The Sabbath: A Day to Honor the Lord

Genesis 2:1-3

Eric Liddell, the subject of the well-known movie Chariots of Fire, was a man who sought to honor God in everything. He was a man of deep conviction and sacrifice. During the 1924 summer Olympic Games, Liddell’s 100 meter race was scheduled for a Sunday, and instead of campaigning to boycott the Olympics he asked for an unprecedented switch in events. He was allowed to compete in the 400 meter run instead. And we now know that he won the gold in that event. Many were criticizing him until he won the gold. From that point in his life he became a missionary to China. A man who could have embraced fame and fortune instead embraced God. He embraced God for the world to see the day he refused to race on Sunday. He embraced God the day that he refused fame and instead took obscurity and went to China as a missionary. He embraced God everyday of his life. He committed that everyday would be for God, but he chose to consistently set aside one day a week to honor the Lord. Liddell in his commitment to the Lord demonstrated a deep love for his God and a desire to honor him despite any cost and that is shown with the words of his biographer, “It is rare indeed when anyone has the good fortune to meet a saint, but he comes as close to it as anyone I have ever known.”

When we look at the Sabbath there are two reasons for observing this day.

The first reason we observe the Sabbath is that the Lord rested. Verse 1 tells us that the heavens and the earth were completed. There was not a thing lacking because the work was perfected and completed. Verse 2 tells us that by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done. This is a reiteration of verse 1, and again clarifies that God himself performed the work. This is again a statement to tell us that God created without the use of evolution. Then it says in the second half of the verse that He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Again, the Lord God performed the act of creation. But here it tells us that the Lord has rested from His work. Some people would say that this rest of the Lord continues to the end of the age, and He will never be involved in our world again until then. But here we see that it says that he rested on the seventh. The Lord worked and completed that work and then on the seventh he now rests. He has not remained out of our world but through his spirit and Jesus we know for certain that he has maintained a place of involvement within our world. The Lord has continued to be intimately involved with us and through us. But when we look at The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, specifically verses 8-11, we see that our observance of the Sabbath is specifically tied to the fact that the Lord rested.

In Exodus 20:8-11 we are told, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God.” Throughout the Old Testament Law there are numerous instances where the seventh is a time of Sabbath or renewal. For instance, the land was to be given rest on the seventh year. The field would be planted and plowed for six and then the seventh the field was to not be planted. We now know that during that year the nutrients in the ground would be restored for the planting of crops the following six years. Slaves or servants working to repay a debt were to be freed from their debt after six years of service. The need for rest is continually mentioned within the Scriptures.

In Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” We are called to bring our burdens to the Lord, and He will give us rest. Revelation 14:13, And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them." We are promised that we will rest from our labors for eternity. We have a need for rest, and one day we will be in a continual rest in the Lord.

The second reason we observe the Sabbath is that the Sabbath is a day made holy by the Lord. Verse 3 tells us that the Lord blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. He put his blessing on this day. The word sanctified means the process of making holy. We are being sanctified by the Spirit. But the process for making the Sabbath holy has been completed. There is no more need for making it holy, it is done and complete. The reason the Lord made it holy is because he rested from his work on that day. The reason we should observe the Sabbath is because it is holy and should be set aside for worshipping the one who created the world. We do not rest because we want to but because the Lord has told us to rest. He did not rest because he needed to, but because he wanted us to. How often do we allow work to overshadow and preoccupy us and distract us from God? How often do we truly focus on the Lord as we should? The world and life are about Him and not us therefore the day of rest is to be set aside for Him. This is not a day to just sit around and watch TV but to focus and refocus on the Lord. It is a day to be reminded to whom we belong.

In the world of baseball there are certain teams that many players wish to play for, but on certain teams there are certain standards for how you represent the team. For instance if you want to play for the New York Yankees, you are allowed no facial hair. The standard is set in order to maintain uniformity and team unity. Without the set standards and others in order to develop these attitudes there will be many different expressions that will ultimately lead to different attitudes and mindsets ultimately leading to conflict and disunity.

1 Peter 2:9, But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR {God's} OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Just as the Yankees require certain standards in order to be a part of the team, the Lord requires that His people be holy and righteous. The Yankees want everyone to act the same in order to win a trophy, but what the Lord desires is of eternal significance. The Yankees requirements are for the outward appearance only but the Lord’s is of eternal value. Remember when Daniel would set aside time to pray even when the law of the land decreed otherwise. Set aside time for God even when the world says we don’t need to.

The Sabbath is a day consecrated to the Lord for his glory. It is not a test of our loyalty that will ultimately lead to higher financial gain, but a test of set loyalties.

· Are you willing to set aside one day a week for rest and refreshment and refocus on the Lord?

· Are you willing to set aside your life for the work of the Lord?

· The Lord requires rest of us today, but do you hope in the eternal rest promised from our Lord?