Rest & Worship Exodus

Rest & Worship Exodus 20.8-11 The entire Bible is God s Word and it all is relevant to us (2 Timothy 3:16). This means that we cannot cherry-pick what we like & want to keep, or ignore or discard what we don t like. We must place ourselves under God s authority & His Word. To do this, we must understand God s Word. We understand God s Word by the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. The Bible is one book with two parts: Old Testament (OT) & New Testament (NT). It has been said that the OT is the NT veiled and the NT is the OT unveiled. We cannot truly understand the NT without the OT. We cannot truly know who Jesus is and what he has done without the OT. Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of the OT; it all points to Jesus. In the Bible we find to arching covenants: Law & Grace. The Law is the Old Covenant (OC) that we find in the OT. Grace is the New Covenant (NC) that we have in Jesus. We see find the New Covenant in the NT. What is the purpose of the OT/OC Law? The law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:24-27 The law was never intended to be in force forever. It was part of God s redemptive plan highlighting & restraining sin & transgressions, and more importantly, foretelling the coming Messiah. Are Christians under the OT/OC Law? There are two major aspects of the Law: ceremonial & moral. Ceremonial these laws relate to specific laws given at a specific time to the nation of Israel (animal sacrifices, dietary & clothing restrictions, feasts & ceremonies, etc.). These things were temporary. Moral these laws relate to God s character general in nature - encompassing regulations about justice, respecting others, sexual conduct, etc. These things are eternal pointing to the character of God. We are no longer under the OC ceremonial laws. The ceremonial laws have been fulfilled in Christ. The OC rituals & ceremonies have served their purpose pointing to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He became the ultimate & final sacrifice for our sins on the cross. He is our Redeemer. He is now our Great High Priest. He, and He alone, brings us to the Father. 1

But what about the moral laws? Well, in a sense, all people Christians & non-christians are under God s moral laws. The Law is the very basis for our own nation s laws (above the Supreme Court). But keeping the moral law does not save anyone because the moral law, in & of itself, does not specifically point people to Christ. It merely shows the fallen nature of all mankind. Obedience to the Law does not bring salvation never has & never will. The Law reveals man guilt before God and our inability to perfectly keep the requirements of God s Law. Obeying rules & regulations does not rescue anyone from their sins. So, as Christians we are not under the OC Law. We are under grace. We have been set free from the OC Law. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death [speaking of the OC Law]. Romans 8:2 We are free from obeying Jewish ceremonial rituals & regulations, however, this does not mean we are free God s moral requirements. In Matthew 22:36, when Jesus was asked, Which is the greatest commandment? he said: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. And in John 15:12, Jesus said: This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. What commandments are we as Christians to obey? The ones that show love vertically & horizontally Loving God, loving others. If we love God and love others as Jesus loves, we keep the commandments. What does all of this have to do with the Sabbath? Keeping the Sabbath was part of God s Law it is the 4 th commandment. Where does it fit? Is it a ceremonial or moral law? Are Christians required to keep the Sabbath? In Exodus 20:8 God says Remember the Sabbath day. Sabbath means to cease or to rest it is a day to rest from work. God says to Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy. That means to set apart to the Lord or for the Lord it is a day to honor the Lord The Sabbath Day was a sign. The Sabbath was given to Israel as a covenant sign. 2

The LORD said to Moses, 13 You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. Exodus 31:12-17 A sign for what? To honor & worship the Lord. 1. Creation (Exodus 20:9): 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. 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. One out of every seven days was to be set aside for rest. God gives His people a pattern of working six days and resting one. 2. Redemption (Deuteronomy 5:15): Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Here God is telling His people to remember how He delivered them from Egyptian slavery. Christians & the Sabbath. There are various perspectives of the Sabbath. 1. Seventh-Day: Saturday remains Sabbath for the church 2. Christian Sabbath: Sunday is the new Sabbath 3. One of Seven: Sabbath given to Israel, not Christians; Christians not bound to particular day. 4. Fulfillment: Christ has fulfilled the requirements of the Sabbath & brought the true Sabbath. Sabbath commands of OT are no longer binding on Christians. What does the NT say about the Sabbath? 3

In Mark 2.27, Jesus described himself as the Lord of the Sabbath and said, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. With no hesitation Jesus dismantled the petty restrictions that man had placed on the Sabbath, restrictions that turned it into a burden rather than a joy. In Mark 2 Jesus emphasized that man is not to be confined by the Sabbath, but that the Sabbath was given as a gift to man for spiritual and physical refreshment. Furthermore, there is room for Personal Convictions concerning the Sabbath. Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Colossians 2.16 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. Romans 14.5-6 Paul makes it clear that we should not be legalist about the Sabbath. In this passage, Paul does not condemn Jews for thinking that some days are specially significant, nor Gentiles for concluding that all days are the same. Literal observance of the sabbath on Saturday is no longer required. Believers are not under the authority of the Mosaic covenant. The Sabbath points to a rest now enjoyed by those who trust in Jesus as the Messiah (Tom Schreiner). It is perfectly fine for people who through personal conviction observe the Sabbath, but it is wrong to bind the conscience of the church in terms of this observance, but the NT gives no requirement to the church to observe the seventh day as the Sabbath. Dangerous Extremes (Romans 7.1-24): Legalism misunderstanding of the Law binding ourselves to the Law License misunderstanding of Grace misapplying & abusing God s gracious favor The Lord s Day is a sign. Just as the Sabbath Day was a sign for Israel, the Lord s Day is a sign for the church. The Lord s Day is for celebrating the freedom that we have in Christ. Christ transformed the Sabbath. B.B. Warfield: Christ took the Sabbath into the grave with him and brought the Lord s Day out of the grave with him on resurrection morn. 4

Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 In the NT we see the church gathering on the first day of the week, not the seventh recognizing that Jesus fulfilled the Sabbath s requirements. Christ is now our Sabbath. In Him we find our spiritual rest. We are saved by grace through faith, not works. The Principle of the Sabbath. Pastor Ray Ortlund writes: The point of the Sabbath is a dress rehearsal for a future eternity of glad rest in God raising [interpretation] objections to the Sabbath principle doesn t in itself actually help any of us. I think that is very helpful as we seek to understand the Sabbath and the Lord s Day. I believe Paul in Colossians 2 & Romans 14 is telling us, Don t miss the point. The point is not a particular day. The point is the One we worship on a particular day the Lord s Day when we gather together & worship Christ. Application: Purpose of the Sabbath & the Lord s Day. 1. Rest There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Hebrews 4.9-10 a. Spiritual Rest = Remembers Redemption Our Salvation. b. Physical Rest = Remembers Creation Our Rhythm/Pattern (work & rest). 2. Worship a. Corporate Worship The Lord s Day is a gift. It is a day for physical & spiritual rest, worship, discipleship, fellowship, and family your own family and your church family. b. Witness As we gather together and worship on the Lord s Day we bear witness that we are Christians worshipping our Redeemer, the Lord of the Sabbath. 5

Some may be wondering, This is the 4 th Commandment. Why are did you go into the OC Law in such detail today and not with the previous three? That s a fair question. The answer is because the 4 th Commandment is different than the other nine. It is the only one that is not restated in the NT. All of the commandments are relevant to us just as God s Word is relevant to us, but we must understand why & how they are relevant. We are no longer under the OC. We are under the NC by grace through faith in Christ our Redeemer our Lord. The Sabbath points to Christ, our Creator & Redeemer, who fulfilled the Sabbath & who brings peace & rest to His people. Do you do we as a church value other things so much more that we cannot give God one day out of seven? That is not to guilt you. It is to encourage, and perhaps, challenge you. If you seek to find loopholes to justify not keeping a sabbath you are missing the point of the sabbath. Avoid the extremes of legalism & license. Both lead to misunderstanding the point of the Sabbath & Lord s Day. The questions that often floats around in your heads are: What do I have to do are not do on the Lord s Day? What can I do or not do on the Lord s Day? But these are the wrong questions. The right question is: Am I honoring God in what I do & do not do on the Lord s Day and every other day? When we get the answer to that question right We honor & worship God in Christ. Al Mohler writes: Are there things we ought not to do on the Lord s Day? Certainly there are. Anything that would detract from our worship should not be done on the Lord s Day. Anything that would rob the Lord s Day of the priority of worship should not be done. Church, we have been given a great gift the Lord s Day let us not neglect it. Let us rest & worship God in Christ. Grace & Peace, Pastor Chris 6