THE L.I.F.E. PLAN CREATION DAY 7 BLOCK 1 THEME 3 - CREATION 2 LESSON 4 (12 of 216)
BLOCK 1 THEME 3: CREATION 2 LESSON 4 (12 OF 216): CREATION DAY 7 LESSON AIM: Show that God rested from his work on the seventh day of creation. SCRIPTURE: (Genesis 2:2-3) Over a period of six days, God performed his work of restoring his creation as the habitat for man, and as the stage upon which his purpose in Christ would be accomplished. For six days, he moved from one thing to another, calling this and that into place for the benefit of God s purpose in mankind upon the earth. We have taken a brief look at the work God did on each particular day of the week. Finally, on the seventh day when the work was complete, God rested from his work. When we look into the rest of God from his labor, we find benefits which fall into two categories. The first category has to do with the spiritual benefits of God s rest. The word rest, is the Hebrew word shabat, from which comes the word, sabbath. Naturally, it is too early in the unfolding of God s plans to read all the sabbatical laws into the story, but the foundation for the sabbath is certainly laid here on the seventh day. When God s work was complete, he sanctified, or set aside, the seventh day of the week as a time of rest and restoration, and ceasing from work. Some 2,400 years later, when the sabbath laws were given, they followed the pattern we find here in Genesis. The seventh day is a sabbath; a time of rest and restoration. Every seventh year would also be a sabbath, as well as the year after the seventh seven of years. During these sabbaths, the people and the lands were to rest and be restored. After Jesus died on the cross and arose from the dead, his followers no longer observed the sabbath days of Judaism. Instead, they observed the first day of the week as the Lord s Day. Jesus arose from the dead on the first day of the week. He met with his followers on the first day of the week. Paul instructed believers to bring their offerings to God on the first day of the week. Today, Christians observe the first day of the week as the Lord s Day; a time of worshipping him. Jesus taught his followers to work now while they have the time. One day the night is coming when no man can work. But, until then, while there is time, while there is opportunity, we are to work for the Lord. The time will come when we enter the heavenly rest when we can no longer work on the earth as we know it for the Lord. We speak of this when a person dies by saying that they have entered their eternal rest. This is part of the spiritual benefit which comes from God s rest. There are also physical benefits from God s rest. In this text, we can learn at least three great lessons about a work ethic. Work is a good thing. We live in a time when many people avoid work at all costs. They do more work to get out of working than they would have to do on some jobs. People today have come to expect a handout and a free ride in life without the contribution they can make by working. God is a worker and he demonstrated in these creation days that he works. Since God works, we are to work. On the seventh day, God demonstrated these lessons which should be at the
core of the good work ethic of any person who works, no matter where he works or what he does. The first lesson we can learn is this: when things go wrong, we must go to work to make them right. When Lucifer rebelled against God in heaven and was expelled into the earth, causing destruction in God s creation, God immediately went to work to repair the damage and restore that which had been broken. This is a great lesson that we need to learn. To ignore things that go wrong in life only makes problems continue to grow worse. At the moment when a problem is discovered, we should immediately begin to respond toward repair and restoration. Allowing even a small problem to continue turns simple things into a more complicated problem. God showed us that we must stay on top of things, especially when they go wrong. Another lesson we can learn from the creation days is that we must work as long as there is work to be done. God did not rest after the first day because there was yet much work to be done. He did not rest after the third day because there was still much work that he had to do. To rest before rest time is to do an incomplete job of the work. God continued to work each day because there was work that he had not yet done. At the end of the third day, he did not enter into his rest because the work was not yet complete. If you pay a contractor to paint the exterior of your house, you expect him to be on the job until he completes the work. You do not expect him to paint three sides out of four and leave from the job as if he had done all of the work. The principle God is teaching us here is to stay with the work until all of the work is finished. In verses one through three, it is stated four times that God finished his work. Each day, from day one to day six, the Bible specifically states the work that God did on each particular day. It says nothing about God creating anything on an eighth day, or a ninth day, or any other day. When the sixth day came to an end, he had completed all of his work. So, he teaches us to work while there is work to be done, but when the work is finished, it is finished. A third work ethic principle God demonstrates for us is that we rest only when all of the work is done. Employees who drag around on the job, stretching out a job longer than it should take to do the job are resting before it is time to rest. This makes the job take longer and cost more money to the customer, or it takes profit away from the contractor. Just as work is a good thing, rest is a good thing also. But, rest comes when the job is finished. When we talk about God being finished with his work during the days of creation, we are not saying that God is doing nothing now, or that God has done nothing since he did these creative works. God finished his work of creation but he is still very much at work in the world and in the lives of his people. The Bible tells us of much work that God has yet to do as he works all things after the counsel of his own will. He is at work in the lives of those who believe on him to conform us to the image of his Son, Jesus Christ. In the same way that we saw God at work in the beginning of the world, we can be sure that he is at work to bring a desired end to the world as well. Jesus said that God is at work and he must work also. The same is true of his people. God is working today. Where are you at work with him?
LESSON OUTLINE BLOCK 1 THEME 3: CREATION 2 LESSON 4 (12 OF 216): CREATION DAY 7 Benefits from God s work and rest: I SPIRITUAL BENEFITS FROM GOD S WORK AND REST A. A day of rest - Sabbath B. The Lord s Day vs. the Sabbath C. Eternal rest II PHYSICAL BENEFITS FROM GOD S WORK AND REST Three principles of a good work ethic demonstrated by God: A. We must take corrective action when things go wrong B. We must work as long as there is work to do C. We can rest when the work is done SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. God is at work John 5:17 John 14:10 2. Work while there is time John 9:4 3. Work Proverbs 12:9,11,14,24 Proverbs 28:19 Proverbs 20:13 Proverbs 22:29 Proverbs 24:30-34 4. Laziness Proverbs 6:6-11 Proverbs 10:4,26 Proverbs 13:4 Proverbs 18:9
LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. ANTHROPOLOGY Work ethic Rest and recreation Work vs. laziness LESSON GLOSSARY 1. Sabbath A day of rest QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. What did God do on the seventh day? He rested 2. When we see something wrong, what should we do? Go about correcting it and making it better 3. Why did God rest on the seventh day? Because the work of creation was complete 4. Is God still at work today? In what ways? Yes 5. What is a work ethic? A set of principles which describe an attitude toward work 6. How would you describe your own work ethic? Student response 7. Everyone gets tired and needs to rest, but laziness is a different story. How would you describe the difference between being tired and being lazy? Student response
BLOCK 1 THEME 3: CREATION 2 LESSON 4 (12 OF 216): CREATION DAY 7 QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. What did God do on the seventh day? 2. When we see something wrong, what should we do? 3. Why did God rest on the seventh day? 4. Is God still at work today? In what ways? 5. What is a work ethic? 6. How would you describe your own work ethic? 7. Everyone gets tired and needs to rest, but laziness is a different story. How would you describe the difference between being tired and being lazy?