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Sep 02, 2018

Restful Work

Restful Work

Passage: Deuteronomy 5:12-15

Speaker: Ben Seneker

Series: General Topic

This week we find ourselves in between two separate sermon series. We just completed a series on Proverbs, and next week we begin a new series on the book of James. Since we are in between series, and since this is Labor Day weekend, we thought it would be appropriate to do a sermon on work. What is the biblical understanding of work? How does the gospel inform our understanding of our day-to-day work, in whatever form it takes? And what about rest? What kind of rest are we supposed to seek? And how can this understanding help us as we look ahead to our new series on James?

ORder of worship

Call To Worship: Matthew 11:28-30
Central Text: Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Response: “The Spirit’s Work,” from The Valley of Vision
Benediction: Jude, verses 24-25

Illustrations

From, Chef's Table

Scriptures & Readings

Pre-Service Text: Colossians 3:23-24
23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the
Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Call To Worship: Matthew 11:28-30
LEADER: 28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
ALL: and I will give you rest.
LEADER: 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,
ALL: for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
LEADER: 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Central Text: Deuteronomy 5:12-15
12 “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Response: “The Spirit’s Work,” from The Valley of Vision

LEADER: O Holy Spirit, move upon our hearts again with the good news of Christ.

ALL: Be our Illuminator, Reminder, and Sanctifier; making known the beauty of “it is finished.”

LEADER: Work in us the never-ending truth and grace in Christ; finding volumes in His living Word.

ALL: Deepen these saving lessons, walking in gratitude, Your way everlasting.

Benediction: Jude, verses 24-25
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Post-Service Text: Deuteronomy 5:13-14a
13 Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.

Related Scriptures:

  • Colossians 3:23-24 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
  • 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

Discussion Questions & Applications:

  1. How would you characterize the modern role of ‘work’ in our lives? How much attention is given to someone’s career? What do you think is underlying this view?
  2. What is the temptation to approach our relationship with God with the same attitude that we often approach our work?
  3. How often do you think of ‘remembering the Sabbath and keeping it holy’ as a command? Why do we tend to minimize the importance of this command in relation to others within the Ten Commandments? What are the things that most frequently prevent you from entering into a Sabbath rest?
  4. How does the good news of Jesus open the door into true rest for our souls? At the same time, how does this good news help us receive a biblical view of work?

Quotes

“Society as a whole, and individuals in particular, are dying because they do not have the revolutionary biblical doctrine of work. The modern doctrine of work is ‘that which you do for a living.’ But the biblical doctrine of work is ‘the gracious expression of creative energy in the service of others.’” ~Dorothy Sayers

Related Media

InView Media Album 09.02.18