Sermon Tone Analysis

*Sabbath’s Rest*

*/December 30, 2007/*

 

 

*Restful or stressful?

*

 

Today, we are taking a break from Philippians to talk about a timely topic: Rest.

Q   A quick *poll*: Which word best describes the holidays: *restful* or *stressful*?

I vote for stressful.

The *pressure* begins the *last* *Wednesday* of November as we prepare for *Thanksgiving*.

It builds as we negotiate all of the Christmas parties and begin our Christmas *shopping*, or more accurately, Marilyn does the Christmas shopping – I hate shopping.

But it’s not over yet, we still have to make it past the gifts-*return* *lines* and the New Year’s Eve *party*.

·         I’m having fun *most* of the time – except when I’m at *WAL-MART*.

I am *no* big *fan* of Wal-Mart; but the *low*, low prices keep me coming back.

But at Christmas time is it *intolerable*.

It’s way too *many* *people* in too *small* of a *space*, in a *bad* *mood*, pushing and shoving to buy a *bunch* of *junk*.

One year at Christmas, as Marilyn and I were walking into Wal-Mart, and I was in a *particularly* *bad* *mood*, I turned to Marilyn and said, “Welcome to *hell*.”

·         My idea of hell is Wal-Mart at Christmas.

So after all of that, I find myself looking *forward* to *life* to settle down *after* the *holidays* when I can get some *rest*.

So we are going to talk about *rest*.

*God invented weekends*

 

Rest is actually a *deeply* *theological* issue.

I mean *God* created *weekends*.

Go back about 3,500 years.

The Jews had been *slaves* in Egypt, treated *ruthlessly* by the Egyptians.

God *frees* them, and one the first things he did was *write* the *Ten* *Commandments*.

Rule #4 institutes the weekend.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.

On it you shall not do any work.... /Exodus 20:8-10 NIV/

 

The purpose of Sabbath was to take a *break* from *labor*, to reflect on the *freedom* and *blessings* from God, and *honor* him.

Every *Saturday* – Sabbath – everyone *had* to rest.

Working through the weekend was literally a *capital* *offence*.

*Sabbath or Sunday?*

That brings up *two* *important* questions:

 

Q   Why don’t *Christians* honor the *Sabbath*, worshiping on *Sunday*?

Q   Are Christians *allowed* to *work* on Sunday?

Is that breaking the 4th Commandment?

·         To answer those questions, I have a short *history* *lesson*.

The early church was overwhelmingly *Jewish*, and followed Jewish *traditions* and *laws*, including observing the *Sabbath*.

*Independently* of that, it appears that another tradition arose of “*breaking* *bread*,” (i.e.

celebrating *communion*) on the *first* *day* of the week, to commemorate when *Christ* *rose* from the dead.

·         This day came to be called “The *Lord’s* *Day*” and is *referred* to a handful of times in the *NT*.

We also know from the early *church* *fathers* that Christians in the *first* *three* *centuries* met on *Sunday* *morning* to *pray* and *sing*, then go to *work* as normal.

In the *evening* they’d meet for a “*love* *feast*,” communion taken in the context of a full dinner.

·         Side note, I would love to see *home* *groups* taking *communion* in this way, part of a *complete* *meal*.

But even still, this *Sunday* celebration was *not* meant to *replace* the *Sabbath* day of rest.

*Keeping Kosher?

*

 

In *Acts*, an important event occurred that *set* the *stage* for a change from *Saturday* to *Sunday*: *Gentiles* began to get *saved*, and brought the first *theological* *crisis* in the church:

·         Did a *Gentile* have to follow the *Jewish* *laws* to become a Christian?

This may seem like an *obvious* thing to us, but given the entire identify of the *apostles* and *early* *Christians* had been found in the *keeping* of the *Law*, this was a very difficult issue.

After much *debate* and *prayer*, they decided that Gentiles did *not* have to observe the Jewish law and issued the “*Jerusalem* *edict*:”

 

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.

You will do well to avoid these things.*

*/Acts 15:28-29 NIV /

 

This is a very *crucial* *event*, because it relieves us of the *burden* of keeping the law, a really good thing, especially if you like *bacon* or *shrimp*.

Or shrimp *wrapped* in bacon.

But on the other hand, things become *harder*: Rather than keeping a *set* of *rules* that are *rigid*, yet *obtainable*, Christ calls us to a new *law* of *love*:

 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."*

*/Matthew 22:37-40 NIV /

 

If you ask me, the Law was *easier* than that!

In fact, much of Jesus teaching was for the purpose of showing that the *true* *law* was *impossible* to *keep*, in order to show our *need* for *grace*.

*Gentiles and Sabbath*

 

Now from this *edict* in *Acts*, Paul later says that Gentiles don’t have to honor *any* *special* *days*, which includes *Sabbath*:

 

One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike.

Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

Romans 14:5 NIV 

 

However, the Jewish believers by and large continued to *honor* the *Sabbath*, and we believe that *many* *Gentiles* did as well.

But over the next *300* *years* more and more *Gentiles* become Christians, and less and *less* *Christians* kept the Sabbath.

The final *catalyst* for moving the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday came in *321* A.D. Constantine, the Roman emperor who later became a Christian, declared that *Sunday* would be a day of *rest* throughout Rome, in honor of the Sun god.

·         That’s where we get “*Sunday*,” in honor of the *Sun* *god*.

So Sunday became the *national* *weekend*, and it happily *coincided* with the “*Lord’s Day*” that Christians celebrated.

Over the next *several* *centuries*, Sunday became so entrenched as a *day* of *worship* and *rest* that some of the church fathers condemned worship on *Saturday* as akin to returning to *Judaism*.

·         So that’s why Christians celebrate Sunday instead of Saturday.

*Required to rest?*

So now to the bigger question: Can Christians *work* on *Sunday*?

If Sunday has *replaced* Sabbath, are we *breaking* the *4th* *commandment*?

 

·         Are we *required* to observe Sunday as a day of worship and rest?

*No*.

I do *not* believe the NT teaches that we are *required* to observe a *day* of *rest*.

In fact, what we know of church history seems to say the *many* *early* *Christians* did not.

The NT is clear believer should *meet* on a *regular* *basis*, receive Biblical *teaching*, and *serve* each other and have *fellowship*.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.*

*/Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV  /

 

But asking if we are *required* to a day of rest is a *misguided* *question*.

God made us, and knows how we *function* *best*, and the Sabbath was meant as a *gift* to us.

A *better* question is: What do we *lose* when we *don’t* take a day of rest?

 

·         The issue isn’t the *actual* *day*; many people *work* on *Sundays*.

·         *I* have to work on *Sunday*!

Q   What do we lose when we don’t have a *dedicated* time of rest?

*My personal Sabbath*

 

When I was in *college* I really struggled with taking a day of rest.

As a *full*-*time* *student* putting myself through college, I was always in *class*, *working*, or *studying*.

Sunday was a *prime* homework day and I didn’t feel *guilty* about it.

I knew my *theology* and *church* *history*, that I’m not *bound* to *OT* *laws*.

I realized that was the *wrong* *way* of looking at it.

·         When God gives a command, it’s for our *benefit* and *well-being*.

·         The *principles* of a Sabbath rest are *still* *valid*.

I took a look at my routine: I never *really* took time off for rest.