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Stewarding Our Lord's Day · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Good morning. It is a privilege to be with you this morning and preach God's word.
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! 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.
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While Nathan's on sabbatical, the elders have decided that a series on stewardship would be beneficial to us.
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The normal rhythm of our preaching is a verse-by-verse exposition.
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We hope to preach expository, expositionally, and our hope is to bring out the meaning of Scripture and to apply it to your lives.
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During this series, we are taking a topical approach in looking at different topics of Scripture.
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We're going to do this in four parts. Last week, Zach took the topic of preaching on stewarding our time.
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Today, my responsibility and privilege is to teach our second message on stewarding our Lord's day.
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To teach a series on stewardship, we need to define what stewardship is.
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Stewardship, when discussing Scripture, involves taking care of all that God has given us.
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So for this message, I'm going to define stewardship, and you'll see the definition,
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as something God has entrusted to us for His supreme glory and our ultimate good.
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What God has given to us is our responsibility to care for as God has instructed in His Word.
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So when we talk about God's supreme glory, it means that in everything that we've been given,
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that we use it or manage it for God's glory.
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And all these things should go to bring about good in our lives and to the glory of God.
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So the main point for today's message is the Lord's day is God's gift to us,
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and we have a responsibility to steward this day for His supreme glory and our ultimate good.
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Now that we've defined what stewardship means, let's clearly define what the Lord's day means.
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In the 1689 London Baptist Confession, there is a helpful summary of what the Lord's day is.
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On your outline, if you flip to the back, I've provided this definition if you want to read with me.
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In 1689 chapter 22, paragraphs 7 through 8, it says,
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It is the law of nature that in general portion of time specified by God should be set apart for the worship of God.
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So by His Word, in a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment that obligates everyone in every age,
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He has specifically anointed one day in seven for a Sabbath to be kept holy to Him.
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From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, the appointed day was the last day of the week.
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After the resurrection of Christ, it was changed to the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's day.
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This day is to be kept to the end of the age as a Christian Sabbath,
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since the observance of the last day of the week has been abolished.
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The Sabbath is kept holy to the Lord when people have first prepared their hearts appropriately
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and arranged their everyday affairs in advance.
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Then they observe a holy rest all day from their works, words, and thoughts about secular employment and recreation.
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Not only that, but they also fill the whole time with public and private acts of worship
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and the duties of necessity and mercy.
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So this is how I would define the Lord's day that I think that we've seen in church history
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and what I believe the Bible teaches for us.
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To see this in Scripture, though, I hope for us to go to Exodus 20, verses 1 through 11.
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And then we'll spend our time there, and then we'll spend our time in Hebrews 4.
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So if you'll take your copy of God's Word and turn to Exodus 20 with me.
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Exodus 20, starting in verse 1.
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Hear and believe the word of the Lord.
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And God spoke all these words, saying,
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I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
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You shall have no other gods before me.
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You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
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or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
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You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God,
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visiting iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
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but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
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You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,
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for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
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Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
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Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
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but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.
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On it you shall not do any work you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant
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or your livestock or the sojourner who is within your gates.
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For in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them,
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and rested on the seventh day.
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Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
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Here in Exodus 20 we are presented with what we call the Ten Commandments.
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We see that the first four commandments instruct us on what it looks like to love God.
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And the last six commandments instruct us on what it looks like to love others.
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So the first four commandments help us understand that to love God is to worship him and him alone.
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In the first four commands he specifies how he is to be worshipped.
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Look at the first command with me.
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He says, in the first command he shows us who is to be worshipped.
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In the second command he tells us how to be worshipped.
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In the third command he directs us in what way we worship him.
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And in the fourth command he advises us on when we should engage in public worship.
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The commands provide us with the what, the who, and the how for worshipping God.
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But it also provides us of the when.
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So we'll see this in three points.
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The first point today is the Lord's day is a day of worship to Yahweh alone.
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And the sub-point is the name of Yahweh.
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When we begin this text, when we look at verses 1 through 2, we see the phrase that says,
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I am the Lord your God.
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The Lord in all caps in our copy of God's word is a translation of his personal name, Yahweh.
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When we read this word in the Bible, it calls to mind who God is.
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It did for the Israelites.
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When God revealed himself to Moses, he said to him, I am who I am.
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And he said to Moses, say this to the people of Israel, I am has sent you.
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In Exodus 3, God's revelation of his personal name, he reveals that he is who he is.
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Or this could translate as, he will be who he will be.
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In this verse, we see a clear testimony that God has always been and that he always will be.
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God is who he is all the time.
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There is not a moment that we will find when God is not God or has given up his godness.
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He has always been.
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He is and he always will be.
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Our God will never change.
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So Yahweh will always be who he is all the time.
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This is the great I am.
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When we read about God and his name, it defines who he is.
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It carries an understanding of the wondrous works he's done and what he is like.
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We naturally do this too.
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We naturally associate what people are like with names.
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So when you think about naming a kid, you don't choose certain names because it reminds you of certain things.
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In our case, we named our son William.
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William is a name for Bill, who is a mentor of mine and has blessed me and set a good example of godliness.
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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.
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It's a name that brings great association.
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It reminds me that Bill is a man who has walked faithfully in serving the Lord and he loves him with his whole heart.
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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.
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When it says, I am Yahweh, it reminds us that this is God.
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Verse 2 also says, Yahweh, your God.
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This is Yahweh, the God of the people Israel.
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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.
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We see in the verse that he defines who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
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They are reminded that he is God and that he'll always be God.
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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.
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So I'd love us to consider God's greatness and goodness for a moment.
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In considering God's greatness, Yahweh is incomprehensible.
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He is far too great for us to even know.
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His name is too wonderful.
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His thoughts are too deep.
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His power is too great.
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His wisdom is too inscrutable.
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His being is too vast.
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Our God does not depend upon anyone.
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He does not change like shifting shadows.
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He does not have fleeting or changing emotions as if we cannot depend upon him.
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No, Yahweh is independent.
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He is all say.
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All things come from him, from within him.
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And he does not depend upon anything.
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He alone is God.
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He alone is Yahweh.
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Isn't this how we see in Psalms when David describes God?
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Psalm 145, 3 says,
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Great is Yahweh and greatly to be praised.
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His greatness is unsearchable.
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Psalm 147, 5.
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Great is our Lord and abundant power.
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His understanding is beyond measure.
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How about how Isaiah describes them in Isaiah 46?
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I am God and there is none other.
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I am God and there is none like me.
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Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done.
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Saying,
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My counsel shall stand and I will accomplish my purpose.
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Or how about Isaiah 55, verses 8 through 9?
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For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, declares Yahweh.
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For as high as the heaven is above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways,
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and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
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Truly, God is incomprehensible and majestic and too great for us to know.
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But He is also good.
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He has revealed Himself to us in His creation and revelation.
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And we see His goodness.
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He is full of steadfast love.
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He lavishes His mercy and grace upon us.
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He is kind and compassionate.
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He is holy and just.
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He sees us and knows us.
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He is near to the broken and takes care of the widows and the orphans.
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We see this also in the Psalms when David says,
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Yahweh works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
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He may known His ways to Moses, His acts to the people of Israel.
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Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
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He will not always chide, nor will He keep His anger forever.
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He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
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For as high as the heaven is above the earth, so great is His steadfast love towards those who fear Him.
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And as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.
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As a father shows compassion to his children, so Yahweh shows compassion to those who fear Him.
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For He knows our frame.
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He remembers that we are dust.
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Or how about Psalm 147.3?
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He says, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
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So when we read Exodus and we see in verse 2 that He's introduced as,
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I am Yahweh, your God.
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He shows His redemption in that verse.
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But it also carries this meaning that this is God.
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And it should cause us to be enthralled.
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It should cause us to praise that this is the God that we come now to worship.
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On our Lord's Day, when we steward it, when we manage our day,
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we're preparing our hearts to go and meet the living God in the church of the living God.
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So when we get here, we see that this is how Moses introduces the Ten Commandments.
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After presenting himself to Israel as Yahweh, the God who has saved them from their slavery,
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He then gives them His gracious rules for how to love and worship Him.
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These rules are a demonstration of God's grace to inform us how we should live.
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He has revealed Himself to us.
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For the unbelieving, these rules serve as a rod that condemns, that shows one of their sin.
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But for the believing, these rules are a guide and a counsel.
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A counselor.
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Psalm 119.18 says,
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Open my eyes that I may behold the wondrous things of your law.
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Psalm 119.24 says,
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Your testimonies are my delight.
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They are my counselors.
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And Psalm 119.10 says,
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The law is more to be desired than gold.
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Even much fine gold.
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And sweeter also than the honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
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According to the Bible, the law is something that is sweeter than honey and richer than gold.
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And it is good.
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And it is gracious that we have them so that we can love and worship God properly.
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So in the first three commandments, we see that because God is Yahweh, He deserves our worship exclusively.
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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.
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In fact, for those who make images to represent God and worship Him,
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when they make something and they bow down to it, they're actually heaping up judgment.
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Verse 5 says,
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I, Yahweh, your God, am a jealous God.
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We should not make images to worship or resemble God because we have God to worship.
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Our love and affection finds its chief end and purpose in God.
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Man and woman, God's image bearers, the crown of His glorious creation,
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find their purpose and fulfillment in the worship of God.
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Creation and all that is within it was made to worship and glorify God.
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That's what the Bible is teaching from beginning to end.
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We are image bearers and our goal is to reflect the majesty and the glory and the splendor of our God.
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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.
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The word here, take, is the Hebrew word that is used to mean to carry or to lift.
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The verse is saying that we should not bear the name of Yahweh in a worthless manner.
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As followers of the one true God, the way we speak and live is not inconsequential,
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but it matters consequently.
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When we speak, our words represent the God we worship.
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When we act, our actions reflect the God we serve.
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The third commandment directs us to bear God's image well,
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to reflect and represent Him well in the world we live.
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So finally, the fourth commandment informs the time in which we should worship.
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In the first three commandments, one sees that God requires worship exclusively,
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and this is done in how we live for Him.
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According to the first three commandments, our worship to Yahweh is every day.
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Every day we're commanded to worship God and bear His name well.
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In the fourth commandment, God reminds the people that while they represent and image God every moment,
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there is a special day that God has established for His people to worship Him.
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This precious and sacred day is the day we call the Sabbath day.
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Leads me to point number two.
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The Lord's day is the day of resting in Christ.
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So look at Exodus 28 with me.
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It says,
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Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
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This verse here is not establishing a Sabbath day for the people of God to start doing.
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It is pointing back to Genesis 2, 1-3,
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and telling the people to remember the Sabbath day that He has established.
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This command was established in creation and was meant for the people of Israel to keep.
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Genesis 2, 1-3 says,
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Thus the heavens and earth were finished and all the host of them.
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And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done
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and rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.
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So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy
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because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation.
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We see here that the Sabbath day is what we call a creation ordinance or a creation law.
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It was established in creation for all humanity.
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At this point there wasn't Israel and other nations.
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It was Ab and Eve.
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It was meant for all humanity to observe.
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It is meant to be kept from the beginning of creation
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and to the end of the world when we have final and internal rest.
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So in Genesis 2, 1-3, we see a few things.
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We see that God has instituted a pattern or rhythm meant to be kept of work and rest.
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For six days you shall labor,
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but on the seventh day you shall observe the Sabbath rest.
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Number two, the Sabbath day was a day of rest.
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And number three, the seventh day was made holy.
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It is a day to be sanctified by all men in the day in which God has blessed.
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So when we get to Exodus 28, the word remember is recalling.
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It's not establishing a new thing to practice.
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It's something that God has reminded us that has been since creation.
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The use of the word remember shows us that we have a sacred practice established by God since creation.
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This command is for the perpetuity of the sabbatical rhythm.
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Six days we work, one day we rest.
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The command emphasizes the continuity of a Sabbath day.
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This day is to be exalted as a significant day of the week where we come,
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revere, and worship Yahweh, and we find rest in Him.
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The Westminster Larger Catechism, in discussing the Fourth Commandment, asked this question.
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Why is the word remember set in the beginning of the Fourth Commandment?
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And the response of the catechism is,
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the word remember is set in the beginning of the Fourth Commandment,
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partly because of the great benefit of remembering it.
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We being thereby helped in our preparation to keep it,
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and in keeping it, better to keep all the rest of the commandments.
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And to continue a thankful remembrance of two great benefits of creation and redemption,
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and partly because we're very ready to forget it.
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The Sabbath helps God's people to be reminded of the sanctity of the day that God has set,
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and it's important that we learn to regulate our lives around it.
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When our lives are in tune with the sabbatical rhythm,
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we are faithful in obeying the rest of the commandments to live before God.
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The one day of rest of this week was part of God's good design for us,
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and God Himself modeled it for us in creation.
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But we also see that remember is used because we are quick to forget.
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We're quick to forget the worship of God and to make Him holy.
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A healthy sabbatical practice bolsters a healthy holy living every day.
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We rest on the Sabbath so that we can rest in Christ every day.
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They are not mutually exclusive things, as if they're opponents,
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but they are true in holy duties together.
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As we see in the Ten Commandments,
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three are about worshiping God all the time.
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One's about time.
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In the same way, we should rest in Christ all the time.
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But one command would be to rest in Him on a special day.
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In Exodus 20, 8 through 11,
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we see the continuation of the Sabbath.
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When Jesus Christ came, lived, died,
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He completely obeyed and fulfilled the law.
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In the fulfillment of the law,
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the ceremonial and civil aspects of the law were fulfilled and abolished.
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The moral law, summarized in the Ten Commandments,
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serve as a rule of life for the church.
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For the Christian, the law is no longer a schoolmaster
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showing us of all the wrongs that we have done,
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but the law is a treasure and a guide,
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showing us how to love our God.
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The Christian's proper response to the law is delight,
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because they know how to love and worship God.
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Hebrews 4, 1 through 11,
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teaches us that there still remains a Sabbath rest
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for the believers today.
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If you'll turn there with me,
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we will look at Hebrews 4, 1 through 11.
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Beginning in verse 1.
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Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands,
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let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
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For good news came to us just as to them,
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but the message they heard did not benefit them,
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because they were not united by faith to those who listened.
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For we who have believed that rest,
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as He had said,
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as I swore on my wrath,
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they shall not enter my rest.
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Although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.
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For He has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way.
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God rested on the seventh day from all His works.
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And again in this passage, He said,
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they shall not enter my rest.
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Since, therefore, it remains for some to enter it,
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and those who formerly received the good news
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failed to enter because of disobedience.
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And again, He appoints a certain day today,
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saying through David,
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so long afterward,
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and the words already quoted,
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Today, if you hear His voice,
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do not harden your hearts.
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For if Joshua had given them rest,
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God would have spoken of another day later on.
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So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
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For whoever has entered God's rest
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has also rested from His works as God did from His.
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Let us, therefore, strive to enter that rest,
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so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
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As you're reading, you probably observed that there is a lot of uses of the word rest.
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Rest is all throughout Hebrews chapter 4.
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And the author in this book is not using the rest in a linear fashion as one usage,
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but showing multiple types of rest.
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He shows the rest of God at creation,
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the rest of entering the promised land,
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and other types of rest.
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But he's using these examples to portray three types of rest we find in Hebrews chapter 4.
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We see in Hebrews chapter 4,
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there is one rest in Christ.
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We see this in verses 2 through 3.
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Number two,
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the saints' everlasting rest in heaven.
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We see this in verses 11 through 13.
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And number three,
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that there is a Sabbath rest.
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We see in Hebrews 4, 9.
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In verses 2 through 3,
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we see that rest is found in Christ.
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The one who believes in the gospel of Jesus Christ
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has been united to him by faith
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and enters his rest.
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In verses 11 through 13,
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there is a command to strive to enter everlasting rest.
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While the believer has rest in Christ,
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they continually set their eyes
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on the everlasting rest to come.
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This is done through God's living and abiding word.
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In verse 9,
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the author makes clear
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that there is a Sabbath observance for the believer.
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We see this in three ways.
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Number one,
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the phrase,
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there remains,
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is used to describe action
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that is presently required.
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And this is how the word remains
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is used in the rest of the book of Hebrews.
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Number two,
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the word used for rest
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is completely different than all the rest of the words.
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If you were a normal Greek reader in this time,
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reading Hebrews chapter 4,
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this is what you would hear.
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Katapausis,
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Katapausis,
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there remains a Katapausis,
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Katapausis,
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Sabbatismos,
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Katapausis,
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Katapausis.
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And in that,
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there seems to be a different word
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with a distinct and different meaning.
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This is demonstrated
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in the usage of this word.
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This word is only used one time
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in all of scripture.
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Hebrews chapter 4,
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verse 9.
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The third reason,
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while I think this means
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Sabbath rest,
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Sabbath keeping,
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or Sabbath observance,
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is that the word
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Sabbatismos
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is used four times
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in post-biblical writings.
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And in the Septuagint,
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it's used with
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relative associated terms
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that are associated with the same verbs
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to mean
27:25
Sabbath observance.
27:26
In both all post-biblical writings
27:28
and the Septuagint
27:30
with related terms,
27:30
all of it means
27:31
Sabbath observance
27:32
or Sabbath keeping.
27:35
The Lexan Theological Dictionary
27:37
supports this definition,
27:38
saying,
27:39
this noun,
27:40
Sabbatismos,
27:41
is derived from the verb
27:43
Sabbatidzo,
27:44
which means
27:45
the rest on the Sabbath
27:46
and helps us understand
27:47
that Sabbatismos
27:48
means resting on the Sabbath.
27:51
The usage
27:52
in post-biblical sources
27:53
and the Septuagint
27:55
helps understand
27:56
that the word Sabbatismos
27:58
in Hebrews 4, 9
27:59
has the meaning
28:00
of Sabbath observance
28:02
or Sabbath keeping.
28:04
So when the believer
28:05
is reading Hebrews 4, 9,
28:07
it is to be understood
28:08
that there remains
28:09
a Sabbath keeping
28:10
or a Sabbath rest
28:12
for the people of God.
28:14
Brothers and sisters,
28:16
God has designed
28:16
the Sabbath
28:17
for man and woman
28:19
as a practice
28:19
to be kept
28:20
until the blessed
28:21
and happy rest
28:22
that we have
28:22
in all eternity.
28:24
The 1689 says,
28:25
this day is kept
28:26
to the end of the age
28:27
as a Christian Sabbath.
28:29
While verse 9
28:31
reminds the people
28:32
of God
28:32
of their sabbatical duty,
28:34
verse 10
28:35
gives the people
28:36
of God
28:36
the foundation
28:37
of this duty.
28:39
In verse 10,
28:40
it says,
28:40
for whoever
28:41
has entered God's rest
28:42
has also rested
28:44
from his works
28:45
as God did
28:45
from his.
28:47
The New King James
28:48
translation says,
28:50
he who has
28:51
entered God's rest
28:53
instead of whoever.
28:55
I'm inclined
28:55
to see that
28:56
the New King James
28:57
translation has
28:58
a better rendering here.
29:00
Verse 10
29:00
is not talking
29:01
about believers
29:01
but of Christ.
29:04
The only one
29:04
who can truly rest
29:05
from and in his works
29:07
as God did
29:08
in creation,
29:09
in the creation
29:10
of the world,
29:10
is Jesus
29:11
who did
29:11
in the new creation.
29:13
Just as God
29:14
rested from his work
29:14
of creation,
29:15
Jesus now rests
29:16
from his work
29:17
of new creation.
29:18
And as Hebrews 1.3
29:19
says,
29:20
he sat down
29:21
at the right hand
29:22
of majesty.
29:24
The former Sabbath
29:25
of the New Testament
29:27
has been abolished
29:28
and is fulfilled
29:29
in the work of Christ.
29:31
The Christian Sabbath
29:31
is the first day
29:33
of the week
29:33
and is a day
29:34
to find rest
29:34
in the gospel
29:35
of Jesus Christ.
29:37
Jesus came,
29:39
he lived,
29:40
he died,
29:41
and he rose again.
29:42
That our old lives
29:43
would be dead in him
29:44
and our new lives
29:45
would live in him.
29:47
It is Christ
29:48
who now lives in us.
29:50
And just as Jesus
29:51
rose from the dead
29:52
bringing victory
29:53
and life for us,
29:55
we wake up
29:55
on Sunday mornings
29:56
to celebrate
29:57
and to rest
29:58
in Jesus Christ.
30:01
Brothers and sisters,
30:03
are there any here
30:04
today that is
30:06
weary
30:06
or heavy laden?
30:09
Are any here
30:10
carrying the weight
30:11
of their sin
30:12
feeling
30:12
condemnation?
30:15
Are there any
30:16
who are anxious
30:17
or who are
30:18
depressed
30:19
or who feel
30:20
unstable?
30:22
Is there anyone
30:23
who is suffering
30:24
that feels
30:24
as if their life
30:25
is tossed
30:26
to and fro
30:27
like a wave?
30:29
Look no further.
30:30
The salve
30:31
of your soul
30:32
is presented
30:32
to you this morning.
30:34
You can come
30:34
to the house
30:35
of God
30:35
on the day
30:36
of rest
30:37
and we have
30:37
a Savior
30:38
who gives rest
30:39
to his children.
30:40
Our Savior,
30:42
Jesus Christ,
30:43
offers rest
30:44
from our sins
30:45
and works.
30:46
So today,
30:47
you can come
30:48
without price,
30:50
privilege,
30:50
or works
30:51
and rest
30:51
in Christ.
30:53
As Matthew
30:54
11, 28-30 says,
30:56
Come to me
30:57
all who labor
30:59
and heavy laden
30:59
and I
31:01
will give you
31:02
rest.
31:03
Take my yoke
31:03
upon you
31:04
and learn from me
31:05
for I am gentle
31:06
and lowly in heart
31:08
and you will find
31:09
rest for your souls.
31:11
My yoke
31:12
is easy
31:12
and my burden
31:13
is light.
31:16
Our souls
31:17
now rest
31:18
in Christ
31:18
as we look
31:19
forward
31:19
to the eternal
31:20
rest to come.
31:22
That one day
31:23
we will be
31:24
delivered from
31:25
this body of death.
31:26
One day
31:26
we will no longer
31:27
be stained
31:28
by sin
31:29
and be wrestling
31:30
with the flesh.
31:31
So as the day
31:32
is approaching
31:33
when our rest
31:34
will be full
31:34
and forever,
31:36
brothers and sisters,
31:37
rest now
31:38
in Christ
31:39
with your gaze
31:40
looking forward
31:41
towards eternity.
31:43
Our Sabbath day
31:44
is designed
31:44
as a day
31:45
of gospel rest.
31:46
This is done
31:47
corporately
31:48
in our gatherings
31:49
and privately
31:49
in our homes.
31:51
Truly,
31:52
the Lord's day
31:52
is a day
31:52
of resting
31:53
in Christ.
31:54
Point number three.
31:56
The Lord's day
31:57
is a day
31:57
to be kept
31:58
holy to God.
32:00
If you turn
32:00
back over
32:01
on your outline
32:01
to the confession,
32:03
chapter 22,
32:04
paragraph 8
32:04
summarizes
32:05
how to sanctify
32:06
the Lord's day,
32:07
how to make
32:08
this day holy.
32:11
The Sabbath
32:11
is kept holy
32:12
to the Lord
32:13
when people
32:14
have first prepared
32:14
their hearts
32:15
appropriately
32:15
and arrange
32:17
their everyday
32:17
affairs
32:18
in advance.
32:19
Then they
32:19
observe a holy
32:20
rest all day
32:21
from their own
32:22
works,
32:22
words,
32:23
and thoughts
32:23
about their
32:24
secular employment
32:25
and recreation.
32:26
Not only that,
32:27
but they also
32:28
fill the whole time
32:29
with public
32:30
and private
32:30
acts of worship
32:31
and duties
32:31
of necessity
32:32
and mercy.
32:33
Under this point,
32:34
we're going to have
32:34
three sub-points.
32:36
Preparation,
32:37
observation,
32:39
and contemplation.
32:41
Number one,
32:41
preparation.
32:44
First,
32:45
the Lord's day
32:45
is a day
32:46
holy,
32:47
that is to be
32:47
kept holy
32:48
by preparing
32:49
for the day.
32:51
This preparation
32:51
involves preparing
32:52
our hearts
32:53
before the Lord
32:54
and taking care
32:54
of our normal
32:55
tasks in advance.
32:57
When we work
32:57
in the preparation
32:58
for the Lord's day,
32:59
we are keeping
32:59
the day holy.
33:02
Our preparation
33:03
is giving time
33:04
to make this day
33:04
sacred and precious
33:05
for the worship
33:06
of Yahweh.
33:07
So just as the
33:08
Israelites would come
33:09
and do ceremonial
33:10
practices to
33:11
approach God,
33:13
we come and
33:13
prepare our hearts
33:14
to approach Him
33:15
in worship today.
33:17
And just as
33:18
Israelites would
33:19
get their house
33:20
together and
33:21
clean up and
33:21
make sure they're
33:22
not doing the
33:22
work they would
33:23
need to do
33:23
every day,
33:24
we prepare our
33:26
normal everyday
33:26
affairs and our
33:27
work so that we
33:28
can spend this day
33:29
in worship to
33:30
our God.
33:32
The day is not
33:34
about what we
33:35
don't do,
33:35
but it's a day
33:36
where we occupy
33:36
ourselves with our
33:38
King of Kings
33:38
and our Lord
33:39
of Lords,
33:40
and our
33:40
triune God,
33:41
the Father,
33:42
Son,
33:42
and the Spirit.
33:45
I don't have
33:46
much time to
33:46
provide a lot
33:47
of practical
33:48
examples for
33:49
how this is
33:50
done.
33:50
I'd be happy
33:51
to give some
33:51
areas that I
33:53
think would be
33:53
really helpful
33:53
if you want
33:54
to talk.
33:55
But another
33:56
suggestion I
33:56
have is Nathan
33:57
preached a
33:58
three-part
33:58
series on this
33:59
subject in
34:00
2018.
34:02
And if you
34:02
go to CFC's
34:03
website,
34:04
scroll all the
34:04
way down to
34:04
the bottom
34:05
and go to
34:05
sermons,
34:06
he has a
34:06
series on
34:07
Exodus 19,
34:08
and 20.
34:10
If you go to
34:10
those sermons,
34:11
you can find
34:11
them there,
34:13
and he gives
34:13
so many great
34:14
practical observations
34:15
that we can do
34:16
to help prepare
34:17
and set this
34:18
day apart.
34:20
Also,
34:21
the Puritans
34:21
have written
34:22
some great
34:23
material on
34:24
practicing the
34:25
Sabbath well.
34:26
So I want to
34:27
give you a couple
34:27
quotes on how
34:28
they describe
34:29
preparing for
34:29
this day.
34:30
Richard Baxter
34:32
calls the
34:33
Lord's Day
34:33
a day for
34:34
heart work.
34:35
For the
34:36
Puritans,
34:37
the battle
34:37
for our
34:37
Lord's Day
34:38
is won or
34:38
lost on the
34:39
foregoing
34:40
Saturday night,
34:41
when time
34:42
should be set
34:42
aside for
34:43
self-examination,
34:44
confession,
34:44
and prayer for
34:45
the coming
34:45
day.
34:46
George
34:47
Swinnick
34:47
says,
34:48
if thou
34:48
wouldst leave
34:49
thy heart
34:49
with God
34:50
on Saturday
34:50
night,
34:51
thou
34:51
shouldst find
34:52
it with
34:53
him in
34:53
the Lord's
34:54
Day morning.
34:55
Richard Baxter
34:57
says,
34:57
go seasonably
34:58
to bed,
34:59
that you
34:59
may not
34:59
be sleepy
35:00
on the
35:00
Lord's
35:00
Day.
35:02
Number two
35:02
of the
35:03
sub-points,
35:04
observation.
35:06
In keeping
35:06
the Lord's
35:07
Day holy,
35:08
we observe
35:08
a holy rest
35:09
from everyday
35:10
affairs and
35:11
secular
35:11
employment.
35:12
Instead of
35:13
focusing on
35:17
everyday affairs
35:17
and secular
35:18
employment,
35:18
we are
35:18
resting in
35:19
the finished
35:20
work of
35:20
Christ and
35:21
filling this
35:21
whole day
35:22
with worship
35:23
of God.
35:24
This was
35:25
the central
35:26
part of the
35:26
Lord's
35:26
Day is
35:27
the gathering
35:28
of the
35:28
saints for
35:29
corporate
35:29
worship.
35:30
We see
35:31
this in
35:31
Acts 27
35:32
and in
35:33
1 Corinthians
35:33
16,
35:34
1-2.
35:35
Instead of
35:35
keeping the
35:36
Sabbath on
35:36
Saturday,
35:37
the saints
35:38
after the
35:38
resurrection
35:39
of Christ
35:40
would gather
35:41
on the
35:41
first day
35:41
of the
35:41
week,
35:42
called
35:42
the
35:42
Lord's
35:43
Day,
35:43
to
35:43
worship
35:43
God.
35:44
Scripture
35:45
testifies to
35:46
this change
35:46
and church
35:47
history
35:47
authenticates
35:48
this change.
35:50
The purpose
35:50
for corporate
35:51
gathering of
35:51
the saints
35:52
is to
35:52
worship
35:53
our
35:53
sovereign
35:53
king.
35:55
1 Timothy
35:55
3-16
35:56
calls the
35:56
gathering of
35:57
the church
35:57
the household
35:58
of God.
35:59
Paul calls
36:00
this gathering
36:01
the church
36:01
of the living
36:02
God.
36:03
In Matthew
36:04
18,
36:05
verses 15-20,
36:07
Jesus explains how to
36:08
confront sin in the
36:09
church,
36:09
and if necessary,
36:10
how to apply church
36:11
discipline.
36:12
But in verse 20
36:13
of Matthew 18,
36:14
it says,
36:15
it is in the
36:21
church of the
36:21
living God,
36:22
his household,
36:23
that in a
36:24
special way,
36:25
his presence
36:26
is here.
36:27
When Paul
36:28
exhorts Timothy
36:28
to preach the
36:29
word in 2
36:30
Timothy 4,
36:31
he gives a
36:31
severe warning.
36:32
He says,
36:33
I charge you
36:34
in the
36:35
presence of
36:36
God,
36:36
who is the
36:37
judge of
36:37
the living
36:38
and the
36:38
dead,
36:39
by his
36:39
appearing in
36:40
kingdom,
36:41
preach the
36:42
word.
36:42
the presence
36:44
of God
36:44
is with
36:45
his people
36:45
in a special
36:46
way on the
36:46
Lord's Day,
36:47
in the
36:48
gathering of
36:48
the saints
36:49
as the
36:50
church.
36:51
And when the
36:51
preacher goes
36:52
before the
36:52
pulpit,
36:53
he is under
36:53
solemn oath,
36:55
a solemn
36:56
pledge to
36:57
preach God's
36:58
word and
36:59
nothing else.
37:00
And it is
37:01
this word
37:01
preached that
37:02
we see in
37:02
2 Timothy 3
37:03
that matures
37:04
the church,
37:05
and it is
37:06
this word
37:07
preached we
37:07
see in 1
37:08
Timothy that
37:08
makes the
37:09
people holy.
37:11
The people
37:11
of God
37:12
experience
37:12
God in
37:13
the
37:13
preaching
37:13
of his
37:14
word.
37:15
So,
37:15
brothers and
37:15
sisters,
37:17
the gathering
37:17
of our
37:18
church on
37:18
a Sunday
37:19
morning is
37:19
not a
37:20
social
37:20
endeavor.
37:21
We come
37:22
together to
37:22
worship the
37:23
living God.
37:24
We come
37:24
to praise
37:25
him and
37:26
to hear
37:26
his word
37:27
brought forth
37:27
to bear
37:28
on our
37:29
lives.
37:30
When we
37:31
come to
37:32
the gathering
37:33
of the
37:33
saints,
37:33
we are
37:33
coming for
37:34
the God
37:35
who is
37:35
the blessed
37:36
and only
37:36
sovereign,
37:37
the King
37:38
of kings,
37:38
and the
37:39
Lord of
37:40
lords.
37:40
So,
37:42
as we
37:42
consider
37:43
the
37:43
Lord's
37:43
day,
37:44
and how
37:44
to
37:44
steward
37:45
this
37:45
day
37:45
for
37:46
his
37:46
glory
37:46
and
37:47
our
37:47
good,
37:48
we need
37:48
to set
37:48
this day,
37:49
especially this
37:50
gathering that
37:50
we're in,
37:51
as holy,
37:52
as a sacred
37:53
day and a
37:54
sacred time.
37:55
If possible,
37:56
the gathering of
37:57
the church should
37:57
not be missed
37:58
because it is the
37:59
household of God
38:00
gathered,
38:01
and the living God
38:01
is especially
38:02
present here.
38:04
the Puritans,
38:06
when they talked
38:07
about going
38:07
to church,
38:09
they didn't say
38:09
we're going to
38:10
church,
38:10
they would say
38:11
we're going
38:11
to sermon,
38:13
because they're
38:13
going to hear
38:14
the word of
38:14
God proclaimed,
38:16
brought to
38:16
bear,
38:17
so that it
38:18
would change
38:18
them,
38:19
and not only
38:19
them,
38:20
that it would
38:20
change their
38:20
lives.
38:21
So,
38:22
after that,
38:23
the fathers
38:23
would then
38:23
go home,
38:24
and they would
38:24
teach their
38:25
kids from
38:25
the oldest
38:25
to the youngest
38:26
the sermon,
38:27
so that the
38:28
kids would
38:28
know the word,
38:29
it would be
38:30
in their hearts,
38:31
and Lord willing,
38:32
they would grow
38:33
into it,
38:33
and it would
38:33
change them.
38:36
The gathering
38:37
of the saints
38:38
for us is a
38:39
time for us
38:40
to rejoice.
38:41
It's a delight,
38:42
it's a feast,
38:43
where we come
38:44
and hear about
38:45
the proclamation
38:45
of Jesus Christ,
38:47
and where we
38:48
rest in his
38:49
finished work,
38:50
and where we
38:50
look forward
38:51
to the day
38:51
approaching,
38:52
where we have
38:53
eternal rest.
38:55
While the
38:56
primacy of our
38:57
gathering is to
38:58
worship our
38:58
triune God,
39:00
there is an
39:00
important and
39:01
organic component
39:02
that scripture
39:03
stresses,
39:03
in the gathering
39:05
of the church,
39:06
believers are
39:07
covenanted
39:07
together for
39:09
Christian practice.
39:10
Hebrews 10,
39:11
24-25 says,
39:14
and let us
39:14
consider how to
39:15
stir up one
39:15
another to love
39:16
and good works,
39:17
not neglecting to
39:18
meet together,
39:19
as is the habit
39:20
of some,
39:21
but encouraging
39:22
one another,
39:23
and all the more
39:24
as you see the
39:25
day drawing near.
39:27
Our gathering
39:28
together is to
39:30
worship Yahweh,
39:30
and the organic
39:31
means that we
39:32
come together
39:32
is that we
39:33
come together
39:34
to minister to
39:34
one another,
39:35
to love and
39:36
to stir in
39:36
good works.
39:38
The Puritans
39:38
call this every
39:39
limb, every
39:40
member ministry.
39:42
J.I. Packer
39:43
describes it this
39:43
way,
39:44
the New Testament
39:45
picture,
39:46
the New Testament
39:47
picture is the
39:47
local church as a
39:48
body in which
39:49
every member,
39:50
that is literally
39:51
every limb,
39:52
has its own
39:53
part to play in
39:54
advancing the
39:55
welfare and growth
39:55
as a whole.
39:57
1 Peter 4,
39:58
10-11 calls us
39:59
to steward God's
40:00
grace given to
40:02
us.
40:03
The way in which
40:03
we steward God's
40:04
grace is to use
40:05
our giftings to
40:06
serve his body.
40:08
When we come
40:09
together, we are
40:09
called to serve
40:10
one another by
40:10
stirring one another
40:11
in love and
40:12
helping each other
40:13
become more
40:13
heavenward.
40:15
So be encouraged
40:16
by 1 Peter 4,
40:18
10-11.
40:20
As each has
40:20
received a gift,
40:21
use it to serve
40:22
one another as
40:23
good stewards of
40:24
God's varied grace.
40:25
Whoever speaks as
40:27
one who speaks
40:28
oracles of God,
40:29
whoever serves as
40:31
one who serves by
40:32
the strength that
40:32
God supplies, in
40:34
order that in
40:35
everything God may
40:36
be glorified through
40:37
Jesus Christ, to
40:39
him belong glory and
40:40
dominion forever and
40:41
ever.
40:42
Amen.
40:44
The Lord's Day
40:44
gathering includes
40:46
the gathering of the
40:46
church as a central
40:47
day and it also
40:49
includes how we
40:51
spend the rest of
40:52
our day.
40:52
So the central part
40:53
of our day is
40:54
coming together
40:55
as a church,
40:56
as the household
40:57
of God,
40:58
as the temple
40:58
and as the body
40:59
of Christ.
41:01
But it's also
41:02
important how we
41:03
spend the rest of
41:03
our day.
41:04
And that's where we
41:05
talk about the
41:05
Sabbath keeping,
41:06
is that the rest of
41:07
our day should be
41:07
spent in ways that
41:09
encourage and provoke
41:10
worship of God
41:12
and rest in Christ.
41:15
J.I.
41:16
Packer says
41:16
regarding the
41:17
Sabbath keeping,
41:18
Sabbath keeping
41:19
means action,
41:20
not inaction.
41:22
The Lord's Day is
41:22
not a day for
41:23
idleness.
41:23
A Puritanist
41:25
said,
41:25
idleness is a
41:26
sin every day,
41:27
but much more
41:28
on the Lord's
41:29
Day.
41:30
J.I.
41:30
Packer goes on
41:31
to say,
41:32
we are to rest
41:32
from the business
41:33
of our earthly
41:34
calling in order
41:35
to prosecute the
41:36
business of our
41:37
heavenly calling.
41:39
These acts of
41:40
worship can be
41:41
offered through
41:41
hospitality,
41:43
through holy
41:43
conversations,
41:44
through talking
41:44
of the things
41:45
of God.
41:47
This can be done
41:48
through taking a
41:48
nap, going on
41:49
walks, hikes,
41:50
playing in the yard,
41:51
going to the park.
41:52
The intention
41:53
is to live
41:54
in a manner
41:54
that is worshipful
41:55
to God
41:56
and helps your
41:56
family worship
41:57
God.
41:58
On the negative,
41:59
we should avoid
42:00
things that make
42:01
our mind dull
42:02
and idle.
42:02
We should not
42:03
engage in things
42:03
that provoke
42:04
sin in our
42:05
hearts.
42:06
In a great
42:07
article by
42:08
Robert Godfrey
42:09
called
42:09
Revived by
42:10
Sabbath Revival,
42:11
he says,
42:13
as we seek
42:14
to cultivate
42:14
afresh a
42:15
Sabbath keeping
42:16
among us,
42:17
we need to do
42:18
that positively.
42:19
We should not
42:20
in the first
42:21
place ask what
42:22
we may not
42:22
do as a list
42:23
of do and
42:24
don'ts.
42:25
Rather, we
42:25
should ask how
42:26
we can give
42:27
this day to
42:27
God to develop
42:28
our relationship
42:29
with him.
42:30
In answer to
42:31
any question
42:31
about what we
42:32
may do on
42:33
Sunday, we
42:34
should first
42:35
ask if it
42:35
contributes to
42:36
the giving of
42:37
the day to
42:37
the Lord.
42:38
If work or
42:39
recreation distracts
42:40
us from God,
42:41
then it is not
42:41
appropriate to
42:42
the Sabbath.
42:44
We don't need
42:45
a long list of
42:46
approved or
42:47
forbidden activities,
42:48
but we need
42:49
to simply
42:49
ask, does
42:51
this contribute
42:52
to worshiping
42:53
the Lord and
42:53
giving this day
42:54
to the Lord?
42:56
The Sabbath is
42:57
not a day of
42:57
do and don'ts,
42:58
it's a day of
42:59
rest and delight
43:00
in our God.
43:01
Finally, in
43:02
brief,
43:03
contemplation.
43:05
The Sabbath,
43:06
the Lord's day,
43:07
is a day that
43:08
is to be kept
43:08
holy and a day
43:09
of rest until
43:10
we reach our
43:11
final rest.
43:13
Robert Godfrey
43:14
says, we need
43:15
the Sabbath now
43:16
as a foretaste
43:17
of the blessed
43:17
eternal rest
43:18
that Christ
43:19
has won for
43:19
us.
43:20
Our fellowship
43:21
with him in
43:21
public and
43:22
private worship
43:23
on the Lord's
43:23
day is the
43:24
beginning of
43:25
that everlasting
43:25
rest that he
43:26
promises.
43:28
The rest that
43:28
we partake in
43:29
every day in
43:31
Christ, and
43:32
especially on
43:32
the Sabbath
43:33
day, helps
43:34
us anticipate
43:35
the marriage
43:36
supper of
43:37
the Lamb.
43:38
It helps us
43:39
long for the
43:40
day when sin
43:40
will be no
43:41
more, when sin
43:42
will be vanquished
43:43
and we will be
43:43
perfectly arrayed
43:44
in glory.
43:45
Our Sabbath
43:47
rest is a
43:47
longing for a
43:48
greater rest, a
43:49
rest of eternal
43:50
communion with
43:51
our Lord.
43:53
This is a day
43:53
of contemplation
43:54
what is to
43:55
come and
43:56
remind ourselves
43:56
it is far
43:57
better than
43:58
the earthly
43:59
joys that we
43:59
have now.
44:01
This is a day
44:01
to teach our
44:02
children that
44:02
life is
44:03
temporary and
44:04
there is much
44:05
joy in heaven
44:06
to come, that
44:06
we don't live
44:07
for this world
44:07
but we live
44:08
for the world
44:09
to come.
44:10
This is a day
44:11
that we look
44:11
forward and
44:12
rest backwards
44:13
until we
44:15
one day
44:15
rest finally
44:16
forward.
44:18
A lot of us
44:18
parents with
44:19
young kids are
44:20
hearing this
44:20
probably and
44:21
thinking, how
44:22
do I do
44:23
this?
44:23
How can I
44:24
sit down and
44:25
tell my kids
44:26
certain things
44:26
about the
44:27
Lord's Day?
44:27
How can I
44:28
cultivate this
44:28
in my home?
44:29
Because right
44:30
now for a lot
44:31
of us, life
44:32
is crazy with
44:33
littles.
44:34
My suggestion
44:35
is that our
44:36
Sabbath keeping
44:37
looks different
44:38
than older kids
44:39
in the home.
44:40
If we had
44:40
older kids in
44:41
the home,
44:41
there would
44:41
be more
44:42
conversations,
44:43
more investment
44:44
in the growing
44:45
together and
44:46
knowing the
44:47
Lord.
44:47
But for the
44:48
littles, I
44:49
recommend that
44:49
we now develop
44:50
habits and
44:51
practices that
44:53
we can cultivate
44:53
in our home,
44:54
that become
44:54
normal in our
44:55
home and
44:56
regulate our
44:57
lives to the
44:58
sabbatical rhythm.
44:59
And Lord
45:00
willing, as they
45:00
grow up, these
45:01
practices will be
45:02
normal.
45:03
They'll be
45:03
something that
45:04
they look forward
45:04
to and that
45:05
they can delight
45:06
in.
45:08
So in closing,
45:10
the Lord's Day
45:10
is a sacred
45:11
day where God
45:12
alone is
45:13
worshipped.
45:13
We rest from
45:14
our normal
45:15
affairs and
45:15
find solace in
45:16
the finished
45:16
work of
45:17
Christ.
45:18
It is a
45:18
day to be
45:19
kept holy.
45:20
A sabbatical
45:21
life is a
45:21
life of rhythm
45:22
and helps us
45:22
regulate a
45:23
proper worship
45:24
of God.
45:25
Let every
45:25
day be a
45:26
day of rest
45:26
in Christ,
45:27
but let
45:27
especially the
45:28
Lord's Day
45:28
be a day of
45:29
rest and
45:30
feasting with
45:31
your Lord.
45:32
I want to
45:33
leave you with
45:33
a quote from
45:34
Richard Baxter
45:34
in his book
45:35
The Everlasting
45:36
Rest of the
45:37
Saints.
45:37
May the
45:39
living God
45:39
who is the
45:40
portion rest of
45:41
his saints
45:42
make these
45:43
our carnal
45:44
minds so
45:44
spiritual and
45:45
our earthly
45:46
hearts so
45:46
heavenly that
45:48
loving him and
45:48
delighting in
45:49
him may be
45:50
the work of
45:51
our hearts.
45:52
Let us pray
45:53
together.