Gratitude: The 4th Commandment

Notes:

12 “ ‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 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 ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Introduction of the 4th Commandment: Victory Day

Complicated Command:

Ten Commandments: Each command is relatively similar… But this one stands out!

Exodus=Rest because God rested after he created everything!

Deuteronomy=Rest because God saved you from Egypt

Quote Describing the Difference:

The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Mark Buchanan

“Exodus remembers Eden, Deuteronomy remembers Egypt… Exodus looks up, Deuteronomy looks back. Exodus gives theological rationale for rest, and Deuteronomy historical justification for it.

One evokes God’s character, the other His redemption. One calls us to holy mimicry- be like God; the other to holy defiance- never be slaves again…

One is invitation. The other is warning.”

This morning I’ll be preaching on the Deut passage, whereas in 2 weeks, Jeff will preach on the other:

Outline:

What makes this command so complicated?

What makes this command so freeing?

What makes this Command so Complicated?

What the New Testament Says about it?

Ceremonial vs. Moral: John Calvin and others labeled the 4th commandment as ceremonial, which means it’s a command that applied to Israel, but not for Christians- not in the same way, at least. Important to note Westminster Standards don’t communicate this distinction, however, which is an important distinction. They are all considered MORAL laws…

Sabbath and the New Testament: Another complicating factor with the 4th Commandment is that it’s only commandment not confirmed or reinforced in the New Testament . Jesus challenged the current religious elites over and over again with how they applied the MORAL obligations of the Sabbath. Each time Jesus puts the Religios leader in their place. “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.” That is, sabbath was a gift for man as a freeing experience, and not something restrictive.

Grandma Conversation:

Only form of bicycling allowed was a straight shot to church, and then a straight shot back home after church.

Grandmother’s grandfather—great-great grandfather—didn’t so much as wave to his neighbours or be sociable so as to preserve the intensely personal and reverent emphasis to the Lord’s Day. Swimming in the summer and skating in the winter were strictly forbidden.

However, my grandmother shared a cute story about how one time it was freezing rain outside so they couldn’t bike to church for the second service. But they were determined, so her family strapped on their skates, and skated their way down the canal to church. Of course, the family couldn’t be disciplined. After all, they were going to church! Moral of that story is that if your car breaks down later this afternoon, we expect you and the family to roller blade here. My grandfather shared another story about how he got big trouble swimming on Sunday. The rule was that the water wasn’t allowed to go past their knees.

Shabbot as Shadow: Paul who writes in Colossians 2: “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or dink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration, or a Sabbath day.” And then catch this, Paul says that these Jewish festivals are, “a shadow of the things there were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” So the Sabbath, Paul writes, is a shadow. It’s a shadow of Jesus. It’s not the real thing. Sabbath can only make sense now through Jesus.

Lord’s Day and Sabbath: One final issue I’ll mention is that technically speaking, we don’t worship at all on the 7th Day. We worship on Sunday- Sunday is the 1st day of the week. God rested on the 7th day. Exodus says we’re supposed to rest on the 7th day, not the 1st day. Saturday is filled with work still, so does this mean we break this command every week? The early church answered this by saying, no: Through Christ Resurrection, our victory day shifts to Sunday. Jesus rose from the dead, and therefore the early church said: Our freedom from slavery is no longer focused on freedom from Egypt, but freedom from Sin!

Let’s Simplify Things: Sin, Salvation, Service

Sin:

You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt,

Stuck in slavery

Slaves:

Ownership by Pharoah

Forced Labor by taskmasters

Limitation of gifts, desires, sense of calling

When the Israelites were in the dessert they forget about all this!

REMEMBER your past life, your life of enslavement…

Mark Buchanan writes about how we forget about our freedom by still listening to taskmasters. The same way Israelites would heed the whip of taskmasters in Egypt, we can still be controlled with the inner workings of sin. Taskmasters still like to pretend they have a stake in our hearts. They continue to tell you, “You’re not free. You’re not free of me. I’m right here. I lurk behind the corners of your soul that controls you when you’re the most vulnerable, or frustrated, or angry, or resentful, or jealous.”

Modern Day Taskmasters:

Money

Boss

Marriage

Sunday is our victory day to remember we are no longer have taskmaster whipping us into shape! We have freedom, total, unlimited, joy-filled freedom from the bondage of sin and the devil.

How is this possible? From our Redeemer Jesus Christ.

Salvation

Remember your slavery…

But also remember your salvation:

Remember… the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

The reason why Israel was to observe the Sabbath, Deuteronomy says, is to remember Egypt. To remember that at one time Israel was a nation of slaves, but that God saved them with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Sabbath keeping means remembering that Israel was stuck in chains, stuck in chattel slavery, not redemptive work, but chattel slavery, without real rest. Taskmasters never let them. So God commands Israel, “Remember that while you were in this state of slavery, you were stuck. Egypt gave you meaningless work that furthered their Kingdom.”

And so God, being a God of grace, delivered Israel, he saved them. Then he gave them time out of the week to catch their breath. He gave them a mission and a purpose. He gave them a land to work and cultivate. So God commands Israel to spend a day of the week remembering, reflecting, and believing that God flexed His muscles and gave them their freedom.

We must remember our salvation:

Remember you are a redeemed people!

Remember, like Martin Luther, when he was facing sin, would cry out, “Martin, remember your baptism!” Remember the promises give to you and to live into those promises!

You’re slavery drowned with Christ in your baptism:

Romans 6: 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

We must remember Romans 6 all the time.

Remember your Salvation: Remember what Jesus did for you. May his Sacrifice be your source of freedom.

Something we celebrate each Sunday on the Lord’s Day, and it’s something we celebrate each moment of our lives!

If the Sabbath is considered a shadow, then the reality is in Christ!

We rest by remembering what TRUE, PURE, WHOLISTIC FREEDOM LOOK LIKE! The reality is Christ. Because Christ freed us from our slavery of sin, we ought never ever forget who we are as a redeemed people. We are free because God freed us.

We are free because Jesus stretched out his weak and frail arms.

The chains of slavery are no long keeping us bound. Jesus’s sacrifice saved us from sin. In Jesus, we have a victory without picking a fight. He fought the battle himself. He stands victorious over sin, over death, over Satan and his evil angels. Jesus crushed the power of sins deadly poison.

This victory now gives us a rest so powerful and so permeating that it produces a forever Sabbath. Through Christ, the D-Day became V-Day, and in so doing gives us a victory earned 100% by our Lord.

And in the hour of Christ’s crucifixion, Sabbath moved from the 7th day to every moment for eternity. Every moment we are called to remember our redemption in Christ. He came for you. He came for me. He died for us so that our sin would not long keep us chained to death’s door.

Jesus fought for your freedom.

So SHOULD YOU!

Service

Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Keep Sabbath

How? Remember

Remember how?

121. Why is the word remember set in the beginning of the fourth commandment? 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 the two great benefits of creation and redemption, which contain a short abridgement of religion; and partly, because we are very ready to forget it, for that there is less light of nature for it, and yet it restraineth our natural liberty in things at other times lawful; that it cometh but once in seven days, and many worldly businesses come between, and too often take off our minds from thinking of it, either to prepare for it, or to sanctify it; and that Satan with His instruments much labor to blot out the glory, and even the memory of it, to bring in all irreligion and impiety.

Q. What is God’s will for you in the fourth commandment?

A. First, that the gospel ministry and education for it be maintained, and that, especially on the festive day of rest, I diligently attend the assembly of God’s people

to learn what God’s Word teaches, to participate in the sacraments, to pray to God publicly, and to bring Christian offerings for the poor.

Second,

that every day of my life

I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit,

and so begin in this life the eternal Sabbath.

9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

Are you striving to enter the rest Jesus gave us?

Israel is to remember deliverance from Egypt.

We must remember the cross.

You think it’s hard to stop resting from sin? Well, as a stark motivation, picture in your mind’s eye the crucifix. A man hanging on two crossing beams. This is our Good Friday image. Lift your eyes and imagine the image for a moment. Take a good solid look, at what that crown is doing to Christ’s scalp, at how he has to breath.

Then take a good solid look at yourself. Then remember: He’s taking your place of slavery. His blood has poured out for us! His blood is our ticket to freedom, and when Jesus cried out “IT IS FINISHED”, he guaranteed out victory and gave us the ability to be free.

So, brothers and sisters, be free, live as free! Give up the excuses that only blind us to our own chains that so easily entangle as Heb 12 reminds us. Face your taskmasters and remember THEY ARE DEAD! Live as though you rest every day from evil ways, that you let the Lord work through his Spirit, and so begin this life the eternal Sabbath. Eternal Sabbath is about discipleship folks, of daily following Jesus and daily remembering our ticket to freedom. He purchased us as slaves, and sets us free in an eternal Sabbath.

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Therefore Sabbath keeping isn’t about strapping on skates. It has to do with remembering we were strapped to sin, BUT that Jesus’ outstretched arms liberated us! It’s not about legalities, of lists of things to do or not do- it’s about the freedom we have in Christ to rest.

Christ is the reality. Shabbat is the shadow.

Statues of Liberty:

Christians aren’t statues of liberty, placed separate from the world like because of some cosmic prank!

We are LIVING sacrifices!

When we remember the eternal perspective of Sabbath, the natural consequence is that we will better appreciate the importance of getting together to worship as well. When we remember the deliverance of Christ and how that has freed us, then we get to get together and we worship. We get to get together 2 times a week to celebrate our V-Day in Jesus Christ. We get to hear God’s word, we get to sing and pray, to be encouraged in our walk of faith, to feel forgiveness and to be built up to go out. To be encouraged to live as a free nation- to stand together, like Statues of Liberty, proclaiming Christ and Him Crucified. Just as the Statue of Liberty receives thousands of visitors a year, our liberty living will show this world what true freedom tastes like from the inside out! AMEN.

We aren’t statues of Liberty.

We are living-sacrifices of liberty!