We have seen this week that Sabbath rest is something given by God at creation, and remains part of his continuing commands to Israel to celebrate their freedom in him.
Over time, however, the Sabbath became much more than what God had simply commanded – as people developed many more regulations defining what entailed work or rest. Surely their intentions were good, to maintain a healthy respect for God’s laws, but these regulations were able to eclipse the purpose and personality behind the law.
We’ll see next week how Jesus dealt with these regulations. This has major implications for Christians…as people have long sought to understand how Sabbath laws apply after Jesus. Should Christians rest on Saturday, Sunday, or simply a day a week? Can certain kinds of jobs be done on the day of rest? Can I cut the grass? Can I shop, even though it means someone else works? These are common questions, but even if we disagree, the basic premise remains – God has a rhythm to life, it’s his rhythm, and it’s meant for us as well.
But how many of us have honestly tried it, instead of simply arguing about it?
Our rhythm is usually not one day of rest every six, but comes in weeks – we work, work, work and then rest hard. This is why so many people get sick on vacation! Or we can work, work, work for decades, then retire and finally rest. There is a window of time after retirement that many men are known to get heart attacks, due to the major shock to their systems and lifestyles. The message in this way of life is that we are slaves to work, and can run away once in a while. Or earn our emancipation at retirement. This isn’t what we were made for.
We’ll see next week that our emancipation from slavery has been bought by someone else – we are not slaves to this world’s economy.
Challenge: Try and take a day of complete rest this week. Not your usual creative work (Tuesday) but either put your feet up, or do other kinds of work/play.
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CloseRyan Sim - October 29, 2015
God Is...Unfailing - Thursday
Be brave in sharing your faith in God's unfailing plans.
More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio
From Series: "God Is..."
Who is God? What is God like? Is God an old man in the sky, a force that surrounds us, or an idea in our hearts? There are so many ideas of God out there, so we'll spend some time in this series just looking at how God reveals himself to humans.
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EPIC: Moses & Pharaoh - Friday | March 27, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Moses & Pharaoh - Thursday | March 26, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Moses & Pharaoh - Wednesday | March 25, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Moses & Pharaoh - Tuesday | March 24, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Moses & Pharaoh - Monday | March 23, 2015 | Bank Story | Watch | Listen | |
EPIC: Moses & The Burning Bush - Friday | March 20, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Moses & The Burning Bush - Thursday | March 19, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Moses & The Burning Bush - Wednesday | March 18, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Moses & The Burning Bush - Tuesday | March 17, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Moses & The Burning Bush - Monday | March 16, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Joseph - Friday | March 13, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Joseph - Thursday | March 12, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Joseph - Wednesday | March 11, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Joseph - Tuesday | March 10, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Joseph - Monday | March 9, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Jacob & Esau Reconcile - Friday | March 6, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Jacob & Esau Reconcile - Thursday | March 5, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Jacob & Esau Reconcile - Wednesday | March 4, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Jacob & Esau Reconcile - Tuesday | March 3, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Jacob & Esau Reconcile - Monday | March 2, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Jacob Struggles with God - Friday | February 27, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Jacob Struggles with God - Thursday | February 26, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Jacob Struggles with God - Wednesday | February 25, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Jacob Struggles with God - Tuesday | February 24, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Jacob Struggles with God - Monday | February 23, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Abraham & Isaac - Friday | February 20, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Abraham & Isaac - Thursday | February 19, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Abraham & Isaac - Wednesday | February 18, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Abraham & Isaac - Tuesday | February 17, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Abraham & Isaac - Monday | February 16, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Abraham & Sarah - Friday | February 13, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Abraham & Sarah - Thursday | February 12, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Abraham & Sarah - Wednesday | February 11, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Abraham & Sarah - Tuesday | February 10, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Abraham & Sarah - Monday | February 9, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Tower of Babel - Friday | February 6, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Tower of Babel - Thursday | February 5, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Tower of Babel - Wednesday | February 4, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Tower of Babel - Tuesday | February 3, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Tower of Babel - Monday | February 2, 2015 | Extra | Watch | Listen | |
EPIC: Noah - Friday | January 30, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Noah - Thursday | January 29, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Noah - Wednesday | January 28, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Noah - Monday | January 26, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Cain and Abel - Friday | January 23, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Cain and Abel - Thursday | January 22, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Cain and Abel - Wednesday | January 21, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Cain and Abel - Tuesday | January 20, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Cain and Abel - Monday | January 19, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Adam and Eve - Friday | January 16, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Adam and Eve - Thursday | January 15, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Adam and Eve - Wednesday | January 14, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
EPIC: Adam and Eve - Tuesday | January 13, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
Best of 2014: Friday | January 2, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
Best of 2014: Redeemer's First Baptisms - Thursday | January 1, 2015 | Watch | Listen | ||
Best of 2014: Pioneer Spirit - Wednesday | December 31, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Best of 2014: Jesus the Shepherd - Tuesday | December 30, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Best of 2014: Reset Body & Food - Monday | December 29, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Christmas - Friday | December 26, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Christmas - Thursday | December 25, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Christmas - Wednesday | December 24, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Christmas - Tuesday | December 23, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Christmas - Monday | December 22, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: God in the Flesh - Friday | December 19, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: God in the Flesh - Thursday | December 18, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: God in the Flesh - Wednesday | December 17, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: God in the Flesh - Tuesday | December 16, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: God in the Flesh - Monday | December 15, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Healer in the World - Friday | December 12, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Healer in the World - Thursday | December 11, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Healer in the World - Wednesday | December 10, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Healer in the World - Tuesday | December 9, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Healer in the World - Monday | December 8, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting King in the World - Friday | December 5, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting King in the World - Thursday | December 4, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting King in the World - Wednesday | December 3, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting King in the World - Tuesday | December 2, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting King in the World - Monday | December 1, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Friend in the World - Friday | November 28, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Friend in the World - Thursday | November 27, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Friend in the World - Wednesday | November 26, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Friend in the World - Tuesday | November 25, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Friend in the World - Monday | November 24, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Light of the World - Friday | November 21, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Light of the World - Thursday | November 20, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Light of the World - Wednesday | November 19, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Light of the World - Tuesday | November 18, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Light of the World - Monday | November 17, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Prophet in the World - Friday | November 14, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Prophet in the World - Thursday | November 13, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Prophet in the World - Wednesday | November 12, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Prophet in the World - Tuesday | November 11, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Prophet in the World - Monday | November 10, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Powerful Man in the World - Friday | November 7, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Powerful Man in the World - Thursday | November 6, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Powerful Man in the World - Wednesday | November 5, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Powerful Man in the World - Tuesday | November 4, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Powerful Man in the World - Monday | November 3, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Priest in the World - Friday - Reflect | October 31, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Priest in the World - Thursday - Act On It | October 30, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Priest in the World - Wednesday - Change It | October 29, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Priest in the World - Tuesday - Study It | October 28, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Jesus: The Most Interesting Priest in the World - Monday | October 27, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Foundation | October 24, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Foundation | October 23, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Foundation | October 22, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Foundation | October 21, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Foundation | October 20, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Forgiver | October 17, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Forgiver | October 16, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Forgiver | October 15, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Forgiver | October 14, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Forgiver | October 13, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Teacher | October 10, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Teacher | October 9, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Teacher | October 8, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Teacher | October 7, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Teacher | October 6, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Revolutionary | October 3, 2014 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Revolutionary | October 2, 2014 | Watch | Listen |