Fourth Commandment
Fourth Commandment | Stone Week 4
Exodus 20:8–10 says:
8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 For six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your cattle, or your resident who stays with you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
The Fourth Commandment may be one of the most overlooked commands in Scripture. In a culture that celebrates hustle, busyness, productivity, and constant achievement, the idea of true Sabbath rest can feel almost impossible. Yet in the middle of the Ten Commandments — alongside commands against murder, theft, adultery, and idolatry — God gives His people a command to stop working and rest.
In Week 4 of our STONE teaching series, CJ Ward explores the Fourth Commandment and why Sabbath is not optional for a healthy, flourishing life. This message challenges the modern mindset that says our worth is tied to our productivity and reminds us that rest is deeply connected to trust.
The Fourth Commandment Is Still Important
Many believers tend to minimize the Fourth Commandment compared to the other commands in Scripture. Few people would openly justify murder, theft, or adultery, yet many of us regularly justify a life without rest.
We say things like:
- “Life is just too busy right now.”
- “I have to keep grinding.”
- “I can rest later.”
- “I can’t afford to slow down.”
But the Fourth Commandment reveals something important about the way God designed humanity. Rest is not weakness. Rest is part of creation itself.
In this message, CJ explains that the Sabbath is not merely about taking a day off from a job. Biblical Sabbath is a full day of genuine rest — a day where we stop striving, stop accomplishing, stop producing, and stop carrying the weight of control.
The Fourth Commandment reminds us that God designed humanity with limits, and those limits are not flaws. They are intentional.
God Designed Us to Work — and to Rest
One of the most powerful truths in this message is the reminder that work itself is not bad.
Scripture consistently teaches that followers of Jesus should work hard, live responsibly, and steward their lives well. In fact, the Fourth Commandment itself says, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work.”
God created humanity with purpose and responsibility. Work existed before sin entered the world. Human beings were designed to build, create, serve, cultivate, lead, and contribute.
But we were never designed to work endlessly.
The Sabbath reminds us that productivity is not our identity. Our value does not come from how much we accomplish. We are not machines built only for output. We are people created in the image of God.
This message pushes back against the cultural belief that nonstop work equals significance. Instead, the Fourth Commandment teaches that healthy rhythms of work and rest are foundational to the life God created us to live.
Sabbath Is an Act of Trust
At the center of the Fourth Commandment is a question of trust. Do we trust God enough to stop working?
For many people, the hardest part of Sabbath is not physical rest — it is surrendering control. We fear that if we stop striving, everything will fall apart. We fear that if we stop producing, we will lose value. We fear that if we slow down, we will fall behind.
But Sabbath becomes a weekly reminder that God is the provider and we are not.
CJ describes Sabbath as a “physical practice of trust.” Every time we rest, we remind ourselves that God is still in control even when we stop working. The world keeps spinning because He is sustaining it, not us.
The Fourth Commandment calls believers to step out of anxiety and into dependence on God.
What Does Sabbath Actually Look Like?
This message also provides practical guidance for how to begin practicing Sabbath in everyday life.
CJ describes Sabbath as:
- 24 hours with no work
- A time to stop striving
- A day free from accomplishing and producing
- Space to enjoy God, family, rest, and delight
Two key ideas help shape a healthy Sabbath:
- Do nothing that feels like work
- Do not try to accomplish anything
The goal of Sabbath is not legalism. The goal is restoration.
Jesus Himself taught that “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” God did not create Sabbath to burden people with more rules. He gave Sabbath because human beings need rest emotionally, physically, spiritually, and relationally.
You Are Loved Even When You Rest
At the heart of this message is one powerful truth:
You are loved even when you are not accomplishing anything.
For many people, that truth is difficult to accept. We often tie our identity to success, achievement, productivity, and usefulness. But the gospel reminds us that Jesus already accomplished what we never could through His death and resurrection.
Because of Christ, we do not have to earn love through performance.
The Fourth Commandment becomes a weekly reminder that our worth is not based on our output. We are loved because we belong to God.
Sabbath is not simply about stopping work. It is about learning to rest in the love and faithfulness of Jesus.
Take Your Next Step
This week, take one intentional step toward Sabbath.
Create space to rest, trust God with what you cannot control, and remember that your value is not found in constant productivity. Practice resting in the love of Jesus and allow Him to remind you that you are already accepted, already loved, and already cared for by Him.
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