Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien
January 1, 2022
INTRO
Happy new year! It is so fun to have the kids join us this morning.
As we begin a new year, I want us to take a moment to examine the shape and rhythm of our lives. We have been talking this last year about how, as follower of Jesus, we have moved from the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of light! We belong to God’s family, we are citizens of heaven, and we embody a different reality: the kingdom of God.
In other words, we want to be a “contrast community” where we live differently in light of the gospel.
One of the ways we can do that is through how we spend our time. We live in a culture that runs itself ragged by moving from activity to activity, from task to task, from expectation to expectation. This kind of busyness and chasing after things is a sickness that can squeeze out God from our daily lives.
But as Christians, we can chart a different path, one marked by life-giving restfulness in God’s presence, one marked by purposeful activity for God’s glory, not the idol of busyness and achievement.
PROP — Here’s what we are going to learn this morning: Our lives will either underline the gospel or undermine the gospel. (SLIDE 2a) I learned that catchphrase from one of my seminary professors, Dr. Graham Cole. One of those areas in which we can embody the gospel and anticipate the coming Kingdom of God is in the rhythm of work and rest. (SLIDE 2b)
It is important that we talk about this today with the kids in the service. How we use our time is one of the most powerful ways we communicate our priorities to the next generation. And kids often are the ones most impacted by our choices when it comes to how we schedule our time. It is critical that we all talk about this together!
ORG SENT — So here’s how we will tackle this topic. We are going to look at the pattern of sabbath from the Bible, starting in Genesis 1 and 2. This pattern is sown into the very fabric of creation, and it reflects God’s glory, and it is imperative that we follow this pattern as God’s image-bearers.
For the Israelites in the Bible, the Sabbath was a weekly day of rest that was part of the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20, and it was modeled after the rhythm of God’s work and rest in Genesis 1. But by the time of Jesus, the Sabbath had turned into a legalistic litmus test of your devotion to God. This is not what the sabbath was intended for. This is why Jesus says in Mark 2, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The pattern of sabbath is to help us glorify God, not to be a guilt-trip or test of whether we measure up.
Open with me to Genesis 1. Let’s take a look at how this passage flows in order to see how the pattern of work and rest helps us understand how our lives can glorify God.
MAIN 1 — Pattern of Sabbath (Genesis 1). (SLIDE 3a)
READ Genesis 1:1-5.
There are a few things to point out right away:
(SLIDE 3b) God existed before everything. He is eternal and separate from the created world.
In verse 2, there are two key words that shape the whole chapter 1:
The earth was “formless” and “empty” = there was no shape, there were no things to fill it. (SLIDE 3c)
The reason these two words matter so much is that the rest of chapter 1 answers these two problems: Days 1-3 are all about “forming” and Days 4-6 are all about “filling.”
Before God made anything, the text says that the Spirit of God was “hovering over the waters.” (SLIDE 3d) This word “hover” is very unique. It is only used one other time in the Bible in a song by Moses in Deuteronomy 32:11 to describe God protecting the Israelites like an eagle “hovering” over its nest.
There is a sense of “anticipation” and “guarding” and “ownership”. God is about to create, and his Spirit is hovering in anticipation.
The account of the first day sets the pattern for following days: (SLIDE 3e)
God said (SLIDE 3f)
He declared his creation good (SLIDE 3g)
And there was evening, and there was morning (SLIDE 3h)
KEY: Each day of creation has this pattern, except day 7 when God rested from his work. This is a special day, different from the others.
READ Genesis 2:1-3.
VIDEO — Now that we’ve familiarized ourselves with the pattern of creation, I want to show you a video from The Bible Project that explains the biblical concept of sabbath. (SLIDE 4, PLAY VIDEO)
Here’s the most important things I want you to remember from that video: (SLIDE 5a) As followers of Christ, we are called to practice the future rest of heaven while in the wilderness of this world. And the only way to do this is by resting in Jesus.
As the video said, Jesus promised in Matthew 11:28-30, (SLIDE 5b) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Friends, I need this afresh this year. I want 2023 to be marked by a restfulness with Jesus, trusting in his grace, and drawing life from Him, the True Vine, day-by-day. If you are weary and burdened, you will only find rest this year in Jesus. And so, I want to show you how we can learn from Genesis 1 and pursue restfulness in Jesus by practicing the rhythms of sabbath as a foretaste of the coming rest in the Kingdom of God.
Practicing the sabbath rest today by using the pattern of Genesis 1. (SLIDE 6a)
If you zoom out to see the big picture of this chapter, there is a pattern of work/rest that describes the full picture of sabbath. (SLIDE 6b)
ILLUST — Andy Crouch, who served for 10 years as the editor of Christianity Today, recently explained the pattern of work and rest that God himself does in Genesis 1-2 this way:
Genesis 1:2 says that the Spirit of God was hovering (SLIDE 6c) over the formless and empty cosmos. So the first thing God does is pause to be present.
Then the rest of chapter 1 describes God creating (SLIDE 6d) by forming and filling the formless and empty universe. The second thing God does is act to bring form and fruitfulness.
Next we see at each interval God evaluating (SLIDE 6e) his creation by calling it good and very good. The third thing God does is declare the goodness of his work.
Lastly we see on the 7th day God beholding (SLIDE 6f) the glory of his work in blessing and holy rest. So the fourth thing God does is bask in the glory of work well done.
APPLY — We can apply this pattern to our lives. Here’s why: We are God’s image-bearers, meaning that we mirror or reflect God through every part of who we are, especially our stewardship of our time and relationships and resources and energy to serve God through what we do.
Think about this in whatever work you do. This is the rhythm of Godly work and rest that we also do as God’s image-bearers:
Hover — First you hover and pause to be present and contemplate the work ahead. This anticipation of the work ahead allows you to remember that your identity is not tied to your work. You are a child of God, beloved and redeemed, and you can pause to make sure you have your priorities straight before moving ahead.
Create — Then to put your hand to the plow to work to create fruitfulness to your sphere of influence for God’s glory. This is why Jesus said in John 15:8, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
Evaluate — Next you can evaluate the reality of your work. This is when you look at what work you have done to see if it is fruitful and is aligned with God’s priorities and purposes. Is it good in God’s eyes?
Behold — Finally you behold the blessing of your work in holy rest as you glorify God. This is the practice of life-giving rest, self-reflection, and bringing God praise for his work through you and God’s work through others.
KEY — But Andy Crouch says that there’s a catch. Most of us never hover and behold. We get into a vicious cycle of creating and evaluating; we will work ourselves ragged, critique our work, then immediately go back to tasks and demands, then more evaluating, then more creating…and eventually we burn out. That is the cycle of a performance-based culture, that is the downward spiral of our high-demand world.
IMPORTANT — If you’re in a high demand job or you have little kids at home, you recognize how difficult it can be to carve out any time to pause to be present or to behold anything!
But friends, God designed you for work and rest! He made you to first be present so that you never confuse your identity with your work, and then after working for his glory, God made you to bask in the holy blessing of being his image-bearer!
IMPORTANT — It is this last step, the beholding of God’s glory, that the Sabbath represents and was created for. It was never meant to be a legalistic ritual, or a litmus test of your fidelity to God. That would be to treat the Sabbath as your task-master, not to delight in the glory of God week-by-week!
APPLY
Here’s the challenge for this year: Pursuing closeness with Jesus, to truly know his rest, will require patterning our lives in a different way from the world. (SLIDE 7a)
Often we get to moments like this, beginning a new year and taking stock of our lives. We will make a commitment to pray more, or read the Bible more, or spend more time investing in our kids, or serving others. But without making a change to the pattern of your time and the purposefulness of your life rhythms, these things usually get tacked on top of our busy lives as another task to feel guilty about not completing.
That is not life-giving! It is life-giving to practice a restfulness in the presence of Jesus. God has ordained a pattern for this in creation, and it is called sabbath.
My challenge for you is: (SLIDE 7b)
Be Present — (SLIDE 7c) Spend time before you embark on the week to prayerfully anticipate the work ahead, remind yourself of your identity in Christ, and simply be present with Jesus.
Be Fruitful — (SLIDE 7d) Do your work for God’s glory, stewarding every relationship and every task for fruitfulness as an image-bearer of God.
Be Aware — (SLIDE 7e) Consider whether your life is aligned with God’s ways, whether you are reflecting his goodness, and whether any adjustments need to be made along the way.
Be Worshipful — (SLIDE 7f) Take intentional time every week to stop, to give God glory, and to practice life-giving rest through the enjoyment of being with Jesus and seeing his work in you and through you.
We are now going to celebrate Communion. This is a time to behold. This is a time to remember what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross, and to enjoy his presence and give him glory.
If you have kids with you today who have never taken Communion, and you have not explained the significance of it to your child, please consider not having them participate until you can take the time to help them know what this means.