IDEA: People break the Sabbath, which was given as a blessing, because they want to make more sales and more profit. TEXT: "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. . . . You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his maleservant, nor his femaleservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's" (Exodus 20:8, 17).

PURPOSE: To help listeners see how they deny themselves a blessing and benefit because covetousness consumes them.

The fourth commandment about the Sabbath told the people of Israel to set aside the Sabbath day and make it special.

How were they to keep it special?

Do you think that was a liberating command or a restrictive command?

I. God gave his people a day of rest for several reasons.

It marked them out as people that belonged to God. How would it do that?

It enabled them to rest when all the people around them were involved in hectic activity.

II. Many of the people of Israel, instead of finding this commandment a benefit, made it into a burden.

The reason they defiled the Sabbath was that it put them at a competitive disadvantage (Nehemiah 13; Ezekiel 20:12).

God promised that He would provide for them, but they would rather take the cash and let the credit go.

III. Do you think our country would be better off if we had one day of rest each week?

Totally apart from any religious significance, would our neighbors be benefited if they did not have to work on a Saturday or a Sunday?

This was once true in our nation, but it is not true now. Why?