The Secret Place: Sabbath
I. Our Vision
a. East Gate exists to elevate and empower sons and daughters so that they become the place where heaven touches earth. We are committed to teaching you how to hear God’s voice, connect with Him daily, and walk with Him in obedience.
i. Holy Spirit told us that we will accomplish this through daily secret place time
Psalm 91:1 New King James Version
91 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
1. The secret place is any time or place you set apart expecting to meet with Holy Spirit
2. If you make the secret place your dwelling place, you will abide (remain) in His presence
b. We are in the middle of a sermon series on the secret place and how the 12 disciplines of our faith connect us to God.
i. Our Goal: It’s not about us, it’s about Him
1. It’s about being seen by Him
2. It’s about connecting with Him
3. It’s about enjoying Him
c. Quick Reminder:
i. The disciplines don’t make you holy, Jesus did that when He sacrificed His body and poured out His blood on your behalf.
ii. The disciplines don’t make God love you more
iii. The disciplines, when practiced in the secret place (intentionality and expectancy), provide a way to enjoy and connect with Jesus.
d. Today we will be exploring how the discipline of sabbath connects us with God
i. What is Sabbath?
1. Sabbath Rest - Sabat
a. To cease, desist, rest
b. To cease
c. To keep or observe the sabbath
ii. Sabbath is obediently ceasing from our work and choosing to rest in His ability and His finished work
II. Connecting with God through Sabbath
a. Sabbath Rest Connects you to God’s Priorities
i. When you love someone, what’s important to them, becomes important to you
ii. Priority #1: Holiness
1. The first thing God sets apart as holy in scripture is rest/sabbath
Genesis 2:1-3 New King James Version
2 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
Genesis 2:3 English Standard Version
3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
a. Something is holy because of its close proximity to the presence of God (ultimate holiness)
b. You honor the holiness of something when you treat it with special care, not doing activities on or with it that are done elsewhere
Exodus 20:8-11 New King James Version
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
c. Profane – to treat something holy as common
2. There are serious consequences for profaning the sabbath
Exodus 31:14 New King James Version
14 You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who [a]profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.
a. One of the major reasons Judah was exiled to Babylon was their profaning of the sabbath
i. It directly and specifically determined the duration of their exile
2 Chronicles 36:15-21 New King James Version
15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.
17 Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. 19 Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. 20 And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
Jeremiah 17:21-27 New King James Version
21 Thus says the Lord: “Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22 nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. 23 But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but [a]made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction.
24 “And it shall be, if you heed Me carefully,” says the Lord, “to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work in it, 25 then shall enter the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, accompanied by the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain forever. 26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah and from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the [b]lowland, from the mountains and from the [c]South, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, bringing sacrifices of praise to the house of the Lord.
27 “But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.” ’ ”
3. There are serious consequences in our lives when we profane the sabbath
a. Frustration
b. Exhaustion
c. Anger
d. Return to slavery (Addiction, food fixation, pornography, adultery)
4. Sabbath is still one of Holy Spirit’s New Testament/Covenant Priorities
a. Which of the ten commandants isn’t a New Testament Priority?
b. Hebrews 4:1-13
iii. Priority #2: Fruitfulness
John 15:8 New King James Version
8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
1. Fruitfulness glorifies God, and sabbath maintains your ability to bear fruit.
Leviticus 25:3-5 New King James Version
3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 5 What grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, for it is a year of rest for the land.
2. This process of allowing the land to rest is called fallowing. It would allow the land to regenerate and replenish its nutrient rich soil.
a. If land is not fallowed or allowed to sabbath
i. Soil erosion
ii. Soil degradation
iii. Reduced fruit production
iv. Desertification
3. If you do not practice regular rhythms of rest and sabbath you too will begin to go through a similar process
a. You start lose energy
b. You start missing things you never used to miss
c. You’re not as productive as you used to be
d. You can’t produce anything, you are burnt out
iv. Priority #3: Partnership
1. God desires your obedience more than anything you can sacrifice for Him
1 Samuel 15:22 New King James Version
22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord?Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
a. You may think God needs you to work 7 days a week 16 hours day, but He doesn’t
b. Nehemiah was able to rebuild the destroyed walls of Jerusalem in only 52 days
i. Want to know what one of His main focuses were?
- Sabbath (Nehemiah 10:31, 13:15-22)
2. Sabbath gives you access to supernatural blessing/increase
a. What God blesses, multiplies
Genesis 1:22 New King James Version
22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
Genesis 1:28 New King James Version
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that [a]moves on the earth.”
Genesis 9:1 New King James Version
9 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
Genesis 2:3 New King James Version
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
b. It’s the same with your tithes, you can do more with the 90% after you honor God with your tithes, than you could do with the 100%
c. In the same way, you can do more with 6 days, when you honor God with your sabbath, than you could with 7 days.
v. Final Fun Fact: The difference between professional level athletes and olympic level athletes, is their dedication to resting
b. Sabbath Connects Us to God’s Best for Us
***Why are we talking about these things***
i. We want you to experience God’s best
1. Yes, these are challenging disciplines
2. However, leaning into them will allow you to experience God’s best for you
3. Last week we talked about finances being cursed due to disobedience in tithing. I believe some of you are experiencing similar consequences with your time
a. Never enough time
b. Overwhelmed
c. Can’t meet deadlines
d. Working overtime to catch up on finances, with no advancement
e. Losing friends and important relationships because, “YOU HAVE NO TIME”
f. Your physical health is suffering because you have no time to work out or cook healthy
4. I believe today could break the curse, if you choose to enter into His rest. If you choose to receive His gift to you.
ii. The Sabbath is a GIFT
Exodus 16:23-30 New Living Translation
23 He told them, “This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow will be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath day set apart for the Lord. So bake or boil as much as you want today, and set aside what is left for tomorrow.”
24 So they put some aside until morning, just as Moses had commanded. And in the morning the leftover food was wholesome and good, without maggots or odor. 25 Moses said, “Eat this food today, for today is a Sabbath day dedicated to the Lord. There will be no food on the ground today. 26 You may gather the food for six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. There will be no food on the ground that day.”
27 Some of the people went out anyway on the seventh day, but they found no food. 28 The Lord asked Moses, “How long will these people refuse to obey my commands and instructions? 29 They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you. That is why He gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must each stay in your place. Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh day.” 30 So the people did not gather any food on the seventh day.
1. Isn’t it ironic that the majority of us don’t know this about the Sabbath. Most of us know “Well, the Lord created the world in 6 days and then He rested on the 7th. That 7th day is the Sabbath. It is in the 10 commandments. That’s why we have to do it today.” However, it is not just the day the Lord rested, but it was intended to be a precious gift from the Lord to us.
Mark 2:27-28 New King James Version
“Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’”
2. The Israelites (as seen in Exodus 16:29) did not understand that the Sabbath was given to them as a gift. They kept the Sabbath because it was a command and something they thought they needed to do in order to appear obedient to the Lord’s commands. They were missing the point. That through the Sabbath the Lord wanted to teach them something. He wanted to give us the gift of resting in Him.
iii. The Sabbath reminds us to REST in Him.
Matthew 11:28-30 New American Standard Bible
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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.”
1. In a world that is so bombarded with doing, striving and competition God wants to give us rest. The Israelites had been slaves for so long they had developed a slave mentality. They didn’t know how to rest. They assumed that even though God had freed them and promised them provision, they would still have to hustle and provide for themselves. They had one job, to do what God was calling them to do (aka trust Him). I believe we struggle with this same thing today. The idea of hustling, striving and providing for ourselves just in case God doesn’t come through.
“God appointed the Sabbath to remind us that He is working and resting. To practice the Sabbath is a disciplined and faithful way to remember that you are not the one who keeps the world running, who provides for your family, not even the one who keeps your work projects moving forward.” - Timothy Keller
2. Jesus does the work. So, if He is doing all the work, what is our job? To be obedient to what He is calling us to do and to rest in Him.
iv. The Sabbath reminds us that He is the sustainer.
1. Personal Testimony: Our discovery of the sabbath
Acts 17:28 New Living Translation
28 For in Him we live and move and exist. As some of your[a] own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’
2. Who created the world in 6 days? God did. Who provided food for the people of Israel every day of the week? God did. Who died for our sins and rose again on the Sabbath? God did. Do you see the pattern here? Who is doing all the work? God or us? Sabbath is meant for us to look to God and give Him glory and praise Him for who He is, what He has done and will do. So, when I am overwhelmed with all that needs to be done at work, Sabbath allows me the space and time to remember that He sustains it all. My job is to do what He is calling me to do. To trust that He is in control. To trustthat He will provide. Since He was faithful last week we can trust that He will be faithful again this coming week. We can boldly believe God to be faithful again and again. Remember: We don’t strive to do the work. No striving. The Spirit does the work for us. He sustains us.
III. How to Sabbath Well
a. Break Partnership with Lies
i. Common Lies:
1. Sabbath isn’t for me/us
2. My husband/wife would never go for this
3. We/I can’t afford it
Mark 2:27-28 New Living Translation
27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”
ii. There are needs you have that aren’t being met because you neglect the sabbath
1. The sabbath was made to meet those needs
2. The sabbath is a GIFT
b. Sabbath Faithfully
i. God didn’t rest after His creation reached its full potential, He rested after 6 days
c. Normalize boredom: Turn off the electronics
Leviticus 16:31 New King James Version
31 It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever.
i. We are so used to being stimulated every moment of every day, we cannot rest in that state
d. Slow Down
i. The whole point of Sabbath rest is to enjoy Jesus as you learn about and experience His way
Matthew 11:28-30 New King James Version
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am [a]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
1. Jesus isn’t talking about a vacation, His rest is a new yoke and new burden, a new way of working that includes regular rhythms of rest
e. Be Intentional
i. This is a discipline of the secret place, that means it requires a time and space that you intentionally set apart expecting to meet with Holy Spirit
ii. Schedule it
1. At least the date, and if you want the day’s itinerary
a. Be as OCD or as spontaneous as you want, but just be intentional
f. Don’t be Legalistic
i. It’s a gift for you to enjoy, not a burden to bear
1. If an activity brings you joy, rejuvenates you, brings life, do it during your sabbath
ii. Flexibility is Important
iii. Sabbath can look different for each of us
1. Some examples
