The Good Life Study: Sabbath

The Fourth Commandment established the Sabbath as a day of rest for God's covenant people. Though we often look at the Sabbath as a bygone relic of the Old Testament Law, the principle behind it still speaks to us today. The Sabbath serves as a signpost on our journey through time. It invites us to keep track of our weekly rhythms and to mark out a sacred space in our temporal hustle and bustle. More than that, Sabbath reminds us of the eternal God – a God who stands outside of time. Done rightly, Sabbath can be a day when time and eternity meet.

Join the SE Online team as they talk about the practice of Sabbath and what it can teach us today. Sabbath is more than just a day of rest. It is an act of hope. It is statement of our utmost trust that God has – and is! – more than enough to take care of us. It is a bold declaration that our Savior is also our Sustainer. He will provide for our needs. He will give us what we lack. When we rest, we trust in the One whose work sustains and maintains the universe.

GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What was your biggest takeaway from the video teaching time? How do you normally view the fourth commandment and the practice of Sabbath? How did this week’s study challenge some of the assumptions you have about Sabbath?

2. Read Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15. How are these two commands different from one another? How have you experienced the two types of work mentioned in these passages? Why do we need to rest from the work of both Egypt and Eden? How does this commandment keep work from dominating us?

3. Why does the fourth commandment deal with both work and rest? Why are vocation and vacation important to our lives? What happens if we lack either of them? What happens if we fill our lives with too much of either?

4. What has your practice of Sabbath looked like in the past? What are some practical tips you would share with your group about practicing Sabbath? Spend some time encouraging each member of your Group to talk about some of the practices that help them rest and reconnect with God.

5. Read Hebrews 4:1-10. How does the promise of Sabbath rest still apply to us today? In what ways does the Gospel invite us to rest in God’s work and put our trust in Him?

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