“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, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” [1]
Allowing my mind to drift back to a Sunday morning in the halcyon days in which I spent my childhood, I recall a world that was far different from the one in which we now live. And your memory of life in that distant day undoubtedly differs from what now exists if your days on earth exceed five decades. In those delightful distant days, Sunday morning saw families dressed in their finest clothing walking together to church. After the morning service they would spend time together, perhaps on a picnic, or visiting grandparents, or more likely simply spending time together as a family. Parents could read Sunday newspapers at a leisurely pace while the children played with neighbourhood friends in the yard. No stores were open, except for perhaps an occasional corner store or a gas station.
Fast forward to the present day. If a merchant plans a sale, it will assuredly include a Sunday opening since that is a day most people will be shopping. Sporting events are routinely scheduled for Sundays. Dance recitals, youth hockey tournaments, softball games, or pickup basketball are all planned for Sundays. Dads and moms are kept busy on Sundays, if not attending some professional sporting event or focused on a televised sporting event beamed into the home via television, they are busy transporting children to multiple activities. And we justify our investment in these activities by arguing that we are tired and need to rest if we are plunked down in our easy chair watching the game of the week, or by arguing that the children need these supervised activities so they can have a chance at really making it in the adult world.
Instead of a restful day, our lives as Canadians are marked by frenetic activities that force us to rush about until we barely have time to catch our breath. Sunday is time for recovery from late night Saturday parties; Sunday is when we arise late in the morning due to the sleep deficit following frenzied Saturday evenings. No church is able to compete with football, hockey, basketball, softball, or baseball; and consequently, many churches now rearrange their schedules to avoid making parishioners choose between church and the true love of their lives.
Shopping malls attract far more shoppers than does any church service. Thus, some innovative saints, in an effort to reach the unchurched, schedule services in the mall. Perhaps some unsuspecting soul will wander into the service after grabbing their “grande half-caf three pump tiramisu mocha shaken with five pumps of vanilla,” having mistaken the service of worship for a place to rest between hitting the various shops.
I recall a message delivered by my pastor, Doctor W. A. Criswell, in which he spoke of being in India on a Sunday during one mission journey on behalf of the Southern Baptist Convention. He was astonished that Sunday was just another day, a day in which to conduct business, a day in which to be busy about the affairs of life, but there was no sense of rest or refreshment, no sense of pausing to worship the Lord God. What I remember as I review that message in my mind is how the culture in Dallas was even then changing. Football fever ensured that people might miss church if the Cowboys were playing, or they would at least hustle away from the service so they would not have to miss the kickoff. It hadn’t always been that way, but things were changing. Now the full flower of change has arrived, and Sunday is just another day.
IS THE SABBATH MANDATORY? OR IS THE SABBATH GIVEN FOR OUR BENEFIT? “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, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates” [EXODUS 20:8-10].
This is the fourth of ten commandments given to Israel. Numerous groups, usually on the fringes of the Faith of Christ the Lord, see this commandment as incumbent upon worshippers of the Risen Saviour. At the extreme opposite are those who claim to be Christians but ignore obedience to the Word of God. Somewhere between these two extremes is where most conscientious followers of Christ find themselves. Effectively, the issue before us is whether this particular commandment is mandatory for followers of the Christ, or whether this is ceremonial law.
There are aspects of the Mosaic Law that are incumbent upon worshippers of the Lord God because they are mandated for all mankind. Pagans recognise the validity of any of a number of these laws even within their pagan societies. For instance, the sixth commandment is universally recognised: “You shall not murder” [EXODUS 20:13]. Admittedly, different societies interpret what murder is and is not, but the law is part of a moral code that applies to all mankind.
Other parts of the Ten Words that constitute a moral code would be: “You shall not commit adultery” [EXODUS 20:14]; “You shall not steal” [EXODUS 20:15]; “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour” [EXODUS 20:16]; and quite possibly, “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour’s” [EXODUS 20:17]. Again, each of these aspects of the moral code may be subject to differing interpretations depending upon the society in which that part of the moral code is applied, but the core principles remain.
The earlier commands constitute the religious code. While they are to be honoured, and while they are for the benefit of mankind, they are not universally held by differing societies. Though we who follow in the Faith of Christ the Lord, together with those of the Jewish Faith, hold these first five commands as important, it is apparent that many religions do not keep these earlier commands which instruct us to have no gods but the Living God [see EXODUS 20:3], to not make idols [see EXODUS 20:4-6], to avoid blasphemous use of God’s Name [see EXODUS 20:7], to maintain one day out of seven for rest and worship [see EXODUS 20:8-11], and to honour one’s parents [see EXODUS 20:12]. What is observed, then, is the Ten Words present a moral code and a religious code.
Underscore in your mind that the moral code applies to all human beings regardless of the society in which they live. The religious code was applicable only to those people who were seeking to worship the Lord God. Now, that religious code is no longer applicable for those who wish to approach God. This becomes evident when you see Paul’s assessment of those who claim to follow the Risen Lord of Glory while claiming to follow the Mosaic Law at the same time.
Here is the Apostle’s statement. “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” [COLOSSIANS 2:8-15].
I have no doubt that there are some who wish to be counted as Christians while insisting that we must observe certain regulations found in the Law. Of course, most of these dear souls are rather selective in which ceremonial commands they insist on keeping. Do they insist on circumcision? If so, is the procedure carried out by a priest? Or can a pastor perform the rite? Is it valid circumcision if the procedure is carried out by a physician? We will need a ruling from the strict Sabbatarians on this issue.
What about cooking a young goat in its mother’s milk? Does this lead to maintaining Kosher? If they keep the feasts, do they ensure that no fat remains on the day following the feast? Do they allow the land to lie fallow on the seventh year? Since many of those attempting to keep the Law while claiming to be Christian do not farm, does this mean that they can’t mow their lawn during the seventh year? Does it mean that they can’t tend their flower gardens during that critical seventh year? There cannot be any artificial selectivity as though such people are approaching a smorgasbord of regulations.
Have these dear souls never read, “Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace” [GALATIANS 5:2-4]. It raises the question of why anyone would attempt the impossible of maintaining the mandates of the Law while professing the freedom of faith in Christ!
Elsewhere, we witness the Apostle instructing the faithful, “My brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code” [ROMANS 7:4-6]. Either we are released from the law to serve in the new way of the Spirit, or we are still held captive by the law.
Now, we can ask the question whether the Sabbath concept is mandatory if we are to please the Saviour? Or how should we see the Sabbath? There is some help in answering this question that is provided in Jesus’ response to a challenge from the religious leaders. Here is the setting as provided in Mark’s Gospel. “One Sabbath [Jesus] was going through the grainfields, and as [He and His disciples] made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain” [MARK 2:23].
Under the Law, anyone was permitted to pluck the heads of grain as they passed through a grainfield. This is revealed by reviewing DEUTERONOMY 23:25: “If you go into your neighbour’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain.” The disciples were doing nothing beyond what was permitted.
However, the travelling truth squad, otherwise known as the Pharisees, looking for a reason to complain, confronted Jesus, tattling on the disciples, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath” [MARK 2:24]?
Jesus had an answer that they hadn’t considered. He said, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him” [MARK 2:25-26]?
Undoubtedly, Jesus’ interlocutors had read the passage multiple times without seeing it as anything more than a historical reference. Jesus then provided then with a reason for why the incident was included in the Word as He give them a commentary on what was otherwise a matter of seeming insignificance. The Master pointedly advised the Pharisees, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath” [MARK 2:27-28].
For the purpose of this study, focus on that twenty-seventh verse: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The ceremonial commands were given for mankind’s benefit. More particularly, the concept of the Sabbath was for man’s benefit. Observing the Sabbath must be for the benefit of the people, and not as a strict religious test. Why, then, did God command the Sabbath?
The answer to this query is provided in the presentation of the fourth command: “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, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” [EXODUS 20:9-11].
To be certain, the Sabbath holds a ceremonial significance, a religious purpose. The Sabbath was meant to be observed as a mark of sanctification; at the very least, observing the Sabbath revealed an aspiration to be set apart for God’s service. The one keeping the Sabbath was demonstrating a desire to be set apart for God’s service. This aspect of observing the Sabbath was ceremonial. Because of the focus on the ceremonial aspect of observance of the Sabbath, what is often overlooked is that the Sabbath was given to man for his benefit—the Sabbath was intended to be a day on which people were to rest from their labour. And this requirement for man’s rest should be a focus of anyone who labours, which is pretty much all of us.
WHY A DAY OF REST? “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, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” [EXODUS 20:9-11].
Why does man need a day of rest? And how exactly is this rest to be accomplished? Let’s begin this examination by defining man’s makeup. Man is a tripartite being—man has a body, he is a living soul, and he has a spirit that must return to God Who gives man his being. That this is the case becomes evident upon even a cursory examination of the Word of God.
Let’s begin by looking at the account of man’s creation as given in the first book of the Bible. In that book, we read, “God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.”
[GENESIS 1:26-27]
We have come to a day in which common sense is somewhat uncommon, so it is necessary to note that when using the term “man” in these verses, God is referring to mankind, to humans. The term encompasses both males and females, as becomes evident when we read “male and female He created them.” When we use the term “man,” we are speaking of males and females, we are speaking of humans, we are speaking of people.
Here is the point that is essential to grasp: man is created in the image of God! How is man in God’s image? This is a legitimate question. Are we trying to make God look like us? Or are we speaking of our being reflecting the Person of God? The answer is that people reflect the image of God. Let’s think this through so we can tease out how we are in the image of God.
Each of us reflect the character of the Lord God Who gives us our being. How so, you may ask. I suppose there are several possible ways in which this could be answered, but the way that is most meaningful for me is to realise that just as God is a Triunity, so I am a tripartite being. As the Apostle draws his first missive penned to the saints in Colossae to a conclusion, he includes a benedictory prayer. And that prayer gives us insight into who we are. Under the inspiration of the Spirit of Christ, Paul writes, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” [1 THESSALONIANS 5:23-24].
We speak of God as a Triunity—we know Him as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When God created man, He gave man an identity that reveals the Maker in that we possess a body, though each of us is a living soul, and each of us possess a spirit. Man is defined as spirit, soul, and body, a tripartite being reflecting the character of the Creator.
I have a physical body; but I am far more than a body. This is obvious when we realise that one does not cease to be in the image of God if they are horribly injured. Without legs, a person is still a person created in the image of God. Without sight, an individual is still a person bearing the image of God. And even when a person is horribly brain damaged, they are no less a person—they still bear the image of God. To be sure, we identify one another by the physical characteristics that make up our bodies. Our physical features, our gait when we walk, the sound of our voice all help identify us to one another. Therefore, this body is the most immediate aspect of our identity. Our physical presentation is important for us.
Nevertheless, a person is more than a body. Thus we speak of the soul, the animating portion of mankind. In the account of man’s creation in Genesis, we read, “The LORD God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” [GENESIS 2:7 NET BIBLE 2nd]. What isn’t apparent to anyone reading the English Bible is that the term that is translated “living being” was translated “living soul” in older translations of the Word. The soul becomes far more important than we might imagine. Our patterns of thought and the areas of interest that command our attention, assist in identifying who we are.
Here is where the concept of man as a tripartite being becomes tricky for some people. There are many fine theologians who are prepared to argue that man is a bipartite being; they see the soul and the spirit as identifying the same aspect of a person. Their argument is that we cannot distinguish between soul and spirit. They are not necessarily arguing that the soul and the spirit are the same thing; they are saying that we can’t distinguish between the two aspects of man’s being. I will acknowledge that it is difficult for us to distinguish between the soul and the spirit; but what we cannot do, God has done. The writer of the Letter to Hebrew Christians provides some rather insightful commentary on this distinction when he writes, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” [HEBREWS 4:12-13].
Are you and I able to distinguish between soul and spirit? The Bible sees a distinction, and though we may be hard-pressed to identify these aspects of our being, the Word of God has no such difficulty. I suggest that the soul is the aspect of man’s being that reveals the mind, the creative drive to define his presence in the environment, the intellectual facet that impels mankind to want to know, to experience, to explore. This drive is so much more than mere chemical and/or neurological impulses driving us to want to know. Our Creator has made us in this fashion so that we have a drive to know, an ability to accumulate experiences and catalogue those experiences for a foundation on which to build for future learning. In my view, this describes the concept of the soul without doing damage to the idea of the spirit.
Oh, yes, what of the spirit? The spirit appears to be that aspect of man’s being that permits him to know and interact with God our Creator. To be sure, the spirit of man is dead because we are born in sin as result of our first parents’ rebellion. However, the Holy Spirit works to impart life to those who respond to His call. And when we do respond to the urging of the Spirit He takes up residence within the life of the twice born child of God.
I provided this survey of man’s being to point out that the fourth commandment was given in recognition that man needs rest for the body, just as he needs rest for the soul and the spirit. Without rest, efficiency nosedives and the ability to complete even basic tasks is compromised. Thus, the Lord God commanded that man needs rest. “In six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day” [EXODUS 20:11a]. Modelled after our Creator, we require rest.
There may have been a day when I thought myself to be invincible. That illusion was shattered by some experiments conducted during my doctoral studies. The studies required me to follow the enzymatic changes in the livers of three sets of rats. Every two hours, I would kill nine rats, three from each set, and do the assessment of the hepatic enzymes. Being very efficient, I was able to complete all my assays within about an hour and forty-five minutes. That left me between ten and fifteen minutes before the next series of rodents would be killed, the livers removed, and the preparations begun. This would continue for ninety-six hours, after which I could go home and get some rest. And I didn’t need any coaxing to fall into bed and get some rest! I realised quite quickly that the body, even the body of a virile young scientist required rest. There is a physical limit to stamina for each of us.
And just as we require physical rest, so we need rest for our soul. The old adage reminds us that the bow cannot always be maintained at full draw, the string must be relaxed or it will break. Similarly, the mind needs to rest at times. It is not wise to always be driven—rest is required to permit the mind to fully function. There is an essential place in life for hobbies, for the diversions that permit us to step away from the tension that daily existence imposes. To be certain, we are prone to go to extremes on those aspects of our lives. If it were not for the need to provide for the necessities of life driving us to work, we might find ourselves becoming mere drones stuck in one place and never growing intellectually or emotionally.
I shouldn’t imagine that I need to expend much effort attempting to convince you of the need for physical rest, especially if you’re over the age of thirty. Similarly, it is likely that we agree on the need for intellectual and emotional rest, what we might call rest for the soul. And our society has eagerly embraced the need for rest for the soul, even elevating this need above any requirement for physical rest. This is evident from the multiplied amusements that mark our culture—from ear buds and the constant demand for musical entertainment to the multiplied sporting events that grab our attention, whether we attend in person or attend vicariously via the television.
As has been stated by Neil Postman in his 1985 tome, within our culture we are “Amusing Ourselves to Death.” [2] And though Postman was focused on the transition from a society built on the written word to a society focused on the televised world, the situation has changed dramatically as we have adopted the Internet. Communication moved from ideas communicated by words to ideas conducted through visual imagery and has now been transformed into a world in which ideas are broadcast in three hundred words of less. Our ability to communicate has been accelerated and changed dramatically, and has done so multiple times in only a few brief decades. Many of us are unable to catch our breath; we assuredly are not often capable of thinking quickly enough to grasp what is being communicated, and thus we have no rest for our souls.
You will recall that Jesus invites all who are weary, and that surely means all who realise the fatigue of their soul, “Come to me, all who labor and are 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” [MATTHEW 11:28-30]. To accept His invitation to find rest for the soul is the start of genuine rest—rest that otherwise eludes those living within this hectic society.
And that should raise in your mind the question, “Do we need rest for our spirit?” And the corollary question that should be asked is “Why should we need rest for our spirit?” For most of our fellow citizens, the idea of rest for our spirit must seem rather strange. Since the spirit of unsaved people is dead, and according to Jesus few walk along the narrow path that leads to life, there would be little consciousness of spiritual fatigue. It might be beneficial for us to review Jesus’ words as recorded by Matthew. Jesus taught us, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” [MATTHEW 7:13-14].
You may recall an incident that occurred when the disciples needed rest and didn’t recognise their need. The twelve Apostles had been sent out with the authority of Jesus resting on them. The work they had performed was amazingly successful. Mark reports, “[The disciples] cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them” [MARK 6:13]. While they were conducting the ministry Jesus had assigned, the Baptist had been executed. The disciples of John took his body and laid it in a tomb. It was a time of extreme challenge, and the disciples were weary, though they seemed oblivious to their need for spiritual rest.
Here is the way Mark framed the incident when the Apostles needed rest. Mark writes, “[Jesus] said to [the disciples], ‘Come with me privately to an isolated place and rest a while’ (for many were coming and going, and there was no time to eat). So they went away by themselves in a boat to some remote place” [MARK 6:31-32 NET BIBLE 2nd]. The twelve had had a powerful ministry; they returned victorious! Had they been ministering in Dawson Creek in this day, we would counsel them to “strike while the iron is hot.” We would say that they needed to keep at the task while the power was resting on them. We would advise them to keep at the task. But Jesus called for them to come away with Him to an isolated place. Jesus knew these men needed rest for their spirits. And they would find that rest when they spent time with Him without the distraction of the demands impose by ministering to the multitudes.
Few people realise how desperately demanding is serving the needs of others. We have the Spirit of Christ living in us, and His power is made available if we are willing to appropriate it for ourselves, but we need refreshment that comes from rest for our spirit. We need time for quietness with the Master. Tragically, we seem to think that we can get by quite nicely without time to refresh the spirit by resting in the presence of the Saviour. And that is one great reason we need a day of rest. We come to the House of the Lord and say that we will worship. But we sometimes forget that the worship we present is a time of spiritual rest as Christ renews our spirit.
A HOLY DAY? “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy… For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” [EXODUS 20:8, 11].
Just as we need physical rest, and that is accomplished on an ongoing basis as we sleep or as we allow the muscles to relax, and just as we need rest for the soul, which is provided as we step back from the demands of the day, so we need rest for the spirit which is given as we set aside time to be in the presence of the Lord. God says that we need one day out of seven to gain rest for our spirit.
And while I do not see a command for a Sabbath as the day grew to be under the encumbering tenets of the Old Covenant, it does seem appropriate that we should have a day that is set apart to refocus on attention on the Lord Who saves us. In other words, it is not that this is command that weighs upon us as followers of the Lord of Glory, we are provided with a principle that is given for our benefit. We are not bound by a slavish demand that we must adopt in terror of inadvertently violating through negligence, but we are given a principle that we may apply for our benefit.
I’m not being irreverent or obtuse when I say this is a principle rather than being an obligation on us who follow the Risen Christ. Paul says the same thing when he writes, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” [COLOSSIANS 2:16-17]. Did you catch what the Apostle said? Sabbaths are a shadow, and not the substance. Those who seek to impose a Sabbath demonstrate their ignorance of the freedom we enjoy in Christ. We accept the principle that God is providing for rest, and we are responsible to refresh ourselves body, soul, and spirit.
We accept the principle that seeking spiritual refreshment will lead us into the House of the Lord as we unite with our fellow saints to honour our Saviour. Our substance is Christ the Lord and the freedom He provides. Like the principle of bringing an offering to glorify the Lord Who redeems us, we are not under a command to tithe of the wealth with which we are entrusted, but we recognise a principle that when we adopt it we are blessed, and we are not under a command to maintain a Sabbath. We could compare the fourth command to the principle of prayer. We are given the Model Prayer, not as though we must slavishly recite the words recorded, but rather we are to see that prayer as a model to guide us as we seek to honour the Lord God and to commune with Him. Just so, the ideal of setting aside time for refreshment in the presence of the Lord is given so that we may renew our spirit and equip ourselves for service. Our God is providing for us to find refreshment as we come into His presence.
The Old Covenant is past; the New has come. The ceremonial law is no longer binding on us who follow the Saviour. It is just as written in the Letter to the Hebrew saints: “We have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, ‘See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.’ But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second” [HEBREWS 8:1-7].
That writer of this Letter to Hebrew Christians makes an observation that is applicable to the matter under consideration in this message today. He writes, “Since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” [HEBREWS 10:1-4].
It is appropriate to remind the people of God that the rest we seek, the rest that is encouraged now, the rest that no one of us will ever perfectly achieve in this life, is nevertheless promised. God says, “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” [HEBREWS 4:9-10]. This rest is assured, and it is ours in Christ the Lord.
It is essential to note the warning God has provided for those without His redemption. We must warn all who are outside of Christ,
“‘The wicked are like the tossing sea;
for it cannot be quiet,
and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.’”
[ISAIAH 57:20-21]
Earlier, I presented the invitation of the Saviour who calls all who will heed His plea, “Come to me, all who labor and are 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” [MATTHEW 11:28-30].
The Son of God took your sin upon Himself, presenting His life as a sacrifice for your sin. Your debt of sin has been paid by the Son of God. Christ the Saviour was buried; but the glorious Good News is that the Lord Jesus conquered death and came to life that all who believe on Him need never suffer the torment of separation from God. Jesus invites all who are willing to believe that He has taken upon Himself the punishment you so richly deserve so that you need never know the judgement for sin. Now, the Word of God invites all who will receive the promise, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:13]. Christ the Lord died because of your sin, and He lives so that you may live. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death (Viking Penguin, New York, NY 1985)
