Think about someone you love dearly.  Do you find your thoughts running to them?  Do you find yourself missing them a lot?  Isn’t it great when you can spend time with those you love?  When you can get away from the routine and all of life’s ordinary affairs?  It’s a time to rejoice; we look forward to that special time.  It’s also easy to miss this time.  Sometimes we get so busy with our responsibilities and work that we neglect our loving relationships.  We need to stop ourselves and make sure we dedicate time to the ones we love.  If we don’t, these relationships will soon fade away.  This must not be the case with the Lord your God!

            If we treasure our relationship with our Lord we need to show it in our devotion.  Devoting time to the Lord is essential; after all, is our time really our own?  Isn’t it the Lord who grants us each new day of our lives?  Without Him we would not even exist.  For “through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made...” (John 1:3).  Only in the Father are we truly alive (Luke 15:24).  We need to dedicate our time to the Lord.  Set aside time from your work and all the ordinary affairs of life and devote yourself  without distraction to God.

            Moses prays to God, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom...” (Psalms 90:12).   Paul chimes in saying “Be very careful then how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). 

            Rubel Shelley simply states that when we waste time (dissipation), it cannot be replaced:  “Lost money can be replaced by effort and thrift, squandered talent can be reclaimed and put to use; but time is irreversible.”  Wasted time is lost - it cannot be replaced or refunded.  The spirit of the fourth commandment calls us to be faithful stewards of time.  Remember the Lord your God!

            It’s so easy to get caught up in the “daily grind” of life. Adam’s God-given responsibility was to work the Garden of Eden and to take care of it (Genesis 2:15).  God calls us to work. He also calls us to set times to devote ourselves to Him.  Be a diligent steward of your time!  Don’t let your relationship with the Lord fade away!

Key Text:                           Exodus 20:8-9a

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.”

Theme:

The Sabbath was created as a “lasting covenant” , a “sign between God and the Israelites forever” (Exodus 31:16, 17).  It was a blessing from God.  Through time, legalistic Jews such as the Pharisees distorted the Word of God by adding to it.  They turned the Sabbath into a burden (see Matthew 23:1-4).  Jesus said they “tied up heavy bonds and put them on men’s shoulders...”  He also teaches them that the Sabbath was created for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).  The commandment was to help the Israelites live the right balance of work, rest, and worship; to teach that our time is God’s time.  We need to apply this lesson to our hearts.  The Pharisees lost the spirit of the command in endless controversies.  Let us listen to the lessons God is teaching us and live a life balanced between work, rest, and worship. 

Application:

Here are some practical suggestions:

1. Pray to God for wisdom.   We need the Lord to          guide us to live lives which are balanced and pleasing to him. “Teach us to number our days aright”  Psalms 90:12.

2. Remember that work is good and holy.  As long as we  do not allow it to prevent us from dedicating the time we need remember the Lord our God. 

3. Prioritize your time.  Have a fixed time of spiritual devotion to God.  Plan out and dedicate time to worship God with an undivided focus.

 May the Lord richly bless you!

 

“My time is His time...”

Introduction: Last Week

   1. The third commandment deals with the manner of

       worship: God’s name is to be honored and praised

   2. Do not misuse His name by:

        a. Life of hypocrisy (Mt. 7:21)

        b. Unresolved wrath (Mt. 5:23-24)

        c. Using God’s name for a no-good purpose

            (Ps. 29:2)

        d. Integrity (Mt. 5:37; James 5:12)

 

I. Fourth Commandment: Time of worship

    Exodus 20:8-11

    “Sabbath”--Heb. shabbath  (intermission; pause)

    A. Background

      1. Given to the Jews at Mt. Sinai (cf. Neh. 9:13-14)

      3. It carried a death penalty

           (Ex 31:14; Nu 15:32-36)

     B. Christians under the law of Faith (Rom 3:27,28)

       1. Acts 2:38--need a relationship with Christ

       2. Day of worship became the first day of week

           --they assembled on first day

              (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:1)

            --Sunday known as “Lord’s Day” (Rev. 1:10)

            --Secular history confirms this (Didache 14.1)

        3. We are released from OT regulations through

            Christ (Col 2:13-16)

      C. Spirit of the Sabbath--for all believers

          a. Fundamental principle: Devotion to God

              --man needs a fixed time of spiritual devotion

              --working all week will produce bad results:

                 1. forgetting God

                 2. deteriorating relationships

          b. Intended for helping man, not burdening him

              --Mark 2:27--Sabbath made for man

       D. The Lord’s Day

            a. It’s a time we worship the Lord as a group

            b. It’s a time of reflecting upon Jesus

            c. Sunday shouldn’t be treated as another

                day of business, but of strengthening ties

            d. Judge for yourselves what is good (Lk 12:57)

       E. The Gospel is the eternal Sabbath

           (Heb 4:1-3a, 9-11)

          a. In Christ, there is a day of rest  that is eternal

          b. For never will the sun sink in that land!

             (Rev 21: 23; 22:5)

Warm-up:

No time for a warm-up question this week - let’s get into the Scripture!  Let’s all participate in tonight’s study!  “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom...”  (Col. 3:16). 

See To It                      Read Deuteronomy 5:12-15

1. The word “holy” means sanctified or set apart.  What does it mean to keep a day holy?

2. Read verses 13-15.  Talk about each of those who God calls to not work on the Sabbath.  Why does He mention each of them?  What is God’s concern?  What does He want Israel to remember?  What does this say about the heart of God?

3. Can you think of some other lessons the Lord may have been teaching Israel that haven’t been discussed yet?  Really try to see what God’s concern for Israel was and what He was trying to teach them. 

Seeing It Closer                               

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”.  The Sabbath was a covenant between God and Israel, but the lessons He taught them still apply today.

1.  Do you feel a personal need to set apart time to focus on God?  How do you arrange your schedule so that other things don’t interfere?

2. How do you spend a typical Sunday?

3.  Compare your stewardship with regard to money to your stewardship of time.  Are you more careful with one than the other.  Why?

4.  Do you organize your time?  Do you plan or just go with the flow?

5.   How is your example to “the alien within your gates” (those who do not know the Lord)?  What does your example say about how much you value your time with the Lord?

Getting To It:

Pray that we always remember the Lord our God and are good stewards of our time.