, I thank you for this opportunity to look at your word, to be reminded about rest.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:16 And Father, for those of us who are in Greater Sydney, who have been taken out of our normal habits over the next two weeks,
00:03:16 --> 00:03:21 Father, I pray that you would use this time to help us to rest in you.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:24 We ask this in your son's name. Amen.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:31 First thing we'll see this morning is created rest, which might actually be dropping off the bottom of your screen.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:33 You might be able to see it there. That's okay.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:39 In this series so far, we have seen that God has taken his people from slavery in Egypt.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:46 He has saved them. He has pulled them out through miraculous things, through plagues, through the Red Sea.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 He has made a lasting covenant with them.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:56 God has bound himself to these people and he has made his home with them.
00:03:56 --> 00:04:02 He's instructed them to build a tabernacle so that God would be with them all of the time.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 God has saved them to worship.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:08 And as we saw last week, the Israelites couldn't wait to worship.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:16 They get out of Egypt and as soon as they could, they set up the golden calf to worship instead of worshiping God.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:26 But either side of that situation with the golden calf, there are commands in chapter 31 and chapter 35 for Sabbath rest.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 Sabbath rest in God.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 And so God calls Exodus in chapter 31.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:32 Have your Bible open.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:33 It'll be on the screen as well.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:34 Have the Bible open.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:42 Then the Lord said to Moses, say to the Israelites, you must observe my Sabbaths.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:47 This will be a sign between me and for the generations to come.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:52 So you may know that I am the Lord who makes you holy.
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 The book of Exodus contains God's commands.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 And many are framed in the negative.
00:04:58 --> 00:04:59 Think of the Ten Commandments.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 You shall not.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:02 You shall not commit adultery.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:04 You shall not murder.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:09 But here, God is commanding the Israelites to do something.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:10 But it's in the positive.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:11 You must.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 You shall do this.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 You must observe the Sabbaths.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:23 And so whatever we see about the Sabbaths, whatever difficulty there is for God's people and for us,
00:05:23 --> 00:05:28 first and foremost, we must see that it is a very positive thing for us.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 Israel were told to regularly stop.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 To remember their relationship with God.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 To regularly Sabbath every week.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:44 Sabbath rest is a regular sign of relationship.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:50 It's a picture of enjoying rest with God because of all that God has already done.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 He is the one who has saved them.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 He is the one who has entered into a covenant.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:59 He is the one who is coming down to heaven to dwell with them.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 And he requires them to rest with him.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:11 This is a call for Israel to regularly take time each week to stop and to invest in their relationship with God.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 To remind themselves about who they are.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:14 Who has saved them.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:16 Who owns them.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 Who has bound them to him.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:27 And here in verse 13, it says that they would do this to know the Lord who makes them holy.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 The word holy here means set apart.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:33 Special.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 These people were special to God.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:40 They were his unique people that he would bless.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 And then through them he would bless the entire world.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 And they would just show that they were holy.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:47 That they were set apart.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:48 That they were special.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 By regularly taking time out to stop.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:53 To stop work.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:55 And to rest in God.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:57 Not working.
00:06:57 --> 00:06:58 Not being busy.
00:06:58 --> 00:06:59 But to rest.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:03 To be forced to depend on God in a physical way.
00:07:03 --> 00:07:11 Resting and Sabbathing is a weekly reminder that God is the one who works.
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 That we are dependent upon him.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 It is active trust.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:22 It is a picture of saying to God, God, I have so much stuff I have to do.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:24 I need to gather food.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 I've got a family to take care of.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 I've got a job.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:28 I've got to do all these things.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 But I'm going to stop.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 And I'm going to trust that you will take care of me.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 Look, God, I'm so used to being anxious and stressed out and busy.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 But I don't need to be those things.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:44 Because God, you have promised that I am yours.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:45 And you will take care of me.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:53 Sabbath rest is the spiritual act of trusting God in physical form.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:54 Let me say that again.
00:07:54 --> 00:08:00 Sabbath rest is the spiritual act of trusting God in physical form.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 It impacts our diaries.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 It impacts our weeks.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:09 And it resets us each week in relationship with God.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:15 Imagine how easy it would have been for Israel who have just come out of Egypt.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:20 Who are still trying to figure out what it meant to be a people who are living in a desert.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 To have been frustrated by this.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 They didn't have modern technology.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:27 They didn't have electricity.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 Cooking is difficult.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 Cleaning is difficult.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 Everything had to be done by hand.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 And yet God says, stop every week.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 Take time to rest.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 Don't work, but instead remember who I am.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 And remember who you are.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 You are my people.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:53 God continues to describe the Sabbath in verse 14 and the purpose of it.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 Observe the Sabbath because it is holy to you.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:05 Those who do any work on that day must be cut off from the people.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 For six days work is to be done.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 But the seventh day is a day of Sabbath rest.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 Holy to the Lord.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 Whoever does any work on it on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:19 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 Celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:31 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:36 And on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.
00:09:37 --> 00:09:41 It is crucially important that the people would regularly do this.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 And that's why there is such strong punishments.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:51 Two weeks ago we looked at the building of the tabernacle.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:58 And we saw all of the connections between the building of the tabernacle and the building of the earth in Genesis.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:03 We saw that God had made a home with the people when he made the world.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:09 And again with the tabernacle God was coming and building a home with the people in the tabernacle.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:17 And here again as you can see on the screen we have those connections back to Genesis.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:17 Genesis.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:25 God commands Sabbath because it was good for God and it is good for us.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 God created the world and rested.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 And we are to rest too.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:36 In creation God makes all of the animals and he makes people.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 And people can often think that there's no difference.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 We're just smarter versions of animals.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 But God has made us to be different.
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 God has made us unique to the rest of creation.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 Animals don't get a day off.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 They have to keep looking for food.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 Because if they stop they'll either be eaten or they won't eat.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 But God has made us different.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 He has made us like himself.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:13 Regularly Sabbathing is a sign to remind us that God is the one who is in control.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 He is the Lord and we have been made like him.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 He is the one who provides.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 He is the one who continues to work.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:25 We are not made to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 We are made for more than survival.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:32 We are made for more than busyness.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 For more than chasing things in life.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:38 We are made to work and to rest in God.
00:11:39 --> 00:11:44 It's a beautiful picture of how things were in the Garden of Eden when work wasn't exhausting.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 And God was there to be enjoyed.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:51 Just like we saw in the building of the tabernacle.
00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 God built the tabernacle to be at home with the people.
00:11:56 --> 00:12:00 God restored in the tabernacle what was lost in creation.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 Now God is restoring something that was lost.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:07 God is restoring rest that was lost in the Garden.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:12 God has had close relationships with people.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:17 He had them in the Garden and He is restoring them now.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:22 Bringing Exodus, bringing God's people back to relationship with Him.
00:12:23 --> 00:12:28 The relationship between God and His people, it's comparable to a marriage.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:34 And time is needed for any relationship and especially a marriage to thrive.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:38 I know that in my relationship and my marriage with Alyssa,
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 there is definitely seasons of life that have been busy.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 And we can be like ships passing in the night.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:49 And then all of a sudden, after a couple of days, I'll just, I'll see Alyssa and realize,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:49 do you know what?
00:12:49 --> 00:12:52 I haven't, I haven't seen you.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:56 I haven't, I feel like I haven't spoken to you for days.
00:12:56 --> 00:13:00 No wonder I'm starting to become passive aggressive or holding a grudge.
00:13:00 --> 00:13:07 This is true of all relationships, especially so with God.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:14 Regular rhythm of time in relationships helps to keep them healthy.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:19 Regular time of relationship with God helps to keep our relationship with Him healthy.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:26 Israel were called to regularly take time to work on their relationship with God.
00:13:26 --> 00:13:32 That's our first point this morning, that God has created rest for us.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:36 For Israel, this time was very specific.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:44 But the second question for us is, do Christians need to follow the same kind of very specific,
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 ritualized Sabbath?
00:13:47 --> 00:13:50 Does God require us to not do any work?
00:13:50 --> 00:13:53 Are we even allowed to light a fire on the Sabbath?
00:13:53 --> 00:13:59 Should we celebrate the Saturday or the day that Christians celebrate, which is the Sunday,
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 the day that Jesus came back?
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 And so that's, this is the second point for us today.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 Recreated rest.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 Recreated rest in Jesus.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:16 Many aspects that God instituted in Exodus have been fulfilled in Jesus.
00:14:16 --> 00:14:20 God being at home with His people in the tabernacle.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:23 That is God being at home with us in Jesus.
00:14:25 --> 00:14:28 Sacrifices were constantly brought into the tabernacle.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:32 And Jesus is the once and for all sacrifice.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 In Jesus, we have a new covenant with God.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:38 But how is the Sabbath fulfilled in Jesus?
00:14:38 --> 00:14:45 Well, in Luke chapter 6, Jesus describes Himself as the Lord of the Sabbath.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 He is the one who controls it.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:51 He is the one who brings it.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:56 And in Matthew 11, which Nick read for us, Jesus declared,
00:14:56 --> 00:15:26 These words are like a balm to a weary and burdened soul.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:30 Jesus promises that He would give rest.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:36 The rest that was promised in the weekly structure of living for Israel,
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 Jesus would give that rest.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:43 There is something deeply appealing about these words.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:50 God's intention isn't for us to be constantly rushing and constantly being busy,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:56 to be burnt out in the hope that we would fulfill our lives and fulfill our to-do lists.
00:15:56 --> 00:16:05 Jesus calls us to rest in Him because it's in Him that all of the work is finished.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:09 And because of that, we can find our rest and our hope in Him.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:15 At the heart of our busyness is our heart.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:22 Some would suggest that a life of over-busyness comes from a false belief that God is not enough.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:25 God doesn't have enough for me, so I have to be really busy
00:16:25 --> 00:16:29 because I've got all of these things that I need in my life.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:35 And so as we consider the things that stop us from resting in God,
00:16:35 --> 00:16:38 it is good to question for us,
00:16:38 --> 00:16:41 what are the things that makes us busy?
00:16:41 --> 00:16:52 Tim Chester, who's written a wonderful book on Exodus,
00:16:53 --> 00:16:59 he has six questions for us to question what impacts our busyness
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 and what stops us from resting in God.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:07 First of all, are we busy because we need to prove ourselves?
00:17:07 --> 00:17:12 You know, do I need to work really hard at work or at study
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 to prove to my family or myself that I have value?
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 Are you busy because you need to prove yourself?
00:17:19 --> 00:17:23 Are you busy because of other people's expectations?
00:17:24 --> 00:17:29 Are you working yourself to the bone because of how other people view you?
00:17:29 --> 00:17:34 Are you busy because otherwise things will get out of control?
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 Often this is one that I struggle with.
00:17:37 --> 00:17:40 If I'm not making sure the house is clean,
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 if I'm not constantly working on that,
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 I feel like it's going to get out of control
00:17:44 --> 00:17:47 and then it will all crash in on me.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 That's one I struggle with, control.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:56 Are we busy because we actually like being busy?
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 We like feeling like we're under pressure.
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 I work harder when I'm under pressure.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 Is that why we're busy?
00:18:04 --> 00:18:08 Are we busy because we just want more money?
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 I'll rest.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 I'll take time off when I've got enough money.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 But before that, I'm going to work so hard.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 I'm going to work job upon job.
00:18:16 --> 00:18:20 I'm going to have side hustle because I just want to get more money
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 and I'm going to be busy until I get it.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 But I'll rest later.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:28 Or are we busy because we want to make the most out of our lives?
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32 I want to fill it with all of these experiences,
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 so I'm not going to rest.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 I can't take time out of my diary.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 God, I'm too busy.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 I'm going to enjoy this world you've created.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:45 These lies can work into so many different parts of our lives.
00:18:45 --> 00:18:50 Being overly busy and not resting in God.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:54 It's a way of pursuing God-like status.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56 I have to get these things done.
00:18:57 --> 00:19:01 The world will not continue unless I do these things.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:06 But the only person who can say that is God himself.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:12 When we rest, we're doing the opposite of these six questions.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:19 We're acknowledging that we have nothing to give God
00:19:19 --> 00:19:22 and that we are truly dependent upon him.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:25 It's the opposite of thinking that the world will fall apart.
00:19:25 --> 00:19:33 Every emotion that fuels our over-busyness has been dealt with at the cross.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:39 Every fear that we have before God has been matched by Jesus.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:45 And instead of pursuing these busy things,
00:19:46 --> 00:19:50 God invites us to rest in him, to draw closer in him.
00:19:51 --> 00:19:54 And so, because of that, there are six truths that match these.
00:19:54 --> 00:20:00 First of all, we can rest because we are accepted by God.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 We don't need to prove ourselves.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 God accepts us in Jesus.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:10 We can rest because in Jesus, we have met God's expectations.
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 It doesn't matter about other people's views.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:16 God, the one who created the whole world, loves us.
00:20:17 --> 00:20:23 The highest being in the universe has a high view of us because of Jesus.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:28 We can rest because, you know, this is good for me.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:34 I don't need to try and chase control because I've got a God who is in control of all things.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:39 I can rest because Jesus is my safe refuge.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:43 I can rest instead of working my side hustles and trying to get money
00:20:43 --> 00:20:47 because God has given me everything I need.
00:20:47 --> 00:20:52 And we can rest because through Jesus, we have life.
00:20:54 --> 00:21:01 God gives us Sabbath rest and this principle to live by
00:21:01 --> 00:21:04 because that is how we have been made to be.
00:21:04 --> 00:21:08 We have not been made to be people who are constantly rushing around.
00:21:08 --> 00:21:13 But the flourishing of the human soul comes from resting in God.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:17 The Sabbath isn't a rule for us to keep.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:22 It's an opportunity God provides for us to enjoy Him more
00:21:22 --> 00:21:29 because we show our trust in God when we take our time to rest and trust in Him.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 Now, you might be convinced about this as a principle.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 Yes, I can understand this.
00:21:33 --> 00:21:35 I'm on with this idea.
00:21:35 --> 00:21:37 But how do we actually do this?
00:21:37 --> 00:21:40 How do we actually rest?
00:21:40 --> 00:21:42 What am I allowed to do?
00:21:42 --> 00:21:46 Do I just shut off for 24 hours?
00:21:46 --> 00:21:49 Do I just sit still on my lounge and not do anything?
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 What am I allowed to do?
00:21:51 --> 00:21:55 There's a little Pharisee in all of us.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:59 There's a person who likes to live by laws and rules in all of us.
00:22:00 --> 00:22:04 Our natural tendency is to define what we can do by rules.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:11 But the essence of Sabbath rest is not found in a do and don't list.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:14 It's found in that first part of Exodus 31 that we saw.
00:22:15 --> 00:22:19 Observe the Sabbath to remember who our God is.
00:22:20 --> 00:22:23 And this is like breathing out.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:32 I've lost a page.
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 I don't know where it's gone.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:36 So there are...
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 As I...
00:22:37 --> 00:22:40 Please excuse me for one moment as I look for my lost page.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 There it is.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:44 So...
00:22:44 --> 00:22:52 As we rest in Him, we remember that God has made us His holy people.
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 Set apart from Him.
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 That's what we saw in Exodus 31.
00:22:56 --> 00:22:59 That God has made us holy and set apart.
00:23:00 --> 00:23:05 When we do this, our hearts can be at rest even when our bodies are busy.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:11 And so, as we think about how to rest, I want to give you four R's.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 Four R's of Sabbath rest.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:16 The first R is to relent.
00:23:17 --> 00:23:19 We actually just need to stop work.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 We need to relent from work.
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 Actually stop working.
00:23:23 --> 00:23:26 Whether that's paid employment or around the house.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 Stop it.
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 Don't check the phone for emails.
00:23:31 --> 00:23:34 Let the dirty dishes and the dirty clothes pile up for a day.
00:23:34 --> 00:23:38 There is no end of washing clothes, it turns out.
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 There is no end of washing dishes.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 Things can stop.
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45 Stop thinking about the people you need to call for work.
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 Cease.
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 Desist from it.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 Relent from it.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 Just stop doing it.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:52 This is the very first thing we have to do.
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 We actually just have to stop doing those things.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 Turn off the mobile phone for a day.
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 It's a fairly crazy thought.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:04 We are so used to now having our whole lives built by mobile phones.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 Just turn the thing off.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:15 Whatever you need to do to break that cycle of work for a day, do that so you can relent from work.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:22 And if it can't be for a whole day, at least do it for a very long period of time.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 So that's the first thing.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 Relent.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:26 Just stop doing things.
00:24:26 --> 00:24:29 Second part of resting, it's going to be rest.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 It is actually rest.
00:24:31 --> 00:24:33 Now everyone has activities are restful.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 Things that give back to us.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:38 Whether it's drinking coffee or cycling.
00:24:38 --> 00:24:40 Whether it's movies or surfing.
00:24:41 --> 00:24:43 Reading or even just sleep.
00:24:43 --> 00:24:45 Do something that is restful.
00:24:45 --> 00:24:51 For a long time when we had little kids, Alyssa and I would take turns sleeping in.
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 Alyssa would get the first sleep in.
00:24:53 --> 00:24:55 I'd get up early with the kids and I'd hang out with them.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:59 And then we'd tag team and I would go and sleep and she would be up with the kids.
00:24:59 --> 00:25:08 Whatever it is that allows you to breathe a bit more, do that so that you can rest.
00:25:09 --> 00:25:13 Now, I find those two come most naturally to me.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:19 I find it really easy to rest, to turn off work on these days, on a Sabbath day.
00:25:19 --> 00:25:23 It might be the Australian culture of living for the weekend in me.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:26 But these two are really important.
00:25:26 --> 00:25:31 My time off most looks like number one and two.
00:25:31 --> 00:25:33 Resting and relenting.
00:25:34 --> 00:25:36 But they can actually be very self-centered.
00:25:36 --> 00:25:38 They can be very sinfully self-centered.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:42 I can think I have to do these restful things.
00:25:42 --> 00:25:49 And if anything gets in the way, if I get a phone call, if my children interrupt me when I am resting, look out.
00:25:50 --> 00:25:54 So my rest can actually be quite sinful.
00:25:54 --> 00:26:00 And I know I can also do some really unhelpful things when I think I'm resting.
00:26:01 --> 00:26:08 Have you ever binged a TV show, watched three or four hours of it, finished watching it and thought,
00:26:08 --> 00:26:11 I feel so rested right now.
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 I feel so good.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15 I know I certainly haven't.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:23 Whenever I've binged watching TV, I finally turn it off when Netflix allows me to turn it off before the next episode starts.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 And I'm exhausted.
00:26:25 --> 00:26:27 I'm glassy-eyed.
00:26:27 --> 00:26:30 It's like one o'clock in the morning, something stupid like that.
00:26:31 --> 00:26:36 And I get tricked into thinking that this has been restful, but it's been exhausting.
00:26:36 --> 00:26:42 Be aware of the things you do for rest, that they actually are restful.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 That's the first two.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:53 You need to break the cycle of work, take time to rest, but then the third and fourth hours are the most important for us.
00:26:53 --> 00:26:55 To stop and to rest in Jesus.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:58 And so the third is to rejoice.
00:26:59 --> 00:27:03 Take time to rejoice in your Savior.
00:27:04 --> 00:27:08 Our Savior who has finished all of the work required for us for salvation.
00:27:09 --> 00:27:12 Every desire that we have has been met in Jesus.
00:27:13 --> 00:27:19 If resting is breathing out, well, rejoicing is breathing in.
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 It's being filled.
00:27:21 --> 00:27:26 It's being reminded of how great our Jesus is and how much He cares for us.
00:27:27 --> 00:27:30 Go and pray through Psalm 118.
00:27:31 --> 00:27:34 This is the day that the Lord has made.
00:27:35 --> 00:27:37 Let us rejoice and be glad in Him.
00:27:37 --> 00:27:39 You might not be feeling that right now.
00:27:40 --> 00:27:42 You might be worried about the next two weeks of lockdown.
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 But you know what?
00:27:43 --> 00:27:48 You can stop and rejoice that God has another day for you.
00:27:48 --> 00:27:51 That Jesus still died for you.
00:27:51 --> 00:27:54 He was raised for you and He still loves you.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:57 You can rejoice in that today.
00:27:58 --> 00:28:00 So go and read Psalm 118.
00:28:01 --> 00:28:03 When we rest, it is important to rejoice.
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 It's also important to reflect.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:11 Actually stop long enough to reflect on where you're at with God.
00:28:11 --> 00:28:16 Like any relationship, we need to reflect where we're at with God.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:26 Thinking about Jesus, just having thoughts about Him, it's not nearly as good as actually being in relationship with Him.
00:28:27 --> 00:28:33 Telling other people about Jesus isn't nearly as good as drinking deeply from the wellspring of grace.
00:28:33 --> 00:28:39 Rejoicing and reflecting are things we often do here at church.
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 And we do these things with other believers.
00:28:42 --> 00:28:45 Normally on a Sunday, we get a chance to sing.
00:28:45 --> 00:28:48 We get a chance to rejoice with one another.
00:28:48 --> 00:28:52 There's times to reflect on where our relationship with God is.
00:28:53 --> 00:28:58 But one of the problems of our normal Sunday is that our Sundays have become so busy.
00:28:59 --> 00:29:02 Our Sundays have become full of things.
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 There's kids' sports.
00:29:04 --> 00:29:06 The shops are open on Sundays.
00:29:07 --> 00:29:09 We want to spend time with people.
00:29:09 --> 00:29:17 But so often, Sabbathing, resting in God, gets crammed down into the church time.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:21 Maybe it's just an hour and a half.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 I'll get to church.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:27 Maybe I'll get there a little bit late so I actually miss out on rejoicing in singing.
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 Rejoicing at other parts.
00:29:30 --> 00:29:33 I'll hang around for a coffee.
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 And then I'm out.
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 I've got other things to do.
00:29:36 --> 00:29:39 And those other things aren't Sabbath restful things.
00:29:39 --> 00:29:41 They're just things I want to do.
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 I've got to get to the shops.
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 I've got to do these things.
00:29:43 --> 00:29:45 I've got things I need to do around the house.
00:29:47 --> 00:29:50 Instead, take time.
00:29:50 --> 00:29:57 We can't have a flourishing relationship with anyone, let alone God, if we're constantly checking the clock.
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 What time is it?
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 How long have I been here?
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 Have I finished my coffee?
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 I'm leaving.
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 Honey, we're going.
00:30:04 --> 00:30:08 Throughout the week, we had a friend come over and make dinner for us.
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 Our friend made hot pot.
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 And it was really wonderful.
00:30:12 --> 00:30:19 What I love about the hot pot meal is the time that is built into it.
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 It's not a quick meal.
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 It takes time.
00:30:23 --> 00:30:27 You get the hot pot bases and then you're ready.
00:30:27 --> 00:30:29 Then you're throwing food in.
00:30:30 --> 00:30:32 I'm going to throw some cabbage in.
00:30:32 --> 00:30:35 I'm going to throw some meat in, some noodles.
00:30:35 --> 00:30:40 And you're just letting it simmer and the flavors develop over time.
00:30:41 --> 00:30:47 And throughout the meal, it was wonderful because my friend was just throwing things in and the flavor was getting better.
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 I'll try this.
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 I'll throw this meat in.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 Here's another meat.
00:30:49 --> 00:30:51 Let's throw dumplings and fish balls.
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 And it was wonderful.
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 And it was a great meal with my family.
00:30:55 --> 00:30:59 Other people came and joined in this meal and it was really wonderful.
00:30:59 --> 00:31:04 One of the great things was that the flavor was developing over time and more things were going in.
00:31:04 --> 00:31:06 And I just had no reason to stop eating.
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 And I ate too much.
00:31:08 --> 00:31:10 But that was also a wonderful thing as well.
00:31:11 --> 00:31:15 If our friend had just chucked all the food in and then pulled it all out and said,
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 Here, it's cooked.
00:31:17 --> 00:31:19 We would have had the same food.
00:31:20 --> 00:31:22 But we would have lost the depth of flavor.
00:31:23 --> 00:31:27 I could have cooked a toasted sandwich for my friend and gone,
00:31:28 --> 00:31:28 Here you go.
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 Eat this.
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 Have a five-minute conversation.
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 Get out of my house.
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 I've got other things to do.
00:31:34 --> 00:31:39 But we wouldn't have had the same depth of relationship.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:45 The same amount of time sitting around food, eating and talking together.
00:31:46 --> 00:31:52 It's easy to think of ticking off the Sabbath requirement as eating a toasted sandwich.
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 It's food.
00:31:54 --> 00:31:56 I've got to get this time in with God.
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 I'm just going to put it in my mouth.
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 I know I need it.
00:31:59 --> 00:31:59 And I'm going to get it.
00:32:00 --> 00:32:00 I'm going to go to church.
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 I'm going to leave.
00:32:01 --> 00:32:03 I'm going to watch this live stream at home.
00:32:03 --> 00:32:03 I'm going to watch the YouTube.
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 I'm going to leave.
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 I'm going to read my Bible.
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 I'm going to leave.
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 I'm going to briefly reflect.
00:32:08 --> 00:32:10 I'm going to briefly rejoice in these songs.
00:32:10 --> 00:32:10 But that's it.
00:32:12 --> 00:32:17 And we can end up having a shallow, bland relationship with God.
00:32:17 --> 00:32:20 Just a plain old toasted cheese sandwich with God.
00:32:20 --> 00:32:26 It can be nourishing, but it doesn't deeply satisfy the soul.
00:32:28 --> 00:32:32 That type of relationship with God is okay for a season.
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 God understands who we are.
00:32:34 --> 00:32:36 He understands the pressures on our lives.
00:32:37 --> 00:32:39 He understands Jesus is a human.
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 He knows the pressures.
00:32:42 --> 00:32:45 And yet he still calls us to time with him.
00:32:46 --> 00:32:48 Look at Jesus' practice.
00:32:48 --> 00:32:53 He took deliberate and specific steps to spend time with God in prayer.
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 Let me encourage you.
00:32:57 --> 00:32:59 The hot pot Sabbath is so different.
00:33:01 --> 00:33:05 That's where we get to build in time in relationship with God.
00:33:05 --> 00:33:08 Where we get real depth of relationship.
00:33:09 --> 00:33:12 And so that Sabbath rest becomes a regular practice.
00:33:13 --> 00:33:17 It's not just, my day off isn't just time off from work and time resting.
00:33:18 --> 00:33:22 But I actually build in time rejoicing and reflecting on how I'm going with God.
00:33:24 --> 00:33:26 Reflecting that God is bigger than my worries.
00:33:26 --> 00:33:28 God is bigger than my business, busyness.
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 He is the one who is in control.
00:33:29 --> 00:33:31 I've got money worries at the moment.
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 But God is in control of them.
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 I've got family issues.
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 But God, I know you love me.
00:33:35 --> 00:33:38 I know that you are taking care of these issues.
00:33:38 --> 00:33:45 Now usually, at this point, I would encourage you to try and build a new habit.
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 Build a new Sabbath habit.
00:33:47 --> 00:33:49 But Gladys has done that for us.
00:33:50 --> 00:33:55 For all of those in Greater Sydney, we are out of our normal habits for the next two weeks.
00:33:55 --> 00:34:03 We all have an opportunity now to build good Sabbath relationships with God.
00:34:05 --> 00:34:07 When are you going to take time?
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 Have a think about this.
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 Are you going to take time today?
00:34:10 --> 00:34:12 When are you going to take time to relent from work?
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 To rest in Jesus?
00:34:15 --> 00:34:19 To rejoice that He has worked so we don't have to?
00:34:19 --> 00:34:22 And to reflect on all of God's goodness to you.
00:34:23 --> 00:34:27 When you find yourself with time in the next two weeks,
00:34:27 --> 00:34:29 take time to do this.
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 To rejoice.
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 To reflect.
00:34:31 --> 00:34:31 To rest.
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 To relent.
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 Do it in little bits.
00:34:35 --> 00:34:38 But make big chunks of time for this.
00:34:39 --> 00:34:42 To say, I'm not going to work on this day.
00:34:42 --> 00:34:45 Even though, you know, every day is going to blur together.
00:34:45 --> 00:34:47 I am going to take time.
00:34:47 --> 00:34:49 I'm going to call some family members.
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 I'm going to pray with them.
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 I'm going to FaceTime.
00:34:51 --> 00:34:52 I'm going to Zoom with them.
00:34:53 --> 00:34:55 I'm going to read some Bible with them.
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 I'm going to pray.
00:34:57 --> 00:35:03 So that we would regularly build in time that is not just going to briefly feed us.
00:35:04 --> 00:35:09 But that would deeply feed our souls in relationship with God.
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 Let me pray for us.
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 Heavenly Father.
00:35:14 --> 00:35:18 Father, I thank you for all of the good things that you give us.
00:35:19 --> 00:35:21 Father, thank you so much for Jesus.
00:35:23 --> 00:35:26 Thank you that he offers us rest.
00:35:27 --> 00:35:31 Father, I thank you that he has finished all of the work.
00:35:32 --> 00:35:36 So that because of him, we can rest in you.
00:35:36 --> 00:35:43 Heavenly Father, I also thank you for this opportunity to take the next two weeks as we're in lockdown,
00:35:44 --> 00:35:47 for those in Greater Sydney to reflect on our time.
00:35:48 --> 00:35:51 Lord, help us not waste the next two weeks.
00:35:52 --> 00:35:57 But build in us new habits of Sabbathing it with you, Lord.
00:35:57 --> 00:36:01 That we would be deeply in relationship with you.
00:36:02 --> 00:36:03 We ask this in your son's name.
00:36:04 --> 00:36:04 Amen.