Schedule

5:50-5:55pm - gather volunteers for names + icebreaker, prayer
6:00 - doors
6:20
- welcome
- share announcements, if applicable (e.g. clothing room will be open after meeting)
- solicit prayer requests--shared with you during break, prayed for at end of meeting
- Lord's prayer
  - Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
- break for seconds, if available
6:25
- hymn (e.g. Doxology)
- teach/bible time
- prayer
- hymn (e.g. Amazing Grace)
wrap it up by 7pm, thank volunteers

Exodus 31v12-17

The Sabbath

12 And the Lord said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.

14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.

16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

Message: God cares for your rest

Opening

Mon - Friday I’ve got my day job and then Saturdays are often full of plans and then Sunday comes and many weeks, instead of resting, I want to get stuff done around the house or get a head start on the work week.

A part of me really feels I’m making things happen, taking care of business, getting stuff done.

But enough weeks that go by like this and I can feel my body just begin to fall apart. I feel myself get short with my wife or kids. I feel like I have less desire to do things that I normally enjoy. I feel less desire to pray or read my bible or go to church.

It’s this downward spiral of restlessness and a way of my body and soul telling me - you are not meant to go without rest.

Many feel they don’t have the luxury of rest

on one end, you have someone who may have an important job with lots of responsibilities and a lot of people depending on them - it’s very easy for them to think: I don’t have the luxury of rest.
on the other end, you may have someone who is homeless, who may not know where their next meal is coming from r if they’ve got a place to stay that’s dry and warm and safe - it’s very easy for them to think: I don’t have the luxury of rest.
rest may feel like a luxury that you can’t afford - it may feel like something other people can experience, but not you
but God sees your need for rest - he knows exactly what you’re going through - and he commands rest because He loves you.

Context

the 6 chapters before this one were very specific instructions about building the tabernacle
- this would be a place where God would meet them
- there’s all this instruction about the work to be done…and then a command to rest
there is another part early in the bible where it was ‘create create create work work work…rest’
- when God made the Earth, he created everything.
- God rested on the 7th day
  - he wasn’t tired
  - he didn’t need a break
  - he did it to stop and enjoy what he had created
  - he did it to model a rhythm for us - work and rest
  - if God rested, how can we say we can’t…or don’t need to?
    - God, good job creating the universe but me…no I’ve got quite a few things to take care of, I can’t rest
building the Tabernacle is work - God values work…and He values rest

Exodus 31: 12-13

Why do you think God wanted the Israelites to rest…to keep his Sabbaths?
- His care, provision, and desire for relationship.
- Helps them see the Sabbath as more than a rule—it’s a gift from a loving God.
God gives the Sabbath as a sign of his covenant (his relationship) with Israel. It’s not just about rest, but remembering that they belong to God.
This was a way that God sanctified the people of Israel
- sanctified = holy and set apart
- I remember growing up and on Thanksgiving, we didn’t just use the normal plates…my mom would get out the special plates. we had tons of plates that could have been used but she had set these apart as the holiday plates. they were unique, they were special, they were different.
- God was saying ‘you’re mine and I’m making you special and unique - different from the other nations’
- the Sabbath - taking this rest - was a way that they would be different from other nations because it showed their trust in God

Exodus 31: 14-15

Why do you think God took the Sabbath so seriously?
- His rule for them
- Showed they trusted him
- Not adhering meant they weren’t depending on him
This was serious
- Sabbath wasn’t something God was saying to Israel ‘you know if you find time, it’d be good to rest but only if you want to.’
- when they broke the Sabbath, it showed a lack of trust in Him and rejection of His covenant.
- They were supposed to be the people in that nation that was special and unique -
  - if they did not honor the Sabbath and take rest, it meant they were not trusting in God to provide for them.
  - and they were acting like all the other nations - that made them not special or unique and it broke the covenant they had with God
  - they were rejecting God
What about me today - is God telling me that I could be put to death if I don’t rest on Sunday?
- This story takes place 1,500 years before Jesus
- This relationship between God and his people was known as the Old Covenant.
- We are not under the Old Covenant - Jesus brought a New Covenant.
  - the command to observe the Sabbath in the specific way it was given to Israel does not carry over into the New Covenant, which is the relationship we can have with God now that Jesus has come.
  - BUT, the principles behind the Sabbath (rest, trust, and worship) can be found in Jesus, in the New Covenant.
  - When Jesus came, He offered us a different kind of rest—not just for our bodies, but for our souls.
    - Instead of working hard to earn God’s love or forgiveness, Jesus did all the work for us by dying on the cross and rising again.
    - Now, we can rest in Him, knowing that we are loved, forgiven, and cared for.
- Death penalty?
  - Old Covenant, Sabbath-breaking was punishable by death because
    - it represented a rejection of God’s covenant and sovereignty.
  - New Covenant
    - rejection of Jesus—not finding rest and trust in him—is what leads to spiritual death.
    - Today, failing to physically rest doesn’t bring immediate punishment, but refusing to rest in Christ for salvation has eternal consequences.
- Why still Sabbath?
  - It reflects God’s care for us.
    - Sabbath reminds us to stop striving and trust in God’s provision and love.
  - It sanctifies us.
    - Taking time to rest and worship God helps us grow closer to Him and shapes us into His image.
  - It prepares us for eternity.
    - The Sabbath gives us a foretaste of the eternal rest we will enjoy with God in heaven.

Exodus 31: 16-18

18 And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

When it comes to rest, how does God remind them of his own rest?
- he says on the six days he made heave and earth, and the seventh he rested and was refreshed
a covenant forever? I thought we just said that things changed in the New Covenant
- God’s desire for us to experience rest in Him has never and will never go away.
- it looked different for these Israelites in the Old Covenant but the Sabbath as a whole was pointing to something that would last forever
  - from the beginning of time when God made the earth
  - to the Old Covenant with the Israelites
  - to the New Covenant we have in Jesus
  - to the eternal peace and perfect rest we’ll eventually experience in Jesus when God makes all things new.
we see again a reminder that the Lord worked six days and rested

Application

Encourage Trust: "Resting in Jesus doesn’t mean life is easy, but it’s like finding a strong shelter in the middle of a storm. The wind and rain might still be raging outside, but inside the shelter, you know you’re safe. You don’t have to fight the storm yourself because the shelter protects you. That’s what it’s like to rest in Jesus—He gives you peace and safety, even when life feels chaotic.
Explain Sanctification Simply: God makes us holy, shaping us into His image. Rest isn’t just about physical recovery; it’s about remembering God and becoming more like Him. This might mean pausing to pray, reflect, or trust Him even when life is chaotic.

Closing

Challenge:
Encouragement: