Exodus: The Rest Of God

1/14/2018

The title for this week’s sermon may have misled you. We haven’t talked about a bunch of God, and now this week we’re looking at the rest of him. No, Pastor Jeremy took us back to Exodus 16 to look at the divinely ordained rest, called the Sabbath rest.
To begin with, talk about your relationship with rest? What type of rest do you crave the most? Mental, physical, emotional? Why?
Where do you look for rest and is rest a synonym for relaxation? Or do they mean different things to you?
Do you feel like resting is more now difficult as than it used to be? Why do you think that is?
Sabbath, an ordinance established in creation, is not limited to any particular people or any particular period in history. Look at Genesis 2:1-2 to explore this. What do you think it means when the Bible says that God rested from his work?
Sabbath is anticipation. Exodus 31:12-18 contains a retitteration of the Sabbath law by God. Read it over and take note of the anticipatory remarks. What is this sign pointing to?
And what does the Sabbath point to in an ultimate way? How does it point to this? Read Hebrews 3 for some clues. How do you understand this? Is this passage in Hebrews something which should have an impact on your daily/weekly life? Why? How?
Sabbath is a gift from God. Pastor Jeremy said that the Sabbath is also a gift from God. It benefits us, it is for us to enjoy, it keeps us grounded. Talk about what each of these points mean to you? What if you had to explain to a non-christian that there’s this gift called the Sabbath. How would you describe its benefits?
Ultimately, Jesus is our Sabbath rest. Hebrews 4:8-10 talks clearly about this. How can we, through observing the Sabbath, cultivate a longing for the ultimate rest we’re promised? (Think of it like that new, tool or kitchen gadget that will save you all that time. You just have to have it! Life will be so much better when it’s doing the work for you instead of you striving. Or perhaps it’s like finding your soul mate after countless dates and seemingly endless small talk. Futile striving. Then you find the one who completes you and you are free to just enjoy that relationship. This is the kind of longing for a release from striving we are talking about.
Finally, in practicing Sabbath intentionally, you will be enjoying experiences which you can share with others. How can you, this week, give an answer for the hope that is within you to those how are caught up in toil and striving still? Who will you share this with?