The Gift of Sabbath
Texts: Mark 2:27, Isaiah 58, Acts 2:36-40, Psalm 116:7, Matthew 11:28-30
Upcoming Sundays
Graduation Sunday — May 26
Sabbatical Send Off Sunday — June 2 (all church worship at 10, with meal to follow)
Welcome Bash and Baptism — August 25 (all church worship at YCC)
What makes a meaningful gift?
It’s thoughtful, intentional, personal…it meets a need and a want. Skipping Sabbath is like unwrapping all the gifts under the Christmas tree, but leaving the biggest wrapped under the tree.
Mark 2:27-28
27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Sabbath Rest is a Gift to Delight In
Isaiah 58:13-14
13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Case of “the rebellion”
If Isaiah was a doctor, he was called in to tell the Israelites that they had a case of “the rebellion.” God has a gift-giving heart, the Israelites had gift-stealing hearts. They came to God with their list of “give me this, give me that,” and then they went into the world with that same attitude.
The more closed off you are to giving to others,
the more closed off you are to receiving the gift of God.
STOP
Making religious practices more important than God Himself
Abusing the bodies and/or emotions of others
Looking past the needs of others
Ignoring the negative impact of your words
GO
Loose chains of injustice
Untie cords of the yoke
Set the oppressed free
Share food with the hungry
Provide shelter
Clothe the naked
Care for your family
Delight in God’s Sabbath
When you look at the life of Jesus, he did each of these things perfectly in love. He is Lord of Everything, including Rest.
Acts 2:36-40
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
The Gift: Jesus
Pattern to follow
Payment for sins
Power for new life
Partner in blessing others
What shall we do?
Repent: A life-long change of mind and behavior
Be baptized: A symbol of commitment to life-long change with Jesus
Save yourselves from this corrupt generation: Disentangle from the anxious, exhausted way of the world
Sabbath habits are intended to be a part of our sanctification process so that we naturally and reflexively do what is in God’s heart.
Let’s Get Practical
Identify a 12-24 hour block of time to rest (two weeks ago)
Prepare ahead of time for that time of rest (two weeks ago)
Make a Sabbath List of YES and NO (last week)
Write a list of delights (this week)
Make a list of ways you can give rest to others (this week)
Make a list of delights
A meal with loved ones
A good story (book or movie)
A hike in the woods
Making cookies or gardening
What are things that you enjoy doing?
Make a list of ways to give rest to others
Share a meal with a family in need
Grocery shop for a friend
Offer baby sitting for a family of young ones
Take the trash to the curb
Give a larger tip than 20%
What are ways that you can give rest to others?
Reflection Questions:
Read Psalm 116:7. Begin with silence, meditating on a word or phrase from that verse.
How has it gone entering God’s rest and practicing Sabbath over these past few weeks? What’s been helpful or what’s been frustrating?
Read Mark 2:23-28 and Isaiah 58:1-14. How is the misbehavior in Isaiah like the Pharisees in Mark 2?
From these two passages, what does God desire for His people and from his people?
How can this help us as we shape our lives around Jesus’ pattern of work and rest?
Make a list of delights that you’d like to incorporate in your sabbath practice. Choose one to do in the next two weeks.
Make a list of ways you can give rest to others. Choose one to do in this next two weeks.
Close in prayer. Read Matthew 11:28-30. As you pray, name where you need rest and what burdens you need to lay at His feet.
Daily Reading
In this sixth week of our Renew Series on Sabbath, we are looking at the Sabbath as a gift to receive and a gift to give.
Each day before reading take a moment to read Psalm 116:7. And at the conclusion of the reading, hear Jesus’ invitation to rest in Him from Matthew 11:28-30
Monday: Psalm 116:7; Mark 2:23-28; Matthew 11:28-30
Tuesday: Psalm 116:7; Isaiah 58:1-5; Matthew 11:28-30
Wednesday: Psalm 116:7; Isaiah 58:6-12; Matthew 11:28-30
Thursday: Psalm 116:7; Isaiah 58:13-14; Matthew 11:28-30
Friday: Psalm 116:7; Mark 3:1-6; Matthew 11:28-30