Hi, I'm Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to serve as your Bible teacher every day on this great radio station.
On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. You know, God has designated a way for us to wait until our souls catch up with our bodies. In fact, there's one day a week we're going to do that. It's called the Sabbath. And it's the focus of the fourth commandment we're going to look at today, which in essence says we need to value God's day.
Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. You know, busy people like you and me, we keep a pretty packed schedule. Between work, family, and social obligations, hardly a moment goes unaccounted for.
So, in our nonstop modern world, is it realistic to set aside a day of rest? Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress shares why the Sabbath is still relevant in the 21st century. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress? Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. When God told us to remember the Sabbath, what do you think He had in mind? Was this an ancient law for the Hebrews only, or was His command something that could apply to you and me today? These are the questions we're going to tackle today on Pathway to Victory, because I believe that some Christians have missed out on the blessing of this fourth commandment.
We're prone to overschedule our Sundays. Some of us are glued to technology, and we fail to fully unplug from our computers and cell phones. In doing so, we do pay a price. Well, in our brand new teaching series and my best-selling book by the same title, The Ten, I show you the blessing that comes with embracing God's Ten Commandments. This is the perfect selection for your Sunday school Bible study or your small group discussion. Many have chosen to read my book together as a family. Again, the title is The Ten. How to live and love in a world that has lost its way. Now, let's be clear about this. God never intended the Ten Commandments to spawn a legalistic lifestyle.
Far from it. Adhering to these moral guardrails will keep us safe and deliver joy and freedom. And while there's still time, you're invited to request your hardcover copy of my book, The Ten, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Now, let's turn in our Bibles to Exodus chapter 20 as we continue our study on the Ten Commandments.
I titled today's message, Value God's Day. If you have your Bibles, turn to Exodus chapter 20, beginning with verse 8, as we look at the fourth commandment. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
Six days you shall do your labor and all of your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. God is basically saying there's one day a week that we're not to do any work.
We're not even to think about working. Instead, we're to substitute for work, rest, relaxation, and focusing on God. Now, before we look at the meaning and the application for us today, I want to make three observations about this fourth commandment.
Write them down on your notes so you remember them. First of all, more space is devoted to this command than any of the other ten. Now, that's interesting when you think of it. More space is devoted to remembering the Sabbath than there is to adultery, theft, murder, or any other sin that's talked about. That tells you this is something important to God. It's not optional.
It's essential. The second observation is Jesus never repeated this commandment. Did you know of the Ten Commandments, Jesus repeated nine of them in the New Testament, but there's one commandment He didn't repeat, and it was this one to remember the Sabbath.
It's not because it's not important, but here's the reason. The Sabbath for the Jews was the seventh day of the week, Saturday. But after Christ rose from the dead, the day changed from Saturday to Sunday.
But even though the day changed, the principle has not changed. We're still to set aside one day a week in order to focus on our relationship with God. That's what the Sabbath is about. The third observation I would make is this commandment is only one of two commandments stated positively.
Two are positive, eight are negative. Thou shall not commit adultery. Literally, in Hebrew, no adultery.
That's all it says. Thou shall not commit murder. In Hebrew, no murder.
No, no, no, no. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. It is a positive command, again, for our benefit, not for God's. Look at what Jesus said about the Sabbath. He said the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.
That's key to understanding this. We were not made to fit into the Sabbath regulations. The Sabbath was given for our benefit. Well, that raises some questions about the fourth commandment.
Let me answer a few of them. First of all, what is the Sabbath? The word literally means to resist, to cease from any kind of labor. Let me give you several reasons specifically for obeying the Sabbath today. First of all, the Sabbath affirms human dignity. Before the Sabbath, God gave the Sabbath, human beings were nothing but beasts of burden who worked 24-7. Think about the Israelites in Egypt as slaves for over 400 years. They had no Sabbath. They got no rest, no ceasing of work.
The only rest they would get was when they died. When you don't take a Sabbath, you're no better than an indentured servant. I mean, the millionaire who worked seven days a week is just as enslaved as the day laborer who has no money at all. But the Sabbath reminds us that we are more than animals. You know, I think it's important to stop here and make it clear that there's nothing wrong with work.
In fact, there's everything right with work. Do you know some Christians actually believe work is a curse from God? They interpret the Bible that after Adam and Eve fell in the garden, God gave them work to do as punishment. No, work was commanded before the fall in Genesis 3.
In the first two chapters of Genesis, God said to Adam and Eve, you are to cultivate the ground and keep it. We were created to be workers because we're created in the image of God who is a worker. We find fulfillment in our work.
That's great. But after the fall, work became more difficult. Because of Adam and Eve's sin, it was an uphill battle to get your work done ever since that time, even up until today. There's a worldwide curse of sin that makes everything in our life difficult. And work is difficult because nature is working against us, not for us.
Relationships are strained. All of these things make work hard. It's like a headwind and for that reason, we need rest. One day, we're going to work in heaven and never have to rest. By the way, you do know you're going to be working in heaven, don't you? But it's going to be pleasurable work because all of the resistance to our labor is going to be removed. But because it is difficult here on earth, God says you can't work all of the time.
You know, studies show that people who work more than 50 hours a week suffer from depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, heart attacks, even cancer are all associated with keeping the tension without any relaxation. There needs to be once a week when we say, I'm going to stop working. It's not that I've done everything I can do, but I've done everything I need to do.
You know, that time comes for me. I work on my sermon, you know, every day of the week. Some of you say, well, you ought to work more on your sermon.
But I do. I work on it every day of the week. But about Saturday at noon, I usually come to the point when I say, you know, I could work two or three more hours on this, but it didn't get a whole lot better than this.
This is going to be kind of what it is for better or for worse. I need to stop and do something else. There's something else I need to do to be a good pastor or to be a good husband or father or grandfather.
It's the same for all of us. There's one day a week we need to say, I'm going to stop. By the way, Jesus illustrated that in John 17, verse 4, when he was praying in the garden before his crucifixion. He said to God, I glorified you on the earth, having accomplished the work which you have given me to do. God, I accomplished what you told me to do. Now, did Jesus do everything he could have done?
No. He could have done a lot more. There are more sermons he could have preached, more people he could have healed, more people he could have raised from the dead. It's not that he did everything he could have done, but he did everything he needed to do, and that's the way it is with us.
Let me give this suggestion. Not only once a week do we need a time we say enough, I think we need once a day where we say enough. You can set the time. It can be six in the evening, seven or eight o'clock, but there's a time when you say, you know, I may not have washed every dish or every piece of clothing that needs to be washed.
I may not have made every phone call or read every book I need to read, but I'm going to say enough and enjoy the rest of the evening that I have. That's healthy living, and that's what the Sabbath is all about. Second reason we observe the Sabbath is the Sabbath affirms the family. You know, when people take a day off from working, they usually use it to reconnect with friends or family members. The Sabbath allows us to do that. You ask the husband or wife of a workaholic, would your relationship improve if your spouse took a day off a week?
They would say yes. You know, even in today's technological world, there's more stress in today's world than there was 100 years ago when people only exerted physical energy, again, because of that ability to remain connected 24-7. And when we do, when we refuse the Sabbath, it affects our most important relationships. You may know the name of William Wilberforce. He was a member of the British Parliament.
He led the abolition of slavery in Great Britain. He worked tirelessly six days a week, but he was very regimented about taking off the Sabbath day. And in fact, in one of his spiritual journals, he wrote, Blessed be God for this day of rest and religious occupation, wherein earthly things assume their true size and comparative insignificance.
Ambition is stunted, and I hope my affections in some degree rise to things above. I love that phrase. The Sabbath is where earthly things assume their true size. Six days a week, worldly things have our occupation.
We think the most important thing in life is this telephone call that I'm about to make or this task that needs to be completed or this goal that needs to be accomplished because it's what is in front of us. But on the Sabbath day, when we focus on God, everything gets put into proper perspective. Wilberforce had a friend who abandoned his family by taking his own life. And he said his friend didn't observe the Sabbath. In fact, he made this observation about his friend. With peaceful Sundays, it's highly probable that the strings would have never snapped in this man as they did from over-attention.
In other words, if he had obeyed God, observed the Sabbath, he wouldn't have taken his own life. That's an extreme example, but it's true. You know, you can only remain in tension for so long without serious ramifications.
You can take a rubber band and you can stretch it as far as it will go and hold it that way for a while, but eventually it will snap, and so do we. Let me encourage you with this truth. Exodus 31 verse 17, in talking about the Sabbath, God said, For in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor and was refreshed. Underline that word, refreshed. You know, the Sabbath isn't about what you don't do. It's also about what you do to refresh yourself. Now, we're going to talk about spiritually refreshing yourself in a moment.
But the Sabbath isn't about going to church 24-7 on Sundays. It's about finding other things that refresh you as well in addition to being with God's people. Is there a hobby you enjoy? Spend some time on that. Maybe you enjoy a sport. Maybe you like running or walking. Maybe you want to watch that football game. Maybe you want to go to the movie. That's okay. Don't tell anybody, but do it.
You may run into me there. Who knows? I don't know. No, it's a time to refresh ourselves emotionally and physically as well as spiritually. And that leads to the third reason to observe the Sabbath. The Sabbath affirms our need for God. We are trichotomous beings.
We are body, soul, but we are also spirit. And there needs to be a time that we worship God. Now, some Christians say, well, I don't need a church for that. I've got Jesus. I've got my Bible.
I'm just going to have my private time out on the lake or so forth. No. If you've ever said that or know of those who have said that, let me give you two very quick scripture verses to help remind us about the importance of corporate worship. One is Hebrews 10 verses 24-25. The writer said, Let us consider how to stimulate one another to faith and good deeds. That word stimulate literally means to irritate, to provoke, but not in a negative way.
It's like a little piece of sand in an oyster that irritates that oyster until it produces a pearl. When we get together as Christians, we encourage one another. We provoke one another to greater faith. There needs to be a time we come together and remind ourselves that there's something bigger than us individually.
We're a part of a body, the body of Christ, and we serve a God who is in control of everything that's happening in the world in general and in our world specifically. That's what the Sabbath does when we worship together. In Luke 4 16, corporate worship was even important to Jesus. Luke says, And Jesus came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and as was his custom, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read. Going to worship was a custom for Jesus.
Let me ask you this. If Jesus, the Son of God, needed worship, being with other believers to remain spiritually hydrated, how much more important is it for you and me? By the way, when we don't come to worship, it not only hurts us, it hurts other people around us. When you're not here in your pew on Sunday mornings, that means there's one less voice in this place, praising God. There's one less person here encouraging other Christians. There's one less spiritual gift being utilized.
There's one less person sitting under the preaching of God's Word to transform their lives in the world. Some people say, Well, pastor, I don't have to be honest with you. No offense intended, but I just don't get anything out of church. I just don't get anything out of it. Have you ever felt that way? I have found that a lot of times people don't get anything out of church because they don't put anything into it.
Let me show you what I mean. Karen Burton has written a book entitled Make Sunday Special and she says for Sundays to be what God intends them to be, we have to prepare for Sundays to be special. I've given you just a few practical things to do to make Sundays really special for you and your family.
Write them down. We're going to go quickly here. First of all, during the week, preparation for Sundays actually begins the week before. Read over the main text of the passage just to get it familiar to you or your Sunday school lesson. Secondly, carefully consider the offering that you're going to give. We had a funeral service here a few weeks ago. The son of the man who had passed away said, One thing I remember about my dad, before we would pull out of the driveway to church, he would make sure every one of us kids had our Bible and our offering envelope.
It's a time. One way we worship is by giving to God. Thirdly, pray about inviting a friend who would benefit from being at church.
Man, we give you all kind of tools here at First Baptist to invite people, give them that bag of chocolate, invite them to come and be here. And then on Saturday, you know, in the Jewish calendar, the day began the night before, and the evening and the morning were the first day. So really, Sunday begins on Saturday nights. And what you do on Saturday determines what kind of Sunday you have. Ask God to make you sensitive to somebody who might be hurting on Sunday. Secondly, be sure you've solved the Sunday clothes hassle. Don't wait until Sunday to pick out what you're going to wear. Make sure it's ready and ready to go on Saturday evening. Thirdly, spend some time confessing your sins so that everything is right between you and God.
And this is so key, number four, go to bed early so that you wake up refreshed. Double star that on time change Sunday. But you know, so many Christians, I've watched this for 45 years, they just see how much they can pack into their Saturdays. They just go, go, go, go from morning until midnight, all the fun that they can have, and then Sunday they come exhausted.
They may be here in body, but their mind is someplace else completely. If you really expect God to speak to you, come physically refreshed on Sunday mornings. And then on Sunday itself, get up in plenty of time so as not to be rushed.
Arrange your time so as you don't only arrive on time, but early. Eat breakfast so an empty stomach doesn't distract you, distract you from worship. Bring your Bibles, pen and paper so that you can write down what God is saying to you. Leave for church with a sense of urgency since you're going to meet Christ there.
Number six, this is great, spend some time at Sunday lunch reviewing the Sunday service. That's not roasting the pastor, but reviewing the Sunday sermon, not critiquing, letting people share what God said to them. You know, occasionally I'll run into somebody and they'll have a sheepish look on their face and they'll say, Pastor, I'm sorry, I've kind of been out of church for a while. They think I'm angry with them.
I'm not angry with them, but I feel sorry for them. Because they've deprived themselves of the one solution to handle the physical, emotional and spiritual dehydration we're all subject to. You know, cholera is a very dreaded disease. Thousands die from it every year, but the cholera victims don't die from poison in the body. They die from dehydration. Fortunately, modern medicine has provided the machinery for intravenous influx of liquids that the cholera victim needs. But the question came, what do you do in countries that don't have that kind of machinery?
Finally, a solution was found. It was called oral rehydration. Doctors found that by preparing a simple solution of water, sugar and salt, taking it orally is enough to replenish the fluids the body needs.
You don't need any machinery. You know, God thousands of years ago came up with a solution for the physical, emotional, spiritual dehydration we experience every week. That solution is the Sabbath. It's a time for us to resist work, to refresh our emotions and to renew our relationship with God. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
The Sabbath is God's prescription to cure the busyness of life. Don't forget to take it, okay? You'll be so glad that you did. Now, next time, we'll turn our attention to the fifth commandment. Commandment number five puts us at a midway point in our brand-new teaching series. With this in mind, I'll urge you to get in touch with Pathway to Victory today in order to take advantage of this special limited-time offer. I'm referring to my brand-new book called The Ten, How to Live and Love in a World That Has Lost Its Way.
A copy is yours for the asking when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. In a culture like ours, moral confusion is running rampant. Hardly a day passes when Amy and I don't shake our heads in astonishment, when we view the ludicrous behavior on television news. We've never witnessed such confusion before. From the smash-and-grab robberies to gender confusion among our children to baseless immorality, these are frightening times in which we live.
Make no mistake. God knows all about it. And His commandments are still the rule of law.
They are established for our protection. And through His ten moral guardrails, He's calling us into a loving relationship with Himself. That's the overarching theme of my book, The Ten. Let me send you a copy right away when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. If it's been a while since you have given a gift, or maybe you've never taken this step, why not make today the day? We would love to hear from you.
David? Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. When you invest in the ministry of Pathway to Victory by giving a generous gift, we'll say thanks by sending you the brand-new book by Dr. Jeffress titled, The Ten.
How to live and love in a world that has lost its way. Call 866-999-2965, or visit our website at ptv.org. And when your gift is $100 or more, we'll also send you the complete collection of audio and video discs for The Ten teaching series.
Plus, we're going to send you a study guide to use on your own or with a small group. One more time, call 866-999-2965, or go to ptv.org. You could also write to us, here's that mailing address, P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. Again, that's P.O.
Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins. Wishing you a great weekend, then join us again next time for a message called, The Fifth Commandment, Honor Your Parents. That's Monday, here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. The Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska with Dr. Robert Jeffress set sail from Vancouver, British Columbia on June 15, 2024. Join me along with musical artists, Rebecca St. James and Michael O'Brien and comedian, Dennis Swanberg for a vacation you'll never forget. I promise, you will come back spiritually, physically and emotionally refreshed. Book your spot on the 7-day Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska at ptv.org.
