WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.100 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christchurch. 00:00:03.100 --> 00:00:13.300 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christchurch. 00:00:13.300 --> 00:00:20.519 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at Christchurcheastbay.org. 00:00:20.519 --> 00:00:39.799 This scripture reading is from the book of Exodus, chapter 20, verses 1 and 2, and verses 8 to 11, and the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 5, verses 12 to 15, as printed in the liturgy. 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:43.719 And God spoke all these words. 00:00:44.920 --> 00:00:49.799 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 00:00:50.520 --> 00:00:52.900 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:55.980 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 00:00:56.859 --> 00:01:00.920 But the seventh day is the Sabbath to the Lord your God. 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:13.900 On it you shall not do any work, neither you nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 00:01:13.900 --> 00:01:20.859 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them. 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:22.940 But he rested on the seventh day. 00:01:23.640 --> 00:01:27.200 Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 00:01:28.860 --> 00:01:32.420 Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 00:01:32.420 --> 00:01:37.240 As the Lord your God has commanded you, six days you shall labor and do all your work. 00:01:37.340 --> 00:01:40.460 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. 00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:52.859 On it you shall not do any work, neither you nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey, or any of your animals, 00:01:52.859 --> 00:01:59.000 nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest as you do. 00:01:59.859 --> 00:02:09.240 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. 00:02:09.240 --> 00:02:14.700 Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. 00:02:15.560 --> 00:02:21.600 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God stands forever. 00:02:22.740 --> 00:02:30.160 We're in the fourth commandment today, but let's do some memory, hand memory, all right? 00:02:30.219 --> 00:02:31.060 Hand motion memory. 00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:32.280 What's the first commandment? 00:02:32.860 --> 00:02:35.800 You shall not have any other gods before me, all right? 00:02:35.800 --> 00:02:36.939 There's only one God. 00:02:36.939 --> 00:02:39.120 The second commandment, right? 00:02:39.539 --> 00:02:42.719 You shall not make a graven image or bow down to it. 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:46.579 The third commandment, the Father, Son, and the Spirit. 00:02:46.659 --> 00:02:49.240 You shall not use the Lord's name in vain. 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:52.159 And today we're at the fourth commandment. 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:54.099 Honor the Sabbath, right? 00:02:54.180 --> 00:02:55.939 Keep it holy, all right? 00:02:56.079 --> 00:02:57.020 Get that nap in. 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:05.340 Now, with the fourth commandment, I wonder, if it were up to you to write the ten words, 00:03:05.340 --> 00:03:11.400 the ten commandments, the top ten words from God to serve as the foundation for a flourishing people, 00:03:12.500 --> 00:03:17.840 do you think you would have thought of this fourth commandment as an absolute essential? 00:03:19.340 --> 00:03:24.340 I mean, even amongst faithful, thoughtful Christians, this is probably the most debated of the ten commandments 00:03:24.340 --> 00:03:26.759 with regard to its meaning and its application. 00:03:26.920 --> 00:03:27.520 When to do it? 00:03:27.920 --> 00:03:28.620 How to do it? 00:03:28.840 --> 00:03:30.800 Whether we still need to do it? 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:36.480 And then add to that our fast-paced, modern, industrial world in which it almost seems like a requirement 00:03:36.480 --> 00:03:38.360 to break this commandment. 00:03:38.420 --> 00:03:43.939 And many businesses, even churches, might reward their staff for breaking this commandment. 00:03:44.520 --> 00:03:49.300 Because, like, to Sabbath, to Shabbat, right, which literally means to stop, to cease and desist, 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:51.500 for one full day a week, 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:55.460 how could that possibly be morally essential? 00:03:55.460 --> 00:03:59.379 Like, yeah, of course, we all agree, don't murder, don't steal, don't lie. 00:03:59.460 --> 00:04:03.719 Of course, those belong to the foundation of a healthy society. 00:04:03.900 --> 00:04:07.900 And, you know, even the first three commandments, you know, don't have any other gods, no idols, 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:09.439 don't take God's name in vain. 00:04:09.600 --> 00:04:14.680 I think even an atheist could probably understand and sympathize with why those would be good 00:04:14.680 --> 00:04:17.199 and foundational for people who did believe in God. 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:21.540 But with this fourth commandment, it's like, why this one too? 00:04:21.540 --> 00:04:25.700 It just seems so much more negotiable than all the others, right? 00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:29.000 Is this really up there with thou shalt not murder? 00:04:29.100 --> 00:04:32.340 Shouldn't it be somewhere else with the civil and the ceremonial laws? 00:04:32.420 --> 00:04:35.960 Doesn't it belong, you know, maybe next to the one about not eating pigs or shellfish 00:04:35.960 --> 00:04:39.080 or what to do when you borrow your neighbor's donkey and it gets killed? 00:04:40.220 --> 00:04:41.600 Shouldn't it be somewhere else? 00:04:41.640 --> 00:04:43.600 How'd this one make the famous ten? 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:48.540 Also notice of all the spiritual disciplines, God could have put in the Ten Commandments, 00:04:48.540 --> 00:04:53.260 read the Bible, memorize the Bible, meditate on it, pray, fast, give to the poor, 00:04:53.400 --> 00:04:55.560 practice generosity and hospitality. 00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:59.460 This is the one he puts in here, Shabbat. 00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:01.140 Stop. 00:05:01.879 --> 00:05:05.220 And not just stop, but make this stop holy. 00:05:05.400 --> 00:05:06.600 Keep Shabbat holy. 00:05:06.780 --> 00:05:08.660 It's curious, isn't it? 00:05:09.700 --> 00:05:14.460 So what exactly is God giving us by giving us the fourth commandment? 00:05:14.459 --> 00:05:19.819 Well, what I hope to convince you of this morning is that that's exactly it. 00:05:19.899 --> 00:05:20.959 He's giving us something. 00:05:21.299 --> 00:05:26.239 In giving us the fourth commandment, what he's giving to us is a gift, the gift of rest, 00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:32.439 and in particular, his rest, his perfect, eternal, soul-satisfying rest. 00:05:32.500 --> 00:05:36.620 When God says here, starting in verse 8, remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, 00:05:36.620 --> 00:05:44.120 holy, this fourth commandment is actually far more a gift of rest than the burden of restriction. 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:50.780 A gift of rest to us and to those over us, to those under us, to those beside us. 00:05:50.819 --> 00:05:52.780 This is so much more than a limit. 00:05:52.920 --> 00:05:54.240 This is so much more than a restriction. 00:05:54.340 --> 00:05:58.720 The fourth commandment, really what it is, is it's a declaration of liberty. 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:01.280 Because remember who this was given to. 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:07.339 This was a liberating invitation to weary former slaves whose every waking hour was once devoted 00:06:07.339 --> 00:06:11.419 to propping up the empire of another nation, Egypt. 00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:16.299 In the very first chapter of Exodus, we're told that when Pharaoh saw the Hebrews becoming 00:06:16.299 --> 00:06:21.439 fruitful and multiplying and filling the land, in his insecurity, he put slave masters over 00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:21.759 them. 00:06:21.959 --> 00:06:26.500 And it says they made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and worked 00:06:26.500 --> 00:06:27.839 them ruthlessly. 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:32.719 And what it says in chapter 1, verse 11, is that what they're forced to build for Pharaoh 00:06:32.719 --> 00:06:35.379 are these supply cities, these store cities. 00:06:35.500 --> 00:06:39.799 Basically, Pharaoh, like every other tyrant, was trying to exploit their labor for the sake 00:06:39.799 --> 00:06:42.899 of socioeconomic security through accumulation. 00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:49.199 And so, when in chapter 5, when Moses asks Pharaoh for, he doesn't even ask him to let his 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:49.500 people go. 00:06:49.559 --> 00:06:54.739 He just says, can we go on a three-day journey into the wilderness to have a festival to worship 00:06:54.739 --> 00:06:55.179 the Lord? 00:06:55.879 --> 00:06:57.059 What's Pharaoh's response? 00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:00.219 He calls them lazy for wanting to worship. 00:07:00.659 --> 00:07:05.359 Get back to work, fulfill your quotas, and in fact, increase my margins, less straw, more 00:07:05.359 --> 00:07:05.699 brick. 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:12.259 To Pharaoh, festival and worship are threats to his agenda for labor and production, threats 00:07:12.259 --> 00:07:15.219 to the stability and security of his empire. 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:20.500 So here at Mount Sinai in Exodus 20, when God is giving this fourth commandment, what he's 00:07:20.500 --> 00:07:24.219 doing is he's revealing himself to be an anti-Pharaoh. 00:07:24.220 --> 00:07:28.880 While Pharaoh is threatened by people who stop working, God actually commands his people to 00:07:28.880 --> 00:07:29.240 stop. 00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:34.780 While Pharaoh treats worship as an interference with production, God makes worship the essential 00:07:34.780 --> 00:07:37.280 cornerstone in the rhythm of his people's lives. 00:07:37.920 --> 00:07:44.280 And therefore, while Pharaoh increases burdens and dehumanizes the Hebrews, God gives rest and 00:07:44.280 --> 00:07:45.240 rehumanizes them. 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:45.960 See the difference? 00:07:45.960 --> 00:07:52.920 While Pharaoh is an anxious, finite ruler, right, whose power depends upon exploiting others, 00:07:53.340 --> 00:08:00.100 God is contrasted as the self-sufficient creator who doesn't need our labor to sustain his kingdom. 00:08:00.100 --> 00:08:06.540 So in the fourth commandment, what God is saying is he's saying, hey, I'm a different kind of Lord, 00:08:06.580 --> 00:08:10.640 and I'm inviting you into a different kind of life in my better kingdom. 00:08:11.220 --> 00:08:16.460 Whereas your last Lord called you lazy for wanting to stop, rest, delight, and worship, 00:08:16.660 --> 00:08:17.600 you know what I call that? 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:19.040 I call that holy. 00:08:20.200 --> 00:08:23.040 And in fact, I'm not just offering this to you. 00:08:23.040 --> 00:08:30.020 I'm commanding you to receive this gift, commanding you to Shabbat, to once a week stop, rest, 00:08:30.340 --> 00:08:31.740 delight, and worship. 00:08:32.800 --> 00:08:36.860 And notice, God doesn't just aim this Shabbat at individuals, but at whole households and 00:08:36.860 --> 00:08:40.139 communities, even the oxen and the donkeys, even slaves. 00:08:40.259 --> 00:08:41.019 Look at verse 10. 00:08:41.259 --> 00:08:45.139 Your sons, your daughters, your male and female servants, the foreigners living among you, 00:08:45.320 --> 00:08:46.120 even your animals. 00:08:46.920 --> 00:08:51.440 We aren't just responsible for observing Shabbat individualistically, but we're responsible 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:56.380 for ensuring that everyone else around us gets to Shabbat. 00:08:56.440 --> 00:08:57.540 Isn't that remarkable? 00:08:59.040 --> 00:09:04.420 Here are these former slaves who knew what it was like to work endlessly for somebody else's 00:09:04.420 --> 00:09:10.520 benefit, and now God is commanding them, don't do to other people what Pharaoh did to you. 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:14.840 In fact, when Moses repeats this commandment here in Deuteronomy 5, we have both of them 00:09:14.840 --> 00:09:16.420 here, Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5. 00:09:16.419 --> 00:09:20.839 You can see it just right here in chapter 5. 00:09:21.379 --> 00:09:24.199 This is, what he's saying is, he's doing this 40 years later. 00:09:24.339 --> 00:09:25.000 Just imagine that. 00:09:25.099 --> 00:09:27.379 Exodus 20, right, to maybe the parents. 00:09:28.219 --> 00:09:34.120 40 years later, Deuteronomy 5 to the children, the grandchildren of these former Hebrew slaves, 00:09:35.019 --> 00:09:38.500 these children of Israel who are about to enter into the promised land. 00:09:38.500 --> 00:09:43.820 And as they are about to enter this land flowing with milk and honey, God is warning them, when 00:09:43.820 --> 00:09:49.620 you come into prosperity, when you come into abundance, don't just remember the Sabbath like 00:09:49.620 --> 00:09:52.720 it says in Exodus 20, but here in Deuteronomy 5, it's a different word. 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:59.860 It's shamar, which means observe or keep watch over or even guard and protect the Sabbath. 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:05.879 It's almost like God is building a kind of scheduled social justice right into the weekly 00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:07.240 rhythm of his people. 00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:14.620 Every seven days, you make sure that everyone stops, not just the powerful, not just the 00:10:14.620 --> 00:10:19.299 privilege, not just the people who can afford to stop, because God didn't rescue his people 00:10:19.299 --> 00:10:24.120 from Pharaoh so that they could enter the promised land and become their own Pharaohs to everyone 00:10:24.120 --> 00:10:24.860 else. 00:10:25.899 --> 00:10:31.700 See, Sabbath isn't just God's gift to me, it's God's gift to us, to our families, our neighbors, 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:32.779 the whole community. 00:10:32.779 --> 00:10:37.659 And when we practice it together, we help make rest a reality for whole societies. 00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:43.799 In the fourth commandment, the creator is commanding his people to return to the rhythm of his good 00:10:43.799 --> 00:10:44.279 creation. 00:10:44.939 --> 00:10:50.059 This isn't just some practical correction to rebalance the scales after all the endless 00:10:50.059 --> 00:10:52.879 toil that these former slaves endured back in Egypt. 00:10:52.980 --> 00:10:54.799 No, it's a factory reset. 00:10:55.299 --> 00:10:56.079 That's what this is. 00:10:56.080 --> 00:11:00.460 And that's why in verse 11, the Sabbath commandment is rooted not in, hey, it's been a tough 400 00:11:00.460 --> 00:11:02.940 years, so, you know, just have some R&R. 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:06.240 No, it says here in verse 11 that the Sabbath is rooted in something far deeper. 00:11:06.800 --> 00:11:08.280 Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:15.000 For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, but he rested 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:16.040 on the seventh day. 00:11:16.500 --> 00:11:20.900 Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 00:11:20.899 --> 00:11:28.179 The basis of Shabbat, the basis of our weekly rest, is the God who rested from his creation work. 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:30.899 And not because he was exhausted, but because his work was done. 00:11:31.059 --> 00:11:32.879 Everything he intended it to be. 00:11:32.980 --> 00:11:36.600 God saw all that he had made and behold, it was very good. 00:11:37.019 --> 00:11:38.519 It was finished. 00:11:39.639 --> 00:11:41.639 For God, rest isn't recovery. 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:46.340 It's him sitting in the satisfaction of doneness and goodness. 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:49.879 And I think that's why he blessed that day and made it holy. 00:11:49.879 --> 00:11:53.879 This was an incredibly special and unique occasion. 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:58.360 The first time in the Bible that something is designated as holy. 00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:04.700 And what's so interesting is that he doesn't call a particular object holy, like, you know, 00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:08.679 a person, a place, a thing, the garden, a temple, a mountain. 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:12.980 He calls a particular period of time holy. 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:18.480 This momentous occasion in the history of the world when the God who preexisted creation, 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:22.600 who preexisted time itself, the never restless, always satisfied God, 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:29.220 who's never known incompleteness from all eternity, he rests on the seventh day of creation. 00:12:29.720 --> 00:12:34.480 The God who had forever enjoyed eternal rest in and of himself from before time began, 00:12:34.759 --> 00:12:40.899 he now brings and enjoys that rest in time, in history, in creation. 00:12:40.899 --> 00:12:49.240 And he invites all of creation to enter and experience that eternal rest with him and in him. 00:12:49.899 --> 00:12:53.199 This rest that only Father, Son, and Spirit had ever known and enjoyed throughout eternity. 00:12:53.480 --> 00:12:59.399 He is now giving his creatures a taste, a taste of eternity, of completeness, of satisfaction, 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:01.000 of delight on this seventh day. 00:13:01.340 --> 00:13:07.340 Which was, by the way, if you think about it, the day one experience of Adam and Eve, right? 00:13:07.340 --> 00:13:09.220 God made them on the sixth day. 00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:13.660 Yes, calling them to be fruitful, to multiply, to exercise dominion, to rule, right? 00:13:14.280 --> 00:13:16.080 But this is the first full day for them. 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:20.420 As soon as they woke up, the day after they were created, it wasn't a day to hit the ground running, no. 00:13:21.040 --> 00:13:24.420 Their first full day of existence was simply Shabbat. 00:13:25.740 --> 00:13:28.440 So like, yeah, Adam, Eve, go exercise dominion. 00:13:28.740 --> 00:13:31.480 Build, cultivate, produce, fill the earth. 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:33.759 But you can start tomorrow. 00:13:34.580 --> 00:13:40.960 Because today, on your first full day of existence, we're starting with stopping. 00:13:41.980 --> 00:13:45.080 We're starting with rest, delight, and worship. 00:13:45.920 --> 00:13:47.460 Receiving before achieving. 00:13:47.940 --> 00:13:53.259 Being human beings with me before going out tomorrow as human doings for me. 00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:56.139 Because this is what you were made for. 00:13:56.139 --> 00:14:01.259 To glorify me by enjoying my restful presence forever. 00:14:02.220 --> 00:14:07.940 You see, Sabbath, from the beginning, it was always so much more than just taking a day off. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:11.480 The gift of Sabbath was never meant to just be a day without work. 00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:15.440 The gift of Sabbath is that it's a day with God. 00:14:16.259 --> 00:14:21.480 The holiest, most sacred, and also most restful, delightful day of the week. 00:14:22.180 --> 00:14:24.659 And this is a super important distinction. 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:28.460 Like, receiving the gift of Sabbath versus just having a day off. 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:32.360 Because, you know, more commonly, we can tend to have this way of dividing up time. 00:14:32.440 --> 00:14:32.639 Don't we? 00:14:32.700 --> 00:14:33.440 We always say this. 00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:35.160 We say, work hard, play hard. 00:14:35.300 --> 00:14:35.480 Right? 00:14:35.940 --> 00:14:36.879 Work hard, play hard. 00:14:36.980 --> 00:14:41.120 Like, either time to grind, time to hustle, time to produce, or time to kick back. 00:14:41.280 --> 00:14:41.560 Right? 00:14:41.620 --> 00:14:43.560 Time to let go, relax, indulge. 00:14:43.920 --> 00:14:47.720 Those are our two basic operating categories for understanding time. 00:14:47.800 --> 00:14:47.980 Right? 00:14:47.980 --> 00:14:55.500 But, see, Sabbath defies this simplistic self-centeredness of work hard in order to play hard. 00:14:56.279 --> 00:15:00.560 Unlike work hard and earn your right to play hard, God's Sabbath commandment says no. 00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:03.519 No matter what, on that seventh day. 00:15:03.959 --> 00:15:06.219 No matter what you have or haven't finished. 00:15:06.419 --> 00:15:07.679 No matter who you are. 00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:08.979 Stop. 00:15:09.739 --> 00:15:10.059 Rest. 00:15:10.719 --> 00:15:11.179 Delight. 00:15:11.859 --> 00:15:12.139 Worship. 00:15:13.059 --> 00:15:14.879 And not because you earned a break. 00:15:15.099 --> 00:15:18.339 And not even because this rhythm will make you more productive the other six days. 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:23.799 But simply because this is my gift to you and what you were made for. 00:15:23.799 --> 00:15:30.339 See, the fourth commandment, to remember the Sabbath, it's preaching a message to us. 00:15:30.399 --> 00:15:31.519 It's preaching a message to the world. 00:15:31.579 --> 00:15:36.699 And it's not just a message about what to do or what not to do on a particular day of the week. 00:15:36.819 --> 00:15:42.039 It's preaching to us a message about who and whose we are. 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:47.779 What the fourth commandment says to us about who we are is that we were made for receptivity 00:15:47.779 --> 00:15:48.979 before productivity. 00:15:49.659 --> 00:15:51.859 For communion before contribution. 00:15:51.860 --> 00:15:56.759 You know, on sabbatical, I read this book by a Catholic philosopher. 00:15:56.899 --> 00:15:57.899 His name was Joseph Pieper. 00:15:58.300 --> 00:16:00.320 It was called Leisure, the Basis of Culture. 00:16:00.759 --> 00:16:01.659 And it wasn't fun. 00:16:01.940 --> 00:16:02.639 It wasn't light. 00:16:02.980 --> 00:16:04.139 But it really struck me. 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:11.019 Because what Pieper, I think, rightly argues is that while our modern society has come to 00:16:11.019 --> 00:16:16.139 understand the main activity of human life to be labor and production and thus viewing leisure 00:16:16.139 --> 00:16:19.899 as a mere luxury, Pieper flips that. 00:16:19.899 --> 00:16:26.100 And he argues that, no, actually, leisure isn't just a luxury, but leisure is the basis of culture. 00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:30.919 Leisure, not labor, is what we were most basically made for. 00:16:31.620 --> 00:16:35.519 And by leisure, he doesn't just mean, you know, kicking back, doing nothing, binging on YouTube 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:36.139 and Netflix. 00:16:36.259 --> 00:16:45.240 By leisure, he means being able to stop and receive and enjoy what is good in and of itself 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:48.060 without needing to accomplish anything else. 00:16:48.100 --> 00:16:50.399 Just receiving and enjoying what is good. 00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:52.220 And think about it. 00:16:52.820 --> 00:16:55.139 Isn't that what we do at a festival? 00:16:55.759 --> 00:17:00.980 We set aside our ordinary work not to produce something, but simply to celebrate the good, 00:17:01.139 --> 00:17:01.419 right? 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:04.099 And when is festival the biggest? 00:17:04.620 --> 00:17:07.759 When does it make the most sense to celebrate for celebration's sake? 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:13.160 It's when that festival, when that celebration is inspired by worship. 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:19.700 And that is exactly what Moses was asking Pharaoh to let them do in Exodus chapter 5. 00:17:19.740 --> 00:17:25.579 He was asking Pharaoh for a break from their labor in order to hold a festival, to worship 00:17:25.579 --> 00:17:27.039 the Lord in the wilderness. 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:33.720 But Pharaoh, he couldn't understand or appreciate this ask because to him, festival was frivolous. 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:35.779 Leisure, a luxury, right? 00:17:36.539 --> 00:17:40.519 But here in the fourth commandment, God says, no, worship isn't an interruption to the life 00:17:40.519 --> 00:17:41.259 you were made for. 00:17:41.339 --> 00:17:43.559 It's at the very heart of the life you were made for. 00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:45.519 And that's the gift of Sabbath. 00:17:45.740 --> 00:17:51.659 Again, it's a factory reset with the good news that the default factory setting has always been set 00:17:51.660 --> 00:17:58.820 to rest and delight again and again, week after week, from beginning, from the beginning of time, 00:17:59.040 --> 00:17:59.320 right? 00:17:59.660 --> 00:18:00.740 No matter what. 00:18:02.320 --> 00:18:09.680 But maybe you're wondering, if Sabbath is such a good gift, why does it feel so hard to receive it? 00:18:11.160 --> 00:18:16.740 Because let's be real, we're constantly wondering, constantly fearful, will there be enough, right? 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:19.440 Enough time, enough money. 00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:24.500 If I don't work, if I don't prepare, if I don't produce on that seventh day, will there be enough 00:18:24.500 --> 00:18:25.700 to survive and thrive? 00:18:25.840 --> 00:18:31.140 Or like, won't I fall behind at work, in school, in parenting, while everyone else and their kids 00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:32.039 keep advancing? 00:18:32.779 --> 00:18:37.460 Living in the breakneck society that we do, where you have to keep running faster just to 00:18:37.460 --> 00:18:41.820 stay in the same place, where standing still means that you're probably going to fall behind, 00:18:42.180 --> 00:18:46.820 especially in our K-shaped economy, where we're all just trying to get on top or stay on top? 00:18:46.819 --> 00:18:51.960 How can we afford to Shabbat when everyone else keeps moving forward? 00:18:52.859 --> 00:18:57.519 And even for the most privileged of us, those of us who aren't even concerned about having enough 00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:03.480 or falling behind, maybe when we think about Sabbath, we're wondering, but won't we miss out 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:07.559 on opportunities, experiences, once-in-a-lifetime moments? 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:11.919 How can I set aside an entire day when there's so much life to live? 00:19:13.079 --> 00:19:18.879 Now, Augustine, he tells us that the Roman philosopher Seneca criticized the Jewish people 00:19:18.879 --> 00:19:21.779 for wasting one-seventh of their lives. 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:24.700 But that fear is real, isn't it? 00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:27.440 We can sympathize with that, can't we? 00:19:28.700 --> 00:19:30.259 Seems like quite a sacrifice. 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:34.700 One-seventh of your entire existence. 00:19:34.700 --> 00:19:38.160 And honestly, 00:19:39.059 --> 00:19:39.960 Sabbath is costly. 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:41.299 It is. 00:19:41.980 --> 00:19:43.840 It does mean that when you're afraid, 00:19:44.100 --> 00:19:45.019 you won't have enough. 00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:46.580 You have to live by faith. 00:19:46.700 --> 00:19:49.779 Ask your father for daily bread and trust the manna to come 00:19:49.779 --> 00:19:50.580 when you need it. 00:19:50.700 --> 00:19:53.240 Sabbath is an exercise in faith. 00:19:54.319 --> 00:19:55.740 But isn't that also good news? 00:19:56.259 --> 00:19:59.039 Isn't it so much better to receive bread from heaven by faith 00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:01.400 than to anxiously try to make it grow 00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:04.000 from cursed dirt amidst thorns and thistles 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:05.300 by the sweat of our brow 00:20:05.300 --> 00:20:08.780 and in competition with other hungry strugglers? 00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:11.420 Wouldn't you rather depend on your loving, 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:12.820 almighty father in heaven 00:20:12.820 --> 00:20:14.160 than on yourself? 00:20:15.060 --> 00:20:17.040 And wouldn't you rather live at his pace 00:20:17.040 --> 00:20:20.540 than trying not to fall behind 00:20:20.540 --> 00:20:23.420 in a race that you weren't even designed to run in? 00:20:24.060 --> 00:20:26.160 That's why I love Psalm 46 in this season. 00:20:26.540 --> 00:20:26.860 He says, 00:20:26.859 --> 00:20:43.939 And sure, this does mean that we will miss out on many things. 00:20:44.299 --> 00:20:44.719 But you know, 00:20:45.059 --> 00:20:47.079 what if that's actually what it means to be human? 00:20:47.740 --> 00:20:50.139 Like what if being human is just as much 00:20:50.139 --> 00:20:51.459 about missing out on stuff 00:20:51.459 --> 00:20:53.599 as it is experiencing stuff? 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:56.439 The sociologists, 00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:57.919 Jacques Ellul and Hartmut Rosa, 00:20:58.240 --> 00:20:59.459 they help us see 00:20:59.459 --> 00:21:02.399 how our technological society has convinced us 00:21:02.399 --> 00:21:06.059 that we can somehow do and experience all of it. 00:21:06.859 --> 00:21:08.419 But Rosa argues, 00:21:09.179 --> 00:21:10.859 he argues that we're trying to cram 00:21:10.859 --> 00:21:13.659 more and more experiences into our short lives 00:21:13.659 --> 00:21:16.740 almost as a substitute for eternity. 00:21:17.699 --> 00:21:19.199 As if by living faster, 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:21.719 we could somehow overcome our finitude, 00:21:21.720 --> 00:21:23.779 even our own mortality. 00:21:24.900 --> 00:21:25.720 But you know, 00:21:25.799 --> 00:21:27.500 here's the wonderful paradox of Sabbath. 00:21:28.600 --> 00:21:31.600 It frees us to embrace our finitude, 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:33.380 while at the same time, 00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:36.100 it gives us a taste of real eternity 00:21:36.100 --> 00:21:37.940 in the presence of God. 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:42.319 We can't cram eternity into 4,000 weeks, 00:21:42.420 --> 00:21:44.059 but when we stop to worship 00:21:44.059 --> 00:21:46.600 and commune with the living, eternal God 00:21:46.600 --> 00:21:48.140 once a week in worship, 00:21:48.140 --> 00:21:50.759 we are tasting the rest and delight. 00:21:51.060 --> 00:21:52.480 We'll enjoy with him forever. 00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:54.259 Whereas Apostle Paul likes to talk about it, 00:21:54.300 --> 00:21:56.759 we are seated with him in the heavenly places. 00:21:57.900 --> 00:21:58.360 And you know, 00:21:58.540 --> 00:22:00.000 the more I recognize these pressures 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:00.780 that keep producing, 00:22:01.020 --> 00:22:02.080 getting ahead and consuming, 00:22:02.180 --> 00:22:03.320 the more I realize that Sabbath 00:22:03.320 --> 00:22:05.920 is a way of resisting them. 00:22:07.080 --> 00:22:09.020 And as I've been learning to acknowledge 00:22:09.020 --> 00:22:12.300 that the Lord is Lord over my time, 00:22:12.620 --> 00:22:14.020 that my time is not my own, 00:22:15.019 --> 00:22:17.039 I'm beginning to see Sunday differently. 00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:20.079 Not as the last day to squeeze all my fun 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:22.980 and before the Monday grind recommences, 00:22:23.139 --> 00:22:24.900 and not as one last opportunity 00:22:24.900 --> 00:22:26.379 to catch up on everything 00:22:26.379 --> 00:22:27.660 I didn't finish in the past week 00:22:27.660 --> 00:22:29.240 or to get a strong head start 00:22:29.240 --> 00:22:30.059 on the week ahead. 00:22:31.139 --> 00:22:33.539 But as the most highly anticipated 00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:34.680 day of the week, 00:22:35.160 --> 00:22:37.359 a day that stands alone all by itself, 00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:39.099 the best day of the week. 00:22:39.859 --> 00:22:41.220 Now, I don't think everyone's Sabbath 00:22:41.220 --> 00:22:42.879 necessarily has to fall on Sunday, 00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:45.720 but I do think we need a weekly rhythm 00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:48.000 of setting apart a whole day 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:51.660 to stop, rest, delight, and worship. 00:22:52.080 --> 00:22:52.800 And for our family, 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:53.780 that is Sunday 00:22:53.780 --> 00:22:56.100 with gathered worship at the center. 00:22:57.340 --> 00:22:57.900 And you know, 00:22:58.040 --> 00:22:59.520 this isn't about trying to create 00:22:59.520 --> 00:23:00.800 some picture-perfect Sunday. 00:23:01.540 --> 00:23:03.800 It's about actually resisting the pressure 00:23:03.800 --> 00:23:05.100 to keep going, 00:23:05.300 --> 00:23:06.140 to keep working, 00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:07.300 to keep getting ahead. 00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:08.480 So in our household, 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:09.300 this is what we do. 00:23:09.580 --> 00:23:10.660 We try to stop. 00:23:10.660 --> 00:23:12.800 So there are only certain kinds of emails 00:23:12.800 --> 00:23:13.500 and messages 00:23:13.500 --> 00:23:15.460 that I'll read and respond to. 00:23:15.940 --> 00:23:16.980 We don't make our girls 00:23:16.980 --> 00:23:18.980 do their homework packets on Sunday. 00:23:19.600 --> 00:23:21.180 They don't have to do their piano 00:23:21.180 --> 00:23:23.680 and violin practice on the Sabbath. 00:23:24.779 --> 00:23:26.259 And sure, what work might mean to you 00:23:26.259 --> 00:23:27.500 is something that you honestly 00:23:27.500 --> 00:23:28.200 have to work out 00:23:28.200 --> 00:23:29.380 and discern before the Lord. 00:23:29.940 --> 00:23:30.460 Like for me, 00:23:30.519 --> 00:23:31.740 I actually find doing dishes 00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:33.100 relaxing and therapeutic 00:23:33.100 --> 00:23:35.080 or going outside 00:23:35.080 --> 00:23:36.340 to water my fruit trees. 00:23:36.740 --> 00:23:37.320 But gardening, 00:23:37.700 --> 00:23:38.220 vacuuming, 00:23:38.220 --> 00:23:39.819 fixing something around the house, 00:23:39.940 --> 00:23:40.860 drafting an email 00:23:40.860 --> 00:23:41.700 to send to Jonathan, 00:23:41.980 --> 00:23:42.900 no thanks, man. 00:23:44.660 --> 00:23:47.279 So I try to let those things wait, 00:23:47.720 --> 00:23:47.980 right? 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:48.799 Even if it means 00:23:48.799 --> 00:23:50.240 a messier house 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:51.220 to wake up to 00:23:51.220 --> 00:23:51.920 on Monday morning. 00:23:52.299 --> 00:23:53.220 Even if it means 00:23:53.220 --> 00:23:54.720 a more daunting inbox 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:55.779 to get to 00:23:55.779 --> 00:23:56.880 on Monday. 00:23:57.980 --> 00:23:58.299 Again, 00:23:58.539 --> 00:24:00.160 I can't tell you though 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:02.039 exactly what this should look like 00:24:02.039 --> 00:24:02.880 in your context 00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:03.799 and considering 00:24:03.799 --> 00:24:04.779 how you're wired. 00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:06.220 But the point is, 00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:08.640 we all have to figure out 00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:10.100 what knows 00:24:10.100 --> 00:24:11.360 God wants us to say 00:24:11.360 --> 00:24:12.740 in order for us 00:24:12.740 --> 00:24:13.960 to fully embrace 00:24:13.960 --> 00:24:14.799 and say yes 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:17.160 to the gift of his Sabbath to us. 00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:19.140 And the main question is, 00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:20.079 are we making room 00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:20.720 to stop 00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:22.000 our ordinary work 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:22.559 to rest 00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:23.500 and to delight 00:24:23.500 --> 00:24:24.240 in God 00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:24.940 and his gifts? 00:24:25.620 --> 00:24:26.620 Or are we still looking 00:24:26.620 --> 00:24:27.620 to fill all our days 00:24:27.620 --> 00:24:28.420 with, you know, 00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:29.360 never-ending lists 00:24:29.360 --> 00:24:29.819 of things 00:24:29.819 --> 00:24:30.900 that still need to be done? 00:24:31.819 --> 00:24:32.900 For us in my family, 00:24:32.980 --> 00:24:34.100 we try not to make Sabbath 00:24:34.099 --> 00:24:35.480 a big chore day 00:24:35.480 --> 00:24:36.559 or a big shopping day. 00:24:36.879 --> 00:24:37.799 So we might pick up 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:38.599 something urgent 00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:39.519 at the supermarket, 00:24:39.699 --> 00:24:40.939 but we try to plan ahead 00:24:40.939 --> 00:24:41.539 and minimize 00:24:41.539 --> 00:24:43.019 our commercial activity. 00:24:43.559 --> 00:24:44.299 Because remember, 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:45.399 Sabbath isn't just about 00:24:45.399 --> 00:24:45.859 my rest, 00:24:45.899 --> 00:24:46.379 it's also about 00:24:46.379 --> 00:24:47.699 guarding the rest of others, 00:24:47.799 --> 00:24:48.240 my neighbors, 00:24:48.359 --> 00:24:48.819 my community. 00:24:48.959 --> 00:24:50.719 I don't want my rest 00:24:50.719 --> 00:24:52.299 and convenience 00:24:52.299 --> 00:24:54.599 to depend unnecessarily, 00:24:54.879 --> 00:24:55.159 right, 00:24:55.379 --> 00:24:56.719 upon someone else's 00:24:56.719 --> 00:24:57.699 having to work. 00:24:58.679 --> 00:24:59.059 Otherwise, 00:24:59.319 --> 00:24:59.939 I'm becoming 00:24:59.939 --> 00:25:01.219 a Pharaoh of my own. 00:25:01.220 --> 00:25:02.900 Similarly, 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:03.400 you know, 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:04.140 we are, 00:25:04.259 --> 00:25:04.600 you know, 00:25:04.620 --> 00:25:05.620 not anti-TV 00:25:05.620 --> 00:25:06.440 on the Sabbath, 00:25:06.920 --> 00:25:07.980 but we are more careful 00:25:07.980 --> 00:25:09.140 about how and why 00:25:09.140 --> 00:25:10.740 we use the TV, 00:25:11.220 --> 00:25:12.559 not just as an escape, 00:25:13.059 --> 00:25:13.600 as, you know, 00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:15.240 mindless entertainment consumption 00:25:15.240 --> 00:25:16.620 or to distract our kids 00:25:16.620 --> 00:25:17.759 so we can get more done, 00:25:18.620 --> 00:25:19.660 but we use it as a tool 00:25:19.660 --> 00:25:20.839 to knit us together, 00:25:21.039 --> 00:25:22.380 to stir our hearts, 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:23.100 take in stories 00:25:23.100 --> 00:25:23.799 that humanize 00:25:23.799 --> 00:25:24.620 and stir us. 00:25:25.819 --> 00:25:26.779 So that's how we try 00:25:26.779 --> 00:25:27.860 to stop and slow down 00:25:27.860 --> 00:25:28.480 in our family, 00:25:28.660 --> 00:25:29.600 mark time as, 00:25:29.799 --> 00:25:30.019 you know, 00:25:30.019 --> 00:25:31.480 set apart and holy 00:25:31.480 --> 00:25:32.240 and different 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:32.900 from all the other 00:25:32.900 --> 00:25:33.539 days of the week. 00:25:34.139 --> 00:25:35.119 But in terms of 00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:35.960 what we pick up 00:25:35.960 --> 00:25:37.440 and how we fill 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:38.000 the other, 00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:38.539 you know, 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:39.680 the 24 hours of Sabbath, 00:25:40.180 --> 00:25:40.720 for us, 00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:41.400 Sabbath begins 00:25:41.400 --> 00:25:42.299 on Sunday morning, 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:43.839 usually with sleeping in, 00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:44.859 the girls, 00:25:45.119 --> 00:25:45.339 you know, 00:25:45.420 --> 00:25:46.180 piling into our bed 00:25:46.180 --> 00:25:46.759 for cuddles. 00:25:47.400 --> 00:25:48.220 There's no rush 00:25:48.220 --> 00:25:48.819 to get to school 00:25:48.819 --> 00:25:49.539 by 8.15, 00:25:50.180 --> 00:25:51.859 no rushing to pack lunches. 00:25:52.180 --> 00:25:53.680 We receive God's rest. 00:25:54.619 --> 00:25:55.000 Usually, 00:25:55.180 --> 00:25:56.240 our Sabbath also begins 00:25:56.240 --> 00:25:57.440 with the best breakfast 00:25:57.440 --> 00:25:58.180 of the week. 00:25:58.579 --> 00:25:59.319 Chelsea and the girls 00:25:59.319 --> 00:26:00.159 in the kitchen, 00:26:00.500 --> 00:26:01.439 Ubi pancakes, 00:26:01.779 --> 00:26:02.039 right, 00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:03.079 bacon, 00:26:03.980 --> 00:26:04.899 matcha lattes. 00:26:04.939 --> 00:26:05.480 My girls are into 00:26:05.480 --> 00:26:06.299 matcha lattes, 00:26:06.379 --> 00:26:06.679 man. 00:26:07.839 --> 00:26:08.740 Millennial kids, 00:26:08.859 --> 00:26:09.019 man. 00:26:10.439 --> 00:26:11.480 Avocado toast, 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:11.939 man. 00:26:12.879 --> 00:26:13.379 Smoothies, 00:26:13.460 --> 00:26:14.200 all that stuff. 00:26:14.639 --> 00:26:15.439 And I'll usually just 00:26:15.439 --> 00:26:16.339 take the dog out, 00:26:17.139 --> 00:26:17.859 talk with, 00:26:18.139 --> 00:26:18.899 talk to God, 00:26:19.159 --> 00:26:20.179 walk with God. 00:26:20.919 --> 00:26:21.980 For some Jewish families, 00:26:22.099 --> 00:26:22.859 they'll light two candles, 00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:23.259 right, 00:26:23.259 --> 00:26:25.900 and those reflect Exodus 20, 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:26.759 Deuteronomy 5. 00:26:27.299 --> 00:26:27.700 Remember, 00:26:28.160 --> 00:26:28.440 observe. 00:26:29.160 --> 00:26:30.460 As one Jewish theologian 00:26:30.460 --> 00:26:30.859 put it, 00:26:30.900 --> 00:26:31.160 A.J. 00:26:31.220 --> 00:26:31.579 Heschel, 00:26:32.019 --> 00:26:32.819 he said that Sabbath 00:26:32.819 --> 00:26:34.279 is a cathedral 00:26:34.279 --> 00:26:35.420 in time. 00:26:36.619 --> 00:26:36.879 Like, 00:26:36.940 --> 00:26:37.819 imagine a moment 00:26:37.819 --> 00:26:38.460 of entering into 00:26:38.460 --> 00:26:39.039 something holy 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:39.480 and different, 00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:40.460 just as we might enter 00:26:40.460 --> 00:26:42.119 some sacred space, 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:43.440 but in time. 00:26:44.400 --> 00:26:45.200 For my family, 00:26:45.319 --> 00:26:46.259 we don't have that kind 00:26:46.259 --> 00:26:46.740 of ritual yet, 00:26:46.779 --> 00:26:47.599 but on Saturday night, 00:26:47.700 --> 00:26:48.579 in our family's normal 00:26:48.579 --> 00:26:49.379 time of prayer 00:26:49.380 --> 00:26:51.060 and Bible reading together, 00:26:51.320 --> 00:26:52.260 I usually will try 00:26:52.260 --> 00:26:52.900 to thank God 00:26:52.900 --> 00:26:54.100 for the upcoming Sabbath 00:26:54.100 --> 00:26:54.900 and ask him 00:26:54.900 --> 00:26:55.900 to help us, 00:26:56.220 --> 00:26:57.100 to help us observe 00:26:57.100 --> 00:26:57.520 the Sabbath 00:26:57.520 --> 00:26:58.600 and keep it holy. 00:26:58.940 --> 00:26:59.820 Or when I wake up, 00:26:59.860 --> 00:27:00.400 I'll often pray 00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:00.900 on the Sabbath, 00:27:01.260 --> 00:27:01.420 Lord, 00:27:01.520 --> 00:27:02.220 this is your day, 00:27:02.360 --> 00:27:02.880 not mine. 00:27:03.280 --> 00:27:04.880 My time is not my own. 00:27:05.160 --> 00:27:05.340 Lord, 00:27:05.580 --> 00:27:06.760 today I will be still 00:27:06.760 --> 00:27:07.560 and know 00:27:07.560 --> 00:27:08.520 that you are God. 00:27:09.520 --> 00:27:10.560 But the point is 00:27:10.560 --> 00:27:12.220 to set this day apart 00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:13.100 as holy, 00:27:13.480 --> 00:27:13.760 different, 00:27:13.880 --> 00:27:14.440 and distinct 00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:15.140 unto the Lord. 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:16.360 Also, 00:27:16.500 --> 00:27:17.420 on many Sabbath mornings, 00:27:17.520 --> 00:27:18.520 I might quiz my daughters 00:27:18.519 --> 00:27:19.639 girls, 00:27:19.740 --> 00:27:20.460 what day is today? 00:27:20.900 --> 00:27:21.519 And they are trained 00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:21.960 to say, 00:27:22.180 --> 00:27:23.099 the Lord's day. 00:27:23.879 --> 00:27:24.799 And then I will say, 00:27:24.900 --> 00:27:25.599 and what do we do 00:27:25.599 --> 00:27:26.420 on the Lord's day? 00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:27.539 And they will say, 00:27:27.879 --> 00:27:28.779 we worship God. 00:27:30.079 --> 00:27:31.000 And so that's what we do. 00:27:31.379 --> 00:27:32.420 We drive to church, 00:27:32.779 --> 00:27:33.359 they'll request 00:27:33.359 --> 00:27:33.759 Hamilton, 00:27:34.220 --> 00:27:34.539 Wicked, 00:27:34.700 --> 00:27:35.539 K-pop demon hunters. 00:27:35.740 --> 00:27:36.460 We'll say no. 00:27:37.279 --> 00:27:38.259 No Harry Potter 00:27:38.259 --> 00:27:39.379 on Audible this morning 00:27:39.379 --> 00:27:40.759 and no news 00:27:40.759 --> 00:27:41.379 or, you know, 00:27:41.599 --> 00:27:42.279 podcast to help 00:27:42.279 --> 00:27:43.339 daddy level up either. 00:27:43.859 --> 00:27:45.079 On the way to church, 00:27:45.639 --> 00:27:46.619 it's worship music 00:27:46.619 --> 00:27:48.000 and we're singing together, 00:27:48.139 --> 00:27:48.440 trying to, 00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:49.539 ready our hearts 00:27:49.539 --> 00:27:50.420 for worship. 00:27:50.960 --> 00:27:52.019 I'm trying to train 00:27:52.019 --> 00:27:52.599 my girls 00:27:52.599 --> 00:27:54.180 as worshipers. 00:27:54.879 --> 00:27:55.599 And then of course, 00:27:55.700 --> 00:27:56.240 we come here, 00:27:56.339 --> 00:27:57.160 we join God's people, 00:27:57.259 --> 00:27:58.160 all of you for worship. 00:27:58.339 --> 00:27:59.660 This is a non-negotiable 00:27:59.660 --> 00:27:59.960 for us. 00:28:00.019 --> 00:28:00.480 We're committed 00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:01.819 to never letting sports 00:28:01.819 --> 00:28:02.559 or activities 00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:03.619 or even vacations 00:28:03.619 --> 00:28:04.279 get in the way 00:28:04.279 --> 00:28:05.000 of worship. 00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:06.460 And if for some 00:28:06.460 --> 00:28:07.519 super special reason 00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:08.700 the girls have to miss 00:28:08.700 --> 00:28:09.420 Christ Church here 00:28:09.420 --> 00:28:10.000 at 10.30, 00:28:10.259 --> 00:28:11.400 we'll find another service. 00:28:11.660 --> 00:28:13.079 8 a.m. at Resurrection Oakland, 00:28:13.400 --> 00:28:14.319 4.30 at Redeemer 00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:15.039 in Castor Valley. 00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:16.500 But for us, 00:28:16.639 --> 00:28:18.420 worship isn't optional 00:28:18.420 --> 00:28:19.200 on the Sabbath. 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:20.779 It isn't some kind 00:28:20.779 --> 00:28:21.759 of flexible default 00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:22.440 for us. 00:28:22.819 --> 00:28:23.659 It isn't the thing 00:28:23.659 --> 00:28:24.700 we squeeze in 00:28:24.700 --> 00:28:25.440 at the mercy 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:26.599 of other commitments 00:28:26.599 --> 00:28:28.019 we've previously made. 00:28:28.339 --> 00:28:29.240 Even when some 00:28:29.240 --> 00:28:30.519 super special occasion 00:28:30.519 --> 00:28:31.159 comes up, 00:28:31.579 --> 00:28:33.119 we don't not worship 00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:33.920 because a special 00:28:33.920 --> 00:28:34.700 rare opportunity 00:28:34.700 --> 00:28:35.399 or event 00:28:35.399 --> 00:28:36.659 has presented itself. 00:28:36.839 --> 00:28:38.019 We don't think to ourselves, 00:28:38.139 --> 00:28:38.940 hey, worship will always 00:28:38.940 --> 00:28:39.279 be there, 00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:40.079 but this concert, 00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:41.519 that birthday party, 00:28:41.859 --> 00:28:42.660 that basketball tournament, 00:28:42.759 --> 00:28:43.799 that championship game, 00:28:44.019 --> 00:28:44.519 that trip 00:28:44.519 --> 00:28:46.619 is a once-in-a-decade experience. 00:28:46.779 --> 00:28:47.379 No, worship 00:28:47.379 --> 00:28:48.519 is the commitment 00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:49.539 that commands 00:28:49.539 --> 00:28:50.180 and conditions 00:28:50.180 --> 00:28:51.839 every other commitment 00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:52.379 and decision 00:28:52.379 --> 00:28:53.460 about how we order 00:28:53.460 --> 00:28:55.000 our week before God. 00:28:56.700 --> 00:28:57.039 Again, 00:28:57.119 --> 00:28:57.940 on the Lord's Day, 00:28:58.019 --> 00:28:58.660 we recognize 00:28:58.660 --> 00:29:00.279 that we are not our own 00:29:00.279 --> 00:29:01.299 and our time 00:29:01.299 --> 00:29:02.000 is not our own 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:03.539 and that the Lord's Day 00:29:03.539 --> 00:29:05.079 is the Lord's. 00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:06.579 All of it. 00:29:07.419 --> 00:29:09.179 Sabbath is a whole day 00:29:09.179 --> 00:29:09.740 for us, 00:29:10.179 --> 00:29:11.539 not just from 1030 00:29:11.539 --> 00:29:12.240 to noon. 00:29:12.939 --> 00:29:14.000 On Sabbath afternoons, 00:29:14.059 --> 00:29:14.619 after lunch, 00:29:14.919 --> 00:29:16.119 hopefully we've had lunch 00:29:16.119 --> 00:29:17.119 with maybe church family. 00:29:18.079 --> 00:29:18.779 Chelsea usually likes 00:29:18.779 --> 00:29:19.639 to take a long nap. 00:29:20.379 --> 00:29:20.960 It's beautiful. 00:29:21.720 --> 00:29:23.179 And I might take one too 00:29:23.179 --> 00:29:24.059 or read, 00:29:24.220 --> 00:29:25.199 but I've had to, 00:29:25.199 --> 00:29:26.279 you know, 00:29:26.319 --> 00:29:27.019 discern in myself, 00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:27.699 I need to make sure 00:29:27.699 --> 00:29:28.359 that what I'm reading 00:29:28.359 --> 00:29:29.099 is not for the sake, 00:29:29.179 --> 00:29:29.319 again, 00:29:29.399 --> 00:29:30.019 of leveling up. 00:29:30.079 --> 00:29:30.859 I'm not opening up 00:29:30.859 --> 00:29:31.720 a commentary 00:29:31.720 --> 00:29:33.240 to sermon prep ahead, 00:29:33.319 --> 00:29:33.559 right? 00:29:34.059 --> 00:29:35.019 But what I will read 00:29:35.019 --> 00:29:35.980 is for my soul 00:29:35.980 --> 00:29:37.559 and for enjoyment, 00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:38.960 delight and worship, 00:29:39.160 --> 00:29:39.839 devotional books 00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:40.440 that convict, 00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:42.299 fiction that keeps me grounded 00:29:42.299 --> 00:29:43.920 and makes me feel more human. 00:29:44.740 --> 00:29:46.200 I try to fill my Sabbath 00:29:46.200 --> 00:29:46.779 with things 00:29:46.779 --> 00:29:47.819 that will stir my heart 00:29:47.819 --> 00:29:48.779 and affections, 00:29:48.880 --> 00:29:50.460 draw me nearer to God, 00:29:50.900 --> 00:29:51.759 fill me with gratitude 00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:52.559 toward Him, 00:29:52.799 --> 00:29:53.880 peace with Him. 00:29:54.620 --> 00:29:55.099 Like, you know, 00:29:55.200 --> 00:29:56.599 one of the most restful, 00:29:57.019 --> 00:29:57.400 relaxing, 00:29:57.680 --> 00:29:58.759 and indulgent things 00:29:58.759 --> 00:29:59.900 that I do, 00:29:59.960 --> 00:30:00.720 I wish I could do this 00:30:00.720 --> 00:30:01.480 way more often, 00:30:01.559 --> 00:30:02.140 but it just feels like 00:30:02.140 --> 00:30:03.420 such a waste of time, 00:30:03.420 --> 00:30:06.519 is I'll sit on my couch, 00:30:07.259 --> 00:30:08.800 I'll look into my dog's eyes, 00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:10.019 and I'll pet him 00:30:10.019 --> 00:30:11.000 for like an unlimited 00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:12.080 amount of time. 00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:15.500 And I swear, 00:30:15.640 --> 00:30:17.100 I sense the presence of God, 00:30:17.360 --> 00:30:19.120 the peace of God, 00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:20.620 the gratitude fills my heart, 00:30:20.800 --> 00:30:21.779 because on Sabbath, 00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:24.360 I'm freed from the fear 00:30:24.360 --> 00:30:25.660 of wasting time. 00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:28.039 Don't you want that? 00:30:28.039 --> 00:30:30.920 The Sabbath is God's gift 00:30:30.920 --> 00:30:32.299 of abundance to us, 00:30:32.720 --> 00:30:34.659 to sit in the shade 00:30:34.659 --> 00:30:35.579 of our shepherd, 00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:38.619 to know that we shall not want, 00:30:39.180 --> 00:30:39.500 right? 00:30:40.279 --> 00:30:41.619 To sense Him 00:30:41.619 --> 00:30:43.139 anointing our head with oil, 00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:46.480 to watch our cups overflow, 00:30:47.480 --> 00:30:48.799 to let His mercy 00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:49.379 and goodness 00:30:49.379 --> 00:30:50.339 that are following us 00:30:50.339 --> 00:30:51.119 all the days of our life 00:30:51.119 --> 00:30:52.119 catch up to us 00:30:52.119 --> 00:30:53.379 and embrace us. 00:30:54.460 --> 00:30:55.639 And we are invited 00:30:55.640 --> 00:30:57.320 to just receive 00:30:57.320 --> 00:30:59.180 these seemingly wasteful 00:30:59.180 --> 00:31:00.820 and unproductive moments 00:31:00.820 --> 00:31:01.740 as good gifts 00:31:01.740 --> 00:31:02.840 from our good Father. 00:31:04.120 --> 00:31:05.220 What might those gifts 00:31:05.220 --> 00:31:05.820 be to you 00:31:05.820 --> 00:31:07.320 and your family today? 00:31:08.180 --> 00:31:09.220 Sabbath is a day 00:31:09.220 --> 00:31:10.120 for delight. 00:31:11.100 --> 00:31:11.759 And that's what 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:12.360 I want my girls 00:31:12.360 --> 00:31:12.820 to remember. 00:31:13.000 --> 00:31:14.100 So like on Sabbath, 00:31:14.640 --> 00:31:15.620 Cammie last week was like, 00:31:15.680 --> 00:31:16.600 Daddy, can I pop open 00:31:16.600 --> 00:31:17.340 this can of Pringles? 00:31:17.560 --> 00:31:18.540 Go for it, girl. 00:31:19.340 --> 00:31:20.040 Leah, Daddy, 00:31:20.120 --> 00:31:20.680 can I have some chocolate? 00:31:20.680 --> 00:31:22.320 Yes, it's the Lord's day. 00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:23.860 Savor the sweetness 00:31:23.860 --> 00:31:24.640 of the Sabbath. 00:31:25.640 --> 00:31:26.460 And that's especially 00:31:26.460 --> 00:31:28.080 our experience twice a month 00:31:28.080 --> 00:31:29.060 on Sunday evenings 00:31:29.060 --> 00:31:29.580 when we're with 00:31:29.580 --> 00:31:30.980 our Alameda community group. 00:31:31.360 --> 00:31:32.580 I love it when my girls ask, 00:31:32.640 --> 00:31:33.720 do we have community group tonight? 00:31:33.759 --> 00:31:34.380 They love it. 00:31:34.880 --> 00:31:35.840 There's food everywhere, 00:31:36.020 --> 00:31:36.900 amazing potluck, 00:31:37.040 --> 00:31:37.320 laughter, 00:31:37.520 --> 00:31:38.540 kids running around, 00:31:38.680 --> 00:31:39.380 teenagers playing 00:31:39.380 --> 00:31:40.160 with little kids. 00:31:40.600 --> 00:31:41.380 And these people 00:31:41.380 --> 00:31:42.040 who aren't technically 00:31:42.040 --> 00:31:42.520 our family, 00:31:42.620 --> 00:31:44.040 they also are our family. 00:31:44.560 --> 00:31:45.000 We eat, 00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:45.820 we share life, 00:31:46.020 --> 00:31:46.580 we celebrate, 00:31:46.840 --> 00:31:47.759 sometimes we cry together, 00:31:47.940 --> 00:31:49.120 we open up the word of God, 00:31:49.120 --> 00:31:50.620 we pray for each other. 00:31:51.740 --> 00:31:52.740 And then on those Sundays 00:31:52.740 --> 00:31:53.400 when we don't have 00:31:53.400 --> 00:31:53.960 community group, 00:31:53.960 --> 00:31:55.180 maybe we're meeting 00:31:55.180 --> 00:31:55.980 with other people, 00:31:56.039 --> 00:31:56.680 having other people 00:31:56.680 --> 00:31:57.319 in our homes. 00:31:57.620 --> 00:31:58.620 I love what Dylan's doing 00:31:58.620 --> 00:31:59.420 every other Sunday, 00:31:59.539 --> 00:32:00.319 hosting life together 00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:01.079 at his place. 00:32:02.299 --> 00:32:03.799 Or maybe we're just 00:32:03.799 --> 00:32:04.640 having a simple dinner, 00:32:04.960 --> 00:32:06.059 just the four of us, 00:32:06.860 --> 00:32:08.019 enjoying each other's company. 00:32:08.900 --> 00:32:09.500 After dinner, 00:32:09.600 --> 00:32:10.559 we'll try to take 00:32:10.559 --> 00:32:11.380 a leisurely walk 00:32:11.380 --> 00:32:12.200 around the neighborhood. 00:32:13.059 --> 00:32:13.440 And you know, 00:32:13.500 --> 00:32:13.980 that might be 00:32:13.980 --> 00:32:15.299 when I most deeply feel 00:32:15.299 --> 00:32:16.680 the rest and delight 00:32:16.680 --> 00:32:17.420 of Sabbath 00:32:17.420 --> 00:32:18.480 in God's presence. 00:32:19.340 --> 00:32:19.860 When we go 00:32:19.860 --> 00:32:21.720 for these slow walks, 00:32:21.720 --> 00:32:22.779 no one's rushing, 00:32:22.940 --> 00:32:23.940 no one's counting steps, 00:32:24.220 --> 00:32:25.220 the girls will run on 00:32:25.220 --> 00:32:25.960 ahead of us, 00:32:26.360 --> 00:32:27.339 stopping every once 00:32:27.339 --> 00:32:27.700 in a while 00:32:27.700 --> 00:32:29.279 to inspect a bug, 00:32:29.380 --> 00:32:30.140 pick up a stick, 00:32:30.279 --> 00:32:31.039 play with the dog. 00:32:31.900 --> 00:32:32.819 And Chelsea and I 00:32:32.819 --> 00:32:33.440 will be walking 00:32:33.440 --> 00:32:34.140 behind them 00:32:34.140 --> 00:32:35.519 and we'll often just 00:32:35.519 --> 00:32:36.740 look at each other 00:32:36.740 --> 00:32:38.299 and share this 00:32:38.299 --> 00:32:39.779 knowing glance 00:32:39.779 --> 00:32:40.700 of gratitude. 00:32:41.120 --> 00:32:41.180 Like, 00:32:41.279 --> 00:32:42.000 this is it. 00:32:42.960 --> 00:32:43.980 This is the life. 00:32:44.059 --> 00:32:45.140 This is what we were made for. 00:32:45.240 --> 00:32:46.380 What more could we want? 00:32:46.799 --> 00:32:47.460 Can you believe 00:32:47.460 --> 00:32:47.980 that God 00:32:47.980 --> 00:32:49.339 has given this to us? 00:32:49.420 --> 00:32:49.940 These girls, 00:32:50.299 --> 00:32:50.779 this family, 00:32:50.779 --> 00:32:51.660 this beautiful world 00:32:51.660 --> 00:32:52.139 He's made 00:32:52.139 --> 00:32:53.539 and we just soak it in, 00:32:53.660 --> 00:32:55.200 content to let this moment 00:32:55.200 --> 00:32:56.240 last forever. 00:32:57.399 --> 00:32:58.700 And it's like a taste 00:32:58.700 --> 00:33:01.220 of God's eternal rest 00:33:01.220 --> 00:33:01.859 and delight. 00:33:03.240 --> 00:33:03.839 Now listen, 00:33:03.960 --> 00:33:04.460 I'm not saying 00:33:04.460 --> 00:33:04.960 that your Sundays 00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:05.799 need to look anything 00:33:05.799 --> 00:33:06.480 like ours. 00:33:06.639 --> 00:33:07.500 And I realize 00:33:07.500 --> 00:33:08.099 that not everyone 00:33:08.099 --> 00:33:08.899 has the same family 00:33:08.899 --> 00:33:09.579 circumstances 00:33:09.579 --> 00:33:10.259 or privileges 00:33:10.259 --> 00:33:10.940 that I do. 00:33:12.240 --> 00:33:12.960 Maybe you don't have 00:33:12.960 --> 00:33:13.559 the same freedom 00:33:13.559 --> 00:33:14.399 over your schedules. 00:33:14.819 --> 00:33:15.940 Some of you live alone, 00:33:16.079 --> 00:33:16.740 some of you have 00:33:16.740 --> 00:33:17.759 different needs 00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:18.399 and difficulties 00:33:18.399 --> 00:33:19.019 or you're caring 00:33:19.019 --> 00:33:19.440 for people 00:33:19.440 --> 00:33:20.240 with different needs 00:33:20.240 --> 00:33:21.200 and difficulties. 00:33:21.420 --> 00:33:21.880 Some of you 00:33:21.880 --> 00:33:23.920 have work responsibilities 00:33:23.920 --> 00:33:25.680 that aren't so easily 00:33:25.680 --> 00:33:26.740 set aside, right? 00:33:27.099 --> 00:33:28.079 And some of you 00:33:28.079 --> 00:33:28.759 may be even going 00:33:28.759 --> 00:33:29.319 through a season 00:33:29.319 --> 00:33:30.019 in which it's hard 00:33:30.019 --> 00:33:31.059 to find even an ounce 00:33:31.059 --> 00:33:31.920 of delight 00:33:31.920 --> 00:33:32.440 in the midst 00:33:32.440 --> 00:33:33.460 of your circumstances. 00:33:34.700 --> 00:33:36.019 The fourth commandment 00:33:36.019 --> 00:33:36.759 isn't a command 00:33:36.759 --> 00:33:37.420 to curate 00:33:37.420 --> 00:33:38.480 a picture-perfect 00:33:38.480 --> 00:33:40.299 Sunday once a week, 00:33:40.980 --> 00:33:42.779 but it is an invitation 00:33:42.779 --> 00:33:44.900 to pause long enough 00:33:44.900 --> 00:33:45.460 to consider 00:33:45.460 --> 00:33:46.259 and receive 00:33:46.259 --> 00:33:47.599 God's goodness 00:33:47.599 --> 00:33:48.619 in the life 00:33:48.619 --> 00:33:49.119 you're actually 00:33:49.119 --> 00:33:50.420 living before Him. 00:33:51.740 --> 00:33:52.500 So what might 00:33:52.500 --> 00:33:53.279 that look like 00:33:53.279 --> 00:33:53.940 for you? 00:33:54.740 --> 00:33:55.619 What might God 00:33:55.619 --> 00:33:56.240 be calling you 00:33:56.240 --> 00:33:57.259 to stop doing 00:33:57.259 --> 00:33:58.839 for a full 24 hours 00:33:58.839 --> 00:34:00.259 once a week? 00:34:00.940 --> 00:34:02.000 And where might 00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:03.299 you be choosing 00:34:03.299 --> 00:34:04.279 productivity 00:34:04.279 --> 00:34:05.539 and getting ahead 00:34:05.539 --> 00:34:06.480 over the rest 00:34:06.480 --> 00:34:07.599 God wants for you 00:34:07.599 --> 00:34:08.260 and your household? 00:34:09.179 --> 00:34:10.239 Or what are 00:34:10.239 --> 00:34:11.340 some good things 00:34:11.340 --> 00:34:12.380 that God might 00:34:12.380 --> 00:34:13.119 be actually 00:34:13.119 --> 00:34:14.539 giving you permission 00:34:14.539 --> 00:34:15.500 to delight in 00:34:15.500 --> 00:34:16.400 as gifts from Him 00:34:16.400 --> 00:34:17.099 but that you maybe 00:34:17.099 --> 00:34:17.759 often just tend 00:34:17.759 --> 00:34:18.480 to brush aside 00:34:18.480 --> 00:34:19.559 as indulgent 00:34:19.559 --> 00:34:20.259 and luxurious? 00:34:21.880 --> 00:34:22.820 And most importantly 00:34:22.820 --> 00:34:23.559 is worship, 00:34:23.800 --> 00:34:24.619 is communion 00:34:24.619 --> 00:34:25.579 with the living God. 00:34:26.279 --> 00:34:27.460 Is that what 00:34:27.460 --> 00:34:28.480 you most anticipate 00:34:28.480 --> 00:34:29.340 as you move 00:34:29.340 --> 00:34:29.880 through your week? 00:34:30.059 --> 00:34:31.039 Is that the journey 00:34:31.039 --> 00:34:31.940 and pilgrimage 00:34:31.940 --> 00:34:32.739 of your week? 00:34:33.119 --> 00:34:33.980 Is that the central 00:34:33.980 --> 00:34:35.219 orienting concern 00:34:35.219 --> 00:34:36.219 of your life 00:34:36.219 --> 00:34:36.960 and what you allow 00:34:36.960 --> 00:34:38.440 to order your time? 00:34:40.039 --> 00:34:40.619 This is what God 00:34:40.619 --> 00:34:41.380 wants for us. 00:34:43.119 --> 00:34:43.500 But you know, 00:34:43.579 --> 00:34:44.320 there's still one more 00:34:44.320 --> 00:34:45.400 question that I think 00:34:45.400 --> 00:34:45.860 makes Sabbath 00:34:45.860 --> 00:34:46.900 so hard to receive. 00:34:48.100 --> 00:34:48.440 And it's, 00:34:48.860 --> 00:34:49.780 how can I rest 00:34:49.780 --> 00:34:51.500 when there's so much 00:34:51.500 --> 00:34:52.220 left unfinished, 00:34:52.460 --> 00:34:52.680 right? 00:34:53.460 --> 00:34:54.640 Just so much left 00:34:54.640 --> 00:34:55.480 undone. 00:34:56.260 --> 00:34:57.340 When there's so much 00:34:57.340 --> 00:34:58.000 about me 00:34:58.000 --> 00:34:59.500 that I need to work on, 00:34:59.539 --> 00:35:00.059 that needs work, 00:35:00.140 --> 00:35:00.720 that needs change, 00:35:00.740 --> 00:35:01.740 so much about this world 00:35:01.740 --> 00:35:02.420 that's broken 00:35:02.420 --> 00:35:03.220 and far from what 00:35:03.220 --> 00:35:03.840 ought to be. 00:35:04.340 --> 00:35:05.260 Sure, God rested 00:35:05.260 --> 00:35:06.000 on the seventh day 00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:07.260 but what He had to behold, 00:35:07.559 --> 00:35:08.500 it was very good. 00:35:08.559 --> 00:35:09.660 It was a very good world. 00:35:10.260 --> 00:35:10.920 I understand 00:35:10.920 --> 00:35:12.220 why He could rest 00:35:12.220 --> 00:35:13.740 but how can we? 00:35:13.739 --> 00:35:17.019 Well, here's the good news. 00:35:17.419 --> 00:35:18.139 Here's the gospel. 00:35:19.219 --> 00:35:20.119 God's resting 00:35:20.119 --> 00:35:21.359 after finishing His work 00:35:21.359 --> 00:35:22.299 never meant 00:35:22.299 --> 00:35:24.339 that we could only rest 00:35:24.339 --> 00:35:26.379 after finishing ours. 00:35:27.479 --> 00:35:28.819 From the beginning, 00:35:29.579 --> 00:35:30.459 Sabbath was a gift 00:35:30.459 --> 00:35:31.259 to receive, 00:35:31.379 --> 00:35:32.139 not a reward 00:35:32.139 --> 00:35:32.759 to earn. 00:35:33.439 --> 00:35:34.639 And even when we 00:35:34.639 --> 00:35:35.799 forfeited that rest, 00:35:35.979 --> 00:35:36.699 when we reached 00:35:36.699 --> 00:35:37.619 for forbidden fruit 00:35:37.619 --> 00:35:38.599 instead of receiving 00:35:38.599 --> 00:35:39.319 the abundance 00:35:39.319 --> 00:35:40.079 God had already 00:35:40.079 --> 00:35:40.879 offered to us, 00:35:40.880 --> 00:35:41.960 even when we brought 00:35:41.960 --> 00:35:43.200 sin and unrest 00:35:43.200 --> 00:35:45.099 into God's good creation, 00:35:45.980 --> 00:35:47.380 God didn't leave us 00:35:47.380 --> 00:35:48.900 to work our way back. 00:35:49.000 --> 00:35:49.920 No, He sent His Son, 00:35:50.539 --> 00:35:51.260 Jesus Christ, 00:35:51.400 --> 00:35:52.400 the Lord of the Sabbath, 00:35:52.780 --> 00:35:54.180 to accomplish a new 00:35:54.180 --> 00:35:55.539 and far more costly work, 00:35:55.760 --> 00:35:57.039 one we could never accomplish 00:35:57.039 --> 00:35:57.920 for ourselves. 00:35:58.059 --> 00:35:58.820 And on the cross, 00:35:59.360 --> 00:36:00.160 He bore our sin. 00:36:00.599 --> 00:36:01.539 He bore our curse, 00:36:01.900 --> 00:36:03.280 entering into the deepest 00:36:03.280 --> 00:36:04.099 unrest 00:36:04.099 --> 00:36:05.280 to secure for us 00:36:05.280 --> 00:36:06.340 the eternal rest 00:36:06.340 --> 00:36:06.880 that we forfeited 00:36:06.880 --> 00:36:08.360 and never deserved 00:36:08.360 --> 00:36:09.420 in the first place. 00:36:10.039 --> 00:36:10.980 And when that work 00:36:10.980 --> 00:36:11.500 was done, 00:36:11.800 --> 00:36:12.720 what did He say? 00:36:13.039 --> 00:36:13.900 He cried out, 00:36:14.340 --> 00:36:16.460 It is finished. 00:36:17.400 --> 00:36:18.480 And that is why 00:36:18.480 --> 00:36:19.220 we can Sabbath, 00:36:19.840 --> 00:36:21.000 even when everything 00:36:21.000 --> 00:36:22.200 inside and outside 00:36:22.200 --> 00:36:23.680 of us feels so unfinished, 00:36:24.260 --> 00:36:25.340 like so much work 00:36:25.340 --> 00:36:25.880 is required. 00:36:26.099 --> 00:36:27.380 Our work is unfinished. 00:36:27.579 --> 00:36:29.000 Our lives are unfinished. 00:36:29.160 --> 00:36:30.640 The world is unfinished. 00:36:30.640 --> 00:36:32.740 But the ultimate work 00:36:32.740 --> 00:36:33.460 that secures 00:36:33.460 --> 00:36:34.480 our eternal rest 00:36:34.480 --> 00:36:35.220 with God, 00:36:35.219 --> 00:36:36.099 even now, 00:36:36.339 --> 00:36:36.919 in time, 00:36:37.179 --> 00:36:37.939 in creation, 00:36:39.079 --> 00:36:43.259 has been secured for us 00:36:43.259 --> 00:36:44.679 in Jesus Christ. 00:36:46.359 --> 00:36:47.419 Jesus said, 00:36:48.019 --> 00:36:48.699 it is finished. 00:36:49.500 --> 00:36:50.379 It is finished. 00:36:51.039 --> 00:36:51.899 And that's why 00:36:51.899 --> 00:36:52.579 even in the midst 00:36:52.579 --> 00:36:53.539 of our unfinished lives, 00:36:53.619 --> 00:36:54.399 we can stop, 00:36:55.059 --> 00:36:55.459 rest, 00:36:55.879 --> 00:36:56.259 delight, 00:36:56.599 --> 00:36:57.379 and worship. 00:36:57.899 --> 00:36:58.959 Not because we've 00:36:58.959 --> 00:36:59.959 finally done enough, 00:37:00.819 --> 00:37:02.079 but because He has. 00:37:03.239 --> 00:37:04.139 Will you pray with me? 00:37:05.219 --> 00:37:08.819 Oh, Lord, 00:37:08.879 --> 00:37:09.299 I pray 00:37:09.299 --> 00:37:11.919 that Your law 00:37:11.919 --> 00:37:14.119 would bring great conviction 00:37:14.119 --> 00:37:15.639 to us, 00:37:15.739 --> 00:37:16.199 Your people, 00:37:16.919 --> 00:37:19.279 and at the very same time, 00:37:19.799 --> 00:37:21.019 great comfort 00:37:21.019 --> 00:37:21.980 and liberation. 00:37:23.779 --> 00:37:24.139 Oh, God, 00:37:24.219 --> 00:37:24.779 convict us 00:37:24.779 --> 00:37:25.339 for ways 00:37:25.339 --> 00:37:26.779 that we have not 00:37:26.779 --> 00:37:27.359 stopped, 00:37:27.579 --> 00:37:27.839 rested, 00:37:28.000 --> 00:37:28.379 delighted, 00:37:28.539 --> 00:37:29.319 and worshiped You. 00:37:29.320 --> 00:37:31.980 and Lord, 00:37:32.059 --> 00:37:32.600 show us 00:37:32.600 --> 00:37:33.820 the good thing 00:37:33.820 --> 00:37:34.539 that You are offering 00:37:34.539 --> 00:37:35.120 to us 00:37:35.120 --> 00:37:36.640 and how You've made it 00:37:36.640 --> 00:37:37.620 available to us 00:37:37.620 --> 00:37:38.360 in Christ 00:37:38.360 --> 00:37:41.640 who suffered unrest 00:37:41.640 --> 00:37:43.100 so that we could 00:37:43.100 --> 00:37:44.080 rest with You forever. 00:37:44.220 --> 00:37:44.900 Make us a people 00:37:44.900 --> 00:37:46.460 striving to enter 00:37:46.460 --> 00:37:47.000 Your rest, 00:37:47.100 --> 00:37:47.500 oh God. 00:37:48.260 --> 00:37:49.340 In Jesus' name, 00:37:49.820 --> 00:37:50.019 amen. 00:37:50.019 --> 00:37:50.140 Amen. 00:37:50.140 --> 00:37:50.180 Amen. 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:50.180 00:37:50.180 --> 00:37:52.180 Amen. 00:37:52.179 --> 00:37:53.179 Amen. 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:53.179 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:54.179 may may may 00:37:54.179 --> 00:37:55.179 ! 00:37:55.179 --> 00:37:55.179 00:37:55.179 --> 00:37:55.179 00:37:55.179 --> 00:37:55.179 00:37:55.179 --> 00:37:55.179 00:37:55.179 --> 00:37:55.179 00:37:55.179 --> 00:37:55.179 00:37:55.179 --> 00:37:55.179 00:37:55.179 --> 00:37:55.179 00:37:55.179 --> 00:37:55.179 00:37:55.179 --> 00:37:56.339 ! 00:37:56.339 --> 00:37:56.339 00:37:56.339 --> 00:37:56.339 00:37:56.339 --> 00:37:56.339