The Fourth Commandment (Part 4) Exodus 20:8-11

The Fourth Commandment (Part 4) Exodus 20:8-11 Sunday 19 th August 2018 Glenvista Baptist Church 17 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) Is the Sabbath really that important? Aren t we perhaps making a fuss over something that is not worthy being spoken of this much? Why four, and perhaps even some more, expositions on this topic? Aren t we perhaps going a bit overboard? That may be some of the objections raised in the minds of some who hear this. b) My answer to that is no, we are not making more of this topic than Scripture makes of it. We are in actual fact just giving it the proper attention it calls for, and sadly this is a topic that the Church has for too long been too silent upon. We come therefore this morning for the fourth time to our exposition of the Fourth Commandment a perpetual command to sanctify the Lord s Day and set it aside for God s purposes. c) We have seen in some of our previous expositions that looking at Israel s history, the Fourth Commandment always acted as an accurate barometer as to where Israel stood in relation to God. When the nation was in close fellowship with God, their Sabbath observance was God-honoring. When the nation was in disobedience and cold in their pursuit of God, their Sabbath observance was less than God-honoring. And we have seen, in this, there is a great lesson to be learnt, as this also is a barometer, as to where we find ourselves in our relationship to God. d) We have considered our Lord s response to the graceless legalism of the Pharisees; we have had a brief synopsis of arguments in favor of keeping the Sabbath, and we have seen very clearly as well that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. e) This morning I desire to take a look at the notion of legalism, which always plays a role when the issue of the Sabbath is being discussed. Are we being legalistic when speaking about Sabbath observance or are we simply honoring what our Lord has taught and what He expects of us? Are we still obligated to keep the Lord s Day holy as New Testament believers or has that requirement passed with the coming of our Savior to earth? Those are some of the important questions we have to consider when it comes to this important topic. f) May the Lord guard our hearts against graceless legalism and may He shelter us from lawless license in our approach to this vital topic that has significant implications on us as God s people today. 1

Point 1 Are we Obligated to Keep the Sabbath or are we Being Legalistic in Doing So? (v8) Exodus 20:8 (ESV) 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. a) We have seen that the Sabbath is a perpetual command, to be observed by all. In light of this then the above-mentioned question is of crucial importance. And in order to answer this question I need to bring to your attention that there is a school of thinking that proclaims that only nine of the ten commandments are still in force today and that Jesus fulfilled the Fourth Commandment during His earthly ministry. Their argument is that the Sabbath is never mentioned in the New Testament and about this they are right, but what they completely miss, is that the Old Testament Jewish Sabbath is clearly replaced in the New Testament by the first day of the week Christian Lord s Day celebration. To argue in light of this that the Fourth Commandment has been made null in void is taking the argument, in my opinion, beyond the bounds of Scripture. Surely if our Lord s intention was to scrap any of the commandments He would not have only scrapped one but would have scrapped them all. You see, it s an all or nothing package. You either cancel them all or you uphold them all. That s why the law taught that if you break one command you are guilty of breaking them all James 2:10-11, 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. b) Now in order to answer the question above we firstly need to define legalism. Legalism refers to any doctrine that states that salvation can be obtained by strict adherence to the moral code. It is the definition of a works based religion. Now this is crucial that this concept is thoroughly grasped. You see, one of the big challenges today is that many people accuse Christians who believe that the law of God still needs to be obeyed, in obedience to the Lord, as an expression of our love for Him, of being legalists. Legalism has nothing to do with obeying God after salvation through means of the law. Legalism is using the law as a means of salvation. Can you see the difference? It s a huge mistake to claim that those who live by God s law are legalists. A legalist is a man that lives without Jesus and thinks apart from Jesus purely through the moral law he can be saved. That s a legalist. Law keeping will save no man. We need to reiterate again that Jesus only can save a sinner from damnation and hell. c) From the outset of our series on the Ten Commandments I clearly proved from the Scriptures that the Moral Law is still in place and that believers are obligated to honor God by striving to live in accordance with the Ten Commandments. That means all ten of them, not just those we desire or choose to live by. So that means we are not being legalistic by honoring the Fourth Commandment and we are obliged to honor the Lord s Day as New Testament believers. What exactly that obedience to the Fourth Commandment looks like would need to be brought to light in a following message. But for now we need to guard against steering away from obedience to this command because of an unbiblical notion that this type of obedience is legalistic. d) Legalism also is being so fanatical about the Ten Commandments that we read into it that which God never intended. On one Sabbath Jesus and His disciples were walking through a grain field. We ve looked at this text briefly last week, but its worth mentioning again. Like Paparazzi, the Pharisees were right on their heels watching their every move so as to see when they put one foot out of line. Whilst walking the disciples 2

pluck some heads of grain in the fields, and rubbing the ears between the hands they extracted the grain and snacked on it. This, the Pharisees immediately viewed as work and they raised their voices on the matter saying, Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath (Matt 12:2). What we see here is that the Pharisees are falling on the other far side of legalism. They sought to win God s favor by adding lists of rules and regulations to the Ten Commandments so as to win the favor of God, and they enforced these man-made rules on others, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men (Matt 15:9). So the Pharisees leveled an unlawful charge against the Lord s disciples simply because they had no idea what the Sabbath was all about. e) So the warning that we need to heed is that in our effort to sanctify the Lord s Day, we should guard at every attempt to add our own man-made list of do s and don ts. Again, as stated previously, the Sabbath principle was never given to man to act as a straightjacket approach in which all means of fun and enjoyment are taken out of Lord s Day observance. On the contrary this day is given as a means for the believer to express his joy in the Lord and find satisfaction in the God of creation and redemption. A day of blessing, a day of rest, a day of remembrance, a day of worship. Not a killjoy, straightjacket approach that causes us to look like we ate lemons. On the contrary God has given this day for man, for our good, for our joy, for our physical and spiritual well-being and for our growth in His likeness. We certainly are obliged to keep it. We certainly are not legalistic in doing so. And we are graciously warned not to do it the way the Pharisees were doing it. Point 2 The Commandment to Keep the Sabbath is still in Force (v8) Exodus 20:8 (ESV) 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. a) The Sabbath is part of God s moral law, written on man s heart (Romans 2:14-15). For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them Now when we read the New Testament we find Paul speaking about people who have God s law and don t keep it. He then asks the question: What about those who don t have God s law? The heathen in the jungle for instance. He explains to us that although they do not have God s law in written form, they have God s law written in their hearts. Right at the beginning before there was a written code, men and women knew how to live and it is still written into their consciences how to live. God gave those laws, which were later underlined in the Ten Commandments to mankind. When Paul is writing here in Romans 2 about the law; it is the Ten Commandments that he is talking about. And he says, even the Ten Commandments; they are written on the hearts of men. So every man and women knows in his conscience that he should work. And every man and women knows in his conscience that he should rest from work and worship God. Men and women, even those without Christian revelation have again and again and again come back to one day in seven. That law is given to mankind as mankind. It is not a law, which is given only to Christians or only to Jews. It is given to men as men and to women as women. From the beginning of the world, God has never withdrawn it, He has underlined it and so it is still in force. 3

b) The Sabbath is a creation ordinance, given to man before the fall (Genesis 2:1-3). Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. Now at the very beginning of the world God gave to mankind creation ordinances. Here is a list of them: 1. Procreation God told male and female to replenish the earth 2. Man is also told to subdue the earth that is to exploit its resources 3. Man is also told to have dominion over the creatures 4. Man is also told to work 5. Man is also given the gift of marriage 6. And the other creation ordinance, which was given at the beginning of the world, was the weekly Sabbath. Marriage continues to this hour; work continues to this hour; men and women have dominion over the creatures to this hour; they subdue the earth and use its resources to this very hour; procreation continues to this very moment. All the other creation ordinances are still with us. It would be a grave error to therefore assume that the other creation ordinance, the Sabbath is no longer with us. c) The whole moral law is still found in operation (Matthew 5:17; Romans 3:31). Jesus made it clear that the whole moral law is still in operation. Jesus says in Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. He rejected the way the Pharisees interpreted the Law. He overthrew the way the Scribes interpreted the Law; but the Law our Lord did not touch except to emphasize that it is still binding. Indeed our Lord Jesus Christ taught that man still needs the Sabbath. In Romans 3:31 we see clearly that the law still is in operation: Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. d) Jesus Himself taught that man needs the Sabbath; that it is for his benefit; and that without it he is poorer (Mark 2:27). And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath." When God Himself was amongst us He made it plain that man isn t made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath is made for man. That God has given a gift for the benefit of mankind. This one day in seven, this day of rest is a gift of the kindness of God. He said that in the same breath as declaring that He is Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus did not say that He was a destroyer of the Sabbath or an abrogater of the Sabbath or a withdrawer of the Sabbath; but He did say that He is Lord of the Sabbath. This is an astonishing thing to say especially if you were to believe that the Sabbath no longer applies. How can He be Lord of the Sabbath if you believe that there is no longer a Sabbath? And the Sabbath He is talking about is the weekly Sabbath; otherwise why would He say in this same breath that the Sabbath is made for man? e) Do not confuse the permanent command with the temporary ceremonial regulations. Those have passed away, but the Sabbath hasn t. Nonetheless, although our first point is that the commandment to keep the Sabbath is still in force; don t mix up what was temporary with what is permanent. The Sabbath commenced at creation; the Sabbath was underlined at Sinai; the Prophets preached about the Sabbath; our Lord observed the Sabbath; and the Early Church kept the Sabbath also. But there is a difference in the way the Sabbath is observed; in Old Testament ceremonial days it had Old Testament ceremonial clothes on it. Those have now been stripped off; but the Sabbath remains. 4

f) It is the unalterable will of God for all people of all times. So, in summary then of this second point: it is the unalterable will of God for all people in all times that God has given unto us one day in a seven day cycle which is for the purpose of rest, remembrance and worship. This day has been instituted by God and remains in place. The way it is observed may have changed between the Old and New Testaments, but the keeping of the day remains the same. And this is a gracious gift from God our Father in which we ought to rejoice. Point 3 The Transition from Sabbath to Lord s Day (v8) Exodus 20:8 (ESV) 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. a) The 4 th commandment did not specify which day, but simply the 1-in-7 principle; WHICH day has to be decided by other factors. Now all people admit that the concept of the week is a little bit of a mystery. Everyone knows where the year comes from; even unconverted people know what a year is. It is the time that it takes the earth to travel around the sun (365 days, 5 hours and 49 minutes and 12 seconds, is what we were taught at school). Everyone knows where we get the concept of the month from; we get the concept of a month roughly because it is based upon the moon. It is approximately a month from one full moon to the next. But the week remains a mystery. And yet the week is observed throughout the world. The week is something, which was given by God at creation. The Old Testament does not have names for the days of the week; there are simply six days and the Sabbath. b) Jesus observed the Sabbath, and declared Himself to be its Lord. The Saturday following His burial was the last of the Sabbaths, and the day of His resurrection the first of the Sabbaths (Greek). He then Himself hallowed that day with many redemptive acts. When Jesus came into the world He observed the Sabbath. We read again and again and again and again and again, that He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Far from saying that the Sabbath has now ended, He made it known that He is the Lord of the Sabbath. Eventually He was crucified on a Friday and the Saturday which Jesus spent in the tomb is called in the New Testament the last of the Sabbaths, and if we look into the original language of Luke 24:1 we find that the day of Christ s resurrection is called the first of the Sabbaths. There had been six days work; one days rest. Right up until that Saturday this was the pattern all were used to in the Old Testament context. Christ then established that Sunday as the first of the Sabbaths, and so it now became one days rest; six days work. And so it will continue now until the end of the world. The relationship of 6 to 1 has been in no way broken. It was 6-1, 6-1 up until that Saturday, but ever since that Saturday, the day of the tomb, it has been 1-6, 1-6, because there was something different about that Saturday and Sunday. Christ sanctified in a special way the first day of the week. c) Sunday/first-day/Lord s Day Sabbath observance was therefore the practice of His church (John 20:26; Acts 2:1; 20:6-7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; Revelation 1:10). You have to ask this morning on which day it was that Christ had risen from the dead?? Well, we know very clearly that it was on the first day of the week. On what day did He appear to His disciples, two weeks running? The first day of the week. On what day did the early church gather and Christ poured out His Spirit upon them? The first day of the week. On what day was the Gospel first publicly preached? The first day of the week. 5

On what day was sinners first saved without the ministry of the physically present Lord? The first day of the week. On what day was the first baptismal service held? The first day of the week. On what day was the first time members were received into a local church? The first day of the week. And so as we go through the New Testament we find without exception that the New Testament Sabbath was the first day of the week. We find no trace of a controversy on this point ever. But they did not use the word Sabbath of it because that may have been confused with the Jewish observance of a ceremonial Sabbath. Nonetheless they did observe the first day of the week as a Sabbath. Look at the following references: 1) John 20:26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 2) Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 3) Acts 20:6-7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 4) 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 5) Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet. d) So, therefore, dear friends, from this it is abundantly clear that the Jewish Sabbath which was celebrated on the Seventh Day of the week was replaced, as a result of the Resurrection of the Lord on the First Day of the week, with what we now call the Lord s Day. Therefore it strictly is incorrect speaking of Sunday s as the Sabbath, and would therefore be more in line with the New Testament to speak of it as the Lord s Day. The evidence is abundant that the First Day of the Week is called the Lord s Day in the New Testament and that believers gathered faithfully on the Lord s Day for all corporate activities in celebration of the Resurrected Lamb of God. e) It is the Lord s Day; meaning He has the ultimate and final prerogative to dictate in all matters as to how He would have His people live. It s His Day with His rules, with His guidelines and with His stipulations. Ours is the duty to bring Him honor by living according to His precepts. Conclusion: a) In conclusion then this morning, we are not legalistic when we do what God requires. We have no license to cancel that which our God still enforces and upholds. On the contrary we are obedient when we do what our God has required and when we strive with all our heart to live by His precepts. By this our God is greatly honored. Obedience to God s commands is the way in which the disciple of the Lord shows forth His love unto the Lord. b) Having seen therefore this morning that the commandment to honor and keep the Lord s Day is still in force, we would do well to ensure that our lives and our weekly activities are structured in such a way that we can give full attention to honoring the risen Christ on each Lord s Day. It would therefore only be wise to ensure in preparation for each Lord s Day that: 1. All our weekly chores are done and complete and that none of them have to be done on the Lord s Day. 6

2. That our children have done all of their studies during the week and on Saturday s, so that none of that has to be done on the Lord s Day. 3. That our staff, our gardeners and our domestic workers, don t have to come in on Sunday s for in so doing I believe we are going against the nature of the Fourth Commandment. 4. That our hearts are well prepared before each Lord s Day, for it is not only the work of the preacher to prepare for each Lord s Day, but the work of each member to do so as well. Next Lord s Day I seek to give you some practical ways in which this can be done. 5. That our families know and are taught that this is the Lord s Day and that we will do everything in our power to seek to please our Lord by faithfully, week in and week out, honor the commandments of our Lord. c) To this end may God strengthen and enable us for the sake of His Glory, through Christ Jesus our Savior! Amen! Soli Deo Gloria (For God s Glory Alone) Glenvista Baptist Church 19 August 2018 7