June 15, 2025

“Sabbath: Stop”
(Jonah 4)

Before you begin

Take a moment to pray and ask the Lord to speak to you through His Word, to give you wisdom and understanding of His Word, and to transform you according to His Word.

Read Read Genesis 2:1-3 & Exodus 20:18-11 & Mark 2:27-28.

As you read, consider these questions:

1. What is this text teaching me about God?

2. What is this text teaching me about me?

3. How do I apply this text to my life?

Text specific questions: Feel free to pick any of the following questions to work through individually and with your house church. Don’t feel like you have to get through them all, allow the Holy Spirit to lead you during your time together.

Remember, as we open our hearts, our Bibles, and our lives, let’s be sure that our pursuit and discussions lead us to Jesus, His Word, personal honesty, and actual action in the ways we live & lead others. 

1. How would you describe your current pace of life—hurried, healthy, or hollow? Why is that?

2. What emotions come up when you hear the invitation to “stop” and sabbath? Relief? Resistance? Guilt?

3. What lies do you tend to believe (e.g., “Everything depends on me,” “I need to earn rest”) and/or obstacles keep you from stopping to Sabbath?

4. What would a Sabbath practice look like in your current season of life (e.g., with young kids, heavy work schedule, caregiving responsibilities)?

PRACTICE: Sabbath -

Set a Sabbath Rhythm: Identify one day or block of time to stop and rest each week.

Begin small: maybe 4 hours or half a day.

Plan Your Sabbath Intentionally: What will be the things included in this time that bring

joy and restoration to your soul?

Turn Off the Noise: Experiment with turning off your phone or setting aside during your

Sabbath. See how it affects your rest.

Create a “Don’t List”: Make a list of things you will not do on your Sabbath (e.g. -

email, chores, shopping, screens etc.)

Practice saying “no”: Use Sabbath as a practice of saying NO to hurry & overcommitment.

See how this spills into other days of your week.

Share: Talk about what happened with a trusted friend and at your house church

gathering.