From the Start - Part 5 (A Genesis Sermon Series Part 6)

Turn all the way to page 2 of your Bibles.

We have gotten out of the 1st chapter.

Actually, I don't know what page it's actually on.

I'm speaking figuratively, of course.

We're no longer in the 1st chapter of Genesis.

We have now progressed to Genesis chapter 2.

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

Now ours is a culture of non-stop engagement, going,

going, going. We don't stop for anything.

We work hard. Some people living just for the

weekend and truthfully I hope you have more to live for than

just the weekend. Some people hit the weekend and

then they live even harder than they did all the rest of the

week before that. Even the time designed to bring

reset and refreshment has been Co opted and turned into

busyness. In recent years Sabbath or

Shabbat has become more popular. My own assessment is that

perhaps it started gaining popularity maybe 6:00-ish years

ago with the series The Chosen. The The Chosen makes frequent

mention of of Shabbat and and observing Shabbat.

Then I think the mainstreaming of names like Dennis Prager and

Ben Shapiro has has further brought about more awareness of

Sabbath. And then in Christian circles,

people like Tim Mackey of the Bible Project and John Mark

Comer of Practicing the Way have have made the practice of

Shabbat a bit more normalized. And then pastors have have also

sometimes picked up on the spiritual discipline, knowing

that we need to faithfully communicate God's desire as it

relates to rest. Even Charlie Kirk's latest book,

which is due out in December, his latest book called Stop in

the Name of God, is all about honoring the Sabbath.

So this morning we're going to look at the origins of the

Sabbath. Now if you're able, would you

stand as we read from Genesis chapter 2 verses one through 3.

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the hosts

of them. And on the 7th day God finished

his work that he had done, and he rested on the 7th day from

all his work that he had done. So God bless the 7th day and

made it holy because on it God rested from all his work that He

had done in creation. You may be seated.

This chapter opens with a very simple statement, a very high

level reminder that God created everything.

By way of review. First God created the the

framework for creation. On day one he created light

without any apparent source. And then on on day two he

created the skies and the seas. On day three he created dry land

and vegetation. So this was all the basic

framework for creation and then it was time to fill the creative

framework. On day four he created the sun,

moon and stars, all the celestial objects.

Day 5 was was the birds and fish.

Then on day 6 God created all the creatures of the land, from

the smallest to the greatest. And then he created a Dom

humans. Humanity is different from all

the other soulish creatures because humanity was created in

God's image. Humanity was given the command

to rule over the earth, to reproduce, and to fill the

earth. So that's what chapter 2 verse

one is referring to when it says thus the heavens and the earth

were finished and all the hosts of them.

This serves as a sort of intro to this next session section.

It's a it's a transitional line. The 7th day of creation is a

special day. It's not like the other days.

The other days involved creating and fashioning the world to be

what God desired. Here on the 7th day there,

there's no speaking anything into existence.

The text starts with a simple statement that we haven't seen

before. In chapter 1, we saw the

pattern. There was evening and there was

morning, and then the first, second, third, fourth day, so

on. That's how each day the

description of each day ended. But here the text begins with

the declaration that this is the 7th day.

So this literary change calls us to to pay attention.

This day is important. So this morning we're going to

look at 3 right? Three right, three reasons why

this day is unique. First of all, God finished his

work. God finished his work.

Verse 2 continued on the 7th day God finished his work that he

had done. This short section of three

verses refers to God's finished work of creation a total of four

times. It seems rather repetitive how

many times it says He finished the work, but God was done

creating. There was nothing else left that

He needed to create. So this speaks to the idea of

completion. His creation was complete.

When something isn't finished, there are loose ends to tie up

still aspects to complete and and to flesh out.

However, here there were no problems to fix, no

modifications to the original plan and design.

Everything was complete. Now remember, God had previously

declared each day good and then at the at the end of the sixth

day, he said it was very good. God was done with his work in

and he was quite pleased with it.

Now, I believe the statement can serve as as a rebuttal to the

evolutionary process. When we say that the work was

complete, it serves to refute evolutionary processes.

I believe if we allow for secular evolutionary process and

we hold to a belief that the evolutionary process is still

current and ongoing, then then we can't declare the work of

creation as being done and complete.

Let's get a little sciency here for a moment.

I know you've come to expect that with with this series, the

second law of thermodynamics. The second law of thermodynamics

is is sometimes referred to as the law of entropy.

Entropy is a measure of the amount of chaos or disorder

within a system. A system with higher entropy has

more randomness and disorder or chaos.

Left to their own devices, systems trend from lesser

entropy to greater entropy, that is, a greater amount of chaos

and disorder. Something left alone will move

from a state of order to disorder.

Systems, Simply put, run down. Now this I think seems fairly

obvious to us, right? When a building becomes

abandoned, it doesn't clean itself up and become organized

and repair everything that needs to be fixed.

No. When a building is abandoned,

natural processes start to take over and nature naturally wants

to reclaim the space where that building was and it starts to

decay. So.

So why are we talking about the second law of thermodynamics

here on the 7th day of creation? Well, the second law of

thermodynamics negates any possibility for life to progress

forward on its own. A single cell left to its own

devices remains in that form and is not going to become something

more complex. We can't begin with a with a

single cell and eventually arrive at humanity.

As far as evolutionary processes go, atheistic evolution believes

life is still progressing and evolving, but since God's Word

is the standard, God's word is our final authority.

We maintain that the creative act is done.

I would add that atheistic evolutionist, which I haven't

really talked about, that theistic evolutionists might say

that well, God help the process along at each step.

I appreciate their approach and trying to help God out, but one,

I don't think he needs it and two, evolution doesn't mesh with

what scripture teaches us. The writer of Hebrews comments

on creation and its decay. Hebrews 1 verses 10 through 12.

Hebrews 1:10–12

And you, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the

beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

They will perish, but you remain.

They will all wear out like a garment, like a robe.

You will row them up like a garment.

They will be changed, but you are the same, and your years

will have no end. I would also add it seems to me

that if the universe is more than 13 billion years old, which

is what modern science has proposed, something like 13.8

billion. Not sure how you parse out those

those in degrees, but they say 13.8 roughly.

Then I can't help but think that according to the second law of

thermodynamics, if the universe is that old and the Earth just a

little a little bit younger, the Earth 4.5 billion years old,

then I think things might have run down by now.

That's kind of how I look at it. I can't help but think that

things would have decayed if if the Earth and the universe is

really as old as modern science does try to tell us.

So God finished the work of creation in six days and

everything was functioning exactly as he intended.

So the next thing this passage tells us is God rested.

God rested. Verse 2 continues on the 7th

day, God finished his work that he had done and he rested.

It's important for us to understand what it means when

the text says that that God rested.

Our natural inclination is to think of rest as something that

we do when we are tired and and we're worn out.

However, God doesn't get tired. God doesn't get tired.

He has no need of rest in the way that you and I think of

rest. Isaiah 40, verse 28.

Isaiah 40:28

You probably know this passage. I'm sure you've heard it.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the

earth. He does not faint or grow weary.

But then the Psalms 121 verse 4. Behold, he who keeps Israel will

Psalms 121:4

neither slumber nor sleep. God doesn't sleep.

He doesn't get tired. His strength and power are

infinitely capable. He could have created everything

in a single moment, or if he'd wanted, he could have taken

years and not been exhausted by any of it.

He is, in the truest sense of the word, all powerful and

incapable of exhaustion. Now the root word translated as

rest here in verse 2 is actually the word Shabbat.

This word is familiar to us. The word Sabbath is basically a

respelling of the word Shabbat into English.

When we think of Sabbath, we naturally think of the day that

God told the Israelites to honor.

A day extending from Friday evening at sundown going through

Saturday until Saturday evening at sundown would be the end of

Shabbat. The word Shabbat actually means

to cease or to stop in its use here in verse 2 means God ceased

his creative activity. God ceased his creative activity

here on the 7th day. On the 1st Shabbat, God stopped

creating. He'd been actively creating for

six consecutive days. And then on the 7th day it comes

to an end. Exodus 3117 tells us.

On the 7th day, God rested and was refreshed.

He wasn't refreshed in the sense of rejuvenation and regaining of

energy. He does not run out of energy.

Rather, God was refreshed in that he was delighted by the

work that he created. This rest and refreshment is is

figurative. I think we could think of an

artist, the artist having completed his work, his

painting, whatever, whatever the project is, whatever the piece

is, the artist stops. Rest, if you will.

The artist stops and and admires his work is is refreshed as he

looks upon it and takes joy and delight in it.

Now when we say that God rested, it doesn't mean that he removed

his providential hand and ceased working in the world all

together. God continued to sustain and

govern all of creation. God continues to sustain and

govern all of creation. Even still consider Jesus words

in John 5/17 Jesus says my father is working until now and

I am working here. In this verse in John 5 the

father and son are seen to be working and active in the world.

If God wasn't continuing to work then then we would just be

deists. Deist may be a new term for you,

but but deist look at God as some sort of watchmaker type.

You see the watchmaker creates or or makes the watch and and he

sets it in motion and then the watch runs as he takes his hands

off of it. The deist looks at God in that

manner, beginning things starting, starting the hands of

time, setting things in motion, and then taking his hands off.

But that is not who our God is. God is active in our lives even

though He is no longer in the creative act.

So God finished his work, then God rested and the third thing,

the third, the third verb that we see is God blessed the 7th

day, God blessed the 7th day. God had hallowed this particular

day. It was it was set aside as a as

a sort of memorial, a reminder of the glory of both the Creator

and the creation. God had now set the standards

for how time should be governed by by weeks of seven days.

You may recall that God had already issued blessings to His

living creations on days 5:00 and 6:00, but now here God is

blessing the dimension of time. The verse continues as God

sanctified the 7th day and he made it holy.

Now this this declaration that the 7th day is holy.

This is the very first time in Scripture that anything is said

to be holy. This day isn't like the other

six days as it's set apart from the others.

It's different. Now, when something is is

declared holy, that means it's set aside to serve a specific

purpose. The 7th day was declared holy

because of its special relationship to God.

The 7th day belonged to Him. It was His day.

When the prophets speak of the Sabbath, they denote it as

belonging to Yahweh. Next, the 7th day is a witness

to God's finished work. Now, whenever we go on vacation,

especially if you have kids or or loved ones at home that you

really wish could have been with you on this trip, what do you

do? You buy souvenirs, right?

The souvenir represents a a place and an experience.

And every time you see that item, that souvenir, it reminds

you of that trip and the various experiences that that go along

with that trip, the wonderful times that you had, hopefully

wonderful times. Hopefully it's not reminding you

of when everything went just completely sideways on a trip.

Those do occasionally happen. Now Saturday is our souvenir, if

you will, of creation. We weren't there at the

beginning of creation, but God has given us this gift, this

souvenir that that reminds us of the moments of creation.

Every time the last day of the week comes around, our attention

should instantly be given to considering the Creator and the

great work of creation. Saturdays should remind us to

praise God for bringing everything into existence.

Now, how else is this day set apart?

Well, it's the 7th day, and the number 7 usually carries A

deeper meaning in Scripture and it and it's used all throughout

the text to symbolize completeness.

The number 7 symbolizes completeness.

God could have created all in a single moment, but taking seven

days for the creation week shows intentionality.

It shows purpose in the way God designed creation.

It's a meaningful process, as we've seen in the fact that we

spent four weeks just on the 1st chapter, the first six days of

creation. There's much meaning to be

discerned in the creation narrative and process.

So as you read through Scripture, you'll find the

number 7 and derivatives of seven used over and over again.

There was the leprous name and he bathed 7 times in the Jordan

River in order to be cleansed. Joshua and the people of Israel

marched around Jericho for seven days and then on the 7th day

they marched around the city of Jericho 7 times.

And then the seven priests blew 7 trumpets as a signal for when

the people were supposed to shout to help bring down the

walls. Then we come to the end.

We see Revelation. Revelation uses the number 7

more than 50 times and in various contexts.

There are 7 letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor and this

represents completeness of the body of Christ.

There are 7 spirits before God's throne, 7 lampstands, 7 stars in

Christ's right hand, 7 seals of judgement representing the

fullness of God's punishment on sinful earth, 7 angels with 7

trumpets, and the list goes on and on.

As this is only just 7 examples of all the sevens that are in

the Book of Revelation, The number sevens meaning first

shows up here in this first creation week, and it indicates

the completeness of God's work in creation.

So that's that's our text for this morning.

Now let's consider some practical implications of the

seven day creation week and its impact on our lives.

But as we do that, first of all, we start from the place of of

saying that the giving of the Sabbath was intended for the

people of Israel, the Old Testament people of Israel.

They first received the ceremonial Sabbath and

restrictions while they were wandering the wilderness.

It was part of how they maintained their relationship

with Yahweh. And then these restrictions were

ceremonial in nature. And as such, these restrictions

were abolished under the new covenants along with the Old

covenants, priestly and ceremonial commandments.

So Paul, in his context, he was combating false teachers who

were who were advocating for various Jewish observances.

These were Judaizers. They argued for strict Sabbath

and festival observance, and they said that it was necessary

to strictly keep the Sabbath and and festivals in order to grow

spiritually. So then in Colossians 2 Paul

writes. Therefore let no one pass

judgement on you. And questions of food and drink,

or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.

These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance

belongs to Christ. Paul's saying that that we have

liberty here as it relates to these issues of festivals and

areas that relates to Sabbath's or what you eat and drink,

because all of these things points to something greater.

These observances weren't the goal in and of themselves.

They merely pointed ahead to Jesus.

There was a future reality in Jesus Christ that each

observance signalled. So Sabbath keeping is no longer

required under the new covenant. It's no longer how we maintain

our relationship with God. Sabbath was originally

instituted to give humanity rest and Jesus incarnation had a had

a more complete rest in view. When Jesus came the Sabbath rest

that he was looking to implement was was rest from working for

our salvation. You see under the law it was

more difficult, if you will, it was it was harder in the sense

of trying to keep the law. Hebrews 4 verses 9 and 10 reads.

Hebrews 4:9

So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for

whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works,

as God did from his. Try as we might, works could

never save us because we can't live up to God's standard.

So now we find ourselves in in a state of Sabbath rest as we

trust in Christ's work for our salvation.

So we don't have to follow the Sabbath.

It's not required of us in order to maintain our relationship

with God. But the creation week

establishes a work, a work rest rhythm that is applicable to all

of human life. No, we don't have to engage

Sabbath to maintain our relationship, but the creation

week establishes a work rest rhythm for all of human life.

So since we've been created in God's image, we're programmed to

live under a pattern of work and rest that parallels God's

activity. In the creation week, God worked

for six days and then rested on the 7th.

Now when we neglect to follow God's design, what happens if we

don't take time to stop and rest?

We become exhausted. We become weary and worn out.

We fall into the temp. We can also fall into the

temptation to try to control everything ourselves and as life

gets busier and busier we may even start to push God out of

the way is life just becomes more hectic.

Now not everybody can relate to this, but Sabbath keeping is a

weapon of sorts against workaholism.

Being a workaholic is a very real and actual problem.

Scripture says much about the lazy person.

As you as you read through the pages of of Proverbs, you will

find proverb after proverb speaking to the lazy person.

And so we often can sometimes ignore the passages that call

for a better work rest balance and and so we neglect to take

notice of of what happens when we work in the extreme as a

workaholic for the type A person.

This is a very real temptation. We can think of even Martha now,

how busy she was, so focused on the things that had to be done

that when Jesus is in her home, she neglects to stop and be with

Jesus. Next, observing, observing

Sabbath grows our faith and trust in God's provision.

And I should tell you, Banu, that I moved some things around

here. So that's, that's what just

happened there. I was working on my sermon this

morning and decided I didn't like that order of things.

So I moved some things around. I think it should be OK now.

But observing Sabbath grows our faith and trust in God's

provision. You know how it is these days.

I suspect life may have perhaps been a little more simple and in

times when we didn't have kids to haul around to this activity

or that activity, this sports event, to this school event,

this extracurricular activity. Life has become so busy now and

and we have less time to get done what needs to get done.

So when we engage in Sabbath keeping, true Sabbath keeping,

we essentially eliminate time for productivity.

This causes us to rely more on God and His provision for the

time that we have allocated to us for being productive.

So, for example, on Mondays I try to Sabbath to the best of my

ability. In an ideal world, this involves

reading a book that is outside of scripture and going for a

long bike ride. I find these activities

refreshing and they fuel me up for the week ahead.

And I I try to avoid being productive on Mondays.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

But I find that when I'm busy and and productive on Mondays, I

become more irritable because I haven't forced myself to slow

down. So slowing down is an integral

part of trusting in God. It's not easy.

Lastly, Sabbath teaches us discipline.

Sabbath teaches us discipline. We learned discipline a few

ways. First of all, we learned

discipline in our resting and working.

It takes a substantial amount of discipline to keep the two in

their proper spheres. Work during work times and rest

during rest times. It may sound a bit ridiculous,

but learning to Sabbath can be a lot of work, especially when

you're new to it. Secondly, we learned discipline

and preparation for the day off. You see, if you're going to

Sabbath in a manner that doesn't involve work or productivity,

then we have to Orient our days accordingly in order to get done

what needs to get done and at the same time afford us the

opportunity to rest. So Sabbath keeping teaches us

discipline and I'm just going to say I am not that good at it.

I have a lot of growth to do in this area.

People who keep a fairly strict Sabbath observance I am fairly

impressed by because it is hard, is really hard to not just want

to go through that list of things to do.

In a world where our worth is often measured by our

productivity, God calls us to slow down and rest.

This rhythm of work and rest is holy.

It's a time that He set part for His purposes in order to cause

us to be refreshed in Him. As we're refreshed in Him.

We look forward to the day when all striving, all working, will

cease here on earth. Someday we'll find ourselves in

heaven where where things will be returned back to the garden.

Like states, work will again be easy and enjoyable, and we'll

find ourselves delighting in God's eternal rest.

Let's bow our heads and hold our eyes.

God, we come to you this morning and we thank you for this

pattern that you have set up. You have you have designed us to

live life where we spend part of our time working.

And then, and then we set aside a segment of our week for

resting in you. God would you help us to be able

to slow ourselves down, to not be consumed by the rat race as

it's so easy to just be consumed by all the busyness and the

hurry and the hustle. But God, may we rest in you

declaring that that you are our provision.

Would you teach us discipline that we need in order to slow

down and be with you? Thank you for for this gift to

us, this gift of rest. May we be good stewards with our

time. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen.