The Positive Side Of The Ten Commandments: The Fourth Commandment

A. INTRODUCTION

FOURTH COMMANDMENT

“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, 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” (Exodus 20:8-11).

1. Not legalistic. Why doesn’t the Fourth Commandment begin with “Thou shalt not work on the Sabbath/Sunday?

a. To teach rest.

b. The purpose is not to stop working but to start worshipping.

2. The creation of the Sabbath. What should we remember about the day of rest?

3. The Lord. Who is our Sabbath example? “For in six days did the Lord make heaven and earth . . .” (Ex. 20:11).

4. What about God as an example?

a. He did much.

b. He did it in six days.

c. He finished.

d. He stopped for the seventh day.

e. He rested. The word Sabbath means rest.

5. We forget. Why does God tell us to remember the Sabbath? We get caught up in our work or we don’t think it is necessary to stop working.

B. WHAT ARE THE POSITIVE ASPECTS?

1. Because we work. Why was a Sabbath necessary? “But the seventh day . . . thou shalt not do any work” (Ex. 20:10).

2. How should we work?

a. Completely. “Thou shalt labor and do all thy work” (Ex. 20:9).

b. Finish the job. “All that in them is” (Ex. 20:11).

c. Satisfactory. “And rested” (Ex. 20:11).

3. Rest. What is one of the greatest rewards for work?

4. Hallow or worship. What else are we to do on the Sabbath?

The word Holy means, “to set aside” or “separate.” When we worship God, we separate ourselves from our secular work to do our spiritual work. The word worship is liteago, i.e., “to serve God with praise. We “rest” from secular work to minister to God, i.e., we call it the worship service.

5. What will legalists do with the Sabbath/Sunday?

a. No work.

b. No job.

c. Negative.

d. Punishment.

e. No hope (optimism).

C. WHY WE KEEP SUNDAY INSTEAD OF SATURDAY

1. Resurrection. The greatest day in history sanctified Sunday. “Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning” (Luke 24:1).

2. Example. The early church worshipped on Sunday (Acts 20:7; I Cor. 16:2).

3. Endorsement. All of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances occurred on Sunday (John 20:19, 26).

4. Day of Promise. Three of the most important Old Testament feasts ended on Sunday for their greatest celebrations: (1) Week of Passover ended on Sunday with the Feast of First Fruits; (2) Pentecost was celebrated on Sunday, 50 days after Passover; (3) Feast of Tabernacles ended on the 8th day, i.e., Sunday.

5. Last physical appearance. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day when I heard behind me a great voice” (Rev. 1:10).

6. Tradition. The Christian Church has celebrated on Sunday since the early church fathers.

7. Eternal. The Lord’s Day was instituted long before the law (Gen. 2:1,2) and continues long after the law is over.

D. SPIRITUAL MEANING OF REST

1. Two kinds of spiritual rest.

a. Death. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord . . . They rest from their labours” (Rev. 14:13).

b. Spiritual. “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (salvation). Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest (victory) unto your souls” (Matt. 11:28-29).

2. Future rest. What does the present Sabbath/Sunday predict? “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God” (Heb. 4:9). Sabbatismos is “Sabbath rest,” i.e., do what God did after six days of work.

3. You possess God’s life in you. Observing the Lord’s Day is more than “sleeping.” It is yielding to God and “partnering” with Him. It is getting His rest.

E. WHAT REST DOES FOR YOU

1. Prepares you for the future. You take your eyes off today’s task to become future oriented.

2. Makes you feel good. God wants you to have some enjoyment in life.

3. Restores your soul. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul” (Psa. 23:2,3).

4. You obey His command. “Rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him” (Psa. 37:7a).

5. You forget the failures and problems of the past. “God shall wipe away all tears” (Rev. 21:4).