Read: Exodus 31:12-17
Nearly every believer I know would totally agree that the idea of works righteousness is totally unbiblical and a distortion of the gospel. They would agree that there is no way that we can undo the wrong things that we have done against God by doing enough ‘good things’. They would clearly and rightly share about how we are saved by God’s work alone through faith in Him. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.
But many of us don’t actually practice this in the way that we live. Unconsciously and accidentally we gradually stop trusting in God’s work, in God’s grace and in God’s righteousness given to us and we begin putting our value and priority in our work. We know that we are made right with God by His work not ours and yet we begin to assess ourselves not by what He has done but by what we have done. We start to think that if we just read the Bible more, pray more, serve the church more or work more then we will be better people and God will be more pleased with us. When someone suggests that we take a day off to stop our work, to rest and to worship God we freak out. We think: “what will happen if I don’t work!?
This is a big part of why God commands us to observe the Sabbath principle and set aside one day a week to rest. That is what God says to Moses here in Exodus 31:13: “You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you Holy.” By resting from our work and pausing to worship God on the Sabbath we are remembering that He is God, not us. We are reminding ourselves that He is the one who makes us holy, not us. We are reminding ourselves that even if we stop working the work that God is doing in the world never ceases. God is still in control, things won’t fall apart. God is God not us and He is the one who does the work of salvation.
Observing the Sabbath principle by taking one day a week to rest and worship God is a practical way for us to pause, to remember God’s work on our behalf through Christ and to praise Him and worship Him for His grace to us.
We see here in Exodus just how important that this is. This isn’t a suggestion, it is a command. If any of the Israelites violates God’s command to observe the Sabbath then he must be put to death and cut off from the people. God is not messing around when He commands His people to rest and worship Him. He is deadly serious. He is eager that His people take a day to rest and to worship Him.
Are we that serious about resting and worshipping God one day a week? Do we set aside a whole day for Him or do we only give Him a couple of hours and then go to do our own thing? Let us get serious about setting aside a whole day to rest from our work, to worship God and to remember His mercy.
Prayer:
Use the Bible passage from today and the reading notes to write down your prayer points before you pray.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Thank God that He is the one who works in us to make us Holy before Him. Thank Him that He has provided the perfect sacrifice in His Son Jesus and that through Him we can be presented before God spotless and pure.
¥ Pray for the gathering of God’s people in your church tomorrow. Pray that God would be working in people’s hearts and that they would set aside the whole day for Him. Pray that the gospel would be clearly preached and lived out in people’s lives both tomorrow and throughout the week.
Observing the Sabbath principle by worshipping and resting one day a week is a vital way that we worship God. When we pause from our week we are stopping to rest and reflect on His work. We are recognising that He is God and worshipping Him for it. Are you worshipping God by resting?
1. What are some of the things that we use to measure ourselves rather than God’s mercy to us?
2. What would it look like to be serious about the Sabbath principle?
3. What might someone’s day look like if they are totally serious about the Sabbath principle?
Intro: Holy means being without sin and set apart for God. The Bible says that unless we are holy we can’t be friends with God.
Share: What would it look like for someone to be holy. What sort of things wouldn’t they do? What sort of things would they do?
Read: Exodus 31:13 According to this verse who makes God’s people holy? What has God done to make us Holy? Unless God works in us we can never be holy enough for Him to accept us. Thankfully He works through Jesus to make us holy. Faith is trusting Him to make us holy.
Pray Together: Thank God that He has made us holy through Jesus.
Read: Exodus 31:13 According to this verse who makes God’s people holy? What has God done to make us Holy? Unless God works in us we can never be holy enough for Him to accept us. Thankfully He works through Jesus to make us holy. Faith is trusting Him to make us holy.
Pray Together: Thank God that He has made us holy through Jesus.
Intro: Holy means being without sin and set apart for God. The Bible says that unless we are holy we can’t be friends with God.
Share: What would it look like for someone to be holy. What sort of things wouldn’t they do? What sort of things would they do?
Read: Exodus 31:13 According to this verse who makes God’s people holy? What has God done to make us Holy? Unless God works in us we can never be holy enough for Him to accept us. Thankfully He works through Jesus to make us holy. Faith is trusting Him to make us holy.
Pray Together: Thank God that He has made us holy through Jesus.
Read: Exodus 31:13 According to this verse who makes God’s people holy? What has God done to make us Holy? Unless God works in us we can never be holy enough for Him to accept us. Thankfully He works through Jesus to make us holy. Faith is trusting Him to make us holy.
Pray Together: Thank God that He has made us holy through Jesus.
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