God, in His great love and compassion for us, reminds us to set apart time to rest in His Sovereignty and remember that we are just creatures dependent on Him. While work is important and crucial to our lives in this world, our trust in God is revealed by our ability to humbly set work aside, be still, and cease.

Scripture References

Exodus 20:8-11
Leviticus 25
Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Psalm 46:10-11

Found | Austin Stone Worship
Philippians 3:8-9 • 1 Corinthians 15:43 • Colossians 3:3 • Matthew 10:39

Whole Again | Grace Church Worship | Spotify
John 6:53-54 • Mark 14:24 • Ephesians 1:7 • 1 John 1:7

I Surrender | All Sons and Daughters | Spotify
Romans 12:1 • James 4:10

Dwell | Aaron Keyes | Spotify
Psalm 91:1 • Isaiah 54:17 • Psalm 23:6

Nobody Like You | Red Rocks Worship | Spotify
Psalm 33:6-7 Exodus 15:11 Phil 2:5-11

The One Who Saves | Hillsong Worship | Spotify
1 Chronicles 16:31-35 • Ezra 3 :11 • Jeremiah 33:11

1. The Sabbath extends beyond the concept of of “work/life balance.” The Sabbath is a set apart time to “stop and remember.” It is about the ability to be still on a regular basis. If you grew up in a religious environment, how were you taught to view the Sabbath, and how is it different or similar to this week’s teaching? What changes do you need to make to reorient your life around setting aside time to remember?

2. Bill mentioned two ways to identify if you have a problem with ceasing and trusting God. Which of the following do you identify with most?

– Struggling with sleep: Sleep is the mark of recognizing we are dependent creatures in need of our Creator.

– Struggle to consistently take a day to set apart and serve and worship with God’s people.

When we are hyper-focused on our own agenda and our own selfish desires, self-importance is our motivation. What is a situation in your life where you have chosen your own importance and abilities over trusting God?

3. We are free from working obsessively to provide for ourselves because we know that only God can provide. What have you been obsessively working towards that God provides rest for? What do you need to surrender to Him?

4. Your life can be characterized by holy stillness or by a need to escape:

–  If you are characterized by holy stillness, your life is filled with quiet reflection and humble service. In what ways are you serving others? How can serving help us keep things in perspective and protect us from thinking that we are a big deal?

– If you are characterized by the need to escape, you distract yourself with mind-numbing activities to escape the need to stop and recognize who God is in that moment. In what ways do you escape into technology or other things to run from anxiety or self-examination?

Thoughts to Consider:

– We have a responsibility to order our lives in such a way that we remember to cease and recognize that we are creatures and God is our Creator.

– Before Adam was even given a wife, he was given a job. Work is at the core of what it means to be human; we are created with capacities by God to do work.

– Because work is at the core of who we are, there is a temptation to confuse the good thing of work with a false security in our own abilities. However, keeping the Sabbath helps us remember that it is through God that good work is being done, not through us. We can rest and stop because the world does not hinge on what we do or do not do.