This morning we continue our series of messages called "Help for Overloaded Lives." Last week we talked about how we are overloaded by the pace, pressures, and pain of life and how Jesus invites us to come to Him for rest for our weary souls. I encouraged you to come each week and I will give you some biblical principles that will help you overcome overload.

Take a look at this slide [slide 1]. What in the world is all that mumbo-jumbo? Let me show you the next slide now [slide 2]. Believe it or not, they are identical. That's the introduction to last week's sermon.

Did you know that for hundreds of years, all writing was done in capital letters? There were no spaces between words and no punctuation marks either. That method certainly made reading difficult. Then someone around the 9th century A.D. decided to put spaces between words. Had that invention happened today, he would have patented the space and we would have to pay royalty fees for every space used. But the spaces made all the difference in the world. Reading became easier.

Those spaces on the printed page remind me that the Sabbath is God's space between all the activities of life. The Sabbath is God's way of making sure that our lives don't run together without a break. Without a Sabbath you're going 24/7, always working, always on the move, and always pushing. If you're living this kind of overload, you need some "re" words in your life—rest, revive, restore, recline, relax.

How many of you would like to have some of these "re" words in your life? The first principle God gives us for overcoming overload is the Sabbath. A Sabbath will bring these "re" words into your life. God created the entire universe in six days; then He rested on the seventh. He didn't rest because He was tired. He rested as an example to us, to protect us from overload and to restore us mentally, spiritually, and physically.

Whatever happened to the Sabbath? Our Western culture has practically abandoned it. Even among believers the concept of a Sabbath is foreign. And due to overload it certainly is not a common part of our experience. And our ignorance of the Sabbath is killing us.

When I was growing up way back when, the Sabbath was more commonly practiced. You might find a restaurant open, but by and large, every store was closed. Even if stores were open, you'd be a heathen if you shopped in one on Sunday. Washing clothes on Sunday was a no-no. I couldn't go to the movies. My mom crawled my case good when she found out I played cards one Sunday. In some ways I guess I saw Sunday as a day of punishment. If you're older than I, I bet you could names some things you weren't allowed to do on the Sabbath.

This morning I want to give you a brief overview of the biblical teachings of the Sabbath. Then I will give you some practical suggestions on how to build a Sabbath into your life.

God instituted the Sabbath as a precious gift to us, a built-in plan for us to rest from six days of labor. Let's scan the pages of the Scriptures and learn more about this design. First, let's look at creation and the Sabbath. The word Sabbath means "to cease." The concept first appears in the creation story. Read with me Genesis 2:1-3.

After God made man on the sixth day, His creation was complete. On the seventh day He rested and made it holy. He expected Adam to maintain the same pattern. Work for six and then rest. The Sabbath is one among a number of timeless principles God initiated. Others timeless principles include marriage, child-bearing, work, and sanctity of life. And our culture today directly opposes every one of them.

Second, let's move through the Bible and look at Israel and the Sabbath. When Moses led the people out of Egypt, He miraculously provided food for them. Like clockwork the manna showed up six days a week. He instructed them on the sixth day to gather a double amount for use on the Sabbath. You see, He's setting before them His expectations of rest on the Sabbath.

During this time frame that God gave the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. Included in the law were the Ten Commandments. Do you remember what number four says? "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work" ( Exodus 20:8-10). In Exodus 31 God established a covenant with the Israelites that they would be His people. He set up the Sabbath as a sign of His covenant with them. It would be a day of rest when they would remember God's mercy and provision.

Third, let's go to the New Testament and look at Jesus and the Sabbath. By the time Jesus came on the scene, the Israelites had practically destroyed the intent of the Sabbath. Moses would not have even recognized it. They loaded it up with more than 1,500 nitpicky rules on what could not be done on the Sabbath. At least on six occasions we find Jesus going into a head-to-head confrontation with the Pharisees on the subject of the day of rest.

On one of these confrontations He said boldly, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" ( Mark 2:27-28). What does that mean? The Pharisees had no right to take a beautiful gift from God and make it so burdensome that people could no longer enjoy it. Did Jesus do away with the Sabbath? Of course not. He did away with their useless traditions, and that is why they hated Him so.

Let's dip in one more place in biblical history and look at the resurrection and the Sabbath. Prior to the resurrection the disciples and all Jews observed the Sabbath on Saturday, the seventh day of the week. But Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, the first day. And in the early stages of the New Testament church Christians began honoring Sunday as the Lord's Day. Believers met for worship on the first day of the week.

After the resurrection did the concept of the Sabbath get downgraded or nullified? Not at all. Remember, God instituted it at creation. Jesus set the Sabbath free. In the Mark passage above, did you notice that Jesus didn't issue one single word about how it is to be observed? He liberated it from the 1,500 rules and regulations of the Pharisees. He restored it to its original intent as a day of worship and rest.

God could have created the world in 30 days and said, "Rest on day 31." Or He could have created it in six seconds. But He created it in six days and said to rest on the seventh. We need to see the Sabbath as a gift from God. I see this gift from three different angles.

First, the Sabbath is a gift of rhythm. We need rhythm in our lives. After all, that's how God created the world. There is a rhythm of four seasons. The 24-hour day represents rhythm. Men and women both have hormonal rhythms. There is the rhythm of human development—baby, toddler, childhood, adolescence, etc. God knew we couldn't survive going non-stop 24/7, so He gave us an owner's manual which says to go strong for six days and then rest on the seventh. Aren't you glad airline pilots can fly only so long before they have to rest? It's written in their rule book. Why don't be pay better attention to the rules God has designed for healthy living?

Second, the Sabbath is a gift of refreshment. One of the clear purposes for the Sabbath is stated in the Bible: "Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed" ( Exodus 23:12). Guess what the word refresh literally means. It means "to breathe." Work is exhausting. The Sabbath gives us a chance to breathe, to refresh ourselves. Do you ever find yourself saying, "I need a breather"? That's exactly what a Sabbath is. It is God's built-in breather.

I believe this God-ordained refreshment needs to take the form of rest and recreation. Historically, people worked six days a week. In the last 50 years the work week is typically five days. But what has happened is that we take those other two days and fill them with as much stress and work and chores and projects as the other five days.

In addition to the rest, take time for recreation and don't feel guilty about it. Recreation means to "re-create." God designed us with built-in needs for recreation. John Calvin was one church history's greatest theologians and reformers. After church on Sunday mornings, guess what he did. He indulged himself in the hobby of lawn bowling. Lawn bowling may not be your thing. But find something that is your thing. And, by the way, find creative ways you can do recreation with your whole family.

Third, the Sabbath is a gift of reverence. The Sabbath reminds us that God is in control and that our lives and well-being are totally and ultimately dependent on Him. This truth is summarized in Jesus' words: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" ( Matthew 6:33). The Sabbath is about honoring God first. It's like a tithe of our time. We give that time for worship and then count on Him to supply our needs for strength and energy through the rest of the week.

God never intended for rest and recreation to serve as a substitute for reverence. Reverence does not mean quietness. It is an attitude of standing in the presence of God, awed by His holiness and His greatness. It's not about the style of worship, which we seem to make a big deal of these days. It's about seeking first God and His ways. There is something about God's people coming together to worship the Lord that brings honor and reverence to Him.

The Bible says, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another" ( Hebrews 10:25). Worshipping in God's house each week is important to Him. But in so many homes church attendance has taken a back seat to sleeping in, late Saturday nights, soccer, and travel. What are we communicating to our children when we forsake church week after week so they can play soccer, football, or baseball? I know I'm getting off on a soapbox here, but it bothers me that we would place a higher value on a game of sports over worship of the living God. I wonder what would happen if Christian parents picked one Sunday to tell coaches across the state that their kids would not be playing today because they're going to church instead?

You know I'm not opposed to sports. In fact, if there's no chance of this trend changing, here's a thought. Take the church to the sporting event. Become a worship leader. Tell the coach your child can travel and play as long as he gives you the privilege of leading a pre-game Bible study and worship service for any family who wants to come. What about that idea?

Let me close the message by pulling all these thoughts together. You need a Sabbath. If you want to overcome overload, you must set aside time each week for reverence, rest, and recreation. You've got to determine how to do that. Some of you have to be very creative because you have employment or other responsibilities which keep you from being here each week. My most exhausting day is Sunday. I've learned how to worship and work at the same time, but I still need to set aside time on another day for a Sabbath.

If you're interviewing for a job, tell them up front your commitment to a Sabbath. You may need to approach your boss and request a Sabbath. Some of you might need to make tough decisions regarding your children, especially with Sunday morning scheduling. Others might decide to turn the computer off for a day or go a day without checking email or answering your cell phone.

Here is the primary issue. Can you trust God enough to take a Sabbath off from work? Will you trust Him to provide for you? Will you let God be God in your life? Will you seek Him first?

How should you observe the Sabbath? That's between you and God. But remember, Jesus set the Sabbath free from all the rules and regulations of men. How you observe the Sabbath may be different from other believers. But more than anything else, I believe God intended the Sabbath to be a day of rest. And when you're living overloaded lives, there is not a word more refreshing than rest.