God's Boundaries for Abundant Living - A Word to the Overworked, Overwhelmed, and Over-Committed, Part 2

Do you feel guilty when you relax is like become a blur of activity deadlines and to do list.

You don't God want you to get off the treadmill and are you ready for this to start enjoying life again. In fact, he promises a blessing and gives a command about how to fresh you know stick around God bikes for joining us for this Monday.

Addition of living on the shipping Living on the Edges of international discipleship in the spring the Bible teaching object and chips currently in a series called God's boundaries for bug in our last broadcast should look at why God gave us a day of rest.

The seventh picking it up today reveals some common pitfalls join our seven and how to avoid them. So let's get going Georgia for part two of his message. A word to the overworked, overwhelmed and overcommitted from Exodus chapter 20 the second then is became a law. Exodus 28 through 11 you he he just told him to do it and then when the 10 Commandments are given. He says this is going to be something that is a part of Israel's daily weekly rhythm. 1/7 days.

It's a law it will be enforced. This is a part of the theocracy. God is the King and my people will do what one out of every seven days you take off. Third, it's going to be a sign Exodus 2112 to 17 energy as he explained the Sabbath here. It's a testimony to pagan nations. It's almost like a wedding ring you like. I wear a wedding ring so people know that there's someone that I'm connected to, and it's a sign in outward and visible sign of a relationship that I have with another person who happens to be my wife. The Sabbath as you study that passage carefully.

Exodus 21, about 45 times the word sign sign sign sign pops up what you say assigned to whom it's assigned to the unbelieving world. Can you imagine being a Canaanite farmer in these Israelites coming and you are busting it is time to harvest the grapes and harvest wheat and you busted you working you working you work and you look over at your Jewish neighbor and he works six days and he stops in your thinking it's harvest time. If it rains there and big trust me you better what you know is a farmer is when it's harvest time. You better get when you can and you're working like crazy on the clock and they go right up to the six day and they stop and you you you make fun of them and you sit around the Canaanite supper table thinking unit is user nuts. They're crazy.

I don't know what's going on and then at the end of the harvest time you go and look at your barn and your barn is about this fool and then you look at their barn and their barn is about this fool. And God has just made a sign to say my people do something unusual.

They dedicate one day to me in which they have the freedom as a gift from me to rest and when they rest I'm a faithful providing God as a testimony to the pagans around them that they belong. That's the history of the Sabbath with Israel what happened. However, over time, people being, what we are is the Sabbath became instead of a gift. It became a burden became abused by the time of the Pharisees. There were I forget how many hundreds of specific laws written about the Sabbath, they actually had 39 different categories about what you could do and couldn't do on the Sabbath and you read the literature I mean it's coming quick quick example if you are a Taylor on the Sabbath. If you took two needles home with you.

That was a violation of the Sabbath and work, but you could take one needle home in case of an emergency. If you walk so many steps on the Sabbath.

That would be okay but if you took one more step, then that would be a violation of the Sabbath. They had rules for everything imaginable and in fact even to this day.

It goes on. I was in Israel a few years ago and you know they keep the law and see what they have. They have timers on everything they set all the elevators in a way where no one has to push the button so were not working they take all the food and they put them in certain things they have them all on timers so everything gets cooked their lifestyle doesn't change, but the quote don't break the law and that's what happened by Jesus day the Sabbath became a heavy burden and all these rules and all these list you can't do this you can't do that you can't do this you can't do this you can't do that six different confrontation study Jesus life six different times he takes them on centered around the Sabbath, he ate grain on the Sabbath he healed on the Sabbath and what you have is Jesus statement about the Sabbath is Mark 227. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. In summary, Jesus taught.

The Sabbath is a gift to man. It's not a burden to be a spirit of joy is not a forced Sabbath. It's a time of rest and celebration. It's a timer. Jesus said, the creator of the world understood your human tendencies toward accomplishment of task and push and getting overworked and losing the joy losing perspective and how you so live in the future, and so live in fear of him being so anxious. I'm going to build something into the economy of God as you work with me where you will be forced to stop and get spiritually refreshed, physically renewed, emotionally recharged, so the person that shows up the next six days brings more to the table than everyone else's work all around the clock and Jesus said that's the purpose and that's the way it needs to stay the church and the Sabbath is where most of the controversy comes in and I didn't give this to you but all gives to the office and I have a cut of a supplemental handout for some of you that may have backgrounds were people this is not an issue to argue over me just tell you that. But people do for the Jewish nation.

The Sabbath was a law and it was a test and it was a sign for the church which is distinct and separate from the Jewish nation. The Sabbath was a law that was fulfilled by Christ member Jesus in Matthew 517, 18, I didn't come to destroy the law, not even a jot or tittle but to fulfill it. And he did so with the early church did. As Jesus fulfilled the law in effect. Second Corinthians 3.

The apostle Paul say those things that were etched in stone.

There are thing of the past they were fulfilled by Christ is on the early church.

Contrary to many Christians in our day, the Sabbath did not change from Saturday to Sunday. Sunday became the Lord's day to worship, celebrate the resurrection, but was never a substitute for the Sabbath.

The ceremonial aspects of the Sabbath things that pertain to dietary laws and special plans and festivals were fulfilled in the church early church made no attempt to continue observance of the Sabbath, not the festivals. The dietary laws are sacrificial offerings of the New Testament and earliest Christian writings. The did arcade that was in the did I K 14 one 8100 Ignatius and 8110 and the church fathers all made it clear Sunday is the day of worship and the Sabbath as a law was not binding on New Testament believers evidence. Here's Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, Jesus appeared on Sunday. The Emmaus Road. Pentecost occurred on Sunday. The early church worship on Sunday and by the way, about 80% of the early church were all slaves. They got up early and they worship and they went to work with not a Sabbath day, the Jerusalem Council in acts 15 when they tried to figure out this early church going to the Gentiles. What is cultural and what is moral. What part has to stay as the gospel moves forward. There's no mention whatsoever of the Sabbath.

There's not one New Testament mention or command in the epistles concerning following a Saturday Sabbath. In fact, you'll notice on your notes.

Colossians 216 and 17 in Romans 14, five and six. Make it clear the Sabbath principle is to be honored, but there is no specific day that set it's a matter of personal faith and conviction.

Let me read for a Romans 14 follow along on your hand out one person thinks of a certain day is more important than others while someone else thinks that all days of the same.

Each one should firmly make up his mind ever thinks highly of a certain day does so in honor of the Lord, and you know what I have I have great friends that are Seventh-day Adventist or seventh. A Baptist who have very strong convictions that they should worship on Saturday you what the New Testament teaches. Praise the Lord present had brother noon Saturday.

Great for some Monday man.

That's the day we had a Saturday night service at our church. We didn't do it because were trying to be innovative or cool, we just did it because we ran out of room.

You only you are doing for services on Sunday we did one on Saturday. I think God cares. In fact, this passage says God doesn't care.

The issue is the timeless principle that 1/7 days is to be honored. It wasn't until 300 years later under the Emperor Constantine that Sunday was made an official day to be observed and ready for this. It wasn't until the eighth century that a theology grew up in the church that identified with the state came together that Sunday was viewed as a Sabbath were in the eighth century before Sunday and the Sabbath was ever put together. The reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin both refused to identify the Lord's day in the Sabbath is the same thing in our common view of Sunday as you hear people talk about the Christian Sabbath was not popular until the 17th century under the English per Puritan branch of the church and was a strong part of the Westminster confession and the Puritans had great theology and the Puritans did a lot of great things. The Puritans misted on this point.

Okay, I guess what they did. Once I said Sunday is the Sabbath. Guess what grew up out of that the same thing as the Pharisees. They came up with a list of rules as long as your arm, as he had all these kids growing up. You can't do this on Sunday can do this on Sunday can do this on Sunday can do this on Sunday can do this on clinic get this on Sunday if you do this on Sunday.

You know you go to hell. Weird stuff grew up. So guess what happened to the boundary. Instead of being a day, a gift from God to refresh the spirit renew the sole rest of the body meet God deeply had fellowship and get restored so you can walk with him more powerfully.

The rest of the week it became a duty of burden and abuse. That's the story of the church and now I like to talk about. By way of summary is that the the ceremonial aspects of the Sabbath is law are not binding on New Testament believers.

The enduring principle, however, of 1/7 days for rest and worship and re-creation our moral aspects of the fourth commandment and are binding. The believer can choose which Day best allows for that to occur, but to honor God and recognize that we must stop from our work worship deeply in our heart and refresh our souls and body is a command of the Lord of the church that's that's what he wants for us. Now with that and I know that raises a number of questions and issues we kick around maybe after the meeting tonight is let's talk about the practice of the Sabbath.

If God really wants 24 out of hundred 68 hours designated for him to give back to you as a gift. What's it look like to suggest that there are three things that this gift of the Sabbath should protect first the Sabbath is a gift from God to protect our body from wearing out and I wrote a word here it's called restoration but but you notice how hyphenated do you notice the interesting word in restoration. The first part of that. That is called rest the novel idea for Americans rest like it's legal to take a nap. It's legal to sleep in it. It's legal to say I am tired my body needs some rest. Ecclesiastes 1015 says only someone too stupid to find his way home would wear himself out work. God knows the power and the reward that work can bring. God knows the more we work it can give you power, money, success, prestige, and we can get lots of stroke and many strokes and many of us can hide in our work from the intimacy and the leadership and the issues in our marriage in our homes that God wants to address many people work work work work work work work work work work, not because they want to provide for their family.

But they're hiding from their family and mothers can stay busy all the time and then can be got on the go all the time because I tell you what it get strange and crazy and uncomfortable when people sit and stop and don't have anything to say because no one's been investing in relationships because no one's land across the bed, you know, and just hanging around so that your teenager has someone to talk to because I'll tell you what they don't come in and say you non-facing a really big issue right now.

I think my whole values for the future.

Probably get a change and I just feel like talk about it right now can we sit down have it really big talk I got four of them and they're all grown. It didn't happen like that. You just gotta hang out you be around and on their timetable as God works and if they got in the car with you. We are driving from here and there and you get to be in a shooting horse out in the driveway and just talk and then you have at our house today. What you eat together in the TVs off the musics off and you sit around and ask, how did your day go and what's going on. Then you push the plates to the middle and say what's one thing we could pray for you where you feeling pressure and often that elicits 45 minutes of the conversation and join hands and you pray together but you gotta stop yet arrest you to re-create by way of a specific application unit for some of you on my Sabbath.

I sleep in.

I like to get up really early so you nicely pencil like six 630 in and you know it's great and good. Here's the I don't have to get up but that's my Friday and you know what that I can do whatever I want to do for some you know what is. Sunday was obviously Sunday doesn't work for me. I work on Sunday so my Sabbath is Friday and spend Friday for probably 20 years and I get up when I want to get up.

I got got to breakfast with my wife and we have 234 our talk. We can take a walk that day we aligned the day so it's filled with fun family time with God. Time with each other. I don't take voicemail. I don't check my email. I'm not trying to solve any I stop in and I haven't had any of those next getting locked in and haven't awakened in the middle the night for last 20 years all sweaty and a doctor telling me my liver's network and this means you can take a nap Sunday afternoon. It means you keep your briefcase closed means you turn your computer off unit. It'll be there tomorrow all those problems I don't wait for you. They will live just what you worried about it and jumping in and never stopping a less competent person will show up to solve it. You know that laundry let it lay do it on Monday or whatever days you non-Sabbath.

The average MBA graduate works 80 hours a week in the United States, the number one prescription filled in all of America is value.

The number one drug prescribed after Valium is antidepressants. We have a group of people that are intensely running and chasing their own tail like a cat or a dog over and over and over and over and escalating the speed of life because they will not obey the fourth commandment in the fourth commandment that might not rest. Give your body break and not just your body. Give your spirit a recalibration the Sabbath is a gift from God to protect her body from wearing out restoration and our spirit from tuning out.

Notice he said re-member. Hebrews 1025 says let us not give up the habit of meeting together. Psalm 122 once as I rejoice with those who said to me let us go to the house of the Lord your spirit.

You have ever been driving to the mountains and your ears listening to a radio station and you really like it is for either a song you really like, or someone speaking and it's you happen to be one of those really good messages in God speaking to you and you go around amount and you trying to look at unit any part and I need this afterwhile.

You just can't get it so you just turn the station. Do you understand that when you don't take one day at a seven is that the antenna of God in his spirit wants to speak and give direction and give you a nudge and Satan don't make that business deal do this once your daughter needs a little time with the right mountain time to back away and reevaluate what's going on with your family. What happens you get gone so fast you going over all these mountains all these hills and God is beaming down to the Holy Spirit and his word.

All this reception, but you get going so fast and you don't stopping what happens is you start breaking up and now you now you sorta guessing that you, hunching pretty soon you'll hear his voice and him and and were the only animal that I know of that when were lost and don't know what what we do is we go faster.

We don't know where were going and we don't how to get there. If we go faster. It makes us feel like police were making progress, and God says your body needs arrest, but your spirit.

You need to remember you need to re-calibrate it is like barnacles on a boat is less like a car that needs an oil change. I mean if you can change your oil for like five years and it broke down. Would you go boy hunt just can't figure out what's wrong with this one horror if you had if you had a boat and you never took it out of the water once a year and cleanup. What happens you can't see it but what happens underneath of it. You have all these interactions and you have time to deal with all of them and so what happens at the little attitude here.

It's a little pride here. It's a quick moment of lust here. It's a hurry here. It's an insensitivity here and you can deal with it all and so that builds up as a layer of guiltless. He's he saying hey we need to deal. This window will later. You know like him really in a hurry right now and another day than another day than a medic if one out of every seven days you stop and you in an unhurried way.

Do a Psalm 139 dear God test me and know my heart search me in unit you know what it's like when you bow your head to praying you can't quite get through right and in no way that just something that's not quite right. And so, what's the temptation go to the refrigerator or turn on the TV correct is not quite right. But you don't deal with it and you have this vague sense that is not quite right. Because someone's probably not quite right with you and so we eat or we play or we watch a movie or we can have you noticed by the way, if every time you get on the car.

If you push a button and get noise around you all the time and means you're not comfortable with being alone and you're not comfortable with being alone because we gets real quiet. God speaks and once every seven days.

Obviously, we do it each day in smaller bits. He wants you to take a protracted time not to be down on you, but to get the transmitter read aligned to connect working instead of whispering he can shout and that's why one of the things on Friday when I keep a journal every day every couple three. I am really writing but on my on my Friday I get away get a couple coffee and just I think through and I write out what's going on. The week and when I have this unsettled feeling. Sometimes I'm not sure where to go but you know what I don't have to be anywhere on Friday. I don't have to get anything done. I don't have to check my email.

I don't have to get any. And I can say Lord I need my spirit recalibrated with what is on your heart for me and often who bring to mind, but better write a note to that Ghanaian you know what I think I've been you know little insensitive or think you know one of my kids that sometimes in those times, all sense because now they're grown and they live. I think so-and-so needs a call for me and see when it's just built-in. It's a gift from God. So your body can get rested and so your spirit can get realigned with the power and you can get the radio station and the communication with your heavenly father beaming and really strong and we can read some extended time out of the Scripture and and and a prayer time doesn't have to be just intercession for everyone.

It might be taken a walk might be looking at flowers.

It might be just rejuvenating your heart and life in the re-creation of what God's. That's the purpose of the Sabbath to protect your body from wearing out your spirit from tuning out and finally your soul from burning out in the way you do that is you re-create you not that the tragedy of Psalm 23 is we only hear what people are dying or dead. Yes, because you know it's on plaques everywhere but you know this is like a Psalm. What did Jesus say given by the Spirit of God to the psalmist David. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul and notice it's re-creation.

It's not rec creation. It's re-creation what we've come to believe is the line allies hedonism and the lie is that I'm gonna live and do my work so I can get to the weekend exam really can have fun because fund refreshes me and pleasured us. So I watch five hours of football and I play as hard as I worked I take no time for my body and I push, push, push, push, push, and I'm kind of tired so I three bags of chips. Watch for ballgames wake up Monday morning going boy I'm ready to go. The fact of the matter is, most people have to recover from there we can and God says no. I will want to restore your soul. I want you to take a walk want you to read a good book. I want you to get some some exercise that restores and refreshes. I want you to think I want you to look at nature.

I want you to stop saying someday, some way I'm going to do those things really matter to my family to my heart to my life and you know what you get 24 hours the gift when it once every seven days. Once you start planning in some of those things renew your mind renew your body renew your heart and Isaiah love. He says in quietness and trust is our strength in quietness and trust.

If you find anyone his growing in the spiritual life. If you find anyone whose life is attractive and you say there's something special and holy and winsome. I will guarantee that solitude, silence and Sabbath are part of the rhythm and routine. I've never met a man I've never met a woman I've never met a person who there is the fragrance of Christ.

There's a sense of love, a sense of affirmation, a sense of direction from God, a family where there is a sense of connectedness and encouragement never met a man never met a woman who a part of the rhythm and life is not billed in silence. Solitude and Sabbath because were living in a hostile environment of hurry and rush in information overload and expectations in conflict, and the only way to sort it out is to receive the gift of Sabbath once every seven days.

Lord restore my mind and my heart Lord I think I'm just gonna take a nap this afternoon, because it just feels illegal and feels amazingly good and then I'm gonna take a walk and I'm going observe on my walk and I'm not gonna plan inrush and all those voicemails and all those emails I'm gonna choose not to worry, for these 24 hours I'm gonna believe that the jar of manna in my life as I take this day off when I get up on Monday morning, or for me when I get up on Saturday morning.

I'm going to trust that the God who could make it okay for the Israelites is the God who knows all my need and want to most precious gifts in the world is the gift of Sabbath. There's three Steelers and I just want to jot these down you mentally decide which one of these is stealing the Sabbath in your life.

First is workaholism.

That's the lie that your value has to do with what you get accomplished and spur some of us that is deeply inbred. It will take time to learn how to Sabbath. The second is legalism don't get don't get hung up on what can I do it to Sabbath. Should I do this or should I do that to what asked the question what renews your heart with God. What renews your body and what restores your emotions and then you can then say Lord that's what I want.

It's a gift okay so if you need to work out work out you take a nap to connect me take a walk, take a walk me to read long portions of Scripture rely on portions of Scripture, but do something that spiritual something that's physical and something that's emotional that's restorative. Don't don't get into a bunch of rules they've killed at the law kills the spirit gives life and then third is hedonism, it's the belief that pleasure and play can refresh you and I don't know about you and anybody keep learning this and learning it and learning it. But when I am tired and when I'm worn out and whether it's an evening or whether it's a Friday or the end of the week.

I don't know what it is but there's something that tells me initially that if I can just turn on the TV and vegetate and if I can get some to eat.

I know I'm gonna feel better later and up and I've done this experiment. I think probably several hundred times.

Now, in 100% of the time. So far, watching TV for two or three hours to unwind and eating food that I don't really need at a time that is soon as you eat it. I think it just turns the fat cells as you go to bed. I'm not sure but it doesn't work, and often the thing you need to do the most is the most counterintuitive sometimes when you're tired is you need to go take a walk or get a workout sometime when you feel least like praying. Just tell God I don't want to pray. I don't want to be with you right now and I understand that's not a good place to be something to take a long walk around the block and I'm gonna start talking and I'm really praying that you show up as I start talking because I need you and you know what happens is something changes inside, but I guarantee that the lie is hedonism. The pleasure in my same as it always wrong to watch TV. Of course not. My saying it's wrong that you know. Enjoy some food, no. What I'm saying is we medicate ourselves with food and we medicate our minds with mindless TV and we pay a very high price for an God says I created a boundary. I love you. Would you please honor the boundary of the Sabbath so I can give you very very best life possible chip will be back in just a bit. If you're just joining us, you're listening to Living on the Edge with shipping chips message award to the overworked, overwhelmed and overcommitted is from his series God's boundaries for abundant living. As Chip explained today rather than a rigid list of goals. The 10 Commandments are really safety guardrails from a heavenly father who loves his children, creating a solid foundation for every aspect of life.

God's boundaries provides a high view of God that will give you a fresh appreciation of your relationship with them if you like a better more meaningful understanding of God's boundaries. We want to help for limited time, the CDs for God's boundaries are discounted and the MP3s are absolutely free. You'll find God's boundaries resources on our website LivingontheEdge.org or to talk with one of our customer care representatives. Just give us a call at 1-888-333-6003 will chip you keep calling God's commands, boundaries, and saying how good they are for us will chip but I want to hear what happened in your life to change these from rules that are hard to keep to boundaries that you really want to keep while Dave what we know is that when we get into God's word.

It changes her mind and her heart. What we also know is a lot of people struggle to get into God's word or when they get into God's word.

They don't understand or they don't really experience and hear God's voice and that's honestly why we've created free video resource called how to hear God's voice in Scripture it's five brief online videos where I literally walk people through step-by-step how to get into God's word and what I can tell you is it's how God taught me to hear his voice as I get into the Bible and I think to be a very simple way for you and those you love to get into God's word on a regular basis and make that the habit of your life where you begin to hear his voice you hear his whisper. He speaks to you.

He gives direction. What we want you to know is that there is an easy clear way, there's a daily pattern of spending time with God, and you can learn to hear his voice and when you do kill direct your life is people who say have never open God's word and say I don't know where to begin this video series will help you start sort of that point Eddie and begin to hear God's voice and learn to study Scripture for yourself. We were really excited about putting this in people's hands and it's absolutely free will. I hope you will take advantage of chips online video course called how to hear God's voice in Scripture. Being able to discern God's direction will provide stability in your life, and wisdom like never before. You can do these five video sessions on your own time at your own pace or with a small group as your relationship with God deepens your confidence will increase and you'll actually begin to look forward to spending time with them. Just go online to LivingontheEdge.org to check out this free video resource and take your next step toward hearing God speak to you through his word will now here's chip I know today that as you were listening to my voice you are living where I have lived, and occasionally slip back into living.

You are overwhelmed you heard what I said you know it's from God's word. You know that your body needs to be restored. You know that your your mind and your soul needs to be recalibrated, but you are on this treadmill and your thinking yourself. That sounds really good but man I can't get there. Let me, I want to get pragmatic.

I mean I want to get so specific because it will take a radical step listening to this message is not going to change how you run your life. There are so many issues behind why you're going so hard and so fast and doing so many of the things we talked about so will you let me be your spiritual coach here for about the next 90 seconds. You have to figure out when each day to stop. You need a mini Sabbath. For me it's the first hour or so in the morning it can be your lunch hour.

You can start with 20 minutes but you have got to find some time every day for self-awareness be with God.

Plan out the day and say Lord you know you have to do this day with me. Second, you've got to have a weekly Sabbath. You had to choose a day that you take off, turn off your voicemail.

Yes it's possible to turn off your email don't check stuff take a day and let your mind at rest. God knows it's a trust issue, but you've got to find it. You plug it in for me it's Friday. It's so hard but I will tell you that as I have honored that it is replenish my soul. You will accomplish 10 times the amount that you would if you keep neglecting this and third in your calendar. You've got a structure time away for you. And if your family man time away with wife and family. You know what, take a day take a day and get a calendar of the year out and look at all the demands and all the stuff and the seasons and block off. I'm going away. You know, once in the fall and once in the spring were once in the summer but in the next six months I'm gonna go away for two days with my wife. You know, trade babysitters, do whatever you need to do and then you gonna find out here's a window of time with my family. If your family guy or family woman and we are going to build in time, not just visiting relatives but where we get refreshed and then finally I would say for many of you in ministry. You have got to look at your calendar and say every five or six weeks I'm gonna find a retreat center a cabin not going to the office and I am going to get away just with God for all day and night and part of another day.

And this stopping will be the starting of a new life you'll never ever regretted it takes extraordinary discipline, but it will pay huge benefits honor the Sabbath.

It's God's gift to you.

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Download the free shipping remap you'll find the chipping roadmap at Google play or the app store will be with us again tomorrow when chip continues our current series God's boundaries for abundant living children, this is Dave really say thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge