The Sabbath Rhythm - Genesis 2:1-3
Posted by Calvary Chapel Fremont at 8/28/2011 12:52 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Pastor Tim Brown Calvary Chapel Fremont Sabbath Rhythm Genesis
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Pastor Tim Brown Calvary Chapel Fremont Sabbath Rhythm Genesis
Pastor Tim Brown, Calvary Chapel Fremont, Sunday August 28, 2011
The Sabbath Rhythm
Genesis 2:1-3
Saturday isn’t our Sabbath. Sunday isn’t our Sabbath. For the follower of Jesus, to ask the question, “What is our Sabbath?” is like asking the question, “What color is #2?” Colors/numbers don’t go together. Day/Sabbath don’t go together. Let’s back up -
After the Red Sea the people needed food in the wilderness. Manna fell six days and then the Sabbath was established in Israel.
See, the LORD has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day. Ex. 16:29-30 sounds like our text
For six days they were to work/gather manna/7th day rest. Why did God have the people work 6/rest 1? This had to be new to them. The Sabbath was not observed/honored in Egypt. The Sabbath rhythm is six days work/one day rest - six beats work/one beat rest. Work/work/work/work/work/work/rest (x2). In Egypt it was work/work/etc./collapse! Some of you are familiar w/ Egypt’s beat.
Note, too, how Ex. 16 links together Israel’s miraculous provision of food in the wilderness w/ Sabbath observance. The miraculous work of God and the Sabbath rhythm go together!
Gen. 2:1-3 is not only an account of the 7th day of creation, it provides the reason why Israel is to work six days/rest one day - Sabbath.
What did God do on the 7th day?
God rested – Why did God need rest? Not rest of exhaustion, but of completion. God isn’t bent over with hands on knees huffing/wheezing/struggling to get His breath. What God did set a pattern for what man is to do.
Israel rested - Ex. 23:12 Refresh – regain your soul. Implication: lose your soul in work. Native porters
God blessed – 1st mention- 1:22, 28 Blessing had to do w/ fruitfulness.
9:1; 12:2 Blessing had to do w/ increase. Blessing: fruitfulness/increase.
God blessed Israel in the Sabbath. In observing the day God blessed, the blessing flowed to them. God’s blessing resulted in fruitfulness/ increase/overflow. Rest was to result in fruitfulness/increase. Ps. 127:1-2 Miraculous/Sabbath go together. Rest of man/work of God.
God sanctified – God set apart the 7th day from the work/routine of the other six. The day itself was a remembrance of God as Creator/ Redeemer. God gathered waters/dry land appeared – place to stand and not drown.
God sanctified Israel in the Sabbath. Faithful observance set Israel apart unto the Lord. Though prosperous, they were to be a people known for not just material blessing, but fellowship w/ God. They were to be known as a spiritually minded people in the midst of their prosperity – a people who had regained their souls.
Paul Baker in / What the Best College Teachers Do / p79 / speaking to students: We are not trying to force you into some kind of a mold; on the contrary, we are trying to help you escape.
The Sabbath was a way of escape from the forces that would give shape/form to their lives. Secular: of this age. Their lives were not to be all about working/consuming/earthly things. Life is more than that – it’s not just horizontal, it’s vertical, too. We need help to escape the work/consume cycle, from a secular life.
The Sabbath was meant as an escape/a breath of fresh air/a liberating moment. The Sabbath was meant 2ba resurrection moment to lift Israel from being buried by the things of this life.
And though you, as a Christian don’t keep a 7th day Sabbath as the Jews did/do – there is a Sabbath for you. This Sabbath resurrects you from the graveyard of just an earthly life. Recap what God did on 7th day.
The Sabbath in the NT
Col. 2:16-17 The old covenant’s Sabbaths are shadows whose fullness are seen in Christ. Since the Sabbaths were to relate Israel to God, when Christ came, the old covenant’s Sabbaths were done away with. The Bible teaches that what the Sabbath was intended to accomplish is now found through life in Christ. The NT doesn’t teach that Sunday is the Christian’s Sabbath. Jesus is the believer’s Sabbath.
OT – Sabbath is a day / NT – Sabbath is a person
Matt. 11:28 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Saturday isn’t our Sabbath. Sunday isn’t our Sabbath. Christ is our Sabbath. For the follower of Jesus, to ask the question, “What is our Sabbath?” is like asking the question, “What color is #2?” Colors/numbers don’t go together. Day/Sabbath don’t go together.
What God did on the Sabbath, He does in Christ -
God has rested in Christ – it’s a complete work. Even as there was a work of creation, there is a work of redemption. You can rest in Christ for the work of redemption is complete.
And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God… Hebrews 10:11-12
Just because God loves you doesn’t mean He’s impressed w/ you. His love draws Him to you and His holiness keeps Him from being impressed w/ you because His holiness demands perfection. What His holiness demands (perfection) His love has supplied (Christ – the perfect one). He is impressed/satisfied w/ Christ.
God has blessed Christ –
…and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. Romans 9:5
You are blessed in Christ. As you rest in Christ, His perfection is credited to your account.
God has sanctified Christ –
…do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? John 10:36
You are sanctified in Christ – set apart/raised above. Col. 3:1. God doesn’t want you shaped into the mold of this world – Christ is the means of escape. In Christ, you regain your soul.
God set a pattern for all men in G1-2. There is a rhythm of life that He established for humanity in the opening chapters of the Bible. Six days work/one day rest. Six beats work/one beat rest. Work/ work/work/work/work/work/rest (x2). That is the Sabbath rhythm God established at the beginning of time. The Sabbath rhythm helps you escape being forced into a mold. Chick-fil-A restaurants follow the ancient rhythm.
Why We're Closed on Sundays - Our founder, Truett Cathy, made the decision to close on Sundays in 1946 when he opened his first restaurant in Hapeville, Georgia. He has often shared that his decision was as much practical as spiritual. He believes that all franchised Chick-fil-A Operators and their Restaurant employees should have an opportunity to rest, spend time with family and friends, and worship if they choose to do so. That's why all Chick-fil-A Restaurants are closed on Sundays. It's part of our recipe for success.
Remembrance - Dt. 5:15
The Exodus 20 passage points to what God did as Creator. This passage points out what God did as Redeemer.
Revelation - Israel was to set her rhythm of life/rest from her labor/remember her Creator and Redeemer by means of the Sabbath. As she did this, the Lord would make her fruitful/give her increase (Jer. 17:19-26; Is. 58:13-14). As she abandoned Sabbath observance, her spiritual/ national life withered. Sabbath keeping was one of the major indicators of the health of the nation. It was like putting your hand on your child’s forehead to see if they have a fever.
Sabbath observance was a great test of Israel’s faith. Did she really believe that God had blessed that day and in resting on that day she would continue to increase/be fruitful?
The Sabbath rhythm is huge in the OT. What does the NT say?
In Christ, we are raised above the things of this life. Col. 3:1. We don’t find our manna on a Saturday, we find our manna in Christ for Christ is our manna. God’s miraculous provision for our lives is in Christ, not in Sabbath observance. This is most clearly seen in Hebrews 3:12 – 4:10. Canaan is His rest in C3.
4:1 – His rest = salvation in Christ for he connect it w/ the gospel. 4:9 – the Sabbath rest is the finished work of Christ.
The believer’s rest is the rest of completion. We rest because there is nothing left to do. “Wait a minute, there’s plenty left to do.”
Work of the Spirit in me/serving the Lord with gifts and talents/Winning the world to Christ
We rest because there is nothing left to do to secure our salvation.
The Sabbath Rhythm
Genesis 2:1-3
Saturday isn’t our Sabbath. Sunday isn’t our Sabbath. For the follower of Jesus, to ask the question, “What is our Sabbath?” is like asking the question, “What color is #2?” Colors/numbers don’t go together. Day/Sabbath don’t go together. Let’s back up -
After the Red Sea the people needed food in the wilderness. Manna fell six days and then the Sabbath was established in Israel.
See, the LORD has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day. Ex. 16:29-30 sounds like our text
For six days they were to work/gather manna/7th day rest. Why did God have the people work 6/rest 1? This had to be new to them. The Sabbath was not observed/honored in Egypt. The Sabbath rhythm is six days work/one day rest - six beats work/one beat rest. Work/work/work/work/work/work/rest (x2). In Egypt it was work/work/etc./collapse! Some of you are familiar w/ Egypt’s beat.
Note, too, how Ex. 16 links together Israel’s miraculous provision of food in the wilderness w/ Sabbath observance. The miraculous work of God and the Sabbath rhythm go together!
Gen. 2:1-3 is not only an account of the 7th day of creation, it provides the reason why Israel is to work six days/rest one day - Sabbath.
What did God do on the 7th day?
God rested – Why did God need rest? Not rest of exhaustion, but of completion. God isn’t bent over with hands on knees huffing/wheezing/struggling to get His breath. What God did set a pattern for what man is to do.
Israel rested - Ex. 23:12 Refresh – regain your soul. Implication: lose your soul in work. Native porters
God blessed – 1st mention- 1:22, 28 Blessing had to do w/ fruitfulness.
9:1; 12:2 Blessing had to do w/ increase. Blessing: fruitfulness/increase.
God blessed Israel in the Sabbath. In observing the day God blessed, the blessing flowed to them. God’s blessing resulted in fruitfulness/ increase/overflow. Rest was to result in fruitfulness/increase. Ps. 127:1-2 Miraculous/Sabbath go together. Rest of man/work of God.
God sanctified – God set apart the 7th day from the work/routine of the other six. The day itself was a remembrance of God as Creator/ Redeemer. God gathered waters/dry land appeared – place to stand and not drown.
God sanctified Israel in the Sabbath. Faithful observance set Israel apart unto the Lord. Though prosperous, they were to be a people known for not just material blessing, but fellowship w/ God. They were to be known as a spiritually minded people in the midst of their prosperity – a people who had regained their souls.
Paul Baker in / What the Best College Teachers Do / p79 / speaking to students: We are not trying to force you into some kind of a mold; on the contrary, we are trying to help you escape.
The Sabbath was a way of escape from the forces that would give shape/form to their lives. Secular: of this age. Their lives were not to be all about working/consuming/earthly things. Life is more than that – it’s not just horizontal, it’s vertical, too. We need help to escape the work/consume cycle, from a secular life.
The Sabbath was meant as an escape/a breath of fresh air/a liberating moment. The Sabbath was meant 2ba resurrection moment to lift Israel from being buried by the things of this life.
And though you, as a Christian don’t keep a 7th day Sabbath as the Jews did/do – there is a Sabbath for you. This Sabbath resurrects you from the graveyard of just an earthly life. Recap what God did on 7th day.
The Sabbath in the NT
Col. 2:16-17 The old covenant’s Sabbaths are shadows whose fullness are seen in Christ. Since the Sabbaths were to relate Israel to God, when Christ came, the old covenant’s Sabbaths were done away with. The Bible teaches that what the Sabbath was intended to accomplish is now found through life in Christ. The NT doesn’t teach that Sunday is the Christian’s Sabbath. Jesus is the believer’s Sabbath.
OT – Sabbath is a day / NT – Sabbath is a person
Matt. 11:28 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Saturday isn’t our Sabbath. Sunday isn’t our Sabbath. Christ is our Sabbath. For the follower of Jesus, to ask the question, “What is our Sabbath?” is like asking the question, “What color is #2?” Colors/numbers don’t go together. Day/Sabbath don’t go together.
What God did on the Sabbath, He does in Christ -
God has rested in Christ – it’s a complete work. Even as there was a work of creation, there is a work of redemption. You can rest in Christ for the work of redemption is complete.
And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God… Hebrews 10:11-12
Just because God loves you doesn’t mean He’s impressed w/ you. His love draws Him to you and His holiness keeps Him from being impressed w/ you because His holiness demands perfection. What His holiness demands (perfection) His love has supplied (Christ – the perfect one). He is impressed/satisfied w/ Christ.
God has blessed Christ –
…and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. Romans 9:5
You are blessed in Christ. As you rest in Christ, His perfection is credited to your account.
God has sanctified Christ –
…do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? John 10:36
You are sanctified in Christ – set apart/raised above. Col. 3:1. God doesn’t want you shaped into the mold of this world – Christ is the means of escape. In Christ, you regain your soul.
God set a pattern for all men in G1-2. There is a rhythm of life that He established for humanity in the opening chapters of the Bible. Six days work/one day rest. Six beats work/one beat rest. Work/ work/work/work/work/work/rest (x2). That is the Sabbath rhythm God established at the beginning of time. The Sabbath rhythm helps you escape being forced into a mold. Chick-fil-A restaurants follow the ancient rhythm.
Why We're Closed on Sundays - Our founder, Truett Cathy, made the decision to close on Sundays in 1946 when he opened his first restaurant in Hapeville, Georgia. He has often shared that his decision was as much practical as spiritual. He believes that all franchised Chick-fil-A Operators and their Restaurant employees should have an opportunity to rest, spend time with family and friends, and worship if they choose to do so. That's why all Chick-fil-A Restaurants are closed on Sundays. It's part of our recipe for success.
Remembrance - Dt. 5:15
The Exodus 20 passage points to what God did as Creator. This passage points out what God did as Redeemer.
Revelation - Israel was to set her rhythm of life/rest from her labor/remember her Creator and Redeemer by means of the Sabbath. As she did this, the Lord would make her fruitful/give her increase (Jer. 17:19-26; Is. 58:13-14). As she abandoned Sabbath observance, her spiritual/ national life withered. Sabbath keeping was one of the major indicators of the health of the nation. It was like putting your hand on your child’s forehead to see if they have a fever.
Sabbath observance was a great test of Israel’s faith. Did she really believe that God had blessed that day and in resting on that day she would continue to increase/be fruitful?
The Sabbath rhythm is huge in the OT. What does the NT say?
In Christ, we are raised above the things of this life. Col. 3:1. We don’t find our manna on a Saturday, we find our manna in Christ for Christ is our manna. God’s miraculous provision for our lives is in Christ, not in Sabbath observance. This is most clearly seen in Hebrews 3:12 – 4:10. Canaan is His rest in C3.
4:1 – His rest = salvation in Christ for he connect it w/ the gospel. 4:9 – the Sabbath rest is the finished work of Christ.
The believer’s rest is the rest of completion. We rest because there is nothing left to do. “Wait a minute, there’s plenty left to do.”
Work of the Spirit in me/serving the Lord with gifts and talents/Winning the world to Christ
We rest because there is nothing left to do to secure our salvation.
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