Good morning. It is a privilege to be with you this morning and preach God's word.
! For today's message, I have included an outline in your bulletin that will be helpful as we go through this topic of stewarding your Lord's day.
While Nathan's on sabbatical, the elders have decided that a series on stewardship would be beneficial to us.
The normal rhythm of our preaching is a verse-by-verse exposition.
We hope to preach expository, expositionally, and our hope is to bring out the meaning of Scripture and to apply it to your lives.
During this series, we are taking a topical approach in looking at different topics of Scripture.
We're going to do this in four parts. Last week, Zach took the topic of preaching on stewarding our time.
Today, my responsibility and privilege is to teach our second message on stewarding our Lord's day.
To teach a series on stewardship, we need to define what stewardship is.
Stewardship, when discussing Scripture, involves taking care of all that God has given us.
So for this message, I'm going to define stewardship, and you'll see the definition,
as something God has entrusted to us for His supreme glory and our ultimate good.
What God has given to us is our responsibility to care for as God has instructed in His Word.
So when we talk about God's supreme glory, it means that in everything that we've been given,
that we use it or manage it for God's glory.
And all these things should go to bring about good in our lives and to the glory of God.
So the main point for today's message is the Lord's day is God's gift to us,
and we have a responsibility to steward this day for His supreme glory and our ultimate good.
Now that we've defined what stewardship means, let's clearly define what the Lord's day means.
In the 1689 London Baptist Confession, there is a helpful summary of what the Lord's day is.
On your outline, if you flip to the back, I've provided this definition if you want to read with me.
In 1689 chapter 22, paragraphs 7 through 8, it says,
It is the law of nature that in general portion of time specified by God should be set apart for the worship of God.
So by His Word, in a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment that obligates everyone in every age,
He has specifically anointed one day in seven for a Sabbath to be kept holy to Him.
From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, the appointed day was the last day of the week.
After the resurrection of Christ, it was changed to the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's day.
This day is to be kept to the end of the age as a Christian Sabbath,
since the observance of the last day of the week has been abolished.
The Sabbath is kept holy to the Lord when people have first prepared their hearts appropriately
and arranged their everyday affairs in advance.
Then they observe a holy rest all day from their works, words, and thoughts about secular employment and recreation.
Not only that, but they also fill the whole time with public and private acts of worship
and the duties of necessity and mercy.
So this is how I would define the Lord's day that I think that we've seen in church history
and what I believe the Bible teaches for us.
To see this in Scripture, though, I hope for us to go to Exodus 20, verses 1 through 11.
And then we'll spend our time there, and then we'll spend our time in Hebrews 4.
So if you'll take your copy of God's Word and turn to Exodus 20 with me.
Exodus 20, starting in verse 1.
Hear and believe the word of the Lord.
And God spoke all these words, saying,
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God,
visiting iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,
for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
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 or 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 the 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.
Here in Exodus 20 we are presented with what we call the Ten Commandments.
We see that the first four commandments instruct us on what it looks like to love God.
And the last six commandments instruct us on what it looks like to love others.
So the first four commandments help us understand that to love God is to worship him and him alone.
In the first four commands he specifies how he is to be worshipped.
Look at the first command with me.
He says, in the first command he shows us who is to be worshipped.
In the second command he tells us how to be worshipped.
In the third command he directs us in what way we worship him.
And in the fourth command he advises us on when we should engage in public worship.
The commands provide us with the what, the who, and the how for worshipping God.
But it also provides us of the when.
So we'll see this in three points.
The first point today is the Lord's day is a day of worship to Yahweh alone.
And the sub-point is the name of Yahweh.
When we begin this text, when we look at verses 1 through 2, we see the phrase that says,
I am the Lord your God.
The Lord in all caps in our copy of God's word is a translation of his personal name, Yahweh.
When we read this word in the Bible, it calls to mind who God is.
It did for the Israelites.
When God revealed himself to Moses, he said to him, I am who I am.
And he said to Moses, say this to the people of Israel, I am has sent you.
In Exodus 3, God's revelation of his personal name, he reveals that he is who he is.
Or this could translate as, he will be who he will be.
In this verse, we see a clear testimony that God has always been and that he always will be.
God is who he is all the time.
There is not a moment that we will find when God is not God or has given up his godness.
He has always been.
He is and he always will be.
Our God will never change.
So Yahweh will always be who he is all the time.
This is the great I am.
When we read about God and his name, it defines who he is.
It carries an understanding of the wondrous works he's done and what he is like.
We naturally do this too.
We naturally associate what people are like with names.
So when you think about naming a kid, you don't choose certain names because it reminds you of certain things.
In our case, we named our son William.
William is a name for Bill, who is a mentor of mine and has blessed me and set a good example of godliness.
So we wanted to honor Bill in naming our son William, but we also want William to walk in the example that Bill has set.
It's a name that brings great association.
It reminds me that Bill is a man who has walked faithfully in serving the Lord and he loves him with his whole heart.
So when we read the all caps of Yahweh in verse or of the Lord in verse 2, we know that God's personal name is here that says Yahweh.
When it says, I am Yahweh, it reminds us that this is God.
Verse 2 also says, Yahweh, your God.
This is Yahweh, the God of the people Israel.
When the people hear, I am Yahweh, your God, it carries the meaning that this is the great I am who has saved them and cares for them.
We see in the verse that he defines who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
They are reminded that he is God and that he'll always be God.
So when I consider thinking of God in a way that's helpful and simplistic and considering his attributes, a way that's been helpful for me is to remind myself that God is great and God is good.
So I'd love us to consider God's greatness and goodness for a moment.
In considering God's greatness, Yahweh is incomprehensible.
He is far too great for us to even know.
His name is too wonderful.
His thoughts are too deep.
His power is too great.
His wisdom is too inscrutable.
His being is too vast.
Our God does not depend upon anyone.
He does not change like shifting shadows.
He does not have fleeting or changing emotions as if we cannot depend upon him.
No, Yahweh is independent.
He is all say.
All things come from him, from within him.
And he does not depend upon anything.
He alone is God.
He alone is Yahweh.
Isn't this how we see in Psalms when David describes God?
Psalm 145, 3 says,
Great is Yahweh and greatly to be praised.
His greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 147, 5.
Great is our Lord and abundant power.
His understanding is beyond measure.
How about how Isaiah describes them in Isaiah 46?
I am God and there is none other.
I am God and there is none like me.
Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done.
Saying,
My counsel shall stand and I will accomplish my purpose.
Or how about Isaiah 55, verses 8 through 9?
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, declares Yahweh.
For as high as the heaven is above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Truly, God is incomprehensible and majestic and too great for us to know.
But He is also good.
He has revealed Himself to us in His creation and revelation.
And we see His goodness.
He is full of steadfast love.
He lavishes His mercy and grace upon us.
He is kind and compassionate.
He is holy and just.
He sees us and knows us.
He is near to the broken and takes care of the widows and the orphans.
We see this also in the Psalms when David says,
Yahweh works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
He may known His ways to Moses, His acts to the people of Israel.
Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide, nor will He keep His anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heaven is above the earth, so great is His steadfast love towards those who fear Him.
And as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children, so Yahweh shows compassion to those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame.
He remembers that we are dust.
Or how about Psalm 147.3?
He says, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
So when we read Exodus and we see in verse 2 that He's introduced as,
I am Yahweh, your God.
He shows His redemption in that verse.
But it also carries this meaning that this is God.
And it should cause us to be enthralled.
It should cause us to praise that this is the God that we come now to worship.
On our Lord's Day, when we steward it, when we manage our day,
we're preparing our hearts to go and meet the living God in the church of the living God.
So when we get here, we see that this is how Moses introduces the Ten Commandments.
After presenting himself to Israel as Yahweh, the God who has saved them from their slavery,
He then gives them His gracious rules for how to love and worship Him.
These rules are a demonstration of God's grace to inform us how we should live.
He has revealed Himself to us.
For the unbelieving, these rules serve as a rod that condemns, that shows one of their sin.
But for the believing, these rules are a guide and a counsel.
A counselor.
Psalm 119.18 says,
Open my eyes that I may behold the wondrous things of your law.
Psalm 119.24 says,
Your testimonies are my delight.
They are my counselors.
And Psalm 119.10 says,
The law is more to be desired than gold.
Even much fine gold.
And sweeter also than the honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
According to the Bible, the law is something that is sweeter than honey and richer than gold.
And it is good.
And it is gracious that we have them so that we can love and worship God properly.
So in the first three commandments, we see that because God is Yahweh, He deserves our worship exclusively.
He commands that there is no one before Him and there is nothing that we can do to resemble Him on earth that will properly worship Him.
In fact, for those who make images to represent God and worship Him,
when they make something and they bow down to it, they're actually heaping up judgment.
Verse 5 says,
I, Yahweh, your God, am a jealous God.
We should not make images to worship or resemble God because we have God to worship.
Our love and affection finds its chief end and purpose in God.
Man and woman, God's image bearers, the crown of His glorious creation,
find their purpose and fulfillment in the worship of God.
Creation and all that is within it was made to worship and glorify God.
That's what the Bible is teaching from beginning to end.
We are image bearers and our goal is to reflect the majesty and the glory and the splendor of our God.
Then we get to the third commandment and it directs us on how we should live in a way that honors Yahweh with our words and our speech.
The word here, take, is the Hebrew word that is used to mean to carry or to lift.
The verse is saying that we should not bear the name of Yahweh in a worthless manner.
As followers of the one true God, the way we speak and live is not inconsequential,
but it matters consequently.
When we speak, our words represent the God we worship.
When we act, our actions reflect the God we serve.
The third commandment directs us to bear God's image well,
to reflect and represent Him well in the world we live.
So finally, the fourth commandment informs the time in which we should worship.
In the first three commandments, one sees that God requires worship exclusively,
and this is done in how we live for Him.
According to the first three commandments, our worship to Yahweh is every day.
Every day we're commanded to worship God and bear His name well.
In the fourth commandment, God reminds the people that while they represent and image God every moment,
there is a special day that God has established for His people to worship Him.
This precious and sacred day is the day we call the Sabbath day.
Leads me to point number two.
The Lord's day is the day of resting in Christ.
So look at Exodus 28 with me.
It says,
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
This verse here is not establishing a Sabbath day for the people of God to start doing.
It is pointing back to Genesis 2, 1-3,
and telling the people to remember the Sabbath day that He has established.
This command was established in creation and was meant for the people of Israel to keep.
Genesis 2, 1-3 says,
Thus the heavens and earth were finished and all the host of them.
And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done
and 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.
We see here that the Sabbath day is what we call a creation ordinance or a creation law.
It was established in creation for all humanity.
At this point there wasn't Israel and other nations.
It was Ab and Eve.
It was meant for all humanity to observe.
It is meant to be kept from the beginning of creation
and to the end of the world when we have final and internal rest.
So in Genesis 2, 1-3, we see a few things.
We see that God has instituted a pattern or rhythm meant to be kept of work and rest.
For six days you shall labor,
but on the seventh day you shall observe the Sabbath rest.
Number two, the Sabbath day was a day of rest.
And number three, the seventh day was made holy.
It is a day to be sanctified by all men in the day in which God has blessed.
So when we get to Exodus 28, the word remember is recalling.
It's not establishing a new thing to practice.
It's something that God has reminded us that has been since creation.
The use of the word remember shows us that we have a sacred practice established by God since creation.
This command is for the perpetuity of the sabbatical rhythm.
Six days we work, one day we rest.
The command emphasizes the continuity of a Sabbath day.
This day is to be exalted as a significant day of the week where we come,
revere, and worship Yahweh, and we find rest in Him.
The Westminster Larger Catechism, in discussing the Fourth Commandment, asked this question.
Why is the word remember set in the beginning of the Fourth Commandment?
And the response of the catechism is,
the word remember is set in the beginning of the Fourth Commandment,
partly because of the great benefit of remembering it.
We being thereby helped in our preparation to keep it,
and in keeping it, better to keep all the rest of the commandments.
And to continue a thankful remembrance of two great benefits of creation and redemption,
and partly because we're very ready to forget it.
The Sabbath helps God's people to be reminded of the sanctity of the day that God has set,
and it's important that we learn to regulate our lives around it.
When our lives are in tune with the sabbatical rhythm,
we are faithful in obeying the rest of the commandments to live before God.
The one day of rest of this week was part of God's good design for us,
and God Himself modeled it for us in creation.
But we also see that remember is used because we are quick to forget.
We're quick to forget the worship of God and to make Him holy.
A healthy sabbatical practice bolsters a healthy holy living every day.
We rest on the Sabbath so that we can rest in Christ every day.
They are not mutually exclusive things, as if they're opponents,
but they are true in holy duties together.
As we see in the Ten Commandments,
three are about worshiping God all the time.
One's about time.
In the same way, we should rest in Christ all the time.
But one command would be to rest in Him on a special day.
In Exodus 20, 8 through 11,
we see the continuation of the Sabbath.
When Jesus Christ came, lived, died,
He completely obeyed and fulfilled the law.
In the fulfillment of the law,
the ceremonial and civil aspects of the law were fulfilled and abolished.
The moral law, summarized in the Ten Commandments,
serve as a rule of life for the church.
For the Christian, the law is no longer a schoolmaster
showing us of all the wrongs that we have done,
but the law is a treasure and a guide,
showing us how to love our God.
The Christian's proper response to the law is delight,
because they know how to love and worship God.
Hebrews 4, 1 through 11,
teaches us that there still remains a Sabbath rest
for the believers today.
If you'll turn there with me,
we will look at Hebrews 4, 1 through 11.
Beginning in verse 1.
Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands,
let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
For good news came to us just as to them,
but the message they heard did not benefit them,
because they were not united by faith to those who listened.
For we who have believed that rest,
as He had said,
as I swore on my wrath,
they shall not enter my rest.
Although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.
For He has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way.
God rested on the seventh day from all His works.
And again in this passage, He said,
they shall not enter my rest.
Since, therefore, it remains for some to enter it,
and those who formerly received the good news
failed to enter because of disobedience.
And again, He appoints a certain day today,
saying through David,
so long afterward,
and the words already quoted,
Today, if you hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts.
For if Joshua had given them rest,
God would have spoken of another day later on.
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
For whoever has entered God's rest
has also rested from His works as God did from His.
Let us, therefore, strive to enter that rest,
so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
As you're reading, you probably observed that there is a lot of uses of the word rest.
Rest is all throughout Hebrews chapter 4.
And the author in this book is not using the rest in a linear fashion as one usage,
but showing multiple types of rest.
He shows the rest of God at creation,
the rest of entering the promised land,
and other types of rest.
But he's using these examples to portray three types of rest we find in Hebrews chapter 4.
We see in Hebrews chapter 4,
there is one rest in Christ.
We see this in verses 2 through 3.
Number two,
the saints' everlasting rest in heaven.
We see this in verses 11 through 13.
And number three,
that there is a Sabbath rest.
We see in Hebrews 4, 9.
In verses 2 through 3,
we see that rest is found in Christ.
The one who believes in the gospel of Jesus Christ
has been united to him by faith
and enters his rest.
In verses 11 through 13,
there is a command to strive to enter everlasting rest.
While the believer has rest in Christ,
they continually set their eyes
on the everlasting rest to come.
This is done through God's living and abiding word.
In verse 9,
the author makes clear
that there is a Sabbath observance for the believer.
We see this in three ways.
Number one,
the phrase,
there remains,
is used to describe action
that is presently required.
And this is how the word remains
is used in the rest of the book of Hebrews.
Number two,
the word used for rest
is completely different than all the rest of the words.
If you were a normal Greek reader in this time,
reading Hebrews chapter 4,
this is what you would hear.
Katapausis,
there remains a Katapausis,
Katapausis,
Sabbatismos,
Katapausis,
Katapausis.
And in that,
there seems to be a different word
with a distinct and different meaning.
This is demonstrated
in the usage of this word.
This word is only used one time
in all of scripture.
Hebrews chapter 4,
verse 9.
The third reason,
while I think this means
Sabbath rest,
Sabbath keeping,
or Sabbath observance,
is that the word
Sabbatismos
is used four times
in post-biblical writings.
And in the Septuagint,
it's used with
relative associated terms
that are associated with the same verbs
to mean
Sabbath observance.
In both all post-biblical writings
and the Septuagint
with related terms,
all of it means
Sabbath observance
or Sabbath keeping.
The Lexan Theological Dictionary
supports this definition,
saying,
this noun,
Sabbatismos,
is derived from the verb
Sabbatidzo,
which means
the rest on the Sabbath
and helps us understand
that Sabbatismos
means resting on the Sabbath.
The usage
in post-biblical sources
and the Septuagint
helps understand
that the word Sabbatismos
in Hebrews 4, 9
has the meaning
of Sabbath observance
or Sabbath keeping.
So when the believer
is reading Hebrews 4, 9,
it is to be understood
that there remains
a Sabbath keeping
or a Sabbath rest
for the people of God.
Brothers and sisters,
God has designed
the Sabbath
for man and woman
as a practice
to be kept
until the blessed
and happy rest
that we have
in all eternity.
The 1689 says,
this day is kept
to the end of the age
as a Christian Sabbath.
While verse 9
reminds the people
of God
of their sabbatical duty,
verse 10
gives the people
of God
the foundation
of this duty.
In verse 10,
it says,
for whoever
has entered God's rest
has also rested
from his works
as God did
from his.
The New King James
translation says,
he who has
entered God's rest
instead of whoever.
I'm inclined
to see that
the New King James
translation has
a better rendering here.
Verse 10
is not talking
about believers
but of Christ.
The only one
who can truly rest
from and in his works
as God did
in creation,
in the creation
of the world,
is Jesus
who did
in the new creation.
Just as God
rested from his work
of creation,
Jesus now rests
from his work
of new creation.
And as Hebrews 1.3
says,
he sat down
at the right hand
of majesty.
The former Sabbath
of the New Testament
has been abolished
and is fulfilled
in the work of Christ.
The Christian Sabbath
is the first day
of the week
and is a day
to find rest
in the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
Jesus came,
he lived,
he died,
and he rose again.
That our old lives
would be dead in him
and our new lives
would live in him.
It is Christ
who now lives in us.
And just as Jesus
rose from the dead
bringing victory
and life for us,
we wake up
on Sunday mornings
to celebrate
and to rest
in Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters,
are there any here
today that is
weary
or heavy laden?
Are any here
carrying the weight
of their sin
feeling
condemnation?
Are there any
who are anxious
or who are
depressed
or who feel
unstable?
Is there anyone
who is suffering
that feels
as if their life
is tossed
to and fro
like a wave?
Look no further.
The salve
of your soul
is presented
to you this morning.
You can come
to the house
of God
on the day
of rest
and we have
a Savior
who gives rest
to his children.
Our Savior,
Jesus Christ,
offers rest
from our sins
and works.
So today,
you can come
without price,
privilege,
or works
and rest
in Christ.
As Matthew
11, 28-30 says,
Come to me
all who labor
and heavy laden
and I
will give you
rest.
Take my yoke
upon you
and learn from me
for I am gentle
and lowly in heart
and you will find
rest for your souls.
My yoke
is easy
and my burden
is light.
Our souls
now rest
in Christ
as we look
forward
to the eternal
rest to come.
That one day
we will be
delivered from
this body of death.
One day
we will no longer
be stained
by sin
and be wrestling
with the flesh.
So as the day
is approaching
when our rest
will be full
and forever,
brothers and sisters,
rest now
in Christ
with your gaze
looking forward
towards eternity.
Our Sabbath day
is designed
as a day
of gospel rest.
This is done
corporately
in our gatherings
and privately
in our homes.
Truly,
the Lord's day
is a day
of resting
in Christ.
Point number three.
The Lord's day
is a day
to be kept
holy to God.
If you turn
back over
on your outline
to the confession,
chapter 22,
paragraph 8
summarizes
how to sanctify
the Lord's day,
how to make
this day holy.
The Sabbath
is kept holy
to the Lord
when people
have first prepared
their hearts
appropriately
and arrange
their everyday
affairs
in advance.
Then they
observe a holy
rest all day
from their own
works,
words,
and thoughts
about their
secular employment
and recreation.
Not only that,
but they also
fill the whole time
with public
and private
acts of worship
and duties
of necessity
and mercy.
Under this point,
we're going to have
three sub-points.
Preparation,
observation,
and contemplation.
Number one,
preparation.
First,
the Lord's day
is a day
holy,
that is to be
kept holy
by preparing
for the day.
This preparation
involves preparing
our hearts
before the Lord
and taking care
of our normal
tasks in advance.
When we work
in the preparation
for the Lord's day,
we are keeping
the day holy.
Our preparation
is giving time
to make this day
sacred and precious
for the worship
of Yahweh.
So just as the
Israelites would come
and do ceremonial
practices to
approach God,
we come and
prepare our hearts
to approach Him
in worship today.
And just as
Israelites would
get their house
together and
clean up and
make sure they're
not doing the
work they would
need to do
every day,
we prepare our
normal everyday
affairs and our
work so that we
can spend this day
in worship to
our God.
The day is not
about what we
don't do,
but it's a day
where we occupy
ourselves with our
King of Kings
and our Lord
of Lords,
and our
triune God,
the Father,
Son,
and the Spirit.
I don't have
much time to
provide a lot
of practical
examples for
how this is
done.
I'd be happy
to give some
areas that I
think would be
really helpful
if you want
to talk.
But another
suggestion I
have is Nathan
preached a
three-part
series on this
subject in
2018.
And if you
go to CFC's
website,
scroll all the
way down to
the bottom
and go to
sermons,
he has a
series on
Exodus 19,
and 20.
If you go to
those sermons,
you can find
them there,
and he gives
so many great
practical observations
that we can do
to help prepare
and set this
day apart.
Also,
the Puritans
have written
some great
material on
practicing the
Sabbath well.
So I want to
give you a couple
quotes on how
they describe
preparing for
this day.
Richard Baxter
calls the
Lord's Day
a day for
heart work.
For the
Puritans,
the battle
for our
Lord's Day
is won or
lost on the
foregoing
Saturday night,
when time
should be set
aside for
self-examination,
confession,
and prayer for
the coming
day.
George
Swinnick
says,
if thou
wouldst leave
thy heart
with God
on Saturday
night,
thou
shouldst find
it with
him in
the Lord's
Day morning.
Richard Baxter
says,
go seasonably
to bed,
that you
may not
be sleepy
on the
Lord's
Day.
Number two
of the
sub-points,
observation.
In keeping
the Lord's
Day holy,
we observe
a holy rest
from everyday
affairs and
secular
employment.
Instead of
focusing on
everyday affairs
and secular
employment,
we are
resting in
the finished
work of
Christ and
filling this
whole day
with worship
of God.
This was
the central
part of the
Lord's
Day is
the gathering
of the
saints for
corporate
worship.
We see
this in
Acts 27
and in
1 Corinthians
16,
1-2.
Instead of
keeping the
Sabbath on
Saturday,
the saints
after the
resurrection
of Christ
would gather
on the
first day
of the
week,
called
the
Lord's
Day,
to
worship
God.
Scripture
testifies to
this change
and church
history
authenticates
this change.
The purpose
for corporate
gathering of
the saints
is to
worship
our
sovereign
king.
1 Timothy
3-16
calls the
gathering of
the church
the household
of God.
Paul calls
this gathering
the church
of the living
God.
In Matthew
18,
verses 15-20,
Jesus explains how to
confront sin in the
church,
and if necessary,
how to apply church
discipline.
But in verse 20
of Matthew 18,
it says,
it is in the
church of the
living God,
his household,
that in a
special way,
his presence
is here.
When Paul
exhorts Timothy
to preach the
word in 2
Timothy 4,
he gives a
severe warning.
He says,
I charge you
in the
presence of
God,
who is the
judge of
the living
and the
dead,
by his
appearing in
kingdom,
preach the
word.
the presence
of God
is with
his people
in a special
way on the
Lord's Day,
in the
gathering of
the saints
as the
church.
And when the
preacher goes
before the
pulpit,
he is under
solemn oath,
a solemn
pledge to
preach God's
word and
nothing else.
And it is
this word
preached that
we see in
2 Timothy 3
that matures
the church,
and it is
this word
preached we
see in 1
Timothy that
makes the
people holy.
The people
of God
experience
God in
the
preaching
of his
word.
So,
brothers and
sisters,
the gathering
of our
church on
a Sunday
morning is
not a
social
endeavor.
We come
together to
worship the
living God.
We come
to praise
him and
to hear
his word
brought forth
to bear
on our
lives.
When we
come to
the gathering
of the
saints,
we are
coming for
the God
who is
the blessed
and only
sovereign,
the King
of kings,
and the
Lord of
lords.
So,
as we
consider
the
Lord's
day,
and how
to
steward
this
day
for
his
glory
and
our
good,
we need
to set
this day,
especially this
gathering that
we're in,
as holy,
as a sacred
day and a
sacred time.
If possible,
the gathering of
the church should
not be missed
because it is the
household of God
gathered,
and the living God
is especially
present here.
the Puritans,
when they talked
about going
to church,
they didn't say
we're going to
church,
they would say
we're going
to sermon,
because they're
going to hear
the word of
God proclaimed,
brought to
bear,
so that it
would change
them,
and not only
them,
that it would
change their
lives.
So,
after that,
the fathers
would then
go home,
and they would
teach their
kids from
the oldest
to the youngest
the sermon,
so that the
kids would
know the word,
it would be
in their hearts,
and Lord willing,
they would grow
into it,
and it would
change them.
The gathering
of the saints
for us is a
time for us
to rejoice.
It's a delight,
it's a feast,
where we come
and hear about
the proclamation
of Jesus Christ,
and where we
rest in his
finished work,
and where we
look forward
to the day
approaching,
where we have
eternal rest.
While the
primacy of our
gathering is to
worship our
triune God,
there is an
important and
organic component
that scripture
stresses,
in the gathering
of the church,
believers are
covenanted
together for
Christian practice.
Hebrews 10,
24-25 says,
and let us
consider how to
stir up one
another to love
and good works,
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.
Our gathering
together is to
worship Yahweh,
and the organic
means that we
come together
is that we
come together
to minister to
one another,
to love and
to stir in
good works.
The Puritans
call this every
limb, every
member ministry.
J.I. Packer
describes it this
way,
the New Testament
picture,
the New Testament
picture is the
local church as a
body in which
every member,
that is literally
every limb,
has its own
part to play in
advancing the
welfare and growth
as a whole.
1 Peter 4,
10-11 calls us
to steward God's
grace given to
us.
The way in which
we steward God's
grace is to use
our giftings to
serve his body.
When we come
together, we are
called to serve
one another by
stirring one another
in love and
helping each other
become more
heavenward.
So be encouraged
by 1 Peter 4,
10-11.
As each has
received a gift,
use it to serve
one another as
good stewards of
God's varied grace.
Whoever speaks as
one who speaks
oracles of God,
whoever serves as
one who serves by
the strength that
God supplies, in
order that in
everything God may
be glorified through
Jesus Christ, to
him belong glory and
dominion forever and
ever.
Amen.
The Lord's Day
gathering includes
the gathering of the
church as a central
day and it also
includes how we
spend the rest of
our day.
So the central part
of our day is
coming together
as a church,
as the household
of God,
as the temple
and as the body
of Christ.
But it's also
important how we
spend the rest of
our day.
And that's where we
talk about the
Sabbath keeping,
is that the rest of
our day should be
spent in ways that
encourage and provoke
worship of God
and rest in Christ.
J.I.
Packer says
regarding the
Sabbath keeping,
Sabbath keeping
means action,
not inaction.
The Lord's Day is
not a day for
idleness.
A Puritanist
said,
idleness is a
sin every day,
but much more
on the Lord's
Day.
J.I.
Packer goes on
to say,
we are to rest
from the business
of our earthly
calling in order
to prosecute the
business of our
heavenly calling.
These acts of
worship can be
offered through
hospitality,
through holy
conversations,
through talking
of the things
of God.
This can be done
through taking a
nap, going on
walks, hikes,
playing in the yard,
going to the park.
The intention
is to live
in a manner
that is worshipful
to God
and helps your
family worship
God.
On the negative,
we should avoid
things that make
our mind dull
and idle.
We should not
engage in things
that provoke
sin in our
hearts.
In a great
article by
Robert Godfrey
called
Revived by
Sabbath Revival,
he says,
as we seek
to cultivate
afresh a
Sabbath keeping
among us,
we need to do
that positively.
We should not
in the first
place ask what
we may not
do as a list
of do and
don'ts.
Rather, we
should ask how
we can give
this day to
God to develop
our relationship
with him.
In answer to
any question
about what we
may do on
Sunday, we
should first
ask if it
contributes to
the giving of
the day to
the Lord.
If work or
recreation distracts
us from God,
then it is not
appropriate to
the Sabbath.
We don't need
a long list of
approved or
forbidden activities,
but we need
to simply
ask, does
this contribute
to worshiping
the Lord and
giving this day
to the Lord?
The Sabbath is
not a day of
do and don'ts,
it's a day of
rest and delight
in our God.
Finally, in
brief,
contemplation.
The Sabbath,
the Lord's day,
is a day that
is to be kept
holy and a day
of rest until
we reach our
final rest.
Robert Godfrey
says, we need
the Sabbath now
as a foretaste
of the blessed
eternal rest
that Christ
has won for
us.
Our fellowship
with him in
public and
private worship
on the Lord's
day is the
beginning of
that everlasting
rest that he
promises.
The rest that
we partake in
every day in
Christ, and
especially on
the Sabbath
day, helps
us anticipate
the marriage
supper of
the Lamb.
It helps us
long for the
day when sin
will be no
more, when sin
will be vanquished
and we will be
perfectly arrayed
in glory.
Our Sabbath
rest is a
longing for a
greater rest, a
rest of eternal
communion with
our Lord.
This is a day
of contemplation
what is to
come and
remind ourselves
it is far
better than
the earthly
joys that we
have now.
This is a day
to teach our
children that
life is
temporary and
there is much
joy in heaven
to come, that
we don't live
for this world
but we live
for the world
to come.
This is a day
that we look
forward and
rest backwards
until we
one day
rest finally
forward.
A lot of us
parents with
young kids are
hearing this
probably and
thinking, how
do I do
this?
How can I
sit down and
tell my kids
certain things
about the
Lord's Day?
How can I
cultivate this
in my home?
Because right
now for a lot
of us, life
is crazy with
littles.
My suggestion
is that our
Sabbath keeping
looks different
than older kids
in the home.
If we had
older kids in
the home,
there would
be more
conversations,
more investment
in the growing
together and
knowing the
Lord.
But for the
littles, I
recommend that
we now develop
habits and
practices that
we can cultivate
in our home,
that become
normal in our
home and
regulate our
lives to the
sabbatical rhythm.
And Lord
willing, as they
grow up, these
practices will be
normal.
They'll be
something that
they look forward
to and that
they can delight
in.
So in closing,
the Lord's Day
is a sacred
day where God
alone is
worshipped.
We rest from
our normal
affairs and
find solace in
the finished
work of
Christ.
It is a
day to be
kept holy.
A sabbatical
life is a
life of rhythm
and helps us
regulate a
proper worship
of God.
Let every
day be a
day of rest
in Christ,
but let
especially the
Lord's Day
be a day of
rest and
feasting with
your Lord.
I want to
leave you with
a quote from
Richard Baxter
in his book
The Everlasting
Rest of the
Saints.
May the
living God
who is the
portion rest of
his saints
make these
our carnal
minds so
spiritual and
our earthly
hearts so
heavenly that
loving him and
delighting in
him may be
the work of
our hearts.
Let us pray
together.