July 3, 2005

 

The Forgotten Commandment

Exodus 20: 8-11

Introduction

This is my question for you today. How are you spending your time?

Several years ago I went to the hospital to visit a patient. It was a pastor’s dream. She was dressed and ready to go home. As a matter of fact, she was seated in a wheelchair and her son was pushing her down the hall. I walked along with them as they headed for the exit. When we got to the hospital exit the son asked if I would wait with his mother while he went and got the car. That wasn’t a problem. He parked his mother exit to an empty wheelchair and ran toward the parking lot. The woman asked me to sit in that empty wheelchair next to her while we waited. Can I tell you the truth I was a little embarrassed. Have you ever sat in a wheelchair? It was kind of intimidating. You are low and kind of vulnerable. Everybody is rushing by from a different angle. I was afraid I was going to get knocked over. There was one fellow in particular that was running through the hall. He wore a dark suit and was holding a black book. I was sure he was going to hit us because he got so close. He got so close I could read the name of his book. Do you know the name of that book? The name of the book was the Holy Bible. The guy running down the hall was me the day before.

I was raised never to waste time and I don’t. But I cannot say that I don’t misuse time. God gives us 86,400 seconds a day. Sometimes I worry that my priorities are all wrong. You can do some good things, but you cannot do the right thing. This is my question for you today. How are you spending your time?

Body

Did you realize that the FAA, the Federation Aviation Association, regulates the number of hours that a pilot can fly a plane per week? It has nothing to do with the skill of the pilots. The reason is they don’t want good pilots falling asleep at the wheel. There are lives at stake! I believe surgeons should have their hours regulated. I don’t want people operating on me who have had only three hours of sleep the previous night. My life is at risk.

It is for that reason that the forth commandment is important, remember the Sabbath day by keeping it Holy. This forgotten commandment is important for the same reason. It regulates the number of hours that we operate. It protects us physically and it protects us spiritually. Those people who never take a Sabbath view the world in a far different say than those people who observe the Sabbath. I heard recently something that hit me between the eyes. If you do not observe a Sabbath in your life, then you really don’t love God. He commanded us to take a Sabbath. It was not a suggestion. It is a command. If we really love God then we will do what He commands. I want to talk about three words today. Three words that will help you understand the importance of taking a Sabbath in your life. Exodus 20:8 says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” That is the forth commandment, the forgotten commandment.

Word Number One: SPEED. Americans live at a fast pace. I feel like I am always racing the clock. In a few months we will be back to the fall schedule. I am not looking forward to it. The day starts at six o ‘clock. I will walk my dog, Rosie, for the first time of the day. When I return home I will make some coffee, shower and get Anna up. When I return home my goal is to have Anna out the door so she is not late for school. I will make a list of everything I need to do that day and check my email. At 7:15 I will drive Anna to school and remind her of everything that she needs to do that day. At 7:30 Kathy and I meet at the dining room to eat breakfast and decide what to do about dinner. I will try to get to the office by 9:00 where I will field that day’s complaints on the phone or in person. At 12:00 noon I will meet someone somewhere for lunch. I will do some visiting in the afternoon. I will go to someone’s home or a nursing home or hospital. Last in the afternoon I will return home and eat supper. I will return to the church by 6:45 for that evening’s meeting. When the meeting ends in prayer and everyone else goes home I will go to my office and finish up the day’s details or start on the next day. I will get home about 9:45 and fall asleep in my favorite chair. I wake up about 11:30 and walk my dog, Rosy, for the last time of the day. I will get into bed about 12:00 midnight where my wife is fast asleep. About forty-five seconds later I will be asleep and a few seconds later I will be awakened by the six o’clock alarm. I do not tell you this so I can get some extra vacation time or sympathy. The truth is I am not unusual. Many of us have busy lives. We live life at a fast pace just to get everything done.

America’s society is built on speed. If we can save time it is a great thing. Domino’s pizza is the number one selling pizza in America today because they sell speed. They will have that pizza at your house in thirty minutes or less and if they don’t it’s free. They don’t say it is the best pizza or the cheapest pizza but it is the fasted pizza. The most recognized symbol in America today is not the cross of Jesus Christ. It is the golden arches of Ronald McDonald. McDonald’s does not promise good food or cheap food. However, McDonalds promises fast food. At the McDonalds near me it says on the register that the average customer is waited on in thirty-seven seconds. Fast food wasn’t fast enough so they added a drive through so you could eat in your car as nature intended. One of our local hospitals promotes speed. You will see a doctor in 30 minutes or less or your trip to the emergency room is free. Americans are consumed with speed. We have even passed it on to our kids. They will come home from some great event and look at their parents and say, “ What are we going to do now?”

Do you hear what I am saying? Speed is addicting because speed is seductive. If we are in a hurry then we are really saying that we are important. People need us because we are important! We have to keep moving because the world can not get along without me. Someone once said speed is not of the Devil, speed is the Devil. However, when we are moving fast we don’t have the opportunity to sink deep. Word number one is speed. How are you spending your time? And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Word Number Two: Sabbath. We have a tough time with this one. Sabbath and a day off is not the same thing. You can sit in your lazy boy all day and watch the Steelers and not experience true Sabbath. If you really want to experience a true Sabbath, then you must take time to reflect. The Jews understand Sabbath. Their Sabbath begins at sundown and ended at sunrise. So when is sundown? In the summer sundown is 9:30. In the winter sundown is 5:00. Sundown changes throughout the year. They are not squeezing Sabbath in around their schedules. They are squeezing their schedules around the Sabbath. They are dependent upon God. Sabbath is anytime you reflect on God and imagine yourself in the big picture.

This afternoon I am going to drive to Lakeside for the holiday. Lakeside is a great place to do nothing at all. I will get there this evening and will visit with our neighbors I haven’t seen since last year. I will stay up late and read nothing of importance. I will get up tomorrow morning early and think about this church. It is at Lakeside that I think about new programs and plot out sermon series for the year. About ten o’clock Kathy and I will drive to Cleveland and watch the Indians play the Detroit Tigers. I hope we will have dinner in Vermillion at a restaurant that sits in the middle of a marina. We will go back to Lakeside and watch the fireworks. However, before the fireworks I will take my Sabbath.

I will sit at the dock of Lakeside and watch the sunset. That is the best part of Lakeside. In the summer the sun is a burnt orange. The water is a steel blue and rough. The skyline will be filled with hundreds of sail boats. There will be many people with me on that dock and will stay there until the last ray of sun disappears. No one will say a word. Then, the chimes of the dock will sound, Just A Closer Walk With Thee. It is at that spot that I will not just have a few minutes to relax but I will have a truth Sabbath. I will be able to see my place in God’s creation. That sun has been setting in that spot for a long time. It set before I was born and it will set long after I die. That sunset makes me feel very small. It is amazing how my perspective changes on that dock during my time with God. During this holiday weekend take some time with God and see where you fit into the big picture. The second word is Sabbath. How are you spending your time? And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Word Number Three: Solitude. This one is simple. We need to take time to listen to God. God is speaking to us, but we are so busy moving that we don’t take the time to listen. The next time I am sitting on that dock looking at that sunset, the next time I am taking a Sabbath I am going to take a pencil and a piece of paper to see if God has something He wants to say to me. My prayer for you today is that God opens your ears so that He can break through. The third word is solitude. How are you spending your time? And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Conclusion

There are many things that I like about my job. I like to preach and teach. I like mixing with people and swapping jokes. I don’t like meetings. We don’t meet well. The best part of the ministry is praying with people. Sometimes people call me and ask me to pray for them. They have just been to the doctor and are told they only have two years to live. Sometimes it is two months to live. We always pray. Sometimes we cry. We always talk. In those moments they have never said to me, “Russ, I wish I had spent more time at the office. They have said, “I wish I had spent more time at home and spent more times with my kids and spouse. They say I wish I had made up with my sister from Michigan. I wish I had spent more time reading the Bible. What does the Bible say about eternal life? The greatest gift that God has given to us is Jesus. He is our only hope of salvation. The second greatest gift we have been given by God is time. He has given you 86,400 seconds today. How are you going to use it? And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”