This fall I have been in a sermon series on the 10 commandments. It seems so basic to so many that I think as Christian's we just assume we obey these 10 without a hitch. I think we often jump to the bottom half and say, "well I don't steal, lie or cheat on my spouse and I go to church and believe in God". Well good for you! However, what about the sabbath? Do you truly rest one day a week? If you do rest, is that day of rest given to playing catch up or self indulgence activities? Did you realize that Sunday is now the biggest shopping day of the week. Our culture does not help encourage a sabbath break anymore with the blue laws officially off the books and with a culture that now stays open 24/7 what are Christina to do? Regardless of the culture position His Word and the Holy Scriptures stands firm that man is too take a full day once a week to rest and acknowledge Him in community worship. But do we really observe the Sabbath as God would have us anymore?
As I was reviewing this forth commandment in preparation to preaching on a few Sunday's ago it caused me to really look at what God expected out of us then and now in obedience to this commandment. As I compared it to our American culture today i sensed we really do not observe this command as originally intended for the rest of man. . Do you remember when they had the blue laws? Those laws have since fallen off the law books and the American landscape and it happened right before my own growing up years. However the blue law influence was still in place among Christians for many years after.
We know from the scriptures that the day of rest was made for man and not man made for the sabbath. One of the first violations of working on the sabbath in the Old Testament resulted in the stoning to death of a man who was out picking up sticking ( working ) on the sabbath. Based on that aspect of work we might find more than half our society stoned to death next week.
Truly God loves us and cares about us and has a plan and purpose for our lives and that includes still observing a sabbath rest. That plan involves spending time with Him in worship and rest. When we shut down one day a week to truly rest our bodies, renew our minds and worship God who do you think will benefit? Of course we will benefit when we rest. In a society that now runs 7 full days a week and Sunday being the biggest shopping day of the week it is harder for Christians to truly resist the temptation to stop.
Are you a sabbath observer who rests one day a week to withdraw from it all and worship Almighty God or do you just work,work, work? If or when you do stop is it all about your day off to do as you please or resting in spite of the to do list? Sure is something to think and pray about isn't it? To view the original sermon this article is based on visit www.Delandnaz.tv
Based on Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5
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