Stewarding Our Lord's Day

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.

Exodus 20:1–11

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?

Isaiah 55:8–9

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.

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

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.

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

We see in Hebrews chapter 4,

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

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,

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

this is what you would hear.

Katapausis,

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,

Hebrews 4:9

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

Matthew 18:15–20

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.