The Fourth Commandment (Part 5) Exodus 20:8-11

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1 The Fourth Commandment (Part 5) Exodus 20:8-11 Sunday 26 th August 2018 Glenvista Baptist Church 18 th Message in The Ten Commandments Exodus 20:8-11 (ESV) 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the 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 sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For 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. Introduction. a) Isaiah 58: If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; 14 then you shall take delight in the Lord b) What does this mean? How do we do this? How we do we sanctify the Lord s Day? How do we call the Sabbath a delight? How do we make this day honorable? What does it mean that we are to turn our foot back from the Sabbath? What are the pleasures then that we are to refrain from on the Lord s Day? c) Isaiah 58 is a great place to start, as it sets the scene so clearly in terms of God s wishes for Lord s Day observance. Even though an Old Testament text containing prescriptions for the Jewish Sabbath, the New Testament believer no doubt can glean practical application from it that will guide the celebration of the Lord s Day. d) We come this morning for the fifth time to an exposition of the Fourth Commandment and this message will be aimed at being very practical in its application. We have had much theology so far pertaining the Lord s Day. Therefore I wish to help you by looking at some of the very practical aspects pertaining the sanctity and observance of the Lord s Day. e) I wish therefore to consider the manner in which we are to sanctify the Lord s Day and in so doing consider both the negative as well as the positive implications thereof. I desire also looking at how we are to dress our souls and prepare our hearts each Lord s Day for the preaching of the Word and then finally I plan on also looking at how we are to deal with the distractions of mind and heart whilst we are sitting under the preaching of God s Word. f) In a desire to honor God in all he does, the true disciple of Christ will always look for ways and means sanctified by the Word of God in which he is enabled to honor the Lord and set apart the Lord s Day for God s own purposes and for God s honor and glory. To this end, may our dear Savior instruct His Church this Lord s Day. 1

2 Point 1 Directives for Sanctifying the Lord s Day (v8) Exodus 20:8 (ESV) 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. a) We have to recognize from the outset that God has sanctified one day out of seven for Himself so as for this day not be to be used for everyday activities, but rather to be set aside for noble purposes alone. It is primarily a day God has set aside for Himself. We saw last Lord s Day that the transition from Sabbath to Lord s Day was made with the resurrection of our Lord and that the New Testament Church ever since has celebrated the Lord s Day on the First Day of the week. b) This day has to be observed and celebrated in a particular way and God has graciously not left us in the dark about this. He has given clear directives pertaining this in the actual Fourth Commandment. The directives are negative on the one hand whilst one the other hand also contains positive instructions. c) Let s firstly then consider the negative directive contained in the Fourth Commandment. God clearly specifies that we must do no work on the Lord s Day. Listen to the commandment in verse 10 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the 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 sojourner who is within your gates. This day God has declared a day specially sanctified for Him and must be used for reverent purposes only. It is not an ordinary day and should therefore not be used for ordinary means. We are to leave our worldly business behind on this day, we are to thrust aside all of our earthly employments and we are to set apart this as a day of holy rest. In Nehemiah 13:15-18 we see Nehemiah giving a vivid description of how the people continued with business as normal on the Sabbath and how God s wrath was burning against the people for doing so. 15 In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food. 16 Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself! 17 Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath. To this Puritan Preacher Thomas Watson responds: It is a sacrilege to rob for civil work the time which God has set apart for His worship. He that devotes any time of the Sabbath to worldly business, is a worse thief than he who robs on the highway; for the one does but rob man, but the other robs God. 1 d) Watson brings about a stern warning. Yet this was the pattern the Lord instituted throughout Israel s life. For example, during the wilderness period the Lord forbade manna to be collected on the Sabbath. He would provide for them twice as much on the day before the Sabbath and He would also ensure that the Sabbath s food would not go stale before its time. God provided not only food, but also provided rest for His people in purposely not allowing them to collect food on the Lord s Day, and even if they were to go out looking for manna on this Holy Day, they would find none. Exodus 16:22-30 (ESV) 22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all 1 Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments, The Banner of Truth Trust (1692) page 99 2

3 the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 he said to them, This is what the Lord has commanded: Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning. 24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none. 27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 And the Lord said to Moses, How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day. 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. Even at the time of Christ s death knowing that the burial ritual had to be performed as per custom, but Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James did not go to the tomb to do what they were called to do till the Sabbath was over - Luke 23: The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. These women knew that to do work on the Sabbath, even though it was work that would have honored their Lord and Savior s body in His death, would be the indication of an irreligious heart and would greatly offend God. e) God made this day purposely for worship, for rest and for remembrance. This day has a higher value than any other as it is a day purposely designed for hearts to be raised to heaven, to be in communion with our Lord, and therefore to be employed in earthly pursuits on this day would degrade the soul of the honor set upon it to be in such communion with its Lord on this glorious day. f) Works of necessity and charity however may be done on this day. It is lawful to help a neighbor when either life or estate is in danger on this day. See what we read in Luke 14:1-6 1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not? 4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. 5 And he said to them, Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out? 6 And they could not reply to these things. So, dear friends, if your donkey or your ox falls into the pit on the Lord s Day serve the Lord with vigor and joy and rescue your donkey or ox from that pit. g) Let s then secondly consider the positive directive contained in the Fourth Commandment. God clearly specifies that we must keep the Lord s Day holy by consecrating and dedicating this day to the service of the most-high God. In other words its not just about keeping the Lord s Day but also about ensuring that the way in which we keep it sanctifies this day. We sanctify the Lord s Day by specifically doing two things: (1) We are to ensure that we engage in solemn preparation for the day. If a royal dignitary were to visit your house, what elaborate preparation would you not go to? You would go out of your way to ensure that everything is in its place and ready for the arrival of such a great person. How much more then are we not to thoroughly prepare for the Lord of hosts who intends to have communion with us on the Lord s Day! We therefore need to be elaborate in our approach to the Lord s Day. Rushed minds, tired brains and exhausted bodies due to lack of sleep is no place of honor for the Great King on the Lord s Day. We deliberately need to work towards settling down on a Saturday night, in which we peacefully prepare both heart and mind for the visit of the Great King on the Lord s Day. Just like a musician climbs not on the stage 3

4 without having tuned his instrument beforehand, so the saint cannot come to worship God if he has not adequately prepared body, mind and heart in anticipation for the greatest visit of all that of His King in the presence of the gathered assembly on the Lord s Day. (2) Secondly then we are to ensure the sacred observation of the Lord s Day. Like we have seen in Isaiah 58 we should see the Sabbath as a delight. Just as God rained down manna twice as much for the purpose of the Sabbath day, so also today He rains down twice as much blessings on the day set aside for His people to gather in corporate worship. Therefore we are to approach this day with great joy, for we are meeting with Him on this day who loves our souls and paid the ransom for our sins. We are to ensure that our thoughts, our planning, our dedication, our commitment and our time is spent in sacred observation of the Lord s Day, that our hearts may be tuned to sing His grace and that our lives may be given afresh in voluntary submission to His plan, His will and His service. h) Two directives therefore that guide us in our approach to the Lord s Day a willful decision not to work and a willful decision to sanctify and set apart this day for solemn purposes. Point 2 Dressing our Souls for Hearing the Word (v8) Exodus 20:8 (ESV) 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. a) In Exodus 19:9-11 we read of a duty the Israelites had to adhere to on the Sabbath in preparation for the delivery of the law 9 And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever. When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, 10 the Lord said to Moses, Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments 11 and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. The people had to consecrate themselves and wash their clothing so as to be unstained before the law was given to them. In a New Testament context we gather every Lord s Day corporately for the delivery and the receiving of God s Law as the Scriptures are opened and God speaks through the preaching of the Word. How then are we to prepare our souls and our hearts for each Lord s Day? b) Thomas Watson suggests we prepare our souls and we cleanse and wash our hearts in preparation for each Lord s Day by reading, meditation and prayer: 1) By reading the Word: Jesus Himself taught that the Word is the primary means for the sanctifying of the human heart - John 17:17 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. We are therefore to be deliberate in our approach to every Lord s Day. If we lie in bed till last minute and then rush to come to a worship service, we are neither diligent nor wise in the preparation of the heart for hearing God speaking to us. An unprepared heart is like unprepared soil; new plants do not take root in unprepared soil. Therefore make time on a Sunday morning, be up early, just like Jesus rose from the grave early on the Lord s Day. Make sure that you spend time in the reading of God s Word prior to coming to worship with God s people. In reading the Word with all earnestness and diligence, a dull heart is quickened early on a Sunday morning and a cold heart is enflamed again. May it be true of us as it was of 4

5 the disciples that we may also say each Lord s Day after diligent preparation of the heart Did not our hearts burn within us when He talked to us (Luke 24:32). 2) By meditation: Meditation is the souls way of retiring and thinking deeply upon truth as revealed in and through Christ through the written Word. This is a work fit for each Lord s Day morning. Whilst meditating we are to reflect upon 1 the works of God in creation. For the creation is the display of God s glory in tangible expression. It is by the Word of the Lord that the heavens were made (Psalm 33:6). By meditating upon God s wondrous works in creation we shall learn to admire God and praise Him. We also need to 2 meditate upon God s holiness. The Psalmist reflects upon the holiness of God in Psalm 111:9 - Holy and awesome is his name! God loves holiness because it is His own image. The contemplation of the holiness of God early on a Sunday morning will remind us of our need of holiness and will cause us to enter the place of worship in a frame of mind that is set upon holiness. In meditation think also deeply upon 3 the works of Christ s love in redeeming us. Watson says: Oh the infinite stupendous love of Christ in raising poor lapsed creatures from a state of guilt and damnation! The very Christ who was God gave His life and died. This Christ died for sinners. Oh that we would ponder the amazing love of Christ; the marvelous fact that He took our sin upon Himself and died the death of a sinner, and that He gave unto us His righteousness. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Whilst He was shedding His blood we were spitting out poison. Even after His death we had nothing in us that longed after Him or loved Him. Yet His love was endless and matchless. His love conquered sin, death and Satan. And therefore meditating early on Sunday morning on Christ s love for us would kindle love in our hearts for Him and would be an adequate means of preparation for worship. Fourthly then, meditate upon 4 the glory of heaven. In heaven there is all that is truly glorious, in heaven is pure light, perfect love, unstained honor, unmixed joy, and an everlasting state of the tangible presence of the Triune God. Meditation upon this everlasting state is fit and appropriate for a Lord s Day morning as it reminds us that this earth is not our home; that something much better awaits the believer, and that we are to live and worship like heavenlyminded people. 3) By fervent prayer: We dress our souls on a Lord s Day morning by earnestly seeking our God in prayer. By means of prayer the Lord s Day is sanctified. Use the time of prayer early on a Sunday morning to pray for the preaching of the Word. Pray that God may speak clearly. Pray that God may bring life through the preaching of the Word and quicken the dead. Pray that the saints may be edified. Pray that God may impart grace to all who hear and that we all may truly hear. Pray for meek and humble hearts in the receiving of the Word. Pray for the preacher that he may disappear behind Christ and that Christ alone would be seen in the delivery of the Word. Pray therefore also with fervency and with a reverent disposition. God is not our pal that we may command Him or dictate to Him. Pray in humility and with a trusting heart. For you see beloved when the soil has thoroughly been ploughed it is ready to receive the seed; and so also is the heart that has been prepared by prayer. It is not only the duty of the preacher to be prepared for a Lord s Day, but also the duty of every saint. 5

6 c) And this is done early on a Sunday morning as we prepare both heart and soul by means of reading the Word, meditating upon all the great works of God and setting it all aside by means of fervent prayer. Point 3 Dealing with Distractions whilst Hearing the Word (v8) Exodus 20:8 (ESV) 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. a) I want to end off this morning by stating that thorough preparation alone is not good enough for Lord s Day worship. We also need to guard our hearts and our minds against distractions that so easily occur when we gather to sing God s praise. It is our duty to be attentive in our hearing of the Word of God and to ask that God by the working of the Holy Spirit would confer a special blessing from heaven upon the tending of the Word that His Word may be made effectual to us. Our duty therefore is to sanctify the Lord s Day in our approach to the hearing of His Word and the great enemy to the effectual hearing of the Word, is a vice called distraction. b) [Distraction]: The apostle Paul called the Corinthian believers to attend upon the Lord without distraction (1 Cor 7:35). Precious friends it needs to be stated clearly this morning that distraction hinders devotion. When our thoughts dance up and down, and are thrown forwards and backwards with all the cares and the concerns of this world whilst hearing the Word, we cannot hear the Word. We need to understand how offensive distractive hearing is to God. When we give priority to vain thoughts during the highest act of worship, namely that time in which God speaks to His people through His living Word, we are sinning against God. Now be very aware that these distractive thoughts come on the one hand from the enemy of our souls. Satan will do anything to cause you to be inattentive to the preaching of the Word. If he cannot keep you from hearing, he will hinder you during hearing. In Job 1:6 we read, 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. Be therefore very assured that Satan presents himself in our assemblies. The great design of the archenemy of our souls is that the Word of God would be rendered fruitless in our lives. On the other hand however all the blame cannot be placed upon Satan. Wandering thoughts upon hearing the Word of God partly also come from us. These thoughts often come from the eye, for a wandering eye leads to wandering thoughts. There are two things we are to do when it comes to the eye the first advice comes from Ecclesiastes 5:1-1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. And the other thing we need to do is found in Job 31:1-1 I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? We are therefore to covenant with our eyes that our eyes may be holy so that we are not hindered from hearing the Word. Not only do wandering thoughts come from the eye but they also come from the heart. Jesus made it very clear that 21 from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts (Mark 7:21). It is the corruption of the heart that sends up evil thoughts to the mind. Just as a troubled ocean brings up mud, so vain thoughts are the mud of the heart brought to the surface. These are but the sparks of the heart, dear friends that come from our own furnace. So therefore it is crucial in light of this that we heed to the counsel of Solomon when he wrote, 23 Keep your heart with all vigilance for from it flow the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:23) 6

7 Conclusion: a) In conclusion then this morning, this message has been essentially put together to deal with practical matters as well as matters of the heart in relation to the observance of the Lord s Day. We have considered some of the do s and the don ts of Lord s Day observance; we have looked at ways in which we can dress and prepare both heart and soul in preparation of this worship and we have considered ways in which we can prevent our hearts from becoming distracted during the preaching of God s Word. b) The great warning though this morning, beloved, is that we can tick every single box when it comes to Lord s Day attendance, devotion and reverence, yet still have a heart that is far from the Lord and we can still find ourselves on Judgment Day landing up in the abyss of hell. The reality is that Jesus taught that, 22 On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? (Matthew 7:22). I guess we could say there will on that day be many who can speak affirmatively of every good thing they have done in keeping the Lord s Day, yet will still face the Judgment of God and be cast into hell forever. Sabbath keeping Lord s Day observance never has and never will save any man. It is not a root. It s but only a fruit. An important fruit, but a fruit nonetheless. c) The Lord Jesus Christ alone saves. The law is but a schoolmaster to Christ. Law keeping therefore also is a fruit and not a root. Those who keep the law, do so out of love for Christ, as a demonstration of a good work God has done within, and as an act of obedience unto the Lord. d) Therefore if you are outside of Christ today, run not to the law, for it cannot save, but run to Master of the Law, and the One who has mastered the Law, Jesus Christ 12 for there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) It is only Jesus, and Jesus alone! Amen! Soli Deo Gloria (For God s Glory Alone) Glenvista Baptist Church 26 August