Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 20:8-11, which is the Fourth Commandment. The title of our message is, "Thou shalt keep the Sabbath day." But first, allow me to read this passage: Exodus 20:8-11.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it."
The Christian Sabbath is a very important commandment; however, it is one of the most misunderstood, perhaps the most neglected commandment today. This Fourth Commandment has received very little respect among professing Christians in our generation. There was a time when Christians all over the world would keep the Sabbath; they would not open their shops on Sundays. But all that has changed. People no longer care whether they keep the Sabbath. Some people believe that the Fourth Commandment, along with the other laws of God, has been set aside in Christ and is no longer binding. Others believe that it is a Jewish institution, and therefore it is no longer applicable in the New Testament Church. There are yet others who observe the Sabbath but refuse to change it from the seventh day to the first day of the week, which is Sunday—for example, the Seventh-day Adventists and the Seventh-day Baptists. What is our Christian position in regard to the Sabbath day? This is what we want to learn for tonight's message.
Our first point is: the Sabbath is permanent and it is still applicable today. Many years ago, there was a Christian friend of mine who was taught by some people that the Sabbath is only a ceremonial law and it has passed away, just like all the other ceremonial laws, after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and therefore it is no longer applicable today. Because of that, he refused to attend Sunday worship services.
How sad! Firstly, for those people who say that the Sabbath is a Mosaic ceremonial law, they fail to realize that the Sabbath was instituted even before the law of God was given. Notice when God gave the command, "Remember the Sabbath day," He also gave the basis in verse 11: "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." You can read this text also in the creation of the world in the first book of the Bible, Genesis 2:2-3. In other words, the institution of the Sabbath was way before the law of God was given. Remember, God worked through a creation week: six days of labour and on the seventh day, He rested. In the time of creation, God had already set up the management of human time on a week of seven days. The seven-day week was not the invention of men; it was not instituted by the church; it did not come because of a parliament or a government. Throughout the history of mankind, there were occasions whereby various nations tried to come up with other divisions of time, but all that did not work. Why? Because at the very beginning, God had already laid down the seven-day week: six days of labour and one day of rest. God Himself set the pattern in creation, and in setting the pattern, He also instituted the Sabbath.
Remember in Exodus chapter 16, we learned about the manna from heaven. This was also given before the law, or this event happened before the giving of the law. God set the roots and through Moses, He told the children of Israel how they ought to collect the manna. They were to collect the manna every day, fresh in the morning. If they tried to collect more by the next day, it would rot and breed worms, so they had to collect the manna day by day. But it is interesting that when it came to the seventh day, Moses said to the people, "You are not to gather anything, because on the sixth day, you are to collect twice the amount of manna and God will preserve it." Why was this specific command given? Because of the Sabbath. The children of Israel were familiar with the creation week; they were familiar with the collection of manna. So when the law was given here in this chapter, they were commanded, "Remember the Sabbath day." How can they remember something unless they had heard it before? Right? They already knew about the Sabbath even before they arrived at Mount Sinai. So for those people who believe that the Sabbath is part of the Mosaic ceremonial law, they are greatly deceived. Even before Moses, the Sabbath day was already instituted.
Do you realize that the Sabbath will last for all eternity? Isaiah 66:22 says, "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship me, saith the Lord." One new moon to another is a reference to the monthly coming together to worship, and the prophet Isaiah says, "From one Sabbath to another, they are going to come in worship," which means the Sabbath will continue even beyond the millennial kingdom and onto the new heavens and the new earth where the believers will dwell for all eternity.
Now the next question is: why are we keeping the Sabbath day on Sunday, the first day of the week, instead of Saturday? Well, the resurrection of Christ has transformed the weekly Sabbath. It is no longer the seventh day of the week but the first day. It is no longer called the Sabbath day but the Lord's day, and it is no longer just about remembering the creation of God, but it is to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Remember in verse 2, the children of Israel were commanded to remember that the Lord had redeemed them from the land of Egypt. This is what God said: "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." Today, you and I remember the Christian Sabbath on Sunday because Jesus Christ has accomplished the greater redemption by dying for our sins on the cross of Calvary, and on the third day, He rose again from the dead. B.B. Warfield, the theologian, said, "Christ took the Sabbath into the grave with Him and brought the Lord's day out of the grave on the resurrection morning." What a wonderful expression that is!
The reason why the New Testament records for us all the significant events that happened on the first day of the week. Let me briefly give you some examples. Our Lord Jesus was risen on the first day of the week. He met the disciples on the first day of the week. When He poured out His Spirit at Pentecost, it was the first day of the week. The New Testament Church met on the first day of the week. When the Apostle Paul was in Troas, he went to church on the first day of the week. When he wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 16:2 about the collection of funds, he said to them, "Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." So the apostles had given to us a clear pattern that the New Testament Church met on the first day of the week. But most importantly, Revelation 1:10 calls this special day the Lord's Day. The Apostle John said, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, 'I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.'" In the Old Testament, God calls the Sabbath, "My day." Now He calls it the Lord's day. There are only two things in the New Testament that are said to be the Lord's: one is the Lord's table, the other is the Lord's day. In other words, our Lord Jesus Himself is putting His own stamp on the first day of the week as the Christian Sabbath. Today, we keep the Sabbath because it is permanent and it is still applicable, and we call it the Lord's day.
Our second point is: the Sabbath is not a burden but it is a delight. Let us return to our text in Exodus 20 and look at verse 9: "Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work." This is one part of the Fourth Commandment that has often been overlooked, and that is our duty to work. We always look at this command only as a command to rest, and we forget our duty to work. The Bible says, "Thou shalt labour for six days," and in these six days, you must do all the work, which means this command also includes honouring God by doing an honest week's worth of work: six days' labour, hard and honourable to the Lord. You see, God is the Creator, and He governs our work as well as our rest. He has given us six days to fulfil our earthly responsibilities, duties, and activities, and He wants us to rest on the seventh day. They realise that having six days to work is a divine concession; it is a sign of God's grace.
God could have demanded us to work every day without ceasing, but He did not do that. Instead, He wants us to rest on the seventh. He is a gracious God. But many people look at the Sabbath as a burdensome and cruel day. We ought to admit that what the Pharisees did to the Sabbath was indeed burdensome; it was hypocritical; it was wicked. But that had nothing to do with the Lord setting the Lord's Day. The Pharisees would add extra-biblical laws onto the Sabbath. For example, a woman should not look into the mirror on the Sabbath day lest she sees a grey hair and be tempted to pull it out. If she gives in to the temptation and pulls it out, she has violated the Sabbath. Or a man should not spit on the ground on the Sabbath day, lest his saliva would stir up the soil, and it would be considered ploughing.
About 20 years ago, when I visited Israel, I stayed in a hotel in Jerusalem, and in this hotel, there was a special lift called the Sabbath Lift. When you enter into this lift, you do not have to press the button; it will automatically take you to every level because the Jews believe that by pressing the button, it is considered working on the Sabbath. Well, these were not the laws of the Sabbath; these were the extra-biblical, man-made foolish laws of men. The Sabbath that the Lord gives is a divine giftf; it is not a burden but a delight. The word Sabbath means to rest. On the Sabbath, God gave man rest. Why? So he can be refreshed. Please turn with me to Exodus 31:17. The same book, Exodus 31:17, the Bible says, "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day, He rested and was refreshed." The word "refreshed" is a very interesting word. It is the Hebrew word that means to breathe or to take a breath. If we were to express it in our modern-day English, perhaps we would say "to catch our breath." God has given the Sabbath so that man will be able to stop and catch his breath. In a sense, every day we are like running through life; we are dealing with all the busyness of life; we are carrying the burdens of our earthly responsibilities, and after six days of labour, our heavenly Father, who loves us so much, is like saying to us, "Stop, my son! Stop, my daughter! Catch your breath!" That is the idea: to rest and be refreshed.
Let us look on to verse 10: "But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates." The Sabbath is a gift not only for the master but also for the slave. God knows the human heart. The master would say, "We are keeping the Sabbath," but the slave must keep on working; the slave must continue to plow the land. "No," says the Lord, "you will rest and catch your breath. Your manservant, your maidservant, and even your animals, they must also be allowed to stop and catch their breath." Why? Because the Sabbath is my gift; it is a Divine gift. When God included the children, this commandment teaches us that as parents, we have the responsibility to teach our children to rest. When God included the servants, this commandment teaches us that as employers, if you are an employer, you have this responsibility to care for your workers. When God included the animals, He wants us to know that all His creatures must rest and be refreshed. So, those who force the animals to work, it is also not right. All God's creatures must rest.
As parents, you and I have this awesome responsibility to teach our children to keep the Sabbath. If we decide to work and make more money, and if for the slightest reasons we will not come to church, our children will grow up watching us. In time to come, they would apply our habits into their lives, and soon they will not be found in church. God forbids! We must never do that.
But what about those who are required to work on the Lord's Day? The Westminster Larger Catechism says, "Except for the works of necessity and mercy." Now that principle is based on the New Testament's teachings. As Christians, we should not be working on the Lord's Day, but God made special provisions for the works of necessity. For example, doctors, nurses, policemen, firemen, soldiers, etc. A gynecologist cannot tell his patient, "Please do not go into labour on Sunday because I cannot be working on the Lord's Day," or the doctor cannot be telling the patient, "Please do not fall sick on Sunday because I cannot be working on the Lord's Day." In a similar fashion, the fireman cannot say, "Whether it is the bushfire or the house fire, please do not call on Sunday because I cannot be working on the Lord's Day." These are all works of necessity.
God also made provisions for the works of mercy. For example, if a war falls on someone on the Lord's Day or the Sabbath Day, can you tell the person that he must be left until the Sabbath ends and then rescue can come? Most certainly not! You try your best to save the person immediately. Our Lord Jesus Christ performed many miracles on the Sabbath. He healed the lame, the blind, the dumb, the deaf, and those who were afflicted with all kinds of illnesses. He did not violate the fourth commandment but rather He was fulfilling the true purpose. That was why He said, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." You and I must follow His example. So whenever we use the Lord's Day to welcome the stranger, to feed the poor, or to visit the sick, all these are works of mercy.
God also made provisions for the work of service. Remember the priests in the Old Testament would have to continue ministering on the Sabbath; they did not stop on the Sabbath. Just like today, we have pastors and ministers who are serving in the church on the Lord's Day. All these people who are engaged in the works of necessity, mercy, and service, they ought to set aside another day of the week for rest and for public and private worship.
Our final point is: the Sabbath is not a holiday, but it is a holy day. God says, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." So the Sabbath is not only a day of rest; we must also keep it holy. To keep the Sabbath holy is to sanctify it, to set it apart. How do we do that? Allow me to quote the Westminster Confession of Faith. It says we should make it our delight to spend the whole time in public and private exercises of God's worship. In other words, we keep the Lord's Day holy, sanctified by devoting our time for worship, by committing ourselves for religious purposes. The Sabbath day is not a time of laziness; it is not a time whereby you just eat and sleep. Yes, it is to rest from work, but it is also a time of worship. That is why Leviticus 23:3 says, "Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings." A convocation is a calling to all of God's people as a holy assembly to worship.
As I was preparing this message, I was considering who is the best example in the Bible of one who worships God on the Sabbath day, and it is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. There was an occasion in the Gospel of Luke 4 when Jesus entered into the synagogue on the Sabbath day to worship, and it was His turn to read the scriptures, and so our Lord turned to the book of Isaiah and He began to read. All the people who heard Him were amazed. If Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, entered into the synagogue on the Lord's Day to worship, are we better than Him that we be found outside the church on the Lord's Day? May the Lord have mercy on us! So the Lord's Day is for worship; it is a day for us to attend corporate worship in church, for us to sing hymns, for prayers, for honouring God in the giving of tithes and offerings, enjoying fellowship with God's people, and attending to all the spiritual things.
I would like to add, in order to worship well, you and I need to be prepared. Keeping the Lord's Day holy also means getting ready the night before. Listen to the Puritan Thomas Watson as he describes the preparation of the heart for the Lord's Day. This is what he says: "When Saturday evening approaches, sound a retreat; call your minds off from the world, and gather your thoughts together to think of the great work of the approaching day." Evening preparation is like the tuning of an instrument; it will fit the heart better for the duties of the Lord's Day. On the Lord's Day, we are refreshed to worship God by prayer and the ministry of the word, by singing His praises and presenting our offerings to Him, by celebrating the sacraments and sharing Christian fellowship. The result is that the heart which was frozen throughout the week on the Sabbath melts with the Word again. Again, what an expression. This is how important it is to prepare our hearts the night before. Dear friend, how are you preparing your heart to worship on the Lord's Day? The night before, are you watching television late into the night, surfing the internet, chatting with your friends, partying in celebration, and then rushing into the church the next morning? That is not right.
What about the attire we put on during the Lord's Day? Is it important? Someone was asked this question: "What is the dress code in your company?" His answer was, "Well, there's no written official dress code, but it is expected that people who work in the office ought to be smartly attired, like with a tie or even a suit, because you have to meet important clients." But this same person, when he comes to church to worship God the Almighty, he comes with slippers; sometimes even sandals. And he says, "Well, God understands; He looks into the heart, not the outward appearance." Most certainly, God looks into the innermost of our hearts, but He is not blind; He looks both on the outside as well as the inside, and He knows what is in our hearts. Oftentimes, what we wear on the outside is a reflection of our hearts. We are not prepared to come to worship the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Think about the example of this person who is so well dressed to meet important clients, but when it comes to the Almighty God, is He not important? There is no one more important than the one living and true God.
There are endless questions that many Christians have asked about what can or cannot be done on the Lord's Day. Can I play golf? Can I watch television? Can I catch up on my studies or my work? All these questions are easy to answer when you and I understand what it means to find delight in the worship of God. When you and I understand that the greatest pleasure is in the fellowship with the Living God, do you know what is the real struggle? The real struggle is when we ask this question, not because we want to know what we ought to do on the Lord's Day, but we are looking for excuses; we are looking for reasons to do our own things, and then we miss the whole point of this fourth commandment.
There was the story of a man who was approached by a beggar on the street. The man reached into his pocket to see what he could give. Finding $7, and feeling sorry for the beggar, he held out $6 and said, "Here, this is for you." Not only did the beggar take the $6, but with his other hand, he struck
his benefactor across the face and grabbed the seventh dollar as well. What do you think of the beggar? Is he not a wretched fellow? Then what do you think of the sinner who is saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross shedding His precious blood, and yet insists on having the seventh day for himself? May the Lord forgive us if we have fallen into this sin. The only way for us to avoid this sin is to remember the Lord's Day, to keep it holy, to set it aside for the worship of God, to set it aside for religious purposes, and whatever we do, we do to the glory of the one who has saved us.
The Sabbath is permanent, and it is still applicable to us today. The Sabbath is not a burden, but it is a delight. The Sabbath is not a holiday, but it is a holy day. Will you keep this fourth commandment as God has commanded? Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
Let us pray. Our Father in Heaven, indeed this is a very important commandment; however, it is also one of the most misunderstood, perhaps the most neglected commandment. Oh Lord, thou hast taught us this evening what it means to keep the Lord's Day and why today we keep the Lord's Day because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Sabbath indeed is permanent, and it is still applicable to us today, and we call it the Lord's Day. The Sabbath is not a burden, but it is a delight. Thou hast given to us that we may rest and be refreshed. Indeed, oftentimes we are like crazy men and women running here and there throughout our lives. We are dealing with different businesses, carrying the burdens of our earthly responsibilities. Thou lovest us so much that Thou would want us to stop, rest, and be refreshed so that we may be able to catch our breath. Indeed, this is a wonderful lesson for us to be reminded that it is truly a delight and not a burden.
But the Sabbath is not only a time of rest because Thou hast commanded us to keep it holy, and to keep it holy we must sanctify it; we must set it apart for the worship of Thee, for religious purposes. And we thank Thee for enlightening us that today we understand that we ought to be committed and devoted to all the spiritual things that the Sabbath—the Lord's Day—is a time of worship, a time for us to have corporate worship, to sing praises to Thee in hymns, to pray, to enjoy fellowship with one another, to honour Thee with our tithes and offerings, and also to be engaged in all other spiritual things.
Oh Lord, Thou hast also reminded us that in order for us to worship Thee well, we ought to be prepared. So the night before, we ought to prepare ourselves so that all of us will wake up with renewed strength and passion to come to church to worship Thee in the beauty of holiness. So continue to teach us Thy precious word, and may the Spirit of God empower us so that all of us will be able to apply Thy truth into our lives. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.