Hey gang.

Sorry this is a day late. I’d wish I had an altruistic reason for the delay, but we’re friends at this point, so I feel like I can be honest. It was the first day of the NCAA tournament, and I couldn’t peel myself away from the TV long enough to wrap this up. In fact, hoops are still rolling in the background as I’m typing. Hopefully you got to play hooky a little yourself to celebrate one of the high holy days of sports.

I got another crack at teaching our students at youth group this week. They’re continuing their stroll through the Ten Commandments, and this week was all about sabbath. As always, it seems prepping and teaching a lesson is just as helpful for my own personal growth as it is for anyone listening. Here are some reflections on the fourth commandment in Exodus 20:8-11. Let it be a blessing to you, pluck anything useful out of it to pass along to your own kids or students, or send me a note with all the intricacies I missed. Stick around for the usual links and chatter afterward.

Personally, I love rest. Give me a cozy bed, a warm blanket, a nice long queue of TV shows to plow through, and a coffee table full of snacks. I’m MR. REST! The problem is, rest is sometimes hard to come by. Life gets busy, assignments pile up, calendars get full, bills come due, and the rest I’m looking for is always around the next corner. What happens when we can’t find rest? Well, it doesn’t usually go well.

Illustration: We planned a trip to Miami over winter break this year. We had a 6am flight, which meant we needed to be at the airport around 4:30am, which meant we had to be up at 3:15am to get the car loaded, get the zombie kids ready to roll out the door, and make it there on time. We made it, but of course our flight got delayed. . .then delayed again. . .then cancelled. At this point it was 6:30am, and we decided since the rest of the trip was non-refundable, we’d just drive to Miami.

So, with four hours of sleep and a 3:15am wakeup call, we set out on our 16 hour journey to Miami Beach. The things we do for love. Everyone was excited early on. New destinations, new adventures, gas station treats, and an ice cold Monster. We had it all. Twelve hours in though, attitudes had shifted. Patience was wearing thin and emotions were running hot, for both parents and kids. We needed rest, and we needed it BAD.

Our need for rest on that road trip, your need for rest after a sleepless student weekend, or a mother’s need for rest after spending long days caring for a sick kid. . .they all point to the fact that God hard-wired rest into his creation. We see it in the creative order of Genesis 2, in our own lives when we come to the end of our ropes, and in the fourth commandment here. Let’s read Exodus 20:8-11 together.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

God isn’t giving this command as simply another rule to follow. The call to Sabbath and rest isn’t meant as another box to check. Okay Trey, then what’s the point of this commandment?

Main Point: God gives us the Sabbath so that we will REST in God and REMEMBER the finished work of Jesus.

God also makes it clear who he’s talking to here. EVERYONE is to rest. You, your kids, your servants, your animals, even folks visiting. Verse 11 points all the way back to Genesis 2:1-3.

¹Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. ² By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

We’re told that God created everything in six days, and on the seventh day stopped to rest. God’s inviting us to remember his work of creation, and the rest that followed. As we look back and see God resting, we see our own need for rest.

Main Point: God gives us the Sabbath so that we will REST in God and REMEMBER the finished work of Jesus.

Later, in Deuteronomy 5:15, God reminds his people (and us) where they were and how God rescued them. He repeats the Sabbath command, and then gives them this instruction.

¹⁵Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

This commandment is a demonstration of his love, care, and affection for his people–given to both the Israelites, and us! They’d spent all these years toiling in Egypt as slaves, and God not only gets them out of there, but tells them to mark their weeks by taking an entire day to rest and remember. He’s telling them (and us) – Remember where you were, and how I rescued you. It’s because I rescued and preserved you that you’re free to rest. You can rest, remembering how I cared for you before, trusting that I’ll continue to care for you now.

Main Point: God gives us the Sabbath so that we will REST in God and REMEMBER the finished work of Jesus.

That’s great Trey, I understand the resting in God part, but what’s that got to do with Jesus? It’s right there in the main point, so it must be important right?

I’m glad you’re paying attention. We see the theme of rest all through the Old Testament (remember all those passages we’ve already looked at), but it doesn’t stop there. Jesus himself, speaks about finding rest. Not in a nap, but in him.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

This isn’t some useless platitude. It’s Jesus reminding us that without him rest is impossible. It doesn’t matter how many meditation apps we have downloaded, what kind of vitamin stack we’re taking, how many mindfulness journals we fill out, or how many hours we sleep. Without Christ, the weariness, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty of life will eventually overwhelm us. Jesus invites us into the good life. That is, life with him. We take up his yoke, we follow him, and in doing so we find true rest.

Main Point: God gives us the Sabbath so that we will REST in God and REMEMBER the finished work of Jesus.

Here’s what’s really crazy, Jesus doesn’t just offer rest for us in the here and now. He promises us a rest that’s eternal. When he returns and makes all things new, we’ll enter into the perfect rest that we’ve been waiting for. No more fighting for peace, searching for an inner quiet, or worrying about what may or may not happen. Perfect rest in the presence of God’s son. Like Israel before us, we can look back and remember God’s work in our lives to rescue us, and enjoy the rest provided by the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

Main Point: God gives us the Sabbath so that we will REST in God and REMEMBER the finished work of Jesus.

Application: Okay, so we’ve unpacked everything the commandment means. God gives us the Sabbath, not as another hoop to jump through, but as a reminder that we’re to seek rest (because he did), and that true rest can only be found in him. So, let’s talk nuts and bolts, practical application, whatever you want to call it. What does any of this mean for you, a middle school kid in Louisville, Kentucky? Another great question from you guys (WAY TO GO!), let’s dig in.

FIRST, Sabbath for us looks different than it did for the Israelites. We’ve got the clarity of the New Testament, and the life of Jesus to make sense of all this. They didn’t have the same Bible that you’re holding with the gospels, Paul’s letters, etc. to count on. They had a general sense of rest in the Lord, but didn’t know what the final picture looked like. They assumed the Messiah was coming, but they were still in the dark.

On this side of the cross, we know that the Messiah was God’s own son, Jesus. So, we obey the fourth commandment not by resting in the general work of God on loving and providing for us, but by resting in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. We find rest in his perfect life, death, and resurrection that allow us to experience forgiveness from our sin and the grace to be reconciled to God. When he says, “It is finished,” he means it. The work is over. There’s nothing more we can do.

Jesus did something we never could. If our forgiveness was based on how we lived, thought, or performed, rest would never come! We could never be good enough to earn our salvation. Like a treadmill that never stops. We read the passage from Matthew 11 before, but Jesus clearly offers us rest when we follow him.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

SECOND, we practically follow this command by setting aside a day for rest and renewal. For Christians, this tends to be Sundays when we gather with the church to celebrate Jesus’s resurrection and our salvation. These gatherings are reminders, light posts along the way of life, that remind us of God’s goodness and faithfulness in our lives. We sing, pray, hear the word preached, and receive communion as a part of this renewal.

We also find opportunities to rest. We know we can’t outwork God, and we’ll wear ourselves out if we try. When we refuse to rest, we’re saying to the world and ourselves that we’re in control. We know what’s best. We don’t need God’s care and provision, because we can supply it ourselves.

You might see that in a father who works 60 hours a work at the cost of missing church, dinners at home, great moments of vacation, and a drifting relationship with his wife and kids. You might see it in a middle school volleyball player that spends every waking moment agonizing over form, workout routines, vitamin stacks, and practice schedules. Or a student who’s too busy working on straight A’s that they can’t make it to S2, spend time caring for a friend who’s in trouble, or making time to open their Bible.

All three of those people are lying to themselves. They’re telling themselves that they’re their own master. If they can work, play, or study hard enough, everything will fall into place. They’ll be fulfilled if they can just get over that next hill. Here’s the problem, there’s always another hill. It’s the disease of more.

Being a Christian doesn’t mean you can’t have an awesome job, be a star athlete, or end up as the valedictorian. It does mean that we’re called to trust God with our lives. If we can’t take time away from whatever we’re chasing (work, sports, love, Fortnite ranks, etc.) to reflect on God’s beauty as creator, mercy as savior, and love as guiding spirit, then we’ve missed something.

Main Point: God gives us the Sabbath so that we will REST in God and REMEMBER the finished work of Jesus.

God the Father isn’t giving us this command to indict us. He’s giving us this command as an invitation. He’s inviting us to put our baggage down (good and bad), and trust him. You had a great week on the court? Guess what, it could all disappear tomorrow, so trust Jesus because he’s faithful. Had a terrible week at practice? Lean on Jesus to carry you through the heartache. The call isn’t to cut all those things out of your life. The call is to put Christ at the center as a ballast for everything else that you do.

Closing: Two things to consider as we wrap up tonight.

FIRST, if you’re struggling to find rest, you’re exhausted by whatever you’re chasing, carve out some time to reflect, look to Jesus, and place your trust in him. He promises to give you rest, and he’s all about keeping his promises. Talk to your small group leader, a friend, or your parents. They’d love to explore this decision with you, and help figure out what your next steps might be.

SECOND, if you’re already following Jesus, make an effort to carve out some time for Sabbath this week. Maybe it’s a day, maybe it’s an hour. Set your phone down, put the ball away, turn off the Xbox. Spend some time with your family, reflecting on where you’ve seen God at work in your lives. Consider what it looks like to find rest in him throughout your week.

Finally, I want to leave you with a quick Psalm. Consider it your benediction as you head home tonight, a blessing for the road. Psalm 127:2 says this. . .

¹ Unless the Lord builds the house,

the builders labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the guards stand watch in vain.

² In vain you rise early

and stay up late,

toiling for food to eat—

for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Main Point: God gives us the Sabbath so that we will REST in God and REMEMBER the finished work of Jesus.

Let’s pray.

Growth Parable (Discipleship)

“This is Dunning–Kruger applied to the soul: the most confident Christians in the room are often the least self-aware, and the people furthest along in formation feel the most lost. It’s not hypocrisy. It’s a cognitive phenomenon with a spiritual corollary. The guy in power tools doesn’t know about the middle. The guy in finishings thinks he’s past it. And the woman on her knees with the sandpaper — she’s the one who feels like she’s failing.”

This might be the best thing I’ve read this month (maybe this year?). Nicole Marie Bergeron takes us on a walk through Home Depot and spiritual formation. If you’re a dad of a certain age who’s been roped into any sort of home project, this one will hit you right in the chest. I certainly felt it. She paints vignettes of three aisles inside Home Depot, and what the person in each aisle is going through in the renovation process.

The guy in the power tools aisle ready to fill his cart with big, loud equipment and going home to tear stuff up. Never mind the fact that he’s not exactly sure what he’s doing. Will removing that wall bring the whole house down? He hopes not, but who could really say? Then we’ve got another guy in the finishing aisle checking out fancy faucets and drawer pulls. He’s ready to make this project beautiful, despite not having done the work to finish the basics well. The faucet ends up on an unlevel countertop, the pulls attached to wobbly cabinets that even the naked eye tells you aren’t square. It’s lipstick on a pig.

The third person is in the middle of the store staring at sand paper. She’s in the middle of the project, but is unsure of exactly what she needs. She’s been faithful to the work thus far, and has seen real progress. In reality, she’s made more and better progress than the other two, but in her mind she’s gonna be sanding forever. She’s doing great work. It’s grace that brought her where she’s at, and grace that will see her through to completion.

You see where this is going, and what it means for us as we consider our own spiritual journeys. It’s a great parable reminding us to trust God as we continue to press into discipleship, even when (especially when?) we’re not sure what to do next? We keep sanding, trusting that he’s shaping us into something that looks a little more like him. Really lovely, encouraging read here.

Finding Friendship (Discipleship)

“I, too, would like to have more like-minded friends. It’s a weird thing, to be a full-grown adult and confess that it’s hard to make friends. It conjures up playground emotions of vulnerability and awkwardness because it puts you in a position of need, which feels uncomfortable.”

Finding friends can be difficult across all of life, but it certainly seems to get more difficult as you age. As careers take off, kids come along, and other responsibilities begin to grow, there’s not as much margin to casually hang out as there used to be. The last-minute run to the theatre for a midnight release or 8:30pm weeknight dinner reservation are harder to come by in middle age. But regardless of age, finding deep friendships can prove to be difficult.

How can we find the perfect friend? Perhaps, as Tsh Oxenreider writes in this piece, we don’t. When you’re looking for the platonic ideal of a friend, you might miss the imperfect friend the Lord has placed right in front of you. Instead of waiting for the perfect solution, look for a “partial solution.” Just because someone doesn’t check all the boxes you’re looking for doesn’t meant that’s not a friendship worth pursuing. Tsh offers a great deal of encouragement for folks young and old who are searching for deep friendships.

Easter Giveaway (Parenting, Discipleship)

Our pals at New Growth Press are back with another free Easter giveaway. They’ve partnered with a handful of shops and sites to put together a terrific smattering of books and resources for parents to dive into with their kids (including Jared’s latest, Big Thoughts for Tiny Tots) and a handful of discipleship tools to get the ball rolling on scripture memorization as well. If they’re books you’ve already got in your library at home, most of them would work just as well in a Sunday School classroom. Nothing is ever actually free, so you’ll have to use an email address to get your first entry, and there are some other hoops to jump through to get more chances to win. As highlighted on the landing page though, you can unsubscribe anytime you’d like.

Genuinely Don’t

This one felt very real when Annie informed me that the boys told her they were excited to go the family dance at school Friday night. I was surprised to hear this since I stealthily shredded the handout that was lodged in both their folders this week. I genuinely don’t feel like my answers are at the silent disco, but I guess I’ll be there bopping along anyway. :-)