God is always trying to get at our hearts, not just our behavior.

Sermon Notes: Man made rules are not God given rules.

The Jewish leaders had many rules for what could and couldn't be done on the Sabbath. God said, "Keep the Sabbath Holy." What does it mean to keep the Sabbath Holy? God said, "Six days you shall labor and work. On the seventh day, you shall rest."

Jesus never sinned. We know this. Jesus healed on the Sabbath. We know this. Therefore, what does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy?

Exodus 20:8-11 (King James Version)

8(J) "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9(K) Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10but the(L) seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the(M) sojourner who is within your gates. 11For(N) in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Pasted from <http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2020&version=ESV> 

Oh, so we are to keep the Sabbath, by keeping it holy, set a part from the rest of the days. Work 6 days, not the seventh. God blessed the seventh day. We are not even to require work from anyone else on those days.

Does that mean I shouldn't go out to eat because I am requiring someone to work? No. The server decides when he/she can work or is under the boss' control of when she/he can work. No one who is under my control is to work. Done. "Kids, no work!" :)

Here is a good final thought on the subject (after studying the Word via the below web address):

The purpose of the Sabbath is to get man to pause-to step out of the rat race for a moment and to find a little time for God, for family, for friends, for brothers. It is not a time to sit in the dark because you don't want to turn on a light on the Sabbath. It is not a day to be cold because you don't want to light a fire in the fireplace. It is not a day to be alone because you won't go to a restaurant with brethren for fellowship.

But it is God's day. It is a day when you have all the time in the world. You have time for reading the Bible, time for prayer, time for fellowship, time for your children, time for thought, time for yourself, and, above all, time for God.

Pasted from <http://www.biblestudy.org/godsrest/what-does-it-mean-to-keep-the-sabbath.html>

What is the intent of my actions on the Sabbath? God is always trying to get at our hearts, not just our behavior.

Thank You, Father, for time with You to study Your Word. Speak to my heart today. May I have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart ready to do Your will. In Jesus' name, AMEN!